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Vancouver's Historic Railway Club leased.....


kingofsurrey

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Vancouver's historic Railway Club leased after sitting empty for nine months

Wow, some great memories of that place. BEST live music in Vancouver as far as my youth goes.....

 

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LInky

 

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-historic-railway-club-leased-after-sitting-empty-for-nine-months

 

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1 minute ago, Twilight Sparkle said:

perfect! downtown vancouver needs another coffee shop for people taking up spaces for the wifi

 

Coffee shop ????

 

The Railway Club was Vancouver’s longest continually operating nightclub, occupying the same premises uninterrupted from 1931 to 2016.[1] Three distinct rooms made up the second floor space at the corner of Seymour and Dunsmuir Street. The first was an intimate room that hosted music seven nights a week. The second was a pub-style space, and the 3rd looked like it could date directly from the 30’s with lots of brass and a large wood bar.

History[edit]

Back in the 1930s, the Railway Club used to limit its membership to the railway workers who worked at the CPR Station (now the Seabus Terminal) just down Seymour Street at the waterfront but it has since opened up to the general public.

Over the years the 'Rail' distinguished itself with some of the most innovative music in town with tons of local bands and some big touring acts. This is where k.d. lang got her 'big break' - Spirit of the West got their start here as well. Other bands who have played the Railway include Los Lobos, The Rheostatics, The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Hard Rock Miners, Barenaked Ladies, Grapes of Wrath, Great Big Sea and thousands more. New acts as well as current favourites performed every night at the Railway.

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My band played its first gig at the railway club! Love this place. All of the unpretentious blue-collar bars/clubs/music venues are closing down. Vancouver used to be insecure about being so insignificant on the world stage, but it was better then. I'd take the old, affordable, fun Vancouver over the overpriced bland version any day! 

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10 hours ago, canucklehead44 said:

My band played its first gig at the railway club! Love this place. All of the unpretentious blue-collar bars/clubs/music venues are closing down. Vancouver used to be insecure about being so insignificant on the world stage, but it was better then. I'd take the old, affordable, fun Vancouver over the overpriced bland version any day! 

Unfortunately that's the way of the world now.  Coat everything with a shiny plastic veneer and charge through the nose for it. 

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Vancouver has a horrid music scene.  You can thank that crap EDM genre for that.  There is more going on a Tuesday in Blaine, Wash.  than on a Friday night in Vancouver.  At least the Cobalt is making a comeback, lots of live music there now. 

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14 minutes ago, Tre Mac said:

Vancouver has a horrid music scene.  You can thank that crap EDM genre for that.  There is more going on a Tuesday in Blaine, Wash.  than on a Friday night in Vancouver.  At least the Cobalt is making a comeback, lots of live music there now. 

Nah, even Vancouver's EDM scene is garbage comparatively.

Vancouver is just a bad city for music and entertainment in general.

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 Not living on the coast any more do I remember right that the Commodore Ballroom shut down for a while once also.   As a young guy we used to come over to Van on the "booze cruise" the CPR ferry from Nanaimo.  Stay at the Ritz on Georgia I think and hit all the "best" spots.  Oil Can Harry's, The Penthouse down on Seymour,  Isy's Supper Club, The Penthouse, a Canucks game (they sucked then too), oh and The Penthouse.  Ate all our grub at a railway themed restaurant/bar in the Ritz or a nearby McDonald's. (they sucked too then)  Good times.   

 

 

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3 hours ago, Jägermeister said:

Nah, even Vancouver's EDM scene is garbage comparatively.

Vancouver is just a bad city for music and entertainment in general.

Red Robinson mentioned in his autobiography that back in the 50's he was shocked people would come and watch him just play records! Fast forward and what do people watch now? DJ's pushing buttons.

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1 minute ago, Grapefruits said:

Donnelly group leased it.  It's going to be just another uppity overpriced bar with no live music.

 

Yup, Bad news. That really sucks. 

 

Vancouver really needs more small live music venues downtown.....

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4 minutes ago, kingofsurrey said:

 

Yup, Bad news. That really sucks. 

 

Vancouver really needs more small live music venues downtown.....

Yep. Even the ones that do live music for the most part suck.  Buddies band plays a few venues DT.  As soon as the bands are done playing, which is usually early.  They usher them off the stage as quick as possible to throw up a DJ booth.

 

Guess I should consider myself lucky to be able to grow up with places like Studebaker's and The Starfish Room.

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2 minutes ago, Grapefruits said:

Yep. Even the ones that do live music for the most part suck.  Buddies band plays a few venues DT.  As soon as the bands are done playing, which is usually early.  They usher them off the stage as quick as possible to throw up a DJ booth.

 

Guess I should consider myself lucky to be able to grow up with places like Studebaker's and The Starfish Room.

 

Vancouver has alot of big bike lanes DT now though...... 

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On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 0:55 PM, Tre Mac said:

Vancouver has a horrid music scene.  You can thank that crap EDM genre for that.  There is more going on a Tuesday in Blaine, Wash.  than on a Friday night in Vancouver.  At least the Cobalt is making a comeback, lots of live music there now. 

The Rickshaw as well. There are far too many genre specific bands in this city who are terrified of playing anything remotely out of their wheelhouse. 

 

I don't blame the bands too much though, as the biggest issue with the music scene here in Vancouver are the people who go out to see music. While many folks do truly appreciate good music, a fairly sizeable swath of the upwardly mobile public have a horrible attitude when it comes to taking in a live musical performance. I've played in the city, and can state that on roughly half of the occasions, rooms/crowds were great, exciting and boisterous, and the other half were full of miserable, arms crossed, horn-rimmed wearing, irony entrenched, carbon copy hipsters whose attitude is that if you're an accomplished musician, you're a wanker.

 

These embittered minions just don't exist in other cities. Until these repulsively self-serving minions either grow up and widen their scope of influence, or die, this city will continue to be plagued by a under-informed and overly self righteous portion of the music enjoying public.

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