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

Joshua Wood

Who are you?

I’m the kid who found music hiding under his bed with an old AM/FM radio while the parents were fighting and God was watching. There wasn’t music around and it felt like a shameful thing in a religious home. Definitely something I address in my songs. Even now in "Bad Way". It seems near impossible to weed out all religious ties and it keeps poking through the fabric. "Bad Way" is the result of walking with my ghosts through a real tough time and learning to love myself coming out the other side. That, and a kickass band backing me! Ha ha.

First concert

I started super late on the music train, so I guess it would have been some punk band in my hometown at the Hideaway when I was 16 or so. Same spot I played my first show at probably around the same time. Hell, everyone in St. Catharines, Ontario, played there. All-ages shows pretty often, and even if it wasn’t we’d sneak in through the pool hall next door that was connected… and the food: so greasy, good, and cheap. Then they got shut down for sanitation reasons, ha ha ha. Best place a punk could ask for. It was our little skunk pit and we loved it. Anyway, it’s like a dance studio or somethin’ now.

Life-changing concert

Just last year sometime in July, I believe, I was in Vancouver at the Rickshaw and it was Kelly Finnigan and his band playing. I was with some friends and, holy hell, I couldn’t stop swaying ’n’ giggling ’n’ laughing­—just lovin’ it loudly. I was seeing the light all of a sudden and I feel it had a heavy influence on me for some time after that. It was a goddamn religious moment, ya know? Couple weeks later I found Felix Fung and Little Red Sounds studio and we cut "Bad Way". Who knows if Bad Way would have even happened without seeing Kelly Finnigan that night. Thanks, man!

Top three records

Holy hell, that’s impossible… But I can tell you which CDs have survived the longest in my truck stereo.

John Prine John Prine It has been in there for a good year now. It’s just too good, and when you know every word, it’s a pleasure to drive around to.

Bacil Kill Antix Unix An Indonesian hip-hop group I got to play a show and do a little collaboration with while I was over there. Rad people and super wicked tracks. Never been huge into hip-hop, but these cats turned me.

Soundgarden Badmotorfinger One of the only songs that doesn’t skip on this one is “Jesus Christ Pose” and I swear it doesn’t even matter because I could listen to that song on repeat all day.

All-time favourite video

Agoria “You Are Not Alone” Directed by Hernan Corera. Super cool video. Each part of it is equal in artistic beauty and importance for the art piece as a whole. The song is trancelike and a perfect soundtrack to the amazing acting and videography. It’s unreal—a big influence when I was working out the concept and ideas around my new video for “Surrender”, my second single coming out on YouTube May 9, which was directed by Kaio Kathriner.

What’s in your fridge?

Well, I live in a “tiny home” on Gabriola Island right now, so I keep things pretty minimal.

Frozen lettuce. I got a frozen head of lettuce ’cause my little mini-fridge doesn’t do too well at separating the freezer from the fridge. Been there a while now, just sorta seems important to keep in the fridge for some reason.

Oranges. I got four oranges that have better freeze resilience than my lettuce has. I’ve had a strange thing with oranges lately where 2 in the morning comes in and it’s all I want. All the oranges. Really cold oranges.

A burrito. Oh and I got a leftover burrito, which I’m about to go eat—butter-chicken burrito from a place called the Kitchen here on the island. So damn good. Yeah, I’m gonna go do that. Cheers!

You can check out Joshua Wood's "Bad Way" here.