By Feb. 19th Valentine’s Day had come and gone, but one cool word magazine’s 2nd Annual “One Night Stand” Valentine’s Release Party was just heating up. Friends, hipsters, and those who are hip showed up for one cool concert event.

As guests came in the door, they grabbed a number to wear so that other party goers could hit on them via the Singles’ Play board, where singles and others could leave each other naughty or silly messages on Post-it notes. The instructions were simple: “Step One: Pick a number. Step Two: Leave a msg for someone using their #. Step Three: Get laid. Step Four: Repeat as necessary.”

Hilarious and sometimes alarming, the posted messages contained profanities, insults, and adorable compliments – sometimes aimed at strangers and sometimes at friends. On a purple Post-it, an anonymous writer left, “#10, I want to dip you in gravy and then pull your pork.” This was one of the nice ones.

Once tagged with a number, guests lingered by a table of cute and tasty Valentine’s treats and back issues of ocw, before moving in to get a closer peek at the red hot Lincoln Electra, guest model from Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School. You wouldn’t know it was 2009 from the looks of Dr. Sketchy’s host, Shary Contrary, who took us into her art class burlesque style. Part Betty Page, part Lola – all skin and lingerie – Lincoln Electra struck suggestive poses as art students and their over-sized toy pencils sketched to their hearts’ (or groin’s) content.

Shary Contrary rewarded students with special pocket-sized phalluses if they completed a task (i.e., The Best Ass Sketched in the Shortest Time). Each student’s work was displayed on the wall, resulting in a lineup of fish nets, red lipstick, and erotic poses galore.

First to take the stage was Demos (pronounced “day-mos”), who opened the night with pop-rock flair. Featuring violin and a stand-up bass in addition to the usual drums and guitar, Demos had an east-coast feel to their songs, especially during the violin solos. A melodic back-up singer supported the stylin’ front-man who had moves and poses reminiscent of the very cool cartoon character Shaggy. At one point – full points for creative efforts to lure audience participation – he shouted, “I want everyone to yell out the coolest word you know, 1, 2, 3...” to which the crowd responded by screaming their words of choice simultaneously.

Between musical sets, happening Vancouver improv troupe Rosa Parks instantly became “Melinda and Betsy,” two Roadie lesbians who “tag it out” and spend time outing each other’s personal love lives as well as confessing their devotion to one another. Personal love life confessions included “I slept with Steven Tyler in the 70s.” Suffice it to say, Rosa Parks was a laughing success.

The Heard was up next, grooving their way into the audience’s heart with a fresh sound and active stage presence. With a San Francisco Giants baseball cap, sweater vest, and ass-riding jeans, the lead singer owned the stage with his co-star singer, together fusing Fugees and K-Os into their own original hip hop. The lead singers and DJ boogied and bounced around the stage, while the drummer sang smooth melodies. Supporting all of them was the electric upright bass player, keeping the musical flow to the band. The Heard was a huge hit with the crowd, with most up and dancing. The audience, more than satisfied, was still nodding their heads to the beat long after their last song.

Guilty About Girls was the next band to perform. This jam-band duo filled the venue with ethereal sounds. There were few lyrics, but the front-man’s haunting, smooth voice blended well with the beats and sparse Sound FXs to create an electro-jam dance beat.

Anticipation built as Fake Shark Real Zombie’s drummer, with a backpack as a fantastic accessory, and the bass player, wearing a The Who t-shirt, came out to set-up. The crowd was moving to the front, fists pumping, and photographers were poised when, finally, the drummer came back again, sticks twirling, and began playing. The lead singer grabbed the mic and moshing broke out. FSRZ had the audience in the palm of their hand, yelling the days of the week through one song, doing covers, and ending with “Happy Fucking Valentine’s Day!”

All of the bands gave thanks to one cool word, and seduced the audience with their diverse and original tunes. When the music ended, the crowd lingered awhile, mingling and meeting band members. Guests each took one last look at the message board to see if anyone had left a Post-it for them, before  slowly leaving the The Wise Hall.

How romantic it was to rock out on a Thursday with Vancouver’s happening bands, as one cool word threw a killer "One Night Stand" Valentine’s Release Party.