This is Lindsay, I  stopped her ass on West Georgia because I couldn't believe her style. Its rock n roll, Eurotrash, with a west coast relaxed, I don't give a shit feeling of comfort to it.

I especially like her jeans! Look at the cuff on the bottom with the low-heeled booties. Refined feminine lines and you can walk in them! The leather jacket gives the outfit a defined shape, with the scarf finishing it with panache...yeah, I said panache! Turns out, she is an accessories designer...Figures!

By: Joy Dela Cruz 

There are two type of concerts I like going to. There's the “music for musician's sake” type gigs --- the ones I enjoy because I know they can perform and sing well and have their music move me, the type that I love seeing in smaller, intimate settings. Then there's the “big show” type gigs --- the ones who put on one hell of a performance, full of spectacle and drama (but can still play music well, mind you), the ones I expect to see in big stadiums and arenas. I've had my share of those “big shows” in the last few gigs I've gone to, like the Watch The Throne tour last year with Jay-Z and Kanye West, and most recently, the light and laser show that was Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto tour. Both of those gigs impressed me with the way they captured the crowd both musically and visually. But what I saw with Rammstein at Rogers Arena last night was something from another higher level.

Rammstein is one of those bands that I've dabbled with for the last few years. I wouldn't say that I'm a metal head by any means. But my love for bands like Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode kind of led me to discover what many would consider the godfather of German industrial metal, especially when their crossover single “Du hast” first broke out in North America in 1997. I've also heard by reputation how crazy (italicized as an understatement) their live shows are. So when I found out late last year that they were hitting Vancouver to tour their greatest hits album Made In Germany 1995-2011, I couldn't pass up the chance.

The show started with a 30-minute DJ set, hyping up the crowd with remixes of Rammstein's singles coupled with interesting visuals (1930s German Olympic training videos, anyone?). Then at exactly 9 pm, in true German efficiency, the actual show begins with the entire band walking procession-style through the crowd onto a small stage, then onto a bridge that came down from the top of the arena, and then onto the main stage. And then the madness started.

From their opening song “Sonne” onwards, my mind was completely paralysed. It was, for lack of a better (or politically correct) term, a visual mindfuck, with all the pyrotechnics and lighting that accompanied each song on their set. You could literally feel the heat from the on-stage flame throwers. It's nothing though to take away from the band themselves; lead singer Till Lindemann's unmistakeably baritone voice was strong and convincing, and the musicianship of guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph Schneider and keyboardist Christian Lorenz were pretty much flawless. For bands who have not perfected this type of performance (think Nickelback), the pyro and lighting and other visuals may seem contrived. But in the hands of Rammstein they are perfect, meant to be part of the show. It didn't hurt either that they played all of the favourites, from the aforementioned “Du hast” to “Amerika” to my favourite song of theirs, “Engel”. The setlist felt like they were re-introducing their music to an audience who didn't always have the pleasure of seeing them live in North America.

Now the gig wasn't without its WTF moments. They aren't shy about being controversial live, from Lindemann trying to “cook” Lorenz during “Mein Teil” (a song inspired by a cannibalistic murder case in Germany) to, um, simulated ejaculation (I think I blushed a little writing that) for two songs --- in a small scale during “Bück dich” and in a large foam cannon scale during their closing song “Pussy”. Not exactly for the prude at heart, but if you can take tongue-in-cheek visuals then this was for you.

By the end of the two-hour live extravaganza --- that's an hour and half show plus 2 encores to boot --- my jaw was permanently dropped from amazement, my brain failing unsuccessfully to process what I just saw. I felt deaf, blind and possibly taken advantage of. But it was oh so worth it. I know I said before that Watch The Throne was the single best live show I've ever seen. But I think Rammstein has beaten that, if nothing else for their musical theatrics. Missing this show would have been unthinkable. I'm just glad I didn't think twice about going.

By: Danijela Simrak

Once upon a time there was a magical land called Switzerland, full of shiny happy people and ungodly amounts of chocolate, banks, cheese and wrist watches. If you are coming from a small European banana republic like me,that magical land has always been engraved in your mind as the epitome of a good life. It was known as the last neutral country standing.In the eyes of the foreign people that meant it didn’t give a crap about what happens outside of its own borders, it doesn’t act as a slave to superior countries yet somehow it survives all the political, economic and social tidal waves, while standing strong and alone. We imagined snowy Alp peeks dipped in a chocolate and sprinkled with Swiss francs because, we were told, in Switzerland money falls from the sky and lands straight into your wallet. In other words, if God almighty ever decided to actually put Heaven on Earth, this would be his preferable location.

I talked about theircountry with two Swiss residents, Native, currently residing in Zurich and Foreigner, living in Geneva for 10 years. They described how Switzerland is extremely organized country that functions well without problems. The work ethic of Swiss people is real, solid and strong like Hulk on a steroid high.

Allwork and no fun? No way. This March, Switzerland held a national referendum where voters accepted the proposal to build drive-in “sex boxes” for prostitutes in Zurich. You finish working your behind off, pick up groceries in the nearest supermarket, park your car in a box, pay for sex and drive home safely afterwards.

Prostitution has been legal in Switzerland sincethe1940’s, but only in brothels. Drive-in sex boxes are supposed to take the prostitution away from the dark alleys of residential areas and put it back into controlled privacy. In other words, you won’t be seeing prostitutes walking around the streets offering their services anymore. From now on, they will keep their business to themselves.

How does Native, who lives in Zurich, feel about so much sex going on the streets? “Everything in Switzerland must be clean, even prostitution!” – Native laughs. “Why not? It is safer and you can supervise it. For me prostitution should be something underground. It is probably what customers want and like, but if it's better for prostitutes, it's a good thing.”

Obviously, Zurich will never be the new Amsterdam when it comes to sex industry because it lacks that hippie vibe Amsterdam reeks of, but this initiative will surely lure new customers to town.

By: Danijela Simrak 

 

Ever since MilliVanilli pulled off one of the most memorable tricks on the music scene and took home a Grammy for best new artist without actually singing a note on their record, the audience started to be more aware of the influence record companies have on the artists.
First of all, notice how vanilla-themed stage names never stood a chance in the business. When your alias sounds like something that could easily be found on the Starbucks menu, you have a problem. Exhibit A: Vanilla Ice.

Second of all, if you call yourself a singer, do yourself a favor and sing live. Bad live performance can never be as degrading as bad lip-syncing. Exhibit B: every other starlet who suddenly got a desire to experiment with music after experimenting with singing in the shower.
Third of all, times when only music mattered are long gone. We could blame it all on privacy-hungry media, but audience also contributed to this. Sure, we eat what we’re served, but most of the times we’re served exactly what we have ordered.

Music industry used to be a part of important world-changing events. Just look at the 60’s, 70’s and entire power flower circle of artists. They were the voice of the generation, and their involvement with the movement was not a constructed scam, it was their genuine belief.
Nowadays, music industry is a money-making machine. Army of producers and managers are brainstorming about targeted audience, possible profit, and failed investments before they put a signature on a contract with up-and-coming artist. If you do not exactly fit their criteria but they see potential in you, get ready for a musical or physical make over, depending on your shortcomings.

In the eyes of music moguls, artists are projects.
So why was everyone so surprised when they discovered a similar story behind the success of Lana Del Rey?
Formerly knows as Lizzie Grant, Del Rey struggled with survival on the music scene. Few years later, sultry, soulful, seasoned with a pinch of different and interesting, Del Rey was about to be crowned a new indie queen, when all critics hell broke loose after her performance on SNL.
The way that performance was described, I expected something along the line of drugged up Lindsey Lohan singing Queen’s greatest hits – a train wreck in slow motion.

But all I saw was a nervous girl eager to do her best, who did a decent version of songs she already performed well on multiple occasions. She was simply too aware that the gig she’s about to have is a hit or miss opportunity that can help define a course of her career.
That is when stories about visible lip job, probable nose job and definite change of hair color overflowed the media.
But what exactly did she do wrong? She is not the first artist who reinvented herself.

Katy Hudson was a gospel singer who recorded a Christian album. In the process, she lost two contracts and didn’t rise to stardom until she changed her name to Katy Perry, properly showed off her busty cleavage and sang about smooching a girlie with a tasteful chapstick.
Before she hatched from giant eggs and confused us with Alejandro (Fernando, Roberto?), Lady Gaga was known as Stephanie Germanotta. Search online for her old stripped-down performances. It only took a piano, good song and good vocals to showcase her talents in a simple elegant way. But it took much more to get her where she is now, little bit of haute couture and a lot of over-produced circus.

Lana Del Rey simply did what many others did before her and the backlash she received was not justified. After all, we’re talking about the girl who co-wrote all the songs on her debut album, the same songs that half of the planet is humming. The talent is obviously here, so what if the package got a little touch up?

Joseph Ribkoff was the perfect kick off to Vancouver Fashion Week. Having launched his line of women’s wear in 1957, Joseph Ribkoff has since remained one of the world’s pre-eminent designers. All clothing in his collections is designed, sewn, and produced in Canada, a significant accomplishment in today’s global economy. 

Oh yeah, and did we mention that Miss America attended his show? Not bad Joseph, not bad at all.

The Spring/Summer 2012 line is classy and sophisticated, while flirty and feminine. He showed jersey knit tops and dresses in jewel tones of sapphire and ruby, with attention to small details such as unexpected peeps of gold zippers that run up the length of the back, giving a nice contrast to the rich colours. Prints were in full force, seen throughout the collection in unconventional mish-mashes of bold, colourful florals and wild animal prints. The tops were shown with beautifully tailored cigarette pants and slim capris with slits in the front. To-die-for leggings with panels of stretch leather were my most coveted item, and they were paired with fitted tops and vests in leather and leopard print. 

There were light sweaters in various shades of grey, which made me think of a breezy spring day in the Hamptons. The dresses also had the same feel, both the casual ones as well as the more formal ones, with nice elegant pleats, grown up ruffles, and three-quarter length sleeves with silver embellished cufflinks. The separates in the evening collection would use the same bold prints, all covered in sequins, making for some absolutely alluring stand-out pieces. One particularly dazzling piece was a fabulous creation of a trench coat dress with a flirty bubble hem and a pleated ruffle down one side of the collar, and a sash tied around the waist.

By: Zack Grimmer

Photo Credit: Kim Akrigg

Zack Grimmer of Hush Magazine sat down with Data Romance’s Jay Bhattacharyya and Amy Kirkpatrick to discuss their journey so far. Having completed a tour with the premier of IDentity Festival, their unique mix of new-school audio with thoughtful, evocative vocals is sending ripples through the digital music scene. As home-grown Vancouver band they are quickly climbing the musical ladder. Keep your eyes on this talented duo.

Z: So my first question for you guys is it seems like there’s a philosophy behind the name. I’m interested to hear what inspired Data Romance?

JAY: The name was chosen at first more out of necessity than anything else. We were originally called Names; that’s just too hard to Google or tell people in conversation. People would be like: “You say your name’s Names?” Everyone was kind of like: “Huh?” So we changed the name for that reason more than anything. We chose Data Romance. At first it just sounded good, but we started finding more meaning in it after we picked it. I do the sound design so I’d be data and Amy does vocals so she’s the romance. We’re pretty opposite in a lot of ways. We thrive on dichotomies and ying-yang bullshit.

Z: Nice. So for you [Amy], how does it feel to be playing at a venue that you used to work for, if I’m not mistaken?

AMY: Ahhhh! You’re very correct. It’s fucking weird! It’s really cool to see everyone I used to work with but it’s really surreal while I’m playing. I feel like I’ve come full circle. It’s always good playing at home. My old boss just did our lighting, so it’s very weird but it’s cool.

Z: Poetic justice?

AMY: Totally, but he was an awesome boss. It would’ve been better if he was an asshole.

Z: How about touring with Identity Festival, did that feel like it was a benchmark of success?

JAY: Yeah! It was almost premature for us in some ways because hadn’t played that many shows before we got to do that. It’s some of the first stuff we’ve done. We’d only played about a handful of smaller shows before that. It’s not like we were playing for 50,000 people, but we made a lot of cool friends and got to learn a lot about how things work behind the scenes at bigger festivals and with bigger artists. Just get cool insight. And artistically we met some of our heroes there and got to pick their brains.

Z: Who were some of your favourites?

JAY: We got to share a bus with Modeselektor and they were our top choice to watch during the festival. We love them, they’re fucking amazing, and super nice guys. Very likeminded people and their style of music has a little more thought to it. I don’t want to dump any other DJs, but you can tell from our set that we’re not just some dub-steppy people that are trying to make a crowd freak out. We want people to pay attention. 

Z: What are your plans for moving forward?

JAY: We’re touring in a couple weeks. We’ll be opening up for Digitalism throughout North America. The shows will mostly be in the U.S. We’ll also be doing a show in Montreal but unfortunately nothing here at home in Vancouver. After that we’re going to be writing like mother fuckers because we’re trying to get out a full album, which is something me and Amy have been meaning to do for a while.

Hush: I notice your brother is also in the band, how did the band form?

 

Greg Cockerill: My brother is a great musician and songwriter who has his own career and is 7 years younger than me.  He's played in my band on and off since 2008 and I was very excited to have him intrinsically involved in the production of the new album. It’s kind of like as if I have 4 arms and two mouths in some ways, but we process and approach things very differently. That came out a lot, especially in the arrangements, and he does some beautiful guitar work throughout the record as well. As far as the rhythm section, Ari on keyboards lives in Calgary and I’ve played with him since about 2007 whenever we can arrange it, and he flew down to do the record. Dan Neill on drums was an old acquaintance from my college days that I ran into in 2010 when we shared a bill with our respective bands in Sault-Saint Marie.  It took about a year from that point, and he joined the team. Scotty on bass was a recommendation from my previous drummer. He lays pipe all night and is integral to the feel of the band.

Where does the country influence come from?

 

The country influence probably comes from 2 main sources. The first being that when I moved back to Calgary from Toronto, I started playing in a lot of country bands, and the second being that when I started writing vocals about that time, the artists that were re-inspiring me to fall in love with music were Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and also Springsteen's ``Devils and Dust`` had just come out. With those 2 factors and the influence of doing lots of driving through rural Canada, that’s just the sound that came out. It wasn't deliberate; it was a return to simplicity and an attempt towards honesty. Hopefully my next record is a dance record.

Who is your fan base? What type of audience do you connect with?

 

My fan base is fairly diverse. I don't think I have a tangible following as much as a pretty eclectic one, and I'm proud of that. In a way, it’s like I wasn't the cool kid in high school and never will be, but there's enough people out there that like me that all in all it’s a greater thing that’s beyond me and it’s very encouraging. I guess tangibly though, it’s a pretty fair mix of dudes and gals and teens and baby boomers and rural and city folk. I have about .0001% percent of all those demographics evenly covered I reckon.

What are the biggest obstacles you face as a band?

 

Logistics. We get along great as a band and being on the road is very non-stressful as it turns out. Planning, organizing, and of course, money are the issues...  We all work several jobs to be able to afford being musicians. I’m not complaining, being able to share your art is a gift that we're all grateful for, not a right. It`s hard work though and there's never much instant gratification for the work we put in. I guess the most satisfying thing as the flipside to this question is the friendship we have as a band and among our friends and fans across the country that you really become quite family with.

How have you grown as a band?

 

We're getting to trust each other better musically. Meaning that I know I’m growing in that I can trust myself more musically on stage. There is an improvisatory nature to the performances, partially in the jazz sense, but more so in a Zen sense if you will. You know the guys are there with you and you can go certain places live that would not be possible with people you weren't as close with.

Tell us a story about a day in the life of you and the band.

 

We get up from the attic of someone’s renovated barn 20 km west of a city; have a cold shower and some organic bacon, have a cup of joe and drive 12 hours to a damp basement, open up our bags to discover them booby trapped by someone else in the band; Off to a gig, no time for soundcheck because my brother`s tube amp doesn't work and we have to pull an audible in a hurry. Play a show to a half empty room and make friends and fans of the staff, pack up and drive a couple of hours to your buddies house in the next town where you have a campfire and tell ridiculous stories until you can't stay awake anymore.. but you pull a prank on the bass player before you go to sleep (it’s always the bass player). Sleep for 5 hours and do the same thing the next day.

 

It's the best.

Hey, cats! So Halloween is just around the corner and you feel how the city is coming alive with the buzzing excitement before a great party (where it may be for you) but what if work, life, etc got in the way and, oh no, you still don't have a costume... 

 

The Boo La La Team is all set to style you for Halloween from head to toe, so that you're set for any costume party this season. With their strong fashion background Boo La La has key costume trends and also the proper fit and style. You can book a complimentary appointment with Dani Barnes, Boo La La's professional stylist!

Boo La La (previously 'Carol's Costume Corner'), located in North Vancouver, is one of Canada's most reputable and successful costume stores. The store offers thousands of costumes for rent (many of which being gorgeous vintage threads), hundreds for sale and a large assortment of costume accessories and wigs. Plus, Boo La La now also offers online shopping!

Since 1985, Boo La La has been supplying Canada with the most sought after costumes and high quality vintage assortments. With personalized costume styling, Boo La La is known for their complete head-to-toe shopping experience. 

If you are looking for what to wear, here are the top 10 trends we love for Halloween:

Classic Horror - Vampires, zombies, werewolves, witches, and thank you True Blood for giving us 'WerePanthers' this year!

Morph Suits - It's all about the green men! GO Canucks GO!

Group Uniforms - Show up dressed to impress with you and your friends in full flight crew or cruise ship attire.

Multiples - Take any look and have three or more friends dress the same! This one's a ton of fun.

Circus - From ringmasters to evil clowns, disfigured carnies and bearded ladies, this is a strong look for individuals, duos or groups!

Burlesque - Definitely one of the hottest looks this season.

Lady Gaga & Katy Perry - Hot female icons with so many looks to choose from and even better with your personal twist!

Steam Punk - Think Victorian industrial with a Sci-Fi twist...

Nightmare Hospital - Evil patients, staff, horror hallways, and lots of blood and body parts.

SCI-FI Cyber, Alien Fashionista - Think 'Paul' (recent movie with Simon Pegg) and add a little flare...have fun with your alien look.

Professionally styled costume for Halloween? I think that sounds exciting! For more info visit www.boolalacostumes.com

 

Photo credit: Jun Ying - Kuniophotography.com

Why does it have to be over? Why oh why?  How can I even sum up the 3 days that were Vancouver’s Eco-Fashion Week? Well let me try…

 

3 days, 21 designers, seminars, a trade show and boutique, cocktail parties… *sigh*

 

This was my first year attending EFW, and it certainly did not disappoint. A big shout-out to Myriam Laroche and the entire EFW team who made this an unforgettable event. It was a thrill for the extremely visual right-brained person that I am! Besides the obvious (the magnificent fashion), there were a few other pretty cool things that went on over the course of the 3 days. 

 

The location, the old “Storeyum” building at 142 Water Street in trendy Gastown, was a perfect venue. Every evening, in the wide open space that housed the trade show and boutique, there was a fabulous DJ spinning music and setting an ambience for everyone to enjoy, as they shopped, sipped on a cocktail, mingled with beautiful people, or had a little break between shows.  Orangina made sure everyone stayed hydrated during the tough job of being on the frontlines of fashion, and Pop Chips made sure nobody went hungry. I don’t even want to think about all the delicious pop chips I ate. Everywhere you turned, there were more… And of course, there was the cocktail bar, for when you needed a little something other than Orangina (wink).

 

Bottom line that I will bring from EFW is that… there are many amazing eco-friendly options to fashion, there are far too many clothes that I want, and also, I went out and got myself a new hairstyle. Long live Vancouver fashion!