V-WEB: Our Weekly Obsession (June 29/10)

THE ZOLAS
by Matt Roy

First there was Rufus. Then there was Feist. And now... there are The Zolas. While America churns out one mediocre pop idol after another, Canada is kindling a flourishing group of indie pop marvels. The Zolas are the most recent inductees to a short but impressive list of Canadian artists that are making mindful but fetching music you won’t be ashamed to say you love.

An early press release suggested The Zolas sound like “Justin Timberlake meets The Beatles”, or “Coldplay meets The Clash”. Zach laughs about this: “We don’t really sound like them; we wish we sounded like them.” It may not be sound-alike so much as sheer musical inventiveness that is drawing such eclectic parallels.

Both born and raised in Vancouver, Zach and Tom like to credit the rainy city for some of their success. Vancouver has the sordid reputation for being no fun and a difficult place for artists to make it, but as Zach points out, “There’s the old saying that rain is great for art. That’s why the West Coast is good.”

Needless to say, The Zolas have all the gusto it takes to make a great group. As they culminate their tour at the Biltmore on June 30th, they intend to get right down to business and begin their next album. In a word: Whoop!

Win tickets to The Zolas at the Biltmore on June 30th! Simply email us at fans@v-rag.com to be entered into a draw for two tickets to the Vancouver show! And read the full interview with The Zolas in the upcoming July issue of V-Rag!

Thunderheist Jerks It Tonight

One of the best Canadian duos to dazzle us with their electro sounds is having their final show in Vancouver tonight. Thunderheist will be calling it quits after their Venue performance tonight at 9:00pm. With only one studio album, members Isis and Grahm Zilla made a huge impact on the Canadian dance scene with international hits like "Jerk It", "Bubblegum", "Horny" and "Nothing 2 Step 2".

We got to catch up with them to chat about the break-up and their future plans. Isis explains "Thunderheist became this animal beast that took on its own life, and I think we both just wanted to take this time to reconnect with ourselves." Of tonight's show, she has big expectations for all of us. "We'll possibly get people drunk and we'll possibly get people pregnant..." Can't wait!

To read the full interview with Thunderheist in this month's issue of V-Rag, click here

June 2010 Issue Out Now!

Read the June Issue Online!

The season is changing, and that means big changes for V-Rag as well. We're finally on the web! By July, the brand-new fully interactive V-Rag website makes its official launch. And as a special treat to all of our loyal readers, you can get the July issue before it hits the stands! Just e-mail us at fans@v-rag.com to have our very special double-sized Pride Edition sent straight to your PC. While you're at it, get entered into a draw for a $200 Little Sisters gift card! All for being our friend. July will also mark our One Year Anniversary. 12 issues later and we're stronger than ever before, next month's edition will be one to keep. As a thank-you to everyone who's supported us over this last year, I'd like to personally invite you out to Century House on Saturday July 3rd at 7pm for complimentary tapas, prizes and great music, followed by the official after party at Five Sixty starting at 11pm till late into the night. Performances, swag bags and special surprises are in store throughout the evening!

Getting down to business, we're pretty excited and more than a little star-struck to feature the supermodel of the world herself, RuPaul this month! We got to catch up with the busy drag diva to talk about her new book, her new look, and the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race! Thanks Ru! We also had the pleasure of chatting with Montreal duo Thunderheist about their upcoming show in Vancouver, which also happens to be their last ever together! British punk legends the Buzzcocks just flew through our fair city and frontman Pete Shelley gives some words of wisdom. And you have got to check out the amazing photo shoot of our Empress, Raye Sunshine, in this month's Candy Queen as shot by Kate McLaren! It's tasty tasty...

Read the June Issue Online!

Back In The Day: V-Rag Classic Track

From dirty punk rock to glittery handbag house, V-Rag has very broad taste. After a fantastic night with the pioneering band The Buzzcocks, we're is feeling a little... homo... So what better track to put us in the mood than Livin' Joy's 1994 classic "Dreamer"? Sassy soulful vocals, a driving disco beat and a hook that screams 90's dance, everyone should remember this club anthem. And it's the perfect way to come down from a screeching rock show. Sweet dreams!