If you follow Soundcheque Mondays, you may have been disappointed yesterday with no post... I'll say "SOWWY" in a dumb baby voice and make it up to you next week! We ended up staying an extra night after Disaster Daze, riding choppers up the coast and taking in a bit of camping R&R with some friends roadtripping up from Culver City, on their way across Canada and down to Montana... will post a photo of their camper setup when I get my film developed, livin' the dream!I'll leave you with this mellow jam from the Horrible Houses, which samples a great riff from the Kynds track "So If Someone Sends You Flowers Babe"... see you next Monday! xo

This is one of those reviews where that I laughed, said "what the fuck..." and immediately youtube'd this album. If you like HEAVY stoner doom metal, this one's for you!

OM advaitic songs (drag city)

OM’s newest release starts off with “Addis,” a spiritual eastern sounding vibe that puts you in a kind of head space similar to laying on a pallet in a warehouse with two broken legs, next to a pipe and a Chinese senior citizen. Then just like that, it jumps into track two’s  “State Of Non-Return” with full volume and all the sludge-groove of a Sleep song. The song trudges through, then near the end, that same Chinese senior citizen returns and says, “It’s round two but don’t worry, I’m buying brosef.” Leading us into track three “Gethsemane,” with that same feeling of pleasant warehouse gut-rot, but this time it starts to turn evil with a drum beat. When the vocals kick in, you can’t help but to think that if Satan is real he probably listen’s to OM and he’s probably super lazy, but lazy in that funny way. Like he’s eating chips on a foldout lawn chair by a stream of lava then he grabs his lemonade to take a drink, and when it gets up to his lips, the ice is all stuck together and rushes towards his mouth at the same time spilling the lemonade all over his brand new TapOut t-shirt, and he totally just laughs and shrugs. And that’s why lemonade is America’s #1 beverage.

—Justin Gradin, Color 10.3

P.S. I wanna try and see the Super Dogs show at the PNE this week - a dog doing a cartwheel?! You gotta see it to believe it.See you next week!

What is Soundcheque Mondays anyway? Every week, I'll be posting a music review direct from the pages of Color that deserves another go-around, plus a video from the band so you get to hear the actual music that goes along with it. Win/Win! Previous entries:

Monday Feb 6, 2012 Soft MoonMonday Feb 13, 2012 Cloud NothingsMonday Feb 20, 2012 NirvanaMonday Feb 27, 2012 Maria MinervaTuesday Mar 6, 2012 Royal TruxTuesday Mar 13, 2012 ZzbraMonday July 16, 2012 Mac DemarcoMonday July 23, 2012 Ty Segall/White FenceMonday July 30, 2012 Hush Arbors/Arbouretum Tuesday Aug 7, 2012 Rap GoofzMonday Aug 13, 2012 White Lung

Yesterday, I came across a photo of our very own Isaac McKay-Randozzi sans beard. WHOA - looking good Isaac! I always imagine that when men shave their beards or mustaches off, they get a feeling of lightness & renewal, and maybe even an added spring to their step. Those are the kinds of days when you're feeling at the top of your game and always seem to lead to chance opportunities, fortunate occurrences, auspicious moments etc... whatever you wanna call it, it's all LUCK! So it comes as no surprise to me that Isaac recently released a photo zine through Draw Down Publishing (their first publication!) that bears the name of all being right in the world at that moment. "Luck showcases Isaac McKay-Randozzi's analog photographs of skateboarding, street culture, and everyday observations. From perfectly frozen frontside airs to quiet, reflective moments with artist Michael Leon and original Bones Brigade member Tommy Guerrero, every image is captured with humble sincereness and raw confidence."—Draw DownFollow Isaac & view more of his work at mydumbluck.com First edition, 2012 Printed in numbered edition of 50016 pages, 2-color offset, 7.75 x 10 in.Design: Christopher Sleboda and Kathleen Sleboda Luck available here

So excited for Soundcheque Mondays this week! A few reasons: 1) we just dropped our new issue of Color 10.3 a few days ago, so I have a whole new crop of reviews to pick from... this cheers me more then you know! 2) We just finished up a week of partying while KnowShow was in town, and I'm happy to have some work that doesn't involve small talk & shots of Jameson... 3) White Lung is badass & featured in the new issue & Mish is great! On a side note, does anyone even read these things?! haha 

WHITE LUNG sorry (deranged)

White Lung’s new full-length Sorry is a definite leap forward for the band and embodies a mixture of sounds from nü age muscle music to steampunk to rap metal, all with a neo-feminist twist. Just kidding! (Did you believe me?) They’ve really pushed their songwriting here with a much faster tempo mixed with those lovable disjointed fish ‘n chips  guitar lines and intricate bass thunder tips. Vocalist Mish Way has even changed her style from “drowning sasquatch in heat” to “a picnic with Jesus on Cinco De Mayo.” A greater focus on melody is apparent in songs like “Bag” and “Glue.” Ten songs, all of them movers and shakers, will leave you feeling happy, or sad, or mad. Maybe even hungry. The point is, you will feel something, unless you are an emotional coward like me. The record also features the best album cover I have ever seen with my own eyes.—Bobby Lawn, Color Magazine 10.3

See ya next week!

What is Soundcheque Mondays anyway? Every week, I'll be posting a music review direct from the pages of Color that deserves another go-around, plus a video from the band so you get to hear the actual music that goes along with it. Win/Win! Previous entries:

Monday Feb 6, 2012 Soft MoonMonday Feb 13, 2012 Cloud NothingsMonday Feb 20, 2012 NirvanaMonday Feb 27, 2012 Maria MinervaTuesday Mar 6, 2012 Royal TruxTuesday Mar 13, 2012 ZzbraMonday July 16, 2012 Mac DemarcoMonday July 23, 2012 Ty Segall/White FenceMonday July 30, 2012 Hush Arbors/Arbouretum Tuesday Aug 7, 2012 Rap Goofz

"Developed in a sky lab by ancient spacemen, encaged in a crystal prison and doomed to float through space, tuned to the navigational frequencies of RAP MUSIC, freed by a solar tsunami, consuming a magical potion called palm beezy. What could go wrong? Press: funbutton. Watch: the party get pregnant."—The birth of the Rap Goofz In lieu of this week's Soundcheque Mondays post (yesterday was a holiday & I was on a nudie beach, good reason?), I'm posting something way more near & dear to my heart... local dopesmokers/ladiesmen/party enthusiasts the Rap Goofz have finally released the highly anticipated new video for their single "Dream Girls"!!!! With a handful of sweat-drenched packed shows, Goofz t-shirt clad fans, swooning ladies, and veritable crew battle under their belt, I'm stoked the hype around these Goofz is just getting started... #1 fan?? Probably! Sit back, relax & put a towel under your seat...

Check the RAP GOOFZ Soundcloud <here>

p.s. get hazy at upcoming shows & head down to the Gam Gallery on September 20th when the Goofz perform during this year's Olio Festival!

EPIC. WEEKEND. camping. mountains. hiking. hot springs. landslides. dog fights. off-road vertical towing. KEEP OUT pumice mine. acid tummyaches. party raft. river dumps. camping. camping. camping.

Probably the mellowest record Soundtrack Mondays has seen yet, this one is making me sleepy just sitting here... much needed. ZZZZZZZZ

HUSH ARBORS/ARBOURETUMaureola(thrill jockey)

Is there a genre called Choo Choo Rock yet? If not, I’m coining it right now. Okay, on the prog-folk, pychedelic rock tip (Choo Choo Rock) we got Hush Arbors joining forces with contemporaries Arbouretum. Both bands are familiar with the improv zone: Hush Arbors having played with Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Six Organs of Admittance, and Thurston Moore, and Arbouretum with the looseness of their always changing live show. Here both bands focus more on the folk song structure with the occasional blast of acid guitar psychedelic fuzz slide boner attack, with an overall mellow feel (Choo Choo Rock). Weirdly you can almost hear the songs as if they were distorted through a stack of amps, which would mutate it into a much heavier psych-rock five star hotel fire. When I close my eyes and listen to this, I picture the singer to be toothless and singing into a photograph of a baby boy, with every song ending in the regretful tears of a wandering hobo. —Justin Gradin, Color 10.2

p.s. I don't usually like to mix in other music with these posts, but I just found this a few minutes ago and am super into it RIGHT NOW.

See ya next week!

What is Soundcheque Mondays anyway? Every week, I'll be posting a music review direct from the pages of Color that deserves another go-around, plus a video from the band so you get to hear the actual music that goes along with it. Win/Win! Previous entries:

Monday Feb 6, 2012 Soft MoonMonday Feb 13, 2012 Cloud NothingsMonday Feb 20, 2012 NirvanaMonday Feb 27, 2012 Maria MinervaTuesday Mar 6, 2012 Royal TruxTuesday Mar 13, 2012 ZzbraMonday July 16, 2012 Mac DemarcoMonday July 23, 2012 Ty Segall/White Fence

I like to think about the future a lot. Things like "What kind of old lady will I be?" (bitchin'), "Will I be alive when World War III happens?" (probably), and "What will people be listening to in 500 years?" (stumped). These questions all get my mind into dream vortex mode, a la reverse Bill & Ted's, and make me wish someone would pay me to just come up with queries about the future...

Anyway, here's hoping people 500 years from now are into this record!

TY SEGALL/WHITE FENCEhair(drag city)

San Francisco natives Ty Segall and White Fence combine their mutual affection for jangly, 60s-inspired psych and garage rock with Hair, their first collaborative effort. While Ty has always maintained an unhinged approach to that era, White Fence’s Tim Presley has primarily stuck with the acid damaged and folk-y end of the spectrum. So with the two mining the same period but coming from opposite ends of it, you might think this would be an incongruous fit. Well, you’d be dead wrong. In fact, neither Tim nor Ty change their styles here much at all, instead ramming the two headlong into each other. Six of the eight tracks on Hair are sung by Presley, who comes off like a long-lost psych-folk troubadour. Meanwhile, Ty shreds on his guitar throughout Hair, adding in some subtle backup vocals when necessary. When Ty does jump in, he follows Presley mellow lead and sticks with a plaintive and slightly stoned approach. Hair is a triumph for the both of them, which is saying something considering the consistency and length of their back catalogs.—Mark Richardson, Color 10.2

See ya next week!

What is Soundcheque Mondays anyway? Every week, I'll be posting a music review direct from the pages of Color that deserves another go-around, plus a video from the band so you get to hear the actual music that goes along with it. Win/Win! Previous entries:

Monday Feb 6, 2012 Soft MoonMonday Feb 13, 2012 Cloud NothingsMonday Feb 20, 2012 NirvanaMonday Feb 27, 2012 Maria MinervaTuesday Mar 6, 2012 Royal TruxTuesday Mar 13, 2012 Zzbra Monday July 16, 2012 Mac Demarco

After a (somewhat) long hiatus, Soundcheque Mondays is back! Missed out on the first generation of posts? See below to get caught up!

It's been a busy couple months around the Color office, and we've all pretty much caught summer fever right now - I just got back from a 5-day roadtrip around southeastern Oregon with some Portland buds... best trip! We hit every swimming hole, desert town and thrift store we came across, and played every country road & honky tonk song we could find along the way. We ended up in Fossil, OR (pop. 470) for their annual bluegrass festival & vintage car rally, where there's four churches off Main St. and everything's still closed on Sundays. We were pretty much the only ones under 60, and felt like we were walking around the set of Footloose... which makes me think of the Mac Demarco Baby's Wearing Blue Jeans... which leads me to this week's post! See? All my long-winded stories do lead somewhere. Well, most of them, anyway.

Mac Demarcorock n' roll nightclub(captured tracks)

Mac Demarco stayed at my house once. That night he was so loud outside of my house that my neighbor, a gigantic Mexican dude, said if they didn’t quiet down he would shoot them. The next night we went to a bar and Mac told two morbidly obese girls that he was in town playing bass for his band Broken Social Scene. They got his number and he got theirs, and later on, back at the house, he decided to call them. But before he called them he hooked his phone into our P.A. system. When the girls answered the phone Mac immediately jumped into conversation about how he wanted to “eat their assholes” while the whole room listened in on their reply of mindless giggling. Rock n’ Roll nightclub is a departure in sound from Mac’s last band Make Out Videotape, but not a departure from Mac’s overall mindset and attitude. Also, look for this album in its cassette tape life via Green Burrito. Holla atchay boi! —Justin Gradin, Color 10.2

p.s. if you're in Vancouver on July 21st, Mac is playing at Glen with a bunch of good bands, including local favorites Bummer High & The High Drops... details here! See ya next week!

What is Soundcheque Mondays anyway? Every week, I'll be posting a music review direct from the pages of Color that deserves another go-around, plus a video from the band so you get to hear the actual music that goes along with it. Win/Win! Previous entries:

Monday Feb 6, 2012 Soft MoonMonday Feb 13, 2012 Cloud NothingsMonday Feb 20, 2012 NirvanaMonday Feb 27, 2012 Maria MinervaTuesday Mar 6, 2012 Royal TruxTuesday Mar 13, 2012 Zzbra

It's been awhile since I posted on the blog, so why not make this resurgence a good one - lots going on this week! You can pretty much go out every night this week and go to a Color event in Vancouver... crazy!

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First up - TONIGHT! LAZY TUESDAY 

TUESDAY JULY 10th

London Pub700 Main St.Vancouver, BC

This week launches "Last Try Tuesday" - full details and first contenders video here!Pre-game High Ollie Challange for $$$DJ Craig Kiltau19+Next week is gonna be another MEGA beer pong tournament, with proceeds to benefit "Aprons for Gloves" ... not to be missed!

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Then comes Thursday's Hicks on Sticks Canadian Premiere @ Rio Theatre 

THURSDAY JULY 12th

Rio Theatre1660 East BroadwayVancouver, BCThe award winning documentary feature film “Hicks On Sticks” will make its Canadian premiere in East Vancouver, where the story of the underdog skateboarding tour began. Full film details & trailer here.Also, Olio Festival will be announcing their full festival lineup! The lucky folks in attendance will get the first word on who to catch this year, and will also be able to purchase all-weekend wristbands for only $60; that works out to $12 per day!7 pm screening - all ages10 pm screening - licensed 19+Admission $10, tickets available at the door. RSVP on Facebook here

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Friday brings us Rad Times - special "Rap Showcase" edition featuring the RAP GOOFZ! YES!!

FRIDAY JULY 13th -- Friday the 13th, Freaky Friday, etc etc...Astoria 769 E. HastingsVancouver, BCThere is waaay too much going on at Rad Times, full info & RSVP on Facebook here.Super excited for our buddies the RAP GOOFZ performing for the first time since their 4/20 debut!! Been listening to their soundcloud pretty regularly in the office... you'll be into it, seriously.*************************************************************************************************************** Finally, Saturday brings us the BIGGEST party of the week! Wait, actually TWO BIGGEST parties of the week!!!

SATURDAY JULY 14thDutil 303 W. Cordova St.Vancouver, BCParty #1 - "Never Comply"

This Saturday dutil.denim in Vancouver celebrates the introduction of COMUNE to their growing collection of denim brands by hosting Toronto photography collective / 'zinemakers Blood of the Young for a photo show and party.

Come down and see BOTY's Dimitri Karakostas & Reilly Hodgson’s collection of photos from a wide range of artists including Kyle Camarillo, Alexis Gross and Ed Templeton, on display inside dutil’s Gastown boutique for one night only.

FREE BEER provided by Pabst Blue Ribbon (while supplies last) and music by DJ Nate Lacoste

RSVP on Facebook here- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Party #2 - "Never Comply" AFTER PARTYGlory Days @ Biltmore Caberet2755 Prince EdwardVancouver, BC

THE KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW DJ SET

After you've loaded up on PBRs at dutil, jump in a cab and head to GLORY DAYS and a super special deejay performance from The King Khan & BBQ Show !!!!

RSVP on Facebook here

p.s. this is gonna be an insane night, really really looking forward to this one!***************************************************************************************************************

OK! Catch ya on the flip side, aka real life!

Walking through Gastown yesterday and noticed that ArtSpeak had a lil pop-up sale going on - they're spring cleaning and getting rid of tons of old & new art books, magazines, periodicals, printed materials etc for dirt cheap! Check the floor stacks starting at a twenty five cents... whatta deal!

Sale on now & runs til tomorrow (Saturday June 2)p.s. I was told that I can leak a hint that there will probably be lots of stuff on "sale" (here's the hint: free) Saturday...!

ArtSpeak233 Carrall St.Vancouver, BC