2012-07-06: Planks and Portland’s Strangled Darlings

The jug band of the damned meets its match in a Pacific northwest grudge match with Portland’s purveyors of “death joy groove”, the Strangled Darlings from Portland, Oregon. They’ll be rocking out on cello and mandolin, like the Winks — only different. At least, a different different. (And no, they’re not what we get after strangling Oh My Darling.)

9 pm to midnight, Friday July 6th, at Cafe Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Drive). There will be a cover, but it won’t be much.

2012-06-21: Make Music Day

A local version of France’s “Fete de la Musique”, Make Music Day sees musicians setting up in public places and performing by the truckload. Not a band to be frightened away by nonstandard metrics, we had to throw our hat in the ring and consequently are scheduled to be performing in a small but passionate format just in front of the Oriental Rug Bazaar (at 347 Water Street) from 6:15-7 pm, sandwiched between sets by Elvis Was a Blonde and Marry Me. The last time we performed in Gastown was at a tattoo parlour and we thought that would be as strange as performance venues got. Think again!

Apologies to anyone who turned out to catch us at the Bike to Work Week wrap party. At the last minute, Blackbox was called aside to help deliver his firstborn. A good excuse, but one you don’t get to use very often. (Lightnin’ Hopkins, on the other hand…)

Hats off also to retired (reformed?) Plank Orange-Eye Sabertooth Skipper for producing a miniature Plank (splinter? 2×4?) of her own a couple of weeks earlier, and to Daisy Jones-Locher for successfully reaching Seattle on her bicycle and, with her cycling team Lunchgroup Heavy Industries, successfully raising ~$17 000 for cancer research.