Combat Rocks! The Update Edition

It's been three months since we started doing the "Combat Rocks!" features on up and coming fighters, and a lot can change in that time. We're going to take a look at what the fighters we've featured are up to right now.

The inaugural Combat Rocks! fighter, Aaron Macdonald Blanchette, was looking towards a fight on November 27th, but suffered a nasty shouler injury in training. While sparring, he threw a hook, caught his partner's shoulder, and continued to pivot and twist with the punch, causing the injury. We wish Aaron a speedy recovery, and anxiously await the day he finally gets to make his debut.

Our second fighter, Cheryl Chan, had her fight on November 5th fall through due to issues between the card's promoter and city of Burnaby. However, she's already got another one lined up for December 3rd's "MMA 3: Seeing Red" event, where she's going to take on Stephanie Eggink, a dangerous boxer from Washington. For those of us who have seen Cheryl's last fight, we know she has the skills, a Hell of a chin and heart for days, so expect a war between a Canadian and an American the likes of which hasn't been seen since 1812!

Finally, our most recent featured fighter, Jared Abrahamson, had his tentatively scheduled fight for November 27th not get confirmed. However, he's got quite a consolation prize, as he's gotten a lead role in an upcoming Hallmark Movie of the Week, entitled "Finding a Family." He's also been quite busy with both his MMA training and other auditions, so whether it's in the ring, the octagan, or the small screen, expect to being seeing a lot of Jared Abrahamson.

The fighters we feature here at Vandala Concepts all have bright futures ahead of them, and we look forward to bringing you looks at more up and comers, from across the country and the world as the months and years go by!

- Jé-Pé -

American Music Awards Performance Hits & Misses

So it was the American Music Awards last night all 3 whole hours of it. Here is what performances to look up on the net and not to even bother with. Trust me you may want to skip alot.

I was really worried when I started the AMA's after a minute of watching cause I saw crotch, Rihannas to be exact with some grinding, bad dancers the only thing good about the opening act was the stage which was really cool. Not the standard I am use to from the AMA openers. WATCH HERE

Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull another disappointment but again I have standards. For one his vocals do not need all that electronics on them, secondly I have seen him perform way better. Though having live drummers come in on stage rocked! I think Enrique needed them on stage to get him going. Then Pitbull came out and well they looked like 2 high school guys trying to be cool. What happened? WATCH HERE

One of my favourite performances was Kid Rock, even though I am not a huge fan. Kid Rock showed his softer side which he does very well. The vocals and sound were excellent with the wonderful pictures behind him. Kid Rock represented his home town well and the AMA's. WATCH HERE

Miley Cyrus this is how she should be. Classy and showing off her vocals not her body parts and acting her age. Her performance showed that you don't need sex to sell, she sold it last night! WATCH HERE After the commercial was Diddy-Dirty Money, who what, not worth talking about. Another Diddy project same thing different day.

Bon Jovi enough said. The crowd stands up because the mash up of songs rock, vocals are not electrified and real instruments are played. This is why Bon Jovi is still around topping the charts. Only bad thing that happened was cheap lightning bolts on the TV. Who did that my TV? WATCH HERE

The Black Eyed Peas lit up the AMA stage literally with their "The Time (Dirty Bit)," One word CRAP! Not only have they destroyed the song the performance was cheesy, and out of a bad dance club. You can see by the crowd how bad it is; dance music and everyone sitting. Add in the sound that killed me, again why electronics on your voice. We all should become singers then and destroy good songs. WATCH HERE

Pink as usual likes to get the stage rocking and doing so much herself on stage though she had to take it down a notch; baby first. Her thrilling AMA performance was filled with fanfare in the form of cheerleaders, acrobats, extreme athletes, balloons, fun, confetti and plenty of rump-shaking, even from a pregnant Pink. WATCH HERE

The old Christina Aguilera is back, and getting some promo for her up and coming movie. Can't deny that's how one should sing, gotta love her power house voice but not promo given here for her movie. WATCH HERE

4 months on top of the charts Train, performed as they usually do. Crowd loved them and I thought it was a great performance even though I'm not a Train fan. If you love the song Soul Sister you should check this one out on You Tube. If nothing else you should at least to take a look at the silver sequence pants!

Ke$ha why............ why embarrass Canada like this. Weird bizarre, cheesy, and electronic vocals with annoying lyrics. I give credit to the elaborate stage but she be duct taped! Even the backup singers don't look happy to be on stage. It's a recession I guess they can't be choosy. For the dancers didn't lady gaga already put men in stocking Don't waste your time watching . WATCH HERE

Santana ! Say the name the crowd is out of their seats. A real musician that has lasted through the ages. Not sure if Gavin Rosedale went with Santana well' , but it was nice to see Gavin out again. Worth a check out, and if you are a Santana fan you must watch cause its Santana tearing up the guitar.

You knew it was coming one day - "NKOTBSB" (New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys) their performance was one massive mash-up of the two boy bands' hits, and instead of five guys fighting for the spotlight. Still, I loved every second of it which I hate admit it, especially when the two strongest singers, Jordan Knight and Brian Littrell, dueted momentarily. If you were fans, you know who you are who danced to "Step by Step, Right Stuff, Everybody etc you have to check it out. You will be surprised how many dance moves and lyrics you remember. Don't worry no one will know. The teenager in me was satisfied watching the boys/kids as men. WATCH HERE So a great closing made up for the bad opening. Overall not the bet AMA's but not the worst.

- MCL -

Toronto’s Dance Cave

Despite the name of this Toronto club/bar, it’s not located underground. It’s on the second floor of Lee’s Palace, another Toronto club/bar, and it is a pretty decent place to have a good time. The front of building is also covered in graffiti, and looks amazing.

The first thing that makes The Dance Cave pretty awesome is that there is free cover for those with a student I.D. If you’re not a student, make a home-made student card, it’s not that difficult. Or just suck it up and pay the cheap 7$ cover on a Friday or Saturday. But on Monday’s and Thursday’s, cover is free, cha ching!

Secondly, drinks are relatively cheap. You can’t argue with 4.50$ domestic and about 5$ for mix drinks. The dance floor is also gigantic, allowing for a lot of dancing space. To make The Dance Cave that much better, multiple booths surround the dance floor, giving off an Entourage feel.

As for the music, it is just simply rocking. One moment, Arctic Monkeys are blaring and everyone is going nuts. The next moment, a packed crowd is swaying back and forth to Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson. But sometimes, very good things have very serious flaws. And The Dance Cave falls under this unfortunate category.

There is only one bar and there are a lot of people. This means that when it comes time for another drink, you are going to be waiting at least 10 minutes, unless you are a girl and take advantage of your good looks. And the washrooms smell absolutely rancid and most stalls are missing doors. But then again, you don’t go to a bar for the washroom.

So if you’re looking for a good time and don’t want to drop a serious amount of cash, check out The Dance Cave. You’ll dance your socks off.

- MF Greens -

Thrash & Burn: November Nightmare Edition

Greetings, True Believers! Are you ready for snow yet? I know I am! I can't wait for the annual tradition of watching Lower Mainland motorists driving completely unprepared in snow! It's a great time, when families all across the rest of BC gather around their televisions for the six o'clock news and watch footage of all the accidents and stuck vehicles while always saying, "They should know by now to have snow tires on!" The temperatures are dropping, so we're sure to see some ice and hopefully snow in the coming weeks! Now, onto something more serious: Thrashing and Burning.

First, a hearty thrashing to VC artists and TnB friends Gross Misconduct, who had a successful fundraiser for their friend, James Holt. $1300 was raised on November 6th, and word from Jesse "Gandalf" Brint is that enough money has been collected for James to have the first round of radioembolization treatment. So, good news there, and we'll keep you updated on how things are going with Mr. Holt as the months progress. We continue to wish him nothing but the best.

Now, who deserves to be set on fire and left to turn to ash today? Simple: The Lake Shore. You're probably starting to hear about it already. Y'know, Canada's answer to the Jersey Shore and all that. The one where the trailer already has a Turkish woman by the name of Sibel Atlug proclaiming, "I'm not racist because I hate everybody equally, especially Jewish people." See, the thing is, she's heaping more hate onto a specific ethno-religious group. Of course, word is now getting out the the questionaires for cast members also included questions about whether or not the person had any distaste for another ethnic group. Now, why we needed our own "Jersey Shore" is beyond me, but why they have to go into this hurtful territory already, and why the producers are claiming it's supposed to be a "Social Experiment" is a crass attempt at manufacturing controversy at best, and completely disingenous at worst. This is not the kind of Canadian content we need.

I've got a better idea for CTV: If you want a reality TV show, go to Vancouver, look up Wendy 13, and observe her business dealings and the shows she puts on. Call it "The 'Balt," and you'll get a great look at the seedy underbelly of Vancouver, and look at the people who try to make there way forward in it, forced into that position the a municipal government that only cares about you if you're a hippy or a hipster. You'll still get cursing, you'll still see people partying, but you'll get a far more honest look at the Canadian identity then bringing a bunch of people from different immigrant communities together and trying to make them fight.

I'm not a fan of discriminating against people for things like gender, gender preference, mental health, race, or religion. Some things just can't be changed, and some choices are sacred and should be respected. If you have to discriminate against something, discriminate against attitudes. If you feel like someone has bad attitude towards a one of the five things listed above, don't hire them. "Tolerance" means putting up with something, "Accepting" is just that, living with something as a normal thing. We should be a nation of Acceptance, not Tolerance. Think about that as we take this month, more than any other, to remember the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers.

Godspeed and Party On,

Jé-Pé

Canada Has Talent - 2010 Gemini Awards

Canada's Highest honour in television the Gemini Awards celebrated its 25th anniversary, and broadcasted live from Toronto's historic Winter Garden Theatre. This year the ceremony was hosted by Glee's Cory Monteith and special presenters included Grace Park (Hawaii Five-0); the cast of Rookie Blue with Missy Peregrym, Gregory Smith, Enuka Okuma, Charlotte Sullivan and Travis Milne; Dan For Mayor's Fred Ewanuick; Republic of Doyle's Allan Hawco; Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev, Flashpoint's Enrico Colantoni; and Lost Girl's Anna Silk.

Some special highlights of the night was the 30 year tribute to Degrassi (side note Vampire diaries Nina Dobrev played Mia for 54 episodes) and after 30 years they deserve a tribute! For the musical performance highlight Elvis Costello, who accepted an award for best talk series for Spectacle: performed with Feist, Ron Sexsmith, Kendel Carson and Barry Bales. “We had an opportunity to make a band from scratch,” Costello said. “This band was put together just for tonight.”

A total of 19 awards were given with some highlights being CBC'c the Tudors winning best dramatic series which is no surprise. The Tudors is a historical look at Henry the 8th and all his wives; acting is excellent, story line that is in depth and all characters stories are well told in a entertaining television series.

As for the actors themselves - Scottish-born actor Robert Carlyle's performance as the scientist in Stargate Universe earned him the prize for best actor in a dramatic role and was up for awards in nine categories. There is no shortage of talent in Canada, you can see them on so many top show these days, and it's so amazing we have awards that celebrate our Canadian Talent.

Award Winners

Best Comedy Program or Series: "Less Than Kind"
Best Direction in a Dramatic Series: David Frazee, "Flashpoint" (episode "One Wrong Move")
Best Dramatic Mini-Series: "The Summit"
Best Dramatic Series: "The Tudors" which I can say it
Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series: Cathy Jones, Gavin Crawford, Mark Critch, Geri Hall, Shaun Majumder — "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" (episode 8)
Best Host or Interviewer in a Sports Program or Sportscast: Brian Williams, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
Best Individual Performance in a Comedy Program or Series: Benjamin Arthur, "Less Than Kind" (episode "That's Somebody's Knish!")
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series: Cle Bennett, "The Line" (episode 203)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series: Jared Keeso, "Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role: Caroline Cave, "Cra$h & Burn" (episode "Forget to Remember")
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series: Catherine Disher, "The Border" (episode "The Dead")
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series: Sun Li, "Iron Road"
Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series: Michael Buble, "Michael Buble at the Concert Hall"
Best Reality Program or Series: "The Cupcake Girls"
Best Talk Series: "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With..."
Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Program or Series: Marvin Kaye, Chris Sheasgreen, "Less Than Kind" (episode "Third Death's The Charm")
Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary Program: "Broke"

- MCL -

HOT EVENTS- Nov 13/14th

NOVEMBER 13TH (SATURDAY):

Guided By Robots, S.K. Robot @ The Anza Club, Vancouver, BC

Delorean, Lemonade @ The Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC

Total Chaos, Fear Of Tomorrow, The Hoovers @ Funky Winkerbeans, Vancouver, BC

Breathe Knives, Kataplexis, @ Marque Room, Calgary, AB

April Wine @ Deerfoot Inn & Casino, Calgary, AB

Watain, Goatwhore, Black Anvil,  @ Studio Seven, Seattle, WA

Kenny Mac, Gene Balk @ LoFi Performance Gallery, Seattle, WA

MORE EVENTS

CLICK HERE

NOVEMBER 14TH (SUNDAY):

Ozzy Osbourne, Halford @ Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

Watain, Goatwhore, Black Anvil, Galgamex @ The Rickshaw Theater, Vancouver, BC

CD Fallout, Pins N Needles, Chelsea Speed , Sickeversince @ Funhouse, Seattle, WA

MORE EVENTS

CLICK HERE

The Runaways: A Fantastic Film and Band

“The Runaways” = a great f**king film. It documents the early years of girls in rock n roll, and does so in a stylish and gritty fashion.

The focus of the film is on the band, The Runaways, and the relationship (occasionally sexual) between Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, who were the leaders of the band.

At the young age of 15, the girls start the first all-female rock n roll band and make it big as fast as Dakota Fanning has grown up. Fanning plays the infamous Currie while Kristen Stewart, of “Twilight” plays the rocker, Jett.

So after the girls make it big, they begin to struggle with the overwhelming availability of drugs and keeping the band rolling. Messed up childhoods are also thrown into the mix to add to the complete chaos of the girls’ lives.

But at the beginning of their fame, it seems cool and appears to be the ultimate life style. This is because it’s every teenagers dream: touring Europe without parents, playing rock n roll, getting into trouble and doing drugs. And as soon as all the fun starts, everything comes crashing down. Relationships are ruined, fist fights become the regular and drugs begin to rule every day life. Then before you know it, The Runaways crash and burn, all before the girls reach the shy age of 20.

-MF Greens -

Shinning Light - The Rickshaw Theatre Review

In one of the scuzziest parts of Vancouver, the kind of place that left Red Chord guitarist Mike "Gunface" McKenzie traumatized at the sight of a 14 year old kid shooting heroin, there lies the town's largest non-arena all-ages venue: The Rickshaw Theatre. In what was once a Chinese movie theatre, surrounded by the all the filth and depravity that Main and Hastings has to offer, a place for all kinds of metal and punk - and even the odd indie rock - acts to play to people of all ages. With a main level split between floor space and theatre-style seating, and the balcony has the coatcheck as well as full seating. The sightlines from both levels are great, and there's ample room on the main level for the merch stands and moshpits.

The sound at the Rickshaw is generally pretty decent, although some of the touring soundguys are of varying quality. The house soundguy, however, is very good. The sound system is the old Richards on Richards system, and is the biggest system that most local bands will have played on to date.

The Rickshaw is run a little differently from most all-ages venues in that the bars are not segregated, and you need to have a wristband in order to purchase alcohol. The beer selection is standard, for the most part, but includes Sapporo tall cans and Rogue Brewing Company beers on tap. There's also the usual assortment of highballs and coolers for purchase. The staff are all friendly, although definitely of the "alt" variety, and are all willing to help out and answer questions.

If you can get past the surrounding area, the Rickshaw is a great venue to go see a show at. As stated before, the staff are helpful and friendly, and the alcohol selection is decent. The sound is good, as a rule, and there's always great touring bands coming through to play the venue. It's definitely one of my favourite places to go see metal in Vancouver.

- Je Peh -

Mumford & Sons Hit, “The Cave”

Mumford & Sons are known for their melodic harmonies and foot-thumping banjo. And now, their music video for their hit song, “The Cave,” can be added to that list.

The music video features the four English folk-rockers putting around a tropical island on scooters, singing along to their flawless piece of music.

Meanwhile, a group of four gentlemen dressed in blue British military jackets, on the beach, are playing the band’s instruments and are lip-syncing to the song. To make this look even cooler, the singer of the group is wearing black Converse All-Stars.

The effect, to say the least, is phenomenal. The video actually looks as though the four random gentlemen are in fact making all the music and singing the song, while Mumford & Sons are just cruising around and singing back up vocals.

Overall, the music video for “The Cave” is absolutely amazing, as is the song. So if you are sick of crappy music videos made for crappy music, watch “The Cave.”

- MF Greens -

November EZINE

Novembers Ezine is packed full of news, reviews, events and much more from the indie music scene!

READ HERE

- MCL -

LimeWire is no More

Roma Rush
Issue date: 11/2/10 Section: Entertainment

PrintEmailArticle ToolsPage 1 of 1 "This is an official notice that LimeWire is under a court ordered injunction to stop distributing and supporting its file-sharing software. Downloading or sharing copyrighted content without authorization is illegal." -Legal Document

The widely known P2P file-sharing strong-hold. Lime Wire has officially discontinued its availability of free downloads. After a legal battle spanning four years, an injunction was released by U.S. Supreme Federal Court Judge, Kimba Maureen Wood, ordering Lime Wire to disable its "searching, downloading, uploading, file trading and/or file distribution functionality.

In August of 2006, several music recording labels and the Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA) sought legal action against the file-sharing program for copyright infringement. They claimed that by providing software that allows users to swap songs online, Lime Wire was the cause of millions of dollars lost in record sales and the a driving force behind "massive" copyright infringement. Furthermore, the RIAA decided to seek compensatory damages of at $150,000 per song traded on Lime Wire software.

Lime Wire isn't the first P2P file sharing program to come under legal action. In 2005,Metro-Goldyn Mayer Inc. sued peer-to-peer file sharing company Grokster, the provider of the P2P program Morpheus. The decision in the case held that P2P file sharing companies could in fact be sued for copyright enfringement. As a result, on November 7, 2005, Grokster discontinued its peer-to-peer sharing services.

Grokster's decision to discontinue was also followed by $50 million dollars of compensation fees the company had to pay to music and recording industries. In a recent statement,Lime Wire CEO, George Searle said, "Naturally, we're disappointed with this turn of events. We are extremely proud of our pioneering history and have, for years,worked hard to bridge the gap between technology and content holders rights." Searle continued by saying that LimeWire would find a new direction with "a completely new music service;" however, he did not reveal details of any new ventures.

Although disabling Lime Wire as a free peer-to peer software program seemslike a major blow to the to file sharing arena, the statement where there is a will, there is a way, remains especially true. Numerous P2P programs similar to Lime Wire are in existence and more are continuing to be created. This generates the question:Is trying to eliminate free file sharing programs such as Lime Wire practical? Whether it is or not, we shall wait and see which file sharing program will rise to take the throne Lime Wire once held.