Gather round for a short tale about why Thee Oh Sees (ably supported by Pets With Pets and Magnetix) played one of my fave shows thus far this year, and how it all happened in San Francisco. While I was there.

Wales/England’s alt-pop half-dozen Los Campesinos! came to Vancouver and crammed themselves on a tiny Electric Owl stage on February 3rd. Here are the pics and a few words about being tired.

Evan Dando and two other guys, collectively known as The Lemonheads, were in Vancouver on November 4 performing “It’s a Shame About Ray.” Woulda been brilliant if Dando had channeled less slack and more charisma.

Our final installment from MusicFestNW, in which your heroine wraps up her last day and night in PDX with double Antlers, Explosions in the Sky and Typhoon action, and snaps her favourite punks, OFF! And meets the little Avi Buffalo, too.

MusicFestNW Part 2: An epic day in Portland that includes pizza, doughnuts, and a baker’s dozen of bands in a half-dozen venues. Featuring The Thermals, The Horrors, Dan Mangan, a new rap joint called TxE, Sharon Van Etten, Typhoon, Rhett Miller and more.

BackstageRider takes on Portlandia in a MusicFestNW adventure. Part 1 features Sebadoh (of course), Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Archers of Loaf and Fred Armisen. No really. The guy from Portlandia. In Portland. Backstage with me.

London’s exceptional beatboxer and looper Beardyman took on the drunkards at Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver on September 13, and won. Well, with most of us, anyway.

Cult hero and wondernutter Daniel Johnston played the Rio Theatre in Vancouver on August 27, to a supportive and beer-drunk crowd. It was surreal, odd, and heartbreaking and kinda inspirational, and just the way you’d expect a Daniel Johnston show to go.

US indie heroes Grandaddy are reissuing their first three albums, including superclassic The Sophtware Slump. After I finished doing a happy dance, I chased Jason Lytle down directly to have a wee cyberchat about one of my favest albums. EVER.