by Ali Siemens (Contributor)
Email: cascade.arts [at] ufv [dot] ca
The 2010 Western Canadian Music Awards held in Kelowna on October 24th seemed to shed light on how many talented British Columbian artists we have. Even more exciting is the Abbotsford band You Say Party (YSP) receiving Rock Recording of the Year for their album XXXX.
YSP is currently travelling across Europe for the Into the Wolf’s Mouth Tour and they have been updating their Facebook the entire time. From Amsterdam, to Utrecht, then off to Brussels, the band is making headlines and still receiving love and support from home. On November 2nd, the band shared with their followers their latest video, “Lonely’s Lunch,” directed by Sean Wainsteim, which was shot entirely in India. The video is a sexy, sci-fi chase through the streets of India, involving masked men chasing a gorgeous Indian girl. It is, all said, a well done music video that is dedicated to Devon Clifford, their former drummer, who passed away earlier this year.
The video is a great example of how YSP is making a name for themselves and creating equally impressive music videos to fit the bill. Amidst travelling updates, YSP is also keeping their followers updated with pictures from concerts, Halloween costumes and a picture of band member Rob getting smoked in the face with a bass guitar (very bloody, but he’s okay). Oh, 31 seconds ago while writing this, YSP shares: “Berlin tonight! A very meaningful return for us to a city we have a storied history with”. Thank you Facebook.
“Lonely’s Lunch” is not the only song from YSP’s XXXX album that is worth mentioning, but then again, I don’t know which song isn’t worth mentioning. It is no surprise to any followers of YSP that they won Rock Recording of the Year, and it won’t be any surprise when the local band wins more awards in the future.
Besides YSP, there are other artists worth mentioning who won at the Western Canadian Music Awards. British Columbian Dan Mangan won Best Independent Album of the Year for his latest album, Nice, Nice, Very Nice. Mangan also received Songwriter of the Year, both commendable awards.
Some of the other winning and nominated BC’er artists and bands were Chilliwack, Laurell, Maurice, The Latency, Cityreal, Bif Naked, Said the Whale (rockin’ the UFV green this past September), Yukon Blonde, Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle, Dustin Bentall, The Sojourners, Colin James, Wayne Lavallee, David Gogo, Jim Byrnes, Rich Hope & His Evil Does, The Jimmy Zee Band, Duplex!, Gogo Bonkers, Norman Foote, The Kerplunks, Jocelyn Morlock, Stephen Chatman, Birds of Paradox, Ed Henderson, Inhabitants and The Rakish Angels.
Congratulations are in order for Abbotsford’s own You Say Party. Keep yourself updated by following their Facebook or Twitter page to see the latest pictures from their European tour. You can also find their latest music video. Don’t forget to post your congrats on their wall!
