Yesterday John and I ventured over to the convention centre for that show that’s been going on for the last four days… you know the one.
I signed up for all kinds of vacation contests and prizes at various booths so I know I’m probably going to have a ton of bacn in the coming months. I also entered the draw for a pair of blue suede rollerskates at the Terminal City Rollergirls booth. I stuck around long enough to gather that they a) had really great stickers that I was able to pick up after making a donation to the team b) they’re currently looking for players.
The Terminal City Rollergirls are Vancouver’s first female roller derby league. Created in January 2006, the team is composed of local women who have discovered a great new way to combine athleticism and creativity. We are a new brand of sports team in Vancouver; one that is fun, fast, fierce, and entertaining!
But just what is a roller derby aside from old school skates, pigtails and knee pads?
Roller derbies take place on a circuit track. The two teams playing send five players each onto the track — three blockers (defense), one pivot (last line of defense) and one jammer (scorer). Helmet covers are used to display the players’ positions: a striped cover is used for pivots, a cover with two stars is used for jammers, and no cover is used for blockers. [wiki]
Once you can figure out just how a roller derby works, it seems pretty neat especially seeing the camaraderie between the girls. Not only can you see them competing at a local arena or curling club, but they’re also out in the community – from Canada Day to the Pride Parade and taking part in various events around Vancouver.
The Terminal City Rollergirls play by rules set by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. For more information about upcoming bouts, check out their site or MySpace.
It’s not what you think, we went home well before the doors to Tonic and Caprice opened up and line ups grew around the corner (although there were only 10 people inside). This evening after work some folks headed out to Wings for happy hour and a couple well-deserved brews. Five people, five pounds of wings and two pitchers for under $45 – you can’t go wrong.
Since John was working tonight, Keira, Duane and I decided to continue along Granville and just explore.
My first activity of choice was Commodore Lanes ($35/hour for your group including shoe rental), then Keira’s pick was the Movieland Arcade. You know you’ve seen the neons signs for both and have never gone in. It was a short night as we headed home by the end of the Canucks game but here’s a quick recap of our evening in Flickr photo form. Good times.
The Yale (also formerly known as “The Colonial Hotel”) was once a bunkhouse for CPR employees but later this century it became a hotbed of live music and blues activity. It’s welcomed acts like Colin James, Jimmy Page, Jim Belushi, Buddy Miles, and is a staple venue for the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Yesterday plans were announced surrounding its renovation.
1944 – Photographer: Jack Lindsay – ITEM #: CVA 1184-624
…44 single room accommodation, or SRA, units in the building are being renovated, people living there will be displaced, at least temporarily.” [News1130].
It got me thinking about our “historic” buildings in town since things around here aren’t that old compared to an East Coast metropolis or anywhere across the Atlantic or Pacific. Our “old” and historic landmarks date back to 1910 or the 1920s, even though we knew folks were in Vancouver well before then and it was a booming port and logging town. So what happened to old Vancouver? It burned.
“In 20 minutes, Vancouver had been wiped off the earth. In 12 hours, it was rising again.” – [Chuck Davis on Discover Vancouver]
In February 1886 the CPR started clearing the townsite area north and east of what would be Burrard and Drake Streets. The clearing resulted in logs and deadfalls being left piled high for months. On a hot Sunday, June 13, 1886 a fire got away from crews clearing land around the site of the Roundhouse and this was the start of the Great Fire that destroyed the new city. The fire burned ferociously and the city was destroyed in less than an hour. 880 buildings were burned, 22 people died. A new city bylaw directed that buildings were now to be of brick or stone only. [Vancouver History]
You may notice the abundance of brick buildings in the older neighbourhoods – like Yaletown and Gastown – for this very reason. The Great Fire reshaped the community that was in its formative years and few buildings or structures survived. Even “Gassy” Jack Deighton’s hotel was reduced to ashes.
Yaletown was rebuilt and soon The Yale, that was spared by the fire due to bush separating it and the rest of downtown, became a main player in the swinging, rowdy days of Yaletown.
Hopefully the current residents of The Yale aren’t displaced for too long, and as for the Cecil Hotel next door which developers would like to replace with a 20-storey see-through teal condo tower, that’s another story about Vancouver’s vanishing buildings – that doesn’t involve a fire.
Remember when bands promoted a cause or took a stand not just because a record company told them they were going to be on a hit pre-fab compilation CD? When they would sing about injustices and weren’t sporting Louis Vuitton tracks suits in glossed over music videos? A huge part of the entire punk movement was staring the political and social issues of the day right in the face while building a community where bands and fans came together. One of the biggest movers and shakers in Vancouver has been (and still is) D.O.A.
With the new generation of punk you need the ones at the top to pick up the torch as musicians and artists can have an incredible effect on public opinion. If you only care about MTV and your cars and what you wear, going to award shows, I don’t care how loud and obnoxious the guitar is it isn’t really punk rock. Otherwise it just becomes another form of pop music. [The Punk Site – Interview with Joey Shithead from DOA]
Continuing the Punk History Vancouver series, I share more first-hand quotes from Dave Olson.
“While there were lots of different style of bands in Vancouver, the thing that connected the “scene” was a sense of social responsibility. My first DOA t-shirt taught me to “Think Globally, Act Locally” and “Talk minus action equals zero” – bands like Bill of Rights, House of Commons, SNFU (Edmonton), Young Canadians, Death Sentence and I, Braineater stand out as other acts reflecting this social conscience. No Means No and Dead Kennedys (from SF) were kind of the godfathers to the scene – NMN were already old back then and DK’s Jello Biafra collaborated with NMN and DOA which seemed to connect us to that California scene at bit which seemed to have more in common with Vancouver than we did with NYC or UK punk.”
The band (DOA) is known for its outspoken political opinions and has a history of playing for many causes and benefits. Its slogan is “TALK-ACTION=0”. The band has been active on many issues, including Anti-racism, anti-globalization, freedom of speech, and the environment. [wiki]
“One of my favorites shows ever was when DOA played at a 14 and older club in Surrey called Bumpers. The Spores and my friends’ band AOT (Abortions on Toast) opened. DOA were really nice (especially Dave Gregg) and I thought that it was very cool that you can let your aggression out in music and not on other people.
These guys made a big impression on me as songwriters and activists. Where ever I’d travel from Germany to Japan, they had a following and commanded much respect from other bands for their political attitude and relentless touring. I think it is important how they are always on board for activist causes with a song or concert whether marijuana legalization, slamming Social Credit policies, or supporting the Clayoquot blockades.
Incidentally, years later, I sang Takin’ Care of Business on stage with Joey and the boys while wearing my Canucks jersey, then the whole band came over to party and crash at my house.”
For more information about DOA including shows, their new DVD and even their podcast interview, head to the Sudden Death Records website or MySpace page.
…Read more Punk History Vancouver….
As the holiday season comes to a close, everyone’s buckling down with work, taxes and the idea of no more stat holidays until March. Fear not social media and internets enthusiasts of Vancouver because our hyperactive community is putting together a schwack-load of events to keep you networking and scoring drink tickets. Here’s what’s going on it Vancouver’s Social Media Scene in the coming month:
Launch Party Vancouver 3: “…a lively mixer for the city’s brightest entrepreneurs, tech junkies, and bloggers, who are doing it, have done it or want to make their ideas happen here.” [more info]
When: January 25th @ 5:30pm
Where: The Lamplighter in Gastown
Third Tuesday: “…a free monthly meetup for Vancouver area communications and marketing folks interested in learning/sharing more about the practical applications of social media in society, organizations, business and government.”
When: January 28th @ 7:00pm
Where: Opus Hotel Lounge
Vancouver Blogger Meetup: “A group of people in Vancouver interested in blogging – from beginners to experts. We meet once a month, usually around the middle of the month.”
When: January 30th @ 7:00pm
Where: Century Restaurant and Bar venue updated to Our Town on Broadway
CaseCamp3: “…a marketing unconference open to anyone. Presenters share case studies of their work, with the goal of creating a commons for discussion, learning and networking.” This is the latest “camp” that I’m aware of and sounds pretty neat. It’s marketing oriented so perhaps it’s a perfect forum for all those Third Tuesday-ers. CCV3 is also looking for sponsors so visit the website to find out more.
When: February, 20th 2008
Where: (TBD)
Stay tuned for more information about each of these events as they happen. Also, as it pertains to local bloggers doing cool things, be sure to set your VCRs to record our local contestants who are a part of the national “Blogger Team” on the CBC’s “Test the Nation” on January 20th. If anything else is going on and you’d like people to know, drop me line or leave a comment.
