2012-11-02: So You Wanna Be A Ukulele Pop Star part II

Inasmuch as our ensemble can practically be defined as a wildlife preserve for underdog instruments — all the axes which might be told at some point, “No, we don’t want any (x) in our band” — it brings us great pleasure to take our ukuleles to the table at this ongoing series… and burden them with the drag factor of the rest of our sonic freakshow.

Also featuring performances from Corinne Mundell, Jen Charters, Martin Lunatech, Steven Drake, plus our own Devon 8 and the band Blackberry Wood! One night only, at Cafe Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Drive).

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.

2011-10-29: Carnival of Shadows II w/ Jeff Andrew and Tarran the Tailor

Because Hallowe’en comes but once a year (but Hallowe’en weekend is three nights long) it’s the profound pleasure of the jug band of the damned to present our spooky show for a second night in a row, next up Saturday, October 29th at Cafe Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Drive) from 8-11 pm with our ominous pals Tarran the Tailor and Jeff Andrew, who we did this same gig with this time last year. (This time, though, he’ll actually get to play!) $10 for the funnest unofficial Parade of Lost Souls afterparty ever!

(Turn up early and you get to ring in Daisy Jones-Locher’s birthday from 6:30 on!)

Bonus! It was a heck of a show, and here’s a gallery of photos from it! Thanks to Graham Ballantyne for snapping the shutter again…

2011-09-25: Planks close Accordion Noir Festival with Duckmandu

We opened for him last year at the Cotati accordion festival and now we’re going to do it again at the 4th annual Accordion Noir festival — San Francisco’s infamous Duckmandu, the man who married the unhip squeezebox to the entire back catalogue of the Dead Kennedys, is joining us for the fest’s closing party Sun, Sept 25th at Cafe Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Drive). Show $10, starts at 8 pm!

Now, enjoy one of the strangest posters we’ve ever had:

2010-03-04: Creaking Planks with Jeff Andrew and Portland’s Underscore Orkestra

We missed out on a chance to play with them last August en route to our legendary trip down to California, but the fates have intervened and seen fit to give us another opportunity to share a stage with Portland’s Underscore Orkestra, thanks to Jeff Andrew, last seen giving up his own performance spot to allow us to play his double-booked Hallowe’en show at Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive!

Of course, there will be no double-booking there this time. The Underscores straddle all sorts of lively genres from gypsy jazz and swing to Balkan and klezmer music — with a shot of heady bellydancing thrown in — and even gruff-voiced Jeff will be having a squeezebox backing him up, qualifying this show to be presented by Accordion Noir, Vancouver’s (and, yea, the world’s) pre-eminent all-accordion-music weekly broadcast.

Us Planks are still sharpening our alternate set of heady tunes we haven’t been coasting on five years of perfection with, so if you missed our anniversary show, we should still have some fresh musical tricks in store for you… and of course, more is yet to come.

Admission is $10!