I Love MBF

I think the first time I saw Michael Bernard Fitzgerald was at the very fun Hey Ocean show at Richards... instant love for him.

The second time I saw him/took photos was at the Media Club and he gave me his CD...even MORE love.

So the second I saw he'd be in Vancouver again, I knew I'd HAVE to go.

He played crowd there to see (Canadian Idol star) Carly-Rae Jepsen, and MBF had them dancing along to his music(and laughing at the signature covers that he plays to close the set... which ended this time with THIS :s).

Anyways, here are some shots, including guest appearance by the always lovely Ashleigh Ball:

Catch Up/Wrap Up!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged...but it makes sense given that I shot 5 shows in 6 days and then flew to Ontario for Christmas.

So to sum up my last days in Vancouver before Christmas:

Saturday the 12th:
Aidan Knight @ The Media Club, where I finally met/got to hear the WONDERFUL Jody Glenham



Monday the 14th:
The Aidan Knight Experience continued with a show at the Biltmore, where We Are The City also came to support. Very nice guys. And THEN I ran (and taxied) as fast as I could The Media Club, but still missed Dave Vertesi's set...my friend and fellow photographer Mark Cohene was having an art show that night. After I checked that out, I went and relaxed for the rest of the night at the Racoon's Christmas Party:





Tuesday the 15th:
Racoons @ Fortune! See post.

Wednesday the 16th:
DAY OFF! zzzz.

Thursday the 17th:
Ridiculous spandex suited Topless Gay Love Tekno Party took over my 2nd home (aka the Media Club)(with opening act For British Eyes Only) and a giant dance party began, which led to my going home covered in sparkles and confetti...




Friday the 18th:
The Zolas & Hey Ocean at the Vogue. I seriously love the lighting in this venue. My favourite part of the evening was getting access to the closed off balcony to take some shots, and then taking a 2 minute dance break...which amused me because only the band could see me. Dave-O even waved...







Saturday the 19th:
NIGHT BEFORE MY 8AM FLIGHT!
I was once again at the Media Club (they're so good to me) for Undercover Brothers...a selection of cover/tribute bands, of which I caught Neverland (Michael Jackson) and Wheezler (Weezer). It was great fun and I even cut my knee wide open:






Longest Post ever! Hope you liked all the shots.

Dan Mangan Live @ The Cultch - Videos

"Robots"


"So Much For Everyone"


"Et Les Mots Croises"

What Darlings, The O'Darling...

Busy busy busy for a Sunday evening in Vancouver.

First I headed to the Railway to see Matt Epp perform again. He was just as great as the night before and I'm glad I went! Had to miss
Ann Vriend to jump over to the Media Club for show #2...




By the time I got there I had missed Benny Schütze, Said The Whale, Aidan Knight and only caught the last song by Hey Ocean!... From what I hear it was a free-for-all of Vancouver's indie music scene. Dan Mangan was in the crowd and got called on stage, performed two songs and then it was on to the main act...
The O'Darling.

They are a pretty amazing band...apparently originally from Victoria, but based in Toronto now. They had the entire crowd on their feet, many of them dancing. Aidan joined them on stage for a few songs too. I'm excited to see him perform at Dan's CD Release show on Friday. By the end of the evening most everyone's facebook and twitter statuses changed to praise for the band and the evening.
Here are some shots from the love-fest at the Media Club:

Ain't No Party Like A...Gay Party.

When a set is only 6 songs long, and a DJ, then the main act play in the four hours that pass and still someone comes up to me at 2am singing "Topless...Gay Love...Tekno Party"/"That song is going to be stuck in my head for days!" ...you know you have something good.

Thursday night I pulled myself out of my house (with a headache and the knowledge that I was going to be dancing) and went to my second home, The Media Club, to photograph Topless Gay Love Tekno Party.

I saw some photos from their show in Tofino and upon arrival, volunteered my abilities for the dance sequence at the end of the set.
Meaning?
I donned a Ketchup costume and danced beside Mustard and a Hot Dog on the stage.

These guys are way too much fun, which is probably why the Media Club is featuring them as the artist of the month. Here are some shots by me and two by Mr. Mark Cohene, who was kind enough to shoot while I danced it up.





Mark Cohene Photography:

Floating Just Offshore...on English Bay

The initial plan for the day was The Beach, to get relief from the heat...but when an invite comes along to float on/jump off/swim around/bbq & drink on a BOAT in English Bay, you drop everything and go...

Here are some photos I took with my cell phone... Yup. That was the only one I brought with me. (We managed to get 4 musicians, 2 photographers, an actress and a tv guy on the boat.):

"And who are you?...Hi Gene, I'm Christine...the photographer"

It's not everyday that Gene Simmons and Mark Spicoluk (A&R dude from Universal) come to see your friend's band play.

It was a big day to say the least.
My favourite photos are of Hey Ocean backstage before the show...there was a buzz in the air for sure.

Check out all the photos here: www.mcavoy.ca/HeyOceanandGene

That was one Topless Gay Love Tekno Party...

...or part of it was.

Went to the Media Club...(blah lighting here I come!)... to shoot DRMHLLR (a band featuring former Hey Ocean! drummer Benny!) and was pleasantly surprised to find out that "Topless Gay Love Tekno Party" wasn't just a funny status name for Dave Vertesi, but a new band that he was playing in (Benny too!)

They pretty much rocked the house...(see photos)

Also playing that evening was: For British Eyes Only. Two lovely ladies, singing folky-comedy music with lyrics like: "I bet my money on the Winnipeg Jets, but you're the thing that I regret". Quite amusing.

DRMHLLR was great. It was only my 2nd time seeing them. The crowd was super into it.
I only took a few photos because the stage was SO dark with their projector on, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Here's a shot of the confetti launched by TGLTP and click here to see more photos from the evening: www.mcavoy.ca/DRMHLLR