why vancouver rules

A lot of people moved away, some moved to St. Henri for cheap beer & rent, some people went on tour and never came back, and for a while, it felt like Vancouver would suffer this exodus forever. True, it ain't cheap living.
But what happens if everyone moved away? What if no one cared about house shows anymore? Just one more boring city with a lot of bars but no buddies.
At least that's how I see it, but I suffer my privileges and maybe I see it with posi-tinted glasses.
I've stopped trying to convince my friends that it's okay to live here. Here are some aspects that have been making Vancouver more than okay in the past year:


1. THE ALF HOUSE
Despite suffering through a decade of sweaty kids puking on moldy walls, fires, floods, shits in the bathtub, broken windows and winters without heat, this house miraculously is still standing. There must be something in that old cracked foundation. The recent influx of Albertans saw the demise of the house's namesake, the 604-ALF-CAT1 phone number. But there are still shows and they are still all ages and the neighbors are still cool. I keep saying I give it another couple years.
A decade! I don't know the record for longest running punk house, but it's gotta be up there.

2. THE CHATEAU
Now a close second to Alf, this remains one of the only other houses that does shows. The living room is the perfect amount of space, with the adjoining front hall adding a lovely addition to any idiot riding the mosh wave. I can't remember exactly when this house started, probably 2005? But since the Library House is gone, it seems to be the only hope of house show after the Alf House.

3. SECRET LOCATION
One of my favorites. A bigger space to house better parties and in case you feel too healthy, you can go smoke upstairs for five seconds and develop all kinds of problems. Also home to jam spaces and NITE PRISON, which is Jesse who records bands and rules.

4. OUTDOOR SHOWS YEAR-ROUND
Parking garages, under bridges, backyards. Even in January there are kids who are stoked to load up with handwarmers and hang out in an echoey cement fortress and nod their heads like they can hear the band!
There's nothing like a good backyard show, when some lady carrying her groceries through the alley for a 'change of scenery', walks wide-eyed past the gazes of 150 kids dressed in black, wasted, at 1pm on a Sunday.

5. GARBAGE MOUNTAIN
I've only been to one show here since it started up, but it rules. Located in the remaining industrial area that's close enough to bike too, Garbage Mtn. comes complete with courtyard to smoke in, front room to merch in, and space for bands and friends to create the stoke and let it loose to party.

6. THE ASTORIA
I guess I wanted to avoid mentioning bars, but really, the Astoria is still cheap, my friends still put on shows there (notably FAITHFUL NEIGHBOURS, something like every third Wednesday, all show proceeds go to social organizations on the DTES, and newer nights like DIRTY FOR THE KIDS, brought to you by local heroes, NU SENSAE, and PEACE IN THE PIT, which has it's first show upcoming in February and is put on by MJ, you know, the lady that puts on ripping shows for touring bands like PURPLE RHINESTONE EAGLE from Portland?) so really this place is worth mentioning. The beers are cheap enough, and on a quiet night, the pool tables are superb.


(note: Sorry if the links are all facebook. I sometimes wish we could all revert back to webpages and listservs.)


I guess these are all venues, and obviously there are other things that make up this city, the bands, and individual people doing rad stuff, but they are too many to name and I feel like I alone could not do them justice in a shitty blog review.