The Biltmore Cabaret, that much-needed and relatively new addition to Vancouver's live music scene, has been forced to close its doors.
Details are sketchy and there's no indication this is a permanent closure, but you shouldn't be telling your friends you'll meet them at the Biltmore this Friday night unless you're trying to send them a nasty message.
Owner Zak Pashak has written an open letter to Coun. Peter Ladner, which is making the rounds on music and city blogs.
In the letter, Pashak explains that the club has indeed broken a couple of rules, but argues they are small potatoes compared to other rules that are broken by other bars on a nightly basis. (See the full text of Pashak's letter here.)
Apparently, the club expanded its stage without the proper permits and has been known to go over its allowed capacity.
Pashak, however, believes the city is taking unnecessarily punitive measures against the club.
"The amount of heat being put on us is completely out of scale," he writes. "We are a well run, well intending bar that wants to do good things here in Vancouver and we are following the rules."
The acts scheduled to play at the Biltmore in the coming weeks include the Stolen Organ Family Band (Aug. 28), Lint (Aug. 29), Sleepercar (Sept. 6), and Alejandro Escovedo (Sept. 16).
You can help save the Biltmore by writing a letter to a city councillor.
With such a dearth of live music venues in this city, it would be a real shame to see another one close its doors for good.

Radiohead's show last night at Thunderbird Stadium was sublime. Had I not been watching it with a laptop in front of me and a deadline looming, it could have been something of a transcendent experience. The band's music, combined with the spectacular light show, has that kind of potential.
What was decidedly un-sublime, however, were the logistics of getting to and from the UBC venue. Even though I'd allowed myself 90 minutes to drive from downtown, I found myself abandoning my car and my boyfriend in standstill traffic to make a mad dash to the gates in order to catch Radiohead's first song. And when I got to will call, no one could find my ticket, so I was re-directed to another gate. Needless to say, I was peeved.
But that was nothing compared to what Laura Dione Rooke experienced as she tried to get out of the venue — along with 22,000 other people — after the show. She e-mailed me this morning with a somewhat terrifying account of fence-climbing in the dark and navigating a slippery, dark forest as she tried to get back to her car.
She wrote: "There were incredible problems after the concert ended."
Rooke had left the stadium by way of an emergency exit, that lead her into a pitch black forest and then to a fence that people had to climb if they didn't want to turn back.
"My partner and I chose not to climb the fence because it was too dangerous and to return to the Emergency Exit and leave through the main gates. At that point, Thunderbird staff locked that exit and refused to let anyone back out the correct way. We had to trample through the UBC gardens and exit, only to be told we couldn't take Stadium Road (band security, as if the band would have cared) and walk more than a kilometer to get back to the front of the Stadium to meet our party - this all happening during a huge downpour.
"With UBC responsible for certain Olympic venues, they'd better get their 'ducks in order' because I am pretty sure such an incident would not go down well with VANOC."
Curious about the chaos, I called the university detachment of the RCMP today to find out if any injuries were reported surrounding the show, but was told everything went very smoothly and no one was hurt.
Clearly, the perspectives of the police and the concert-goers were somewhat different.
It will be interesting to see if the situation is any better for tomorrow night's Jack Johnson show at Thunderbird.

The music beat is all about feast or famine. There are either so many bands in town during the same week that it's impossible to cover them all off (as was the case in July). Or, there's so little going on you find yourself digging through your e-mail inbox and piles of CDs for something worth writing about (as is the case for these first few weeks of August).
July had me at the Whistler Music Festival one weekend, the Pemberton Festival the next, and regrettably turning down the opportunity to see Emmylou Harris live at the Orpheum because, frankly, I was all concerted out. Earlier in the month, there had been James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, and Mark Knopfler all crying out for reviews.
That's a whole lot of music to absorb and digest.
Looking back, I will remember the Whistler Festival as one of the most tragic music events I've ever attended. Not because of the performances, most of which were great (with acts such as the Roots, Elvis Costello and Thievery Corporation, it was hard to be disappointed with the line-up). But because of the sparse attendance, the depressing and prickly dusty mountain field, and the absolute lack of a festival vibe.
I will remember the Pemberton Festival as a dusty, dirty, logistical mess that found me walking up to 12 kilometres a day to and from the site. But I will also remember the brilliance of Tom Petty, the energy of Jay-Z, and the sheer rocking  force of Vancouver's Black Mountain.
James Taylor made GM Place sound and feel like an intimate theatre venue. Stevie Wonder sadly made it feel like a big echoey arena. And Mark Knopfler was solid — but not particularly memorable — at the Orpheum. More recently, Feist was gorgeously well-suited to the warm summer night she had for her concert at Deer Lake Park.
Looking forward to Radiohead next week, and Beck the week after that. (And a little time to breathe between now and then.)

Most concerts I attend don't dictate good behaviour. Usually, it's the opposite. I've had beer accidentally splashed down my front by a very enthusiastic (and drunk) Tragically Hip fan. I've witnessed a guy passed out in his seat before Bon Jovi even hit the stage. I've had a young man insist on draping his arm around me so he can yell in my ear. And I was nearly knocked out by a beer bottle that came flying off the Georgia Street viaduct outside the Van Halen concert.
It's all part of the excitement, I guess you could say, of a big rock concert.
But for a show like k.d. lang's at the Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts, a certain level of decorum — or plain courtesy — was to be expected. Her songs are not the type that withstand the audience talking over them. (Read my concert review here.)
Yet for some baffling reason, a woman seated behind me Thursday night launched into a fit of the giggles during one of lang's most beautiful songs. She hiccupped and snorted as lang closed her eyes to sing the lyrics, "Every step you take is guided by the love of the light on the land and the blackbird's cry. You will walk in good company."
And still, it went on. The woman continued to gasp and chortle for the entire song. When it looked as though it might continue for lang's famous take on Hallelujah, I gave her a quick over-the-shoulder glare.
I will confess to occasionally losing myself to laughing fits, but not while listening to a voice as remarkable as k.d. lang's.
It was, in many ways, more inconsiderate and offensive than the guy who spilled beer down my shirt.
But enough of that rant and on to brighter things. It's the eve of my two-week summer vacation. I plan to use at least some of the time to listen to all the recent releases I've missed or ignored, and a few of the new ones that have landed in my mailbox.
I'm planning to check out Sloan, Katy Perry, the new Paul Weller, Spiritualized's Songs in A&E, Women and lots more. (I'm also looking forward to pulling out some of my old favourites.)
I'll post again after July 1st.
Happy summer.

I am a delinquent blogger. My few postings have been sporadic and spotty. I apologize, and am working to mend my ways.
The lack of blog postings was not for a lack of music. No. There has been plenty of music.
Here are some highlights:

• The first real concert of summer — R.E.M., Modest Mouse and the National at Deer Lake Park — was fantastic. (My review is here.) My father and I ate messy, overpriced Greek food while Michael Stipe blew us away with his voice and his strange negotiation of awkwardness and joy at being on stage. (And, did you hear? Stipe and one or two other members of R.E.M. headed to the Biltmore Cabaret after their Deer Lake set to check out Vancouver band Young and Sexy's show. How great is that!?)
• I sadly missed Billy Bragg's show at St. Andrews Wesley church last Thursday, but I heard it was outstanding. A woman I met at last year's Bon Jovi show is also a Bragg fan and e-mailed me a great note after seeing the show. This is a bit of what Amy said: "These days, when I see a concert, it isn’t satisfying unless it makes me feel like I can change the world. That is exactly the message that the preacher gave as we gathered at St. Andrews on Thursday night. Amongst brothers and sisters, not minding the mix of politics with our music, we shuffled on to the wooden benches for two hours of music, poetic storytelling and current US Presidential Campaign headlines."
• I had the recent privilege of interviewing k.d. lang and was delighted to discover she is eloquent, funny, forthcoming and kind. There are those interviews that have you watching the clock, wondering when the time-restricted torture will end. And then there are those that make you want to stay on the phone all afternoon. k.d. lang most definitely falls into the latter category. Looking forward to seeing her perform here in Vancouver later this week.
•Emmylou Harris's new album, All I Intended to Be, is out June 10 and is gorgeous. I have found myself listening to a lot of less-than-gorgeous music lately, which made Emmylou's brand of melodic country melancholy oh so sweet when I put it on the stereo this weekend. It was a bit like tasting a fine, fine Gruyere after weeks of eating processed cheese slices.

There's plenty more to discuss, but I'll save that for a future posting. And, I promise there will be a posting in the near future. Promise.

Despite my not-so-kind review last week of her new album, Hard Candy, my heart fluttered a bit this morning at the news that Madonna — MADONNA — will be gracing us with her presence on October 30. How could it not?
I still think her latest offering of candy is far from sweet (in fact, I think it’s as foul as that trick candy that tastes like soap), but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t jump at the chance to see her Madgesty live, in the flesh.
Aside from an unwavering — and perhaps unhealthy — fascination with her suspiciously unsagging, unwrinkled 49-year-old face and rock-hard body, I am fascinated by Madonna the entertainer, Madonna the icon.
There is a magnetic appeal to her that sucks you in and commands you to pay attention. Some would argue that her appeal also commands respect — in a master and slave kind of way — which might explain the blind devotion many of her fans seem to have for her.
I criticized Madonna in my Hard Candy review for sounding like she was parodying herself. I wrote: “It’s a sexed-up foray into hip hop lite that has the 49-year-old Material Girl sounding more like a near-breakdown Britney Spears than the trailblazing innovator that she often gets credit for being.”
I also noted that “there is something incredibly sad about a near-50-year-old woman unwilling to show her age and instead choosing to ramp up her campy sexuality to sell albums.”
Oh! How the vicious e-mails flowed.
One reader decided I was evil, arrogant and a “no talent, no brainy piece of crap.”
A few people diagnosed me with severe jealousy and one told me to see a therapist.
Yet none shared their opinions of the album. Not one person defended Hard Candy on its artistic merit.
One very articulate and tempered Madonna fan wrote, “I find it very surprising that a professional woman as yourself, is commenting negatively on the fact that Madonna is showcasing her sexuality -- a 50 year old woman that has the energy, stamina and ability to showcase that sexuality is something that should be applauded.”
I chose to respond to this note because a) he didn’t hammer me with a string of insults and b) I wanted to clarify my statement.
It’s not the fact that Madonna is close to 50 and still flaunting her sexuality that bothers me. Tina Turner has done it. Same goes for Sophia Loren, Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren and many others.
What bothers me is the way in which Madonna flaunts her sexuality. She wants it to be shocking, which I find cheap and contrived.
But that’s just my opinion. It doesn’t mean I don’t respect her continuing ability to market herself or her position as one of the hottest commodities in show business.
And it in no way lessens my desire to see the Queen in concert.
 

Cat Power played the dusty, yet chicly historic Vogue Theatre last night and she was incredible. I must confess that I’ve loved Cat Power’s bluesy, smoky voice for years, but last night was the first time I’d seen her play live.

Many a critic has come down hard on dear Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) since she got sober, but I would rather see her sing a full set than watch her disintegrate on stage. There’s something twisted about those who go to shows hoping to see the star fail.

Anyway, there are more thoughts along those lines in my review, which I wrote in the wee hours immediately following the show. Check it out here.

As for the Vogue, why aren’t more shows held there? It’s a fantastic venue (aside from the lack of women’s toilets). Next time you’re there, take a good look at the lush red fabric wall coverings. They’re garishly gorgeous.

I’m off on holiday for the next week. I’ll post upon my return.

Oh, and remember to vote for Red Cat Records at radio3.cbc.ca. Best record store in Canada? Show your support.

In a music-quiet city, this blog would have been up and pulsing many months ago. But when there are distractions such as Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Vampire Weekend, Justice, and Bryan Adams passing through town — all in a matter of two weeks — music writers have little choice but to prioritize. Small matters such as keeping my desk tidy, responding to e-mails and working out the start-up glitches of a new blog were put on the back burner.
But here I am, writing my inaugural blog entry on a grey and uninspiring Friday afternoon, wondering if anyone will bother to stop by and check it out.
My hope is that this will become a place where I can share my less formal musings about the concerts I see, the CDs I listen to, and the interviews I conduct.
For example, I just finished writing up an interview I did with a charming and wise young rapper by the name of Shad.  What I didn’t put into the story however was that during the interview he sipped on a San Pellegrino that he had reluctantly allowed me to pay for. And that his parents recently moved back to Rwanda with a son they adopted in London, Ontario. (There was some joking about reverse Pitt-Jolie-ism.) And that I have high hopes he will become a household name because he is insanely talented as well as being an incredibly nice guy.
Who knows? Such things might not interest you at all.
But perhaps you’d be interested to know that Bruce Springsteen was spotted in the audience at last Sunday’s Foo Fighters show.
No?
How about the fact that Eddie Vedder was wearing the very same Butthole Surfers tee-shirt during his solo show in Vancouver Wednesday night that he wore for his first show with Pearl Jam.
No?
Well, maybe this blog isn’t for you. Maybe you should try Chad Skelton’s science blog. You will find it here http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/scienceinbc/default.aspx.

It has lots of statistics, which are fascinating in their own right.
My hope is that this will be fun, that you will contribute your two cents (in a polite and reasonable manner), and that I will find pockets of time to update often. Check back soon.
Cat Power is in town next Thursday. Meow.