LOCAL EXPOSURE: There's just no Parallel for good TVee.

(Kyle "Bullitt" McQueen of The TVees isn't really a singer. He's just trying to catch Skittles in his mouth. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)

What started as a casual night of drinking at The Beehive (Honey Lounge) soon became yet another fantastic Vancouver indie night for us at the blog to remember for months to come. Kaleena, Pearce and I hunkered down in cushy seats the moment we arrived, and the ambiance was immediate: 50s-style dresses, Audrey Hepburn-esque updos and fedoras all made appearances within the 20-something crowd. At first, the atmosphere was decidedly chill, with Katie GoGo and Suzy Q singing sultry jazz room duets just over the background noise. We all carried on a conversation at first, and though neither Katie nor Suzy explicitly requested that we pay attention, we gave it to them willingly.

When The Parallels came up, it was like they were made of magnets. The entire room gravitated towards the improvised stage, and I put down my beer and fished out my camera. Being faithful to the spirit of 50s and 60s rock in this day and age of overindulgent electronica and hip-hop pop excess is like an oasis in the desert. “Arms to Hold You” reminded me of The Who, the electric keyboard set to Organ brought to mind The Zombies, and over it all, the way they spat out each line like a shot of whiskey made me think of The Hives. Pearce mentioned that they even had their Beatlesy moments, covering “One After 909” successfully and with panache. See a short clip of The Parallels performing below.

Note: Please excuse the poor sound and subpar video quality. We're learning to optimize in coming weeks.

The TVees continued the vibe with tunes like “My Baby” and “Stranded”, which could all just have easily been a Kinks B-side. The bouncy bass rhythms and bright catchy hooks kicked me ass-backwards about three decades, back to an age when mushroom haircuts were all the rage and everyone dressed like a prep school bookstore clerk. It was just the kind of thing to get us all moving. Easily one of the best indie live acts Vancouver has to offer, and immediately approachable, meaning they’re just as likely to get your mom all hot and bothered as they are your sister in junior high. It’s honestly refreshing to see this generation of youngsters picking up on the music of decades past and making it their own.

It was over a year ago ThatRockBlog.com first found out about Katie and Suzy and the musical shindigs they throw. Even after all these months, the magic is still there, and for only a fraction of what you’d pay anywhere else to see something just as good.

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