Keeping festival season alive with The Fall Down/Get Down

La-Ti-Da Records relieve the doldrums and stresses of mid-fall with The Fall Down/Get Down

With the onset of rain and dropping temperatures, it’s safe to say that festival season is finished. For the majority of festival hoppers, fall means hanging up the fanny packs for pea coats and scarves. For the rest of us, though, La-Ti-Da Records’ Fall Down/Get Down runs November 1-4 in venues across Vancouver.

Vanessa Dandurand, La-Ti-Da’s production manager, is quick to suggest that The Fall Down/Get Down is more of a “garage weekender” than a festival.

“It’s hard to compare us to other festivals in Vancouver because this didn’t start off as a festival,” Dandurand explains. “We looked to events like Gonerfest or SMMR BMMR or Burgerama for inspiration.”

She notes that while the Fall Down/Get Down lacks the history and size of larger Vancouver festivals Music Waste or Olio, the point of the Fall Down/Get Down is “to throw a killer party and share things that we are excited about.”

With venues ranging from the intimate LanaLou’s to the revived Rickshaw Theatre, the lineup features a cross-section of Vancouver’s independent music scene, including local legends The Evaporators, Needles//Pins, Korean Gut, and Tranzmitors.

Out-of-towners like Seattle’s King Dude, The Wild Ones from Santa Cruz, and Detroit proto-punks Death bolster the bill with an art opening by Tim Kerr at Antisocial Skate Shop and nightly DJs.

Despite the diverse talent featured, the undisputed highlight of The Fall Down/Get Down is the final show from the godfathers of Vancouver punk, The Pointed Sticks.

“The Pointed Sticks are a band that means a lot to a lot of people and we wanted to do right by them,” Dundurand says. She notes that when La-Ti-Da was informed that this would be the band’s last performance, they knew that had to make the night special. The band plays their farewell show on November 3 at the Rickshaw with Greenback High, Chains of Love, The Tranzmitors, and The Ballantynes.

Whether you’re a local music enthusiast, a music historian or just easily bored, the Fall Down/Get Down gives substance that is guaranteed to justify a break from studying or working. With a festival pass for only $40 and most shows priced at $10, there’s every reason to get out and enjoy this rare, late season music festival.

La-Ti-Da Records’ Fall Down/Get Down runs from November 1-4. Tickets are available at Neptoon, Red Cat, Dandelion, Zulu, Antisocial Skate Shop, and through the Fall Down/Get Down’s website.

– Jamie Cessford

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