Show Review – 604 Records Christmas Party

By: Remington Fioraso

Who: Bucko & Toad, Cat Thomson, & Kate Kurdyak
Where: Belmont Bar in Vancouver, BC
When: December 11, 2014

If you have heard of artists like Marianas Trench, Faber Drive, Dallas Smith, and Cat Thomson, the odds are that you have heard of their record label, 604 Records. On December 11, 2014, the label held their fifth annual Christmas party on at the Belmont Bar in Vancouver.

The first artist of the night was newly signed country artist Bucko and Toad. Bucko and Toad consists of husband and wife duo Ken Coutu and Kelly Michelsen. I really enjoyed their acousticperformance. I thought they had awesome vocals and harmonies. They are definitely ‘on my radar’ for 2015!

The next artist performing was Cat Thomson. Although I have continuously heard about the singer, I never actually listened to her music before. After hearing her set, I tried to figure out ‘Why on earth had I not?!’ Cat simply has a phenomenal voice and stage presence. As soon as I got home from the event, I had to listen to get my hands on her album Puzzle immediately. If you have yet to hear the artist, do so.

Finally, Kate Kurdyak took the stage to close the night’s performances. It was the first artist performing with a full band of the evening as well as the first time I heard of the singer. I really enjoyed the set. A highlight of the set for me was seeing The JPNSGRLS’ Charlie Kerr perform alongside the singer for “Bitter.” I am looking forward to seeing what is to come for the artist in the New Year.

Although enjoying hearing the artists, an aspect of the event that I enjoyed was the atmosphere. The non-musical highlight of the event was a photo booth run by Just Jash. I loved using Christmas related props in photos. Overall, it was a good evening. I look forward to next year’s Christmas party.

Remington Fioraso

Hi Everyone! My name is Remington Fioraso. I am a graduate of the University of the Fraser Valley’s Bachelor of Arts program in Sociology, Anthropology, and Media and Communication Studies. Within my program, I focused on social media, learning about contemporary and classical sociological theory (Including Marx, Foucault, Bourdieu, and Durkheim), and communicating effectively in various modes and for different audiences (including oral communication, business communication, academic writing, entertainment media, and presentations utilizing visual media). Within my program, the question arose for many courses, “What is the relevance in the real world?” Stepping (temporarily) away from being in university, I gained an interest in Latin American development, social movements, and business. Sooner than later, I will be applying for post-grad programs to dive further into LA development and social movements to gain a theory-background in addition to a personal perspective onto the topics. In my free time, I love to travel, consume media, eat, listen to music, and write. Listening to music and writing led to my interest in working with Canadian Beats! I have been a part of the team since April 2014. A few of my personal highlights of interviews include ones with some of my favourite artists – Sumo Cyco, Madeline Merlo, and High Valley. Be sure to connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!