Press Reviews + News

Ubyssey
November 28th, 2000
By Carmen DesOrmeaux

E D G Y ,   A T M O S P H E R I C   P O P
Beautiful House Gallery Lounge Presents Angel
at the Starry Dynamo Café Nov. 24

I was welcomed to the homey Starry Dynamo by a group of warm, friendly folks who introduced themselves as part of the Beautiful House Gallery Lounge.

James (Neufeld) and Shainin (Hudda), two of the founding members, informed me that Beautiful House is a collective of artists whose mandate it is to rejuvenate the arts scene in the Marpole area. Made up of musicians, singers, spoken word artists, photographers, painters, and just about anyone else you can think of who does something related to the arts, Beautiful House has been putting on events since last September. The collective travels to different spaces in and around the Marpole area, promoting a variety of artists and fostering community spirit. This event, the ninth, had the theme of 'Angel.'

The Starry Dynamo Café has only been open for three months The couple that owns and runs the place told me that they worked really hard to give the café a warm feel. With beautiful hardwood floors, wooden beams and rafters, and cozy couches and chairs, this café is one where you can definitely let your hair down and cuddle up with a good book and some hot chocolate. The sultry, soft lighting also makes for good date ambiance.

Ehren Seeland's photography decorates the walls. The images, in reds and browns, are mostly female nudes. The (deliberate) overprocessing blurs lines, which makes the photos somewhat hazy. Seeland describes her work as "based on dreams, imagination, and the 'hyper-real'." For me, the 'hyper-reality" was especially evident. The juxtaposition of the organic colours with the layers of processing created a thoughtful eyeplay.

Beautiful House Co-Founders Shainin Hudda (left) and James Neufeld (right), photographed for the Vancouver Courier in 2001.

Joellel Lush, accompanied by James Newhouse on piano, began the evening with some soulful jazz and gospel tunes. The duet's rendition of "Autumn Leaves" was particularly moving. Nenah Reece, accompanied by David Martone on guitar and bass and Paul Martone on percussion, later took over the mike and mesmerised the crowd with some uneasy tunes from her latest CD. Reece played songs that exhibited her self-described "edgy, atmospheric pop" sound.

In a city that has been overtaken by entertainment firms, this event offered solace to the Vancouver arts scene. It's comforting to know that there are groups of people coordinating events where profit isn't the motive—where the goal isn't to turn music, a feeling, or a lifestyle into a commodity. This event was genuine, and so were the people. When those people smiled at you, you knew it was for real. In its program Beautiful House says, "We strive to be warm, welcoming and everything but pretentious or anonymous." They filled that tall order to a T, and did so with plenty of style and grace.

Copyright 2000 Ubyssey Publications Society