OVER THE EDGE December 5, 2007-January 9, 2008 Wolf Fest Iv!!! Mircu GRANT Puoro Eoiror What is with Wolf FM and medi- ocre shows? That is the question. Last year I attended Wolf Fest III and it was dominated by the opening act and the headliner sucked, mak- ing it an all-round mediocre show. This year Jason Blaine opened for Paul Brandt. Neither were amazing Jason Blaine opened with a set from his first CD and then a sneak peak at his new CD that won’t be open be available for sale in stores until the new year, but of course was available to purchase at the show as a promotional offer in conjunc- tion with Paul Brandt’s Risk tour. Paul Brandt then took the stage for 2 hours and produced a show that opened strong and fast, but slowed quickly, then got slightly better for about 20 minutes, then ended. Jason’s opening act seamed to have a very “unplugged” feel after ten minutes or more of technical difficulties in which he accused his guitar of being possessed. However, he kept the crowd happy and going, and finished off in accompaniment with Paul Brandt’s band to his hit single “Rock in my Boot”. After a short intermission in which Paul Brandt had a video played of his current promotion to fund a well in Africa, the headliner took the stage starting off strong with his hits like “Small Town, Big Dreams”, “Convoy”, and “When You Call My Name”. He then moved through some of the songs from his new album -which this tour is promot- ing- Risk and then slowed it down a bit and then even more with some solos. Afterwards he attempted to speed things up a bit to no real avail. Judging by the floor crowd, they were not convinced either as many Jason Blaine opened with a very “un- were still sitting and literally chat- ting at their tables. However, just as many remained true to this eleven year running Canadian country art- ist and stayed on their feet, swing- ing to the beats. After closing with his newest single “Didn’t Even See the Dust ”, an encore brought Brandt back on stage wearing a Cougars’ jersey where he played one song and left. Having been to Paul Brandt shows before I can say that normally at this point you would see Mr. Brandt come out and sit at a table to sign all his fan’s autographs, however this was not so this evening. Instead, if you wanted to meet Mr. Brandt after the show you had to donate to his project for his well so that one could go backstage afterwards to meet the artist and band. Aiso, Mr Blaine was not seen after his performance, leaving much to be desired in the care and concern of fans for this young artist that Mr Brandt likened even to himself. All-in-all, Wolf Fest IV, while not a flop, was nothing fantastic either. Don’t get me wrong, this review makes the show sound about as neu- tral as the color gray and the word “okay”, but that is just the view of one. The show was enjoyable, and even had me dancing from time to time, but it was nothing I would rave about either. If you have the chance to catch it in Vancouver or Kam- loops, I might even recommend it to the country fans out there. To young JasonrI give 3 boot filled rocks out of 5 and to the veteran Mr Brandt I give 3.75 trails of dust out of a pos- sible 5. Sorry folks, hopefully the power house trio Wolf FM is offering in the new year will be better. his hit, “Convoy” plugged” feel for Paul Brandt at Wolf Fest IV -PHoro Courresy or Mircea Grant Paul Brandt preforming ~PHOTO COURTESY OF Mircu Grant Rick Lafleur in his Pizzarico’s store Tuesday night in front of the projected movie screen during the weekly movie night, which begins around 7:30 p.m. ~PaHoro COURTESY OF TYLER CLARKE Pizzarico’s the place to Ty.er CLARKE STAFF WRITE Pizzarico’s, a small pizza place on Third Avenue and Dominion Street downtown, has proven itself to be quite the unique restaurant, and has become a popular place for UNBC students to hang out. The small business has become so successful that the Chamber of Commerce placed it in the top three retailers of last year. Co-owner Rick Lafleur, who owns the business with his wife Margaret Lafleur, said that this recent success is the result of a couple years of hard work and experimentation, both in the de- velopment of the menu and in the events the restaurant is a venue for. It is in these two areas that La- fleur said that his restaurant beats out the larger franchise stores. - Every Thursday night from 8:30 - 11 p.m. Scott Dunbar and The Family, a local rock group with blues and folk influences, takes the stage at the front left of the store. “We typically fill the house. It’s quite the pleasant party scene,” Lafleur said. Last weekend, for ex- ample, 42 seats were filled in the small venue. Sharing the venue on Thursday nights are typically other local musicians of various musical influences. he “You could see any one of 25 to 30 very talented people,” Lafleur said. Friday nights also see live shows put on, on an interim basis. Low- key shows are hosted on Saturdays from around 1-2 p.m. Pizzarico’s also hosts movie nights every Tuesday beginning at 7:30 p.m. Attendance is free, and movies are projected eight-feet wide on the back wall of the store. The movies played are generally vintage, but not necessarily vintage. “We'll be looking for a lot of input,” Lafleur said. With regards to the actual food Pizzarico’s sells, Lafleur said that “the thing about the franchise stores is that you know exactly what they’ll sell you.” He added that after a couple years of experi- menting with different menu items, they’ ve settled on focusing on pizza and salad. “We decided to not be all things to all people, but be the best at good pizza” Lafleur said, adding that this is in keeping with the franchise model of small specialized menus. What makes Pizzarico’s different than these larger franchises is their attention to small details. They im- port several items for their pizzas, including Roma tomato sauce, oreg- ano from Greece, as well as using premium unbleached hard flour and olive oil in the dough, in keeping with the store’s no trans fats rule. In addition to their several styles of pizza and organic and classic Greek salads, Pizzarico’s has re- cently added nachos to their menu. In these nachos Lafleur said that they use nothing but premium aged cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, as well as organic corn chips and addi- tional customizations. The restaurant is licensed, and carries a handful of beer brands. Another thing Lafleur prides him- self in is Pizzarico’s health report, which has been getting better and better, with absolutely no violations in the latest report. He urges people to check out the health reports from various restaurants they attend in order to assess how healthy a place they are eating at. They are avail- able at www.healthspace.ca/nha. Lafleur credits the success of Pizzarico’s to his wife Margaret Lafleur who helps manage the business, Scott Dunbar and Randy Dakota who help organize the live shows, Barbara Sholz, who has been organizing art displays in the building, Dave Rogers, whom La- fleur credits as being a great cook, as well as the hosts and hostesses and various others who have helped the business grow and improve. “We’re working with a core group that’s very good,” Lafleur said.