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Listings are
in the opposite order of appearance: headliner is listed at the top,
next is the support band(s),
and the last band listed is the opener.
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Friday June 24
2022  8:30PM doors -- music at 9:00PM ••• ALL AGES $13 in advance / $15 at the door Popscene presents... Art D'Ecco www.artdeccomusic.ca/ glam rock Shadowgraphs www.facebook.com/shadowgraphs/ neo-psychedelic Pleeay pleeay.com/ Electronic Rock / Glam Punk featuring... Nako (of Popscene and Shutter) spinning at doors and in-between sets Art D'Ecco -from Victoria, British Columbia - “If I was to tell you there's a musical artist on the scene with an air of mystery and an enigmatic style, you'd of course be snapping at my heels to find out who I'm on about. From beneath dark bobbed hair and charismatic maquillaged eyes, Art d'Ecco conveys the look of a person born out of time. But Art, it seems, has found his niche - a modernity, a beguiling look and a musical style that reflect his obsessions. On stage the character of Art d'Ecco takes a stance and steps into a theatrical role with total conviction.” - PrincessJulia Adding substance to immaculate style, Art d’Ecco’s latest creation, In Standard Definition, commands attention with every turn. Like channel surfing on an old television set, watching grainy black and white movies or flickering slideshows starring a cross section of humanity, each all-analogue vignette holds up a mirror to pop culture and explores the curiosity of entertainment. Lyrically blurring fact and fiction, it swaggers from the glory days of La La Land’s golden age to today’s obsession with celebrity and its hold over us all. “No matter where you live or what language you speak, there’s an entertainment god for you,” d’Ecco tells. “Whether on TV or writing the books you read, it’s an odd sense of purpose we allocate to these humans whose talent is in distracting us from the doldrums of daily life. We’re constantly searching for something... glued to our phones... consuming various forms of entertainment. We feel less close with each other, and closer to the strangers who make us feel good.” Joining forces with producer/engineer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, New Pornographers, Destroyer) in ocean-side studio The Hive, In Standard Definition sees d’Ecco packing his heftiest punch yet. Through Stewart’s vintage set up, a decoupage of authentic sounds was recorded to 2-inch tape on a 50- year-old console. Embellished with slick ‘70s drums production, it echoes with the textural ambition of Brian Eno’s Here Come The Warm Jets or Toni Visconti on Bowie’s Scary Monsters. “I’m obsessed with tape, film, and sounds of yesteryear, so recording could only be analogue - in standard definition - the way entertainment was once created,” d’Ecco reveals. “I wanted to go back in time, exist in a different era and breathe my creativity through it.” Chin skywards, In Standard Definition struts with the striking tonal resemblance of ‘70s glam, oscillating between new wave and new romantic via C86 infusions, or the simplicity of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band. Earning his producer stripes, d’Ecco played musical ringleader, building the tracks’ layers with a revolving door of hand- picked musicians: jazz and blues players on horns, Victoria Symphony Orchestra’s string players, soul singers, and his suited and booted live band. With shrewd attention to structure, the album’s episodic nature can be experienced in its entirety or dialled in and out, with instrumental interludes ‘Channel 7 (Pilot Season)’ and ‘Channel 10 (Reruns)’ aligning Lynchian drama with their sinister sounds, to capture actors’ struggles during Tinsteltown’s pilot season. “There’s a crushing blow to the heartbreak of being an actor, particularly on the west coast, the rise and fall of chasing your dreams,” d’Ecco suggests. “That repetitive cycle can be a challenge to one’s ego. The enduring highs and lows of a performer struggling to be seen. I wanted to write from that vantage point as much as I wanted to illuminate what we’re all celebrating.” Uplifting opener ‘Desires’ salutes the aging, out of touch performers from soap star to gameshow host and ‘I Am The Dancefloor’ incinerates with Nile Rogers and Chic burn; a magnificent stomper, it throws down the pop gauntlet for CBGB’s punks to take over Studio 54. ‘Good Looks’ highlights the artificial world of online dating between crystalline Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre style 80s synths whilst ‘Bird of Prey’ and ‘TV God’ make their own right hand turns with exclamation point guitars adding their own splatter of paint to his majestic canvas. Ready to air its prime-time position, In Standard Definition is premiered by an artist evolving with every season. His 2018 album Trespasser was the trailer, bracing audiences for impact, and alongside its two subsequent singles - a cover of ‘This Flight Tonight’ for a Joni Mitchell anniversary compilation, and the Gary Numan- esque ‘I’ll Never Give You Up’ – served as tantalizing tasters on which the West Coast bit hard. An outpouring of fan art ensued, with love from critics, a live session for Seattle’s iconic KEXP, and performances at more than 75 clubs and music festivals across North America. Then, in Spring 2020, the UK’s neo-psych rockers Temples sought d’Ecco out to join them on the road. “Trespasser was the start of a two-year ride taking me to all sorts of places I’d never been to. Seeing how different cultures interact with entertainment was the genesis for In Standard Definition. A lot of this record was actually written on the road late at night in motel rooms - with the flickering light of a television in the background.” With nothing standard about Art d’Ecco’s high definition world, audiences are eagerly catching up. Tune in and prepare to binge upon d’Ecco’s latest extravagant episode, just don’t get too comfortable; you never know what’s waiting on the next channel. Shadowgraphs -from Portland, OR -Shadowgraphs is a neo-psychedelic band from Charlotte, NC, comprised of internationally known collage artist Bryan Olson and fellow German cosmonaut Charles Glade (Wils). Both ends met after being introduced through a mutual friend who thought the two shared similar musical interests. Bryan and Wils instantly sparked a connection and songs began to emerge. The two would experiment late nights with tape machines, sharing music and production ideas, and writing songs. After only four months of meeting, an EP titled “Return to Zero” was written and the band was officially born with Ethan Ricks on Bass and Cody Hare on Drums. “The six-song release is a mesmerizing psychedelic overtaking in the vein of 13th floor Elevators and the golden age of enlightening psychedelic rock. The tracks blend together so stylishly it makes me want to drink spiked strawberry lemonades in the sunshine. “Moonchild” is one of those unattainably perfect nights where the groove is set by smart, steady rhythm and lights fizz around your head even (and especially) when your eyes are closed. “Return to Zero” is straightforward, bluesy and a completely distinctive sound to come out of our Queen City.” –Shirley Griffith CltureMag Since Return to Zero, Shadowgraphs put out a two song EP titled “Midnight Tea” containing a Syd era Pink Floyd cover of "See Emily Play" along with an unreleased Kinks cover of "This Strange Effect." The EP was featured on New Zealand music Blog “The Active Listener”. Venomous Blossoms, Shadowgraphs follow-up 10 song LP, is finished and currently being pressed for Vinyl with an expected release date in April under the label Golden Brown out of Portland, OR. This LP was recorded all to 2” 24 track tape at Bryan’s home studio with the band, followed by mix down to 1/2” tape in Athens, GA at Chasepark Transduction Studios with Drew Vandenberg (Toro y Moi, Of Montreal, Deerhunter), and then finally shipped out to Telegraph Mastering in Portland, OR for Mastering. In the meantime the band has been picking up momentum playing shows and festivals with acts such as Son Lux, Vinyl Williams, Sunflower Bean, Ringo Deathstarr, Shonen Knife, Natalie Prass, Neon Indian, and many more- Pleeay -from San Francisco, CA -…one part Castle (they/them), one part Huli (he/him). Pleeay was born from years of friendship and collaboration. Originally, Huli composed musical scores for Castle’s choreography. Now, Castle is an all singing, all dancing alien-poet, and Huli is a master of electronic cacophony with a passion for ye olde drum kit. Pleeay’s performances are full of raw energy. Castle sings and dances with the absurd struggle to navigate existential dread and the pressure to be “normal” while Huli creates unforgettable sonic landscapes that everyone can dance to. The duo draws inspiration from a wide range of genres including punk (Crass, Nina Hagen, Dead Kennedys), funk (Prince, Curtis Mayfield), and art music (Boards of Canada, Bjork). The duo aims to inspire folks to resist the call to conform, choose consciousness over convenience, and live loudly with compassion. PLEEAY (pronounced ‘plea - eh?’) is an aggressive misspelling of the French word plié which means to bend, to fold. It’s the foundational step in ballet from which nearly all other movements begin and end. PLEEAY means to play, adapt, collect yourself, and move. Nako (of Popscene and Shutter) spinning at doors and in-between sets |
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