Simon King: Firing Off Rounds of Intelligence

Simon King in front of a sold out crowd at Nancy O's. Photo by Jon White

Simon King: Firing Off Rounds of Intelligence

By Jon White, Multimedia Reporter

After his set on Thursday, 6 March 2014, Simon King was heard saying, “I’m not angry, I’m frustrated.” Once one hears two minutes of him on stage, it is hard to disagree. However, this is not a bad thing, as King is frustrated at the things that we should be frustrated about: poverty, equal rights, poor government practices, racism, homophobia, celebrity worship, and economics (to name a few). He speaks with extreme confidence and lets loose, no holds barred and firing on all cylinders. If you were to take the confidence and intelligence of George Carlin and the unbridled energy of Robin Williams, you would get the type of charisma that Simon King exudes. His routine is loaded with social commentary that is made to make people think.

Thursday night MC, Mike McGuire. Photo by Jon White

King performed to sold out shows on Thursday and Friday, with the crowd responding with thunderous laughter and constant applause for both nights. His sets for both nights were over an hour, leaving the audience pinned to their seats with great interest for an extended period of time.King’s humor gets dark at times, but the purpose is to make one uncomfortable and make one question how they feel about a topic. King touches on subjects that are very sensitive to some people, such as euthanasia, only he confronts it with full force. He does not shy away from how it may make someone upset, but goes into a subject with guns blazing and makes sure you are aware of his stance by the end of the bit. King even said that if you are going to say something, you better stand by it. The conviction he has is so strong that you have to respect him for his point, even if you do not agree with him.

Thursday night comedian,Mark Wheeler. Photo by Jon White

Despite the energy and ferocity that King injects into sensitive subjects, he is very approachable when he is not on stage. After each show fans would come up to him and he would welcome the company with laughs and anecdotes. He is also quite humble, as fans would throw praise and congratulations to him and he would constantly give thanks for the compliments and for coming out to the show.

Thursday performer, Jon White. Photo by Brendan Gross

King was not the only performer, as there were a collection of familiar faces from the Prince George comedy scene out to lend their talents to the stage. For the Thursday show, local comedians Jon White and Mark Wheeler opened for King with Mike McGuire MCing for everyone. Mike is no stranger to MCing, as he has pulled hosting duties and getting laughs for many shows at Nancy O’s and for the Kinsmen Stand-Up for Charity events. For the Friday show, local comedian Bryce Lokken MCed for the night, with locals Virginia O’Dine and Brian Majore opening for King. Bryce may be relatively new to the comedy scene, but his confidence and jokes made him look like he was a seasoned veteran. Brian Majore recently returned from a tour of the coast with his comedy troop, The Rez Jesters, and entertained the crowd with some stories from his trip. Jon White, Mark Wheeler and Virginia O’Dine are also frequenters of the local comedy scene, performing at other Nancy O’s comedy shows as well as other comedy venues.

Friday night MC, Bryce Lokken. Photo by Jon White

There are deliberately no quotes from King’s routine mentioned in this article, as one should go into his show and not have any of his potential views spoiled for them. A lot of the material presented will be available on is upcoming CD. Also, despite best intentions, some quotes/jokes have the risk of being taken out of context, so it is best to just see the show for one’s self. Make no mistake though, King is just as smart as he is funny, and he will likely push the limits and make you think at the same time. It is that combination that makes comedy great, as comedy should be a social commentary with a humorous lens.

Friday night comedian, Virginia O'Dine. Photo by Jon White

There is a tagline on one of King’s posters that says “The funniest comedian you’ve never heard of.” It is unfortunate that more people have not heard of him, as he a hilarious comedian but he has not been discovered by a large amount of people yet. He is poised to explode into more people’s minds, as his list of performances include: The San Francisco International Comedy Competition, the Seattle International Comedy Competition, The Winnipeg Comedy Festival, The Edmonton Comedy Festival, The Vancouver International Comedy Festival and The Just For Laughs Festival to his breakout performances at the prestigious HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and the HBO, TBS Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. He also has his own one hour comedy special on Comedy Network and CTV. His previous CD, ‘Unfamous’ is also available. He also has another CD slated later for release this year, along with another stand-up special.

Friday Night comedian, Brian Majore. Photo by Jon White

If you like your jokes with substance and conviction, check out Simon King. He has been doing this for over fourteen years and has done countless shows. He even had a spot on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, but unfortunately that was cancelled due to the infamous Conan/Tonight show fiasco. If one is interested in the humorous and commanding way King controls the stage, take a look at some of his videos or specials on YouTube, then check out one of his shows.

Simon King. Photo by Jon White

Mid-Winter’s Dream: A Cure for the Winter Blues

If Prince George covertly hosts a litany of electronic music fiestas, then let me in on the secret! Until then, here stands the evidence that such things actually exist in this fair outpost.

Instead of hiding in the dark recesses of an icy winter’s pitch dark, the party kicked off @ noon on February 22^nd. Busses picked up the guests all over town, then deposited them into an icy specter, an island of imagination, a Mid-Winter’s Dream.

Not a worry, nor care, polluted the freewheeling spirits populating the party. The hot cacao cascaded from the brim to the dregs and chilli combusted in the bellies of the cold. As twilight fell upon the electric village, flashes of strobe lights and bonfires glinted off the blades of skates as they carved rhythms into the frozen pond.

A wicked wind wound its way to Prince George that evening and dropped the temperature to below -20ºC. The dancing went on, unperturbed, as DJs bounced beats from the Barn’s porch. As the mercury dropped the dance floor became progressively more popular, as the preferred way to warm up.

Around this time, two weary EDM junkies drifted into the temporary Neverland. The pair had missed the announcements pertaining to bus schedules and pick up locations. Such information found its way to most invites, but some folks, you just can’t reach. Though the duo had honest intentions of arriving onto the scene of a Mid-Winter’s Dream, they soon realized their awaken state in the gritty city. That aside, a sympathetic voyager listened in on their plight at a local café and interrupted the sorrow. This serendipitous navigator steered us through the fog of uncertainty all the way to the mythical farm just short of the YXS airport. The ætherial emissary went by the name of Penelope. She had just moved from Ontario to beautiful Prince George, BC, and had already begun to spread her goodwill. What luck to have come across such a beautiful stranger during such a daft predicament, and then to walk out of it into such a surreal plane.

After moving past the weapons-and-alcohol-free gates, Superman’s Lair caught my spangled eyes.

While spelunking through Superman’s Lair, I began to comprehend the gist of this event as the cave deepened: unassociated, hypnagogic, free, and fun. The needle-like sound of electro pierced these ideas and strung them together forming a veil we could all hide behind together, if at least for one night. Nothing could have driven this home harder than Superman's personal art collection, which included a life size Gummy Bear sculpture. The smell of smoke drifted within the veil’s protection, and I sniffed it out near the Lair’s maw.

A bonfire. Not one, but two! It takes a Superhuman to dance all night, hence the lair, but if someone needs a break and still wants to keep warm, a fire offers the perfect solution. The temperature also afforded a great excuse to wear an excessively fuzzy hat.

We could have spent all night on that farmyard growing like a crop of electric dancing icicles. Instead a fleet of busses arrived and took us out to the enchanted Blackburn Community Hall.

Dancers peeled off multiple layers once they arrived inside. Stacks of speakers sprayed their songs onto a pool of once coy dancers. The action glowed under an array of black-lights, and dream-catchers refracting any tension into psychedelic energy. Smells of samosas began to waft from the kitchen. The bar opened simultaneously. Much joy and relief washed over the parched, hungry, crowd.

Robots came and went. Beats transitioned in and out of funk, house, techno, and groove. DJs mingled as Vikings berserked. Dancers danced. Busses came and went. Those with sufficient foresight strategized their drop-off locations, or simply pre-registered with a bus to drop them off at their homes. The party wrapped up right on time to catch Gold Medal hockey match at 3a.m.

I drifted off on the bus and missed the downtown stop to catch the hockey game. Probably for the best anyway. I managed to get a hot chocolate at Timmy’s and hitch my way home in time to catch the game still engaged in first period excitement. Drifting off on the couch, every thought I accessed came up positively glowing. The luck carried on through the game as we snatched Olympic glory from the Eastern reaches of Russian Crimea.

What to do on a Prince George Saturday night…

Deliciously Devo’d Dill Pickle Deviled Eggs

Listen to the show HERE!

In order to honour Bob Casale, the late Devo guitarist and keyboardist, I decided to devote this week to Devo. Not only does this recipe offer ample alliteration, I always found deviled eggs a little weird – just like Devo. A great finger food for Devo parties!

3 eggs

1 dill pickle – diced finely

1 heaping tbs mayo

Salt

Pepper

Fresh or dried dill

• The most important part here is boiling the eggs. For perfect eggs everytime, place the eggs ina  pot with lots of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Allow the eggs to boil for 1 minute only. Once this is done, remove the pot from the heat, pop on a lid, and allow the eggs to sit for 30 minutes. It seems like a long time, but worth it.
• Meanwhile, put your mayo, pickle and s & p in a bowl.
• Cool down the eggs by running them under cold water. I also through some ice cubes or freezer pack (or just water bottles filled with ice) into a bowl with water and the eggs.
• Peel the eggs. Slice the white part lengthwise aroudnt he egg – just as you would with an avocado. Twist the white parts in opposite directions and allow the yolk to fall out into your bowl of mayo.
• Mash up yolks and mayo and pickles. Scoop into hollowed egg whites.
• Dust with fresh or dried dill.

Devo Playlist:

Songs by Devo:

Pink Pussycat

Space Junk

Uncontrollable Urge

Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy

Social Fools

Post Post Modern Man

Girl U Want

Whip It

Human rocket

Don’t Shoot  (I’m a Man)

Beautiful World

Devo inspired songs:

Santigold – Please Don’t

Santigold – Say Aha

The Handsome Furs – Dead + Rural

Diamond Rings – Day and Night

Listen to the show HERE!

Opinion: Video Games, Bring Back the Music Genre!

  WebGuyUnlimited/www.webguyunlimited.com Opinion: Video Games, Bring Back the Music Genre!

By Jon White, Multimedia Reporter

The music genre was one of the most popular genres for gamers during the last generation of video games. Guitar Hero and Rock Band were household names. It seemed that least one friend would have a music night at their place once a week. Sadly, Activision oversaturated the market, and then unceremoniously dumped the Guitar Hero franchise that fatigued gamers, and gamers turned their attention elsewhere. While Rock Band was less imposing on the market, the damage done by Activision spread across the marketplace and Harmonix stopped updating their downloadable songs last year. Their final song of choice? ‘American Pie’ by Don McLean. The immortal words of “The day the music died” was perfect, as it signaled the final death rattle of the genre that once populated living rooms and parties alike. Nowadays, the games industry is posting record profits but is struggling with how to stay profitable, with first-person-shooters and annual franchises getting most of the sales. The catch is that many of these titles have to sell a few million copies to break even, a practice that will cause the industry to burst. Perhaps it is time to crack open the music genre again. There is the potential to make it a profitable business and it does an excellent job of introducing people to new forms of music. Bringing music to new potential fans while also in a party setting, is a viable option for businesses. You know when people hear a song at a party and he/she ask, “Who does this song? I like it?”. The music genre does the same thing. The industry can approach this genre again knowing what can happen if you try to do too much, learn from it and make music games a thing again. When the game is made by music lovers, it makes the love of music much more genuine.

The road to becoming popular was a long one. While music games existed for years, they were niche titles as games like Guitar Freaks and Dance Dance Revolution had a cult following, but did not break any industry sales. Along came a developer in 2001 called Harmonix, that created a music game for PS2 called Frequency. The game was a critical hit and garnered a cult following. Two years later, they released the sequel, Amplitude, but the changes alienated fans and it was not as well received as the first.

Frequency, notice any similarities? Dashjump/www.dashjump.com

Rather than try and go for a trilogy, Harmonix took the time to try a whole new idea for them; the end result of this try was the first Guitar Hero releasing in 2005. While the game borrowed the idea of using a peripheral from Guitar Freaks, Harmonix made their own adjustments to the plastic guitar to make the design their own. The guitar seemed like a gimmick, but once players saw the labour of love that was put into the set list, it was an air guitarist’s dream game. Rather than opt for a list of top 40 tracks, they opted for 30 tracks (plus 17 bonus), that read like a list that a guitar teacher would put together. There were the usual songs that beginning guitarists would try to play, such as ‘Iron Man’ or ‘Smoke on the Water’, but the rest of the list read like someone who knew what songs made people into real guitar heroes. For example, Stevie Ray Vaughn’s ‘Texas Flood’, Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Spanish Magic Castle’ and Eric Clapton (then in Cream)’s ‘Crossroads’, were songs that experts knew but casual fans were unfamiliar with. Guitar Hero was there to introduce people to a broader range of music.

The sequel arrived the next year, with the same idea attached. The set list was expanded, but there were plenty of songs that would be unfamiliar to casual music fans, and it turned players into fans. Sadly, Activision saw the potential sales (Guitar Hero was a commercial and critical success), so they bought the name and kicked Harmonix off of the project. Activision handed the reins over to Neversoft, the developer famous for making Tony Hawk games.

Guitar Hero 2. Wikipedia/www.wikipedia.org

While some companies would take the defeat and walk away, Harmonix essentially declared war. They went to rival game company, EA, and pitched Rock Band. It took everything that made the first two Guitar Hero games successful and personal and expanded it to the whole band. While the bass felt tacked on in Guitar Hero 2, in Rock Band it felt like as much care went into the bass as the guitar. Add in a well-thought-out drum peripheral and a great microphone, and one really had an instant four-player co-op experience in their living room. Again, the set list for Rock Band was filled with less popular songs, but they were chosen for how much the developer loved them and for how much they incorporated the full band mechanic. Whereas Guitar Hero 3 had a lot of filler or top 30 tracks (there were some classics in there), and it felt more like a manufactured product as opposed to a labour of love. Unfortunately, Guitar Hero 3 outsold Rock Band, mainly due to name recognition and the cheaper price tag.

However, Harmonix was smarter for the long term goal. Activision saw the sales from Guitar Hero 3 and decided to release a new game essentially every 3 months at full retail price. Guitar Hero 3 did release DLC, but it was infrequent and came in packs you had to buy. Rock Band on the other hand, had the idea to just spend two dollars on a song and download it into your song library. They released a minimum of three songs a week, sometimes putting full albums of artists (one could choose to download the album or just select tracks). If one did not like what they offered, they did not have to buy it. Some of the artists that got the full treatment were The Cars, The Pixies, Megadeth, and The Who. It felt like a glorified iTunes, where one could buy the music they wanted, as opposed to the full package, just to get the songs they wanted.

The following year, Guitar Hero followed the same idea, by expanding the number of peripherals for its franchise and the idea of weekly song downloads. Again, the song choices mostly felt more like trying to capitalize on what was popular, as opposed to artists supporting other artists.

Rock Band decided to really show off their love to musicians, by opening up The Rock Band Network in early 2010, allowing artists to create and upload songs themselves, as well as Harmonix doing their own weekly downloads. Independent artists came out and showed full support, including bands like Flight of the Conchords, Reverend Horton Heat, and Between the Buried and Me. The end result was a massive well of eclectic music choices that would satisfy even the most jaded of music lovers.

Rock Band, co-op multiplayer bliss. IGN/www.ign.com

Sadly, Activision exhausted the market and they shuttered Neversoft studios which promptly halted any new downloadable content. Harmonix was able to keep on for a while, but they finally had to call it quits. Even the idea of creating a keyboard peripheral, as well as a peripheral to actually teach people to play the guitar was not enough to rejuvenate the genre, although it kept long-time fans happy.

When one can see the graveyard of the plastic instruments at second hand stores anywhere, it shows that there was once a lot of love for this genre, which in turn opened up a lot of opportunities for artists to be heard. The game was easy enough to pick up, so that even inexperienced gamers could hop in and get ensnared by a siren’s song of an unknown artist/song. People are always looking for excuses to be social, so why not try and get this genre going again? It is more apparent than ever that digital downloads are the way to stay profitable, as most games have them in some way, shape, or form. By choosing to not over-saturate but actually focus on customer desires, developers are making the consumer come to them. Also, these games were known for their fun, not their production values (much like most AAA titles are these days), so the only real expense is due to licensing issues.

Music is an essential part of society, so why not have it re-incorporate it into a medium that used to embrace it heavily? The time has come to help push music back into people’s homes through games again, which combines fun and social interaction. If you still have your peripherals and games, try hooking them up with some friends and see what happens. You can guarantee that a music discussion and perhaps some exploration will happen. Music is always good for the soul.

LO-FI SLOPPY JILLS

This Week on "Suppertime"

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Low quality ingredients coming together to make something glorious is what lo-fi food is all about.

Chunks of hot dogs

Can of Beans

1 tbsp Ketchup

1 tsp Mustard

Hot Sauce – I use tobasco

Buns

Garlic Butter

Finely diced raw onion

- Fry up your chunks of hotdogs in a frying pan. I used 3 for 2 servings.

- Add a can of beans

- Heat up

- Add your mustard and ketchup and a few shakes of hot sauce

- Slop onto a buttered garlic bun

- Top off with onion

- ENJOY!

A lo-Fi playlist:

Beat Happening- You Turn Me On

Daniel Johnston – My Yoke is Heavy

Neutral Milk Hotel – Tuesday Moon

Free Pizza – Porty

Free Pizza – Come Close To Me

Free Pizza – Forward

Nervous Talk – Introductions

Women – Shaking Hand

Young Governor – Virginia Creeper

Black Lips – Bone Marrow

High Heels Lo Fi – You Can’t Loose With Booze

First Base – I’m a Stranger

Heavy Times – Might Not

Heavy Times – Ouija Board

Atlas Strategic - Chicken Shack

The Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler and the Dream

That's right, listen up HERE!

The 2014 Juno Awards: Ian Gregg, Eric Alper and the Importance of Recognizing Artists

The 2013 Juno Awards Stage Junos/www.junoawards.ca

The Juno Awards may be happening from the 24th to the 29th of March, but CFUR DJ Ian Gregg got to chat with Juno Expert, Eric Alper recently about some of the bands to watch for. At a time when there are thousands of bands vying for attention, it is important to look at the artists that are representing our country on the world stage. Many of these bands have not been given a lot of commercial success inside our borders, let alone outside of them. It is vital that listeners and music lovers recognize many of the bands that are nominated, as even a nomination is enough to spark interest whether they win or not.

[audio m4a="http://www.cfur.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Eric-Alper-Edit-2.m4a"][/audio]

Ian Gregg interviewing Eric Alper

On the subject of ‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’, Eric Alper pointed out that Brett Kissell is one to watch out for, “When he first released his country single last year it was the most added track on radio, which means more radio stations added that track in history than any other Canadian artist, and even an international artist”. While country music can be quite divisive among music lovers, it is hard to deny Canadian pride when an artist is exposed that much. Alper also mentioned that Tyler Shaw has sold over 75,000 copies of his album, so he has the commercial edge to help win the award.

Looking at ‘Breakout Group of the Year’, Alper and Gregg made sure to mention electronic group Tribe Called Red being one of the more likely recipients of the award, “Tribe Called Red exploded onto the scene last year…They have a really good story behind them and they’re nice guys too and the industry loves that kind of a story.” To give an idea of what kind of story Alper is talking about, taking a read at their press release on the Junos’ website helps sum it up, “Their self-titled album, released in March 2012, was long listed for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize and included in the Washington Post’s Top 10 albums of the year. ATCR’s music is the soundtrack to a contemporary evolution of the pow wow: their Electric Pow Wow events in Ottawa showcase native talent and aboriginal culture, alongside an open, wild party. Within a couple of years they’ve become the face of an urban Native youth renaissance, championing their heritage and speaking out on aboriginal issues, while being on top of popular music, fashion and art. Their second full-length, Nation II Nation made the Polaris Prize short list as one of the 10 Best Canadian albums of the year.” Again, while the group is starting to have commercial and critical recognition, they are also being true to their heritage. They are also showing off their roots in a way that anyone can appreciate and get interested in, as bringing the energy from a combination of pow-wows and dance music is helping to entice music fans to the culture.

The Sadies/thesadies.net

Gregg and Alder also had lots of great things to say about The Sadies, with Gregg stating that he really hopes they take the prize home for Adult Alternative Album of the year. Alder was quick to agree, then went on to explain how good he thinks The Sadies are, “They’re a group that gets taken for granted. It may sound weird talking about a popular group, like The Sadies, but one day we’ll look back on this band and really consider them one of the top 20-25 bands that this country has produced. Simply, because they are so influential still when it comes to their music still. They have a lot of great fans, a lot of great musicians who love them across North America.” If you have not heard of The Sadies, their Juno press release states, “…The Sadies' bring their signature blend of country, psychedelic, rock and surf into rifle-scope focus, further underscoring their reputations as musicians' musicians…In one turn as heavy as a sledge, and on the other flitting across melodies with the ease of so many sparrows, The Sadies prove once again that denying them now is simply prolonging your conversion.” The Sadies sound is unmistakable, as their sound both feels familiar and unique, thanks to their blend of genres. They have a large arsenal of albums, making sure newcomers to the band have a lot of catching up to do.

Another artist to watch in the Alternative Album category is AC Newman’s ‘They Shut Down the Streets.’ Newman is popular among music fans already, as he is the vocalist and songwriter for The New Pornographers. Newman already has a lot of credit with the music crowd and his solo album does not disappoint. You can read Over The Edge’s review of it, here: but a brief quote from it sums up who this album is for, “Bottom line: for an enjoyable indie-rock album, listen to Shut Down The Streets. If you miss the New Pornographers, listen to They Shut Down The Streets. Listen to this album the morning after a night of heavy drinking with good friends, with hot coffee in your hands and smeared makeup on your cheeks. It’ll do your body good.”

While indie-favorite Arcade Fire may be nominated for a few awards, they will likely not sweep the awards. As Alper explains, just because an artist wins best album or best group, does not mean that they will win everything related to that, “I think that because voters are human they like to say things like, let’s give...Arcade Fire Album of the Year, but we’ll give Alternative Album of the Year to someone who has got had a lot of support and a lot of success.” Since it is possible that voters want to try and give other bands a chance of winning an award, there is a feeling of fairness to give other bands a shot.

This sentiment is echoed by Alper, who feels the Junos help showcase bands on the national stage, “There are very few people, as Canadians, that we would take a look at say, the Grammy Awards and say…‘I wonder who this Bruce Springsteen is.’ But you would really be surprised that like the Brit Awards…that we have the opportunity to put the spotlight on people who normally wouldn’t get one.” While the stage and nominees do have artists that are well known to the world, there are quite a few artists who are unheard of by the majority of the public. Thanks to these awards, we are able to show off our national talent to the world and help give a chance to musicians sharing their music with fans of that genre (or just music fans in general). Alper also noted that you do not have to win an award to be recognized, as being nominated is enough to get recognition.

Sometimes recognition takes a lot longer than it should, as shown by classic rock group Bachman Turner Overdrive is finally being inducted into the 2014 Canadian Music Hall of Fame. BTO was one of the biggest groups during the 70s, not just locally, but on an international scale as well. ‘Taking Care of Business’ and ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’ still populate the airwaves and often appear in pop culture. To say that the band is overdue this recognition is an understatement.

Despite the Grammy Awards becoming a punchline to music fans for their treatment of artists and transparent favoritism in some of their ceremonies, it appears that the Junos are here to help promote the artists and their music. This exposure helps to not only help artists reach new fans, but it also showcases our national talent to an international crowd. Canadians are proud of our heritage and Canadian artists, and the Junos are helping to solidify that pride.

Gender Equality in Radio: How's CFUR Doing?

February 13th was International Radio Day, which we at the station joked that we missed because we were too busy creating radio to celebrate. We'll do a celebration or something next year. The only disappointing thing about having missed it this year is the particular theme: Gender in Radio. From UNESCO's website:

13 February is World Radio Day — a day to celebrate radio as a medium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves.

As radio continues to evolve in the digital age, it remains the medium that reaches the widest audience worldwide. It is essential to furthering UNESCO’s commitment to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Through World Radio Day celebrations around the world, UNESCO will promote gender equality by:

• Sensitizing radio station owners, executives, journalists, and governments to develop gender-related policies and strategies for radio
• Eliminating stereotypes and promoting multidimensional portrayal in radio
• Building radio skills for youth radio production, with a focus on young women as producers, hosts, reporters
• Promoting Safety of women radio journalists

We invite all countries to celebrate World Radio Day by planning activities in partnership with regional, national and international broadcasters, non-governmental organizations, the media and the public.

On 13 February, let’s celebrate women in radio and those who support them!

- See more at: http://www.unesco.org/new/world-radio-day#sthash.pSWQn7mZ.dpuf

It may seem like we don't have much to worry about at CFUR radio, or in Canada. We play lots of music by women, we have a female staff member (that's me!) and we have a bunch of female DJs. But I'm not sure that's enough. So CFUR is going to start doing things better: we're going to work on recruiting more shows from on campus activist groups, and we're hosting and DJing at Jezebel's Jam, on International Women's Day. We're creating a survey to conduct among students, to see if they've felt gender has affected their likelihood to volunteer with us. We're going to do whatever it takes to get more women and their stories on air, because it's important.

If we want to get the most objective and interesting stories, we must include more women in radio and journalism. You can't tell me that only having half the population doing research/reporting won't create a bias through differences of lived experience. If you want stories that apply to everyone, you must hire people who come from everywhere: gender, race, background, sexuality, class. Prioritizing the stories of those who have traditionally not been able to tell them is not discrimination against men, or anyone. It's the removal of privilege. It's also, quite simply, better radio.

It makes me angry when issues of gender are reduced to essentialist, straw-man ideas of feminism: women's issues aren't only for women. They're for everybody. If we want to create the best radio, you have to pull from everywhere. Today's generation is not going to accept vanilla or chocolate or strawberry: we want everything. Tumblr and Twitter thrive on people from all walks of life finding their niche and furiously building material. we are no longer in the fifties, where everything is created for one type of person with one type of haircut. formerly voiceless people are demanding media of their own, and we must not only provide it for them, but give them a space in which to create it.

If radio wants to survive, we can't be boring. And a radio station that includes only one type of person is a radio station that won't be listened to. If someone turns their dial to 88.7 fm and doesn't hear something that is important to them, that makes them breathe more easily or laugh or think or dance in a way that works for them, then we have failed as curators. Our art can easily be replaced by one of the millions of podcasts out there that curates to them and their experience. So we must be diverse, we must challenge, we must keep treading water.

So please: we are For You, By You. If you feel we are not representing you, speak up. Tell us what you want to hear. Better yet, volunteer, make your voice heard. We are your station, and the worst sin of all is to be boring. If you're about to turn your dial, turn up to the station and chat with us. We ALWAYS want to hear from you.

Supper Time: Energy Ball Blast Off

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Little Balls of Energy

I wanted to make a recipe to reflect the high energy of my playlist. I didn’t have too much time to come up with something clever so decided to hop on the trendy “Energy Balls” wagon. Just hopped right on. These balls are basically raw cookies minus the flour and egg, but health food stores, bakeries and gyms have rolled out theses superballs as the newest Acai berry. I thought I’d give it a crack. They are not bad – like I say tastes a lot like a cold cookie. But they are very quick and only a few ingredients, perfect if you are craving something sweet or need a snack. Eat them on top of ice cream to make them more of a rock star thing.

1 Cup of regular oats

½ Cup of peanut butter ( I used natural)

1/3 Cup of honey

3 tbs Flax Seeds ( if you have or any other type of super healthy thang)

¼ Cup shredded coconut

¼ Cup Chocolate chips

Shake of salt

* First of all, if you do not want to get your measurement cups dirty (honey and peanut butter not fun) then just eye ball it. No chemistry here.

* Combine the peanut butter, honey, and flax seed and coconut.

* Add the oats and chocolate chips.

* Roll into little balls

* Put in fridge and eat.

A high energy playlist – good for sporty type adventure things. And eating energy balls.

For the Love of Ivy – The Japandroids

The Face of The Earth – The Dismemberment Plan

The Rat – The Walkmen

Romantic Rights – Death From Above 1979

Cloud Shadow on the Mountain – Wolf Parade

Contraptions/Soul Desert – The Oh Sees

Asunder – Fang Island

Alligator – Super Wild Horses

Goin’ Against Your Mind – Built to Spill

Neighbourhood # 3 ( Power Out) The Arcade Fire

Y Control – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

'The Boys' - The Next Comic Adaptation That Should Happen

Dynamite/www.dynamite.com When news struck recently that Garth Ennis’ comic series, Preacher, was the latest comic series to be adapted on AMC, fans were ecstatic. All of the excitement has eyes turned onto other projects of Ennis’ to see what the veteran comic writer has done and what could potentially be adapted next. One series in particular that fans of Preacher should check out, if they have not already, is Ennis’ The Boys.

The Boys is about a team of characters that keep superheroes in line. Superheroes were spawned from an experiment called Compound V (nicknamed ‘Blue’). The compound was created during World War II by the Nazis, but production stopped after the war. The government still had a limited supply of it, but it is used in rare situations. Due to the nature of the genetically transferred powers, super-powered individuals can be discovered and are then thrown into teams. However, with the government being concerned that these individuals may use their powers to overstep their boundaries or even take over the country, the government set up The Boys to keep the heroes in check.

Dynamite/www.dynamite.com

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

The team has been given the authority by the government to keep surveillance on super powered teams and to make sure they do not step out of line. Stepping out of line can include anything from physically/sexually assaulting people, committing crimes or even plotting against the government. If these heroes do step out of line, The Boys come in and will either blackmail them or physically assault the perpetrators to remind them to behave. The team is made up of team Leader, Butcher, along with Mother’s Milk, The Frenchman, The Female and Hughie (who not-so-coincidently looks like Simon Pegg). The team was given a special formula of Compound V in order to have the strength to battle superheroes. Each team member has a reason for joining the group, but some are more personal than others. In the premiere issue, Hughie’s love is killed off by collateral damage thanks to a member of the top superhero team, The Seven. Hughie is reluctantly recruited as Butcher thinks Hughie wants revenge eventually. Butcher leads the team, as he has proof that the leader of The Seven, The Homelander, raped Butcher’s wife, which lead to her pregnancy resulting in her death.

END OF MILD SPOILERS

While Preacher and The Boys differ in story, there are a few between the two comics. While Preacher was about a man trying to literally find God, The Boys is about a group of individuals who keep superheroes in line. While the plots are different, the tone is not. Both series tackle their respective concepts with no regard for political correctness or good taste and are filled with lots of cursing and violence. The graphic violence, subject matter and swearing in The Boys is not just there for shock value, as it helps to enforce the grittiness of the characters. These are powerful characters dealing with powerful heroes, so when there is a clash, there is will be a lot of damage done. These dark themes and tones also showcase a flip side to the comic industry, as something that was deemed for kids a long time ago, is now shown in a dark and mature spotlight.

Another similarity between Ennis’ series is the controversy attached with them. While Ennis drew fire from religious groups for his interpretation of God and religion in Preacher, The Boys drew fire from the comic book industry itself. The Boys was even cancelled after its first story arc by DC Comics, as the company did not like the portrayal of superheroes and were worried that it would affect sales of other comic books. Ennis was able to continue his series at a rival company, Dynamite, which allowed him to complete the series. The series was a smash success, earning numerous placements on The New York Times Best Seller List for collect issues. Ennis has said on numerous occasions that he is a devote atheist and he hates the idea of the traditional superhero, so it is no surprise that both of these series show off his passionate views on these subjects.

While Preacher garnered repeated praise and awards for the series, The Boys has only met some of that praise. It may be because there are times in The Boys arc where it seems to be simply spinning its wheels to simply show how awful heroes are. There sometimes seems to be throwaway story bits together, so the journey to the finale does not seem as focused as Preacher’s. That being said, The Boys still has some amazing story moments and a hell of a ride getting there, as some of the characters have a dynamic and varied journey to the conclusion. It is just a shame that characters are not created equal in this aspect.

At a time when comic book adaptations are booming and topping the box office, it feels as if the market is becoming over-saturated again, as it was during the late 90s. With countless comics being adapted that showcase superheroes, perhaps it is time for The Boys to get adapted to skewer the genre in a whole new medium. Granted, to get the full effect, the show would have to be on a few-limits station like HBO or Showtime, or be turned into an R-rated film series. But, if someone were to take the financial risk, they may be surprised at the reaction. There are a lot of comic book fans who have skipped over the traditional titles and embraced the more adult line of comics. There are a lot of fans who grew up reading superhero comics that have become tired of changes to the industry, so they are ready to watch a series that gives traditional heroes the middle finger.

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