"buster, he sold the heat..."

*"with a rocksteady beat..."

chris face

wind snap

seymour

(another) 6-hour session

*that was some serious WZRDRY right there!@#$%!!!

war and peace

why don't we do it in the ballpark?

there's lots going on at VIN HQ right now. vancouver summer (august???) is almost here and will hopefully dry the extended winter wetness to the bone. that's what i'm prayin' for anyways!@#$%!!! just returned from ballpark canada day festivities in grand forks B.C. w/ ashly ash, ford pier vengeance trio, and the mighty ladyhawk. w/ a torrential downpour the show's powerful opening act ("well played"), the crowd was slim, but certainly well charged and ready to cut loose. as the skies eventually cleared and night began to fall, i looked up at the moon and thought to myself, "this is how concerts should be!!!" definitely a far cry from the majority of sweaty-roofed vancouver venues and their sticky, oft-soulless confines. perhaps i was just feeling some international vibrations from heaton park in greater manchester where the stone roses were in the midst of a 3-night open air stand playing to 225,000 music maniacs??? it also took me back to an earlier outdoor concert experience, the first another roadside attraction tour, held in agassiz, B.C.. almost 20 years ago. ARA's 1993 edition saw the tragically hip, midnight oil, pere ubu, and world party ("is it like today"-era w/ chris sharrock!@#$%!!!) hit the stage w/ a most scenic mountain backdrop and hippie food vendors along with environmental/political stalls that merged the day's musical pulse w/ a greater awareness. it's still my measuring tape for what a concert can be. highlights of grand forks' canada day celebration, while not as ambitious in aim as ARA, was FPVT's ripping version of the beat's "save it for later," fresh material from ladyhawk (new album coming this fall on triple crown audio!!!), and a stocked beer garden in support of local ski hill, phoenix mountain. dancing in a soggy field w/ a lovely crew of locals was hella fun too. ok, the sun is out today, it's 11:21 am and i'm still in my PJs. gotta jet... PEACE

peace to the bear

"thinking of you"

more yelapa...

*lomography from The Bath

yelapa, mexico

black thunderbird

sipreano/dancing bear hijack cowbell radio

cowbell radio (july 8, 2011) by sipreano

the sandinistas (2 step)

12 HOURS TO BLOW!!!

yo folks, friends, and foes,
sipreano here. it's been a s(l)ick lil' run, but w/ nothing but good vibes, i'm freeing up my thursday nights after 2 more SIPREANO IN THE TIKI BAR sessions (june 2nd and 9th)...

also glad to report that they'll be some new weekly tiki bar nights w/ DJs nowhere near as good as me (duh!!! lol!!!), but ones who may be able to get the desired mix of numbers and substance... to quote some parka-wearing bloke in quadrophenia, "get in there my son..."

for those in need of a sipreano waldorf DJ fix, fear not, i will continue proudly w/ H.O.D. and TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF MOD on the 1st and 3rd fridays of the month respectively (and likely drop into the tiki bar from time to time no doubt)...

to those aforementioned folks, friends, and foes who just couldn't get it up to get out and check out my ever improving skills on the tech 1200's/bozak mixer combo, you have 2 more thursday night shots... to the faithful troopers (like the silo, jay g, dougie the mod, nancy, the one-and-only hot body, and co.), let's burn this night out in style!!!

and hey, there's finally a highball/beer drink special, so there ya go...

thinking back, maybe a lil' recap will set the mood:

for the last 6 months, i, sipreano have spun about 144 hours of music on original press vinyl 7"/LP/12" formats in the best hi-fi stereo bar in vancouver (w/ some fantastic bartenders and staff)... if i've done the math right (not likely), that's about 2,880 3-minute songs... DAMN!!! step to that...

the winter was long and to be honest, the room went from jam-packed busy to dead as a door nail on the odd unfortunate rainy night (bar the die hard bar set). i think this will change come summer, but apart from one 1-minute stretch where i played the sounds of silence to myself and the bartender after a faulty disco mix, it was nothing but TUNES... jazz, easy listening, soul, funk, reggae, psychedelic, garage, punk, post-punk, ska, nature sounds, bar rock, 80's pop, UK, mod, folk, disco, lounge, exotica, oddball, SSW, and so much more... from arthur lee to art snider, jackie mittoo to VIIth temple, and over to laid back and the special a.k.a.

highlights included a festive holiday edition soulcial reunion w/ kamandi, a riotous all thin lizzy st. patrick's day jam, random visits from some of NYC's finest (scotty hard and virus), multiple guest appearances from limbo (jay gundzik), dancing bear, the stunt man, psych night josh and killer all-vinyl sets by cesar banares, rodney graham and john collins...

there was also dancing, definitely drinking, and maybe even some other stuff, a great continuation of my musical education all-in-all...

thanks to thomas for making this swing, danny for being down, and pete for the link!!!

littered amongst the forgotten remnants of FB invites and past, present, and future promotional pomp, if you're still reading this, w/ 12 hours to blow, the party ain't over yet... i promise to give my best to YOU!!!

like the beans' 48-hour sugar refinery gig that i never went to, come and cheer me on for 2 more marathon 6-hour sets, help raise a toast, say f@ck it and wear sweatpants to a bar, hit a rock, watch it roll, go outside your comfort zone, dance for exercise, smoke something in the alley, get laid, bring a record for me to play, let me give you an on-the-fly DJ lesson, say "hello," whatever floats your boat...

spread the word or spread the butter. see you or see you not...

BIG love,
sipreano

from prime to crime

shout

shomerde interview/mix

well, it took a while, but i finally recorded an original mix for shevan and the toronto-based shomerde posse. hit "that better enemy: sipreano mix/interview" for the link (wink, wink, catch 'er while ya can cause i don't know how long they'll have the file up for...). continuing along in the vein of two previous sets for tokyo's sandinista clothing company ("share the land" and "sweet grass music"), "april 6 mix" is an all-canadian set of vinyl 7"/LP tunes from out of the unknown, into my archives, and back into the ether in the form of a 60-minute live blend. while there's no track-listing, i'd be curious if any heads out there can ID any of the songs? couple obvious ones for seasoned collectors, but lots of off-the-grid material... "untapped MAPL" © if you will. stoked to officially license a couple of these tracks for upcoming reissues on light in the attic records... keep your eyes peeled and ears to the ground folks! peace

tune in tiki (tonight)...

yes, another thursday is upon us!!! i've been vibing out w/ a lot of new/old music from my collection this past week and even laid down an hour-long mix yesterday afternoon (*i'll def link here when it drops)... but back to today and another 8 pm - 2 am sipreano in the tiki bar vinyl session. now you've likely heard me say this elsewhere, but the tiki bar is vancouver's best music listening room. each week i handpick an eclectic yet related selection of easy listening, folk, jazz, soul, reggae, post-punk, 80's, oddball, rock, psych, etc... and proceed to break it down, one LP, 7" or 12" single at a time. all receive their turn, presented w/ love for open ears. while this may be somewhat unconventional in today's ADD digital age, there's no doubt a firm need for this form of entertainment, a return to a simpler place and time... the basement stereo clubhouse, living room hi fi set up or your older sister's bedroom dansette... where records played and minds e-x-p-a-n-d-e-d... and while i'm nowhere near as cool as your older sister, i do play the music i love and share it w/ family and friends. sweet vinyl records played on a sound system that makes your MP3-fueled iPod or computer speakers blush in embarrassment at their lack of any real audio expression... ok señor sipreano, enough preaching (to the converted), but please join me at the tiki bar tonight if you can. there may even be a midnight (black) mass appearance/set from mr. dancing bear himself which would elevate this humble evening to something of a "happening"... "float on" by folks. "float on"...

expose yourself (powell river)...

just got back from three life affirming days on the sunshine coast w/ "hot body" and dancing bear... we left early saturday morning to catch the first langdale bound ferry out of horseshoe bay and were followed along the journey by some heavy rainfall. still, by the time we pulled out of saltery bay en-route to powell river (aka "the power," sipreano ©) things were clearing up—hope!!! guess they call it the "sunshine coast" for a reason, eh??? excited by the promise of a super full moon that evening, we began enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes (quality foods represent!!!) of the region in preparation for the BIG event: expose yourself-an exhibition for exhibitionists. hosted at the future home of townsite brewing, the party not only featured a breadth of multi-media erotic art, but pole dancing, artisan crafts, a live performance by local supergroup godz ballz, food, drink, and even an oyster bar... yunno, the recipe for a good time!!! kamandi, dancing bear, and yours truly provided the vinyl soundtrack along w/ local DJ the chad. w/o spilling all of our dirty little secrets (*please join the caravan for the next go round!!!), here are some snaps of our trip in sacrifice to the voluntary in nature altar...
peace,
sipreano

1. upon arrival (kamandi's backyard)

2. the shack

3. quality foods (aka heaven)

4. expose yourself

5. dancing bear (pineapple power) and kamandi (the phantom)

6. dancing bear and sipreano (over/trench coat)

7. aftermath

8. hard to say goodbye

abruzzo pizza

abruzzo pizza (9010 yonge street, richmond hill) was my first pizza experience as a north york-born child. considering how much 'za i've consumed in my thirty-six years, a BIG deal (round here anyways). but back to the start. my family lived not far away from abruzzo in the mid-to-late 70s and i recall the steaming cardboard boxes and regal logo (a card-like Queen???). though i believe there was a change of ownership at some point, it was with great anticipation that i returned late last year for another slice... the taste??? fantastic!!! though i avoided dipping my crust into coke as i used to do as a child, each piece was warm, comforting, and as delicious as i remembered. great work folks!!! do yourself a favour, enjoy some pizza soon!!!