Concert BReak: Feb 21 - 28

A busy week ahead for all Vancouver concert-goers! More concerts and video after the jump.

Thursday, Feb 21
For details on tonight's shows, go to the last Concert BReak.

Friday, Feb 22
♦ Xavier Rudd @ The Queen Elizabeth Theatre: Another one of my favourite musicians comes through town! Australian folk singer Xavier Rudd is a one-man band of guitars, didgeridoos and percussion. He doesn't wear shoes and is a vocal supporter of the environment and aboriginal rights. Mishka is opening.
♦ The Hives @ The Commodore Ballroom (Sold Out): These Swedish garage rockers are number 8 on Spin Magazine's "Greatest Live Bands Now". The Donnas and The Hits! will open.
♦ Mother Mother & Said The Whale @ Performance Works: Both of these bands are local. Mother Mother is signed to the same the same label as The New Pornographers and Metric. Said The Whale has been getting quite a bit of attention over at CBCradio3.
♦ The Mountain Goats @ Richard's on Richards: This tour follows The Mountain Goats recent album release of "Heretic Pride". They are an acoustic trio led by John Darnielle—their lead singer. I think Darnielle's vocals give a Celtic vibe to the tunes. Jeffrey Lewis and The Jitters will also play.
♦ EOTO @ The Media Club: Xavier Rudd's After Party features this band from California. Their live shows include a lot of house and drum and bass improv. In addition to their laptops, the duo plays bass, guitar and various percussion instruments.
♦ Steve Grout @ Kingshead Pub (Day One): A folk-rock local who names Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon as influences.
♦ BlackMondoGrass @ The Media Club: Vancouver's BMG (not to be confused with BME) is a brand new rock band that sometimes reminds me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
♦ Taxes @ The Astoria Hotel: Vancouver punk. With Owl Drugs and Twin Crystals.

Saturday, Feb 23
♦ Josh Ritter @ Commodore Ballroom: Over the last few months I've noticed that the buzz over this indie folk-rocker is growing. Emm Gryner will open.
♦ Angelique Kidjo @ River Rock: I mentioned Kidjo briefly in a previous post. She's a four-time Grammy nominee and is well known as an accomplished world afro-beat musician.
♦ The Good News @ The Biltmore Cabaret: These guys bear a very slight musical resemblance to The Shins. They'll be playing with Paul Devro.
♦ Steve Grout @ Kingshead Pub (Day Two): See above.
♦ The Dreadnoughts @The Media Club: Celtic punk rock. Nim Vind and Land will also grace the stage.
♦ The Sumner Brothers @ Princeton Pub: This is a four-piece country/blues/folk group who actually have brothers in the band (Brian and Bob Sumner). They'll play with Dylan Thomas.
♦ In The Red @ The Balmoral: These guys play punk that isn't screamo or hardcore. They'll play with The Flares.

Monday, Feb 25
♦ Holy Fuck @ Richard's on Richards: No, I'm not just swearing—it's their name! They play instrumental synth-beat music while refusing to use computers, midi, samplers, sequences, and drum-machines. They use a combination of instruments and a 35mm film synchronizer to achieve the experimental effect they want. I'm not surprised that these guys have made Radiohead's hot-tracks list.

Tuesday, Feb 26
♦ Vienna Boys Choir @ Kay Meek Centre (Day One - All Ages): This choir doesn't need much introduction: it's been around for over six hundred years, and has been world renowned for much of that time.
♦ Cobblestone Jazz @ The Plaza Club:Techno/House based group based out of Victoria/Vancouver.

Wednesday, Feb 27
♦ Greggory Isaacs @ Commodore Ballroom: Reggae lovers will be interested to hear Isaacs, who shares a similar style with Bob Marley.
♦ Vienna Boys Choir @ Bell Performing Arts Centre (Day Two - All Ages): See above
♦ Whitey @ The Media Club: Ska out of Chilliwack. Whitey will share the stage with The EliXXXirs, Fuzzcat, and The Friday Knights.

Thursday, Feb 28
♦ Daniel Wesley @ The Commodore Ballroom (Day One): He's a local that has been gaining radio time for his song "OO Oh". Does anyone else think that he sounds like a surf-rock version of Sublime? Currentswell also plays.
♦ Certain Breeds @ Honey: Lovers of You Say Party! We Say Die! may find this band interesting. They're local and have female singers, but also they also have a lighter side to them. Worlds Greatest Ghosts and Terror Bird also play.
♦ Lindsay May @ Backstage Lounge: Lindsay May has a folk-pop feel. Her influences include Jann Arden, Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan.
♦ The Living @ The Royal Unicorn: This six-piece group fuses classical violin melodies with metal guitar riffs and vocals.
♦ The Old Familiar @ The Royal Unicorn: The Old Familiar seems to be a predominantly solo folk act led by Jon Bunyan. Tariq will also be playing.

That's that! Be sure to use our comments section to add to the list and tell tales of last night's show.