Sunday, April 24, 2011

Guilty About Girls - Friday June 3rd

Friday June 3rd - The Peak 100.5 and The Georgia Straight present:
Guilty About Girls - performing their first headlining show at VENUE (881 Granville Street, Vancouver, Canada). Joining them on this auspicious occasion will be Sex With Strangers, hot on the heals of their brand new album Frontier Justice, along with the west coast pop of Young Pacific.

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
Tickets available at Zulu Records, Red Cat Records and Highlife as well as Ticketweb

Early show - doors at 7PM, show begins at 7:30PM

 
Robe poster design


Friday, April 15, 2011

Sex With Strangers Georgia Straight Review

Sex With Strangers unleashes a sweaty, hedonistic dance party
By Alex Hudson, April 15, 2011


At the Biltmore on Thursday, April 14




(Rebecca Blissett photo)

Sometime shortly after 12:30 a.m., Sex With Strangers frontman Hatch Benedict joked, “I’m looking forward to working tomorrow.” The irony of this statement was not lost on the undeniably-into-it audience. It may have been a weeknight, but even the promise of a gruelling hangover didn’t stop the revellers from turning the Sex With Strangers CD-release show into a sweaty, hedonistic dance party.

The evening began with newcomers the Controlling Boyfriends making their live debut. The group's members appeared to be battling a case of nerves, and before they even played a song, one of the two rappers admitted, “This was thrown together at the last minute.” This genesis might have explained why the instrumental accompaniment included only a drummer and bassist. The arrangements were a little thin, but this didn’t stop the MCs from delivering an adrenalized performance, leading those who showed up for the 9 p.m. start time in a series of call-and-response shout-alongs.

The energy only went up from there, as the all-female Joyce Collingwood cranked the amps for a fast and furious set of face-melting thrash. The quintet tore through well over a dozen songs in under 20 minutes, with many of the tunes clocking in at around a minute, and the shortest of the bunch consisting of only a single chord. Most of the group’s material relied on a pummelling combination of power chords and pulse-racing rhythms, the guitarists ventured up the fret boards on “Who Cares?” to unleash fiery, interlocking metal licks. This clearly made a major impression on one long-haired headbanger near the front, who spent the performance tossing his blond locks and pumping a fist in the air.

Between sets, Mark Henning from Guilty About Girls and the now-defunct Pure spun a clubby selection of radio hits and obscure gems that ensured that the dance floor never empty.

Though the Biltmore was only half-full, Run With the Heard kept the party people moving with its freakish take on experimental dance-pop. With as many as seven people on stage at once, the outfit delivered a genre-defying squall that ranged from Auto-Tuned pop to backwoods country to ’90s-infused hip-hop. Strangest of all was one song that began as a ramshackle banjo hoedown before morphing into a computerized rager that, bizarrely, found a middle ground between folk and electroclash. Tight as the musicianship was, the best part of the whole spectacle was the sunglasses-wearing bro clutching a tiny plastic six-stringer that appeared to be a Guitar Hero controller converted into a synthesizer.



Run With the Heard lets no piece of out-of-date video-game hardware go to waste. Rebecca Blissett photo.

It was midnight before the headliners took the stage, but Sex With Strangers rewarded the faithful’s patience with a selection of four-on-the-floor dance-rock bangers. This was the release show for the band’s new long-player, Frontier Justice, a concept album about the warring survivors of an apocalypse. The six-piece didn’t let the weighty subject matter hamper the fun, as Benedict introduced two consecutive songs as being “about fucking”.

The massive, bearded frontman’s banter was frequently obnoxious but consistently hilarious throughout the 50-minute set. During Frontier Justice’s title track, the pulsing low end prompted him to observe, “That’s bass, it’s in your face.” Then, between songs, he informed the crowd, “I have one testicle. That’s true.”

The Awkward over-sharing of too much information aside, the robotic, four-on-the-floor disco numbers kept the Biltmore teeming. During the encore, Benedict invited the audience on-stage, and the band finished the night bumping elbows with the punters. And in an uncharacteristically gracious moment, he added, “Thank you very much for sticking it out.”

Hopefully, after a job well done, he rewarded himself by calling in sick for work.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Robert Edmonds hangs at Dunlop Pop Up

    A week in and the Isabelle Dunlop Pop Up Shop is in full swing.  Her spring collection: dresses, sweaters, scarves, necklaces all on display (along with a selection of the Boutique Empire music library).

    On Saturday, the long appreciated and loved artist, Robert Edmonds, dropped off a brand new painting, which shows Isabelle as a young girl standing with her horse "Hamish."  (detailed image below)

The shop now has two original painting adorning its walls.  The first is an abstract by Jordy Birch titled "The Meek Won't Want It" (acrylic on canvas, 4'x6' - pictured above) the second is the Robert Edmonds (80x60 acrylic on canvas - formal title still to be determined).
Open daily Tuesday thru Sunday, Noon until 5PM (later if necessary).  196 Kingsway, Vancouver (corner of Kingsway and 10th Ave E) 







Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Designs of Isabelle Dunlop







(close up of the wall on the way into the shop)

On the Corner of Kingsway and 10th Ave E.   Open 12-5 daily (except Monday)



Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Cover Art of Robert Edmonds




Isabelle Dunlop Pop Up Shop Now open

The Isabelle Dunlop Pop Up Shop is now open.   The clothes are on display, the scarves are adorning the windows and art is being hung on the walls. 

Located at the corner of 10th and Kingsway in the former Cantu building, open Tuesday thru Sunday 12-5 pm.  
Also available at the shop are cds from various Boutique Empire recording artists and tickets to the upcoming Sex With Strangers cd release party - April 14th and the Guilty About Girls show at Venue on June 3rd.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

SEX WITH STRANGERS CD Release party Annouced.

(Robert Edmonds artwork & poster design)

The Georgia Straight and CITR 101.9FM present:
Sex With Strangers CD Release Party -
Frontier Justice
April 14th @ The Biltmore
(19+)

Sex With Strangers are celebrating their fourth album release, "Frontier Justice." The CD Release party is Thursday April 14th-2011 at The Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, Canada featuring guests Run With the Heard, Joyce Collingwood, The Controlling Boyfriends and dj sets by Guilty About Girls.

(doors at 8PM, show begin 9PM sharp.)

From the new album, Boutique Empire presents: Born Again Liars Social Club.


Isabelle Dunlop Pop Up Shop April 1-30

Isabelle Dunlop (fashion designer and singer with three Boutique Empire projects) is pleased to announce she has a Pop Up Shop for the month of April.  Located at 10th and Kingsway (the old Cantu building) Isabelle will be displaying her clothes and jewelry along with paintings from Robert Edmonds and Jordy Birch and making all the Boutique Empire music collection available for sale as well. 

Yesterday was just a set up day, but things are looking good already.  It's a great space with huge wall spaces, just ready for the soon to be delivered Robert Edmonds' painting! (pictured above is Jordy Birch's "The Meek Won't Want It") 

Friday, April 1, 2011

Sex With Strangers-Born Again Liars Club

In advance of their new album Frontier Justice, Boutique Empire proudly presents the latest clip from Sex With Strangers "Born Again Liars Social Club".    Filmed in Vancouver at live performances at The Cobalt and The Forum, the video is an advance peek at the new sound of the album.



Cd release party is April 14th 2011 at The Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, Canada. special guests on the evening will be Run With The Heard, Joyce Collingwood introducing The Controlling Boyfriends. Early show, lots of entertainment, and DJ sets by Guilty About Girls.