Keith Parry at the Savoy
In Search of Lost Venues
Keith Parry founded and ran the legendary record store and label, Scratch Records, which opened in 1987. He played in bands including Superconductor, Octatrackter, Twerdocleb, Kicking it with Coho, The Gay, Pink Mountaintops, and Neko Case. Keith lives on Vancouver Island and we walked and talked on April 25th 2025, when he came to Vancouver to see some music shows. This conversation will extend across two episodes. The Savoy at 6 Powell St, was run by Janet Forsyth and showcased local and touring bands from the early 1980s until it closed in April 1988. Scratch Records...
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Joshua Stevenson at the Anza Club
In Search of Lost Venues
Josh Stevenson has been playing experimental music since the 1990s in projects like Staked Plain, Jackie-O Motherfucker, Glow worm, Bold Axis Arms, -Outhern Acific+, Magneticring, July Fourth Toilet, and Von Bingen. He also does audio mastering under the name . This converation was recorded on April 17th, 2025. The Anza Club is on the corner of Ontario and 8th Avenue, the home of the Australia New Zealand Association. The building was previously the Mount Pleasant Hall. In the 1990s it was home to Vancouver’s weirdo and experimental music scene, but had shows both before and after that....
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Marita M. at Astorino's
In Search of Lost Venues
Marita M. is a musician, performer and arts organizer. She has been in many bands including True Crush, Lunch Lady, Derek Wheeler, Divorcer, Reveal Yourself and Bill Can. This conversation was recorded on April 3, 2024. Astorino’s was the venue for the Safe Amplification Site Society (Safe Amp 2013-2015) at the site of a former Italian dining hall at 1739 Venables Street. Other venues visited: Britannia Community Centre, El Cocal, the York Theatre, the Mansion. Other venues discussed: Mesa Luna, Art Bank, Dharma lab, Fingers Crossed, Alf House, The Shooting Gallery, Lucky's Comics, What Lab,...
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Jerome (M01E) at UBC Cry Club
In Search of Lost Venues
Jerome is the founder of the band M01E, and of UBC Cry Club, which took place weekly, at one point, at the Fraser River Parkade at UBC. Cry Club started in 2021 and continued, usually weekly, for a couple of years, and then less frequently. It is unrehearsed and open to participation from everyone who attends. Cry Club is on hiatus but hopefully will return. This conversation was recorded on April 1st, 2025. Venues visited: UBC Cry Club @ Fraser River Parkade. Other venues discussed: The Emergency Room, Pit Pub, SUB Ballroom, Red gate, Take Your Time, Grey Lab, Under the Bridge. This...
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Lisa Marr at Cub house
In Search of Lost Venues
Lisa Marr played bass and sang in the beloved Vancouver band Cub. She started by playing in the Evaporators. She continues to play music, make films, and do all kinds of other art and activism. This conversation was recorded on January 28th 2025. Venue visited: Cub House (1992-1997) at 837 west 19th Avenue. Other venues discussed: Pop, Studio J, the Cruel Elephant, the Commodore, Notorious, the Arts Club, the Malcolm Lowry Room, the Starfish Room, Powell Street Festival, Hastings Community Centre. Musicians mentioned: Neko Case, Hard Rock Miners, Sebadoh, Rancid, They Might be Giants,...
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Phil Smith (Corsage) in Kitsilano
In Search of Lost Venues
Phil Smith began in the awesome Vancouver punk band Wasted Lives, whose few recordings were recently released by . This conversation was recorded on December 18 2024. He went on to musical projects like Snow Geese, Blanche Whitman, Bud Luxford and the long-running band Corsage. Venues Visited: Starvin' Marvin's was a nightclub on Burrard and Broadway which closed in the late 1970s. Quintessence Records (later Zulu) opened at 1869 west 4th avenue and often had in-store performances. It moved to 1972 w 4th where it still exists today. The Indian Center was built as a church (initially the...
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Selina Crammond at Horses Records
In Search of Lost Venues
Selina Crammond has played in the bands Movieland, Supermoon, Kiss Painting and currently, Midnight News and Roswit. She also runs Monotapes with Gal av Gay. This conversation took place on December 7 2024. Horses Records was an independent record and bookstore on Hastings and Nanaimo (on 2447 E Hastings Street) from 2014-2016, opened by Katayoon Yousefbigloo and Dan Geddes. The store frequently hosted music show in those years. Other venues visited: What’s up Hot Dog (2481 E Hastings St), TD bank atm, Roy G Biv Other venues discussed: Art Bank, Nyala, Railway Club, WISE Club,...
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Remote Report: Rachel Melas & Conny Nowe of the Moral Lepers
In Search of Lost Venues
In this bonus episode I talk separately with Rachel Melas and Conny Nowe, who played bass and drums in the all-female, post punk band the Moral Lepers, in the early 1980s. Rachel was also in the art punk band animal slaves among many others and Conny played in Tin Twist, and Junco Run. They now live together in Toronto where they play music in genres like cajun zydeco, swing, ragtime, folk and klesmer. This conversation took place on a video call, so you’ll notice a different quality of sound and ambiance compared to the usual episodes! These conversations took place on November 11 &...
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Remote Report: Mar Sellars
In Search of Lost Venues
This is a remote report, a conversation conducted virtually rather than in person. In these episodes I speak with musicians who have moved away from Vancouver about their experiences and the venues they loved. Mar Sellars started playing in bands as a teenager in Vancouver, including The Riff Randells, The Ewoks and the Engaged. She also played in bands while living in the UK, and worked at the CBC and the BBC. She currently lives in Los Angeles where she runs a and is also a booking agent and label manager. Venues discussed: The Rage, The Starfish Room, The Brickyard, The...
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Lyndsay Sung at The Blinding Light! & Ms T's Cabaret
In Search of Lost Venues
Lyndsay Sung is a musician, writer, filmmaker and cookbook author. She was in the bands the Sob Story, le Petit Mort, Radio Berlin and Pink Mountaintops, and now plays in KCAR, Foxgloves and Strawberries and Cream. This conversation was recorded on November 5 2024. was an underground cinema which ran from 1998-2003 at 36 Powell Street. Founded by Alex MacKenzie as a follow-up to his Edison Electric Gallery of Moving Images (1995-1997), the space housed a cafe, a gallery and a 110-seat cinema. It showed new and classic underground and avant garde films, hosted nights to bring your own 8mm...
info_outlineGary Smith was a founding founder of the synthesizer-based Vancouver band Images in Vogue in 1981, after playing in various bands as a teenager. He went on to a later career as a music video producer and assistant director in film and TV. The conversation was recorded on March 14th, 2024.
Luv-a-fair (1275 Seymour Street) started life as a gay dance club in 1975, but soon attracted a wide
audience for its legendary DJs and great selection of alternative music. They did not often host live events but Killing Joke, the Subhumans, Sonic Youth, the Violent Femmes, Wall of Voodoo and Nine Inch Nails all played there, as well as Images in Vogue.
Other bands discussed: Killing Joke, Skinny Puppy, Zingo, Moev, Numb, Wall of Voodoo, e, the Villains, Duran Duran.
Other venues discussed: Graceland, Quadra Club (later Club Soda and the Starfish Room), Pharaoh’s, The Viking Hall, The Body Shop, The Cave, Gary Taylor’s Rock Room.
Thank you to Kellarissa for the original theme music. Thanks to Glen Nelson and to Moev.
Music clips used with artist permission.
Images in Vogue: "Educated Man" from Educated Man EP (1982 B H & H)
e: "Power Blackout" from The Levitation Syndrome (1981 Rogolletti Records)
Moev: "Rotting Geraniums" (1982)