2010-11-27: Creaking Planks at the Orange Party

In some form or another, East Vancouver has been seeing on-and-off Orange Parties (vs. mere lower-case orange parties) since approximately 1990, celebrating supreme orangitude by convening in orange buildings, wearing orange clothes, eating orange food, drinking orange drinks, swimming in orange hot tubs and listening to orange music. The Orange Art Society formed in 2002 and since then regular Orange Festivities have been well-known ("Why is everybody buying orange clothes this week?" asked Burcu, while those of us in the loop shared a wink) and loved among certain segments of East Van's Burner community, with representation from key members of the Fool's Society and frequently incorporating big noise from the Carnival Band.

This year, because life is too short to wear boring shoelaces, we are going to discover just how orange we can make our music. (We often play blue; the color wheel theory suggests that orange will be the opposite.)

As the party is taking place at a very orange private residence, it's not clear how much further we can disclose regarding the proceedings, but as a consolation for the tragically un-orange, our performance the following night is open to all!

2010-11-08: Planks play CoDev benefit at Spartacus with the Gram Partisans

The jug band of the damned joins forces with East Van's political folkies in the Gram Partisans, playing a benefit for CoDevelopment Canada. Spartacus Books, 684 E. Hastings, 8-10 pm, $10.

2010-10-30: Creaking Planks at Cafe Deux Soleils

Hot on the heels of our first costume ball of the season the night before, the jug band of the damned moves up the street (just a couple of blocks) to Cafe Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Drive) to help raise some unruly spirits (from the remnants of the Parade of Lost Souls, no doubt) with the help of our delightfully dark friends Maria in the Shower and Jeff Andrew with his Crows at Midnight. 9 pm, $10.

2010-10-29: Creaking Planks play at Witches and Warlocks Critical Mass afterparty

What are you doing after this?

How about this?

Witches, warlocks and other Hallowe'en creatures that bump in the night, lend me your ear(wig)s! Our night to celebrate the powers of light and (mostly) the dark is nigh upon us! The cursedly Creaking Planks will begin the evening, after which Little Woo will alter the fabric of the space-time continuum, transporting us to "The Silent Kingdom" with shades of puppets.

The heresy of the Blackberry Woods will lead us into a Bacchanalian trance of dance madness, and the wizard known only as Timothy Wisdom will weave enchantments of endless motion until the late hours. Potions will be drunk and demon's gate spells will be cast.

The party rolls at the Grandview Legion Hall upstairs at 2205 Commercial Drive; admission is $10, or $8 if you arrive as part of Critical Mass. The carriages turn back into pumpkins at 2 am.

2010-10-24: Creaking Planks at Cafe Montmartre

The sun sets earlier and people enter an oasis of routine and everyday schedule between the end of summer and the start of holiday madness. Defying this so-called everydayness, the jug band of the damned takes to the Montmartre stage once again for the first time since May. By donation.

2010-09-28: Creaking Planks live on CaBaRadio

It was a cold, wet, late night at UBC, and as the witching hour approached we wondered if any of our fans would be hearing the three of us make merry music over the airwaves, courtesy of Teddy Smooth and E-roc at CiTR's CaBaRadio. Maybe not. But still -- there's always the Internet's long memory (sorry, tail) to fall back on. Thrill as we (eventually) reflect on our origins and quip regarding the recent Accordion Noir Festival! And enjoy three great tunes, including one recently exhumed while Stateside from the ancient past.

Here's the recording! And here's the playlist!

• Creaking Planks Trio - Insane in the Membrane (Cypress Hill): 12:57-16:30 (3:33)
• Creaking Planks Trio - CaBaRadio stinger: 16:31-16:40 (0:09)
• Creaking Planks Trio - Kiddie Closer (Nine Inch Nails): 16:41-20:34 (3:53)
• Creaking Planks Trio - (Hit Me) Baby One More Time (Britney Spears): 26:42-29:29 (2:47)

Bonus! Hear us simmer in the background as we promote a different radio station's affairs!

2010-09-24: Accordion Noir Festival Squeezebox Dance Party

The third annual Accordion Noir fest is upon us again, a whole week of festivities already underway (click here for full details) and as with the previous two years, the Creaking Planks simply had to log an appearance celebrating the bountiful local supply of the wonderful squeezy weirdness whose virtues the Accordion Noir radio show / podcast extols weekly. Otherwise put:

Friday, Septemeber 24th -- Vancouver's number one squeezebox dance party: Mezamazing, Maria in the Shower, the Orkestar Slivovica and the Creaking Planks!

This Friday night, we celebrate two of the greatest mechanical inventions of the 19th century: the accordion, brought to life in the hands of some of East Van's most bombastic purveyors of dance music from the Balkans and points further out in left field, and the bicycle, rolled along Vancouver's moist lanes and byways in defiance of the notion that the change of season has to bring with it a change in attitude.

Enjoy an earful of the sweet people-powered music that ruled over the pubs and campfires before steam power ruined everything, starting at 9 pm upstairs at the Grandview Legion Hall (2205 Commercial Drive) and running late into the night. Everyone can enjoy the show for the low price of $10, but helmet-clad Critical Mass riders pay only $8!