A Look at the Punk Music Coming Out of One of Canada's Poorest Postal Codes

Walking up to the SBC Restaurant on East Hastings Street, I navigate pods of the mentally ill and junkies looking for their next fix or distraction. A few feet away, the live music of the Pack AD thumps from the dimly lit, painted doorway. Wide-eyed homeless people looking for change and cigarettes mingle with concert goers and smokers.

While being mostly known as “one of Canada’s poorest postal codes,” (the median family income is only $37,000), Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) should also be known for its thriving live music scene, a hotbed of punk rock and metal, a creative, happy contrast to all of the visible poverty and mental illness – diamonds in the destitution between Carrall Street and Clark Drive.

“It’s a rough neighbourhood in a sense, but everyone’s very accepting of us — there’s a gigantic sense of community down here,” says Malcolm Hassin, co-owner of the SBC Restaurant (formerly the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret), which is also a skatepark and art gallery for local youth and artists. “It’s more so than in my own neighbourhood near Commercial (Drive)… I know more people on this block than on my street where I live. Everyone looks out for each other.”

That solid sense of community is rooted in the area’s residents and patrons as well as other nearby venues maintaining the live music scene. Locations like Funky Winkerbeans and the Rickshaw Theatre draw hundreds of people to the DTES with bands and artists every week. Less than block west of SBC, Mo Tarmohamed, owner of the Rickshaw, which was a kung fu movie theatre back in the 70s, says live music is significant to the area.

“There is a community down here and that’s important,” he says. “Live music, any form of arts and culture is important to revitalization of the area. Once one place opens, others will follow because it brings new people in the area. It’s such a stigmatized area, even now people are reluctant to come down here.”

“But people are getting over their fear of coming to this neighbourhood,” Tarmohamed adds. “There’s also an edginess here, people like going to an underground place.” And a few blocks east of the Rickshaw sits Funky Winkerbeans, a popular watering hole for punk and metal bands. “You can be anybody down here, there’s no dress code and expectations, really,” says manager Sheri Pohl. “Metalheads, punks, hipsters, or the homeless…it doesn’t matter. You can’t get away from those who are addicted; it’s as much a part of (the area) as the music.”

Just before the SBC show, Maya Miller, drummer of the Pack AD, tells me that as an artist, the DTES vibe is liberating in that they can be as loud as they want and be truly expressive. “There are so many condos being built in Vancouver and people don’t want that noise around their lovely condo,” she says. “We can only play in an area where people won’t complain and that’s at places in the Downtown Eastside. You don’t have to hold back and that’s cathartic and a great feeling.”

She pauses to think about it more. “The scene is, I think it’s getting a bit more real, which sounds kind of lame,” Miller adds. “People want to have a good time and they want to have an affordable time and we’re seeing an increase in moshing and dancing in general – people are a lot looser than before. It’s kind of nice, people are coming together more over music and maybe even talking to each other more.”

While experiencing a re-energization these days, for a long time, the live music scene has been flourishing in DTES spaces. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, SBC in its different incarnations (then the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret), hosted a number of artists ranging from Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin to legendary punk band DOA.

“We were a young band, in the early 80s – we hadn’t started playing punk rock yet…we were just a rock band,” recalls Joe Keithley, lead singer of DOA, who recently started touring again. “So we couldn’t find a show, were lamenting that fact, and we were driving past the Smilin’ Buddha, and a friend was like, “Hey, why don’t you get a gig there?” and I was like, “Are you fucking crazy? People get stabbed in there every night.”

Keithley says the area has been important for music in the city and even on the west coast. “The place punk rock started was at 343 Railway Street, right next to the Japanese Hall and it was a rehearsal and living space for artists,” the frontman says. “You would bring some beer and they’d let you jam to all hours – that was where the punk and counterculture thing got going.”

“I thought it was an important area for us and for punk and that’s why we recorded a live album, Welcome to Chinatown, about six months ago at the Rickshaw,” he continues. “I think the area was very integral for the scene because it had the cheapest places nobody else wanted to play, and that’s where underground music always gravitates to – the places that are not upscale.”

So why open a venue in one of Canada’s roughest communities? “The whole neighbourhood is unique. I’ve never been anywhere in the world like it,” explains Hassin, looking out towards the street. “It’s the music, the people – the characters – with so many different stories and from different walks of life; there’s such a good vibe.” He laughs. “And musicians are kind of weirdos too so it makes sense. Despite what some people might think about the area, I’ve never felt threatened or scared down here – ever.”

Gen Handley is a writer living in BC, he is on twitter - @Gen_And_Tonic