Best-of Calgary Folk Fest

After an action-packed four days of letting my ears soak in as much sound as possible on Prince's Island for the Calgary Folk Music Festival, here is a quick list of what I thought were the highlights:

1) Kid Koala's Vinyl Vaudeville: Disguised as a koala mascot (or maybe as a furry?), Kid Koala scratched his entire set on vinyl. That alone is impressive. But it gets better because the sound was old-school R&B, a dose of blues mixed with bass, and scratched saxophone. Edgy, brave, and a really fun, groovy set. His entourage was a little more confusing, with puppets and dancers and then a very random appearance by Terry from Fubar who took part in an 8 Mile-esque kazoo competition. I was a little lost but happy to see Terry nonetheless.

2) "Old-Fashioned New-Fangled" Workshop:

First-thing Saturday morning, somehow I made it on time for this set and I'm grateful I did. Although I could argue about the logic of the title, this workshop consisted of two parts "old" (Petunia and the Vipers and Leftover Cuties) and two parts "new" (Kid Koala and Calgary's own Dragon Fli Empire). The artists felt a little trepidation about this random mix but they had a lot of fun experimenting on stage. Dragon Fli Empire broke out in a rap alongside Petunia's "Mercy" while Kid Koala scratched blues and Leftover Cuties plucked away on strings. Pretty cool.

3) Volunteers:

With over 1,000 volunteers, they deserve a shout out for all their hard work during the festival. The Media Tent was completely on it and scheduled all the interviews for me, which was amazing. Security volunteers showed up bright and early to chant "No running! Only skipping!" to the tarpies as they dashed to stake their spots in front of the mainstage. And when weekend rafters tried to "accidentally" sneak onto the island to catch Father John Misty ("What's going on here? Is this a festival or something? Who knew?"), security volunteers were on it. Finally, an extra-big thank you to the volunteers in the beer gardens who poured me beer all weekend with such smiles and grace. Boo to the $8 price per can at the volunteer afterparties.

4) Colin Stetson: I don't think words can sufficiently describe the experience of hearing Colin Stetson, other than maybe mesmerized. My core felt his bass notes beckoning from across the island so I rushed over to his stage. The sound reminded me a little of Tanya Tagaq. I can't really describe it but my limbs could just feel that it was something special.

5) Bike Racks: Three cheers for Nenshi for doing such a good job of promoting biking! I've never seen so many bikes at Folk Fest before.  The organizers even built a second bike lot on the west side of the island and that lot was also full. For a second, I thought maybe I was back in Amsterdam. See? Calgary's not so bad :)

Article by Alycia Mutual

Smoke's Rant: Kenny Lally Makes PG Proud at PanAm Games

The PanAm games recently finished in Toronto with an astounding showing by Canada racking up 217. One of those Canadians that made our nation proud, and more specially, our northern city proud was boxer Kenny Lally. I mean let's be honest, Prince George is a beautiful town, but we are also a tough town. It's about time that we have a champion fighter to try and combat Williams Lake and Quesnel, who can boast that they have perennial #1 contender Rory MacDonald in the UFC. Boxing is the oldest and most prized fighting in the world. When there is a big fight, the world stops to watch as the next icon makes there way to squared gladiator arena to entertain the masses in a physical chess match the would make Bobby Fisher roll in his grave in fright. Now the new wave of Gladiators enter the ring, and this time Canada has one of the best fighters in the world. Kenny Lally is a 6 time national champion and has made huge strides to gaining a spot in the Olympics. His quarter-final match against Ecuador's Padilla Segundo was fast paced and exciting. The Canadian champ ended up with a split-decision call to earn a spot in the semi-finals against Cuban boxing sensation Andy Cruz. Unfortunately for Lally, he couldn't muster any sustained offense against the Cuban, who looked like he could have tried out for the Justice League as the scarlet speedster. Despite the fact that the casual observer believes that offense wins bouts, elite level boxing uses a lot more strategy and angles. Look at Floyd Mayweather or even Lally's idol Muhammed Ali, both fighters used their speed and angles to frustrate opponents before going in for the kill. Cuban fighters in Lally's division are the gold standard, but Lally has been one of the only Canadians to be successful as he defeated a Cuban during the Continental Championships in 2010. Even though he fell short against Cruz (the eventual gold medal winner), he captured the bronze medal at the games and has gained incredible momentum when he continues to make his bid for the Brazil Olympics in 2016. Lally's next tournament is in the middle of August when he knocks heads off in Venezuela. But, before he makes that journey, he is training hard in his hometown of Prince George, as well as making his debut on The Smoke Show on Wednesday. I will have the honor to sit down with Kenny Lally to talk about the PanAm games, the upcoming Continental Games, his training regime, and his debate between boxing and MMA. Listen live on Wednesday at 4pm for all the action.

The Wooden Sky at Calgary Folk Fest

Toronto-based The Wooden Sky fit right into Calgary's alt-country/bluegrass/Canadiana skyline Thursday night as they took the evening stage in front of a packed crowd. It took me a little while to adjust because more than 2,000 fans showed up to see them. Folk Fest has around 12,000 attendees pass through the gates each day, while a "larger" festival in northern B.C. like Artswells has more like 1,500-2,000. Arts on the Fly was even smaller, at a few hundred.

Such bigness quickly felt like a small-town hoedown, though, because frontman Gavin continuously took note of fans he recognized in the crowd who attended previous shows. He said hello to two girls near the front and told a story about their show in Banff where the girls brought the band a huge bottle of wine in hopes they could get on the guest list. They did. He even wished a couple happy anniversary. This fan recognition nicely bridged the gap between audience and artist and the large crowd felt like we were somehow neighbours.

Such a sense of neighbourliness suits their music too. The Wooden Sky is a band that ranks high in terms of danceability, and the crowd danced their hardest to songs on their newest album like "When the Day is Fresh and the Light is New." I was especially happy when they took out a harmonica to play one of their new songs.

Wondering when (or if) they'll pass through Prince George? You don't have to wait long because they're playing next weekend at Artswells. Bring your boots and smiles and I'll see you on the dance-floor.

Written by Alycia Mutual

Smoke's Rant: Prince George Cougars Charity Golf Tournament

This past weekend, the Prince George Cougars held their 4th annual charity golf tournament at the PG Golf and Curling club to benefit the Spirit of the North Healthcare foundation. This charity directly benefits the Prince George Northern Health hospital with gaining funding to buy expensive medical equipment; such as the SPECT CT scanner that the hospital has been trying to purchase for a while. Just like with most charities around northern B.C, people came out in droves to support this worthy cause. Even current NHL stars and Cougars owners Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer made the trip to their old stomping ground to take part in the weekend festivities. The Cougars set up a meeting with the fans on Friday at 4pm, where fans could get autograpghs from their favorite Cougars alumni. CFUR 88.7fm caught up with current Vancouver Canuck d-man Dan Hamhuis to talk about the charity, the Cougars, the Canucks, and his golf game.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxiV5C7L-GI[/embed]

CFUR and The Smoke Show would like to thank Greg Pocock and the rest of the Cougars organization for facilitating the interview and making this past weekend a positive time for every sports fan in PG. I am Smoke Stark and this has been my rant on the Prince George Charity Golf Tourney. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place...HAIL HYDRA.

Calgary Folk Fest Preview: July 23-26

Set for another weekend of live tunes, CFUR's Music Department is packing up its festival attire (i.e. tie-dye scarves, cowboy boots and a Camelbak) and heading down to the 36th annual Calgary Folk Music Festival, which runs July 23-26. If you've never been, Calgary's folk fest takes place on an island park in the downtown called Prince's Island. Festival-goers stay for the day and the keeners (called tarpies) line up bright and early each morning with their maximum 6' x 8' tarps to grab a much-desired spot in front of the mainstage. As well as a mainstage (obviously), festival amenities include six workshop stages, food trucks (including mini-donuts), a beer garden serving Calgary's own Big Rock on tap, an artisan marketplace, a bike parking lot, and approximately 12,000 friends to party with.

The lineup is fabulous this year, taking a bluegrass/country/roots edge. Here is a list of CFUR's must-see artists. See if you can match them with the one-word descriptions on the right.

Artists

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1. 1. Petunia and the Vipers                                                                      Legend
2. 2. The Wooden Sky                                                                                  Plucking
3. 3. Kid Koala                                                                                                   Calgary's-own
4. 4. Father John Misty                                                                                Wacky
5. 5. Pharis and Jason Romero                                                                Saxophone
6. 6. Dragon Fli Empire                                                                               Kazoo
7. 7. Socalled                                                                                                     Grammy
8. 8. Colin Stetson                                                                                         Canadiana
9. 9. Esperanza Spalding presents Emily's D+Evolution         Scratch
10. 10. Buffy Sainte-Marie                                                                             Hazy

Workshops

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1. Old-Fashioned, New-Fangled: Seems like a wild mix, but oh man, this workshop could be legendary. Dragon Fli Empire, Leftover Cuties, Petunia and the Vipers, Kid Koala.

2. Provincial Boundaries: I'm guessing this is because the artists are all from different provinces? EMBASSYLIGHTS, Hawksley Workman, Frazey Ford, Jenn Grant.

3. Strung Along: Strings of many shapes and sizes. Pharis and Jason Romero, EMBASSYLIGHTS, The Crooked Brothers, SÖNDÖRGO.

4. The Girls Next Door: Pretty self-explanatory, a girls-only jam :) Sera Cahoone, Jenn Grant, Leftover Cuties, Scarlett Jane.

Some friends are volunteering there this year, so if I'm lucky, I will tag along as their guest to the famed volunteer after-parties held every night after the site closes. One of my most memorable festival moments was seeing C.R. Avery's volunteer after-party back in 2011. In the "quiet" room, C.R. Avery had none of that and got everyone up dancing and crowd-surfing and rocking out into the wee hours while the sound guy slept, zonked out in his chair. Epic night. Time for a repeat.

Article by Alycia Mutual

Honey!CFUR Exclusive interview with underground bunny rocker

After many weeks of late night bartering which included exchanges of rare 78's, cardboard boxes, and exorbitant amounts of carrot soup, my orange tinged fingers were able to sit down with" Honey Bunny", the elusive creative genius behind the best pop-up barn dances and noise hop basement parties in the north.

"Honey bunny" is a manic multi-instrumentalist, playing with bands that emerge for one night only and disband instantly. HB often leaves immediately after shows, preferring a night of burrowing to social contact.

In a rare act of social gesturing, or simply because my carrot soup had ginger in it, Honey Bunny agreed to an interview. This is it.

Jill Wagg: Honey, thanks for sitting with me. Yes go ahead, you can nibble on my laptop. Anyways, lets just get this out of the way. Your hair. Speak to that.

Honey Bunny: I knew that was coming (chuckle). Well most people like to think I was influenced by Mike Score and A Flock of Seagulls. But I wasn't even born then. I just had a crazy night one time, in Vanderhoof I think. Ya, Vanderhoof, after a insane math-rock set. I just wanted to burrow. I burrowed so hard I clawed my way into a family of marmots. Those kids know how to party. They had never seen blonde fur before and were stoked. We drank willow root sap and chewed dandelion all night. There was some wrestling. One guy ended up with a pretty hilarious beet juice tattoo of his wife on his hind quarters . When I left the party and finally surfaced around dawn in Burns Lake, my hair just kind of stayed up. It stuck. Nothing else to it.

JW: Well it looks great. Tell us about your influences, you are known for your appreciation and talent for a variety of genres.

HB: I grew up listening to classic rock. You know my mom was really into Jefferson Airplane. I'll never forget that bass. White Rabbit was my mom's anthem growing up, you know when rabbits were finally surfacing in the music scene. Whenever I went to bed, all I could hear was Grace Slick's voice. I thought, hey, that'd be cool to do one day.

Then I got into some indie stuff in my early 20's. I went to the Academy of Rodent and Critter Arts down south. It introduced me to so many new people and music. I was a huge fan of Neutral Milk Hotel, what Jeff Magnum was doing at the time was unlike anything I heard.  Then I met a really great friend of mine, Flop. Flop loved hip hop. We hopped all night to Dead Prez, a new dance was even created that night on campus called herpppin. It was kind of weird.

My mind was blown when I heard "White Rabbit" mixed into these beats. Living Legends, Rabbit Hole. Changed my life to hear such an influential song so fresh.I thought, if these guys can mix genres, I can too. So I bought an electric guitar. I learned how to play "Snake" by Frightened Rabbit, some indie folk about lost love or a really great pet, I still don't know. Anyways, after learning that song I never looked back. Then I started playing root rock and it just came together.

JW: Wow what a story.

HB: Ya.

JW: Ok well I don't want to keep you much longer. Who are you diggin right now?

HB: Probably the coolest most unique sound I've heard in a while is Old Time Honey, from Montreal. Jugs and crackely sounding things, waltzy folk and a hint of gospel. Strong vocals. A guy named Speedy. I've always had good times with guys named Speedy. They'll be at some pub or something, Nancy O's . I would go but I got a good burrow route picked out.

JW: Awesome. Well thanks so much Honey Bunny.

HB: Party On.

That was an interview with underground bunny rocker Honey Bunny. To see Honey's favourite new band, Old Time Honey, catch them on July 27th from 8-11 at Nancy O's in Prince George.

The Neatest Thing Ever

Cranbrook area web magnate/ viral superstar "The Neature Nut" gets a new meme! Don't know what I'm talking about? First, check out the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm3JodBR-vs

Then check out the meme below ;)

Pretty Fly Weekend at Arts on the Fly

CFUR's Music Department took the backroads through valleys and ranchlands down to Horsefly, BC last weekend for the 10th annual Arts on the Fly Festival. Though the campground was full, we lucked in and set up camp in a nearby field surrounded by ripe saskatoons, which provided an added boost of antioxidants each morning. Yum!

On Friday at sunset, we watched the Little Horsefly Country Band jam out with Horsefly residents Pharis and Jason Romero (who are known not only for making custom banjos but also for their kick-ass string plucking). They were joined on stage by silhouetted Horsefly neighbours bear, moose, crow, goat, rabbit, and wolf.

Miss Quincy and the Showdown took the stage  next and, as usual, wowed the crowd with their raunchy blues and mesmerizing stage presence. The show ended and the crowd definitely wanted  more.

Luckily, they had two more shows on the 'Tweener stage (a.k.a "in between" acts) the next day: a solo act from Miss Quincy highlighting her country and bluegrass roots from up in the Peace, and another act late Saturday night that drew just as much crowd as the mainstage.

Headlining Friday night were fiesta band Entangados. On the Canadian festival circuit this summer all the way from Argentina, they donned clown suits and bounced on stage with their groovy mix of ska, rock, and cuarteto.

Saturday was a scorcher. 35C and sunny/smoky. We started the morning with a refreshing swim in nearby Horsefly Lake and quickly realized that between acts, most of the festival-goers would be found cooling down in the Horsefly River. Secretly, we wished the acoustic stage would wander down to the shore and play for us while we basked in the river.

Another tactic to stay cool included finding whatever shade is available. Experimental artist and festival MC Doug Koyama did just this, choosing a nice, contemplative spot next to the mainstage where this introspective sign helped us remember which direction is "sky" and which direction is "earth." In case we get dehydrated, start seeing mirages and lose track of time and space.

Mid-day, Lexi Marie of Lillooet, BC took the stage and roused the crowd with her powerful vocals and soulful folk. The audience listened thoughtfully to her stories of adversity, resilience and strength.

Although we were lost on the backroads of the Cariboo-Chilcotin on Friday night and missed festival favourite Sam Tudor's set (come to think of it, we were so lost that we decided to turn around when we passed his remote hometown of Gavin Lake and realized for once and all that we were definitely headed in the wrong direction), we were lucky enough to catch him again on the 'Tweener stage Saturday afternoon. Even more lucky, he played our favourie song, "Modern New Year." We've pretty much been listening to it on repeat here at CFUR for the last month straight.

After the dinner break, the temperature finally cooled enough for Drum and Bell Tower to get everyone up and dancing. Brent Morton's psychedelic folk-rock was the perfect kickstarter to the festival's evening finale. The entire crowd sang along to his anthemic, "Very Star." And that was that, we were swept into the festival's oscillating rhythm.

The evening continued with a bang, especially when Quesnel's own Bottoms Up Burlesque burst onto the stage, dotting it with layers and layers of shiny outfits and wearing the most creative pasties we've ever seen (i.e flower petals and bananas). To top it all off, they ended the show with a chainsaw spraying glitter. If you ever get a chance to see them, they rock.

Next up was Dawn Pemberton. She had everyone gettin' funky and groovy and her authentic demeanour made us hope she could stay on stage forever and emanate more warmth. We danced and danced and danced. It seemed we couldn't get enough of the 'Tweener stage this weekend because the highlight of the night was Salty Jo and Co.'s bluegrass reunion, which included Sam Tudor, fiddler Tegan Wahlgren, Marin Patenaude, and Brent Morton. They took a rowdy turn back to a 1950s country sound and we all sang along to mischievous tunes of whiskey and cocaine.

When the night ended, we had no energy left for an after-party. Completely ready to hit the sack. This was good timing because some much-needed rain arrived just as we got into our tents and it didn't stop until morning. The party did continue for a large group of 16-21 year-olds who flock in their trucks to Arts on the Fly each year and celebrate with a laser bush party. We never saw them at the festival, but word is they show up every year and party alongside Arts on the Fly partiers. We got along great and had fun sharing the river and sharing tunes. Horsefly's calm, homesteading atmosphere returned Sunday morning when we woke up to deer passing by as we packed up our tents.

Missed Arts on the Fly? You can always catch it next year, or head to one of many festivals around northern BC, like Artswells or Bella Coola Music Festival or Robson Valley Music Festival or Music on the Mountain. Most of the bands who played Arts on the Fly are on the summer circuit so they should be easy to find on stage somewhere. Cheers from CFUR and the next stop for us is Artswells!

Article by Alycia Mutual

Smoke's Rant: New CFL Rules are AWESOME

The CFL came into the new season with a handful of new rules that were meant to inject some more excitement into an already exciting product on the field. The CFL is forever fighting the battle of legitimacy because of our neighbors to the south having a larger than life football entertainment. A new set of rules voted in by the CFL board of governors aim to do just that. If you are not up on the rules; here's a rundown:

1) Holding the five interior players at the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked: What the heck does that mean? Well, it means that the center that snaps the ball, as well as the two players on either side of the center have to stay where they are until the ball is kicked from the punter. CFL vice president of officiating has stated that this rule change gives more time to the punt returner, less "no yards" penalties, and less illegal blocking by the returning team. This new rule is aiming to give the returning team a better chance to make a fantastic run before being mauled by their opponents. Unless your name was Cory Banks, you were not going anywhere after you caught the ball on a punt return last year. Teams were on the returner like white on rice, which made for a much more boring play. Now the field has opened up more for the flashy runners to gain some more yards.

2) Illegal Blocking on the Defense: No longer can the cornerbacks harass the receivers after 5 yards. This rule is for pure entertainment and high scoring affairs. The board of governors found that there was too much grabbing and obstructing from the cornerbacks and safeties against the receivers. After the receivers get past five yards from the line of scrimmage, defenders are not allowed to push, grab, or obstruct the receivers ability to catch the ball. The defender will have to try and knock the ball out of the air or have a brilliantly timed hit that will cause the receiver problems holding onto the ball. This rule was on full display when the B.C Lions took on the Roughriders last Friday at BC Place Stadium. The Roughriders Kevin Glenn was able to complete 23 of 29 passes for 271 yards, but the most impressive part of his play was that he connected with Weston Dressler on numerous occasions including 2 wide open touchdowns that made their opponents defense look completely silly. The Lions QB Travis Lulay did pretty darn good as well with a 77% completion record with an astounding 400 yards passing. Lulay finally found the openings that he had been searching 3 quarters for, as he roared back from a two touchdown deficit to force overtime. All this action would not be possible without the blocking rule change for defense.

3) Longer Field Goals and Short Two-Point converts: This may not seem significant, but it definitely is for a couple reasons. The first reason is that the point after is no longer an after thought. Most of the time, when fans are watching the game, the extra point is so close to the uprights that everyone expects the ball to go through. One of the biggest reasons that people watch sports is because the athletes are challenged on every play or every shift. The board of governors understood this particular problem and decided to bring the extra point back from 5 yards to 25 yards away. As the vice-president of officiating, Johnson, stated, "the likelyhood of the kicker making the point after goes from 99.6% to around 80%" (MontrealGazzette.com). People will now covet the point after as entertaining instead of routine. Second, the reason this rule change is significant is because now there will be more two-point conversions. Last year teams tried a two-point conversion only 30% of the time after a touchdown. Now, the CFL predicts between a 40%-50% likelyhood that teams will go for the extra exciting play instead of kicking it through the uprights.  Much more strategy is being implemented when you have to plan whether you wan to take a chance on another endzone play or kicking the football. Another aspect of this new rule that coaches have to factor in is, the starting point for a two-point convert is now even closer to the endzone. Before, teams would have to start their conversion on the 5 yard line, now they are starting it on the 3 yard line. Johnson stated that they wanted to make the extra point harder and the two-point convert easier to make the more exciting play more appealing to the coaches. This was again in full display at Friday's entertaining match-up between Saskatchewan and B.C. Lions kicker Richie Lionne made , what many thought to be a crucial missed extra point (after the Roughriders completed a couple of two-point converts), before making a clutch 54 yard field goal to push it to overtime. An amazing play made possible by intelligent rule changes by the league.

Unlike rule changes from other leagues that sometimes don't pan out the way the board of governors would like, this has been a breath of fresh air. The fact that we even give a damn about the extra point, is something spectacular. The fact that we get to see more highlight reel plays from our star player, is a sorely missed aspect of the game over the last year. The fact that Travis Lulay hasn't shattered like glass over the first couple of games has been a huge bonus to Lions fans everywhere. I am Smoke Stark and this has been my informative rant on the new CFL rules. Thanks for reading, and, in the Game of Thrones, you win or you die.