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I’ve never been to a !!! (Chk Chk Chk) concert I didn’t like

And thanks to these photos, I’ve never not been to a !!! (Chk Chk Chk) concert I didn’t like. Vancouver-based photographer Braden Paul captured Sasquatch for The Anthology and guess which band he had a heckuva good time shooting?

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That’s right: my very favourite New York-based dance punk band.

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!!! (Chk Chk Chk) puts on the best show. Every. Single. Time. (Even at 2:30 in the afternoon under Coachella‘s sweltering desert sun.)

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So, uh, Nic Offer, this photo got me wondering: is that a microphone in your pocket or are you just thinking about that time we met? Oh. Wait. Nope. That’s definitely a microphone.

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Go! Canucks! Go!

[Photos by Braden Paul.]

Sasquatch Steeze

When Vancouver-based photographer Braden Paul shot Sasquatch for The Anthology, he didn’t just capture the artists. He also captured some of the most artistic (and stylish) festival-goers…

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You wouldn’t show up to a Gucci event in anything but Gucci, would you?

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Fringe? Freckles? Adorbs.

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PBR. Respect.

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Cat suit + fanny pack = vintage done right

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A fine example of mixing and matching prints.

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Ever since the Royal Wedding, hats have been huge.

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This photo pretty much sums up music festivals: you get all gussied up in your pretty dress and end up drinking beside a garbage can.

Don’t touch that dial, friends, there are more festival fotos to come!

[Photos by Mr. Braden Paul.]

Sasquatch Sightings

Last weekend, Vancouver photographer Braden Paul trekked to Eastern Washington to cover the 10th annual Sasquatch Festival for The Anthology. And boy, are his up-close-and-personal photos beautiful. After four days and countless bands in the world’s most beautiful venue (have you been to the Gorge?!) these are a few of the highlights…

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The electrifying (and glittery) Sleigh Bells.

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The beautiful, badass Robyn.

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One of my very favourites: the New York-based, world-influenced Yeasayer.

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Atlanta’s indie darlings Deerhunter.

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Canada’s own K-OS.

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And Major Lazer‘s hyper hype man, who will soon be performing the not-quite-suitable-for-work set at Live at Squamish.

Stay tuned, friends, there are more Sasquatch highlights to come and you better believe they include this man.

[Photos by Sir Braden Paul.]

The great hunt for great vintage shops in Palm Springs

Coachella 2012 is a long way off (sad face) but just in case you’re going to be in Palm Springs before then, I thought I’d share what just might be the best vintage shopping in the desert.

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Resale Therapy looks like an unassuming shop in the corner of a Palm Springs strip mall, but it’s actually a treasure trove of vintage gems.

If you walk through the front room full of consignment racks, through the second room full of giant fur coats, through the third room full of garage sale-style clothes, to the fourth room at the very, very back of the shop, you’ll find their Tresor de Vintage section. And it is heaven. Full of silk, satin, beaded  wearable works of art from the 50s, 60s and 70s, you might just find yourself trying on everything there (it’s not that big, you just might be able to).

I fell for a royal blue shift dress with a heavily beaded trim by Mr. Blackwell himself, a snakeskin clutch by Jackie Kennedy’s favourite designer Oleg Cassini and a black-and-white striped secretary dress by Christian Dior.

Huh. Maybe I should head back to Palm Springs.

P.S. I picked my top seven spring looks from Park Royal. And they include short shorts for men.

The A-list | Top five performances of Coachella 2011

It’s a tough job trying to pinpoint the top five performances of Coachella 2011, but somebody’s got to do it.

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So after braving sun stroke, risking hearing loss and enduring a weekend of porta-potties, I can confidently list the top five performances of Coachella 2011.

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5. Phantogram
I sacrificed seeing the Strokes and Chromeo to catch them (Coachella scheduling conflicts are the worst). But Phantogram’s performance was well worth it. If only because it solidified my girl crush on singer/keyboardist Sarah Barthel.

4. Arcade Fire
They’re Arcade Fire. And unless you’ve been quoted on Who Is Arcade Fire? you understand why they’re incredible.

3.Kele
Judging by the way she was dancing around in her little red-and-white one-piece, even Katy Perry enjoyed his show.

2. Empire of the Sun
They brought the weird. And that made them wonderful.

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1. !!! (Chk Chk Chk)
I’ve seen them at big outdoor festivals and in tiny clubs and they always put on the most amazingly fun shows. Take a look at this clip and you’ll be buying tickets to their next concert pronto.

[My dress is courtesy of Banana Republic, tie-dyed vest from Mimi & Coco.]

P.S. Add The Anthology on Facebook and it’ll become one of your top five favourite pages.

Well I certainly wasn’t expecting this

As soon as Empire of the Sun took the outdoor stage at Coachella yesterday, things got weird. In the most entertaining way.

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The Australian group’s show seemed to be sent straight from a Mayan-influenced 1980s future. And the crowd loved it. So much so, they really should have played the main stage — you need a lot of space to hold all that spectacle.

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But that’s the beautiful thing about Coachella — it’s full of surprises. That, and during a bit of downtime you can see artists like Shpongle solely because you like the name.

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And if you’re lucky you just might walk home with one of the giant illuminated beach balls Arcade Fire dropped on the audience during the last few songs of their set. (I wasn’t one of the lucky ones.) Man, I love this festival.

P.S. Follow along with The Anthology on Twitter.

Coachella is my happy place

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Can you blame me? The sun, the music, the insanity — I’m exhausted already and day two hasn’t even begun yet.

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The highlight of the first day? !!! (Chk Chk Chk) hands down. They put on the best live show. Every. Single. Time. Even at 2:30 in the afternoon under the blazing desert sun, frontman Nic Offer hams it up like nobody’s business, revving the crowd while wearing the shortest shorts imaginable.

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And I managed to capture a few glorious moments of !!! (Chk Chk Chk) at Coachella 2011 on film. Please forgive the audio distortion — I was standing right in front of the speakers (which ended up being the perfect spot to film Offer leaving the stage and rocking out in the middle of the crowd).

Next time !!! (Chk Chk Chk) comes to your city, please promise me you’ll go see them? They’ll be in Vancouver at the Electric Owl on May 28th, which means you know where I’ll be.

P.S. Follow along with The Anthology’s Coachella adventures on Twitter.

I’m off to Coachella!

You’re not going? Don’t fret. You can recreate the experience by putting on a hippie dress, sitting in a 100-degree sauna and listening to these seven bands:

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The Drums
Nothing says “California” quite like surfer rock, even if the band happens to be from New York.

Kele
The Bloc Party lead singer’s solo project will make you want to dance. Especially Tenderoni and Rise.

!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Because no one rocks tiny denim shorts quite like Nic Offer.

Phantogram
I saw them perform in Quebec City at the Festival d’Ete last summer. And next time you have a chance to see them, you might want to do the same. If only because Sarah Barthel will be your next big girl crush.

Foals
This is sunny driving music.

Radio Dept.
Any band that’s good enough for Sofia Coppola is good enough for me.

Delorean
They’re from Spain! And maybe if you had a Back to the Future-style Delorean, you could buy tickets to Coachella before they sold out? (Sorry, didn’t mean to rub it in. Just trying to be helpful.)

P.S. I’ll be posting a billion Coachella photos so add The Anthology on Facebook.

Coachella dress code

Lise writes:
You have such amazing style and fashion sense!! It is my first time going to Coachella this year. I’m super excited, but also lost as to what to pack. I figured you would definitely be able to help me out a little with this predicament.

Eeeeeek! Coachella! The desert, the music — it is going to be so much fun.

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And if my experience last year has taught me anything it’s that Coachella is a festival. With a lot of people. Who might vomit. Right beside you. And while that may not ruin your show, it might ruin your dress so leave your most precious pieces at home.

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Instead pack pieces that you’re going to be comfortable in. You’ll want to wear something short — a dress, a skirt, a pair of shorts, a t-shirt as a dress. As big as maxi skirts are right now, you’ll want to rock something a little less constricting when the mercury hits 95 (and it’s supposed to).

Bring your sunny G’s! You’ll wear shades all day long so pack a pair to spare.

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Rather than bringing a giant bag that’ll be cumbersome when you’re bouncing around in a crowd, opt for a cross-body bag that’s big enough to hold your camera, wallet, water bottle, and small bottle of sunscreen.

Wear flats! It doesn’t matter what kind — boots, sandals, flip flops (don’t tell the Sartorialist I said that). Just bring a few pairs so you can rotate footwear each day.

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The desert is very, very dry (shocking, I know) so bring lots of sunscreen for day and some serious moisturizer for night. I’m a fan of Riversol Revitalize Daily Moisturizing Cream.

Some festival-goers will opt for a big sun-shielding hat, but I like to get up in the middle of the action so I don’t like to wear anything that could block someone else’s view.

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It can get cool at night so I’d pack a jacket in your suitcase but I’d check the weather before bringing it to the festival. I didn’t end up needing one last year (you warm up when you’re squished up in a crowd).

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Instead I brought a rugged scarf with me. It’s great to sit on in between shows and it’ll keep you warm when the sun goes down.

And with that, I really should get packing. Hope this helps, Lise! Let me know how much fun you have.

P.S. I’ll be tweeting while I’m at Coachella so follow The Anthology on Twitter.