#i was looking for a pic of devon drinking tea

[alphadelta227529]

Cheers on National Tea Day!

[yousayparty]

The right place, the right time, and the right amount of exclamation marks

The history of Vancouver via Abbotsford British Columbia’s You Say Party is a storied one. Imagine this: trapped in a never ending nightmare of suburban dystopian hell, you form a band. With the simple adjective of having fun, spreading a message, making people dance - you leave the confines of a religiously stifling community. Within a few years you’re playing the world’s top festivals, winning awards, and wooing critics.

But now I find myself piecing foggy bits of memory fragments together with duct tape and hairspray. Like stickers on a dive bar bathroom stall, I know I was there. But why and for how long? I feel like I’m sifting through a shoebox of handbills and press clippings like some True Crime podcaster placing myself at the scene.

I’m not sure where I first heard the name You Say Party! We Say Die! but it caught my eye. It was an era of exuberant band names. !!!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Shout Out Out Out Out, Hot Hot Heat, Fake Shark- Real Zombie! And my own band GoGoStop! It was also a time when bands out Vancouver’s sleepy conservative suburbs were starting to break out: Witness Protection Program, The Hand, Fun100.

It was exciting. There was a sense of community. Of people just wanting to have fun. Perhaps we were shaking off the anxieties of a post 9/11 world, or shrugging off the self seriousness that was emo and hardcore. We still made mix tapes and zines- scoured Terminal City and The Straight for new bands. There was this new social networking craze called MySpace that had yet to be a ubiquitous omnipresent corporate behemoth that dominated every corner of our lives. We were called Scenesters not Hipsters. Everyone was in an art collective.

Adorned with white belts and one-inch pins; asymmetrical hair cuts and red velvet blazers we set out to prove Vancouver wasn’t No Fun City at now long shuttered venues like the Marine Club, the Pic Pub, and Mesa Luna. I didn’t drink at the time so dancing, and by extension dance punk, had become my saviour- bands like The Rapture, Les Say Fav, Pretty Girls Make Graves to name a few. When Mp3 blogs became a thing, I immediately downloaded The Gap from their 2005 debut Hit The Floor! and loaded it on my 100 song iPod shuffle. I like so many others, became an instant fan.

I moved into what could only be described as a punk rock compound- 3 houses that were owned by a former Christian sect that we dubbed Triple Threat. Members of Bend Sinister, No Dice, Witness Protection Program, and Devon Clifford from You Say Party and Cadeaux (and Whiteloaf) all lived there. He drove an orange 1981 Camaro Berlinetta to match his bright red hair and big personality. We would walk to the greasy spoon Bon’s Off Broadway to get terrible but cheap breakfast and to watch The coffee Sheriff pour undrinkable refills of sludge. It was like living in the movie Withnail and I, but funner. We all wore pins that said Do You Party? on them.

It felt like Vancouver was blowing up and You Say Party was the hand-clapping drum majorette leading the pack. Ladyhawk, Black Mountain, Radio Berlin, New Pornographers, Destroyer, S.T.R.E.E.T.S., The Doers, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? And The Organ highlighted just how tight-knit and diverse our scene was. Relentless touring and glowing reviews for You Say Party’s sophomore Lose All Time ensured they were head of the class, despite being unable to tour the US due to a previous border snafu.

Lose All Time sat on top of the Earshot charts for what seemed like forever. Famous for their frenetic live shows, and aided by stunning videos, their sophomore effort was a clear progression from Hit The Floor! It still harnessed the visceral rawness of their origins, but hinted at a confidence and maturity that was to come. The title of Lose All Time was a reference to the discombobulation of constant touring and it too was a hint of what was to come.

The touring would take its toll. Fuelled by Chinese Red Bull; a well document public dustup between band members at a bar in Germany would throw everything into uncertainty. But it was that turbulence that would set the stage for XXXX and after a restorative tour to China, the stage was set for the penultimate You Say Party record. 

Flash forward to 2009 and the city was on edge. Everything was about to change. Vancouver was preparing to host the world amidst the unfolding Great Recession. Anti-Olympic protests ramped up. A gang war raged in the streets and made international headlines, tucked behind Swine Flu hysteria and the ongoing imperialist war on Iraq.

It seemed like all the venues started closing and all our friends were moving to Berlin or Montreal. We starting looking in. Is this the city we want? Was it just growing pains? This kind of introspection is clearly reflected in XXXX. If Lose All Time was a record the band wanted to make, XXXX was a record for the people; a record for the city of Vancouver; a record for 2009.

"I finally feel like a singer, rather than a dancer who loves being in a band" said Becky Ninkovic at the time. It’s a perfect quote. One that succinctly captures the maturity and focus of the record. After a breakdown for Ninkovic, a year of rest and vocal lessons, Exclaim! announced XXXX to be a career resuscitation.

And it was. Going back now and rediscovering the record is such a magical thing. Opening for You Say Party with my band Taxes in 2008, I was impressed with the new material even if was a little jaded (I mean I was almost 30). But now with time and space I can see the songs they were working on were truly timeless. Laura Palmer’s Prom could so easily slot in with the latest 80s synthwave revival along alongside bands like Lust for Youth, Lower Dens, and Chromatics.

Overall, XXXX sounds like an exhale. A moment of stillness when you know you’ve made something extraordinary. When you know all those moments combined; moments of sheer terror, adrenalin, elation, boredom, and longing- culminate in a piece of art that once you let go of it- you just know in your gut that it’s right. It draws you in, wrestles with a brooding tension, then sends you into a churning whirlwind of tight drums and buzzing synths. It’s a remarkable achievement.

There’s plenty of vintage YSP sass throughout. “She’s Spoken For”, “Make XXXX”, and “Cosmic Wanship Avengers” are all classic synth punk gems, but the it’s in the subdued that the album really grips. “Dark Days”, “There is XXXX (Within My Heart)” and the sprawling Kate Bush like ballad “Heart of Gold” are the hallmark of a band that is comfortable exploring the limits of their genre. While lyrically quite positive, the melodies are daunting. Indeed, as Pitchfork put it, “the slower pace and more sentimental outlook of XXXX gives listeners the necessary space and encouragement to surrender to the band's emotional message”.

And it was a message they would finally return to the US with in 2009. The band was poised for mainstream breakout success. They were long listed for the Polaris and they won a Western Canadian Music Award for Best Rock Album of the year. Much has been written about what would happen next. I don’t want this article to be about the tragic onstage death of drummer and friend Devon Clifford, but it’s inexorably linked to the band’s story.

And I can only really tell it from my point of view. I wasn’t sure I would go to the funeral but a mutual friend told me that Devon would want me to go. Portland Hotel Society, a local housing provider which Devon had thrown the weight of his passion behind, rented a bus to drive out to Abbotsford. I held up pretty well until my friend Al Boyle got up to play. Then some yelled “Spagett”. Then Krista and Becky sang “Cloudbusting” and I lost it.

The band would try to carry on. Krista would leave the band and Bobby Siadat and Robert Andow of the band Gang Violence would fill in for touring.  When that didn’t go as planned Al Boyle who had been in the punk band Hard Feelings with Devon would replace Bobby. They officially went on hiatus in 2011 only to reunite a year later with Krista back on keys and a drum machine in place of Devon.

And while the band’s self titled 2016 release would be their moment of closure, the reissue of XXXX is one of celebration. Celebration of what they made with Devon. Celebration of a near perfect moment in time. A capsule of a entire city at it’s peak. The band has changed. The scene has changed. And I’ve changed. But there will always be XXXX within in our hearts.

'Cause every time it rains

You're here in my head

Like the sun coming out

Ooh, I just know that something good is going to happen

And I don't know when

But just saying it could even make it happen

Sean Orr Vancouver, BC January 2020

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We are so excited to reissue a limited run of XXXX on clear vinyl through Paper Bag Records Vintage for Record Store Day on August 29th! Support your local stores & grab this album on vinyl for the first time in 10 years! https://recordstoredaycanada.ca  #yousayparty #YSPWSD

--------------------

About Sean Orr Sean Orr is a writer, musician, artist, activist, and dishwasher living and working in the unceded Coast Salish territories of Vancouver, B.C. Besides his twice weekly news column in Scout Magazine he writes for Beatroute and has written for Vice Magazine and Montecristo among others in the past. He’s the frontman in the punk band Needs and also has a pickle company called Brine Adams. Twitter | NEEDS | Tea & Two Slices | Flickr

[jaynedolluk]

BOOKS OF 2018

This is very late but I still wanted to do it. (It only covers the books I read that came out in 2018 or a year or so earlier - I still have a big stack of books to read)

A couple of writers who’s work I really love are Nikita Gill + Fiona Helmsley (will definitely look out for more books by them). I don’t tend to read that much fiction but I did read Caitlin Moran’s How To Be Famous (the sequel to How Build A Girl) - one of the best bits for me was the character of Joanne ( think that’s what she’s called) who is so clearly based on Courtney Love she should get a co-writing credit :)

I read memoirs by Amanda LePore, Rhyannon Styles, Rose McGowan, and James Rhodes & John O’ Farrell (the last two were sequels). Also Michelle Tea’s book, Against Memoir which is more of a collection of essays on various subjects which I really loved. Another book I really liked was Chris Kraus’s book on Kathy Acker. 

Read a few self help type books this year plus a couple of good ones on mental health - Matt Haig’s Notes on a Nervous Planet + Natasha Devon’s A Beginner’s Guide to Mental Illness (they both look at mental health but also consider the wider impact of issues in society/popular culture) . Read Recovery by Russell Brand which I liked but I preferred the bits where he wasn’t just going over the whole 12 Steps thing. Loved Ruby Tandoh’s book Eat Up which talks about food, appetite + issues around food with a few recipes thrown in - everything from food in prison to how fat people are treated to issues around the concept of ‘clean eating’ - her writing is engaging + interesting and she talks about the joys of eating Creme Eggs or drinking cold Coke straight from the fridge as well as cooking healthy vegan stew or cake. 20th anniversary edition of Cunt came out (I really must try + compare it to the original to see if/how it’s been changed) 

Was delighted to see The Story of The Face, a big coffee-table book full of gorgeous pics detailing the rise + fall of the iconic style mag.

Also read You Play The Girl by Carina Chocano which looks at various female roles in popular media. + The Girl by Michelle Morgan which examines Marilyn Monroe from a feminist viewpoint in particular around the time she made The Seven Year Itch,

I read Andrew O’ Neill’s book on the history of heavy metal which is very funny but concentrated a lot on speed/thrash/black metal (which I’m not so keen on). And Joseph Vogel’s book, This Thing Called Life which looks at the various themes in Prince’s music over his career. Also a book I really liked was We Were Going To Change The World which is interviews with women involved in the California punk scene in the 70s/80s. 

Undoubtedly my favourite book of the year was Good Booty by Ann Powers which looks at race/sex/gender + how they have affected/been influenced by popular music in America.

[goodnightgoodbye]

rules: once you have been tagged you are supposed to write 92 truths about yourself. at the end, choose 25 people to tag! i was tagged by @packersbeanie on both of my blogs (thank you!!), so here we go!

LAST… [1] drink: tea [2] phone call: my sister [3] text message: my bestie Liz [4] song you listened to: Little Mix - Hair [5] time you cried: November 4th

HAVE YOU EVER… [6] dated someone twice: yes (for the record, it was a mistake) [7] been cheated on: yes [8] kissed someone and regretted it: no [9] lost someone special: yes [10] been depressed: lmao yes [11] gotten drunk and thrown up: yes

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS: [12] blue [13] green [14] purple

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU… [15] made new friends: i'm counting Celina even though it's over our one year broverssary [16] fallen out of love:  yes [17] laughed until you cried: yes [18] found out someone was talking about you: yes [19] met someone who changed you: no, but my friends always are :) [20] found out who your true friends are: yup ✂✂ [21] kissed someone on your facebook list: yes?? i guess i was still seeing my ex then

GENERAL… [22] how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: probably like half. i do gishwhes every year, so i have tons of past gishmates on there [23] do you have any pets: YES I DO! I HAVE A CAT NAMED TOMI!!! HE'S V HANDSOME!!!! HERE HAVE A PIC OF HIM!!!!!!

[24] do you want to change your name: lmao yeah, and i'll be changing it legally to Hadrian soon

[25] what did you do for your last birthday: i had an Anything But Cups party, wore my fetus harry shirt, and drunkenly went off about how real larry is [26] what time did you wake up: ...1pm [27] what were you doing at midnight last night: playing skyrim [28] name something you cannot wait for: i have 3 super nostalgic concerts i'm going to between march and april, and i'm FRICKIN LIT [29] when was the last time you saw your mother: 3 weeks ago [30] what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: probs my depression [31] what are you listening to right now: Little Mix - Hair [32] have you ever talked to a person named tom: yup [33] something that is getting on your nerves: currently nothing [34] most visited website: tumblr [35] elementary: hell [36] high school: Eastview [37] college: a private aesthetics college [38] hair colour: currently kinda mauve [39] long or short hair: short [40] do you have a crush on someone: nah [41] what do you like about yourself? i'm musically talented [42] piercings: ear lobes x3, snakebites, industrial, rook [43]blood type: O- [44] nickname: Haz [45] relationship status: single [46] zodiac sign: aries [47] pronouns: he/him [48] fav tv show: honestly idek. a lot of anime comes to mind [49] tattoos: yee 4 [50] right or left handed: right

FIRST… [51] surgery: i had my adenoids taken out when i was 2 [52] piercing: earlobes [53] best friend: i honestly don't remember... shows how important they were in my life lol [54] sport: golf [55] vacation: myrtle beach [56] pair of trainers: kay they were like navy blue and had... idk... confetti print??

RIGHT NOW… [57] eating: burritos [58] drinking: tea [59] i’m about to: literally gonna spend the day playing skyrim, prob gonna watch voltron with my roomie/bestie later [60] listening to: look i'm still listening to hair, i have it on repeat okay [61] waiting for: my roomie to get home [62] want: my cat to come say hi :( [63] get married: if it happens, sure, but it's so expensive ugh [64] career: whom

WHICH IS BETTER…

[65] hugs or kisses: hugs [66] lips or eyes: eyes [67] shorter or taller: either, there's really cute things about both [68] older or younger: generally older [69] romantic or spontaneous: both [70] nice arms or nice stomach: doesn't matter, both are subjective [71] sensitive or loud: sensitive [72] hook up or relationship: relationship [73] troublemaker or hesitant: mix of both

HAVE YOU EVER… [74] kissed a stranger? no [75] drank hard liquor? yes [76] lost glasses/contact lenses? yee [77] turned someone down: yee [78] sex on first date? i feel like i have?? but if it was, it wasn't with someone i actually ended up dating lol look i had a really promiscuous two years [79] broken someone’s heart? i think? [80] had your own heart broken? yes [81] been arrested? no [82] cried when someone died? yes [83] fallen for a friend: no

DO YOU BELIEVE IN… [84] yourself? i suppose i do [85] miracles? no [86] love at first sight? unless you're fuckin larry then no [87] santa claus? no [88] kiss on the first date? depends [89] angels? no

OTHER… [90] current best friend’s name: Devon & Liz [91] eye colour: blue [92] favourite movie: ...This Is Us XD kay so i’m splitting up tags between both of my blogs, and i prob won’t hit 25 blogs but frickin yolo fam @castiel-wifi @serenedun @spookyjimandtyler @twospicyboys @use-ur-glutes

[tommosrainbows]

rules: once you have been tagged you are supposed to write 92 truths about yourself. at the end, choose 25 people to tag! i was tagged by @packersbeanie on both of my blogs (thank you!!), so here we go!

LAST… [1] drink: tea [2] phone call: my sister [3] text message: my bestie Liz [4] song you listened to: Little Mix - Hair [5] time you cried: November 4th

HAVE YOU EVER… [6] dated someone twice: yes (for the record, it was a mistake) [7] been cheated on: yes [8] kissed someone and regretted it: no [9] lost someone special: yes [10] been depressed: lmao yes [11] gotten drunk and thrown up: yes

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS: [12] blue [13] green [14] purple

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU… [15] made new friends: i'm counting Celina even though it's over our one year broverssary [16] fallen out of love:  yes [17] laughed until you cried: yes [18] found out someone was talking about you: yes [19] met someone who changed you: no, but my friends always are :) [20] found out who your true friends are: yup ✂✂ [21] kissed someone on your facebook list: yes?? i guess i was still seeing my ex then

GENERAL… [22] how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: probably like half. i do gishwhes every year, so i have tons of past gishmates on there [23] do you have any pets: YES I DO! I HAVE A CAT NAMED TOMI!!! HE'S V HANDSOME!!!! HERE HAVE A PIC OF HIM!!!!!!

[24] do you want to change your name: lmao yeah, and i'll be changing it legally to Hadrian soon [25] what did you do for your last birthday: i had an Anything But Cups party, wore my fetus harry shirt, and drunkenly went off about how real larry is [26] what time did you wake up: ...1pm [27] what were you doing at midnight last night: playing skyrim [28] name something you cannot wait for: i have 3 super nostalgic concerts i'm going to between march and april, and i'm FRICKIN LIT [29] when was the last time you saw your mother: 3 weeks ago [30] what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: probs my depression [31] what are you listening to right now: Little Mix - Hair [32] have you ever talked to a person named tom: yup [33] something that is getting on your nerves: currently nothing [34] most visited website: tumblr [35] elementary: hell [36] high school: Eastview [37] college: a private aesthetics college [38] hair colour: currently kinda mauve [39] long or short hair: short [40] do you have a crush on someone: nah [41] what do you like about yourself? i'm musically talented [42] piercings: ear lobes x3, snakebites, industrial, rook [43]blood type: O- [44] nickname: Haz [45] relationship status: single [46] zodiac sign: aries [47] pronouns: he/him [48] fav tv show: honestly idek. a lot of anime comes to mind [49] tattoos: yee 4 [50] right or left handed: right

FIRST… [51] surgery: i had my adenoids taken out when i was 2 [52] piercing: earlobes [53] best friend: i honestly don't remember... shows how important they were in my life lol [54] sport: golf [55] vacation: myrtle beach [56] pair of trainers: kay they were like navy blue and had... idk... confetti print??

RIGHT NOW… [57] eating: burritos [58] drinking: tea [59] i’m about to: literally gonna spend the day playing skyrim, prob gonna watch voltron with my roomie/bestie later [60] listening to: look i'm still listening to hair, i have it on repeat okay [61] waiting for: my roomie to get home [62] want: my cat to come say hi :( [63] get married: if it happens, sure, but it's so expensive ugh [64] career: whom

WHICH IS BETTER…

[65] hugs or kisses: hugs [66] lips or eyes: eyes [67] shorter or taller: either, there's really cute things about both [68] older or younger: generally older [69] romantic or spontaneous: both [70] nice arms or nice stomach: doesn't matter, both are subjective [71] sensitive or loud: sensitive [72] hook up or relationship: relationship [73] troublemaker or hesitant: mix of both

HAVE YOU EVER… [74] kissed a stranger? no [75] drank hard liquor? yes [76] lost glasses/contact lenses? yee [77] turned someone down: yee [78] sex on first date? i feel like i have?? but if it was, it wasn't with someone i actually ended up dating lol look i had a really promiscuous two years [79] broken someone’s heart? i think? [80] had your own heart broken? yes [81] been arrested? no [82] cried when someone died? yes [83] fallen for a friend: no

DO YOU BELIEVE IN… [84] yourself? i suppose i do [85] miracles? no [86] love at first sight? unless you're fuckin larry then no [87] santa claus? no [88] kiss on the first date? depends [89] angels? no

OTHER… [90] current best friend’s name: Devon & Liz [91] eye colour: blue [92] favourite movie: ...This Is Us XD

kay so i’m splitting up tags between both of my blogs, and i prob won’t hit 25 blogs but frickin yolo fam @2tiedships2 @alleycat60 @cause-our-souls-are-on-fire @daggerfortherose  @englishbreakfastkink @footielou @kittenlipslouis @larry-and-vans @liamsjoker @no-nevernever-again @soft-starlight