iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

You’ll have a blast! They were even better than I’d hoped. Equal parts ridiculousness and skill 🤣

Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

From playing to 100,000 in Montreal to 500 in Vancouver for a highly coveted club gig, I can honestly say that Gatineau’s newfound celeb alt weirdos @anginedepoitrine.bsky.social were 1000% musically impressive and 100% ridiculously fun at the tiny, packed and sweltering Pearl #anginedepoitrine

Two musicians in polka-dot outfits and surreal, elongated headpieces perform on a dimly lit stage with bright spotlights, one playing a double-neck guitar and the other playing drums. Audience members hold their hands aloft making their hands into triangle shapes

A live concert performance featuring a guitarist playing a double-neck guitar and a drummer, both wearing surrealist polka-dot costumes and oversized fabric headpieces under bright stage lights.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

This is when it hit 5 min down the road!

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Absolutely WILD lightning storm for HOURS tonight in #Vancouver. These used to be rare, but this one is like a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic level badass. You can even see the thing fade. My whole ‘hood gasped.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

In other news, I really should share my incredibly aggrieved rental dog Lily (I’m her aunt) who has ISSUES with not getting enough attention, gets sidetracked by a bird, then returns to the aforementioned ISSUES. Worth watching sound up for the entire duration of despair, trust me #dogsofbluesky

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

If you mean this one then yes! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I was always JUST outta shot off stage left. Didn’t go right in the middle. Missed you there though. Was a refreshing change from the National Bros crowd

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Some shots I snagged at a rather lively and lovely Matt Berninger (of The National) solo gig recently here in Vancouver, BC at the always-lovely Orpheum. 🤘🏼

Matt Berninger, lead singer of the National, is a middle‑aged man with gray hair, a beard, and black glasses and is singing into a microphone on stage, wearing a dark suit and white shirt, and is pointing and looking directly into the camera

Matt Berninger of The National and his solo-offshoot band of four additional musicians performs on a grand Gothic-style stage with arched windows and green lighting. The lead singer in a dark suit holds a microphone center stage, flanked by a guitarist on the right, and bassist on the left, drummer behind and keyboard player far right, with spotlights and hanging banners overhead.

Matt Berninger, lead singer of the National, is a middle‑aged man with gray hair, a beard, and black glasses and holding a microphone on stage, wearing a dark suit and white shirt. Another person with curly hair in the background plays keyboards behind a mic.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Matt Berninger of the National doing a cover of….Blue Monday?? Yes! What an awesome treat. His baritone makes me think he could handle a Joy Division / Ian Curtis role beautifully

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Thrilled to celebrate the one and only incredible researcher, journalist, kind soul and my unwaveringly unique and inspiring pal @nardwuarserviette.bsky.social on his Order of Canada! He is the best of us. (Ps that first image is us at Halloween)

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

@raffic.bsky.social congrats on the GG Award! So very well deserved - and finally! Much love and happy new year!

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

I - a Gen X goth - went to the East Van Opry last night. Huge talent on stage but these guys were the best because I imagined them actually as Emmett Otter’s Jug Band from The Muppets and that tickled me even more

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Mikala gets very excited in mushroom season. Rosy slime spikes I have been told #mushroomsky

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

I learned yesterday that my rental dog will cut a bitch if you try take away this particular fish chew (to prevent her from choking as it got smaller). Tiny wolf in there omg.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Hanging out with the future leader of the NDP. Hear me out, Canada: Avi Lewis is actually planning to make some noise for the actual good of actual Canadians. It’s time to return to the party we know it can be, not the one it has been. There is change afoot.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Our Zone isn’t on the list thank gods but we’re close and one and a half blocks away from the water but uphill. All zones except ours have been called tho (we’re green)

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Please enjoy this photo of me and Del The Funky Homosapien. He is indeed.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Is my day of birth today. Have had a rough ol’ year tbh. Woke up in a dark hole, but pulled myself out with the help of a long reflexology session, a free Starbucks drink, a massive bouquet of 💐, messages and a dinner with mom and man. Also ate a bánh xèo bigger than my head. Roll on what’s next

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

I spent an evening being mildly stepped on, spittled on, staring into the crotch of, and enjoying every last second of the glorious, never-gives-less-than-110% Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, the remarkable Bad Seeds and Colin Greenwood of Radiohead. Just. Always. Stellar.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

Lily is gently interrupting you to ask if you like her haircut #dogsofbluesky

A small, fluffy white and grey dog with dark eyes is sitting on a green knit blanket draped over a couch. The dog has one paw resting gently on a person’s leg, looking up at them with a sweet, slightly inquisitive expression.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

However, dear bands: stop with your infernal dry ice and back or side lighting, I have taken hair-pullingly shite and grainy photos of you at the last few gigs. We love your pasty faces, even if you don’t - put some light on them. 🤘🏼😫

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

How much do I love “Remurdered” by Mogwai live? A rather enormous amount. It’s consistently my fave, and I’ve probably seen the band like 10 times now since 1999. This was last night in Vancouver.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Fontaines DC this past weekend in Vancouver. One of like three terrible photos I managed to get with their heinous side- and backlights 🤣😭

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Please enjoy my rental dog Lily doing the very least she has to, to ask for pets (sound on)

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Anyone remember the 90s alt flick “KIDS”? And the song “Natural One” by lo-fi legends Folk Implosion? I do! So lucky to have brought my longtime friends Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr. & Sebadoh) and John Davis up to Vancouver recently and to hear all those songs (old and new!) again live. Here’s us 💕🤘🏼

A selfie of three people smiling in a warmly lit indoor setting with purple and pink lighting. The woman in the centre has curly, shoulder-length hair and is smiling directly at the camera. The man on the left - John - has long, light hair and a short beard, while the man on the right - Lou - has long dark hair and a fuller beard.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

A few shots I took late last month of the always flawless @franzferdinandhq.bsky.social in Vancouver. We missed you here!

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Speaking of Boaty Weekender, you can’t tell me that Madrid’s HINDS aren’t utterly badass. This was a few week ago in Vancouver #hinds

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

I mean, how much more fucking perfect can one live song be? Zero more. Refused just KILLED on Monday in Vancouver, with my mates ACTORS, opening. Grateful to see them again (my 4th!) on this final tour ☠️

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

What a pleasure to be @dennislyxzen.bsky.social of Refused’s first repost on this channel. My work here is done 😂Here we are hot n’ sweaty and, uh, smeared in Austin in 2014 at SXSW when he was out with his other band INVSN. 🤘🏼

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

@dennislyxzen.bsky.social welcome!! Thanks for Monday night in Vancouver! 🤘🏼🖤🤘🏼

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Caught our rental dog in the act of bare-faced aggression #dogsofbluesky

A small dog with long, light-coloured fur gently licks the face of a man lying on a couch. The man has his eyes closed and a relaxed expression, while the dog rests one paw on his chest.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

You know what I find adorable - when tourists get excited by our Canadian Geese / cobra chickens. I suppose it’s like me losing shit over a big iguana in Mexico

A relaxed view from a waterfront park bench at sunset, with a pair of black sneakers in the foreground. Canada geese graze on the grass nearby, while people stroll along the beach and sit on benches overlooking the calm ocean. Distant mountains and ships dot the horizon under a sky filled with wispy clouds.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Rain and sun, at the same time, Vancouver-style

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Just joined a cool OnlyFans page people keep mentioning but I think I may be disappointed

A mobile app icon featuring a cartoon beaver holding a small Canadian flag, with the app name “Buy Beaver” displayed below it. The background is a patterned fabric.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

An exceedingly cute photo of me and another music pal, Grasshopper - guitarist of legendary 90s New York-state indie rock dreamers, Mercury Rev. Haven’t seen him in person in years (border challenges!) but we hooked up this week on their first visit to Vancouver in yonks. It was so good to hug him!

A smiling Caucasian man and woman take a close-up selfie together in a warmly lit indoor setting. The man on the left wears dark-framed glasses, has a small goatee, and is dressed in a dark outfit with a striped scarf. The woman on the right has curly hair, wears a black tunic, and has a bright smile.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Yeah depends on what type of listing. You can edit and change it just to “park” - I know cos I was looking at this earlier. So shotty that they have “state…” as a search term in their categories but no “provincial”…just typical U.S. ego bullshit methinks (vs something new, but MAYBE?)

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Please welcome another badass musician (from Burning Brides and the amazing OFF!) to Bsky: @dimitricoats.bsky.social. Here’s a shot I took of him in the way back.

A curly-haired guitarist performs live on stage, wearing a dark graphic t-shirt and jeans. He plays a black electric guitar with a white pickguard while standing in front of a brick wall.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

I went to see beloved Weegie band Travis (almost 25 years to the day I first saw them) last night and they taught Vancouver about all the ways Scottish people use a certain word 🤣

A live concert scene with a band performing on stage in front of a large audience. The lead singer, with bright orange hair, is holding a microphone and engaging with the crowd. A guitarist and drummer are also visible. The stage backdrop features an image of a large cookie with the word “CUNT” spelled out in colourful sprinkles.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Try as it might to avoid and brag its way through January, in February, downtown Vancouver has finally succumbed to winter.

A snowy balcony overlooking a residential parking lot and a tree-lined street during daytime. The balcony railing, potted plants, and outdoor furniture are covered in fresh snow. Snow continues to fall, creating a wintry atmosphere. Parked cars and a tall apartment building are visible in the background, with trees dusted in snow. The image is taken through a fine mesh screen, slightly blurring the view.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Gurl with the Curl. Just got my ship shaped, and boy am I cute!

A smiling Caucasian woman with medium-length, curly salt-and-pepper hair, wearing a black cowl-neck top. The background is a dimly lit indoor setting with framed artwork and shelves visible.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

“What do you wish your older self could tell your younger self?” I asked her. So long, Marianne Faithfull, fly well.

Marianne Faithfull (@Faithfull_M) tweeted to @BackstageRider on October 3, 2014:

“@BackstageRider, relax don’t be so frightened, the universe will look after you.”

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I just found a pic of my old, very real business card from when I worked in telly in London! So great

A black business card with white and pink text is being held by a person’s hand. The card reads:

LIVINGtv ON MIKALA

CRAZY CANADIAN DEVOUT GROUPIE
DURAN FAN PASSIONATE FOODIE
INSANELY CURIOUS COMPLETELY
VERSATILE BULL IN A CHINA SHOP

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Happy birthday to my chum, the very clever, very talented, very musical, very handsome, MUCH OLDER @automatom.bsky.social today! Woot woot!

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

It’s cold in Vancouver so I am trying to absorb all the Vitamin D I can for the months ahead. Sitting on the beach, crashing waves and breeze, 83% humidity and dripping hot. I had street cart tacos for lunch. It is a good day in Isla Mujeres

The image shows a woman with short, curly hair, wearing bold, oversized black sunglasses. She is smiling slightly and appears to be enjoying a sunny day at the beach. She is dressed in a black-and-white striped swimsuit.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

This am we went to find the grave of an original Pirate of the Caribbean, Fermin Mundaca, who possibly made a pact with the devil over his lost love. His tomb from the 1800s is in the municipal graveyard with a skull and crossbones that he carved himself as he was going insane! ☠️

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Meet my other Mexican friend, Señor Gigante! He totally laughed at my lizard joke.

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Mikala / BackstageRider @backstagerider.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

We also saw these badasses. They enjoy fresh maiz tortillas but then again, who doesn’t? Glad *they* are not hanging from our ceiling lol

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