Local pubs push
original music

Michael Becker
RECCRD REVIEW.

WO PUBS on the

North Shore are

leading the way local-
ly as venues featuring origi-
nal popular music.

. The Raven Pub in Deep Cove
and Sandy Cove in West Van-
couver are cultivating home-
grown talent by opening up their
entertainment programming
rosters and presenting new music
within the setting of an intimate
venue.

Music Now recently spoke with
Province music writer Tom Har-
rison, who plays with his band Lit-
tle Games, 9 p.m. Friday Aug. 28
and Saturday Aug. 29, at the
Raven Pub in Deep Cove.

Little Games has its roots in
Bruno Gerussi’s Medallion (BGM),
a band formed by Harrison and
pals in 19B4 as “a social drinking
club of friends and brothers.”

Little Games is shopping for a
label. The group’s demo tape —
Guitar Damage — is a pop-literate
bucket of guitar-driven nuggets.

Live this weekend at the Raven
you'll hear some of it, some of the
tracks put down by BGM’s 1989
Warner release In Search Of The
Fourth Chord and some cover
tunes.

Be prepared, to hear the Lemon

Pipers’ Green Tambourine if Little
Games guitarist Jimmy Walker
chooses to bring along his electric
sitar for the local gig.

Music Now: How significant is
the move by management at

the Raven Pub to open up to
original popular music — did
they not have live music in

there before?

T.H. : “It was more like soft rock
and R&B. But | find a couple of
things interesting. One is that in a
community that’s growing like the
North Shore is, a small pub in
North Vancouver is practically the
only place in North Vancouver
where you can see original
music.”

Music Now: What's your
reading on the paucity of orig-
inal live music options on the
North Shore; is it a case of

: there being so much on the
other side of the bridges?

T.H. : “I have a feeting that a lot
of people on the North Shore, like
in a lot of the other suburbs now,
just don’t travel. | think that North
Van is more conservative than !
think it once was. And the people
who have businesses reflect a
basic middle-class affluence.

“1 really don’t know why local
music on the North Shore hasn't
been able to stick, because really,
. with the population it has and the
age- group mix it should be able to
~wor

“I'm hearing of a whole bunch
of bands that are based in North
Vancouver.

“A lot of club owners or bar
managers want instant results.

“They are not necessarily into
music or supporting anything |i!->
that because that’s not what they
are there for.

“if they try something that
doesn’t work one week they may
try it again the next week, and if it
doesn’t create the type of results
they wanted, they give up on it.

“With something like that, you
have to educate the public
basically, get them used to the
idea that they could come to the
bar and see something that they
actually might like and then come
the next week and see something
they don’t like, but they should at
least come to the bar because you

~FHREE si SITTINGS PER YEAR

(1 every 4 months)

FIRST SITTING = — For the children

SECOND SITTING -For the family

THIRD SITTING — Grandparents alone or

EXTENDED FAMILY PORTRAIT

"photo Colin Price
MEMBERS OF the group Little Games Bruce Garrick, Jim Elllot#t, Jimmy Watker, Tom Harrison and

Ron Stelting will be playing at the Raven Pub in Deep Cove this Friday and Saturday at 9 p.i

never can tell.”

Music Now: For a music fan
that’s one of the best situa-

tions — you walk inio a place
without high expectations and

something wonderful happens.

T.H. : “That's why {like rock

n' roll in bars — it’s the idea of

wandering into a small place and
seeing something you like.

Music Now: How is West Van

for original live music?

T.H. : “They’ve got Sandy Cove.

They've been doing it longer, and
they’ve actually helped to cultivate

_ ascene there and like the Raven. .

it's a small piace.

“It's got the whole neighbor-
hood to itself, and people drop in
because it is their local, regardless

_ of who is playing. . The Raven has
{

the same kind of advantage. If
people want to have a drink, it's
the bar, and if they don’t like the
band, weil...
Music Now: ‘Right now there is
a proposat to put a youth
See The key page 30

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