5 cheap tickets to live music shows in Vancouver this month

Hey, we get it, live music isn’t usually friendly to your bottom line. Thankfully, the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival has you covered! For the cost of a movie or less, soak in some fine musicians across different aspects of jazz. Bring a friend or a date – the price of these acts will not break the bank. And hey, maybe you’ll find a new favourite.

Destroy Vancouver

When: Friday, June 19 at 11:30 p.m.
Where: The Ironworks
Damage: $15
Buy tickets here

You had us at… Vancouver. This long-running series (now in its lucky 13th iteration) bills itself as an experimental “noise experience,” pairing improvising musicians to unexpected and gratifying results. Anything goes, and this time it’s Billy Martin, JP Carter and Lisa Cay Miller in the ring. Face the music for the price of a movie, and expand your horizons with some serious improvisation.

Son Lux with Olga Bell

When: Friday, June 26 at 8 p.m.
Where: Fortune Sound Club
Damage: $15
Buy tickets here

Presented in association with Blueprint Events, New York-based Son Lux has been likened as an operatic Owen Pallett. Son Lux has worked with many notable artists; here’s our favourite of his collaborations with Lorde – below. This time, he’s paired with producer Olga Bell, who makes and remixes original music using everything from synthesizers to cellos to glockenspiels. An odd match indeed, but for three Starbucks lattes we can’t really argue, especially since this performance will be at the excellent Fortune Sound Club.

Peregrine Falls

When: Friday, June 26 at 11:30 p.m.
Where: The Ironworks
Damage: $15
Buy tickets here

Do you like metal? Would it surprise you to find “modern jazz for metalheads” in the midst of the Jazz Festival’s programme? Local duo Peregrine Falls is made up of Gord Grdina on guitar and Kenton Loewen on drums. Together, they give you one thrilling ride with pounding rhythms and a post-jazz relentlessness.

Pub Nights with Jazz

When: Throughout the Festival
Where: Tangent Cafe & Patricia Hotel
Damage: $10
Buy tickets here (Tangent Cafe)
Buy tickets here (Patricia Hotel)

Are you more of a drop-in kind of music lover? The Tangent Cafe (Commercial Drive) and the Patricia Hotel (East Van) has you covered with some no-strings-attached nights of cheap fun. Jams, trios and all kinds of local performers with affordable drinks and grubs close at hand.

Reel Jazz

When: Wednesday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Vancity Theatre
Damage: $11
Buy tickets here

Let’s start at the very beginning with some Jazz 101. Reel Jazz will introduce you to some of the greatest classic jazz musicians caught on film. Vancouver filmmaker Michael van den Bos has curated performances from the beginning of the sound era through to the 20th century, a venerable history of jazz in film. Reel Jazz covers everything from New Orleans jazz, swing, jump blues, bebop, and the West Coast cool style – a wonderful education if you’re a beginner, or a nostalgic refresher if you’re an old hand. Nestle into the cozy confines of Vancity Theatre – the ticket’s cheap, and the venue’s licensed, so you’ll have plenty of reasons to grab a drink and popcorn.

 

The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs from June 18 toJuly 1. Select venues across Vancouver. Full program and tickets at coastaljazz.ca.

 

Vancity Buzz is a proud media partner of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival