What’s In Your Fridge is where the Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts, favourite albums, and, most importantly, what’s sitting beside the Heinz Ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6 cubic-foot refrigerators.  

On the grill

L CON.

Who are you?

My name is Lisa, and I make music as L CON. I recently released a single and video (involving a lot of field day sports and some very earnest and very improvised dance moves), from a four song EP due out in the fall. I like creating work for myself, so I generally write and record and produce and arrange my music, as well as release it.

First concert:

I think the first concert that I saw was my parents singing the Messiah - they were part of a choir, and I think it was in a church. I was just colouring in a pew or something. Don't remember much of the actual music part­­—likely was more focused on my drawings.

Life-changing concert

I grew up in rural northern BC, so my bigger concert experiences were pretty limited until I moved to Toronto. I managed to see Ani Difranco at the Vancouver Folk Festival when I was about 12. When I found out she ran her own record label and recorded and produced her own albums, I immediately started writing songs on the guitar (note: did not know how to play) and wanted to record my own records too.

Top three records

So hard to pick just three! Here are three off the top of my head.

Radiohead Kid A  "Everything in its Right Place" was the first Radiohead song I ever heard and it blew my mind. This record blew my mind. It still is incredible.

Juana Molina Halo  This is a more recent record, but it's super amazing - I saw her play at Pop Montreal a few years ago without knowing much of her previous work but she and her band were so great live, that I got the record. I've listened to this record a whole lot.

Nils Frahm All Melody  Just a super stunning, stunning record. Not much else to say other than listen to it.

All-time favourite video:

Khruangbin "Evan Finds The Third Room"  The video brings me so much joy.

What’s in your fridge

Mr Naga Hot Pepper Pickle: Discovered while living in Belfast (very hard to find spicy things) and then magically found in Parkdale after never seeing it in Canada! I used to mix it with sour cream to make a yummy crema. Unfortunately, the ingredients have been updated from when I bought it in the UK and now say "may contain nuts" (and I'm allergic) so it's still sitting in our fridge waiting to be given away to someone else.”

Maple Syrup in a Mateus Rose Bottle Our friends have maple trees that they tap every spring and we gave them the bottle after a gathering. They returned it months later filled with syrup!

Camera Film and Crazy Glue. Actually, though.Yum yum.

L CON plays the Red Gate Arts Society on Wednesday (June 26).