The Backyard Barbecue: One Man's Opinion On DJ's , by volunteer Garrett Perry

Recently UNBC kicked off the opening of the school year with a "Backyard BBQ". I was invited to go as a volunteer of CFUR, I got a press pass and I was supposed to take pictures or write a write-up about the event. When I asked a few friends about this concert they told me in was a yearly event and in years past they had big name performers such as Nickleback and Sum 41. Hearing this I got really excited and I hoped for the best. I should have lowered my expectations. When I arrived D.J. Ant was on stage blasting his beats, head leaning into his headphones and twisting his knobs like his life depended on it. Don't get me wrong, but I hate DJs as a form of entertainment. At this point I wanted to leave but it was to my understanding that there would be bands playing I didn't want to miss anything amazing, I also didn't want to form my opinion to quickly recently I heard a story where a fellow community member "Mr. Hollywood" had gone to a Gord Downie concert, left 5 minutes in because Gord wasn't playing any Tragically Hip. According to my friend he was very vocal about his disappointment in the concert even though he didn't see it.

Nothing DJ Ant did during his time in the limelight changed my opinion on djs. Nothing he did was original. He played music off a laptop. Sure the bass was loud and the beat carried through all the tracks he played, it was no substitute for real music.

Horribly disappointed by the time the next act was playing, it was time to leave. It was my neighbor's birthday and the band that did was playing was pop and did nothing for me. Highlight of the night is when my room mate caught some free Cariboo swag, and we couldn't figure out what it was. He thought it was a small table cloth but I'm pretty sure it's a scarf. Tis the season.

[Editor note: The comments and opinions expressed in this piece, while hilarious, and not those of CFUR radio society. They belong solely to the writer. We liked the backyard bbq].

Roasted Tomato and Pepper Soup...Edmonton Bands too. Suppertime.

After a road trip to Revelstoke, side-sweepng the Okanagon, I came back to PG with 80-90 pounds of tomatoes. Intense canning and pureeing sessions ensued, so much so my house began to sweat a grimey orange liquid from its grimey old walls in response to the troubling humidity index inside my house.

In the fury of such endeavor, I threw both songs and roasted delectables into a pot, first coming out with a roasted tomato soup, then a roasty - toasty playlist. Good things all together in a pot, or playlist, is this weeks theme. Edmonton and Calgary get some face time. Canned Heat can be expected next week.

About 8 big tomatoes

8 cloves of garlic, skin on

1 BIG onion chopped into chunks

2 peppers of your choosing, I did red and yellow, cut in half

3 cups of water or stock

1/2 cup of cream or milk

Butter

Some fresh Parmesan or Sovrano cheese

Dash of baking soda

Fresh Basil

• Throw the tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic on a pan with some oil and pepper and roast at about 450 for 20 minutes, then turn to broil for 5 0r 10 minutes so skins are charred
• If you leave the skin on the garlic, you can squish the roasted garlic out of it's little natural package
• Add these things into a pot with a  good slab of butter
• Add the stock/water, bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30ish minutes
• Blend in a blender or use a hand blender
• Add salt and pepper
• Add a dash of baking soda ( this prevents curdling)
• Stir in the cream/milk and grate a good deal of cheese into this puppy
• Add some nice pieces of fresh basil, and then pour into bowls and garnish with even more basil!

Some tunes:

The Lad Mags - The Browns

Brazilian Money - Macaroni Makeout Party

Pine Tarts - Mosel

Pine Tarts - Modern Lovin

Cadence Weapon - Conditioning

Cadence Weapon - Jukebox

The Lad Mags - Trick

Odds - It Falls Apart ( Palate Cleanser)

Karen O Feat. Peaches - Backass

Warpaint - Beetles

Chad Vangaalen - Cries of The Dead

Neutral Milk Hotel - Where You'll Find Me Now

Blondie - Heart of Glass

New UNBC Student? Be A CFUR Volunteer, Learn Valuable SKills!

It's all in the title, folks. If you are a new student to UNBC and you have an interest in radio, CFUR is the place for you. Be your interest in writing, content management, video production, or even on-air opportunities, CFUR is ready to facilitate your first radio experience in a fun and informational way. The sky is the limit at CFUR, and we want to help you achieve your radio dreams! Contact programming@cfur.ca

The CFUR Crew Did A Prince George Historic Downtown Walking Tour, and You Should Too!

Here's a neat summer program: Prince George's Public Library offers Historic Downtown Walking Tours. These tours, meticulously researched and presented by CFUR alum and host of Bad Not Cheap, Darcie Smith,  enlighten and entertain tour participants with information about the history of downtown Prince George. The tour takes about an hour, and shifts your perspective on a town you thought you once knew. Fun facts: city hall once proceeded in a building that was once a brothel, there used to be a venue famous for it's collection of stuffed animals, there have been a surprising amount of building fires in Prince George, and Northern Hardware is so old that their original bank account number with BMO was '5'. No kidding.

The Downtown Walking Tour departs from the Bob Harkins Branch of the Prince George Public Library every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am starting July 3rd until August 28th 2014. The tour takes approximately one hour to complete.

Contact the Prince George Public Library at 250-563-9251 for more information on the guided walking tours or to book a private tour for your group of five or more. All tours are absolutely free. For more information, check out their website HERE! 

Ian the Anarchist Stakes Out New Late-Night Territory

Listen to Ian The Anarchist's brand new show, with 2 Hours Solid Anarchy! Dr. Funk and Flurgy 5000 making frequent guest appearences, on Monday from 12:00 AM to 2:00 AM, with repeats on Saturday, from 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM. It's going to be a wild ride and a mystery surprise. We at CFUR bring it to you with the pride of ten thousand mama hens.  Here's a taste treat of what you can expect if you tune in:

The Pack A.D. LIVE at CFUR, today!

Tune in at 3:00 PM PST to CFUR, live online here, or at 88.7 fm on your FM dial in Prince George, BC.  You read that right: Becky Black and Maya Miller, the duo otherwise known as The Pack A.D., will be live in our performance studio for an exclusive interview and acoustic performance! They'll be playing at the CN Centre tonight at 6:30, opening for Alice in Chains, along with Monster Truck! Expect videos of the performances up on our website within the upcoming weeks. 

CFUR Does Artswells 2014: Some Photos of The Crew

For the second year in a row, CFUR's hardworking crew of staff and volunteers trooped down to Artswells Music Festival in Wells, BC. Tune in to Festival Fridays to hear live recordings of Artswells musicians, or tune in to our Artswells playlist for the next couple of weeks! Check our schedule here for more information on air dates and times. Listen to Artswells coverage on CFUR by tuning in to our Festival Fridays at 9-11 pm, and the CFUR interview hour on Saturdays at 6 pm. Tune in to our Artswells music hour on Tuesday at 8, and Saturdays at 3! To learn more about Artswells, check out their website here. 

Lazy Daisy Cake! Lazy Muzic.....suppertime.

 

Lazy Daisy Cake is a very simple yet delectable cake. Perfect for summer lazy Sundayz. Here is the recipe and some tunes to get lazy to!

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

4 tbsp butter

Topping:

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp cream

1/2 cup grated coconut

• preheat oven to 350
• butter/flour 8 inch cake pan
• beat eggs and vanilla till begninng to thicken
• gradual add sugar, beat thoroughly
• mix dry ingredients ( minus the topping ingredients) and add to first mixture
• blend until smooth
• heat butter and milk together until the butter is melted. Add to cake mixture, this batter will be runny!
• Add to pan and ,ox well
• bake for 25 min or until done
• mix brown sugar, cream and coconut
• spread onto cake, put under broiler for a minute or two
• waaallaaa!

Lazy tunez ( in no particular order):

The Moody Blues - Lazy Day

Nina Simone - Laziest Gal In Town

Louis Armstrong - That Lucky Old Sun

Lewis - Lets Fall In Love Tonight

Frank Black And The Catholics - Valentine and Garuda

Julie Doiron - Life of Dreams

Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Lazy Music

The Wallflowers - Three Marlenas ( Palate cleanser)

Morrissey - Lazy Sunbathers

Beirut - A Sunday Smile

Townes Van Zandt - When She Don't Need Me

Andrew Bird - Lazy Projector

Francoise Hardy- Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour

Devendra Banhart - Angelika

Midsummer's Dream 2014

  

Midsummer's Dream - The Dream Team Does It Again

This year's Midsummer's Dream festival happened right here in Prince George, B.C and for those f uslucky enough to attend it certainly was a Midsummer's Dream!

This local event, which took place over July 18th and 19th has been gathering momentum over the past few years. This year, festival goer's were treated to not just one stage but two with 44 DJ's and muscian to entertain. Along with all that good music there was a variety of workshops ranging from yoga to belly dancing to human planting and so much more.

On top of that were the festival grounds which local artists and volunteers transformed into a playground of fantasy and wonder! Walking around the 10 acres or so you may have been lucky enough to witness a number of delightful installations such as the hand made string fort (built by Prince Gerorge locals Sara Duncan, Brandon Cote, Leane Dawson and many others). This incredible structure provided a sanctuary of tranquility and comfort wherre festival goers could safely gather for some much needed down time. With an eye catching sign that reads "Elevated Thoughts", a slide for easy descent and a number of cosy cusions and blankets it is no wonder that one festival goer was heard saying "I would have paid the $90 just to sit in this string fort all weekend". Other fabulous creations included a trampoline suspended within a creative pine form pyramid, supported by parachute chords. I call this the double bounce"! The Trampoline itself provides a bouncy platform and coupled with the parachute chords it creates an entertaining attraction that delighted many of the intrigued attendees.

It seemed that every where you turned there was something to feast your eyes upon! A gallery of local artist's paintings here, a tiny village in the trees there, not to metntion my personal favorite: spinning disco balls suspended above the lake!

Other must see areas of the grounds include the intention tree (created by Carolyn Manhas) and "The Sanctuary". These were built to give a deeper menaing to the philosophy of the festival. This I think played a vital part in creating a safe and positive atmosphere where everybody was made to feel part of this epic event. As one festival goer was heard saying, "You would really have to go out of your way to feel angry at Midsummer's, it really has such as positive vibe".

This was my (Jazzy Jo) second year at the festival in the role of warm up DJ and CFUR 88.7FM representative! As per last year I turned up in Brownie the broad-cast van armed with radio equipment ready to record interveiws! With help from fellow CFUR volunteer Nelos we were able to record the DJ sets played on the main stage and interveiw the DJ's in Brownie the broad-cast van! Listen to CFUR 88.7FM for Festival Fridays broadcast from 9-11pm. Listen out for those amazing DJ sets and interveiws.

A big Thank You to Neil Steinbart (Nelos) and Phil Brown who played a key role in organizing the local DJ's (themselves included.....great sets guys!) and ensured the smooth running of the REM stage. Not only that but they were both mortaly injured (well not quite but a broken wrist and some surgery earlier in the week certainly added some drama to the proceedings). Thanks to all the DJ's who played and allowed us to record their set for CFUR 88.7FM.

More Thank You's to Blake Productions who provided such excellent sound and lighting for the REM stage as well asChinook Scaffliding with help from Chad Bo for building the monumental REM stage.

The Oracle Stage also has to be metioned! Sadly we did not have enough man power or equipment to record the preformances on this enchanting stage built at the back of the festival grounds. Those who experienced the Oracle werre delighted with its intimate ambience. Built and designed by Brett Shokra (and friends) this stage really was a work of art. Built from a mixture of natural materials found in the grounds and a man made structure designed to look like a mushrom and endorse sacred geometry the oracle was a spectacle not to be missed. The biggest dilema for festival   goers seemed to be which stage to stay at?

I hope all those involved with the organization of the festival, as well as the countless volunteers who dedicated their own time to making this festival work, give themselves a pat on the back for making this year undoubtedly the biggest year yet for Midsummer's Dreamers. Keep living the dream amd we hope to see you all again next year.

By Jazzy Jo and Nelos