Zulu Records is marked by an army-green facade that stands out on West Fourth Avenue in the Kitsilano neighborhood. Founded in nineteen eighty-one by Grant McDonagh, the shop emerged in the space left behind by a previous record store…
Vancouver Music History
I've mapped out the key studios, historic clubs, and independent record stores that defined Vancouver's legendary rock and jazz eras. We'll trace the city's music history from Kitsilano over to Gastown, stopping at the spaces where bands like Nirvana and Heart made history.
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1. Zulu Records
2. Afterlife Studios Vancouver
Afterlife Studios operates at twelve thirty-four West Sixth Avenue, tucked into a space with a deep history in the Vancouver music scene. You can identify the building by its status as the home of what was once known as Mushroom Studios, a…
3. HippoSonic Music Recording Studio
HippoSonic Music Recording Studio operates within a building on West Seventh Avenue known for its long lineage in the Vancouver music scene. The facility is anchored by a Solid State Logic four-thousand G-plus series mixing console, a…
4. The Penthouse Nightclub
The Penthouse Nightclub at one thousand nineteen Seymour Street is marked by a boxy sign and neon green lettering. Opened in nineteen forty-seven by the Filippone brothers—Joe, Ross, Mickey, and Jimmy—the club began as a late-night venue…
5. Commodore Ballroom
The Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street is recognizable by its Art Deco façade, which features distinctive decorative tilework and a prominent parapet. Built by George Conrad Reifel and opened in December nineteen thirty as the…
6. Orpheum
The Orpheum is identifiable by a tall, vertical neon sign displaying its name and a wide canopy extending over the sidewalk on Granville Street. Designed by architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca in a Spanish Renaissance style, the building…
7. The Warehouse Studio
The Warehouse Studio occupies a distinctive three-story Victorian brick building that stands as the oldest of its kind in Vancouver. Its facade features deep-red brickwork and tall, rectangular window openings that distinguish it from the…
8. Empire Field
Empire Fields consists of a sprawling, fifteen-acre complex of modern sports grounds marked by its vibrant green synthetic turf pitches and a distinctive six-hundred-meter running track. These grounds occupy the exact footprint of the…