A Change of Frequency - May 2nd

We are pleased to be a part of "A Change of Frequency," a benefit for Mental Health Canada.  May 2nd at Chapel Arts (304 Dunlevy Ave, Vancouver) featuring nine different musical acts including Combine the Victorious, Guilty About Girls and long time friends Sex With Strangers.  SWS front man Hatch Benedict will also be acting as MC for the night's festivities and with additional guests such as Jody Quine, We Found a Lovebird and;Muthafunkers, it should be a great night of music all for a very good cause. 

Last year's benefit managed to raise over $5000 for Mental Health Canada, and we hope this year will prove just as successful. 

A Change of Frequency is the heartfelt project of Minna Simko, widow of Todd Simko who took his life back in 2012.  The benefit is intended to raise awareness of mental health issues, as well as spread the love of music.  This will be its second year.

Thanks must go to Robert Edmonds of Evoke Designs for his excellent poster art once again. 

Photos from A Change of Frequency

Thanks to Chuk Foto for the great photos from the show!  Check out more of his work at black lettuce blogspot.

Pure / Guilty About Girls at A Change of Frequency

Saturday night was a full night of music at the Change of Frequency festival. Eight bands on stage in total, but it's been suggested that the highlight of the evening went to Todd Simko's former bandmates.  Performing three classic Pure songs from back in the day, as well as two more current Guilty About Girls tracks, the remaining original members were joined by  other friend's of Todd's to recreate those songs.

Jordy Birch and Mark Henning were complimented onstage by Justin "Juice" Kadis and Misty Reid (formerly of the Yoko Casionos and currently members of Combine the Victorious) as well as Stefan Sigerson and Guilty About Girls drummer Lucas Poth.   Leigh Grant, original drummer of Pure, was also called up to make a special appearance on the kit for a very authentic version of Denial.  Isabelle Dunlop from Combine the Victorious joined the group for the last two Guilty About Girls songs as well.

With eight acts to perform in one night the sets were fairly short, but Pure / Guilty About Girls managed to squeeze in several old favorites.  The set order ran as follows:
Blast (from the Pureafunalia album)
Anna is a Speed Freak (off Generation Six Pack)
Denial (Generation Six Pack)
Candy Candy (The Very Best of...)
Polygraph (The Very Best of...)

The band for the evening comprised:
vocals: Jordy Birch
keyboards: Mark Henning
drums: Lucas Poth / Leigh Grant
lead guitar: Justin "Juice" Kadis
rhythm guitar: Misty Reid
bass guitar: Stefan Sigerson
guest vocals; Isabelle Dunlop



(Thanks to Rod Grim for shooting video on the night)

It was a great event, for a good cause (Canadian Mental Health Association), and everyone had a great time.  Big thanks must go out to Minna Simko for organizing the entire thing, as well as the excellent crew who ensured everything went smoothly and professionally: Bob, Brian, Chris, Boris, and Jason all deserve special praise for their professionalism and great spirit!

Thanks for reading.

Pure and Combine @A Change of Frequency Saturday!

It's been quickly coming up on us, and this weekend is the first ever Change of Frequency music festival in New Westminster.  Put together by Minna Simko in memory of her husband and our dear friend Todd Simko, this is the realization of a dream Todd held to bring live music back to the Columbia Theatre in New West.

We've been rehearsing away in the studio, both bands making a lovely racket in our peaceful neighbourhood (thank you to out extraordinarily tolerant neighbours!) and things are sounding really amazing.  Combine the Victorious has the best line up ever with the additions of Juice and Misty.  The new songs are epic and masterful sounding, and there is even a brand new song written specifically for Todd Simko that will open the show.

Pure has expanded its lineup for this one off performance.  All good friends of Todd's, Jordy Birch and Mark Henning have even managed to get a hold of Leigh Grant (Pure's original drummer) to join them for a definitive version of Denial on stage this coming Saturday night.  With eight bands on the bill, it set is relatively short, but the music is sounding great and we're all excited to be playing some of the classic tracks. 

Come on out for both nights of great music, Friday night promises a more folk bases start, but concludes with the music of Fake Shark Real Zombie.  Saturday night is jam packed with indie rock, punk rock, garage rock, electronic experimental pop and of course the songs of Pure and Guilty About Girls.  It'll be great, not to be missed!

Tickets available online right now, but they are almost sold out, so get em quick!

A Change of Frequency Music festival

Next month, on May 10th and 11th, there will a music festival over in New Westminster held in memory of our departed friend Todd Simko: A Change of Frequency.   The proceeds of this festival shall be going to Canadian Mental Health Association to help bring awareness to this unspoken but highly common ailment in our society.  The show shall feature such acts as Fake Shark Real Zombie, White Ash Falls, Salteens, Castel Project, Scott Acomba, Ben Sigston, Kevin House, Fine Times, Jessica Lee, By Startlight, La Chinga, Wes Coast, Combine the Victorious and an incomplete lineup of Todd's former band Pure.
 

Robert Edmonds poster design

Tickets are available online at Hearing Protection Required (the name comes from Todd's recording studio) and you can also check out the event on facebook.  We are also offering a free download of the final Pure song that Todd ever played guitar on, So West Coast, over on the Boutique Empire bandcamp page.

Please join us for two nights of music honouring our friend's memory and fulfilling his dream to bring live music back to the venerable theatre in New Westminster, The Columbia. 

Thanks for reading.

So West Coast - now with Robert Edmonds cover art

The word is getting out about So West Coast, the last Pure song Todd Simko played on, and thankfully we now have a  Robert Edmonds' designed cover for it too!  (original photo by Janis Nicolay

Please have a listen, download and share it!



A Change of Frequency music festival is getting some nice attention in the press and radio, thank you to everyone involved.  Tickets are available now, links at the site.  Be sure to join us all on May10th and 11th for a really fulfilling weekend of music.   The first Pure/Guilty About Girls rehearsal sounded surprisingly good, and Combine the Victorious has a new song to debut written expressly for our friend Todd Simko.  Quite looking forward to this one!

Thanks for checking it out.
MRH