12 Arts The Tonight Show welcomes Jimmy Fallon Laura Mooney Arts Editor | ote-arts@unbc.ca or a man known for laughing in every Saturday Night Live sketch he has ever been in, Jimmy Fallon has admittedly made quite the name for himself, and on 17 February 2014 he was officially welcomed as the host of The Tonight Show. Taking over for Jay Leno, who had previously hosted for 22 years, the SNL alumni showed the world that although he had moved from the popular Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, to admittedly a much more prestigious show, Fallon was still bringing his unique brand of humour and own personal flare to his new television home. Fallon opened the show in typical late night television form. He told some self- deprecating jokes, gave the audience a bit of his backstory, and then jokingly said that his buddy “who knew who they were” now owed him $100 for never believing Fallon would host The Tonight Show. While the audience chuckled at the joke, a sheepish Tina Fey crept out from the side stage curtain, while the crowd erupted into raucous applause and laughter, and placed a $100 bill on Fallon's desk. But the joke did not end there. Out from behind the curtain stepped Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mike Tyson, Stephen Colbert, and even Kim Kardashian, each rolling their eyes in mock disdain. All of this occurred with the initial ten minutes of the show, and before Fallon even had his first guest out. Viewers and producers alike knew then that they were looking at the next great Tonight Show host. Fallon's humour was not the only thing that was brought over from his previous gig on Late Night. Fallon's much beloved band The Roots, as well as his ever-trusty sidekick Steve Higgins who had accompanied Fallon during his time on Late Night, became a pivotal part of Fallon's act, and had also made connections with their viewing audience, who followed them. While it was unknown for a period of time whether or not Fallon would be able to bring his cohorts over to The Tonight Show, fans were overjoyed to see the familiar faces yet again alongside Jimmy Fallon. The show continued with Fallon and his first guest, Will Smith, performing a spoof of the popular viral video “The Evolution Goodnightmare Laura Mooney Arts Editor | ote-arts@unbc.ca ps“ the scene; a quiet night curled up at home, glass of wine in hand, and a perfect harmony playing in the background. These are the images stirred up when first listening to the soft, melodic tones of Goodnightmare, and the emotions conjured are anything but a nightmare. From its humble beginnings in 2012, Goodnightmare has been the sole project of Prince George born and raised musician Britt Meierhofer, and has gained a loyal following as she prepares to release her first EP on 4 March 2014. The self-titled EP, while only featuring three songs, is filled with a heavy folk tone, and contains more emotion than many other chart topping albums released this year. With her unique use of loop and effect pedals, Meierhofer is able to create symphonic sounds, as though you were listening to an entire orchestra while knowing it is only a one-woman act. The loop and effect pedals, while not widely used, enable the singer to record multiple sounds one at a time, and then play them back creating the illusion of background singers or accompanying sounds that correspond to the song. Essentially, the final product is a singular source that sounds like a full band. This tactic used by Goodnightmare produces beautifully creative sounds that lull the listener in with its depth and drama; it is difficult to believe that one very talented woman does it all. Each track on the EP, while all consisting of a distinct folk sound, still embodies its own unique feel and distinct qualities. From the melodious “Burn Out,” to the hypnotic track entitled “No Use,” one cannot help but get a glimpse into Meierhofer's world, and the passion that she puts into her music. It is the type of music one hears from a musician of great experience; perhaps Meierhofer has her six years of touring around Canada and the United States to thank for that. Even the origins of Goodnightmare consist of that very same depth and drama that of Dance” with their own version entitled “The Evolution of Hip- Hop” in which Fallon and Smith danced their way through some of the world's most popular hip- hop moves such as the “make it rain” all the way to the lesser known moves like “pick up all that money because that's all you had.” The sketch was funny, and proved that The Tonight Show would be the same old Fallon, just with a different name. In perhaps the most touching and real moment of the show, Fallon finished interviewing Will Smith and sat with the first musical guest of the season, U2. Instead of the typical stage performance, (ix) daily the members of U2 remained seated on the sofas, and performed a semi-acoustic rendition of their Oscar nominated song “Ordinary Love,” the perfect intimate end to the beginning of Fallon's new era. So while Jay Leno was an icon and will always be remembered for his time on The Tonight Show, Fallon is a welcome change to a fairly steady late night model, and is sure to bring in more comedy and heart than any late night program in recent years, and will prove to the world that he is called “the Johnny Carson of this generation” for a reason. facebook.com/goodnightmare is put into the music, with Meierhofer crediting the creation of the band to “a bottle of Shiraz and a book of lyrics” all during one dark, and very productive night. While any band whose origin story begins with a bottle of wine is bound to be great, the fact that Goodnightmare is from our very own city makes it even better. Although Meierhofer left Prince George not long after graduating high school, she has chosen her hometown as host to her EP release party, where her talents will no doubt be showcased for music lovers from all over town. So on 4 March 2014, experience Goodnightmare in person at Nancy O's, and settle in for a night of relaxation and great local folk music from a very talented local woman.