1 of 6 2 of 6 To truly understand Vancouver’s relationship with the Rickshaw Theatre, let’s start with a quote from Hunter S. Thompson: “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.” That’s mostly true.

Except sometimes it isn’t. Fifteen years ago, a former Downtown Eastside chop-socky movie house known as the Shaw was reborn as the Rickshaw Theatre: a 600-capacity space devoted to live music. No-frills and radiating a rough-around-the-edges black-walled cool, initially it was seen as a spiritual successor to Commercial Drive’s much-missed New York Theatre, which over the years had hosted everyone from Nirvana, Metallica, and Sonic Youth to Hüsker Dü, Metallica, and the Dead Kennedys.

Where the Rickshaw was unique, though, was in its devotion to not only touring artists, but also the local community. Under the stewardship of owner Mo Tarmohamed and a tirelessly devoted staff, it became the place Vancouver artists dreamed of playing—and even headlining—after their first practices at Pandora’s Box. Right from the beginning, the Rickshaw team proved all in on the idea of giving something back to the local scene—not only the musicians, but fans—that it served.

With Tarmohamed setting the tone, the place somehow felt welcoming, a venue where the attitude from the top trickled down to the doormen, bar folks, security personnel, and production staff. And that, .