Veda Hille is a beloved Vancouver musician, composer, theatre maker, and performer. She first played in a band called Mudlarks and started making records under her own name in 1991. She also had a children’s band called Duplex. She has been involved in music, art, and theatre for several decades, creating and collaborating in many genres. This conversation took place on May 14th 2024.

Venues visited:

La Quena Coffee House was at 1111 Commercial Drive from the early 1980s until 2000. It was a non-profit political meeting hub.

Cafe Deux Soleils (1393 Commercial Dr, ) was a vegetarian restaurant which hosted music and poetry events starting in the ‘90s, and closed in 2022.

Edison Electric Gallery of Moving Images, an experimental film centre run by Alex Mackenzie, was near Commercial and Venables.

The Oddfellows Hall at 1720 Graveley Street (a branch of the international frateral orgnization), held at least a dozen punk shows fom 1979 to 1984.

The York Theatre (639 Commercial Drive), where Veda Hille stages the East Van Panto each winter, was previously the New York Theatre rock venue in the ‘80s and ‘90s before becoming the Raja Bollywood Cinema.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 179 at 2205 Commercial Dr.

Music clips used with artist permission.

Veda Hille: Neighbourhood Song from Songs About People and Buildings (1991)
One Hot Summer from Spine (1996)
LuckLucky from This Riot Life (2008)
Tracers from Beach Practice (2020)