Amanda Ash

Photo courtesy of www.usmagazine.com

Published online at www.usmagazine.com. Features reporting by myself.

Did an innocent night of laser tag in Canada turn into a nasty brawl for Justin Bieber?

Canada’s CBC News reported late Saturday that the heartthrob, 16, was kicked out of a laser tag center in Richmond, British Columbia after punching a 12-year-old boy.

According to the report, the “Somebody to Love” singer, who has a Vancouver show on Tuesday, arrived with an entourage of 14 at the facility.  Staff members told CBC that the star was followed around and targeted during the game.

TMZ claims that Bieber (who was photographed at the center Friday) was bullied and taunted with homophobic slurs.

A member of Royal Canadian Mounted Police tells UsMagazine.com: “On Friday around 5:30 p.m. we got a report that a 12-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted at an entertainment facility in Richmond. The boy sustained minimal injuries and did not require medical attention. We are continuing our investigation.” No other info will be released at this time, the spokesperson added.

Read more at www.usmagazine.com.

BY AMANDA ASH, VANCOUVER SUN

There’s something comforting about country music.

It’s a bit like taking a sonic holiday, except instead of white beaches and foamy oceans, you’ve got never-ending country roads, dusty boots and the powerful punch of a pickup truck on the highway.

Country music superstar and Grammy Award winning artist Brad Paisley gave fans a taste of this gritty freedom Saturday night at Rogers Arena, showcasing his wicked guitar-plucking skills and his uncomplicated lyrical narratives about love, loss and life.

Add in Paisley’s boy-next-door affection and his genuine smile, and you’ve got a recipe for a young woman’s ultimate getaway.

When you think about it, we’ve all said we need to “get out of the city.” And where do we go? Our escapist destination usually ends up being a rough patch of grass in the mountains, or a secluded cabin on a lake with no hot water.

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com.

Published in the Vancouver Sun on Saturday, September 25.

BY AMANDA ASH, SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Tegan and Sara are like twin human Bellagio fountains. They put on a comedic, synchronous ballet of song and banter that charms the pants off everyone from a seven-year-old Miley Cyrus fan to a 55-year-old jazz aficionado.

That was the scene at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl on Friday night, where the sibling pop-rock duo entertained a cold, damp crowd with their honest tunes and straight-faced repartee.

“We just want to say we’re so sorry. So sorry,” said Sara, referring to the spitting rain and muddy Malkin Bowl.

“Even Tegan and Sara can’t keep away the rain,” added Tegan, before kicking off their set with an acoustic Call It Off from 2007’s The Con.

Tegan and Sara have straddled the line between indie stardom and mainstream recognition admirably, managing to maintain the respect of surly hipsters while charging forth onto radio airwaves.

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com.

Published in the Vancouver Sun on September 23, 2010.

BY AMANDA ASH, VANCOUVER SUN

For the second year in a row, Olio Festival organizers are shaking out their ceramic piggy banks and putting their hard-earned pennies toward nearly 50 different music, art, film and comedy acts.

The Vancouver event, which features both local and international performers at various venues around town, has been the brainchild and investment of festival directors Jason Sulyma and Dani Vachon. (Olio means mixture or hodgepodge.)

“We didn’t lose any money [last year],” says a relieved, laughing Sulyma, who runs Glory Days at the Biltmore Cabaret when he’s not working on the Olio Festival. “We paid our taxes, and decided to do it again because we were all still friends.

“We pretty much self-financed 99 per cent of the festival. We’re all local promoters, like arts and film curators. With every dollar we make doing these local shows, instead of spending it on stupid stuff like clothes or shoes or eating out, we just spend it on [Olio] instead. It’s pretty much a self-financed DIY festival.”

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com.

Review published in the Vancouver Sun on September 16, 2010.

BY AMANDA ASH, SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Let’s do it for the kids.

That’s what Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry must’ve agreed to backstage Thursday night before exploding in Technicolor at Rogers Arena.

Thousands of eyes stared up at the legendary Boston blues rockers in anticipation, awaiting the final show of the Cocked, Locked, Ready To Rock tour. Fans looked cool and tough, encased in leather jackets and faded jeans, but beneath this second skin of theirs they were squirming.

They knew very well the concert might be Aerosmith’s last as a classic five-piece lineup consisting of Tyler, Perry, guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer.

Opener Joan Jett did a great job of setting everyone’s nerves free beforehand, encouraging the butterflies to run amok like hoodlums instead of shaking mousily in the corner. She warmed up the stage—and the audience’s vocal chords—with Bad Reputation and Cherry Bomb.

Jett sounded perfect from the start. Fists were pumping immediately. And each of those fists was also gripping a giant, sloshing beer.

“Hello Vancouver! It’s wonderful to be here with you,” she growled.

Read more at www.vancouversun.com.