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By Joe Martin
Photos by Sprout

Thursday

7:45 Crystol Pistol, Luv-A-Fair

Wanting to get things off on the right foot, a stop at Crystol Pistol's set at Luv-A-Fair seemed like an obvious choice. Straight up, black haired, Les Paul, c-o-c-a-i-n-e rock with all the pretentious attitude and rock star poses of a peacock with a beak piercing. It's only too bad that they were slotted so early in the festival when they could have been a highlight at the constantly buzzing Royal.

8:20 The Organ, the Pic

An early peak in the three day festival, the Organ were one of the definite stand out bands. The five piece carry a stage presence that puts the listener on a fine balance of uneasiness and total enchantment. The vocals are haunting and the instrumentation is a fine balance of pulsing bass, yearning guitar and a wash of, you guessed it, organ.

9:05 The Waking Eyes, the Pic

The jangly beatlesesque pop of the Waking Eyes was only part of their charm. Take into consideration their matching brown mod suits and their seat of the pants stage antics and you've got a mix sure to grab the attention of anyone who keeps the dust of their Abbey Road EP.

10:20: Kitskrieg, the Side Door
10:25 The Mystrons
10:50 The Perfect Strangers
11:30 Bushleague

Feeling a little remorse at not making the cut as a NMW venue, the Side Door Cabaret decided to host a little series of their own. 30 bands hit the stage over three nights, sharing the house gear and playing the songs that didn't quiet catch the imaginations of the NMW jurors. The three bands that had their turn while I was in attend were the Mystrons, a fuzzed out surf-rock band, the North Shore's own Perfect Strangers and Coquitlum's Bushleague.

Friday

8:30 The Ewoks, the Pic

Right from the little red Acetone keyboard to the chirpy voice of their frontwoman, the Ewoks and their stage names- Teebo, Weechee and Paploo, are just about as cute as punch. A refreshing break from the often stifling air that industry showcase concerts can have.

9:00 Wiggler, Ms T's Cabaret

Hey! Wanna see a tall bearded guy rock out on stage alone with a guitar and some pre-recorded backing tracks? Really? Well then check out Wiggler next time you hear of him. Also he wore a Ramones shirt and gave away a piñata. Totally rad.

10:00 Motion Soundtrack, Ms T's

Buzz band alert. One of the tricky things for a band playing over NMW is winning over an audience of industry types. They don't cheer, they seldom clap, some barely even have heartbeats. This didn't seem to faze Motion Soundtrack however as, led by the charismatic Chad Horton, they wowed Ms T's patronage with excellent musicianship and well crafted songs. A band well deserving of the apparent "buzz", and worth checking out again.

10:45 The Rye Catchers, Ms T's

Another great reason to have been at the little Pender Street venue were the Rye Catchers. A vibrant live band with great Oasis type songs and nice interplay between members.

11:20 Retrograde, the Royal

Truthfully, here I was a little confused. I thought I was watching Radiogram when really I was watching Retrograde; and was utterly confused as to why Radiogram (who was really Retrograde) only had four members when I thought that they (Radiogram) had six or seven (members). Anyway, I soon clued in, gave myself a slap and bought another cup of coffee. Retrograde were pretty good. Strong vocals and great radio friendly hooks.

12:10, The Constantines, the Pic

A pretty good end to the night. Raucous yet intelligent indie rock courtesy of Ontario's Constantines. Not too sure what the band's connection to the name is, but if Yanni was a punk, he would approve.

Saturday

8:45, The Supper Furry Animals

Well, this was the show that many had been waiting for. Psychedelic swinging pop served in a Richard's on Richard's club that seemed hot enough to bake Welsh rarebit. The nearly two hour set came complete with a synchronized video screen, an endless supply of wild sounds and samples and at the core, wonderfully written songs and melodies.

11:15, Three Inches of Blood, the Royal

I'm really not too sure how an East Vancouver metal band became the must see show of the festival, but somehow Three Inches of Blood had everyone from the top industry execs to Much Music's George Strombolopolous waiting in line to get in. Although they may not score a record deal from the show, they did succeed in making sure everyone in attendance new they were a force to be reckoned with. With a pair of screaming vocalists backed by shredding guitars and double bass drum riffs; Three Inches of Blood are one of the most assaulting and brutal metal bands that Vancouver has ever seen.

12:00, The Nasty On, the Royal

While certainly not as abrasive as Three Inches of Blood, the Nasty On did dish out enough aggression to keep the buzz humming at the Royal. Mercifully, the crowd thinned slightly allowing a little breathing room and some space to watch the group crank it up on stage.

12:30, The Gay, the Pic

I really couldn't tell you why, but for some reason, about half way through the Nasty On's set, I got the strange urge to run from Nelson Street down to Pender to catch part of the Gay. Their quirky pop songs, three part harmonies and the added bonus of an accordion made them far from the sounds back at the Royal and fully satisfied my schizophrenic musical tastes.

12:55, Flash Bastard, the Royal

If running down to the Pic was a strange idea, then running back up to the Royal was just ridiculous; but there was no way that I could miss a set by the infamous Flash Bastard. A local band whose claim to fame is fighting glam rockers Poison in a hotel, Flash Bastard are a great live band with no aim other than putting on great show and playing lowd rawk and ro(w)ll.

See Flash Bastard, Nasty On, The Ewoks, Retrograde, Rye Catchers, Motion Soundtrack, Perfect Strangers, Constantines, Three Inches of Blood, the Gay, Super Furry Animals, Crystol Pistol, The Organ, The Waking Eyes, Kitskrieg, The Mystrons, Bushleague, Wiggler Bookmark Flash Bastard, Nasty On, The Ewoks, Retrograde, Rye Catchers, Motion Soundtrack, Perfect Strangers, Constantines, Three Inches of Blood, the Gay, Super Furry Animals, Crystol Pistol, The Organ, The Waking Eyes, Kitskrieg, The Mystrons, Bushleague, Wiggler Go to The Piccadilly Pub, Luv-A-Fair, Ms. T's Cabaret, Royal Hotel, Richard's On Richards, Side Door Bookmark The Piccadilly Pub, Luv-A-Fair, Ms. T's Cabaret, Royal Hotel, Richard's On Richards, Side Door

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