Habitat for Humanity wrap up.

We wrapped up our House Concerts for Habitat for Humanity series this weekend and we were absolutely BLOWN away by each evening’s success!  Each show was different than the next, as we were in different homes each night with different musicians, and each show exceeded our expecations.  We sold out two out of three nights and raised enough money to put windows on a house!  We will be donating the proceeds to both Victoria Habitat for Humanity and Greater Vancouver Habitat for Humanity.  Thanks so much to our three generous hosts, all the musicians; Dom Fricot, David Vertesi, David Ward, Funktapus, Nadia Von Hahn, Ryan Guldemond and Sidney York, all the attendees, and those of you who tuned in on ustream from around the world!  You are able to view our performances on ustream for the next week.  (Just a warning, the quality is nothing special.)  Here’s the link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/roco-stream

We also wrapped up our Habitat for Humanity Contest yesterday. Thanks to everyone who submitted!  Each entry was unique, touching, and fully encompassed what Habitat for Humanity is all about.  Thanks for taking the time out of your lives to be a part of our awareness campaign. We hope we have encouraged some volunteers, donations or helped educate people on what Habitat for Humanity does in our local community and over 100 countries around the world.

As promised each entry will recieve a free digital Weapon/Empire EP and the top entries will receive a unique Rococode prize pack.

And without furthur adieu, here are the winners!

Gordan T. Watts – Shims for Bolivia
Gordon, from New Westminster, BC, will be volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in Bolivia this December.  Instead of bringing “dangerous” tools on his flight, he is bringing a suitcase full of Shims/Wedges that can be used when installing cabinets, windows, doors and joists.  He mailed us a small pack of these along with a handwritten letter!

Kelsey and Heather Pfeiffer – Baking for Habitat
Kelsey and Heather, Edmonton, AB -”For the Habitat for Humanity project my sister and I decided to do some baking for the crew at Anderson Gardens.  When we were younger we used to do a lot of volunteering in our community and were excited to get back to it! Habitat for Humanity is an amazing foundation and we had a blast at the build site!”

Click here to watch their video
Kelsey and Heather Pfeiffer – Habitat for Humanity

 

FINALISTS!

Jenna Burgess – Habitat for Humanity
Jenna , North Vancouver, BC, submitted an illustration with some facts about worldwide homelessness and poverty. 

Megan Jenkins – Temporary Home by Carrie Underwood
Megan, Vancouver, BC,  sent in a song by Carrie Underwood that outlines issues faced by those without a stable home situation. 

Click here to watch the music video:
Carrie Underwood – Temporary Home

We’re very moved by the outpouring of support and we had an amazing time working with Habitat for Humanity and hope to do so again in the future.

For more information on Habitat for Humanity:  http://www.habitat.ca/

Acres of Lions: Peak Performance Project Showcase #4

I’ve been a Treelines fan for awhile now.

Even before we met properly, before we played shows and hung out in Vancouver and Victoria, before were in the Peak Performance Project together. I’ve seen them play many times, and they even played at our most recent album release show at Sugar Nightclub in Victoria last month on September 10th, and I gotta say, thursday night at The Red Room in Vancouver, Peak Performance Project showcase #4, featuring all great bands, “The Matinee,” “Redgy Blackout,” “Behind Sapphire,” all bands I love to death and would play a show with any day, “Treelines” shone so bright, I couldn’t even believe it. From the very first song of the set, which I am tentatively calling “The Cougar,” simply from not knowing the title and it reminding me a little of Mellencamp, to the heartfelt “When I get grown,” a CBC Radio favorite, which features Matt Kelly on Lapsteel and the wonderful Michelle Faehrmann on Cello, to the very end with the rock and roll style of “Ghost Towns” which iterates just how much they love the life they chose and how Matt and Steve Lockhart’s family bond remains strong, it was incredibly captivating for me, and certainly everyone in the room. They did what they wanted to do, played the songs they wanted to play and I am happy about that. I am a die hard fan of Treelines and so glad to be able to call them friends. Also, love those G-chords boys!

It was a great night. I came over on the early ferry with my friend Thea, with a dynamite pick-up on the other side provided by my sister Jaclyn, saving us from the gruelling bus-ride into Van-city, and we got to listen to the early afternoon interviews and updates on The Peak as we did so. Brilliant! We hung out in East Van for the day, catching up with my sis, watching Wilco videos, and drinking G&T’s. We caught a bus and finally made it down to the Red Room, running into Janine Verreult and Lynn Ross first off, who are, in our experience so far with running into those two together, the feistiest match made in heaven. As soon as we entered the club, we noticed how enthusiastic, and packed, the room was. It was a great crowd for these bands, and word-of-mouth was definitely working, the Peak Performance Project showcases were the place to be. Even at our own showcase a couple of weeks back we noticed how great the crowd was and how great of a job The Peak and all of the bands were doing at getting the word out.

“The Matinee” started the night with an amazing set, wrapping up with their massive drum circle they always do, with members of “The Boom Booms,” it was unforgettable. “Redgy Blackout” was on next and put on a killer show, including a wicked cover of The Arcade Fire’s 2005 single “Wake Up.” I met with “Behind Sapphire” backstage before their performance as they were gearing up with glow-sticks and disposable cameras, to throw to the audience, and to cover themselves in, not a bad idea to capture the set with. They had just returned from their tour in China and were absolutely excellent. “Treelines” closed the show and it was great to see everyone sticking around way past their bedtimes to watch, the sing-along moment during their song “Young Man” being a major highlight.

There were so many friendly faces there that night, old friends, new ones, people we’ve grown to love and respect through a series of different endeavors and paths, musicians, radio and tv personalities, photographers, bartenders, producers, hockey buddies. It was a tremendous evening, as it has been with every showcase this month, and the final one coming up I’m sure. We can’t wait until the end stages of this project. Like it has been discussed before, you really get out of this what you put into it, and for us it is really the joy and excitement we get from seeing all these wonderful people who have changed our lives for the better and who have supported us with our crazy “Band Thing.”

Thanks for a rad night, pals!

- Love, Jeff + Acres

The Oh Wells think “Girls Are Awesome!!!”

Our fundraiser for Women Against Violence Against Women Rape Crisis Centre is coming up next long weekend, and I absolutely cannot wait. It’s time to get LOUD for women in our community who have suffered rape and sexual abuse in silence! We’ve got female poets, female comedians and of course female fronted bands Thee Ahs and Artinair! Also, I will be making cupcakes FROM SCRATCH and selling them at the venue with all proceeds going to the crisis centre. I predict a night of laughter, tears and a lot of dancing.
This one it for the ladies!

See you at the Biltmore on October 10th!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186212611450047

Love, Sarah

P.S. Gentlemen are invited too!

Habitat for Humanity House concert series

Acres Of Lions on CTV News

Acres Of Lions spent some time at the petting zoo in Beacon Hill Park earlier today talking with Adam Sawatsky from CTV News about the new album, Collections, that was released today across Canada.

To listen to the album, visit Acres Of Lions on Facebook

Johnny quit the band.

It’s been hard…
#8 Fields of Green Vlog – Johnny Quits the Band

Acres of Lions, BLOG-landia

What a perfect night!

This year, our 4th year in a row playing the Rifflandia Festival, a festival that has grown tremendously with the creativity, time and effort put into it, we played a show to an amazing crowd on September 24th, a Saturday night in Victoria at The Events Center, a MusicBC showcase with heartthrobs “The Belle Game,” “Beekeeper” and “Young Liars.” It was finally Autumn, it was exciting, the room was full of our friends and fans, the sound was excellent, Jeff had strep-throat, Dan had been recently shaved, all good things. A wonderful night, followed by two nights of great acts, Redbird, Library Voices, Braids, Vince Vaccaro, Jets Overhead, Broken Social Scene to name a few, and really, just some solid times with people we love. The last few months have been crazy and awesome and all over the place with the Peak Performance Project and releasing our new album “Collections,” but playing that night at Rifflandia brought everything together and we could not have been happier to be there at that moment, with our friends, our family, our team.

There was so much to do in 4 days that we literally had trouble deciding the best course of action for the Rifflandia Festival, the whole weekend filled with so many great acts, bands, groups, artists, local businesses, food (PIG, Tacofino mmmm) and not to mention, the beer, provided happily by the stupendous Phillips Brewery. With the addition to the Royal Athletic Park this year as the main daytime venue, the festival really flourished. All of the awesome venues at night, hosting shows, local promoters and volunteers doing an exceptional job, were able to be filled comfortably without incredible line-ups. Everyone seemed happy, as were we, out on the town, enjoying some of the best music and products Victoria, and the Canadian music industry had to offer. We certainly are lucky to have such a thing happen in our home-town, and to have been able to participate again this year, after 3 good years of performing at the festival, watching it grow, making new friends, sharing the stage with some phenomenal acts and loving every moment of it.

Rifflandia has been great to us, and really, we cannot thank everyone involved in making this festival happen enough at this point. We love you all. You are our family and what keeps us afloat, happy and loving what we do, and we can’t ask for much more than that.

We just can’t wait until next year!

Sincerely,

Jeff, Dan, Tyson, Lewis.

Rifflandia Festival – Music BC Showcase

We’ve been having an amazing time so far this weekend at the Rifflandia Festival in Victoria, BC. So many great bands and amazing weather. If you have suggestions for bands that we should be checking out, send us a message on Twitter!

For those attending the festival, Acres Of Lions will be headlining the Music BC showcase tonight at the Victoria Event Center (11:30 PM). The venue is all-ages but also includes bar service for those who are 19+.

Hope to see you there!

The Boom Booms Rise in Fall

We write this from the Boom Boom office in East-Van on a typical Vancouver day, surmised so succinct by our mentor’s ‘Doug and the slugs,’ as ‘…a tropical rainstorm in the lower mainland.’ Feels like a good social media day we decided.

So fall news. Well the latest news being we were voted by Georgia straight readers as the third best unsigned band in Vancouver.

This news came only hours after completing our Red Room showcase for the Peak Performance Project. The showcase was a blast having the opportunity to share a night with three of Vancouver’s best talents; The Oh Wells, Ashleigh Eymann and Sex With Strangers. The after party in Grandpas Stu’s shag carpeted basement bar was well attended with cameos from other PEAK members such as Duff from Avairis an JP of Maurice; confirming the use of Project rather than Competition in the PEAK’s advertising.

Back tracking to the final throws of summer, The Boom Booms threw their 4th annual East-Van block Raising over $6,000 for a charitable project called ‘Up with hope.’ upwithhope.ca. The event was a huge success with over 500 people bunching in the back alley of Lead singer and sideman Aaron and Sean Ross’s childhood home. Surprise! no noise complaints!

Now preparing for our fall tour of BC and finalizing the PEAK performance package we’ve got some online treats going live very soon. Keep up to date by visiting us on Facebook or our website to find out more….

theboombooms.ca
Big Love.

Gigs and Fashion Shows

Hello 

It’s been a wee while since I popped by here… but things have been super busy! Last night was the big performance night for SWS at the Red Room… we had a banner made… thought up some moves to our music and even had an electric cello on one song (thanks Michelle).

Cory got his hair cut, Dan and Alexis made the visuals, Magnus dusted off the robot heads,

Hatch made plans… I made a new dress… so we were ready… hope everyone who came out enjoyed it!!!

The Boom Booms once again brought it… they make such a warm groove and have a brilliant enthusiastic following… Liking it

Fun Interview with Cory Ashworth

P.S. Mark  October 12th @  the Waldorf in your calendars..Fashion show and  Live Music to raise funds for Alzheimer’s  (good excuse for a jam night too )..I’ll reveal the poster soon

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