Indochino Leverages Customized Marketing Campaign to Get Men Dressing Better

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Indochino is a leading online custom menswear company, and it’s one that began with a simple vision: helping men dress better and easier.

Cofounders Heikal Gani and Kyle Vucko set to achieve their goal by developing a straightforward online system that allows customers to quickly enter measurements, select garments, and personalize their outfit in 30 minutes or less. Few weeks later the fully customized suits will appear on the doorsteps of customers.

Since 2007, Indochino have been seeking innovative and creative ways to approach men—who often have the tendency to be more reserved when it comes to fashion. Online tailoring sounds too good to be true for many and that is why Indochino considers the value of in person experience. Thus, bringing to the life the Traveling Tailor Pop-up Shops that have made tours across North America, including Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Vancouver.

“We created these Pop-up stores and events to go into a city and connect with the customers and potential customers in a very short period of time,” Sarah Wallis, COO of Indochino, told Techvibes in an interview. “[Indochino] gives them the experience, the handholding and the high-touch interaction that they want and then we take care of the rest. Furthermore, after they’ve gone through the experience once they’ll feel much more comfortable coming back, they don’t need to take measurements again—they simply have to select their garment. It’s like shopping at any clothing website, except what they get is fully tailored to them.”

Indochino’s main tool for spreading the words about the Traveling Tailor Pop-up Shops is with Facebook. Customers’ voices tend to be louder than companies, so when satisfied people talk, others listen. That being said, Indochino still applied several critical components to the Pop-up shop marketing strategy. Because each event is only around in a certain area for a brief period (one to two weeks), timing is key.

“[First,] time is of the essence in terms of getting it in front of customers, having them make appointments,” said Wallis, “and having them come see us. The second thing is that it has to be geographically targeted. We don’t want to spend any money telling a customer in Florida about an event that is happening in Vancouver. Finally, what Facebook allows us to do is ensure that we are talking through our own existing customers to custom audiences.”

There are now numerous touch points for companies/tailors/customers interaction, and online presence is just one. Although Indochino is exploring the vast landscape of the Internet to appeal to a broader audience, they believe retail stores have their own advantages and shouldn’t be ignored.

Brands need to recognize the different devices and habits of today’s customers; smartphones, tablets, laptops, call centres, social media and retail stores all work together to create an ecosystem to serve the public. So the idea of the online marketplace wiping out malls and retail stores in the future is not one that Indochino prophesize.

“It’s not necessary for us to have a fulltime retail presence in any specific area,” said Wallis. “Our Pop-up events provide the level of interaction that our customers want. And then we can move on efficiently to other areas and interact with other customers.”

The Indochino Traveling Tail Pop-up Shop will be in Vancouver until November 3. Then they’ll be heading to Calgary and San Jose to wrap up 2013. In addition, their holiday collection is now available on their website for you to personalize. For more details about Indochino and their Pop-up events please visit theirFacebook site.

Kashoo’s Startup-friendly Software Enables Anyone to be an Effective Accountant

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

The number of small businesses in the country is growing, and for a while we thought that accounting software were never going to catch up.

One of two things needed to happen: either people had to get smarter, be more organized, and find more time in their day to process all their book keeping—or the act of accounting had to become more accommodating.

Well, I don’t know if we’re any smarter, organized, or efficient at what we do—but one thing is certain: Vancouver-based Kashoo, an online and mobile accounting application, is revolutionizing the way small companies establish and maintain their business. The result is no more headaches, neglected invoices, and taxing shoebox of receipts.

“Every small business owner hates accounting and record keeping,” Jim Secord, CEO of Kashoo, told Techvibes in an interview. “It’s hard to do, it’s confusing, and the tools are antiquated—there is QuickBooks or Simply Accounting. With the advent of Cloud and mobile, we saw an opportunity to do it a lot differently. Not only to make it easier, but to make it more convenient. And really disrupt the accounting software world that largely went unchanged for the past 20 years.”

Harnessing the possibilities of touch screen features and mobile convenience, Kashoo is making rock stars out of accountants. The old image of a tepid individual in a dimly lit room, with empty cups of coffee, file folders and a calculator on the desk is no longer a correct portrait of accountants—today with smartphones, tablets, and portable computers, anybody can be an accountant.

“I don’t think software can ever replace [accounting] expertise,” said Kasey Bayne, Kashoo’s director of business development. “With Kashoo, accountants aren’t doing things like entering your receipts—but more high value things such as business planning and making smarter decisions. More like a business advisor type of role.”

Some people cringe at the word “accounting,” but Kashoo is doing more than changing people’s opinion—they’re gaining popularity success. After iOS 7 was released in September, Kashoo had been the top 10 business apps in 83 countries, top five in 54 countries and number one in Canada.

“Accounting software is pretty much international,” said Secord. “For a small business person, whether you are running it in Canada or if you are running it in Nigeria—it’s very similar.”

The app has over 100,000 registered small businesses in over 180 countries. Kashoo’s iPad app is currently available in English, Spanish and French (with Japanese and German in development).

All in one, but still focused on the specific needs of small businesses, Kashoo offers features that allow users to track income and expenses, making the worrisome annual tax season less of a chore. Features including a built in camera to capture receipts, a quick expense entry function and on-the-go invoicing, not only makes the job easier for business owners, but they’ll be inclined to do it.

“A lot of time, it comes down to the expenses,” said Secord. “There are tens of millions of dollars that small business people in Canada lose because they’re just not organized with their records. They don’t claim the proper deductions.”

With technology becoming so accessible, work and personal life are blending together—so why not make it easier? Kashoo enables users the flexibility of managing business even on vacation. Although some may be repulsed by the idea of having work everywhere, the ability to operate anywhere anytime is a liberating advantage.

On October 10, Kashoo announced its partnership with Paychex, a leading provider of payroll, human resources, and other solutions for small to medium size businesses. Collaboration was more logical than strategic, since both companies have overlapping qualities. Those who use Kashoo will also use Paychex and vise versa.

“[Paychex] recognized the synergy of having an accounting software with payroll software,” said Secord. “When people are starting a business or when their business gets to a point—it may be two or three years—and they say maybe it’s time to get organized and stop running out of a shoebox or an envelope and handing it over to the accountant. Paychex understood that and if they wanted more payroll customers, then why don’t they offer accounting software. They looked around, found Kashoo, and said that is the accounting software they wanted to offer.”

GamePress Lets Gamers’ Imagination Run Wild with New Game Creation Platform

December 28, 2013December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

GamePress co-founder Murtaza Sadaat and his brother and cousin Hamed and Behroz Sadaat grew up like most game-loving children” envisioning fantastical worlds and the possibility they have from the tips of their finger to the virtual screen.

As adults they have taken their childhood whimsy, combined it with modern day technology, and created a mobile platform that offers users the freedom to build, modify and share unique games.

Based in London, Ontario, GamePress transforms the complexities of game programming into an interactive, touch, drag and drop interface that gamers can utilize to build original games on their iPad. Physics simulations, game logic, animations, special effects and artificial intelligence are the brush strokes on each game canvas. Graphic designers, game developers and inventive children alike will now be able to use the mobile platform to construct their own pastime.

“Thinking back to when we were young playing games,” says Murtaza Sadaat, “we’d say Mario is awesome, but I would love a level like this or a level like that. I feel everybody has a mindset to be creative and bringing games to another level. They just don’t usually have the opportunity to do that.”

Above all else, fun is the objective. A quality game does not have to look the best or have a lengthy storyline or the newest graphics or technology; it all comes down to the game play. Sadaat believes that some of the best games are the simple ones that can engage an audience with a worthwhile experience.

From the early days of Atari to the current mobile devices era, games have been in a constant evolution. Playstation, Nintendo and Xbox are not going extinct any time soon even though mobile is gaining more presence. The consol gaming experience is not rivaling the mobile experience. Sadaat is not convinced that the two will merge, but instead remain two separate brand of entertainment.

“There is a different type of control scheme, different type of input and just a whole different game style that works on tablets and mobile devices,” Sadaat told Techvibes. “With GamePress we give our users total freedom. They can do whatever they want with the touch screen or the tilt control. We leave it up to the users to come up with the best game play, so the next generation of users who are growing up on tablets and smartphones will know what feels natural for them.”

YouTube has created a whole market for user-generated content; GamePress’s attitude is not so different. GamePress enables creators the ability to share their work on a network called the GamePress Arcade, a community of user-generated games. GamePress is also developing a publishing service to help compelling, high-quality games be sold on App Stores, Google Play, etc.

“We want to create a platform where you can create games, share them and if the opportunity arises—even make money off the platform,” Sadaat added.

GamePress is currently free to download at the Apps Store. And in the future, the app will introduce social features permitting users the option to leave comments, collaborate on projects and purchase and sell assets. This will allow musicians and other artists the chance to sell their content to game creators.

On Saturday 22, 2013, GamePress will be presenting their app at Project Play, a gaming event in the London, Ontario community. In addition, GamePress is hosting a game-creating competition, Greatest Game Challenge submission deadline will be on November 1, and with the first place prize being a PS4, the game featured in app stores and GamePress Arcade, Facebook page and the GamePress website.

Canadian Digital Agency Rival Schools Has Fun Being Creative for Clients

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Don’t let the name Rival Schools fool you: their studio in Vancouver is not a classroom with chalkboards and desks, but rather an environment that fosters creativity—action figures, cartoon posters and a ping pong table all work together as inspirational ornaments.

The fun-loving digital agency formed in 2007 and has done work for big name companies such as McDonald’s, Kellogg’s and Nike. Rival Schools began as a service agency, doing projects primarily for clients, both as a mean for survival and a method to gain an education in a constantly changing field. What they know now is that although they want to continue attracting talent and building their portfolio with paying clients, they also want to leverage their skills and create personal projects.

“Diversity and flexibility is challenging and fun,” says Roy Husada, Rival Schools’ cofounder and creative director. “Just doing straight client work can burn you out.”

Bramble Berry Tales, an interactive storybook app is Rival Schools’ newest project conceived from their playground-like studio. The first book in the series titled “The Story of Kalkalilh” written by Marilyn Thomas teaches lessons and sparks imagination as the reader follows Lily and Thomas as they explore the colourful and musical land of Kalkalilh.

“It’s based off of indigenous people,” said Husada. “It comes from the Squamish tribe’s folklore that have been passed down from generations to generations. It has never been officially documented in any mainstream way. But as you know indigenous languages and culture are in a decline.”

The second book entitled “The Great Sasquatch” will be released in October and the third book “The Little People” will be available for download in December 2013. Rival Schools is taking the opportunity to help capture and reinvigorate stories that are essentially the roots of Canada.

Rival Schools value their method of selecting projects. They take pride in working from idea to result, whether it is their own special undertaking like Bramble Berry Tales or a project for a large corporation. The most important factor for Rival Schools is communication.

“A lot of shops say they can do everything,” explains Husada, “that is how we like to label ourselves. We can do everything, but our biggest strength is our ability to combine our craft of user experience and user interface with content. We take concepts from the beginning to the end.”

Innovative curiosity is what keeps Rival Schools going. Entertainment, consumer goods, software and technology are the products, but the real goal is establishing a relationship and working as a team with companies that have the same mindset.

“Clients that aren’t good fit are those who tell us what to build, but not why they want us to build it,” said Husada. “What are they trying to achieve? The analogy is like going to the doctor and telling the doctor what you want. You don’t tell them what you want. You don’t tell them you need a cast—you tell them what is wrong first and they will tell you what you actually need.”

Husada added, “We always tell our clients that we can adapt to a style based on their goals. We don’t have a style. We are not always clean and neat or funky and edgy. It really depends, but what we do is that we look at the end user and we use all our ability to understand the process and empathy to figure what it is that appeals to them and be delightful.”

Wajam Mashes Social Media and Search Engines For More Effective Results

December 28, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

“A lot of users don’t understand what social search means,” says Martin-Luc Archambault, CEO and cofounder of Wajam. “The first time I asked my dad if he would like to have social search he said, ‘What? I don’t want you to see what I’m searching for.’ That isn’t what it is about.”

Montreal-based Wajam is a social search engine that enables users the heightened ability to find links, photos, videos and more through the help of friends on social media. Allowing users to filter out their searches by different categories such as content, social media and friends, Wajam connects people, enhances the searching experience and saves time discovering areas and topics of similar interests.

The idea for Wajam came to Archambault while working on another startup project with a partner. They were both researching, searching individually—when they brought their findings together, they discovered that the results were mostly similar. The end result was a lot of time wasted, due to lack of communication, one that social searches remedy. Because as their tag line indicates, “Great minds search alike.”

Friends and families are constantly sharing useful information on social media. Because the network is becoming more and more saturated, you will miss some of the content. By incorporating Wajam, you can harness your friend and families’ knowledge and reel them up whenever you need to through the Wajam website, their browser extension and their soon-to-be released mobile app.

“We are not trying to tell users to come to Wajam.com and search on Wajam.com, we are not trying to replace anyone,” said Archambault. “We are going to work with whoever you like.”

Whether it is Google, Biing, Amazon, Ebay, Wikipedia, Yahoo! or many other search engines, Wajam is built to work seamlessly with the platform searchers are familiar with.

After the launch in the January 2012, Wajam had found what they were looking for: a community benefiting from the social search platform they had created. Earlier this year Wajam was rewarded the golden honour at the 8th Annual 2013 Hot Companies and Best Products Awards in Best New Information Technology Company category, as well as the silver in Innovative Company category and bronze in the Company Growth category.

But the acclaimed team isn’t settling yet, they are anticipating new innovations all the time and Wajam has their eyes set on the future.

“We are trying to match advertisers with social recommendations,” Archambault told Techvibes. “Once we are able to do that we will be able to syndicate social search and social ad API to third party sites. My ultimate goal is that a year from now users won’t have to download Wajam to get recommendations from their friends on Amazon.” Archambault added, “We can help Amazon tailor their search results. Any site that has a search box, we want to be their API. We want to make those search results more personal. That is how we are intending to scale.”

What began as a few hundred downloads a day has grown into tens of thousands. Wajam doesn’t want to preach the effectiveness of social search or even explain what it does. It proves itself best in action. The social search engine is confident that their product will exceed users’ expectations if they log on, try the product and incorporate it into daily searches. The value of Wajam is worth finding.

A New Kiind of Feature Creates Options and Build Relationships

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

For many years, a gift card often accompanied a thank you. However, while those kind gestures showed great appreciation, the actual gift frequently fell to the waste side.

One Victoria-based startup recognizes that about 18% of all physical and prepaid gift cards do not get used. Unredeemed credits and expired gift cards fade away and that is an estimation of $10 billion annual lost. Companies that issued unused gift cards would have once claimed the liability as revenue. Now with changes in the legislation, unused gift cards are being taxed as unclaimed property. Because of that gift cards are no longer retailers’ cash cow.

Enter Kiind, a zero-waste gift campaign that simplifies and enhances the gift giving experience by charging the giver only when the recipient uses the gift.

“For people who use Kiind, they like the concept of being smart with their money,” said Leif Baradoy, CEO and founder of Kiind. “It’s not about being cheap. It is saying I don’t want to be wasteful. I am offering you this gift—if you don’t want it. Cool. Give it to charity. Or if you don’t want it, I don’t want to pay for it either. But if you do want it, great!”

Kiind’s convenient features allow users to send gifts to one or more recipient fast. Those receiving gifts will be able to view it via emails or on Passbook, and once the gift is used the giver will be notified. It is through this notification that Kiind helps build relationships, especially in B2B interactions.

“People like being notified when their gift is being used or claimed,” said Baradoy. “That gives them a reason to touch base and follow up with someone. Kiind is a tool to help people connect with one another in a meaningful way. Although we are a digital gifting company, we see ourselves in a relationship business.”

Since forming in 2011, Kiind had always offered options for givers and receivers. If a recipient chose to decline a gift, they had the choice of offering it to charity with a simple click of a button.

Now, Kiind’s newest feature enables the recipient to select the most desirable gift from multiple choices.

“So you can offer someone a $100 Amazon card or a one-year subscription to Rdio or $100 Gap gift card,” said Baradoy, “It helps the recipient get the gift they want and the giver is still able to offer something to someone and tailor the gift to where their interest are.”

Over time, Kiind will help givers become smarter by tracking the choices their recipients make. By gaining intelligence, gift can be personalized and a healthy relationship can flourish from there.

Along with the new multiple choices feature going live on Tuesday, August 24, the team at Kiind are also adding new partnerships and inventory into their system, just in time for the holiday season.

Although the majority of Kiind’s inventory is currently only available in the US, Baradoy assured us that before the malls get packed with holiday shoppers, Kiind will do a nationwide roll out. Over 25 different Canadian retailers will be added and that includes movie theatre chains and well-known restaurants.

Kiind was recently selected as a finalist at the Grow Conference’s Startup Smackdown and the New Ventures BC Competition. As Baradoy opportunistically awaits the results for the competitions and the upcoming shopping season, Kiind reaps the benefits of gift cards’ slow demise.

Perch Opens Window To Business and Personal Communication

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

“I think what is pushing people apart more than anything in technology is text,” said Danny Robinson, CEO and founder of Perch.

“Text is such a diluted form of communication. More and more people are texting. How often do you pick up a phone and talk to somebody? Video is the next best thing to being there. It really feels like you are right in front of somebody and if we can get more conversations happening on video than on text, I think we’ll bring more people closer together.”

Vancouver-based, Perch is an always-on video connection that is intended to help company’s bridge culture gaps, workplace communicate effectively and families stay in touch. By designating an iOS device to Perch, users can connect with anyone on the other end, whether they are across the hall or across the continent.

While apps like Skype or Facetime behave primarily like a phone call, Perch resembles an open window. With such accessibility, Perch made sure privacy was the paramount concern. It didn’t matter if you are connecting an office in Toronto to an office in Vancouver or from the workplace to your kitchen at home; the creepy-factor is something Robinson and the Perch team wanted to eliminate.

“To make it socially acceptable,” said Robinson, “it has to be polite. You cannot spy or eavesdrop on people.”

Perch disables the microphone until the face-recognition feature identifies a user’s face on the iOS device. In addition, only the front camera on the iPad or iPhone is activated when Perch is in use. Perch is not a security camera. It’s not meant to be concealed. That being said, Robinson who has an iPad on his desk looking into his home kitchen and he can’t help feeling a peace of mind knowing that Perch is there.

“It’s doesn’t record,” said Robinson, who previously founded Redhand, a remote video monitoring application that turned old devices into a security camera. “Our older versions of Perch would record, but we found that people enjoyed the live interaction more. It gets to the heart of the company and that was to communicate with a human element.”

Perch does more than enable people to make exchanges for work and/or home life; by always being on, the app gives a chance for impromptu interactions between two different spaces. These spontaneous moments are where people really get to know one another. On Skype or on a phone call, people tend to talk about specifics; with Perch you can have conversations you didn’t intend to have.

Perch has two general modes, the always-on portal mode and the video caller-display mode. The video caller-display feature only allows others to communicate after you agreed. This allows you to focus on your work or go about your day without being interrupted.

“Three-quarters of this office might not be interested in Perch until we put it on the wall,” said Robinson. “Then they are like, ‘that’s pretty cool.’ Once it is on the wall and it’s cool, then they use it all the time. Hopefully, they will see the value and bring it home.”

During this year’s Mozilla Summit, Perch will be the communication of choice from October 4th to 6th in Brussels, Santa Clara, and Toronto.

Foodies Rejoice: New Mobile App Foodshootr Makes Sharing Meals More Savory

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Three meals a day. Simple, fleeting moments of life. It fills our bellies, builds our relationships and sometimes forces us out of our comfort zone. Food and the way we eat is what makes us human, and Toronto-based iPhone app Foodshootr wants to create a community around our pallet with pictures.

On July 31, Foodshootr launched for iPhone (and will launch soon for Android and BB10) and food lovers are starting to salivate over the simplistic app. Foodshootr mixes the stylistic photos of Instagram with the destination sharing features of Foursquare.

Foodshootr CEO Alexander Perri began as a commercial photographer. He admits that he was one of those people that loved taking pictures of food at restaurants. Using mobile devices at dining tables used to be considered taboo, but now it is an ultimate compliment to a chef and a beautiful way of sharing meals and nurturing food discovery.

“We are trying to take a step back and bring the whole food aspect back to it,” Perri told Techvibes. “You can argue that everybody has Instagram, and would Instagram their food, but it is too cluttered and you will always find a bunch of other photos on there. And it is hard to come across great food when you are trying to find something good to eat.”

Foodshootr is more than just a camera app, it is includes many feature to help foodies connect with great restaurants in their communities and all over the world. It collects feedbacks for restaurants. That allows customers to be in touch with those cooking and serving their meals. The app also includes a built in chat feature that enable users to quickly communicate with other users, whether they want to ask about a meal or rendezvous at a dinner table.

But the app is not only helpful for foodies, but also for those feeding them. After all, nothing helps spread the news about a delicious meal or a wonderful restaurant like a hungry word of mouth.

“We spoke with a lot of restaurant owners and we are making them see the benefits of Foodshootr,” said Perri. “They want their customers to have a good experience at their restaurant. So they are taking pictures and sharing it with their friends and that will help drive traffic for customers.”

Whether you are starving or just in need of a quick snack, Foodshootr is here to help increase your appetite and trigger some ideas.

We are fortunate to be living in a place with so many great dining options, but most people don’t even know it. Lets admit it, finding a good place to eat and a fun venue to hang out is not always a simple task. It can be demoralizing and cause the stomach to churn.

“From our point of view even if we aren’t hungry or we don’t want food it still helps us decide what we want to eat later and gives us ideas for what we want to prepare for ourselves,” said Perri. “But I feel it is constantly making me hungry.”

Top Less

December 27, 2013April 17, 2014 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

Calm before the glitter storm.

by Elliot Chan

lettering by Gina Mackay

Formerly published in Discorder Magazine. October, 2013

Exterior: the sound of thunder and a flash of lightning as Vancouver’s night sky presents another complementary performance.

Interior: sound check for Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party’s CD release concert continues at a casual pace.

I sit alone in Venue on a turbulent Thursday night as technicians walk back and forth through the brightly-lit dance club. I dismiss the shattered illusion of show production and patiently wait for my interview with the eccentrically named power-pop band. After attention on each instrument and three practice songs, the seven group members make their way offstage.

When the band’s first EP came out in 2010, they enjoyed a quick rise in popularity and developed an enthusiastic fan base. Three years later, they’re releasing their first full-length.

“It really packs a punch,” says TGLTP’s frontman, Michael Schindler. “People are used to our shows being really intense. Our album represents that in many different ways, but it’s not done by sheer energy; it’s done more meticulously by adding more arrangements and textures.”

“It’s like neon camouflage sexual dysfunction,” chimes drummer and vocalist, Benny Schutze from the other side of the green room. The rest of the band turns to Schutze, chuckle, and request an explanation. “Because the neon camouflages the sexual dysfunction.”
Up a narrow staircase, behind the stage is Venue’s ironically blue green room. I sit nuzzled in the corner between bass player Ian Bevis and Schindler, while the other five members arrange themselves intimately on couches and chairs in the cramped closet-like space. It’s a cozy sanctuary for the night.

“Put him on the guest list, but don’t let him come up here,” the group debates whether to offer VIP wristbands to friends of friends attending the show.

“I’m down for a super-strict wristband rule,” says Tyson. “This needs to be tranquility.”

“We get pumped up,” says Schindler. “But we don’t want 30 people in here partying while we get prepared. Also you want 20 minutes before you play to get in the zone.”

It’s unusual observing a band named Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party proposing rules and allocating privileges. But they’ve learned through past experiences that guests sometimes take advantage of the band’s hospitality. Obnoxious third parties become distractions, precious costume changing spaces become occupied, and most importantly: complimentary beverages vanish. They aren’t uptight; they’re simply professionals.

photo by Yu Su

Though they’ve come to an agreement on the backstage regulations, there are still other ongoing disputes — namely, their band name.

“We shortened it [TGLTP] for all intensive purposes,” says Schindler. “Top Less is just easier for everyone to say… but we will always be Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party.”

The name derived from a Kid Alex song that Schindler thought was called “Topless Gaylove,” but was actually called “Young Love (Topless).” “I just kind of screwed it up.” The band smiles over the ridiculous outcome. “And Tekno Party is just a party with everyone raving it up. Partying with sparkles in your hair.”

“And in your beard,” guitarist Kevin Fairbairn points to the leftover glitter in Schindler’s facial hair. “You need to shower.”

“I showered today!” says Schindler. “It doesn’t come off of me, I don’t understand what it is — I have a weird skin thing.”

“It takes a couple days even if you shower… unless you have a luffa.”

As children of the ‘90s, TGLTP indulged in hip-hop, classic rock, and funk — none of which they replicate today, but still have a large influence in the music they make.

“Some of the guitar writing we do, you can definitely feel some of the classic rock coming through,” said Tyson. “We’re not making phat hip-hop beats, but there is still a hot dance groove. There is still a sexy bass.”

Once a week TGLTP gather in their shared studio space to work on music, but seldom would you see the seven together in a non-music environment. “We’re friends, we hang out, but it’s music — always,” says Bevis. “Some of us DJ together, some of us produce together, and some of us write stuff —”

“I sometimes go over to Benny’s house and hang out when he’s in his bathrobe,” Schindler interrupts, “because that’s the only time he’ll hang out with me.”

The long awaited self-titled album by TGLTP is now available for purchase and download on iTunes, but having time to perform is the real accomplishment. Although their CD release tour was brief, expect them to be on the stage again real soon.

“Even though we were doing a ton of work,” says Schutze, “and people were always asking about [the album], it was like being in a sexless marriage. The live show was like fucking, it’s the culmination and the climax of what we get to do together. But when you are not doing it — that gets to be the feeling.”

With confetti, balloons, and sparkles in the forecast, TGLTP dress accordingly. Golden spandexes, silver jackets, or even onesies — but they’re careful to avoid wool products. The tinsel tempest may capsize ships and bring down mountains, but it won’t apologize to your glitter-clogged shower drain and laundry machine. But it doesn’t matter, because shimmer is the new clean.

Fringe Bar

December 27, 2013 / Elliot Chan / Leave a comment

The Watering Hole for Vancouver’s Wild Festival

by Elliot Chan

Formerly published in Discorder Magazine. Sept. 3, 2013

An actor, a musician, and a dancer walk into the Fringe Bar — the rest is unpredictable.

Before you judge this article based solely on my poorly crafted joke, know that the Vancouver Fringe Festival is all about experimenting. And when it comes to conducting experiments and exploring the chemistry of “us,” there is no better place than the social laboratory a.k.a. the Bar.

The Fringe Bar is the watering hole for the festival’s wildlife before, in-between, and during shows. The St. Ambroise Fringe Bar has fostered some of the city’s most creative live performances over the years, and still nobody knows what to expect this time around. Dramatic routines, balloon animal gymnastics, or banjo-playing burlesque dancers; it’s always a mystery bag of entertainment.

“It constantly re-invents itself every year,” says David Jordan, Executive Director of the Vancouver Fringe Festival. “We can’t get stale because of the way we program the festival. When you’re drawing artists out of a hat, you’ll never get stuck in a rut.”

The festival’s evolutionary tree has branches sprouting in every direction, with one attractive limb being the Fringe Bar. It accommodates performers, spectators, and anyone else seeking a thirst-quencher and an experience.

“Fringe Festival in Canada is very artist-centric and there are a lot of touring artists,” said Jordan. “So we needed to give these people some place to hang out — and beer was a natural fit.”

The Fringe Bar humbly began at Planet Bingo and the Legion on Mount Pleasant. In 2007, the Fringe community moved outside and incorporated live music to the social heartbeat. Dan Mangan performed that year and since then the Fringe Bar became a permanent fixture. It got spectators moving and offered an experience that extended beyond the theatre seats.

“It’s amazing playing for theatre people, because they like to get theatrical,” said Tristan Orchard, a local DJ and musician. “They’re pretty much my favourite audience to play for, because everyone is performing and they have that post-performance good vibes.”

photo by Lachlan McAdam

In 2009, Railspur Alley became the festival’s central hub. Outdoor stages and bright lights fashioned onto the tree canopies created a starlit atmosphere down the promenade. Festival goers, performers, and passersby alike can enjoy the high calibre artists, while getting a little pick-me-up at one of Granville Island’s outdoor patios.

Outdoor patios? In September? Is that another joke?

Weather-pending is something Vancouverites hear often, but anything goes during the festival. The outdoor components for the Fringe Bar were incorporated in 2010, after witnessing other successful beer gardens at Fringe Festivals across the country.

“I was always a little wary,” said Jordan. “It’s September. Can we get people to be hanging outdoors? It’s going to rain. But it’s awesome.”

Curse the rain all you want, but one of Jordan’s favourite Fringe memories happened during a rainstorm. It was 1 a.m., a cabaret show just ended, and a torrential shower had the city drenched. Undaunted, Jordan accompanied by his Fringe confidants, in true West Coast spirit, dove into the bar with a splash.

“There was a huge puddle, 12-feet long,” said Jordan, “and a foot deep at some places. I looked at it and was like ‘We are going to be dancing in that puddle for sure.’ And within 20 minutes, everyone was in that puddle. It was a great time. There was a kind of spontaneous exuberance to that.”

“It was a monsoon,” said Orchard, who remembered performing during the storm. “It was just a great experience where people decided to forget about the rain, dance in puddles, and slide across tables. Everyone was completely soaked. It was just a beautiful moment where everyone lost themselves and it was just a wonderful time.”

Promoting impulsiveness and spontaneity is all part of the Entertainment Coordinator’s job. Taking the helm at this year’s Fringe Festival is Corbin Murdoch, who knows that first-class preparation is foremost when it comes to quality improvisation.

“We anticipate spontaneity and we anticipate a diverse crowd each and every night,” said Murdoch. “On the back end, we need to be as organized as possible so that we can be quick on our feet.”

From September 5 to 15, the St. Ambroise Fringe Bar at Argo Café and the green space nearby will be the Fringe epicenter. New additions to this year’s festival include food carts (La Taqueria, Reel Mac and Cheese, Urban Wood Fired Pizza), square dancing, and the Fringe Talk Show hosted by comedian, Riel Hahn, which features candid conversations with Fringe artists.

So what do you think? Maybe you can help me workshop my opening joke: An actor, a musician, and a dancer walk into the Fringe Bar—(insert your own experience here).

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The St. Ambroise Fringe Bar is open every day of the Fringe Festival, which runs from September 5 until September 15. The bar’s hours are 7p.m. until late at 1363 Railspur Alley on Granville Island.