Drew and Danielle McTaggart of Dear Rouge have come a long way since I met them in a West End coffee shop back in 2012. They’ve since won the Peak Performance Project, played festivals around BC, toured across Canada, and hosted successful charity fundraising events. As they’ll also be on stage at Surrey’s Party for the Planet on April 26th, I caught up with Danielle on the road last week as they arrived in Toronto after a cross country road trip.
“As you grow, your home community is really fun to play in because you keep building from where you started — it feels great to play local shows,” Danielle told me over the phone. They’ll have plenty of friends and family at the Party for the Planet show since they’re known – by me at least – as never failing to have a hearty cheering section at their concerts.
Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr
One reason for the outstanding local support for the band definitely stems from their work in the community. They recently hosted their second annual fundraising concert for The Centre for Child Development in Surrey, raising over $15,000. “It was just really cool to see the support of people that wanted to help out The Centre. It was a really great event and it was exciting to see people being so generous.”
After the tour, and their homecoming, Dear Rouge will be focusing on their first full length album later this year. “We are going to be around finishing our album up so that we can get that out. We have about nine songs done right now and we are still debating whether we should write a few more songs or whether we should take song of the songs from our EPs,” said Danielle.
The previously-released “Head’s Up Watch Out” EP was used for their (winning) Peak Performance Project submission and they have also released “Kids Wanna Know” with the single “Thinking About You” which had steady radio airplay in Vancouver. They have been playing new songs at their shows, which also haven’t been recorded, so the album should be full of great material.
Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr
The group is now heading back across Canada, playing in Saskatoon on April 3rd, Calgary on April 4th, Golden on April 5th, Kelowna on April 9th, with a hometown show in Vancouver on April 10th before crossing over to Victoria to play Lucky Bar on April 12th.
Dear Rouge will join other Main Stage performers Said the Whale, Andrew Allen, Jordan Klassen, and Jeremy Fisher at Party for the Planet on April 26th in Downtown Surrey. This is a free family festival that will also host Dora the Explorer, Bobs & Lolo, Rockin Robin, Mike Battie, Harrison Lee, Mad Science, and more!
Miss604.com is a proud media partner of Surrey’s Party for the Planet
Tickets are now on sale for the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards ceremony taking place on Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at the Westin Bayshore.
I have had the pleasure of being the Social Media Sponsor of this event for the last five years and on top of the recognition of remarkable women in our community, and support for the fantastic work of the YWCA, it is truly a really fun and inspirational event to attend. Here’s all you need to know:
Where: The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2014 Time: 5:30 – 6:30pm General Reception; 6:30pm Awards Dinner
Book your tickets online today or by calling (604) 895-5768. Early bird tickets are on sale until May 4th for $195 per person (this includes the awards ceremony and dinner). Starting May 5th tickets will be $225 per person. Be sure to book soon as this event is known to sell out the largest ballroom at the Bayshore!
New this year you can book a Distinguished Partner Table that includes 10 seats/tickets, VIP registration, name signage on table, name listed in the program and sponsor signage, and more.
Follow the YWCA of Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information along with the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards @YWvanWODA on Twitter.
YWCA Metro Vancouver is dedicated to achieving women’s equality. Their mission is to touch lives and build better futures for women and their families through advocacy and integrated services that foster economic independence, wellness and equal opportunities.
During the month of April I will be featuring a Cherry Blossom Photo of the Day, sourced from the Miss604 Flickr Pool and/or the #Photos604 tag on Instagram. You can barely walk a full block in the city without encountering a photographer capturing this pink blooms — or stopping yourself — so it’s the perfect time to start this series. Enjoy!
I think this is the quintessential Vancouver cherry blossom photo, showing a pink canopy draped over a neighbourhood street.
Central City Brewers and Distillers (“CCBD”) is hosting their 2nd Annual Evening For Autism charity fundraiser, taking place May 24, 2014 at SFU Surrey.
CCBD, in partnership with the Simon Fraser University (“SFU”) Faculty of Science, will host the black-tie fundraising event complete with live and silent auctions to aid in the funding of a new clinical trial of HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) for children with autism, the first of its kind in Canada.
“Autism is a condition very close to my heart as my son Callum was diagnosed with autism when he was two and a half years old,” says Darryll Frost, President and Founder of Central City Brewers + Distillers.
“Every day, we face the challenge of how to help our son and we’ve invested in a number of therapies to support him, including HBOT treatments. Our goal is to assist scientists in proving the effectiveness of HBOT for children with autism, so that everyone can have access to this therapy.”
Latest statistics estimates that autism affects 1 in 68 children: one in 42 boys and one in 189 girls, and rates have been steadily increasing with a recent jump of 78 per cent since 2006. Early research indications suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve communications and behavior in children with autism. [Source: Press Release]
CCBD’s goal is to raise at least $400,000 to make this trial possible. They will also run their Imperial IPA for Autism campaign (starting today, World Autism Awareness Day) where $2 from the sale of each bottle will go towards the trial.
Over 2,000 cases of the limited release Imperial IPA for Autism will be released to liquor stores this month. Central City will also be accepting donations at its Liquor Store and Brewpub + Restaurant in Surrey.
Follow Central City Brewers and Distillers on Twitter and Facebook for more information about the Imperial IPA and the Evening for Autism. Please enjoy responsibly, must be 19+ to attend.
GO Fest is Whistler’s Great Outdoors Festival that will say goodbye to winter and welcome summer with open arms, kicking off May Long Weekend in BC. Go Fest will combine three days of outdoor challenges with a free concert series headlined by The Sheepdogs.
Friday, May 16, 2014
The Sheepdogs Sunday, May 18, 2014
She Stole My Beer
GO Fest is also on the lookout for other bands, DJs or musical acts to bring awesome energy to the Victoria Day May Long Weekend. Interested parties can inquire online (click “music inquiries” at the bottom of the website).
More details will be released in the coming weeks. In the meantime, follow GO Fest on Facebook and Twitter for updates.
Monday, May 19, 2014