Metamorfest Happens In Mount Pleasant September 26th

21 Sep

Metamorfest2015SmallMetamorfest will be hitting the streets this Saturday, September 26th from Noon to 6:00 pm.  The festival is located on two blocks – one north of East Broadway on Fraser Street and one south of East Broadway on Prince Albert Street. The day will include live music, a whole host of activities and booths for children as well as a bouncy castle. There is something for all ages at this event. A couple of fun activities planned to keep an eye out for include Zumba and Laughter Yoga in the park.

The Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House will also be hosting activities inside their building on the corner of Broadway and Prince Albert Street. The Broadway Youth Resource Centre and Vancouver Native Housing will hold some activities just outside their locations on the corner of Broadway and Fraser. As well, there will be 3 stages with live music featuring local artists and bands. You can expect everything from hip hop to jazz. A full schedule of events is available at Metamorfest.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Are We Cool Now? At The Cultch September 29 – October 10

18 Sep

The Cultch_Are We Cool Now__publicity image2_credit Murray MitchellSomething special is coming to The Cultch on September 29th, that being Are We Cool Now? This is an indie rock road trip inspired by and featuring the songs of Vancouver’s own indie rock darling, Dan Mangan. Are We Cool Now? is a unique and intimate musical exploration of contemporary relationships and will bring some humour, heartache and insight.

This innovative rock music/theatre fusion is written by Amiel Gladstone (A Craigslist Cantata and Cinderella: An East Van Panto!) “It’s an indie rock musical about life and love in your 20’s and Dan Mangan’s music provides the backdrop,” says Gladstone. “I’ve always been curious about how to get the music we listen to every day on to the stage. Dan and I knew each other and I really liked his music. We looked for a narrative in Dan’s music and found themes of love, longing, nostalgia and road trips and Are We Cool Now? was born.” This production by Western Canada Theatre combines the talents of actor-musicians Penelope Corrin (Royal Canadian Air Farce, My Narrator) and Ben Elliott (The Comedy of Errors, Broken Sex Doll) and features Anton Lipovetsky (Broken Sex Doll, Elbow Room Cafe: The Musical) on guitar and bass, Said The Whale’s Spencer Schoening on percussion, and music and lyrics – including one new song – by JUNO Award-winning Dan Mangan.

Are We Cool Now? kicks off with a preview on September 29th . Opening night is September 30th and the show continues until October 10th with matinee performances on October 3rd, 4th and 10th. Tickets start at $20 and are available online at The Cultch. This show is packed with local talent. We encourage you to check it out.

Photo Credit: Murray Mitchell

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

21st Century Flea Market At The Croatian Cultural Centre September 20th

17 Sep

FleaMarket201521st Century Flea Market is holding a flea market this Sunday, September 20th at the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive. There will be 175 vendors on hand with a variety of items including antiques, collectibles, memorabilia, jewellery, pottery, postcards, records, retro furnishings, dolls, toys and so much more.  Should you be in need of having an item appraised, they will be holding ‘drop-in appraisals’ from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm on a first come first served basis.  They do ask that the items be small enough to carry, with a maximum of three items per person.  The cost for a verbal appraisal is $10 per item or $25 for 3 items, cash only.   The drop-in appraisals will be conduct by Gale Pirie, an independent accredited member of the Canadian Personal Property Appraisers Group.   The market runs from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. General admission is $5 at the door. There will also be a special early-bird admission for $20 from 7:00 am – 10:00 am for those wanting a jump on things. Children under 13 are free with adult admission.

Should you wish to have a coffee and/or lunch before or after your shop, consider Commercial Street Café for something close by. It’s a great little hidden gem tucked away a few blocks down the street from the Croatian Cultural Centre. Open Sunday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm and located at 3599 Commercial Street, at East 20th Avenue. Of course, going North up the Drive after the market, you have a whole host of great coffee shops and restaurants to choose from.

Tags: , , , , , ,

BC Beer Awards At The Croatian Cultural Centre Saturday October 24

16 Sep

GoldGlassofBeerThe 6th Annual BC Beer Awards & Festival is coming to the Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive, on Saturday, October 24th. The BC Beer Awards showcases a craft beer festival with over 50 breweries and an awards ceremony which is being hosted by CBC’s Stephen Quinn. Returning this year will be community booths and on site judging for the Brewers’ Challenge! 2015. We hear that 2015 has been dubbed the Year of the Sour Beer and they have challenged BC’s Brewers to create something that will dazzle your taste buds and possibly make you pucker.

A couple of new things to keep an eye out for this year include “Richard Buell Sutton LLP Rookie of the Year Award” for BC’s top new brewery.  Also a handful of BC’s cideries will join this year’s festivities for your tasting enjoyment. There will also be an official BC Beer Awards After Party at Doolin’s and The Belmont Bar. Of course, what’s a festival without food. You can expect to find Le Tigre Food Truck outside the Croatian Cultural Centre during the event and eats by Tap & Barrel and BierCraft on the inside. Speaking of food, organizers are asking everyone to bring a non-perishable item for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. They will be collecting donations at the door.

Early bird ticket sales are currently on sale for $30 until September 30th. Each ticket includes 4 drink tokens as well as a 4 oz taster glass for you to take home. Note, additional tokens are available for purchase for $1.25 each. Ticket prices go up on October 1st to $35.   Last year this event SOLD OUT before Early Bird Ticket sales ended, so we do recommend ‘hopping’ to it if you wish to attend.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Holiday Preserves Workshop With East Van Jam on September 22nd

14 Sep

HOLIDAYpreservesclass-sept22-2Studio 126 at 126 East Pender Street is a very cool studio with a variety of locally made goods including reclaimed furniture, handmade items by local artisans including Brand & Iron, Woodlot, Hobo Woodworks, Sue Griese Ceramics, LISSU Linen and East Van Jam. Studio 126 also holds workshops throughout the month and on Tuesday, September 22nd the master of jam, Natalie Ferrari-Morton will be on hand. Natalie is the woman behind East Van Jam and will teach you how to make preserves for this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Natalie will also teach you the basics of safety and canning as well as how to create delicious pear and cranberry preserves. Come with an apron and go home with your own jar of homemade preserves. The workshop runs from 6:30 to 9:30 pm on Tuesday, September 22nd. To register, visit Studio 126.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Oh The Humanity Runs At The Firehall Arts Centre September 11 – 16

11 Sep

OhTheHumanityThe Firehall Arts Centre is one of many venues for this year’s Vancouver Fringe Festival running from September 10th to the 20th.  Another great production happening during the festival is Oh the Humanity (and other good intentions) brought to you by Staircase Theatre. Oh the Humanity is a witty show that examines the nature of human misery through a filter of jet black comedy. It is a series of 5 short plays about people trying to cope with the basic trial of being human among other humans and honestly, when haven’t we all struggled with that every now and again. In this show, two actors craft four characters each, including a coach who calls a press conference to explain why his team has lost every game in the season, a video dating service promoting two people that have nothing better to recommend than the fact that they are not visibly bleeding, a pair of photographers attempting to re-shoot a graphic war time photo without the original source material, a couple attempting to attend a funeral, or possibly a christening, no, a funeral, with poor results, an airline representative explaining to the families of crash victims what happened to the best of her abilities – despite the fact she lucked, or rather unlucked, her way into the job.  Oh the Humanity runs at the Firehall Arts Centre from September 11th to 16th.  Tickets for the show are available at Vancouver Fringe Festival.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Mrs. Singh & Me Kicks Off At The Cultch September 11th

9 Sep

Mrs.Singh&Me.The Vancouver Fringe Festival is back and runs from September 10th to 20th at various venues around the Lower Mainland. The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, is one of the venues in which performances will be held. One show that caught our eye is Mrs. Singh & Me which runs from September 11-13, 15, 18 and the 20th which is being presented by the South Asian Arts Society. What’s with this story and why is it unique? Well imagine if Romeo had kidnapped Juliet’s mother. What do you think would have happened next? In this dark comedy by playwright Munish Sharma explores that idea. In Mrs. Singh & Me, love is truly is in the air, but Mrs. Kuldeep Singh is having none of it. Her instincts could be right or she could be missing out on the best son-in-law she could ever ask for namely Raj, whose methods are as extreme as his heart is sure. Mrs. Singh & Me confronts cultural traditions and tackles generational differences along with a generous helping of chai and cookies. Tickets are available online at Vancouver Fringe or in person from September 8-20 at the Fringe Box Office located at 1398 Cartwright Street on Granville Island.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Dance Dance Dance Party At Mount Pleasant Community Centre Tuesday Nights

8 Sep

SeftonBillingtonRecordPlayerLadies, do you love to dance? Well then this one is for you. You are invited to come out to Dance Dance Dance Party at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre, 1 Kingsway, on Tuesday, September 8th.  What is it exactly? Dance Dance Dance Party happens at 8:15 pm on Tuesday evenings for one hour. It is billed as “a fun-focused female only free form dance class”. So there is no instructor to keep up with and best of all no judgment, just fun. To add to the fun of the evening, funny lady Sara Bynoe is back as ‘den mother’ for the September classes to help you get your groove on. She might just tickle your funny bone as well, inadvertently, of course. Sara Bynoe if you don’t know her, is the woman behind Say Wha? Deliciously Rotten Readings as well as Teen Angst. So all around, we expect it will be a fun evening. Cost is $7.00 for a drop in, or you can purchase for the 4 sessions in advance at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre. Dancing mandatory, leg warmers optional.

Photo Credit: Sefton Billington

Tags: , , , , ,

Album Release & CD Release Party for Nat Jay Rickshaw Theatre September 12th

7 Sep

NatJaySinger, songwriter, and recording artist Nat Jay is excited to announce the release of her acoustic EP, Quiet Dreams, on iTunes Tuesday, September 8. This release marks one year since the release of her highly acclaimed debut full-length, All I Think When I Wake Up, which is up for Pop Album of the Year at the 2015 Western Canadian Music Awards the following week. To celebrate Nat Jay will host an album release party on Saturday, September 12 at the Rickshaw Theatre, 254 East Hastings Street at 8:00 pm. Nat Jay will perform two sets at this unique show – one acoustic set with guitar and strings, and one full band set. The opener for the evening will be local buzz artist Jasper Sloan Yip, who is fresh off appearances at the Vancouver Folk Festival, Arts Wells and the Tiny Lights Festival.   Since the release of her debut EP Lights Across the Sky in 2008, Nat Jay has shared the stage with Canada’s own two-time JUNO Award winner Dan Mangan, Matthew Barber, Oh Susanna, and Justin Rutledge, as well as New York City’s Jay Brannan and Australia’s folk-blues group, Angus & Julia Stone. Advance tickets are now available online at Rickshaw Theatre for $10 or at the door for $15 the night of the performance. Ticket prices are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets are also available at Redcat, Highlife and Neptoon Records.

Tags: , , , , ,

East Van’s What It Is! At The Cottage Bistro September 6th

5 Sep

WhatItIs!PhotoYou are invited to the Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, on Sunday, September 6th to listen to What It Is!  This is a group of four amazing East Van ladies, being Mebrat “Mimi” Beyene, Cass King, Patti Powell and Carol Wiedemann.  Together they are a powerhouse of a cappella soul.  Their sound is steeped in the soulful sounds of such greats as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Etta James.  They are without a doubt engaging performers and will be sure to have you singing and clapping along with them.  These ladies bring heart to their East Van Soul. If you get the chance, be sure to stop by the Cottage Bistro and give them a listen.  They take the stage at 7:00 p.m. and the event is pay what you can.

 Photo Credit: What It Is!

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →