Don’t miss the wild Raccoon Deathmatch that’ll take place at the Tractorgrease Cafe on Feb. 13.
It’s a band name that’s more literal than you’d think.
This collective of Vancouver musicians lays down a hootenanny, kitchen party style of music.
Vocalist and guitarist Kevin Gau chatted with The Progress to break down this smorgasbord of up to eight musicians.
Gau, who was the front man for The Left for 10 years, met fellow Deathmatch member Steven Drake while busking last summer.
No stranger to the Vancouver music scene, Drake was in 1990s alternative rock band Odds.
“I had [Drake’s] poster on my wall as a kid. They were my favourite band,” Gau explained.
The two continued to pool the money they made singing and playing on the downtown streets, to buy some beer and go to the park and play more music.
They nailed down their new sound when they got together with Cowjazz Billionaires JJ MacDonald, and they decided to take their tunes from the streets to the stage.
At one of Raccoon Deathmatch’s shows today, you might see Gau, Drake, and Macdonald, and any combination of Howlin’ Daz, John Hayes, Joe Abbott, Jordan McNeil-Bob, Anni M. Fables and Andraya Starnino, all of whom bring passion and experience from other bands they’ve been in.
“We’re just kinda hitting the ground runnin’,” Gau said of the collective group who are starting to make a name for themselves.
Coming up with that unique band name is a story on its own.
While recording in a Lion’s Bay Studio a while back, the group heard some crazy racket going on outside.
Drake immediately described the rowdy sound as an apparent “raccoon deathmatch” taking place, and the name stuck.
“It represents our style in a way, too,” Gau explained.
“There’s sometimes eight members in the band, sometimes three. So when a solo comes up, nobody really knows who’s gonna take it. So several of us start, and kind of battle for it.”
That haphazard, boisterous group vibe will guarantee that no two Raccoon Deathmatch shows will be the same.
“It’s no big deal if someone can’t show up, but then other times we barely fit on the stage,” Gau laughed.
Show-goers will often be dancing to the upbeat sounds of the washboard, slide guitar, clarinet and fiddle. Other times the Deathmatch will be playing to a downtown bar crowd where people are focused on their conversations rather than the tunes.
This band doesn’t mind either way.
“It’s all about the music,” Gau stressed.
He described the mood of their shows as a house party jam session. It’s the harmony of voices you’d hear when friends sing covers after the bars are closed. The perfect, eclectic sound for the Tractorgrease Cafe.
Raccoon Deathmatch brought their hillbilly hootenanny to the Chilliwack venue in early January.
“It was awesome. It was just JJ on the stand-up bass, Steven, and me,” Gau explained. “But it was full and people loved it.”
He says the entire band will be there on Saturday.
As Raccoon Deathmatch begins to lay down their first EP, their first music videos are available on YouTube.
“It’s still pretty new and fresh, but everything’s going really well,” Gau said.
Join the party at Tractorgrease Cafe (48710 Chilliwack Lake Road) on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Cafe or 604-858-3814.
