UPDATE – September 19th: The concert was amazing and we had such a blast. John was able to take some awesome photos which are now online – here’s a sampling from his set on Flickr.

September 18th: This afternoon I was able to interview one of my all-time favourite bands, Less Than Jake. I did a quick podcast for RadioZoom although I didn’t have our regular mobile recording gear.

Levels are off, volume fluctuates, there’s drums in the background and voices may be raised but given the circumstance, I think it worked out and I had a ton of fun meeting Chris Demakes (vocals/guitar).

The podcast is now up (edited and encoded live from Launch Party Vancouver @ Unwined) so head to RadioZoom to listen, subscribe and download and I believe just a few tickets are still available for tonight’s show.

Update 2009: I won “Best Vancouver Blog” in the Georgia Straight’s Best of Vancouver 2009 – thanks everyone!

The annual Best of Vancouver issue of the Georgia Straight has hit news stands. The results are in for Best Local Blog and I’m very honored to have been voted into 2nd place by the readers of the Straight.

Congrats to VancouverCondo.info for taking the top spot, and Beyond Robson for coming in 3rd.

Since I hadn’t heard of VancouverCondo I poked around the site a bit: “Welcome to Vancouver Condo Info! If you’re looking to get excessively wealthy through the power of leveraging in one of North Americas last surviving housing bubble markets, or if you’re just scratching your head wondering why anyone would pay $300k for a small leaky condo you’ve come to the right place.” It’s pretty cool stuff and clearly they are a leader in their industry.

Unfortunately the only results that don’t display the correct URL’s / web addresses

Pick up your copy of the Georgia Straight for everything from the best place to get a manicure, to the best theatre concession stand. I’m also considering the revival of the “Best of 604” so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks.

September 25th is National Digital Media Day, which will see “more than 32,000 digital creators will unite across the country to profile the digital media industry in Canada. A pillar of the knowledge economy, the digital media sector represents one of the fastest growing sectors and Canada’s best chance for taking the lead in this creative, green, and global industry.” [NFF]

Thanks to Zipcar, I’ll be mobile so I’m going to start with breakfast in Surrey at 9:00am where anyone will be welcome to join Raul, John and I while we live blog. We’ll pack up and head to our next destination for about 11:00am and end up in downtown Vancouver for lunch at Salt at 1:00pm. From there we’ll head to another destination before I drop Raul off for the Vancouver Blogger Meetup, and I head to my live blog for the Keall Foundation that evening.

Farmstead Wines has also stepped up as a sponsor and we’ll have complimentary beverages for anyone who cares to join us at Salt in Gastown for lunch. I am still looking for sponsors in other cities (and hopefully a venue sponsor) so please feel free to contact me if you have any ideas.

You can enter up to 3 answers/locations on the poll below:
[poll=14]

Other events in Vancouver for National Digital Media Day include the AGM of New Media BC at Radical Entertainment followed by Politube (a part of the New Forms Festival) as well as the aforementioned Vancouver Blogger Meetup. You can also check out the official social network of NDMD for more nation-wide events.

The Arts Club has kicked off its 45th season with Doubt, which will be running at the Stanley Theatre in South Granville until October 12.

The Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of Doubt – Photo by David Cooper.

Last year I visited the Stanley (my favourite little theatre in Vancouver) to watch The Producers and I was more than happy to head back last night to catch Doubt. The acting among the cast of four was emotional and not without small enjoyable moments of comic relief. I left feeling suspicious and uneasy; Doubt having played its role rather well.

This season at the Stanley is full of powerful performances and audience favourites like Cyrano de Bergerac, The Constant Wife, Homechild, Les Miserables, and Beauty and the Beast, which is being deemed “a new Christmas tradition in Vancouver.”

The Arts Club Granville Island Stage will feature The History Boys, It’s a Wonderful Life, Skydive, The Real Thing, Age of Arousal, and Altar Boyz.

You can purchase season tickets, flexible ticket packs, and passports. You can also purchase tickets for Glitter, The Arts Club Honors gala, which will be taking place October 23rd.

The New Forms Festival is well underway and with so much happening over the next week, here’s an update on some must-attend events. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩