26

ARTS

Rocked Sunday Night

NIC WALLER

CONTRIBUTER

Sunday, September 17th was
a great day for hardcore punk
rock fans in Prince George. Lo-
cal promoter Amy brought in four
great bands from across Canada
to play at Sound Entertainment.
The bands were from as far west
as Victoria, BC to as far east-as
London, Ontario. Playing at the
show was The Soap Opera Coma
from London, Ontario, Mapping
The Escape from Edmonton, Al-
berta, Throat Kick from Quesnel,
BC, and Kincaide from Victoria,
BC. All of the bands except Throat
Kick are currently on tour across
Canada from September through
to November. The turnout was un-
fortunately small due to another
show taking place on the same
night which divided the usual
crowd of attendees.

The Soap Opera Coma didn’t
hold back, and started the even-
ing with intense energy. Listening
to the songs on their Myspace is
barely comparable to seeing them
play live, which was an unforget-
table experience. The music was
fast-paced and heavy. The lead

singer put-on an incredible display .

of dedication, seemingly flying
around the stage as the other band
members played around him.
Mapping The Escape came up
next to kick it into high gear. This
may be a new band for local show-
goers as they have only been
around for about seven months,

but they definitely made a great
first impression. This band was
another great example of show-
manship, as they interacted with
the audience between songs and
drew the crowd into the music.
Throat Kick was the third band on
stage, and they held up the pat-
tern of a high energy display com-
bined with intensely heavy music.
After listening to the whole set, |
realized the band was well-named
for their particular style.

Kincaide was the last band up,
and opened with a crowd favor-
ite, “The Devouring’. They put on
an awesome show, as usual, but
introduced some interesting var-
iety at this one. The lead guitar
player/singer, Steve, introduced
a new instrumental piece they
are currently working on. He then
switched places with the key-
boardist to perform the piece. Dur-
ing a post-show interview, Deuce
(the keyboardist) said they did this
because people normally watch
the vocalist, but because the rest
of the band puts on a good show
this is how they share attention. At
the end of their set, they finished
with “Bad News Blues” and “The
Twenty-Five Jive’, one of their
best songs and a surefire crowd
favorite because of it’s intensity.

For all fans of hardcore punk
rock, this was an_excellent show
to be at. Don't fret if you missed
it, both Kincaide and Mapping The
Escape have promised to return
to Prince George. If you’re not ac-
customed to hardcore punk rock,
it is a good idea to bring a pair of
earplugs just in case. Remember.
to check out Ghosichant Promo-
tions and BoredinPG on the web
to keep informed of future shows.

Widowmaker Makes a Fan

LUKE HUTCHISON

STAFF WRITER

The Return of Widowmaker Con-
cert was excellent, with a great variety
of metal bands, including Ceremony,
Fatal if Swallowed, and Pox Eclipse.
Before the doors opened, the line to the
entrance was humungous, but the wait
was definitely worth it. There were two
sections of the Generator on Sunday,
upstairs for those that want to drink,
and the first foor for underage teens or
designated drivers,

Pox Eclipse started the night off with
a few good songs, followed by Fatal if
Swallowed, who played a mix-between
hard punk and metal music. Ceremony
came up third, slowing things down a bit
for the ladies in the crowd, playing the
song “So Long” to ease the mood. Cere-
mony’s songs were very well coordinated
and clean, but did not compare to Wid-
owmaker's excellence. After Ceremony’s
performance, Dead River Wasteland

(formerly know as Widowmaker) came
up to the stage, and the large crowd be-
came massive, with groups of headbang-
ers, moshers, and others alike cheering
out loud.

Dead River Wasteland played 6 songs
with perfect timing and precision, and
put on one hell of a performance. After
there fifth and final song“ Widowmaker’,
the crowd roared for an encore. “One
more song! One more song!” The band
pulled out their guitars; microphone,
and drumsticks, and ripped an excellent
finishing song, “Massacre.”

‘The light and sound set up was very
well done, and smoke effects only made
the performance cooler. The sound was
erisp and sharp; and was of high quality.

The lights tried very hard to be in syne

with the music, and most of the time
succeeded,

It seemed as though there was not one
dissappointed fan in the audience, and
some new fans, including me and a Jot
of my friends. This may have been their
first performance I have seen, but it cet-
tainly wont be the last.

OVER THE EDGE NEWSPAPER. SEPTEMBER 27, 2006

Sound Entertainment Prince George Gets a Taste of

An Interview With Jeremy Stewart and Ken Goudswaard of the
Northern BC Jazz Ensemble

TABATHA LUNDHOLM
ARTS EDITOR

Recently I had the pleasure of sit-
ting down with two members of the
Northern BC Jazz Ensemble, Jeremy

‘Stewart (guitar) and Ken Goudswaard

(prepared bass), The band also includes
Erin Arding (keyboard), Justin Arding
(drums) and Shae Morin (drums).

T: What is the premise of your
band?

Jeremy: It's aloose association of about
a dozen people who play together. With
improv you never really know exactly
how it's going to turn out.

Ken: This is more like a series of dots.
I've been doing experimental stuff for
a long time, I have another band called

Candles are-We. I'm probably going to

be working on something with Ryan
Zeigler of Anime and doing some kind
of experimental thing. It’s going to be
ambient with a lot of screwing around
with samples of people talking. I'd rather
play around in the studios than veg in
front of the TV.

T: How do you feel about being in
other bands?
K: We've been in other bands together

as well, The style is completely different.

J: And whos in control is different. In
the Free Jazz Ensemble we trade hats as
to whos in control.

K: Our other band are rock bands,
this is not a rock band,

T: Do you find that artistic inspira-
tion just comes to you?

K; Sometimes you have to work on
it. Sometimes you start with something

and then you end with something differ- -

ent. Lately I’ve just been starting with
lyrics... I'll always be doing music.

J: Well, I've kind of come to a place
now in my writing and in my playing
and in my listening to jazz where I don't
know yet if there are any drummers who
are really going to be prepared to go
where I want to go.

K: And I don't play jazz-bass in this

_ project ar all. I know enough about jazz-

bass to know that I’m not playing it.
J: Tim less intetersted in jazz as any
kind of concrete historical style, I'm not

interstsed in trying to reproduce a con-_

crete historical style. I'm interested in
the ideas of jazz, the approaches of jazz
and in a lot of jazz music. But I have no
desire to imitate jazz music, I'm produ-
cing new styles of music that are using

the ideas of jazz so I feel justified in call-

ing it jazz.

T: Being a combined unit of people,
what do you think the biggest difh-
culty is?

K: Finding time to meet.

J: Time, space, places to play.

K: Audience [chuckles].

T: How would you describe your

music?

K: Post-jazz.

J: When we're actually playing, all the
members are drawing on different kinds

of experiences that they have in music to
form what they're going to play because
it's all improvised. What were playing
is our instruments together. I'm much
more interested in people playing their
instruments than in trying to reproduce
any kind of pre-existing musical genre.

K: That's what's going to be what
drives this show. If you didn’t have that
stuff, you would play it completely dif-
ferent.

J: Is the players knowledge of their
instruments as well as the abstract
principles of music that I think we're
going to be drawing on. We're trying to
avoid clichéd musical phrases, although
they're certainly free to throw them in.
[Imitates guitar riff} Don’t they all go
[imitates guitar riff again]? If they all go
{guicar riff], hopefully it'll be because
the instrument demands that.

K: Hopefully icll be more ‘Because
I am Ken, I'll go [imitates bass line],

then thar's what Ill do, because I always.

do that’ You have to go with what you
know.

J: I'm hoping that we're going to have
some tight-rope ranning dare-devils in
the band, Some people who are willing
to take some musical risks that are even
likely to end badly, It’s not a risk if it's nor
possible, but it's a big risk if it’s likely.

Ts So you want to be more on-edge?

J: Yeah, and defiantly after things crash
and burn a few times it’s a lot easier.

K: You can have a big mess for ten
minutes where nothing's happening,
then when it actually comes together, i's
like “Whoa, how did they get that out of
that mess?”

J: I'm going to be doing some acro-
batic guitar playing as well. I'm going
to use guitar feedback as its own music
[demonstrates playing guitar].

T: So it’s all on-stage improvisation?

J: I've composed a theme sets the emo-
tional tone of the improvisations, but it
does not dictate the musical structure of
the piece. Although the group members
will be responding on a more musical
rather than strictly emotional level to
the theme while we're playing it.

T: Do you believe that that is a more
pure musical form, more organic?

K; It takes you back to a more spirit-
ual-and tribal essence of music. You are
aware of what the song is doing, and
then you. respond. It’s like you're dan-
cing around a fire-pit. You're restricted
to the fire-pit area and the garb that
youre wearing, but you can move how-
ever you want. It's not so much of a‘You
have to move this way, and this is the set
choreography’ It becomes more of a free
thing.

J: And it's more personal, too, than
music that's structured by tradition. We
can play what we want to play, instead
of what tradition tells us what to play.
We decide what works when we play
it, It gives us an opportunity to have a
really intense experience together. The
best improvising moments are when the
universe comes together and unravels at

once. The feeling that I get at that mo-
ment is a feeling of intense joy where I
can finally laugh at myself. I'll get thar
sense that everything I'm doing it totally
ultimate.

_ K: There's such an element of hope
there, It's leaving it open so you can sur-
prise yourself and others.

J: Even ifit’s abject misery, you can run
with that and make it something won-
derful.

K: Purposefully miserable.

J: Its like throwing shit at a canvas.
Sometimes when everything starts to
fall apart, which can happen, you can
make a joke out of it and just play. Make
a big mess, and that can be really great

musIC.

T: So you make CDs out of every
show you do? :

J: Pushing the Edge is available at
Books and Co, and CFUR%s library has
it. If you want to order it you can get it at
openfieldrecordings@gmail.com.

K: There is a download on www.aard-
skarf.com.

You can see the Northern BC Free
Jazz Ensemble at Two Rivers Gallery
this coming October 7”, 2006.

Getting Ready for a Surreal Fall

By Connie Ng

Excalibur (York University)

TORONTO (CUP) -- Among the
vast collections that were showcased at
the fall/winter Toronto Fashion Week,
ranging from rocker chic to mod glamour,
one of my favourites had to be Montreal's
Envers,

With delicate, whimsical music box
tunes softly dancing in the back

ground, Envers opened the show as the
most adorable girl with blonde Shirley
Temple curls skipped into the spotlight
in an Alice in Wonderland-inspired dress.
The collection incorporated pieces for
both men and women. Alongside a dra-
matic theatrical presentation, the collec-
tion as a whole was very couture, in com-
parison to the rest of the collections. ,

‘The pieces were 18th century romantic
with a flare of Alice in Wonderland meets
Pride and Prejudice. Pieces from the col-
lection were very detailed and intricate,
from the tailoring to the selection of fab-
rie, The colour palette was very muted
and serene — lots of crémes with few
splashes of fuchsia and bright oranges.
Many big ruffled collars, puffy laced
dresses and layered pieces appeared on
the catwalk for the ladies, side by side wih
many high-waisted pants arid structured
blazer pieces, topped with outrageously
oversized cowboy -hats, for the gentle-
men.

According to Yves Jean Lacasse, the cre-
ative force behind this label on the cusp
of celebrating its 10th anniversary, every
man should have an Envers day in a week
to get out of his everyday clothes, This
renowned designer has established inter-
national success over the past few years.
Most recently, he participated in the Par-
ris Landing fashion show in Boston,
chaired by Philippe Starck,