Scene PG | June 2014 by Prince George Citizen

LOCAL EVENTS AND MUSIC

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BLOOD HOURGLASS PAGE 4

KAYLA HUGHES PAGE 14

PRIDE PRINCE GEORGE PAGE 29

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local events and music

04 BLOOD HOURGLASS 06 LAUNY SCHWARTZ 08 MIDSUMMER’S DREAM 10 RED 7 14 KAYLA HUGHES 16 THE BURDEN 18 METALLION 20 PETER FERUCCI 22 BRIGHT CITY HEIGHTS 25 BEN YEAGER 28 BRYCE LOKKEN 29 PRIDE PRINCE GEORGE 42 KILLBILLIES 44 NANCY O’S saluting those about to rock

may the schwartz be with you music festival

band of (almost all) brothers kreatively speaking

a weight off your shoulders

47 AWAKENING 50 MADISON SMITH 53 DANIEL MCLEOD PHOTOGRAPHY 56 BMO 58 BLACK SPRUCE BOG 62 BCNE

the sukunka valley music festival

mr. smith goes to hollywood (north) will work for fuel kids art dayz

from the ground up go big or go home

metal for the masses

speed demons

hitting the heights

downhill mountain bike racer can you guys play acoustic? 2014 legacy

kicking it with the killbillies living the dream

AVAILABLE ON-LINE AT:

www.pgcitizen.ca or thescenepg.com General Inquiries ‹ 250-562-2441 Publisher ‹ Colleen Sparrow Editor ‹ Neil Godbout Reader Sales ‹ Alan Ramsay Director of Advertising ‹ Dave Smith Founder/ Promotions Executive ‹ Norm Coyne Graphic Designer ‹ Candice Rosenbaum Writer ‹ Charelle Evelyn Photographers ‹ Christos Sargiogos, Trevor Moore Motorcycle Fashion Shoot Hair & Make-up artists: ‹ Razor’s Edge Hair Studio and Day Spa Amanda Ramsey-Hair, Dara Crandall-Hair, Nicole Kenney-Make up, Theresa Riggan-Make up

Welcome to the June 2014 issue – our nod to the fast cars, artists and musicians of Prince George. You may have noticed that this issue of the Scene PG is DOUBLE the size! After our recent national award wins at the Newspaper Canada Great Idea awards, we decided the time was right to take things to a whole new level. What you hold in your hands is a 64 page massive assault on the visual senses. 64 pages means more content with more exposure to more arts and entertainment! Beyond that, you will see our fashion shoots take on a little more of a theatrical flair (most notably our first ever VILLAIN!). We are also very excited to have a very special partnered section with our friends at Pride Prince George. A huge thanks in this issue to our regular team of collaborators and contributors who had to do twice as much work with this gargantuan issue and a very special thanks to our troupe of models and make-up artists who really elevated the fashion pages to new heights . As always, I hope you enjoy yourselves in what is the BEST issue to date! - Norm Coyne Scene PG

Car Fashion Shoot Hair & Make-up artists: ‹ Swag N Glam Millie Furlong-Make up, Becky Black-Hair

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ON THE COVER: Photo Credit: Christos Sargiogos | Model: Shawn Paterson | Clothing from One Boardshop | KTM Motorcycle from Forest Power Sports | Paintball Gun from Predator Paintball

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SALUTING THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK By Charelle Evelyn

TIME IS JUST BEGINNING TO DRIP FOR BLOOD HOÜRGLASS, AND THE PROGRESSIVE METAL BAND SETTING ITS SIGHTS ON DRAGGING THE ENTIRE PRINCE GEORGE MUSIC SCENE UP ALONG WITH THEM.

“We had great, great music produced here in Prince George,” said singer Cole Pruden. “There’s so much thirst for it, but now it’s really dry.” “It’s not like we want to get ahead of everyone in this town, we want the music scene to grow with us,” noted guitarist Ryan

Wishart. The six band members – Pruden, Wishart, covocalist Cole Franz, bassist Riley Murphy, guitarist Cameron Cochlan and drummer Ryan Mathers – are ready to play anywhere at the drop of a hat. “We started off our, our first show was with a DJ, and the crowd actually really adored our music and wanted us to play more,” said Pruden. “Those two groups don’t really mix but we did it anyways and we got really good feedback from our style.” It’s a style that features extended-range guitars á la Lamb of God, Meshugga and Thy Art is Murder that’s still in a fairly experimental stage, said

PHOTO CREDITS: Trevor Moore 4

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blood hourglass | saluting those about to rock

Cochlan. Toss in some 1960s and 70s prog rock and you might have a starting point for the Blood Hoürglass sound. “It’s fairly heavy though, the lower-tuned guitars strings, two vocals, crazy drum and basses. It’s trying to take it heavier,” said Franz, the newest addition to the band.

Apparently, there’s an appetite for something new, a hunger that hasn’t been satiated. “Our style is more progressive, so it’s different from what you normally hear. It’s not something you really hear in a town like this,” said Murphy. And when people go see

blood hourglass | saluting those about to rock

a live show, they can’t resist the thall. “It’s really all about the energy when you go to a live show and that’s how most people start to get into it because it’s really an acquired taste. You go to your first live show and you get sucked in,” Murphy said. When not saving the local

music scene with their live performances this summer, Blood Hoürglass will focus on recording their debut EP, Copious Amount of Cancer. Keep up with them on their Facebook page.

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AS I SIT HERE WRITING MY FIRST ARTICLE FOR SCENE, IT HAS BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE MY ARRIVAL IN PRINCE GEORGE TO JOIN THE TEAM OVER AT 94.3, THE GOAT. Like the old cliché goes, what a 365 it has been. I will always remember the hiring process because of what sold me on Prince George – Costco. For the record, they don’t do endorsements, although I wouldn’t mind some free gas, but I digress. So how on earth did that seal the deal? Well if they set up shop here, I couldn’t imagine there would be much missing from what I was used to in big bad Toronto. Then my friends started doing some research. “Don’t you know it’s the most dangerous city in Canada?” they would say. My reply was pretty straight forward – “no, but thanks for telling me!” Yet here I am, all in one piece. Not a single break-in. I have yet to be mugged. My car is still the same one I drove out here. So what kind of danger were these people speaking of?Like any city, crime is where you find it. I guess my problem is that I haven’t looked hard enough. I’ve been too busy seeing how incredible it is living in the Capital of The North. I’ve tried more game meats in one year than I have in the 34 years I spent in the big smoke. There is a hill in Ontario that is technically a mountain where people go

skiing. Although Tabor is no Whistler-Blackcomb, I can say that I’ve skied the mountain around the corner more times than I shredded the so-called slopes out East. Never mind the fact that the Rockies are within a few hours driving distance. Something I have taken full advantage of since moving here because condos don’t exactly have that “wow factor”. Seriously, other than an architect, who admires soulless concrete structures that obscure the views? Not that Lake Ontario is all that and a bag of pork rinds. Without a doubt, moving to Prince George to follow my dream of being in radio has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I’ve met some great people and seen the beauty that surrounds us which some of you may take for granted. I know it sounds like I’m ragging on Toronto a lot, but for 34 years I lived the city life. Go to work so you can make enough money to pay your rent, fill up on gas twice a week so you can get to work, buy some food, and if there is enough money left over, buy enough toilet paper to last the year. So until I’m back on the SCENE, focus on the positives PG. You’re surrounded by it. Launy “The” Schwartz is co-host of 94.3 The GOAT’s Morning Breath. You can tune in from 6am-10am so when you read his articles in SCENE Magazine, you can picture him sitting right next to you as your faithful narrator. Rest assured, he smells better than a goat.

PHOTO CREDITS: Submitted 6

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launy schwartz | may the schwartz be with you

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By Charelle Evelyn

You have to dance like no one’s watching. Prince George’s only transformational music festival returns July 18-19 and the organizers behind MidSummer’s Dream want nothing more than to create a safe space and an amazing experience. It’s still a new message, said Karm Manhas. Just because you’ve been to a nightclub or a wedding and hit the dancefloor doesn’t mean it’s going to be the same thing at the over-

night, all-day event. “There are no limits to your dance. There is no way how to do art or to dance so it truly is an ecstatic form where you can be rolling on the ground, to miming,” Manhas said. “That’s in your heart, and if it makes you happy there’s this release that comes from that. You don’t know, until you have it experienced it.” The 19+ event is drug and alcohol free. Engrained into everything throughout the day are messages about the power of intention. “There is a change that happens when you set an inten-

tion – I want this to happen for myself and the way how to do it,” said Manhas. “We incorporated it throughout the day. It’s constantly happening in messages everywhere: hidden in the lasers in the trees, to signs and the imagery and all of the social media. The message once is that it’s about growing and learning and making it cool. It’s cool to have healthy relationships, to communicate.” They recognize this type of event isn’t for everyone, but Dave Mothus said those who participate don’t leave unaffected. “But the people who do come,

no matter what background they have, what personality type they have, every person who ever comes and attends leaves saying the same thing: ‘Wow.’” This year’s festival lineup features a cavalcade of DJs including Vespers, MoonTricks, Nelos, Phil Brown, Freddy J, Tommy Boy, Griz Lee, Akimi, ShockRA, BreO, Benedict Beattie, DJ Gravage, Seclipse, Hedway, Seedspark, Sadowick, Circadian Rhythm, ILOVETT, Carissa Gem, Bob Smoke and Colin Syck. “We added a second stage for Saturday, which is going to be ridiculous,” said Mothus. PHOTO CREDITS: Christos Sargiogos

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midsummer’s dream music festival | that merry wonder of the night

There are also vendors, visual and performance artists, seminars, workshops, and sacred spaces. It’s too much to contain in one day, like previous editions of the festival. “We had so much talent and so much desire for people to be involved and people approaching us that… logistically it was so much work for a one-day event we saw a need to go for two days,” said Chad Bohanan. That extra night will have a folk and acoustic music focus, as well as a spotlight on visual art. If you don’t have a ticket for MidSummer’s Dream yet, visit MidSummersDreamPG.com.

midsummer’s dream music festival | that merry wonder of the night

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By Charelle Evelyn

IF YOU BUILD IT, THE MUSIC WILL COME. “It’s kind of the long way of recording, to build your own room,” laughed Brent DiGiuseppe. But that’s exactly what the members of hard rock band RED7 did, setting up their own

studio space on the drummer’s property. Part of the project, which began late last summer and spanned a few months, was out of necessity. The busy work and family lives of Brent and his bandmates guitarist Matt Morris and bassist Dan Morris meant it wasn’t too practical to hire studio space when the group could only guarantee three or four hours Continued on page 12

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red 7 | band of (almost all) brothers

HOMEWORK R001768897 4.00x65.0-4C PG21 / 019232

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The end result is You’re Analogue, released June 1 – a tight collection of tracks that combine the musicians’ varied tastes and influences ranging from Stone Temple Pilots to Dayglo Abortions.

Continued from page 10

at a time together. “This was, we could take a leisurely approach to it, and get it exactly the way we want,” Brent said. Crafting a studio was also part vanity project. “Brent and I really like doing recording stuff so I guess part of it was we were up for the challenge,” said Matt. “We wanted to see if we could do it and see how good we could make it sound by ourselves with everything we could scrape together.”

The end result is You’re Analogue, released June 1 – a tight collection of tracks that combine the musicians’ varied tastes and influences ranging from Stone Temple Pilots to Dayglo Abortions. Brothers Dan and Matt are Prince George natives who, upon returning to the city after living elsewhere, started looking for a drummer to round out their sound in 2012. They found their final piece on Kijiji, after responding to an ad featuring a photo of Darth

Vader holding a bass guitar and began writing songs and playing shows last summer. “We managed to click,” said Dan. “We all have jobs and families and households to maintain so it’s not like we’re the guys who could throw our gear into a van and go and tour for months on end, so it really synced up perfectly for us that we all have similar circumstances.” That connection made it easy for Brent to slide in to the family dynamic.

“Brothers or not, they work well together and everybody’s interested in doing the same thing. That’s kind of the most important part of it,” he said. Keep up with RED7 on Facebook or visit www.red7.ca.

PHOTO CREDITS: Christos Sargiogos 12

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red 7 | band of (almost all) brothers

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Kreatively speaking By Charelle Evelyn

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kayla hughes | kreatively speaking

IT’S HARD TO EXPRESS YOURSELF IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Though she was taking classes as a young teenager with the talented Betty Kovache, something wasn’t clicking for Kayla Hughes and she felt constricted. “I didn’t even know who I was as a person yet,” said Hughes. “I didn’t who I was, to selfmaster, to put myself on canvas.” For years, Hughes floundered in an art-less void, abandoning art classes, hanging up her paintbrush and pursuing a science-based post-secondary education. “I ended up failing miserably at everything that I tried and it wasn’t working for me,” said the 21-year-old, who was at her most content as a child when she could just scribble colour on a page. “For five years of my life, I was completely unhappy with myself.” But that changed for the better when Hughes signed up for a photography course. “It

opened up who I was as a person,” she said, and it also opened her up to a whole new scene of like-minded creative individuals. “That was my portal to get back into painting… which I’m grateful for.” After a two-year New Media, Communications and Design program at College of New Caledonia, Hughes has found a way to be creative for a living with her Kreative Eye Studios. Hughes doesn’t have a chance to get bored with her work in a variety of media – photography, web design, graphic design and illustration. “I couldn’t see myself doing [traditional] art for the rest of my life, I like the variety,” said Hughes. From fingerpainting, to scrapbooking, to helping her father with carpentry projects, Hughes said if it’s creative, she’s on board. “As long as I’m just doing what makes me happy, I feel complete.” Check out www.kreativeeyestudios.ca.

PHOTO CREDITS: Trevor Moore

kayla hughes | kreatively speaking

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A WEIGHT OFF YOUR SHOULDERS By Charelle Evelyn

INK FETISH R001790638 2.00x65.0-4C PG21 / 614946

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the burden | a weight off your shoulders

THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS HALF WAY WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC FOR MEMBERS OF THE BURDEN. “I had a pretty rocky childhood, I had a lot of problems,” said vocalist Cole Franz. “I didn’t go to school very much, I hung out with the wrong people and music is what kept me out of trouble.” In guitarist and singer Jake Olexyn, Cole has found a kindred spirit. The two realized they had a musical connection when playing together in a previous band and when that group disintegrated, Cole and Jake were tighter than ever. “As our old band grew apart and discovered their niches were different, we found ours were still the same and we never looked back,” said Jake. The path that The Burden has chosen isn’t an easy one. In addition to being full-time musicians, the duo also wants to make music that makes a difference. “I want to help people who’ve gone through a lot of the same things as me and I want to inspire kids to actually follow their dream,” said Cole. Everyone has an album they turn to for inspiration, said Jake and Underoath’s They’re Only Chasing Safety has played a major role for both him and Cole in the past decade since its release. Making music isn’t only therapeutic for the listening audience; it’s also a release for the musicians. “You don’t lie when you write music – it’s pure emotion,” said Cole. ”It’s 100 per cent honest, 100 per cent you.” “Every hit on the drum, every chord on the guitar I find just translates a part of you into the music. It lives on forever,” Jake agreed. This summer, The Burden plan to spend the summer writing and tightening up their material to get it ready for recording and eventual release. They’ve already released a two-song demo on BandCamp, which they said is generating a lot of positive feedback. Get the link to the music as well as keep up with The Burden on their Facebook page (Facebook.com/TheBurdenBand).

PHOTO CREDITS: Christos Sargiogos

the burden | a weight off your shoulders

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By Charelle Evelyn

“THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT PLAY MUSIC, BUT THERE’S VERY FEW THAT STAY TOGETHER,” SAID BRAD FOSTER. As one-third of Deveined, Foster is currently experiencing that musical synergy with Sean Robinson and Les Figura. Formed in the summer 2010, the trio is made up of Prince George metal mainstays who have a combined 100 years of musical experience between them. Members have recorded, toured and been part of the metal promotion scene for decades. “It’s what all three of us were born to do, for sure,” said Foster. “Even when I was in a

band for five years, I still put on concerts for other bands with my gear.” It’s a commitment to a scene that’s not always committed in return. “Prince George particularly is very fickle,” said Foster. “The music scene – for metal anyways – goes up and down.” This summer, Foster and Deveined are bringing their musical expertise to give the metal scene a kick in the ass. The inaugural Metallion heavy metal and rock festival takes over Vanderhoof Aug. 15-16 for two days of balls-to-thewall music. Nearly 20 bands are slated to play what the organizers hope is the first of many Metallion Festivals, this year held at the

Brookside Resort, 65 kilometres west of P.G. A $65 ticket includes a weekend camping pass to experience bands such as Endast, Over the Coals, Cocaine Moustache, Cradle to Grave, Deviened, Axis Disrupt, Mathias Rock, Kleaver, Red7, and Seraphic Nhilist. Tickets are available at Brookside Resort, Electron Sound and Percussion (Prince George), Earthen Ware (Vanderhoof) and Loonie Bin (Fort St. James). Where bands may have pulled in an audience of 400 strong to a local show five years ago, today it might only be about 70 of the most hardcore supporters. But that doesn’t stop Foster and his ilk from going out there and

melting faces. “I would compare it to if country band are riding around in an old jalopy, the metal bands get to rip around in their Ferrari,” laughed Foster. “It’s a completely different sensory overload.” More than 300 people have already indicated they’re attending Metallion on the event’s Facebook page. “People should get to know their local metal scene,” Foster said, citing bands such as Hell Men, Crucible of Scorn, Ashes of Descent, Damned Before Birth, Red Seven, Axis Disrupt, Kleaver, The Adonis Effect and Seraphic Nihilist. “That’s what I wanted, even when I was putting on shows – for the scene to be successful.”

PHOTO CREDITS: Christos Sargiogos 18

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metallion | metal for the masses

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By Peter Ferucci

Imagine you have an interest that borders on obsession. It conjures excitement into the small hours of the morning, making sleep elusive. It is an abyss, gently drawing in most all of your available time and money. Over time, this escalation of commitment causes others to question your reasoning and no matter how concise your explanation, you simply cannot make them understand.

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peter ferucci | speed demons

PHOTO CREDITS: Trevor Spencer Photography

You confer with professionals and fellow enthusiasts the world over as their experience helps you avoid costly missteps. Eventually, your journey reaches its end you`re left to marvel at how far you`ve come, the distance a testament to your sacrifice and determination. Sadly, no one outside of a handful of friends and supporters will ever know about it. If you think this is tragic, you now know what it is like to build, tune, and race sports cars in northern British Columbia; or what it was like. In late 2013, a handful of local sports car enthusiasts discontent with the lack of cohesive automobile culture in Prince George decided it was time to begin a change. It’s not that there was a lack of fellow enthusiasts but that the northern BC communities’ largely fragmented sports car scene consisted of pockets of friends who, like the circles of a Venn diagram that nearly overlapped, existed independently. Utilizing the peter ferucci | speed demons

power of the social media mainstay, Facebook, two groups began an endeavor to bring these individuals together. The first, Prince George Cars & Coffee, builds on the SoCal phenomenon where drivers meet at a coffee shop every week or two to show off and check out cars you simply will not see 6 days a week. From the Facebook page, “We are an open community of car lovers with no restriction on make, model or country of origin. We simply want to create a local group of people that like getting together once or twice a month to talk cars and show off their hard work.” With over 150 members to their page and between 20 and 30 regulars attending gatherings, this collective is already gaining some palpable momentum. The second page, Norspeed, caters to those drivers whose primary focus is just that, driving. “Norspeed is a cooperative collective of driving fanatics who wish to

practice their craft in a safe, controlled, and above all else, fun environment.” Organizers are working with facilities managers to host 3 to 6 events at 3 local venues where drivers will be able to explore the limits of their vehicles and improve their driving abilities. The highlight of their 2014 season will be on Canada Day when group members make their pilgrimage to the 2.7km road course at Castrol Raceway for a track day (where participants are able to drive their street cars at speed on a race track and receive coaching and feedback from seasoned sports car drivers and instructors) hosted by the Edmonton based performance driving program, Track Junkies. Moving forward, Norspeed’s purpose will be to take high performance driver education (HPDE) in northern British Columbia to another level with local HPDE events featuring professional instruction, competitive local races, and a large annual race.

Culture does not simply occur instantly, it must be cultivated from the members of a community. If the initial level of interest displayed after only a few months is any indication, the Norspeed and Prince George Cars & Coffee crew have definitely started a movement toward building that culture. As T.E. Lawrence wrote, “Big things have small beginnings.”

Peter Ferucci JUNE2014

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HITTING THE HEIGHTS By Charelle Evelyn

LEE-WAI YU IS THE VOICE. THAT’S NOT GRANDSTANDING. IT’S A FACT. HE EVEN HAS THE TROPHY TO PROVE IT. As the inaugural champion of the singing competition hosted by 101.3 The River in March, Yu’s voice also kickstarted a whirlwind process for his band

Bright City Heights. Part of The Voice prize package was recording time with Rick Irvine at Chesletta Studios and radio airplay. My Dear and Ivory are in rotation on both The River and 93.1 CFIS and the Bright City Heights debut album is slated for a July release. With such a quick progression, it’s only natural to think the four members of Bright City Heights (Yu – vocals,

guitar, piano; Mike Vigano – guitar; Nick Tindale – drums; and David Baycroft – bass) have been chipping away together for years. Not so much. Yu returned to Prince George in 2013 after living in Vancouver for three years and looked into starting a band with long-time collaborator Vigano. “I met these guys just playing gigs in a music shop, Sound Factory … and then we totally just

hit it off from there,” Yu said. The group debuted at Riley’s October. “What really propelled the thing was the fact that he won the Voice,” said Vigano. “That’s the thing that really hit it - it just gave everybody a boost of encouragement.” (Baycroft also brings hardware to the group’s trophy case, as the winner of 2013’s PG Idol.) Bright City Heights songs are rooted in folk music Continued on page 24

PHOTO CREDITS: Christos Sargiogos 22

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bright city heights | hitting the heights

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Continued from page 22

with an overall indie rock/ pop vibe (with dashes of funk for good measure). “We’re not trying to be any one genre,” said Baycroft. The band has spent the entire spring in the studio and prepping a Peak Performance Project application. The fast pace – though at times trying – has its definite advantages. “”It’s nice to see progress,” Tindale said of the constant motion. “If you don’t have wood in the fire, it burns out really quickly.” It was Tindale who submitted Yu’s entry to The Voice and he said it’s the singer’s unique sound 24

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that helps the band stand apart. “I think it’s definitely of huge importance in how we play to his voice and I think that’s something that’s really unique,” he said. “We work all of our parts and we all relate back to [Yu’s] vocals and the root of what [Yu has] written too. That’s what makes it so cool.” Bright City Heights is touring northern B.C. this summer. Keep up with their progress at Facebook. com/BrightCityHeights or hear their music at brightcityheights. bandcamp.com.

bright city heights | hitting the heights

RIDER PROFILE

MY NAME IS BEN YEAGER AND I AM 19 YEAR OLD DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE RACER BORN AND RAISED IN PRINCE GEORGE, BC. I started riding when I was three years old and I have always loved riding the diverse trails that Prince George has to offer. I started riding at Ottway when I was younger, then progressing to Pidherney and other trails in the city. I started my racing career in 2011 where I raced all of the BC Cups. I am now just starting my fourth season of racing and I plan to compete in all of the BC Cups as well as Canada Cups in the pro category. I could not do this without the support of my parents, my family at Ruckus Skis Boards and Bikes, as well as my other sponsors, Shimano, Pro Components, Schwalbe Tires,Â Muscle Mlk and the Prince George Cycling Club. Cheers!

ben yeager | downhill mountain bike racer

BEN YEAGER

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CAN YOU GUYS PLAY ACOUSTIC? by Bryce Lokken

THIS IS THE MOST OFFENSIVE QUESTION I’VE EVER BEEN ASKED - AND I’VE BEEN ASKED WHETHER I’M A LESBIAN OR JUST REALLY FEMININE IN PICTURES. I’m a rock musician. I make real rock music, the kind with riffs and breakdowns and yelling and feelings, and words about all of the things in life that make me angry enough to write. I love heavy music, and I have since I first heard Tool’s Ænema at 13. It changed me forever, in the same way other rock records changed two generations before me. Rock has been around a long time - it was around before electronic music, it was around before hip-hop, and it was even around before Dr. Luke realized that a 4/4 kick drum at 130bpm makes white chicks dance and sells a shitload of records. (Full disclosure: I listened to Katy Perry and Kendrick Lamar all morning, I’m in no way an elitist). So, given the illustrious history of rock music, why do I get the feeling that it’s become the bastard stepchild of the world’s music collection? Why do I hear Skrillex and Katy Perry and Luke Bryan whenever I’m in the mall, and not Linkin Park or Tool? Why do I see festivals that were previously full of rock bands slowly becoming EDM and indie-popfolk circlejerks? For the answer, or to see if it’s all in my head, I reached out to this city’s #1 authority on rock music: Matt Porteous of 94x. During our long discussion about music, Matt kept touching on marketing and money. I can see where he’s coming from. “The competition of digital music, streaming services, and satellite radio have forced all music outlets to turn into “Greatest Hits Stations”...tugging on people’s memories and nostalgia to keep their business model alive in28

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stead of actively searching out and breaking new tunes.” Safety turns into listeners, ticket sales, ad revenue, and profits. Pop is safe. EDM is safe. Hell, modern country is just pop with that 4/4 kick lower in the mix and a slide guitar slapped on. (For good measure, talk about trucks and booze). Safety. Marketability. Easy placement in film and television. Money. Rock’s ‘problem’ is that it isn’t safe. “Is business scared of heavy music? Yep. It’s unpredictable and makes waves with a good portion of the population,” mused Mr. Porteous via email. “Business is shooting to be everything to everyone as much as possible. They know that someone that loves heavy music has a good chance of sitting through some lighter music. But someone that loves lighter music - (classical, acoustic, jazz) - they are much less likely to sit through a heavier performance.” This has been a point of amazement for me in regards to Coldsnap. It’s a festival that’s so proud of its diversity that it has days dedicated to world fusion and francophone - but it doesn’t bring in heavy music. Like Matt said - rock fans will sit through Skrillex and groove out, they’ll have fun at a Lady Gaga concert - but the inverse isn’t as likely. So this brings me full circle to my opening quote. Last year, when my band released our debut record, we started to apply for festivals and events and gigs. And we got the same response again and again and again: “can you play acoustic”? No. We can, but we won’t. We won’t in the same way that you wouldn’t ask an author to pull the ‘naughty bits’ from her book before it hits the shelves of the PG Library. We won’t in the same way you wouldn’t ask a painter to censor their painting before it hangs at Two Rivers. I’ll take being gigless over watering down my art every time, not that I really have much of a choice. But I sure do hope that we see rock given more of a chance - maybe the masses can surprise the marketers.

bryce lokken | can you guys play acoustic?

PHOTO CREDITS: Your Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye Photographic Services