A NEW VANCOUVER SINGLES CLUB

As a rare combination of a Type A artist, Tim the Mute took it upon himself to create Kingfisher Bluez to take care of the back end of releasing music and putting on shows for bands. All profits go back into the collective and releasing new music, and his latest effort is the Single-Sided Singles Club.

To be very clear, it’s not a speed-dating service for music bloggers. Rather, over the course of a year, twelve bands will release a one-sided single on 7” vinyl under the Kingfisher banner. Only 250 subscriptions to the singles club will be available, and the first release is “Elizabeth’s Theme” by Dirty Beaches.

Other names in the series include Apollo Ghosts, Capitol 6, Rose Melberg, and Korean Gut — all punk and indie-rock acts that are accessible, down-to-earth, and get inventive to continue creating music. A dearth of legal all-ages venues, supportive media, and reasonable liquor laws make it difficult to be a band in Vancouver, says Tim, but he notes, “There is a heavy DIY ethic in this city.”

From 1979’s Vancouver Complication to the most recent volume of CiTR Pop Alliance, several compilation albums have been put together in an attempt to document the changing zeitgeist of the music scene throughout the years. But having worked at Dandelion Records for some years now, Tim knows that compilation albums tend not to sell. 7” vinyl singles, on the other hand, are much less of a commitment to listen to and more fun to collect.

The Singles Club has been turning heads in the city and getting some international attention, garnering mentions on Pitchfork and Stereogum as well. “Record collectors are always excited about regional collections,” says Tim.

Sign up for the Single-Sided Singles Club at http://kingfisherbluez.bigcartel.com.

By Esther Tung