If there’s one thing we love around the Straight—besides the sight of Sharon Stone in leather pants in The Quick and the Dead—it’s a good western.

When the weather gets hotter than a Texas shotgun on Independence Day there’s nothing better than watching Kurt Russell holler “You tell 'em I’m comin’—and hell’s coming with me!” in Tombstone. Or Jamie Foxx dispose of the Brittle Brothers in Django Unchained. Or Sharon Stone blowing John Herod’s brains out all over the dusty streets of Redemption in The Quick and the Dead. While wearing leather pants. 

Give our Western obsession, it goes without saying that we couldn’t be more excited about this weekend’s multi-band blowout Backfest at Backspace in gloriously gritty East Van. The night promises to serve up country as its most potent and uncompromising.

Vancouver’s Burmis Tree (singer-guitarist Sean MacPherson, drummer Jonah Toulmin, and bassist Thorsten Abel) will not only headline but also celebrate the release of its debut album Blood of the Land.

For a good idea of the band’s Americana-gothic sound, think Nick Cave covering the totally legendary Meat Puppets II. As if that doesn’t sound cool enough, the songs on Blood of the Land (which feature local roots stalwarts like Doug Liddle and Kyle Nunweiler) have titles that seemingly ripped straight from the pages of a Cormac McCarthy novel: “Wild Dog”, “Wicked and the Just”, and “Wandering Skies”. 

Holding down support duties for Backfest is an A-list cast that includes Rodney DeCroo + the Wise Blood, Shiloh Lindsey, Hamm: One Man Band, and Soul Proprietors. 

Need one last reason to get off the couch and head to the lane entrance of 1318 Grant Street instead of staying at home and watching The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for the 900th time? Consider that Brazilian chef Kolbert Milfort Arend will be slaving over a churrasco Brazilian barbecue, there’s an opening set by DJ Su Comandante, and tickets are a measly $20 at the door, which leaves plenty of disposable income for bourbon shots at the cash bar. 

For more info, go here. After which you can feel free to get hyped for Backfest by watching The Quick and the Dead, featuring, in case we forgot to mention, a totally badass Sharon Stone in a cowboy hat, Clint Eastwood-style poncho, and leather pants.