I’ve changed my mind about Yaletown Sofa. Mostly. Until now, I admit I had a less-then-stellar feeling about this local mini-chain of furniture outlets that sprouted a couple of years ago here in the West End. For one thing, there’s the name. I mean, hello? Figure out what part of town you’re in, guys! And then there was the fact that they seemed a bit like the vultures of the retail ecosystem – swooping in and taking over the space the moment another store went out of business. I swear, every time some new restaurant or chi-chi boutique bites the dust, the next morning there’s a Yaletown Sofa there. Still, all of that changed earlier this month when I saw that the YS on Denman Street – the one in the former Starbucks – was hosting something called The Sofa Sessions. It was a night of free music by local artists, with coffee provided and drinks available. Yes, for a couple of nights this month they were going to turn YS into the world’s most comfortable music venue! (Shades of the late lamented Placebo Sofa Cinema). So, my partner Christine and I attended this past Saturday, the second time they were doing this. And it was quite a delight. The host and organizer, Heath Whitelock, and a bunch of his musical friends put on a lovely acoustic show. We weren’t able to stay for the entire thing but the first set was great fun and the music was impressive. A standout for us was the performance by Myk Gordon, with some very strong songs and a passionate singing style.  We will be returning to the next Sofa Session, I’m sure. And yes, all is forgiven, Yaletown Sofa. Serving up your showroom for such a cool event as this definitely restores you to my good books! Enjoy these photos of May 17th’s Sofa Sessions performance.