Fresh Breath of Mint - Summer 2007

56 PAGES!

FREE!SUMMER ’07

the ramones!

nardwuar interviews lily allen! snoop doggy dogg!

a carolyn mark tour diairy!

choir practice horrorscopes!

saying goodbye to lee’s candies

dear shane!

my day as a mint intern!

mix tapes!

immaculate machinecomics!

plus more!

the ramones!





dear shane!


mix tapes!


plus more!

Document1 6/8/07 9:51 AM Page 1

56 PAGES!

FREE!SUMMER ’07

the ramones!





dear shane!


mix tapes!


plus more!

the ramones!





dear shane!


mix tapes!


plus more!


good pdfs 6/1/07 9:33 AM Page 2

Cover: The Ramones at the University of BritishColumbia’s SUB Ballroom, Vancouver, BC

April 20, 1980Photo © Bev Davies www.bevdavies.com

For the full story on this encounter, please turn to page 15!

free! vol.6 summer ’07

The Choir Practicephoto by Karin Bubas & Pete Bourne

Mint Records releases are distributed like so:USA: NAIL Distribution www.naildistribution.com

Canada: Outside Music www.outside-music.com and Scratch Distribution www.scratchrecords.com.

Benelux: Sonic Rendezvous www.sonicrendezvous.comUK: Shellshock www.shellshock.co.uk

Germany: Broken Silence www.brokensilence.biz

New Zealand: Global Routes www.globalroutes.co.nz

Also, be sure to check out iTunes Music Store andZunior.com where more and more Mint titles are being

added all the time!

The Choir Practicephoto by Karin Bubas & Pete Bourne

04 Wow, It’s Our Masthead!05 Letters!07 A Tour Story: Carolyn Mark & Amy Honey!09 A Triple Release of Mint Records Classics!14 Dear Shane!15 Nardwuar + Bev Davies = The Ramones!16 Nardwuar the Human Serviette Versus Lily Allen!21 Saying Goodbye to Lee’s Candies24 Some Mint Snapshots!25 from The Tyee: The Choir Practice!26 Nardwuar the Human Serviette Versus Snoop Dogg!29 Some Mint Bands’ Tour Dates!30 Mix Tapes! Bella! Immaculate Machine! Carolyn Mark!32 My Day as a Mint Intern!34 A Carolyn Mark Recipe!35 Mint @ SXSW 2007!37 Choir Practice Horror-scopes!38 New Additions to Mint Records!42 From the Mint Archive!44 Indie Retailers Map – Canada!46 Indie Retailers Map – Western USA!!48 A Select Mint Records Discography in Colour!50 An Immaculate Machine Comic!50 Happy Bats DVD Reviews!52 A Mint Discography!54 The Back Page by Elaine Corden!

FRESH BREATH OF MINT Summer 2007 3

Mint Records Inc. is a small indie record labelbased out of Vancouver, Canada. Since

1991, we’ve put our more than 100 releases bysuch bands and artists as The Organ, Novillero,

The Choir Practice, Carolyn Mark, Neko Case,The New Pornographers, The Awkward Stage,

The Evaporators, Immaculate Machine, cub, The Smugglers, P:ano, Duplex!, Young and Sexy,

I Am Spoonbender, Corn Sisters, The Buttless Chaps, Huevos Rancheros,

Ramblin’ Ambassadors, John Guliak, Atomic 7, Bella, and others!

FBOM July 56pp 6/7/07 7:07 PM Page 4

free! vol.6 summer ’07

Andrew Pearson (Carolyn Mark, My Day as a Mint Intern)Andrew is a part time bon vivant and man abouttown. Co-founder of Vancouver's Red Cat Records,he fondly remembers buying the first Mint Records7"... and still thinks that Tankhog rules.

The Awkward Stage (Dear Shane column) – MintRecords recording artist from Vancouverwww.myspace.com/theawkwardstagebandAvailable Mint items: Heaven is for Easy Girls CDDouble A-Side Series Volume 1 split-7” b/w Youngand SexyYouth was a war. Youth crushed me. All I could dowas play music and goof off to cope. The AwkwardStage came to me in the silence that occurred dur-ing the third dunk of my head into the jr. high toilet.Don't get me wrong, I did my share of dunking too.Which is far more shameful to me. They are honestpop songs. They are pleasant and accessible yetmanage to interest and surprise. You may not likeevery thing I will do, but I promise it will alwayscome from the right place. Sincerely, Shane Nelken(The Awkward Stage)

Bella (mix tape) – Mint Records recording artistfrom Vancouver www.bellamusic.orgNo One Will Know CD/LP out fall ’07

Bev Davies (Bev’s vintage Ramones photos) –Vancouver BC photographer www.bevdavies.comAvailable Mint item: Nardwuar vs. Bev Davies 2007Punk Rock Calendar

The Buttless Chaps – Mint Records recording artistfrom VancouverAvailable Mint items:Where Night Holds Light CDLove This Time CDFormed in 1998, The Buttless Chaps are a five -piece ensemble that hails from Vancouver. Their fifthstudio record Where Night Holds Light was releasedin 2006 on Mint Records. The band is currentlywriting new material for another album with plans tostart recording this fall. Catch The Chaps on theirJuly tour of Western Canada at the dates on page 29!

Carolyn Mark (tour diary, mix tape, recipe) – MintRecords recording artist from VictoriaRaised by St. Bernards in the Okanagan Valley,Carolyn Mark was 'discovered' sleeping in the backof Jewel's car in the early nineties. She has touredso much in the past two years, she passed her ownself the other day. Though not really a team player,Miss Mark is pleased to be associated with the MintRecords Empire.Available Mint items:Nothing Is Free CD (brand new, just released!)Just Married: An Album of Duets CDThe Pros and Cons of Collaboration CD

Terrible Hostess CDTribute to Soundtrack to Robert Altman’s toNashville compilation CDParty Girl CD

CBC Radio 3 (Dear Shane column) – Vancouver BCwww.cbcradio3.comCBC Radio 3 is a satellite radio station on Sirius 94,broadcasting primarily Canadian independent music24/7. It’s also a website and a podcast, and amongits hosts is presently-dormant Mint Records bandThe Smugglers’ lead singer and hip shaker, GrantLawrence. CBC Radio 3 producer Chris Kelly alsomoonlights as a member of the new Mint Recordssignee, The Choir Practice.

The Choir Practice (Choir Practice Horrorscopes) –Vancouver BC www.myspace.com/thechoirpracticeNaughty choir castoffs get together to reclaim theirrightful place in the cutthroat and fickle genre thatis choral singing. Against all odds, this band of mis-fits rises to fame amongst their peers. It’s a realSin-derella story....Available Mint item: The Choir Practice CD

Elaine Corden (The Back Page article) has beendocumenting Vancouver's independent music andarts scene for nearly 10 years, in large and smallpublications across North America. If you're niceand she thinks yer cute, she'll make you a mix tapeof all she's learned. [email protected].

Immaculate Machine (comics, mix tape) – MintRecords recording artist from Victoria, of whichBrooke Gallupe is a member, along with KathrynCalder and Luke Kozlowski. Catch ImmaculateMachine on tour this summer!Brooke started drawing during long, boring driveswhile he is on tour with Immaculate Machine. He isnot very good at it yet, but it is cute to measure hisprogress. He is inspired generally by the silly thingspeople do.Available Mint items: Fables CD/LP (brand new, just released!)Les Uns Mais Pas Les Autres CD-EPOnes and Zeros CD

Nardwuar the Human Serviette (Lily Allen, BevDavies, Snoop Dogg interviews) – lead singer of theEvaporators and also punk rock journalist!Available Mint items:Welcome to My Castle DVD coming in late ’07Nardwuar vs. Bev Davies 2007 Punk Rock CalendarDoot Doola Doot Doo... Doot Doo! DVDThe Evaporators Ripple Rock CD

TheTyee.ca (The Choir Practice article)– VisitTheTyee.ca for indendent and influential journalismthat covers everything from politics to pole dancing,climate change to film critique. And have your sayon all of it.

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE:

Mint Records Inc. PO Box 3613, Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 3Y6 www.mintrecs.com www.myspace.com/mintrecordsbiz: Kevin Beesley: [email protected]: Bill Baker: [email protected] promotions/distro: Dave Gowans: [email protected]: Yvette Ray: [email protected]

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through theDepartment of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund). Nous reconnaissons l’aide finan-

cière du gouvernement du Canada par l’entremise du Fonds de la musique du Canada.

Fresh Breath of Mint is published at least three times a year by Mint Records Inc. We welcome feedback and submissions. Please email [email protected]

The views expressed in Fresh Breath of Mint are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Mint Records Inc. © Mint Records Inc. 2007

4 Summer 2007 FRESH BREATH OF MINT



It all started with...gassyjack.com

Fresh Breath Of Mint! Volume 3

If I ever had confidence enough in anything I did musically andmanaged to put my shit on tape (and hooboy, that's taking a hel-

luva lot for granted), I'd only ever want my stuff to live on MintRecords. Take a look at their roster and then try to disagree withme that it looks like the coolest place in the world to be. Go ahead,I'll wait…

Aha! You can't do it. I knew it.

But since I'm a self-taught hack who only ever plays guitar whenno one else is home to hear me, I'll just remain content to revel inthe releases of the great bands from Mint.

So imagine my delight when I learned they have a FREE maga-zine! Who knew? Well, clearly you did, 'cos you're far more hipthan I'll ever be. But I didn't know, so I rejoiced when James sentme Fresh Breath Of Mint! after snagging a copy for me at thecoolest record shop in Saskatoon, the Vinyl Diner. You should shopthere. Constantly.

Anyway, I devoured every word. How could I not? Narduar TheHuman Serviette interviews Tommy Chong (and just about every-one else), Carolyn Mark tells tour stories and shares recipes,Immaculate Machine gives a Top Ten list, and there's two puzzlesto test your brain, courtesy of the Buttless Chaps and Novillero.And more, like Young And Sexy! What's not to love? These pagesare great. I mean, who doesn't want to know whether Slayer likesyogurt or not? And I so totally want Carolyn Mark's cookbook forChristmas. I wonder how many of her recipes call for red wine...

OK, OK, so far this review is pretty breathless, so let me admit thatI do have one complaint about this whole affair: In my sweaty littlehands is Volume 3, and that means that somewhere out there aretwo other volumes I have not yet read! Will the injustice of the uni-verse never cease? Does anybody have Volumes 1 and 2 that Icould borrow?

You oughta go get yourself a copy of this little mag. Tell 'em I sentyou.

http://music-kma.livejournal.com/20593.html

Long Live That Mint-y Freshness!

This is a big THANK YOU to the completely cool folks at MintRecords. Nice one! You see, I recently reviewed Mint Records'

free magazine (Volume 3) in these pages, which prompted a com-ment from Mint themselves, proving yet again they are awesomeby offering to send the latest ish, Volume 5. Of course, I saidyesyesyes please! Who wouldn't?

A quick couple of days later a parcel arrived in the mail with notonly the offered Volume 5 as promised, but also A Mint Harvest (atotally rocking Fall 2006 label sampler CD), and a cool MintRecords logo lapel pin (in mint green, of course). Right on!

Fresh Breath Of Mint Volume 5 is much bigger (48 pages), andhighlights include, um, all of it! Carolyn Mark tells some hilarioustour stories, Nardwuar interviews Ice-T, Joan Jett, Bev Davies andJames Brown (but not together, although how cool would that havebeen?), the Buttless Chaps answer some tough questions, Mintshares some photos from their vaults, Young And Sexy share acrossword, Elaine Corden writes about The Hive Creative Labs, JenZorati from thenewpollution.net gives us “Hanging Out With All OfYour Friends,” we get hilarious comics of Novillero and ImmaculateMachine, and a Nardwuar photo album with Snoop Dogg. Alsoincluded is a handy list of Mint label releases, which proves I needto get to my local record shop soon to fill in the gaps in my collec-tion! Yeah, this mag was fantastic. Yummy!

Once again, my huge thanks to Mint for hooking me up with FreshBreath Of Mint Volume 5, and with A Mint Harvest! And to you,dear readers, I tell you that the folks over at Mint are way, waycooler than a lot of the absolute shit that gets passed off as popu-lar out there. And you can take that to the bank! Tell 'em KMAsaid so!

http://music-kma.livejournal.com/23420.html

We’d like to hear what you think! Write us a letter! Email [email protected]

LETTERS!




Day 1. Vancouver. The Honey Hut.Woke Amy up with coffee and the news that

our CDs had been seized and sent toOakland, California instead of Bellingham,Washington and that a “Toxicity Report” had tobe filled out on account of the fact that we’dincluded some felt pens in the box. What aworld. O these trying post-911 times. What’s nextLIPSTICK? I tossed and turned all night, rehears-ing answers for any questions the border guardmight throw my way. He threw me for a loop withthe one he did ask: “So why did you comethrough this crossing?”

We had chosen the rural Sumas crossing to avoidthe Orwellian misery of the notoriously busyPeace Arch, figuring that the guards would be inbetter moods and more receptive to our charms.

“Uh.. I just wanted to see it?” I mumbled lamely.

“You wanted to see SUMAS?!” he said incredu-lously, leaning a little farther out of the booth. Igathered he was local.

“Yes.”

“Well do you have any food?”

I mentally ran through the contents of the pic-a-nic basket.

“Some... uh... bread,” I said not sure about theRules of Fruit. “Any wine?”

“Yes”

“All right. Have a nice day.”

Woo hoo! Le Phew! At the time we figured thathe was asking about our provisions for legal rea-sons but in retrospect, maybe he was just askingout of concern, like if these two Lesbian Vampiresare dumb enough to want to see Sumas, maybethey’re not smart enough to feed themselves whilein my country!

There is a brief time after they let you into TheStates where you think they’re gonna realize thatthey’ve made a mistake and come after you. Soyou don’t stop to pee in Blaine even though youhave to; you wait for the next town which isBellingham, where we stopped by to pick up theAl Green box set we’d ordered from a sympa-thetic enabler.

And then back onto the I-5. The I-5 is notoriouslybumpy. Every time I’ve driven it I’ve thought“There’s something wrong with my tire” andpulled over to discover nothing wrong. So thistime when the shimmying started up, just as I wasthinking, “Oh no. You’re not gonna get me withthat tire paranoia this time!” a pick-up truckpulled up beside us inexplicably dragging a longwhite string behind it. The man in the windowwas pointing down and mouthing the words “FlatTire!”

My first thought was “Oh yeah? Well you’ve gota string!” which I guess was rather immature.

I pulled over and sure enough, the Honk KongWoman’s rear right was flat.

Hmm. Interesting. It was drizzling and we wereon the inside shoulder with the rigs whipping by.

“So, we got any tools?” says I.

“Yeah. Do you know what to do?” says she.

“Maybe.”

It feels like I am so obviously The Dude in thispairing and so while I do battle with the lug nuts— had to get Incredible Hulk-style mad to get thatlast one off-while the rigs whip by awfully close,ruffling my ruffle-butt panties (So maybe I’m notALL dude.)

Amy smoked and took pictures.

We were back on the road in 20 minutes withkind of an adrenaline rush, mostly from the tirechange but also, getting back on the I-5 from theinside lane is a bit of a knuckle-whitener.

“Have you ever done that before?” Amy asked.

“Well no. Not exactly. But I’ve watched lots,” Ireplied casually.

Amy has been having some hard times recently. Itis in my nature, being half St. Bernard and all, towant to rescue her by example. The theory beingthat if I’m TWICE as strong it’ll drag her out ofthe avalanche. Like when someone has somethingon their face so you brush yours until they brushtheirs. Despite the fact that this technique hasnever once proven effective, I am compelled tostick with it. Either the language of intimation is alittle subtle, or maybe some people just prefer thethrill of an avalanche. Mostly I think once we’refar enough away from Vancouver and in somesunshine, it’ll all be all right.

Amy doesn’t drive. Not Can’t drive. Doesn’tdrive. And there is a difference. My friend J. whoCan’t drive is an amazing shotgun. She nevertells me what to do and always washes the windshield when we get to the gas station. Passenger-wise, Amy is a bit of an Anxious Annie and fearis contagious. I drive best when people eitherhave complete faith or don’t give a shit. I havedecided that this will be the tour I learn aboutsharing. (I hate it.)

Got to Seattle (raining) and headed for our friendDre’s house — the third in our coven-black hair,freckles, hilarious.

“It may, after all, be the bad habit of creative talents to invest them-selves in pathological extremes that yield remarkable insights but nodurable way of life for those who cannot translate their psychicwounds into significant art or thought” – Theodore Roszak

“I just think it’s a constant struggle. It could be a daily thing... It’sprobably a VISION; just the idea of having to go through this for 50more years... just being aware that life is something that we have toGET THROUGH....” – David Wojnarowicz

The Amy Honey/Carolyn Mark Together at Last for the First Time Tour!! Part 1text by Carolyn, photos by Amy

Continued on page 11!


...is a 10 piece indie-rock choir that recalls the beautiful harmoniesof The Free Design and graduates of The Langley Schools MusicProject! Features the voices of Coco Culbertson (The Gay), Larissa Loyva (P:ano) and Ida Nilsen (Great Aunt Ida).

“The hypothesis is that a bunch of people singing their lungs out is irresistible, and based on this it’s hard to argue the point.”

Georgia Straight, Vancouver, BC

good pdfs 2 6/1/07 10:48 AM Page 3

cubBetti-ColaThis is the album that put Mint Records and Cub on the map.

Betti-Cola, the debut record from the founders of Cuddlecore!Available again in this expanded and re-mastered format which fea-tures classic artwork by Dan Decarlo of Archie Comics fame.Originally released in 1994, this release compiles songs from earlyCub 7"s as well as 15 songs recorded for the album. An essentialCub release, Betti-Cola topped the Canadian college charts for 3months and garnered positive press from critics and fans aroundthe globe. Includes 4 bonus tracks not on original album!

"Insanely catchy debut" – All Music Guide

8.0 – Pitchfork

Come Out Come Out Still to date one of Mint Records top five sellers, here are Mint we

are happy to present again Cuddlecore pioneers Cub's sopho-more effort Come Out Come Out presented in a remastered format!Featuring the songs "New York City" and "Flaming Red Bobsled".1995's Come Out Come Out presented the amazing growth of Cubas a band with bassist Lisa Marr, guitarist Robynn Iwata and Lisa Gon drums and proved to the fantastic pop creation that made them amainstay on the independent music scene. Includes 3 bonus tracksnot on original album!

"Each of the eleven tracks here is an absolute gem"– All Music Guide8.1 – Pitchfork

MaowThe Unforgiving Sounds Of MaowFile under Neko Case, The GayFeaturing Neko case on Vocals and Drums!

Mint Records is happy to again offer up this well trained boxinggym cow-punk trios hard-hitting garage sounds Released in

1996, The Unforgiving Sounds of Maow is full of highlights, suchas Neko Case belting out some Wanda Jackson and Nancy Sinatranumbers while spanking the cans in full Levon Helm style. Maowsounds kind of like Nancy Sinatra going out drinking with TheCramps. Not a trio of gals to be taken lightly The UnforgivingSounds of Maow references brazen, raunchy garage and rock 'n'roll in the tradition of The Trashwomen and The Shitbirds!

"Full of wheezing bluegrass fiddles, tributes to Hank Williams, aWanda Jackson cover and several testimonies to the virtues ofbeing an ornery, Jack-bottle-wielding wildwoman and is, there-fore, totally entertaining." – eye weekly

A triple release of someMint Records Classics!





Unrolled our bedrolls and then went to the trainstation to get Phil (guitarist extrordinaire, one halfof The Shiftless Rounders, living in Portland for awhile). Said he’d play with me if I picked him up.

Fair deal. I was glad of the sonic assistance asThe Sunset Tavern on a Friday night is quite rau-cous. We grabbed him and went back to Dre’s toeat, drink and whore up. Phil told me that Benny— the other Shiftless Rounder — was coming tojoin us on dobro. Awesome. Only thing we need-ed was keyboard. Dre made some calls andfound us one. It was called The Optimus andneeded 6 double D batteries which we got at a7-11 and voila!

The thing had built in speakers, like a keyboardboom box essentially, so I made a soundtrack forPhil-icious to drive to. (Been sober now ’bout 5years. Doesn’t hold it against you. Always up fordriving. Awesome.) I noticed a button marked“applause’ on The Optimus and sure enough, aCarnegie Hall sized crowd clapped out of thespeakers. “Let’s hear it for Philbert’s driving!Wahhhhhhh.” A keyboard that generates its ownapplause. God if we could teach it to drive andget paid after the show, Amy and I could reallyconcentrate on our drinking!

Had a really fun show. Realized how much Ineeded to play a show. I get like a sled-dog in akennel if there’s no show. Ready to go, like a shotfrom a pistol! Phil-egal and Benny were greatand we all played with Amy, and not to let mod-esty get in the way of the truth, we rocked!

The other band were great too. Brent Amakerand the Rodeo. CD release party. Forgot I hadplayed with them before until I re-met the guynamed Sugar. Brent Amaker was wearing theseleather gloves (“O.J. Simpson gloves” Dre calledthem). For a moment it was just the two of usback stage and so I asked him if he could juststrangle me gently for a moment. When the initialshock wore off, he made sure the coast was clearand obliged. Creepy groovy!

(When I got home I told The Maintenance Manabout this encounter thinking he’d think it washilarious, but he said, “Jesus Carolyn. You’regoing around asking strange men in Americanbars to STRANGLE you?! That’s nice.” and hungup. He really oughtta travel more...)

The other hilarious moment was watching Mr.Amaker, who had brought a huge satin cape à laJames Brown for the big show and was checkinghimself out in the backstage mirror, turn to hisband-mate, eyebrows knitted together in an arcof concern and say, “Sugar, do you think I shouldhave the guitar inside the cape or outside? Whatdo you think, Sugar?” I said, “James Brownwould never ask his band how to wear a cape.Just fucking get out there man!”

Back to Dre’s after the show where, from whatI’ve managed to piece together Columbo-style,someone must have poured wine down my throat,made me get high and crammed smoked oystersinto my mouth.

They say she looked a whole lot like me.

Day 2. Seattle.Breakfast at the still-undiscovered-by-hipster

place with Dre, Holly the Welder, Mandrew 2and Amy. Scrambled eggs, rye toast, tomatoes onthe side.

(Fuck. Forgot I was gonna lay off the bread thistour — I AM in show business after all...)

Tried to kidnap Dre but I guess those rich folk’skids aren’t gonna teach themselves to fingerpaint. She got us clearance to use The Optimusfor the whole tour which ruled! Thank you DanPaulus!

Picked up Philliam at Benny’s place outsideOlympia — on the water, big screen t.v., a dog topet — asked if we could come and hang out forone of our days off and he said sure.

Back on the I-5 heading south to Portland.Dropped Phil McCracken off at his house andheaded for the vegetable packing district in hopesof finding Miss Melissa Dyne, a former and Ihoped, still active, partner in crime.

I had called from Olympia but she’s joined theBlackberry Generation and just told us to callwhen we got closer. Amy and I have no cellphone and people keep marvelling at us. Well,not really marvelling I guess. Whatever the wordis for when you see the female black widow eather mate after sex. That’s what their faces look

like they’re watching when they find out. I’m notsorry that we don’t have one but the only thingI’m even slightly Howard Hughes-ey about is feel-ing recent warm wetness on the mouthpiece of apay phone. Microphones don’t bother me. Justpay phones. Especially American pay phones.No answer the first three times and Melissa’sphone’s from California so it’s like 3 bucks a pop.

If you ever want to feel like a world class loser trycalling someone who’s not answering from a pay-phone while someone else with a vested interestwatches. I’m talking William H. Macy in Fargo.

Killed some time shopping for dinner and pic-a-nic basket supplies at the Sheridan Market untileventually it was obviously wine o’clock so we leftone last message and drank some of yesterday’swine, hanging out by the car.

Melissa, of course, shows up at the moment weare considering losing faith and lets us into herillegal conceptual artist Flashdance warehousewhere we’ve had a million chats and come upwith all our Theories and had a thousand laughsand revelations.

Only this time she’s not staying. She’s going tovisit her ‘sweetie’ and oh by the way her ‘sweetie’doesn’t like it when there’s indoor smoking and“O Carolyn you’re really going to like her!”

“Yeah well, not if I can’t smoke,” I mutter throughclenched teeth.

O ho! What are these pangs? Could this be thefabled green eyed monster Jealousy rising withinme, resurfacing after lying dormant all thesemodern years? I hadn’t felt the icy hand on myheart and the scratchy embarrassment sinceeveryone but me slept with Dave Lang that sum-mer which back then I thought was the price offatness. Here? Now? With my sweet Melissa?

My Inner Scottish Man was clamping my lipstogether and holding my head up high. “Wellwould your ‘sweetie’ mind terribly if you left us akey?” I said coolly.

She left us a set, grabbed some groceries andclothes, helped us figure out where we had to go,and split. While the echo of the closing door wasstill decaying, I adjusted my monacle, turned toAmy and said, “You know how when a cat’s mad



at his owner, he’ll take a shit in the closet?”

“Yeah?” she says.

“Well, we’re smoking inside!”

The venue is called Mississippi Studios. Upstairsit’s a recording studio where a very handsomeman, with a boner-inducing selection of key-boards, was mixing. Downstairs it’s a cute listen-ing theatre. We arrive for the tail end of the earlyfolk show just in time to hear David Francey say-ing “I say we bugger the 10 o’clock show andkeep playing!”

“Buy us a drink first then,” I say to no one.

The show is very folky. I’m not sure if Amy’s everdone one of these but I know she’ll instinctivelyknow what to do. That kind of silence isnervewracking. I always think they’re thinking theworst. Then I have to think about why peoplewould come and pay and stay for a show theyhated and just tell myself that silence doesn’t equalhatred. England was good training for this. Theirquiet always makes me go all quiet. It ended upbeing a-ok and it put some money in the kitty,plus we knew we’d be playing a bar show thenext night. Licence-to-Phil came and played bril-liantly (Philliantly?)

I think our nicknames might be getting on hisnerves.

“To the warehouse then for a nightcap, Amy?”

“Why yes, Carolyn.”

Get ‘home’. Park the car. It’s raining. Grab thegear and the blankets. Find the key, slide it in thelock and hmmm. That’s weird. Jiggle jiggle. Huh.Maybe it’s the other way. Yeah? No. Okay. Put thecrap down and go in two handed silently prayingthat Amy won’t offer up a suggestion like “Whydon’t you pull it out a little while you turn it?’’ incase I’m forced to kill her when she says “Whydon’t you pull it out a little while you turn it?”Sigh.

How can she not know the golden ‘You-can-drive-or-you-can-shut-up’ rule that me and all the dudesand Diona and all good show-folk know? To befair, I guess I didn’t know about The Rule until theday Tolan told me to stop busting his balls or untilI started driving people around all the time andfigured out what that bugged me would probablybe somewhat universal.

I try all manner of jiggling/twisting/pulling com-binations with the key to no avail.

I hand the key to Amy’s awaiting hand. She doesthe same and I resist speech. Nothing. Fuuuuuuck.

I go back to the Sheridan Market pay phoneleaving Amy in the soggy door way with all ourhobo blankets and try Melissa. No answer.

I am thinking of my friend The Vampire and howI called him once as I walked down this verystreet when I got sent out for more wine so I’dhave someone to talk to because the neighbour-hood is kind of sketchy, in case anything hap-pened I’d be talking to someone and someonewho wouldn’t judge me because it’s not anyoneyou can call and tell them you’re alone late atnight in a sketchy area without activating TheQuestions and so now I’m mourning both himand my phone because they’re both gone so I amlike that when I return to our door way with thegood news. And I don’t want to say anythingabout missing him because I know Amy will pipeup with a story about how she misses him too butI don’t want to hear it because she didn’t knowhim like I did.

I am no good at sharing. I hate it actually.Always have. When my brother was born, and Ifelt that the valve of Direct Attention was divertedaway from me, I reverted back to diapers andrepeatedly tried to kill him.

I guess nothing much has changed since then.

Amy goes to call Chantal who I’ve known since Iwas 15, who’d been at the show with her awe-some new boyfriend. Chantal happens to live onefloor below Melissa. I picture them fucking andlaughing while the phone rings and rings.

Amy comes back and suggests we move all ourstuff to the front door because for starters it’sunder an awning and secondly if it’s Saturdaynight, some illegal artist is gonna come home orleave their loft right? Right.

We drag everything to the front and Amy calmlymakes a bednest out of the quilts. (Okay so nowthat we’re HOMELESS you’re quiet as a mousebut get a HANGNAIL and the whole world has tohear about it?? Okay. I see. Neko was like thattoo.)

I pace for a while and then resign myself to sittingbeside Amy who is really such a fucking trooper,thinking, “Well it’s okay we can just be winosonly...”

THE FUCKING WINE IS INSIDE!!!

Okay. This is serious. We’ve GOT to get in there!Give me those keys. I go and jiggle for 15 min-utes or so until my knuckles callous and I noticethat I am whimpering. As I am rounding the cor-ner, the front door opens and a silver haired man

comes out with a sack of garbage and throws itinto an awaiting dumpster.

“O please! Let us in! Let us in!” we say.

He takes one look at our scene-hobo blankets,picnic basket, wet hair and wild eyes and backsup saying, “No way.”

“Wait!” says Amy and does this AMAZING songand dance about who we are and how we’re notcrazy and how we actually HAVE a key but it’sthe wrong one and how we’re lady singers fromCanada and our wine’s inside and he backsaway from her monologue, holding the door for us.

She wore him down man! Everyone’s worst quali-ties are always their best too. It’s just that youdon’t usually get to hear the other side of therecord in such a short time frame. She is a forcethat can open doors! I probably would have sleptoutside. (I had just done so recently in Ballardand was feeling very Clint Eastwood about it.)

That neighbourhood is so sketch and that buildingis so uptight because it’s all illegal and if home-less people got in, well they already did andSTOLE some shit etc but she wore him down man!And that’s a talent. And then we were inside backat the table, INSIDE like real people, replaying allthe key parts and laughing about how it wassuper okay with us to be HOMELESS but HAVINGNO WINE AFTER A SHOW is fucking serious.

Amy asked me recently if I thought she was everThe Dude on our tour and since I was drunk andornery and had a small audience I said, “NO!”way too fast. But in truth, this night she was defi-nitely The Dude — albeit in a very Lady way.

If life were like The Muppets, it’s like I WANT tobe a Rolph (you know, the mellow piano playingdog who just seems happy to be alive) but alwaysEND UP being a Miss Piggy.

(Oh and did you hear the one about the guy whocouldn’t spell and spent the night in a WARE-house?)

xoCarolyn MarkThe Last ResortApril 2007

(Want the rest of thestory? For parts 2 & 3, goto carolynmark.com!)



I am about to go on tour and I am fairlysmall and I have a really big piece ofgear I want to bring with me. I'm nottalking about a piano, but I am playingthrough a bass amp, a big Fender bassamp, which I can not lift by myself. And Iwas wondering, how much can I expectthe bar to help me out as far as loadingand unloading gear goes? I don't knowwhat is polite and what isn't. Should I bewriting this into my contract? Do youthink it is a good idea if I call up the barand let them know I'm going to needhelp?

Lisa PoushinskyOttawa, ON

Hi Lisa,How much can you expect help from the bar staff? What a sweet kid. The onlything you can really expect from bar staff, with any certainty at all, is body lice.Let's be honest.

Definitely get it in writing, 'cuz even then, you have very little recourse out therein the big bad world. You have to remember that these people, they hate you.They hate themselves. They feast on your hopes and dreams.

Promoters, soundmen and barstaff, with very few exceptions, are miserable vac-uous human husks of self-loathing and despair, often with graying ponytails.

The fact that you are a young woman dealing with these backwoods, sexuallymalfunctioning, has-been, potbellied, human douches means you're usually infor an extra dose of dismissive condescention and blatant misogyny. What youcan do in your position is sweet-talk them. And they might help you out of asudden jolting realization that this may be their only interaction with a femalethey'll have that doesn't end with their Visa number, a box of tissues and a sadlittle dial tone, or a pillow named Susan.

Before tours, I will often start an equipment lifting exercise regiment. I do threeto four reps of ten to twenty amplifiers up the stair lifts, maybe a few drumhardware forearm curls, some guitar lunges and the odd keyboard squat.

You may also want to practice eating garbage, staying awake for days on end,not washing, and building up a Herculean tolerance for watered down drinksand stale cigarette smoke.

If you are prone to crippling depression or suicidal episodes, definitely don't go.But give me your phone number.

But, most importantly, never forget why we do this: we're raving narcissists.

Now if you will excuse me, I've got my Visa card out and there are severalhighly personal phone calls I have to make.

Shane NelkenRocktologist/CremationistThe Awkward Stage

No stranger to the pages of Fresh Breath ofMint, Vancouver BC’s Bev Davies took the cover

photo of this issue. In fact, she might not even be astranger to you as her 2007 Punk Rock Calendar,with this very picture, could even be up on your wall!Let’s join Nardwuar the Human Serviette andBev in conversation about the Ramones pics you seehere on these pages...

Nardwuar: Who are you?Bev Davies: Bev Davies!Nardwuar: This is from the SUB Ballroom atUBC in Vancouver, right across from CiTR fM101.9 Radio where I do my radio show. Ican't believe so many amazing gigs hap-pened there.Bev: Yeah, the SUB Ballroom was a good place forshows. The Ramones were great there. Their song "IWant To Be Sedated" is great. lt's the song that hurledme into punk rock music.Nardwuar: Did you ever get a chance tospeak to the Ramones?Bev: Not at this show, but about a year later I saw themat the Commodore Ballroom. I went to the soundcheck


good pdfs 6/1/07 10:20 AM Page 1

April 22, 1980 — SUB BallroomUniversity of British Columbia,Vancouver, BC, Canada

left to right: Marky Ramone, Joey Ramone, Pinhead

On the Cover…

as photographed by

Bev Davies


April 22, 1980 — SUB BallroomUniversity of British Columbia,Vancouver, BC, Canada

left to right: Marky Ramone, Joey Ramone, Pinhead

as photographed by

Bev Davies

On the Cover…

Dee Dee, who is that girl inbetweenthem?Bev: That's Susanne Tabata. She is a producerand director now, but then she was part of theearly CiTR radio days and got started in televi-sion working on Nite Dreems, a live late nightVancouver TV music show. I think she was doingan interview with The Ramones for Nite Dreems.I'd love to see some of that show again, it wasso far ahead, no other music TV, it was the first.Nardwuar: What aboutSoundproof? That was also agreat local cable access TV showfrom Vancouver. Don't forger Buzzand Dave. Soundproof!Bev: Soundproof was Shaw Cable andNite Dreems was Rogers. Vancouver couldonly get Rogers, you had to have cable toget these shows, they weren't on the air. Ithink Nite Dreems ran for a couple ofyears before Soundproof and Soundproofwas from North Vancouver and ShawCable. I used to go to the Soundproof stu-dio to see it and watch local bands like

DOA and the Young Canadians. Buzz and Davethe Soundproof hosts were great.Nardwuar: Well, thanks for your timeBev Davies, keep on rawkin' in thefree world and doot doola doot doot…Bev: Click Click.

Visit Bev Davies website atwww.bevdavies.com

and they were doing interviews with the localpress. I asked Dee Dee how they rememberedwhat song was what, with the quick 1-2-3-4count and all songs sounding a bit the same —but I hope I didn't say that. He told me that ifanybody in the band went into the wrongsong, all the others turned and looked at thatband member — who now owed each of themfifty dollars.Nardwuar: Now, at Warped Tour2007 you talked to Arturo Vega,webmaster of ramonesworld.comand Ramones historian and he had adifferent take about the fining ofband members?Bev: Yes he did. He was at the Warped Tourwith a booth of Ramones things, sort of amuseum and you had given him my calendarso I went over to talk to him. I asked him aboutthe fines for the wrong song. He said it soundsmore like a "Dee Dee story" then the truth. But Istill stand by the story Nardwuar.Nardwuar: In the other shot youhave of the Ramones with Joey and



Nardwuar: Who are you?Lily Allen: I'm Lily Allen. [laughs]Lily Allen, welcome to Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada.Hello.Right off the bat I wanted to give youa Vancouver gift. I have this bag herefor you from Astrosatchel. [Nardwuargives Lily a bag][laughs] Thanks.Now if you turn over the bag, what doyou see on the front of that bag? Whatdesign is there, Lily?Uh, hair.Or it could be interpreted as wigs?Yes, wigs.And there's been some controversyregarding Lily Allen wigs. Do you weara wig Lily Allen?[laughs] No!I thought this might throw thepaparazzi off now 'cause they'll thinkyou're carrying a wig case whenyou're carrying it around.Yeah. Has it got a wig in it? No?No, there's no wig in it. It's just a bagto carry the wig, you know to throwoff the… have you had problems withthe wig? What is the connectionbetween wigs and Lily Allen?I wore a wig once on stage at a festival calledBestival. It was a pink wig.What a nice name, Bestival. They real-ly worked hard on that name.It is pretty amazing.And since then peoplehave been asking, "Areyou wearing awig?"Uh, no. I've neverhad the questionbefore.It's good toclear thatup then.[laughs]Well, LilyAllen, Iwas alsowondering,Toronto andthe song"Smile."What's the con-nection between"Smile" andToronto and Canada?[laughs] Uh…You, of course, are awareof the song "Smile" aren't youLily Allen?Yes I am. I wrote it. So yes. Um, I don't knowwhat the connection is. What is the connection?Well, the connection is that there'ssome Canadian content on that song.For instance, what can you tell the peo-ple about Jackie Mittoo? [Nardwuar

pulls out a Jackie Mittoorecord]Ah, Jackie Mittoo!Jackie Mittoo lived inToronto for a while. Whois Jackie Mittoo and howdoes it play into "Smile?"It's sampled from Jackie Mittoo.[laughs] The song.So we have some Canadian contentright in there with "Smile."I didn't know that Jackie Mittoo was Canadian.Well, he lived in Canada later in hislife. He was born in Jamaica but diedin Toronto, so it's some Canadian con-tent.There you go, that's the connection.But there's more Canadian connectionsLily Allen.[laughs] Is there?Your music teacher, was she notCanadian? Rachel?Yes she was, Rachel Santesso, she is Canadianindeed. I think she might be coming here tonightactually.She lives in Vancouver?I don't know. She definitely said she was comingto one of my Canadian gigs. I'm pretty sureVancouver, yeah. She lives in England, but I thinkher family are from here. Maybe.Which is awesome because we haveJackie Mittoo, we have your music

teacher and wealso have

you,

LilyAllen.

Yeah.You lived in Toronto for a while. You'rean honourary Canadian.I did. I lived in Toronto for about seven or eightmonths.And of all the places to start your

North American tour, you started yourNorth American tour in…Toronto.Toronto.Yeah. [laughs]Lily Allen, Jackie Mittoo, Racheland…Toronto.So Lily Allen, when did you get intothe ska? How did you get into ska? Ilove the ska.How did I get into it? My parents were very intoska music, that's how.Just through their collections?Yeah, I guess so.Did you get dressed up as a little rudegirl and go out to any gigs? See anylocal ska bands?I had the whole, like, little shirt and tie and the

blazer and the pork pie hat. That was mewhen I was a kid, dancing around.

What bands did you check out?Alex from Franz Ferdinand wasin a ska band at one timecalled The Amphetameanies.Were there any local skabands you checked out fromEngland?No.None?It's kind of a bit before my timereally.Well, I mean the bands that

are going on right now, likewere there any local, contem-

porary ska bands?I don't really like modern, contemporary

ska. Don't think it's very good. It's the olderstuff.

So why do you like the older stuff?Like the Studio One stuff, why do youlike that?Cause it's good. [laughs]And you like teaching kids stuff don'tyou?No.Lily Allen, you like teaching kids stuffdon't you?I've never taught kids stuff.



Yes, you'vetaught kids

stuff through theuse of a mixtape.

You've put togethera mixtape and who

did you have on themixtape? [Nardwuar

pulls out a Red Rat record]I had Red Rat.

What can you tell and teachthe people, Lily Allen? Let's

have you serve a purposehere. What can you teach

the people about The RedRat?

It's not The Red Rat. He iscalled Red Rat.And it's amazing. Is ita he or is it a she,'cause that's verydaring isn't it?It's a he and I think hehails from Jamaica,probably Kingston, yesKingston, Jamaica.And he has a lot ofreally good songs.And he ended upon your mixtape.Actually, he ended up ontwo of my mixtapes.But it didn't just stopthere, Lily Allen. Youalso ploughed into theworld of Cutty Ranks.[Nardwuar pulls out a CuttyRanks record] Now Ms. SkaExpert, what can you tell us aboutCutty Ranks and Red Rat and all thatsort of stuff?"Who Say Me Done" - this is the really, reallygood song which goes, "You want to test therocket launcher?" et cetera. I'm not going to goany further 'cause it'd be a bit embarrassing. Butyeah, good music.And I think that's great. You can putthat on a mixtape and a kid can listento it and go, "Hmmm." You can teachhim something about it, so you are ateacher.I wouldn't say that. I think I just share what I like.Well, you taught me about it. I didn'tknow about it until I listened to yourmixtape.Uh, OK cool.So thank you, Lily Allen.It's a pleasure. But you're not a kid. [laughs]Thank you. But I can tell kids! NowLily Allen, I have a quote here fromTimeOut London about Lily Allen. "Themost controversial thing she says allday is an aside about bombingStarbucks."Ah yes, I remember that.So you talked about bombing

Starbucks?No, ah, yes I did. [laughs]What did you do the other day?Yesterday didn't you have a CD signingin a Starbucks?Yes, I did.So you've come full circle?It wasn't a CD signing. It was a poster signing.But still, you hung out at Starbucks. Sowhat

changed?My record company made me do it. [laughs]How did you feel going into thatStarbucks after making that commentin TimeOut London? What did youhave, did you have anything there?Yes. I had a coffee. A latte. [laughs]Lily Allen, are you mean?Yes sometimes.From South By Southwest, "Lily Allencommented on her manager's incredi-bly minute male appendage"?No, I didn't. I commented on the editor of theNME magazine's minute appendage.Would you ever make fun of yourmanager's minute male appendageand how do you know that it isn't aminute male appendage?I don't.Lily Allen, you passed the test.Thank you. [laughs]Lily Allen, what about back hair?You're a big fan of back hair, aren'tyou?

Yes I am.Like, back hair on a man? Why is that?Because a lot of artists are afraid ofthe back hair.Are they? [laughs]Yeah, a lot of people are afraid of theback hair. Why do you like back hairon a man?What other artists have been vocal about backhair?

Well, when I've performed myself,jumping around on stage with

a shirt off, kids would tryto light me on fire

'cause they don'tlike the back hair

and they getreally sick of

the backhair.Oh, OK.So toknowthat LilyAllenlikesbackhair,that'sawesome.

Yeah, I likeback hair.

You have anamazing

tongue. Havepeople said that

to you Lily Allen?You have an amazing

tongue?My boyfriend has. [laughs]

Ba-boom. What I meant by that,you've had a lot of photos taken ofyou, and your tongue is always posi-tioned really interestingly. What arethe different Lily Allen tongue posi-tions?[Lily shows tongue positions] That one, that one,that one, that one, that one occasionally.I like the little one, the little cat one.The cat one, that's great. I love the LilyAllen tongue positions. Lily Allen, ifsomebody might be turning the dial ontheir television, they might come acrossyour music or supposedly your musicin a deodorant commercial.Really?Yes, Professor Longhair, who you sam-ple, an old ska '60s dude, his music…He's not ska. He's New Orleans.Thank you again for teaching me.It's a pleasure.His music ended up in a deodorantcommercial for Sure. Have you heardabout this? What do you think aboutthat?I haven't heard. That's the first I heard about it.


Mint Records’ US distribution by

www.naildistribution.com


Cause you have a song called "Knock'Em Out."Yes, I do.And you sample… Who is ProfessorLonghair? Let's go a little back here.You teach me a little more about him.He's from New Orleans.He's a New Orleans piano player and he did asong called "Big Chief" which goes, [sings]"dootdoot doola doot doot doot doola doot doo doo."Like that.And it's the beginning of "Knock 'EmOut?"Yes it is.And it's also the beginning of a deodor-ant commercial for Sure.Really. Wow.Yep. I learned that on YouTube.[laughs]Lily Allen, Ladbroke Grove, I loveLadbroke Grove, UK.Ladbroke Grove, yeah.I'm fascinated by that place. Is thatwhere you're from? That's where TheClash sort of grew up wasn't it?I don't know 'cause they were probably there inthe '70s before I was born.Lily Allen, I was wondering, Notting HillCarnival? You said you wanted to playthat.I have played it. I played it last year.That's pretty exciting because that car-nival is what inspired The Clash towrite the song "White Riot."Oh really? Wow.And I didn't know that until I startedlooking up you, Lily Allen. So youtaught me that.OK cool.Lily Allen, another group that actuallymentions Ladbroke Grove in its lyrics isThe Slits from England. [Nardwuar pullsout a Slits record] And I think one ofThe Slits actually lives in LadbrokeGrove.Yes, Tessa. She's my godmother.That's amazing. What can you sayabout Tessa?She's my godmother.But she's still living there after all theseyears 'cause The Slits were very influen-tial weren't they?Yes they were. She still lives there. Ari, who's thelead singer, she lives in Jamaica now, but I thinkthey're touring again. And they're a very influen-tial punk band.And how did she become your god-mother? Like, how did you meet her?Was that through your dad? How'd thathappen? That's pretty cool having The

Slits as your godmother.She was best friends with my mother actually.[laughs]

And looking at the record, they've got abit of nudity happening there, Lily Allen.A bit of nudity.It's a very famous album cover. They're kind ofmud wrestling women.There was a bit of Lily Allen nudity pop-ping up, wasn't there? I saw a bit ofLily Allen nudity. Has there been anyLily Allen paparazzi nudity?Not paparazzi. But yes, there has been.Why was there Lily Allen nudity andwill it appear on a record?Why is there ever nudity? [laughs] Why not?What was involved in that nudity?My boob.In what circumstance though?Uh, in a picture.Somebody was like, "Hey Lily" and youwere like, "Hey?" Was it inspired byThe Slits? I guess that's what I'm gettingat.No, it wasn't inspired by The Slits.Lily, you have your band, The Lilyettes?No.I thought they're called the Lilyettes?No.You kindly called them The Lilyettes?No, I call them the Lilettes.The Lilettes, OK.Once. But that's not what they're called, that wasa joke.On Saturday Night Live they lookedvery impressive wearing those blueshirts. Is there a band costume or outfit?There's not really a band costume. Sometimes theywear polo shirts. They're not all the same colour.They're different colours.The bass player of your band. Who isit? He's really funky.Uh, he's changed three times actually.He's a master of disguise.It depends which gig you're referring to.I guess the guy on Saturday Night Live.Uh, who was the bass player then? A guy calledPete Martin.What are his credentials and who is inyour band? And how do you get intothe Lily Allen band? There's quite a fewmembers, it's a revolving cast. Whatdoes it take to get into the Lily Allenband?Uh, work for very little money and work hard.You don't get much money with LilyAllen but you get enough money to goto In-N-Out Burger. Have you been toIn-N-Out Burger on this tour yet?Not this tour but we have on previous tours.

At In And Out Burger, how do youorder your burger Lily Allen? There's aspecial secret. Do you know the secretfor In-N-Out Burger?Yeah, yeah animal fries. You can order fries"animal style," right?Animal Style, Which basically means?I don't know 'cause I've never ordered it. ButI've heard about it.Lily Allen, a quote. "I had anadvanced vocabulary from an earlyage." This is what you have said.I don't remember saying that.I was just wondering what words didyou know?"Advanced."Lastly here Lily Allen, what do youthink about the Oyster Card system inEngland? The Oyster Card.[laughs] It's pretty pointless, actually. It's kind ofa bit, um….It's for the Tube, a bit of backgroundon it. Could you explain?It's not just for the Tube it's for the bus aswelland that's where it comes into being a bit sillyreally. 'Cause you kind of get on the bus andyou're meant to take it upon yourself to press iton the thing and if you do, it charges your cardand your account and if you don't, you obvi-ously don't get charged. So no one actuallypresses it and the London transport system issuffering as a result. So I don't think it is verygood.And you love the transport systemtoo? I love the way you squeeze it inyour videos and stuff like that.Yeah, and actually a few weeks ago when I wasin London, I forgot that I was the "famous LilyAllen" and I got on the bus. Shock, horror, itwas quite amazing. People were very nice tome, though. They helped me with my bags onand off. I felt very special.What were you carrying, and heyyou have a new bag to carry!I was carrying sneakers.Well, thanks very much, Lily Allen.Anything else you want to add for thepeople out there at all?Not really.Why should people care about LilyAllen?They shouldn't.Well thanks so much, Lily Allen. Keepon rockin' in the free world and dootdoola doot doo…Doot doo. [laughs] Goodbye.

Thanks to Chris Nelson fromMuchMusic's "Going Coastal" and www.chartattack.com




In the early hours of Tuesday, March 6, 2007, Vancouver, BC lost a landmark, both

physically and psychically, when Lee’s Candies, a tiny quaint neighbourhood candy shop

that had been in the same location for 57 years, was destroyed in a four-alarm, eighty-

firefighter, three-building blaze, obliterating decades of priceless vestiges of a long-gone era,

and memories. And we here at Mint were additionally saddened because Lee’s Candies’

owner, Valeria Finnigan, was the original drummer of Mint’s earliest success, cub — and

Valeria’s co-worker for 17 years, Nicole Steen, is a member of the very early Mint band, Coal.

Valeria actually worked at Lee’s Candieswell before cub’s birth and subsequent riseto unprecedented levels of fame and suc-cess, and she continued well after her depar-ture from the originators of “cuddlecore”,eventually becoming sole proprietor of thetiny store/factory. In a story on Lee’sCandies in a December issue of theVancouver newspaper, The Province, Valeriaexplained, “We use methods from the ‘20sand ‘30s. Everything’s hand-dipped. Wemake our own centres — everything from

caramel to rocha to cream truffle.” And,tragically, it’s all gone: the molds, the heavymachinery, the archives of photographs andclippings.

We asked Valeria if she would be amenableto providing us with some thoughts, giventhat there was a perception that her storywas lost in the headlines and soundbytesthat emanated from this unfortunate event,and she agreed to fill us in a lttle bit. Hereis what she said:


Nicole told me you want to do a mini-trib-ute to Lee's. There is lots of press and I

have a few photos in my home that didn't getburned. The official face of Lee's will be inthe newspaper stories along with the usualcrazed inaccuracies such as the description ofme with cub, touring in a Volkswagen van,WHAT? I sure as hell never said anything ofthe kind!

I don't need any money to re-start the store, itis gone and that's that. We have been told10th avenue will never re-zone a factory ontothe property. I am already working, althoughI have been very sick for about a month, amix of stress and the Cold That Would NotDie. Re job: found/trained for/got CPR cardto work in my gym with older ladies whoneed an exercise plan they can do withoutinjury. Nicole is working part-time on variousprojects — we are honestly okay monetarily,but thank you so much for your kind offer ofa fundraiser.

We found new rehearsal space, courtesy thelovely Janis McKenzie, for our band TheTransvestimentals. Man, no wonder I got sick,too much too soon! The fight to unearth ourproperty from the site has ended. We are notallowed to be on the lot. The City is adamant.

Lee’s Candies’ original owner, George Tedlock

Valeria Finniganowner of

Lee’s Candies


Lee’s Candies before the second storey of apartments was added above

All

imag

es p

rovi

ded

cour

tesy

of V

aler

ia F

inne

gan.

Use

d w

ith

perm

issi

on.

I wish I had the guts to risk the broken glassand chemicals like the homeless guys do.They are in there at night with axes. I hopethey found some stuff they can use!

The Secret face of Lee's is the best, and mostof interest to your 'zine readers. Among thepeople who worked there were Lisa, Dimwit,Lev, Les Finnigan, Barry Taylor, Paul Leahy,Shane, and Nicole, of course! And amongour visitors, Nardwuar, with and withoutCarly Pope, David Wisdom, Tom Verlaine,chocolate freak Katherine Hepburn (circa1980), Yvonne de Carlo's son, Meg Tilly,Mark Crozer who is playing bass for JimKerr and recently played the CoachellaFestival with the reformed Jesus and MaryChain,and CBC's On The Road Again,which along with Nardwuar's promoting ofus on Muchmusic, helped Lee's to actuallymake a profit and pay taxes.

Because of Nardwuar, the whole media com-munity sat up and took interest. An article byKerry Gold in the Sun was noticed by theGlobe and Mail writer, Ann Templeman-Kluit,who wrote an amazing piece aboutGeorge..I sure wish I had copies of thesehandy to send you, but maybe you can findthem easily. It also caused On The Road

Again to do a piece on us to our great bene-fit. None of this would have happened with-out the kindness of Nard, which he keepsdoubting! How modest! That is how hebecame our Patron Saint, and three portraitsof him were on permanent display in ourshow room, to the delight of many. "Is thatNARDWUAR????" was the most commonphrase to be heard immediately before orafter "Mmmm, smells delicious in here!"

Our biggest challenge and frustration washow to go green. As minimal as our packag-ing was, we wanted to find a way toimprove without costing so much as to cutinto our tiny profit margin. We felt so com-promised in our beliefs. Ditto, raw chocolateand sugar, two of the most unpleasant indus-tries with a record of exploitation and pollu-tion. The reason why most people in ourincome bracket of minimum wage can't gogreen is the sheer cost. Isn't that nuts? CanYou afford a hybrid car? Anyway, if peoplewonder what Nicole and I talked about for17 years while doing manual candy-making,how to be able to afford to convert to organ-

ic fair trade and cut down on waste, with asmattering of music and painting pretty muchcovers that.

Since we couldn't do more, we made sure wecounted in other ways. To me the biggest lossis to the community, which we made muchlarger than the rather privileged Point Grey.We routinely provided holiday gift bags tothe Positive Women's Network, and donatedauctioned gift baskets to the Everywoman'sHealth Clinic, The Canadian Center for PolicyAlternatives run by Seth Klein, brother ofNaomi, and The Haddassah Bazaar, to namebut a few. It meant we couldn't donate muchto Point Grey, but we provided the elemen-tary schools with tours of our working muse-um and an education in alternative employ-ment, where no technology was used. Wealso gave tours to Senior's Groups and I gavelectures on the history of chocolate at a fewsenior's clubs. Plus we gave our librariantreats for the kids reading circle! That justabout sums up our mysterious ways. I hopesome of this is useful. Love V.

So, dear Valeria and Nicole, thank you for your years and years of generosity and contributing so much to the cultural fabric of Vancouver. Lee’s Candies will be

missed immensely. We all wish you well with whatever your next adventures may be.


looking outside the window of Lee’s Candies

vintage window display

spaceman candy moldmaking candiesin the ’60s


The Choir Practice’sCoco Culbertson and Chris Kellyon Coco’s porch

Crazy, the JC/DC Studio dog

Stephen Hammaka Big Hamm

(Canned Hamm,The Evaporators)

with Mint’s Bill Baker

Chris Kelly with Bella’s Charla McCutcheonat JC/DC Studio

phot

os b

y D

ave

Gow

ans


"All of us are school choirvictims," laughs

Vancouver musician CocoCulbertson. She's a member of anew band called The ChoirPractice.

Even after the memory of algebrahas dulled to a useless whisper,most Canadians remember awk-ward renditions of "Dust in theWind," accidental public vomit-ing at the Christmas concert, uni-versally unflattering uniforms.

"It's a product of Canadian pub-lic schools. I was only in choirbecause I had to be. We had topractice every lunch. It was suchtorture."

But despite an early hatred ofschool-sanctioned singing,Culbertson went on to hone hermusical talents as a bass playerdriving the beats of The Gay, aVancouver indie pop outfit. Afteryears of performing with TheGay and touring with ACNewman, Culbertson returned toher home in Strathcona, lookingto start a new project.

With a few friends, a piano, andcopious amounts of red wine,Culbertson started hosting eventsat her home. "We'd get togetherand practice, and basically exer-cise our voices." The open-doorpolicy of the evenings drew anincreasing number of partici-pants, many of them members of

Remember High School Choir Practice?New Vancouver group’s fun, awkward,nostalgic sounds By Jackie WongThis article originally published April 5, 2007 in TheTyee.ca

Vancouver bands like P:ano, GreatAunt Ida, The Blood Meridian, andLove and Mathematics.

"It's coincidental, but everybody inThe Choir Practice sang in achoir." The positive, community-ori-ented environment surrounding TheChoir Practice proves Culbertson'sclaim that "people love to singtogether," despite the implicitweirdness of obligatory choirmembership. "People want to do itmore than they want to admit."

For Culbertson, the beauty of TheChoir Practice lies in the dignity ofits musicians. "Nobody's a propplayer, nobody's doing the leastamount possible. Everyone is per-forming with equity." The result isa bright, colourful sound lush withquirky lyrics that subvert the pompand circumstance of traditionalchoirs. The earnest "take off yourclothes" chorus of "Red Fox" is alot funnier and far less creepy thanthe butcher shop absurdity of KidzBop Kids, while the cadences of"Failsafe" showcase the group'svocal chemistry.

The Choir Practice returns themoments of your life you thoughtyou'd never get back from after-school glee club rehearsals.Mandatory cuff links, step off!

The Choir Practice released its self-titled debut album on MintRecords, May 18th.

phot

o by

Kar

in B

ubas



Nardwuar: Who are you?Snoop Dogg: Snoop Dogg, the greatest rapper ofall time. East side, LBC. LBC’s savior. I’m the bestthing that rap got going.Snoop Doggy Dogg, is it true that youlectured at Oxford? Did you lecture atOxford University?I did lecture at Oxford University along withHarvard, Yale and Princeton just to name a few.You know I got bitches everywhere.Snoop Doggy Dogg, I think it’s amazing,you always take it to another level. TheSnoop hot dog. How can anybody topthe Snoop hot dog? What can you tellme about the Snoop hot dog?It’s a beautiful thing, ya know. Everybody loves toeat hot dogs, so why not eat a foot long hot dogwith Snoop Dogg don’t you understand me? Noballs included. [laughs]What does it taste like, Snoop Dogg?What do your wieners taste like?Uh [laughs]. They taste good actually. They taste

like the best hot dogs you ever had with season-ing salt on the inside of them. For real they gotseasoning salt in the hot dogs. [laughs]Where can you get them, Snoop?Where can you get the Snoop hot dog?They gonna be at local venues, at grocery stores.I’m opening up a Snoopamarket, a chain ofSnoopamarkets where they’re gonna be sellingthem at, as well as the sporting arenas wherethey play basketball, football and baseball.Snoop, I think it’s great, the hot dog,and I think you are a person you canask about advice and stuff. What doyou think about this doll right here?[Nardwuar hands Snoop a Biz Markiedoll] The Biz Markie doll. Tell me whatyou think about the Biz Markie doll.This is the Biz?This is the Biz. [Snoop drops the doll by mistake] Oops, sorry‘bout that Biz you big ass fucker. This here is myhomeboy.

What do you think of the Biz? What canyou tell me of the importance of the Biz,Snoop? And the Biz doll? What do youthink of this from a marketing perspec-tive?[Snoop imitates Biz Markie’s voice] He’s die-a-bowl-acle.He’s like the amazing beat boxer isn’the? In a cereal box! What do youthink?This is dope. This is dope. I like this. What arethey selling this at?Probably about $200, Snoop Dogg. How long ago did you get it?It’s been on the market about two yearsor so. Oh, it just came out?Two years actually. And the Biz hasbeen taking it to another level... check itout ‘cause you’re the wizard of market-ing, the Biz clock. [Nardwuar handsSnoop a Biz Markie Clock] He’s got his




own clock. Is that something that’s evergone through your mind, a clock? [laughs]A Snooper clock?Naw, I didn’t think about getting no clock. I’m justtrippin’ on Biz’s expression he’s something else.[laughs] “I can’t believes it. I can’t believes I’m sell-in’ a clock!”Snoop Dogg, what’s Snoop dog foodlike? What’s the dog food like that youhave? ‘Cause you have Snoop dog fooddon’t you? Doggy biscuits?Yeah, some doggy biscuits, dog pet line products.I even got clothes for your dogs, kinda like someof the outfits you wearin’, like the sweater you goton is like one of my outfits I got for the dogs. Ba-boom![laughs]You love the dogs don’t you SnoopDogg? Like, you really do love the dogs.Yeah, I really do. I’m a dog lover. That’s just mynature, you know what I’m saying. George Clinton

called me the futuristic bow wow.’Cause I wanted to ask you what youthink about when you read off stuff likethis, like check this out. [Nardwuarhands a paper to Snoop] This was in mylocal paper, the North Shore News. Andcheck out this headline that we haveright here in the North Shore News, andit says “Snoop Dogg Faces ExecutionFollowing West Van Attacks.”[reading] “‘Snoop Doggy Dog is just bad to thebone,’ said neighbours who were bitten andchased by him near West Vancouver British prop-erties over a nine month period...’ Oh, this mustbe a dog named Snoop Doggy Dogg, not me.[laughs][laughing] Yes it is. [Nardwuar reads

from the paper] “ A Rottweiler crossnamed Snoop has been put on doggiedeath row this week. Wow.So how do you feel when dogs get puton doggie deathrow there, SnoopDogg? Like, fellowdogs and stufflike that? Youlove the dogs.Yeah I wouldn’t do it.I wish I had knewabout this. Iwould’ve gone overthere and brokehim out. I wouldabroke him out. IfI’d been there hewould’ve beenalive. I would’vehad to kill orsomething. Sorry about thatSnoop Dogg, you went out like a gangster though.A West Van gangsta-G.Sure did.Snoop, what do you remember aboutbeing in Korn’s video “TwistedTransistor?”Um, just being the rock ‘n’ roll star that I am, hav-ing fun, actin’ a fool.And who else was in the video, andwhat was it all about?David Banner was in the video. Lil’ Jon was in thevideo. And um, Xzibit. We actually played Korn,they got some rappers to play them.And in the video there’s a guy wearinga tartan hat and asking you some ques-tions, and he gets slapped. Do youremember doing that at all?He imitated you.That’s what I was wondering, is that anallusion to me?It is. It was you. We thought about you, Korn, andmyself and my manager. Umm—Ted?Naw, um, his name is Dick. You don’t know mymanager? Dick, last name Inyomouth?Ba-boom!Dick In-Your-Mouth. Yeah, my manager Dick In-Your-Mouth told me to tell you that. [laughs]Snoop Doggy Dogg, I just think it’samazing, thank you for giving me theprops there! I would like to ask you,why do you like to steal my stuff SnoopDogg? Remember you first tried to stealmy Redd Foxx doll? Do you rememberthat?I stole the Blowfly album from you. You wouldn’t letme take the Redd Foxx doll, but I see some shit I’mtaking today. I’m taking that [points to poster onwall]… I’m taking this[points to record]…I’m tak-

ing that…I’m not sure, Snoop Dogg. You took theBlowfly album, that was quite intenseof you. And actually, I talked toBlowfly and he has a message for youfor taking my Blowfly album. I talked to him too! [laughs]And what is Blowfly’s message toSnoop Dogg, do you think? Here isBlowfly’s message to Snoop Dogg fortaking my record, and here we go:[Nardwuar plays a video-taped message fromBlowfly]Blowfly recorded message: Snoop, youremember you stole that fuckin’ record,dog? You are a fuckin’ dysentarianbone-buryin’, tick-catchin’, flea-scratchin’, Lachey-racin’, hoe-chasin’,no-growlin’, whole moon-rollin’, no-lis-ten bark ‘n’ pissin’, bone-hawkin’, col-lar-carryin’, howling cat-beatin’, afro-eatin’ poor excuse for major mutt. Yourbreath smell like your butt. I’m outtathe cut. In exactly 13 days from now,

Snoop, you gon’ lookdown andfind beauti-ful pussywhere yourlil’ dick usedto be. [evillaugh thatends with athroaty “augh,augh aughaugh”] I’mgone ! [Blowflygives the finger][Laughs] Blowfly!That nigga said“augh, augh aughaugh.”

Blowfly to the rescue. Blowfly’s stickingup for me, Snoop Doggy Dogg.That’s some OG shit right there ‘cause Blowfly’s areal muthafucker, you know what I’m talkin’‘bout? And this is the real McCoy [begins tosing]... “Come on and join Blowfly’s convoy...”So are you ever going to sing withBlowfly on stage? He wants you tosing with him on stage, to “Convoy.”I wanna get down with Blowfly. Blowfly, I wannaget in the studio with you, make some music withyou, and do it big, you’re one of the artists I’mlookin’ forward to working with, too. I alwayswanted to get down with you. And remember also, you mess withNardwuar The Human Serviette andBlowfly will come after you Snoop.What’s gonna happen in 13 days, eh? I’ma leave you alone ‘cause I don’t that to hap-pen man. I don’t want Uncle Blowfly to put thatcurse on me.Snoop Doggy Dogg, winding up herelastly, what can you tell about theimportance of R&B and stuff?[Nardwuar hands Snoop a Record]Here we have Lyn Collins with her song“Think (About It),” which I think yousampled way back when.Yep, this is a bad record right here. James Brownproduced it I believe. Yep. Like, why do you like R&B and soul?There’s so much of it, like, Slave, too.[Nardwuar hands Snoop a SlaveRecord]It’s the feel of the music. It’s like the sound of it,the feel of it. [looking at the Slave record] Ohman.


This is Slave, who you sampled for“Gin And Juice.” Yeah, “watchin’ ladies, watchin’ you.”Like, these are really importantsoul/R&B records, you really love it.[Nardwuar hands Snoop a Momentsrecord] You got The Moments?[sings] “Look at me, I’m in love.” What do you remember about TheMoments, Snoop Dogg? [sings] “Look at me, I’m in love. The preachersaid, I’m in love.” Ohthat’s that shit right here. Iremember they had the,um, falsetto voice. Thelead singer was singinghigh voiced.Lastly here SnoopDogg, how didyou get yourdemo tape to Dr.Dre? You andWarren G. Howdid you getyour tapes tohim? How didyou get yourdemo tapes tohim in theearly days?[Takes a deeptoke] Shit,Warren G gotthat mother-fucker to it.That’s hisbrother so hefound a wayto get it tohim doinguh, a bach-elor party.The musicgot cut off and uh,Warren G. slipped my CD on, well my cas-sette at the time. He slipped my cassette on andhe kept the party rocking.Snoop Dogg, what can you tell me hereabout Special Ed. [Nardwuar handsSnoop a Special Ed Record] He was abig influence on you, wasn’t he? TheSpecial Ed?Yeah that’s my homeboy right here. We finallygot together, made a record together. This is myhomeboy. I was definitely inspired by him.‘Cause I liked his style, and they way he was justdifferent from everybody else, and how he just…he never really did it like nobody else. He did hisshit they way he’s supposed to do it, and I liked

that, that showed me how to be me.Snoop Dogg, I was wondering, whatdoes this mean? [Nardwuar pulls out ahat] You addressed this Soul Plane hatto me, and it says “C.M.F.” What does“C.M.F.” mean, Snoop Dogg?Cock-sucking motherfucker.Should I take that as a compliment?Definitely, you suck cock good, here. [laughs]Well thank you very much, SnoopDoggy Dogg. Anything else you wantto say to the people out there?

I’m the greatest of all time next to CassiusClay and James

Brown.Then there’s Snoop Dogg.What about Kurtis Blow?Kurtis Blow good. But like I said, Cassius Clayand James Brown, then Snoop Dogg. Cassius Clay, you mean, the greatest,Cassius Clay? [Nardwuar hands Snoopa Cassius Clay Record]That’s what I just told you didn’t I? He’s the great-est of all time. [looking at Cassius Clay record] Isthis him talking?Yes it is, and doing some rappin’ aswell. This is Muhammad Ali. Have youever met him at all?

Yes, this is the champ. I need this record for thebeats that I’m making right now.I don’t think you can take this SnoopDogg.No, I’m just gonna borrow it. [laughs] I don’t… what is the differencebetween “taking” and “borrowing,”Snoop? We’ve been through this.Borrowing mean I’m gonna give it back to you.Taking mean you ain’t getting shit back. [laughs]Why do you always take my stuff,Snoop Doggy Dogg?Because, let me tell you what I’m gonna do withthis. I’m gonna go to my DJ, let him sample it,put it into the turntable to the computer and I’ma

give it back to you because I knowthis means a lot to

you. I’m notgonna be like Iused to be when Iused to be takingyour shit. I’mgonna borrow itnow. It’s gonna beboth of our shit.OK? I’m just gonnakeep it at my houseand whenever youneed it you can get it. Really? I cancome to yourhouse, SnoopDoggy Dogg?The next interview wedo is gonna be at myhouse.Well that’s awe-some! Thank you somuch Snoop DoggyDogg. And you canhave the poster aswell. I’m throwing inthe poster.Thank you pimpin’. I likeyour style. I’m gonna be realharmonic towards youbecause Blowfly’s on yourside, and it ain’t easy to getBlowfly to ride with you man.

That’s some gangster shit. Well, thanks so much Snoop DoggyDogg. Keep on rockin’ in the free worldand doot doola doot doo...Doot doo. [blows smoke in to the mike] Smokeone. Snoop Dogg, yo.

Thanks to Chris Nelson fromMuchMusic’s “Going Coastal” and www.chartattack.com

.com



Jul 26 Sudbury ON – TownehouseJul 27 Guelph ON – Hillside FestJul 28 Guelph ON – Hillside FestJul 29 Guelph ON – Hillside Fest

Jul 30-31 city tbaAug 1 Toronto ON – The HorseshoeAug 2 Waterloo ON – Jane BondAug 3 Brantford ON – Murdered City

Music Fest @ The Ford PlantAug 4 Ottawa ONAug 5 Montreal – Divan OrangeAug 7 city tbaAug 8 Halifax NSAug 9 Charlottetown PEI – Brennan's

Aug 10 Saint John NB – Elwood'sAug 11 Quebec CityAug 15 Winnipeg – WECC with NovilleroAug 16 Saskatoon SK – Amigo'sAug 17 Edmonton AB – Velvet UndergroundAug 18 Calgary AB – Marquee ClubSep 5 Seattle WASep 6 Portland ORSep 7 San Francisco CASep 8 Los Angeles CASep 9 San Diego CA

Sep 10 Los Angeles CASep 27 Minneapolis MNSep 28 Madison WISep 29 Chicago ILSep 30 Detroit MIOct 1-7 Cleveland OH

Oct 9 Chapel Hill NCOct 10 Nashville TNOct 11 Atlanta GA

Friday July 20Logans Pub – Victoria BC

Saturday July 21The Railway Club – Vancouver BC

Tuesday July 24The Arts Station Theatre – Fernie BC

Wednesday July 25The Black Dog – Edmonton AB

Thursday July 26The Canmore Hotel – Canmore BC

Friday July 27Amigos – Saskatoon SK

Saturday July 28The Marquee Club – Calgary AB

www.thebuttlesschaps.com

July 5-8 Winnipeg, MBWinnipeg Folk Festival

July 10-11 Stampede Porch Party 5pm-8pm @ Broken CityCalgary AB

July 11 Hank and Patsy Night – Ship and Anchor, Calgary AB

July 12 Auditorium Hotel, Nanton AB

July 13 Twin Butte General Store & Bar, Twin Butte AB

July 14 Velvet Underground, Edmonton AB

July 15 Jasper ABAug 9 Winnipeg MB – Times Change(d)Aug 10-12 Ear Falls ON – Trout Lake Music Fest.Aug 23 Seattle WA – City HallAug 24 -25 Vancouver BC – Malkin Bowl,

Stanley Park with Blue Rodeo

SUMMER TOUR ’07

CAROLYNMARK


Cameron's Picks:W.S. 2005Starflyer 59Did I SayTeenage FanclubSaddest QuoPernice Bros.Jesus, Etc.Wilco

Arbuckle's Swan SongAmbulance LTDPrivate EyesHall & Oates (for Bill)

Charla's Picks:

143 Brown Crescent

Francis Mantis

Too Litte Too Late

Metric

Girl From Ipanema

Antonio Carlos Jobim

100%Chromeo

Missed the Boat

Modest Mouse

Boy Who Never Forgot

Joy Electric

Tiffany's Picks:

fallen idolImperial Teen

i would die for you

Prince

unisonBjork

the chainFleetwood Mac

open your heartLavender Diamond

the plot that weaves

The Brothers Martin

Cameron's Picks:W.S. 2005Starflyer 59Did I SayTeenage FanclubSaddest QuoPernice Bros.Jesus, Etc.Wilco

Arbuckle's Swan SongAmbulance LTDPrivate EyesHall & Oates (for Bill)

Charla's Picks:

143 Brown Crescent

Francis Mantis

Too Litte Too Late

Metric

Girl From Ipanema

Antonio Carlos Jobim

100%Chromeo

Missed the Boat

Modest Mouse

Boy Who Never Forgot

Joy Electric

Tiffany's Picks:

fallen idolImperial Teen

i would die for you

Prince

unisonBjork

the chainFleetwood Mac

open your heartLavender Diamond

the plot that weaves

The Brothers Martin



Side 1Motel 6 – The Brothers Cosmoline

I'm Always True to You in my Fashion – Peggy Lee

But I Ain't No More (G.S.T.S.K.D.T.S.) – Vera Hamilton

Tra La La Triangle – Patsy Cline

Motel Time Again – Johnny Paycheck

Alone Again Or – Calexico

I Don't Want to be Your One Night Stand – Jessie Coulter

What About Tomorrow? – Charlene Arthur

The Price I Pay for Loving You – Emmylou Harris + The Desert Rose Band

Let's Invite Them Over – John Prine + Iris Dement

Hold On Hold On – Neko Case + The Sadies

Waste of Paint – Bright Eyes

Old Black Crow – Micheal Hurley

Wives Should Always Be Lovers Too – Julie Christie

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden – Lynn Anderson

A Private Conversation – Lyle Lovett

Darling You and I Are Through – Hot Club of Cow Town

Side TwoWish I Didn't Have to Miss You – Jack Green + Jeannie Seely

Lookin' In – Bobbie Gentry

I Could Tell You Lies – The Rizdales

Came on Lion – Sarah Harmer

Alberta Bound – Gordon Lightfoot

Soft Picasso – Kelly Hogan

I'm His Wife You're Just a Friend – Ann Sexton

Etobicoke – Dave Lang

A Beautiful Thing – The Handsome Family

Hope in Hell – Oh! Susanna

Happen Now – Joel Plaskett

Past, Present, Future – The Ronettes

Everyone Wants a Cowboy – Skeeter Davis + NRBQ

Frisco Mabel Joy – Mickey Newbury

Woman to Woman – Shirley Brown

The Divorce Song – Liz Phair

Carolyn Mark’s The Best Mix(ed) Tape Ever!

Driving and Cheating, Cheating and Driving

Hounds Of Love (Kate Bush)Young Lions (The Constantines)The Tigers Have Spoken (Neko Case)Wolf Like Me (TV On The Radio)Black Swan (Thom Yorke)Apeman (The Format)Red Rabbits (The Shins)This Lamb Sells Condos (Final Fantasy)Mad Foxes (Destroyer)Panda (Dungen)Black Cat (Broadcast)



It all startedwith an ill-

consideredsales pitch.Iwas contacted by Mint HQ to

see if I would be interested inwriting an article for the upcom-ing Mint Zine. The only prob-lems were that a) they had noidea what I should write aboutand, b) the deadline was, like,yesterday.

Thinking on my feet (men ofaction and hack writers are par-ticularly adept at this), I cameup with three quick ideas ofthings I could write for them:

Idea #1: "Andrew's SummerFun Mix Tape". Sure, not themost original idea in the world,but it would serve several usefulpurposes. I could cough up abunch little blurbs on a selectionof Mint titles... and it would takealmost no time to write.Problem #1: Someone was already supposed tobe doing this (of course).

Idea #2: "Whatever Became of Windwalker?" Afictional account of the wacky hijinx of the mem-bers of Windwalker ever since their days as oneof the very first Mint recording acts. Hilaritywould ensue.Problem #2: Suing might ensue.

Idea #3: "My Day as a Mint Intern". I would domy best to channel my inner starry-eyed youngkeener confronted by the reality of what really

goes on behind the scenes at a "big recordlabel".Problem #3: I was volunteering to do a day ofunpaid grunt work at Mint.

Considering that most businesses, Mint included,have a ton of mindless busywork that eventuallyhas to get done by someone, Mint jumped onthat last idea like, well, a business that had a tonof mindless busywork that needed to be done bysomeone... anyone... even me. So, "My Day as aMint Intern" was deemed to be a stupendousidea. Could I come in tomorrow?

"Sure thing. What time is a Mint intern expectedto show up?"

"10? 11?"

"No problem."

Step one: I went out for some drinks the nightbefore with Miss Carolyn Mark, ostensibly to domy journalistic due diligence. As a lady withmany years' experience as a Mint artist, I figuredthat she could give me some much needed back-ground on what goes down at the Mint HQ. You

MyDayas aMintIntern



know... who are the real power players? Withwhom should I curry favour? Should I pack myown lunch? Carolyn had no answers to my ques-tions, but she did tell me that the preferrednomenclature for my position was a "Mintern"and she thought my choice of story ideas wasbaffling/hilarious. She left me with a smirking"good luck with that" at the end of the evening.

I woke up the next morning on someone's verycomfortable couch with a surprisingly badheadache. When I finally was able to find aclock, to my horror, it was already well after 11.This was already going well. So, unbathed,unshaved, uncaffeinated and still wearing yester-day's clothes, I took the bus to my first — andlikely last — day as a Mintern.

The Mint HQ is located on the border betweenVancouver's skid row and its high-end businessdistrict, in a heritage building that is at once partof both worlds. It is a stunning example of turn ofthe century architectural endeavour, and it alsohas that slightly rundown look that makes onethink that the place is probably insulated withthousands and thousands of mummified rat car-casses. Along with Mint, the building is home tonumerous non-profit and activist organizations...and the usual smattering of lawyers that infest alloffice buildings like the aforementioned bunch ofmummified rats.

I took the elevator to the 13th floor and found,behind a nondescript office door, the home ofMint Records. Fortunately, no one mentioned thetardiness of my arrival. In fact, I was welcomedby a tableaux of smiling faces. Well, three, actu-ally. Mint bigwig Beez (Kevin Beesley-Hammond,aka Beez from The Smugglers), strode up to meto offer a hearty handshake and a jovial,

"Welcome Intern! Be sure to mention that youwere greeted with a hearty handshake and ajovial 'Welcome Intern!'" (Duly noted.) DaveGowans (yes, that Dave Gowans) managed toshake himself free from the computer world toexpress a disturbingly enthusiastic appreciation ofmy arrival (I was soon to find out why). ShenaYoshida, Mint's real intern, politely introducedherself (and also seemed just a bit too happy tosee me there). Even the legendary Randy Iwata,one of Mint's founders, emerged from his officeto smile beatifically upon me.

Eager to make up for lost time (and to justify theirkind reception), I took off my jacket, cracked myknuckles and said, "Okay, set me to work." Andhere is why my story about being a Mint Internfor a day has thus far largely consisted of agigantic glurge of self referential blather... theMint intern job is about as exciting as a day atthe World Paint Drying Championships. No won-der everyone was so happy to see me. No won-der Randy had leapt on the offer of a day of freelabour. There was no end to the time-consuming,brain-numbing, yet necessary Joe jobs that hadto be done.

What did I do? Well, I listened to CBC satelliteradio (not too bad, that)... and I removed 800copies of the new Immaculate Machine album,Fables, from big boxes... stuck promotional stick-ers on them... and put them back in smallerboxes. If you happen to find the one with thesticker on upside-down, I did that on purpose.No reason.

That took me a couple of hours.

The next item on the agenda was a big videoconference call, which would involve everyone in

the office other than myself. So I went for a walk,had a few too many coffees, and came back tothe office an hour or so later to find them stillvideo conferencing. How anybody accomplishesanything with that is beyond me. The sound qual-ity is just one step above tin cans on a string.Anyway, I spent the next hour wandering aroundthe office, looking at the band photos on thewalls... checking my email on Dave's computer...and staring at one of those cute postcards thatdentists send out to remind people they shouldcome in and get their teeth cleaned. I briefly con-sidered just heading home and faking the rest ofthe article, but I didn't. (Or did I??)

Eventually, the meeting ended and I received mynext task: stuffing envelopes for a US promotionalmailout. Each package was to contain a double-sided one-sheet band bio (Immaculate Machineon one side, Choir Practice on the other), lovinglyfolded in quarters by yours truly, and a promo-tional CD from each of the bands. Once stuffed, Iwas to affix a 60 cent stamp and two 59 centstamps to each envelope. I was warned that thestamps were "really old" (bought in bulk fromGod knows where), and that it would be foolish,and perhaps even a bit suicidal, to actually lickthem all. A cautionary tale was told of a formerMint staffer who had licked all the stamps forsome other large Mint mailout, and had endedup throwing up beside her car in the parking loton her way home. This spellbinding and chal-lenging task took me the remainder of my InternDay.

So, I guess the big question is, did this experi-ence teach me a valuable lesson about MintRecords and perhaps even myself? Umm, notreally, but at the end of the day Randy bought usall beer. That was pretty cool.



www.carolynmark.com www.myspace.com/carolynmark

The Ultimate (Portland) Tour Salad

Serve right when the discussion about art vs commerce starts to get a little too intense.

It's a damn tasty salad.

Pair with 5 bottles of the cheapest red from the expensive store.

And remember ot go to bed when you get tired, genius!

Recipes like this one

can be found in

Carolyn Mark’s cookbook, $10 ppd

from Mint Records!

1 pkg baby spinach

1 grapefruit deveined and segmented

2" x 1" cube or 3/4 cup crumbled feta

1/2 cup pecans and almonds

1 tin smoked tuna, or smoked trout

1 handful of cherry or grape tomatoes

Arrange all ingrediants in yon salad

bowl on the counter of the illegal con-

ceptual artist loft you are staying at.

Drizzle with oil and vinegar and toss.


Some random snappies from Mint’s week inAustin! Thanks to the artists who attended:

Carolyn Mark, Immaculate Machine, Novillero, and The Awkward Stage!

The Awkward Stage Carolyn Mark


Immaculate Machine Novillero

Mint’s Dave Gowans & CBC Radio 3’sDon Pennington

Carolyn Mark The Awkward Stage

Immaculate MachineNovillero

FBOM July 56pp 6/7/07 10:18 AM Page 36



Dear Capricorn,Capricorn, stop worrying about your summer plans, for once be spontaneous!After the solstice on June 21st, you will lend an ear to someone who will appre-ciate your sense of humour. Remember: although you always make a depend-able back-up, don't be afraid to sing out your rockin' solos! Don't worry, you'llbe in tune!

Dear Aquarius,For Aquarius's the world over winter has been rough, but don't worryBecause as summer approaches things will be shifting to create a beautifulCrescendo of goodness. No more, will tone-def ninnies be flocking towards you,But rather those with perfect pitch who seem to have been sent fromSomewhere not of this earth... yes angels, but don't tell anyone for fear ofThem exposing your new secret friends to the authorities.

Dear Pisces,Don’t worry little fish, this summer is full of deep pools and lily pads. Bewarebands with animal theme names, they have a predatory nature and may beinvolved in a global conspiracy to dominate college radio.

Dear Aries,Everything is always beautiful Aries. Why don’t you just sit back, rest on yourlaurels. Spend all your money and wait for the next big thing to come along.You know you can’t lose Aries..for you are the ram. Second in life only to thebull…(written by the bull)

Dear Taurus, Resist as you may you stubborn ol bull, song is creeping into your forecast forsummer. Don't be afraid to audition for musical theatre, spontaneously breakinto Jesus Christ Super Star or throw out a jazz hand every now and then. Asthe days grow longer the world will be your stage so, dance dance dance.

Dear Gemini,You are going to have a stupendous summer, Gemini. All of your senseswill be heightened except that which is common. You will make money.You will meet some people. You will see a movie.

Dear Cancer, Don't get burnt by the sun! Its warmth and light can be tempting, but itcould leave you moaning in a cold, dark room with a cloth over yourforehead. You will become engrossed in a new project that could proveto be very fruitful. Your talents will be obvious to all whom cross yourpath.

Dear Leo,Get a new summer haircut in June and prepare to receive the accoladesyou are due. At a show in August a stranger will change the course ofyour life. Beware Leo, your magnetism can sometimes attract those withill intentions.

Dear Virgo,GOD. Frankie says relaaaaaaaax. Put the timers away, you're no turkey.

Dear Libra,Beware of extreme bouts of excess and minimalism in the upcomingmonths. The juxtaposition of these two lifestyles will create a karmicbacklash, materialising in an unexpected playground accident (probablyon the teeter totter), which will leave you questioning your true identity.

Dear Sagittarius,Beware of false idols for they can lead you to the wrong heaven. Takethe time to roll in the grass for it is then that you will see the forest for thetrees. Knowing is drinking and you will know a lot this summer.

CHOIR PRACTICE HORROR-SCOPES


DOUBLE A SIDE SERIES, VOLUME 1!THE AWKWARD STAGE B/W YOUNG AND SEXY 7"

Here at Mint Records we are happy to bequeuing up at the vinyl plant once again

for a release of a double A side single fromThe Awkward Stage and Young And Sexy.First up is the song "The Awkward Stage" bythe band of the same name. A solid songfrom the Heaven Is For Easy Girls sessionsbodes a reminder that we are never far fromour awkward and painful youth no matterhow old or sophisticated we become. It’sthere in the shadows...waiting...

On the flip side is long time Mint artists,Young And Sexy. Young And Sexy hasreleased three albums for Mint Records andis currently making preparations to return tothe studio to commence recording its nextfull-length. "Hello Sonny" is an unreleasedsong from the sessions for their Mint debut,Stand Up For Your Mother. A classic break-up song, full of the vocal interplay betweenvocalists Lucy Brain and Paul Pittman thatthey have become known for.

Labelmates Young And Sexy and The Awkward Stage share a love of imagina-tive and intelligent lyrics, intricate and subtle pop hooks and vintage guitar andkeyboard sounds making a perfect match for a split release together.

These two previously unavailable recordings will be available in a limited editionof 500 copies only with artwork by each band. PLUS: included with every 7" —and exclusive to this release — is a collectible embroidered Mint Recordsmerit badge!

IMMACULATE MACHINEFABLES CD/LP"Sell all your statues under the table, let allyour stories turn into fables." - from "Roman Statues"

Afable is a brief succinct story in prose orverse that features animals, plants, inani-

mate objects or forces of nature that aregiven human qualities. But, before images ofcentaurs, satyrs and other mythical figuresappear in your mind, lets give you a little bitof information about Immaculate Machineand their latest release Fables. While tradi-tional fables are simplistic and moralizing, Immaculate Machine’s Fables is anopen-ended series of vignettes based on the idea that our lives are stories.These tales of travel and mischief leave plenty of room for listener interpretation.

The energetic Victoria based trio formed in 2002 and released two CDs inde-pendently before signing to Mint Records. Their critically acclaimed debut Mintalbum, Ones and Zeros, was released in 2004. Together “they create dense lay-ers of sound, three-part harmonies and hooks where Calder's voice rings like abell aimed at the heart.” (Bitch Magazine) Several Canadian, US and Europeantours followed as word of their engaging live shows got around. ImmaculateMachine is showing no signs of slowing down, leaving Fables destined to reacha much larger audience.

Fables reveals yet another dimension to the Immaculate Machine sound, warmreverbs envelop the songs and capture the feeling of classic ’60s recordings —a time when absorbing the organic sound generated by the instruments andoverall feeling of the room exceeded today's desire for unnecessary overdub-bing. Fables was recorded by Dave Carswell and John Collins at JC/DC Studios(New Pornographers, Tegan And Sara) and further sessions were completed atVogville and Gallupe Manor Studios by Colin Stewart (Black Mountain,Destroyer).

These dulcet sounds represent Immaculate Machine at their best with intimate,personal and urgent compositions. Fables reveals the interplay between a tightly

knit trio of close friends capable of reading into the next chess move within acomposition. The end result creates the subtle dynamics that are so rewarding-ly apparent to the listener.

NICK KRGOVICHONE WOMAN SHOW 3-SONG 7"

The One Woman Show 7" captures NickKrgovich, perhaps best known to many

as the driving force behind the acclaimedgroups P:ano and Burquitlam Plaza in aninteresting moment. These three songswere initially recorded as an experiment inpop music which produced wonderfulresults. Nick felt a need to come to somesort of conclusion about varied recordingtechniques by writing songs with conven-tional chord progressions and willfullyobscuring them with dark reverbs andimplying rhythm rather than a pronounced beat. The tones of the guitars andkeyboards also are heavily affected making it hard to discern the instrumenta-tion yet there is no loss to the strong melodies that are always contained inNick's compositions.

These initial descisions leave the listener more involved in the songs, like hav-ing the music box left open so that you can peer inside to see the gears actual-ly turning themselves. The songs on One Woman Show have a unique qualityto them,they could easily feel at home on a P:ano recording, but by stayingwith one musical vision we are rewarded with hearing the groundwork ofNick's songwriting recorded in the comfortable setting of his home studio.

THE CHOIR PRACTICETHE CHOIR PRACTICE CD

Like an infectious musical sewing circle,The Choir Practice grew and grew and

grew, secretly creating rich harmonies andconventional pop arrangements with atransparent choral delivery, until their firstofficial show: opening for the always eccen-tric Antony and the Johnstons.

A featured act at the last two Mint RecordsRidiculously Early Christmas Parties andrunners up in the Vancouver Indie RockBattle of the bands Shindig!, Mint Recordsis very proud to introduce this ensemble's debut release.

Choirmaster, Coco Culbertson is no stranger to the Vancouver music scene,(you may remember her from The Gay, the A.C. Newman Band, and briefly,The Tennessee Twin), Acknowledging the need for musical camaradery sherecruited new and old friends. Friends that soon became The Choir Practice.

First to join Coco's choral quest was vocal veteran Larissa Loyva, of theunconventional Mint band, P:ano (and solo project Kellarissa). Next, Karaokefiend and fashion designer, Naomi Mepham ventured from her West-side stu-dio and joined the clan. Following a brief introduction and promises of song-writing grandeur at a local watering hole, Olivia Fetherstonhaugh (ofFanshaw) signed up.

Piano teacher Jenn Chycoski (Pokiok Falls), and classical music enthusiastKristen Halliday soon jumped on board. After consulting his middle-schoolchoir teacher, the tenor CBC Radio 3 producer, Chris Kelly (Gay Straights)decided that The Choir Practice was a good idea. It was around that time thata then-injured Shane Turner (Love and Mathematics) called up Coco andjoined the rogue ensemble.

And Shane was not the last: CiTR DJ Scotty "Ska-T" Stewart, photographicsensation Karin Bubas, filmmaker Shira Blustein (Blood Meridian), Ida Nilsen(Great Aunt Ida and The Buttless Chaps), outsider artist/musician SydneyVermont (Hello Blue Roses), florist Marcy Emery (Heartbreak Scene), andKurt Dahle (The New Pornographers, The Basement) are part of the clan too.

The resulting debut record from this ever expanding indie-rock choir recalls thebeautiful harmonies of '60s Psych-folk sensations The Free Design combinedwith the unique song presentation of The Langley Schools Music Project.

SOME NEW MINT RECORDS RELEASES!



CAROLYN MARKNOTHING IS FREE CD

Some things are just meant to be. Birdsare born to fly, politicians were born to

lie, big fat guys with giant beards wereborn to ride their machines without gettinghassled by the man, and Carolyn Markwas born to make music.

Ever since first taking to the stage asTempleton the rat in her elementaryschool's musical version of Charlotte'sWeb, show business has been the maindriving force in Carolyn's life. After com-ing to the obvious conclusion that musicians were much more fun to hangaround with than actors, in the early 90's Carolyn formed her first band... all-girl surfy twang popsters, The Vinaigrettes. This was the beginning of a loveaffair with music, musicians and the road that, even after 15+ years of crazyhard work, still puts the nitro in her funny car.

After The Vinaigrettes, Carolyn did brief stints in such bands as TheMetronome Cowboys and The Fixin's before, in 2000, making her MintRecords debut with her first solo album, Party Girl. Since then, and with thehelp of a revolving cast of Can-Country super stars including, but not limitedto, Tolan McNeil, Garth Johnson, Ford Pier, Nathan Tinkham, Corb Lund, NQArbuckle, <deep breath> Luke Doucet, Amy Honey, Greg MacDonald, NekoCase and Carey Mercer, she has released four more highly acclaimed albums.As well, she has also travelled thousands of miles entertaining crowds of 4 to4000... touring Canada, the United States, the UK, Norway and Italy. She hasshared the stage with such talented musicians as Jenny Whitely, Hank & Lily,Luther Wright, Sarah Harmer, Kelly Hogan, Lederhosen Lucil, Geoff Berner,Joel Plaskett, The Handsome Family, Neil Hamburger, JT and The Clouds,The Shiftless Rounders, NQ Arbuckle, Wanda Jackson, The Waco Brothers,The Sadies and Blue Rodeo.

July 2, 2007 marks the release of Carolyn Mark's 6th Mint album, Nothing IsFree, described by Carolyn as her "woodsy, introspective album". Appropriatelyenough, Nothing Is Free was recorded by Myke Hall at Beaver Point Hall(between visits from the ladies drum circle and a teenage karate class!) onBritish Columbia's scenic Saltspring Island. Along for the ride this time wereguitar and bass virtuoso Paul Pigat (Cousin Harley), guitar and mandolinheavyweight Paul Rigby (Neko Case), expert vocalist Emilie Rhone (FishingDerby, Antler) and vivacious violinist and vocalist, Diona Davies (Po' Girl,Geoff Berner, ESL). Additional help was ably rendered by Allison Russell andAwna Teixeira of Po' Girl and the mythical Calvin Dick (Neckbeard).

Nothing Is Free is a woodsy and introspective album. The recording brings animmediacy to the music that conjures up a Sunday evening spent playinginstruments and singing songs on the back porch of the cabin. You know, oneof those days where everything seems all Emily Carr... and, although the cityseems miles away for the moment, it still looms in the corner of your mind,nodding and smirking and saying, "you'll be back". Carolyn knows... not even acarefree getaway to the back woods is free, it comes with the price of eventual-ly having to leave. Fortunately for the listener, her introspection finds manyother things too, not the least of which is a (sometimes dark) sense of humourand a willingness to throw caution under the truck, have all the fun humanlypossible. While some people are content to rearrange the deck chairs on theTitanic, Carolyn Mark would be pleasantly surprised to find an open bar, andwould treat us all to one last rollicking sing-a-long before the icy waters closedover our heads. –Andrew Pearson

self-titled CD available on iTunesand at Zulu and Red Cat Records in Vancouver

www.myspace.com/goghettotigermusic

The new album from Chris Brown & The Citizens’ BandComing soon.....



726 Richards Street, Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 3A4Tel: (604) 687-0499 • Fax: (604) 687-0488Email: [email protected]: Get in touch.EMAIL ORDER: [email protected] VANCOUVER? Drop by our store to sample the good times.

RADIO SHOW!

EVERY FRIDAY3:30-5:00 PM PST4:30-6:00 PM MST5:30-7:00 PM CST 6:30-8:00 PM EST7:30-9:00 PM AST

LISTEN ONLINE!www.citr.ca

www.nardwuar.com vedahille.com


Carolyn MarkNothing Is Free CDout July in Canadaout September outside of Canada

painting by Kelly Haigh

Document5 6/1/07 1:48 PM Page 1


THE GAY

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PLUTO

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DITCH RECORDS635 JOHNSON ST, VICTORIA BCmyspace.com/ditchrecords

ZULU RECORDS1972 WEST 4TH AVE, VANCOUVER BCzulurecords.com

RED CAT RECORDS4307 MAIN ST, VANCOUVER BCredcat.ca

SCRATCH RECORDS726 RICHARDS ST, VANCOUVER BCscratchrecords.com

MEOW RECORDS100-300 BRUNSWICK ST, PRINCE GEORGE BCwww.meowrecords.ca

SLOTH RECORDS1508 4TH ST SW, CALGARY ABmyspace.com/slothrecords

MELODIYA RECORDS2523A 17TH AVE SW, CALGARY ABmelodiyarecords.com

MEGATUNES932 17TH AVE SW, CALGARY ABmegatunes.com

MEGATUNES10355 WHYTE AVE, EDMONTON ABmegatunes.com

BLACKBYRD MYOOZIK10442 82TH AVE, EDMONTON ABblackbyrd.ca

LISTEN RECORDS10649 124TH ST, EDMONTON ABAFTER JULY 31ST:10441 124TH ST, EDMONTON ABlistenrecords.net

VINYL DINER628 BROADWAY AVE, SASKATOON SK

VINYL EXCHANGE128 2ND AVE N, SASKATOON SKthevinylexchange.com

X-RAY RECORDS2323 11TH AVE, REGINA SKxrayrecords.ca

INTO THE MUSIC245 MCDERMOT AVE B, WINNIPEG MB

MUSIC TRADER97 OSBORNE ST, WINNIPEG MBmusictrader.ca


MEOW RECORDS

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FRED'S RECORDS198 DUCKWORTH ST, ST. JOHN'S NFfreds.nf.ca

BACKSTREET RECORDS124 GERMAIN ST, SAINT JOHN NB

BACKSTREET RECORDS384 QUEEN ST, FREDERICTON NBmyspace.com/backstreetfredericton

CHEAP THRILLS2044 METCALFE, 2ND FL, MONTREAL QCcheapthrills.ca

SILLONS1149 AVENUE CARTIER, QUEBEC CITY QCsillons.com

BIRDMAN SOUND593-B BANK ST, OTTAWA ONbirdmansound.com

CD WAREHOUSE1717 ST. LAURENT BLVD, OTTAWA ONcdwarehouse.ca

COMPACT MUSIC190 BANK ST, OTTAWA ONcompactmusic.ca

COMPACT MUSIC785 1/2 BANK ST, OTTAWA ONcompactmusic.ca

ROTATE THIS620 QUEEN ST W, TORONTO ON rotate.com

SOUNDSCAPES572 COLLEGE ST, TORONTO ONmyspace.com/soundscapesmusic

GROOVES353 CLARENCE ST, LONDON ONmyspace.com/groovesrecords

DR. DISC20 WILSON ST, HAMILTON ON


ENCORE54 QUEEN ST S, KITCHENER ONencorerecords.ca

ORANGE MONKEY5 PRINCESS ST W, WATERLOO ONmyspace.com/orangemonkeymusic

MUSIC TRADER

END HITS RECORDS

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EVERYDAY MUSIC115 E. MAGNOLIA STREET, BELLINGHAM WAeverydaymusic.com

EVERYDAY MUSIC – DOWNTOWN1313 WEST BURNSIDE, PORTLAND OReverydaymusic.com

EVERYDAY MUSIC – EASTSIDE1931 NE SANDY BOUILEVARD, PORTLAND OReverydaymusic.com

EVERYDAY MUSIC – BEAVERTON3290 SW CEDAR HILLS BOUILEVARD, BEAVERTON OReverydaymusic.com

EASY STREET RECORDS20 W. MERCER STREET, SEATTLE WAeasystreetonline.com

EASY STREET RECORDS4559 CALIFORNIA AVE SW, SEATTLE WAeasystreetonline.com

EVERYDAY MUSIC112 BROADWAY EAST, SEATTLE WAeverydaymusic.com

AQUARIUS RECORDS1055 VALENCIA STREET, SAN FRANCISCO CAaquariusrecords.com

AMOEBA SAN FRANCISCO1855 HAIGHT STREET, SAN FRANCISCO CAamoeba.com

AMOEBA LOS ANGELES6400 SUNSET BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES CAamoeba.com

AMOEBA BERKELEY2455 TELEGRAPH, BERKELEY CAamoeba.com

RAINY DAY RECORDS301 5TH AVENUE SE, OLYMPIA WAusers.zhonka.net/rainyday/index.html

CD WORLD3215 W 11TH SUITE B, EUGENE ORgotocdworld.com

HOUSE OF RECORDS258 EAST 13TH AVENUE, EUGENE OR

AQ LOVES MINT! If there's any question as to the close tiesbetween aQuarius and Mint, well, one fer instance... waaaaaaaay backwhen, as the result of an advance copy of Mass Romantic hand deliveredfrom Mint Randy's sister Cup (of I Am Spoonbender) to aQ's Windy Chien(aQ's former owner) and Andee Connors (aQ's present owner), aQuariusRecords was one of THE places that broke the New Pornographers big,shooting neon colored lazer beams and big mushy hearts all over theplace, creating a crazy sensation in SF months before the record'srelease! Yes, really.

In fact, it's been ground zero for a number of other eventual classics(Death Cab For Cutie, Ethiopiques, Conet Project, Boris) always champi-oning the obscure, the bizarre, and the just plain ol' kickass. For 37years, aQ has been the trusted Bay Area source (both at their MissionDistrict store and online at www.aquariusrecords.org) for Mint releasesas well as a plethora of remarkably varied other sounds — indierock/pop, metal (black, doom, sludge, 70s proto and all things inbetween), prog, krautrock, sixties psych, reggae, dub, electronic, countryand bluegrass, experimental, found sounds and field recordings, andavant garde music of all types. Yes, really.

FEATURED MINT RETAILER!



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THE HOST

As far back as I can remember I lovedmonster movies. CITY TV'S "NOT SO

GREAT LATE MOVIES" would air sometimeafter midnight on weekends back when Iwas a kid in Toronto. Generally they wouldshow bad KING KONG or GODZILLA ripoffs, but none the less they were a lot offun to watch, much like GWOEMUL or asits North American title THE HOST. Lastyear at the Vancouver International FilmFestival I had the privilege of seeing thisamazing monster movie.

GWOEMUL starts off in a laboratorysomewhere close the HAN RIVER inSOUTH KOREA, where a lab assistant istold to dump several bottles ofFormaldehyde into the HAN RIVER; in fearof his job he reluctantly does so. After sev-eral years pass the river becomes the homeof a huge mutated tadpole like creaturethat is roughly the size of a school bus,anyways once the creature comes out ofthe water to spread panic along the river-side and takes a young girl from her fami-ly. Of course they assume that she is deadbut then they receive a call from the littlegirl’s cell phone which brings them hopethat she may still be alive. I don't want togive to much away, but to me this is thebest monster movie that I have seen in ALONG time and it blows most monsterflicks right out of the water (no pun intend-ed) it has chills and thrills, it's very funny attimes, and sad as well, basically it has allthe elements to make a great flick. It wasdirected by Joon-Ho Bong who also direct-ed MEMORIES OF MURDER in 2003which up to the release of THE HOST wasthe most successful Korean film to date.

If you ask me I say check it out, just don'tget to close to the water or it will jump outand grab you. So come on down to Happy



Bats Cinema and check out GWOEMUL!!!!!

Guy Russell writes and manages ‘BurialGround’ at happybatscinema.com

DUCK, YOU SUCKER!aka Fistful ofDynamite aka OnceUpon a Time in aRevolution

Hello, my name is Juan Farmer, and wehave not met. I am a friend of Happy

Bats Cinema, travel often, and watch a lot ofmovies.

Sergio Leone's 1972 Western, 'DUCK, YOUSUCKER!’ has been widely unseen in NorthAmerica. The film stars James Coburn as anIrish revolutionary, and Rod Steiger as Juan,a Tuco-esque bandit. So John has a fistful ofdynamite, and Juan has big ideas aboutJohn’s explosives and Mexican banks. Thefilms list of AKA titles has in part to do witha poor American box office, followed up byno American distribution on home video,meaning that you probably haven't seen it.Which is good in a way, because it's veryunlikely you have ever rolled out of bed toan edited for TV version of it, on a Sundaymorning.

Cinco de Junio, 2007. 'DUCK, YOUSUCKER', for the first time on DVD. It's revo-lution time in Mexico, Coburn’s’ 'John', andSteiger's 'Juan', team up with unclearmotives and accents to match. John fresh outof the IRA scene, and Juan wanting nothingto do with politics, has dollars on his mind.Juan, with John's help, blasts into a Mexicanbank to accidentally free political prisonerslocked inside, becoming a de facto hero tothe people. The plot thickens, and the filmtakes a more serious turn. The themes in thisfilm are much wider than Leone's other west-erns, and 'dynamite' is slightly less focused.However, the undertaking of revolution as atheme told via the two main characters ishandled well, and better served in its 157min. restoration. The heavily edited versionsof the past omitted flashback sequencesfilmed in Ireland, and the controversial open-ing title written by 'Mao', that was not seenin American theaters. Revolution is no dinnerparty, indeed.

We'll cap off our introduction to each otherby saying that if 'Thelma and Louise' werethe Queen and that if the Queen had balls...No, she wouldn't be King; she would have a‘Fistful’, of dynamite, that is. Bad accents,voice overs and all. I've got a home copy ofthis one.

Juan Farmer writes POOR WHITE NOISE athappybatscinema.com


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Summer is upon us. For those of us living in Vancouver, the first sunnyday of the season is like a memory erase button, and suddenly, we

recall why we’ve put up with the rain and grey skies for 8 months.

It’s also festival season. Vancouver has its share of good festivals — theFolk Festival, the Jazz Festival, Vancouver New Music — but still, you’dthink with all the talent in the city, there would be a major event everyweekend. But we’re still growing. It’s enough to make you understand whyVancouver tends to hemorrhage artists to back east, to where PopMontreal and NXNW and Canadian Music Week all define the city’s musicscene. Sigh.

At the beginning of June, I will attend Music Waste, likely Vancouver’s besthope for a real-live, homegrown rock music fest. Organized by the kids atOnly Magazine, the four-day fest takes place exclusively on the DowntownEastside, and holds the distinction of being the only real “new” rock musicfestival in the city (New Music West stopped being ’bout the music yearsago — sorry, but it’s true) — the only event where you’re pretty muchguaranteed to see something that offends you and astounds you. I boughta $15 weekend pass, and plan on taking in as many weirdo, genius or terri-ble acts as possible.

By the time you get to this, the fest will be over, and I hope it will havegone down without too much red-tape. For my part, I’ve been to the festwebsite, and already found some groups worth talking about.

The Bloggers may be the most ridiculously named band in the festival oractually ever, but they’re also the most ridiculously good. Their longestsong, by far is clocks in at 2:29, and according to Shzine.com, their albumhas 41 songs in 53 minutes. How can you not love that?

Similarly preposterous but wonderful are Bison, whose membershipincludes one of the dudes that used to be in the now-defunct skate-hard-core band S.T.R.E.E.T.S (how soon will we get sick of calling him used-to-be-in S.T.R.E.E.T.S? Never!), making f*ckface metal. It’s not everyone’sbag, but you have to admit, very few people outside of Scandinavia aremaking that kind of music anymore. I happen to have their new record (notyet out) in my possession, and all you need to know is it has a track called“Stokasaurus.” Genius.

On the other, more twee, end of the spectrum, Music Waste also featuresthe Yesterdais, who have a stone-cold reverence for all things Ray Davies,and The Choir Practice, who are exactly what their name implies: whole-some enough for your mum but still awesome. Add appearances fromestablished favourites like Ghost House, The Doers, and Elizabeth, and youhave something that gives those who feel like Vancouver is, as a friend ofmine once said, “a horizon thumbtacked to the sky,” hope for this being anarts mecca one day. We’re not there yet, but if folk keep supporting festi-vals like this one, it won’t be long.

Links to all bands can be found here:http://onlymagazine.ca/Music/1060/music-wastehttp://myspace.com/musicwaste

THE BACK PAGEBY ELAINE CORDEN


FBOM July 56pp 6/8/07 10:02 AM Page 55 good pdfs 6/1/07 9:35 AM Page 3

56 PAGES!

FREE!SUMMER ’07

the ramones!





dear shane!


mix tapes!


plus more!

the ramones!





dear shane!


mix tapes!


plus more!


56 PAGES!

FREE!SUMMER ’07

the ramones!





dear shane!


mix tapes!


plus more!

the ramones!





dear shane!


mix tapes!


plus more!


Documents

Fresh Breath of Mint - Summer 2007