Login / RegisterBusting out of the music wasteland: Keep Tidy
Don’t be fooled by Shmoo Ritchie’s giggly, innocent charm: the Keep Tidy frontwoman’s bloodcurdling banshee shrieks make her one of the city’s most wickedly terrifying vocalists. On the digital-only Basement Mold EP, Ritchie (a former member of the Organ) and her bandmates—drummer Dustin Bromley, guitarist Kyle Huck, and bassist Brett Threat—kick up a gleeful racket, pummelling listeners with seven pulse-racing hardcore ragers. As irresistible as the self-recorded collection is, these one-minute blasts of feral punk adrenaline are even more electrifying in concert, when fans have the chance to head-bang with Ritchie when she inevitably charges into the crowd.
Best local release other than yours:
“B-Lines’ self-titled 12-inch. I really like Ryan’s vocals on that album. They’re really growly and raw. I wish I could yell like that. I think some of the guitar tones are really sweet.”
The year’s best gig:
“The best show was one I didn’t get to go to: the Neverland Boat Cruise [on July 29]. Neverland is the Michael Jackson cover band. All of my friends went to it and it looked like the best party of the summer. It’s a fantasy of mine that I’d gone to that show.”
We’re road-tripping. Who’s on the stereo?
“I’d put on one of the old, classic road-trip albums from when I was a kid: The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. It’s just fun to sing along with. It’s nostalgic for me as well because I grew up with that album on road trips with my family.”
The Straight’s paying, so where’s dinner?
“I would want to go to Au Petit Chavignol [843 East Hastings Street]. Every time I’ve gone there, I’ve gotten high off of cheese. Incredible. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a cheese high before, but it’s giddy, happy, full, and sleepy. It’s more than just a food coma. There’s something particular about eating tons of really good cheese that makes you feel great.”
Vancouver needs a sex-tape scandal. Who’s your co-star?
“The entire band Baptists. I think that they’re totally sexy and their music is great. I’ve got a major boner for Baptists right now.”
Jimmy Pattison’s fronting the money. Where are we opening a venue?
“There’s this old warehouse [at Powell Street and Raymur Avenue] by the sugar refinery, across the street from the Chevron. It’s got a sign that says “This building available for filming.” It’s a four-storey brick warehouse with an industrial elevator in it and huge rooms that probably wouldn’t have the best sound, but if Jimmy Pattison is funding it, we’d be able to set up all kinds of acoustic padding.”
