As part of Open Mic's grand tour of the city it will be stopping at Jackfish Dundee's this Wednesday, March 10.

As Jackfish Dundee's is out of town, for the Open Mic night they are offering a shuttle to anyone who may need that sort of service. I thought I would post the scoop about it to clear up any confusion.

The shuttle holds 6 people and will make 3 runs from FSJ to Jackfish Dundee's. 

Pick-up point: Co-op Mall Parking Lot

Pick-up times: 7:00pm, 7:45pm, and 8:30pm

To make sure everyone has a safe ride home the shuttle will also offer rides back into town.

The night will be hosted by Open Mic veteran Steve Ryan, and as per usual will get rolling around 8:00pm-ish MST (Musician-Standard-Time). So bring your instruments down, get your name on the list, and let's play some music!

Stay tuned to Northern Groove if you're interested in Open Mic's other March tour stops.

Hello, all you music lovers!

You know, as the days are getting longer, I am always inspired to write songs about the positive weather changes of spring! So when I thought about that this week, knowing that I was needing a theme for 'Mysteries of Music', I came up with this:

'Soft Spring Breezes Blow'

Now as a theme, I do not imply that this will be the song title. It is only to be the inspiration for your suggestions. You can suggest a story line, a thought, a lyrical line (or even a complete lyric!), a tune suggestion (a line of notation, tabs, etc, or an already written song tune) or even some personal experimenting recorded in mp3.

I will sort the suggestions and give the best ones to three anonymous consenting musicians to make into a song (if you wish to know if your suggestion is to be used, leave contact info, and I will let you know).

If this project works, the songs produced will be performed on a single night once a year, arranged by Mysteries of Music. So let's work together to give this our best shot! I can't wait to see your suggestions!

I was listening to Lindsay Pratt sing 'Acid Tongue' the other night when I noticed a very interesting Mystery about music. Did you ever notice how many songs have lyrics that do not completely tell the story? The lyrical lines seem to carry a mystical element of intrigue about the story, but the listener must make his own story in his mind.

Music makes this possibile in a way that naration never could. the tune remains in your head, helping you to remember the lines that are there, and giving you the subconscious time to fill in those details that are not clear. In a song, the real complete story could never be given in detail, yet the beauty of the music allows every person to enjoy it as it is, without the need to explain. This makes music one of the least offensive forms of communication, and so it can be used in all types of social gatherings.

This is probably why love songs have become so popular in publicly played music. Each person can apply the emotions of the song to his own experience, even if the details are very different. And every human has some emotional feelings tucked away in his head!

So let your thoughts soar, and bring in some ideas that will provoke a musical thought in others - and dont forget to write it down and send it in! Comment on this column, or send your idea to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or send it to 'Hilding Donaldson, Box 167, Montney BC, V0C 1Y0.

Till next time,

Hilding Donaldson.

Photo: The Outstanding Dance Group from the 2009 Peace River North Festival of the Arts.  Standing left to right:  Cassandra Arntson, Hayley Popwell, Kendra Coulter.  Centre:  Mariah Boot, Sarah Wilkinson.  Front:  Elan Miller Jeannotte, and Kelani Shuster.

Festival time is approaching and young performing artists are working on putting the finishing touches on their musical pieces and their dances before taking to the stage from March 14 to March 21 for the Peace River North Festival of the Arts at the North Peace Cultural Centre.  Preparations began as far back as last summer when visiting teachers choreographed dances at local dance studios, and many hours of practice have been put in since then.

Music Festivals have a long history in Fort St. John with mention of children feverishly practicing their pieces as far back as spring of 1930.  In 1946 the Festival was revived with an impressive 166 entries in drama, vocal and choir, dramatic speech, piano and violin.  In that year Miss Evelyn Jonasson tied with the Misses Dorothy and Marna Stewart for the Bowes & Herron Grand Trophy Shield for the highest mark by pupil or group.  By 1948 dance was a part of the festival with pupils of Mrs. Dorothy Forrester very much to the fore.  Rural schools that have long since disappeared, such as Montney and North Pine, were prominent in those early reports, participating in choral speech, a category that has recently been revived in our own modern version of the festival.

Styles have changed and the children of Fort St. John have opportunities to train in music and dance that the Misses Stewarts could only dream of, but the enthusiasm to perform and the butterflies when getting ready to face the adjudicator probably have not changed very much over the years.

The 2010 version of Fort St. John’s “Musical Festival” will include classes in a wide range of disciplines starting with strings on Sunday, March 14.  Instrumental classes start things off on Monday, March 15, after which the energy level in the Cultural Centre will take a sharp rise when seven bands perform in the afternoon.  Three bands from Fort Nelson will join our four local bands and it promises to be an exciting and entertaining afternoon. 

Voice and choir take over in the evening, then piano takes centre stage through March 16 and 17 with a wide range of style on display from Classical to Popular and Jazz.  There are sure to be some impressive music coming from some very small hands over two packed days of piano classes. Our new category of speech will be introduced on the morning of Thursday, March 18, and the festival organizers excited to put this skill on display for the first time in many years.

On Thursday afternoon, things will really start jumping when five dance studios descend on the Cultural Centre and adjudicators will be busy with this exciting and highly competitive category with very few breaks until the afternoon of Sunday, March 21.  Solos are performed during the day with group sessions scheduled for each evening and duos being feature on the Sunday session.

On Sunday evening the “Best of the Fest” will be on display as the best of every category from throughout the week will perform and delegates to the Provincial Festival in Duncan will be announced.  This show is a wonderful showcase of the outstanding talent in this community and it never fails to be an entertaining evening of music and dance.  All sessions throughout the week are open to the public for a small admission fee of $3.00 per session while tickets to the “Best of the Fest” honours show can be purchased at the Cultural Centre box office.  These young performers deserve our support and their hard work and talent never fail to make us all proud.

The City of Fort St. John is excited to announce a series of upcoming events aimed at promoting environmental awareness, energy conservation and emissions reductions.

Thursday, March 4

The City of Fort St. John Presents: Awareness Film Series at the Lido.

Fifth in the city's Awareness Film Series, the evening will feature a Canadian documentary film that explores the challenges and rewards of living more lightly. The film runs about 45 minutes in length and will be followed by three presenters from the community outlining what they are doing to support living more lightly and offering advice on steps anyone can take to be the change. Presentation topics covered will include:

Community Gardens in Fort St. John

Sustainable Building Options

Save Green – The Benefits of Green Real-estate

Admission is free! Doors open at 6:30pm. Show starts at 7:00pm.

Thursday, March 11

The City of Fort St. John Presents: “Be the Change – Fort St. John” at the North Peace Cultural Centre. 

This event features a powerful musical performance by Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright - the Voices of Nature (more info about them below) accompanied by a choir of 130 local school children, keynote speaker Tzeporah Berman , and an unveiling of our new Community Energy & Emissions Plan by our Mayor and the City Manager. This event is sure to inspire you to be the change.

Admission is free! Doors open at 6:30pm. Show starts at 7:00pm.

Tzeporah Berman is executive director of PowerUp Canada – Canadians for Climate Leadership. She's different kind of environmentalist -- one with deep roots in the nascent environmental movement, but also armed with uncanny business and media smarts. At the not-for-profit Forest Ethics, she works with massive corporations to transform their buying habits and reinvigorate their public image. The companies she partners with -- including Home Depot, Dell and Staples, the world's largest paper retailer -- have boosted employee morale, extended the public life of their brands, and saved millions in costs (and inpotentially ruinous boycotts). The Globe and Mail calls her "one of the most prominent environmentalists in Canada." In the States, The Utne Reader named her One of the 50 Visionaries Changing the World. Through her work at Forest Ethics, Berman has helped save over 12 million acres of endangered forests in Canada, the United States, and Chile.

A young star of the environmental movement, Berman appearaed in Leonardo DiCaprio's documentary The 11th Hour. She was also nominated for the Schwab Social Entrepreneur Award, and named by the BC Royal Museum as one of the 150 people who have changed BC's history. She has been featured in The Globe and Mail, Green Living and The Vancouver Sun, among other publications. In her uplifting keynotes, she draws from her groundbreaking work -- in the boardroom, in the legislature and in forests -- to show us that the notion of activists vs. corporations, of good vs. evil, no longer applies in the age of global climate change. It's about creating dialogue, and finding the solutions that will be mutually beneficial to all. "It's not about whether or not it's nice to have forests anymore," she says, "It's about our future."
 

Friday, March 12

The City of Fort St. John Presents: Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright - the Voices of Nature at Whole Wheat & Honey.

Here is an opportunity to enjoy some upbeat music, enjoy complimentary coffee, snacks, and find out more information on the Community Energy & Emissions Plan.

Admission is free! Show starts at 7:00pm.

Based on Vancouver Island, BC, Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright perform music about sustainability, ecology and the human dilemma: folk pop to rock your world! They are creating the new edge of environmental music by blending their very diverse musical backgrounds and weaving them into songs that touch people’s souls and make them think about the world around them. When Holly and Kevin sing together - think Joni Mitchell and Bon Scott.  With Holly on slide dulcimer and piano and Kevin playing percussion and sax, they produce a wide range of sound and feeling.

With over 30 years as a folk/jazz performer, Holly has appeared at most major music festivals in Canada and has shared the stage with artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Stan Rogers and Herbie Hancock. Since the mid-80s, Kevin has been a pioneering member of the Victoria rock scene performing in seminal bands such as Armoros, Turk and the Rat (Rocktoria 1 winner) and After Dark.

Holly and Kevin form the core of the Artist Response Team (ART) - a ground breaking production house that delivers fabulous Voices of Nature community outreach events throughout BC and Alberta. Using their award winning and provincially recommended Cycle of Life learning resources, they travel the land bringing music and science education to entire school communities.

On Thursday, March 11, 2010, Holly and Kevin will be at the North Peace Cultural Centre performing with a 130-voice choir from Alwin Holland School, in a concert called Be the Change – it’s a celebration of the new Community Energy Plan.

On Friday, March 12, Holly and Kevin will give a rocking duo performance at the Whole Wheat and Honey Café.

Both shows start at 7pm. Admission is free.

Based on Vancouver Island, BC, Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright perform music about sustainability, ecology and the human dilemma: folk pop to rock your world! They are creating the new edge of environmental music by blending their very diverse musical backgrounds and weaving them into songs that touch people’s souls and make them think about the world around them. The two are a powerful unit that interweave stories, personalities and a true belief that this world of ours can get better.

When Holly and Kevin sing together - think Joni Mitchell and Bon Scott. Many people comment on the full sound that comes from just two people. With Holly on slide dulcimer and piano and Kevin playing percussion and sax, they produce a wide range of sound and feeling. It’s a blend that leaves people feeling like they’ve experienced something fresh and real.

With over 30 years as a folk/jazz performer, Holly has appeared at most major music festivals in Canada and has shared the stage with artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Stan Rogers and Herbie Hancock. Since the mid-80s, Kevin has been a pioneering member of the Victoria rock scene performing in seminal bands such as Armoros, Turk and the Rat (Rocktoria 1 winner) and After Dark.

Holly and Kevin form the core of the Artist Response Team (ART) - a ground breaking production house that delivers fabulous Voices of Nature community outreach events throughout BC and Alberta. Using their award winning and provincially recommended Cycle of Life learning resources, they travel the land bringing music and science education to entire school communities. The 4-day artist in residence school music program culminates in fabulous theatre concerts, bringing hundreds of young singers together with The Dream Band to sing and speak out for sustainability.

Got the acting bug? A hankering to work backstage? A yen to design?

Dionysus Theatre has the solution!

Dionysus will be holding auditions for SYLVIA, a comedy by A.R. Gurney, on Tuesday, March 9th. We are seeking actors, designers, and backstage saints.

Where: NLC Dawson Creek Campus

Date: Tuesday, March 9th

Time: 6:30 pm - Meet us in the foyer.

Roles:

Sylvia -- female, age 21-30

Kate -- female, age 40-50

Greg -- male, age 40-50

Tom, Phyllis, Leslie --- played by one actor, can be male or female, age 40-50

No need to prepare; you will read from selected scenes.

No need to be nervous, bring a friend for support if you’d like.

SYLVIA will be our spring production. A couple approaching their middle years find their marriage jeopardized by the antics of a stray dog, Sylvia. Sylvia soon becomes a rival for the wife's affection. Something has got to give....

Rehearsals will start in March with an opening date for late April or early May.

For information call Cynthia at 786-6837 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Northern Groove Magazine can be found at locations all over Fort St. John and now that magazine is even easier to find. Just look for the unique handmade holders that are beginning to show their ceramic faces around town. The holders are made by Shannon Butler, a local artist who makes one-of-a-kind ceramics and paintings at kilnhouse studio. You can currently find these distinctive holders at Whole Wheat n' Honey Cafe, Uptown Grill, JD Fitzgerald's, Olio's Pizza, and Cosmic Grounds. If you or your business currently distributes the Northern Groove magazine and would like to have them displayed in one of these lovely creations drop us a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Watch for March's edition of the magazine to begin appearing in these holders this week as it officially hits the streets!  Until then, you can view the magazine online here.

Photo by Jodie Ponto

Join the folks down at Retro Relics/The Rabbit Hole (10140-100th Ave) on Friday, March 5 as they host Leonard & Jordan for the fifth in FSJ's series of six Home Routes house concerts.

I, for one, have been buzzing around the office all day in anticipation of this show.

First of all, house concerts freakin' rock my music world and are one of my favorite concert experiences. They are intimate and memorable shows that allow you to get up close and personal with the artists.  Everyone who is there is there for the music and often times the nights end up with late-night after-jams or parties - mostly because many of the attendees are your friends, family, and local musicians themselves. Retro Relics/The Rabbit Hole is a great venue for a house concert (imagine listening to a concert surrounded by shelves and shelves of books and walls and walls of music posters) and Henry and Beau are fantastic hosts.  If you haven't been to one of the shows they've hosted do yourself a favour and take a plunge down The Rabbit Hole this Friday.

The second reason I'm stoked for this show is that Leonard (left photo) and Jordan (right photo) are none other than Leonard Podolak and Jordan McConnell - two members of the legendary Winnipeg folk rock band The Duhks. The Duhks first album, Your Daughters & Your Sons was nominated for a Juno Award, their eponymous second album won a Juno for Best Roots & Traditional Album by a Group, "Heaven's My Home" from their third album was nominated for the 2007 Grammy award for Best Country Vocal Performance, and the band has played at some big, big festivals (like Bonnaroo in the USA!). Also, if Leonard's last name looks familiar it could be due to the fact that his father is Mitch Podolak - founder of both the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Home Routes House Concert project itself. 

Within The Duhks, Jordan is the guitar genius while Leonard is the banjo baron ... and I can't wait to see what they bring on their Home Routes duo stint.

The show starts at 7:30pm and tickets are $15 at the door. All proceeds go to Leonard & Jordan (another cool feature of house concerts - all ticket sales go directly to the artists). Seating will be first come, first served, and there are a limited number of people that can be accommodated at the store (although if you're are supple enough, you can bring some cushions and enjoy the show from a horizontal position on the floor) so make sure to get there early if you want a chance to get intimate with these magnificent musicians!

The last show in FSJ's Home Routes House Concert series will be on Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 pm when Canadian folk and blues musician Rick Fines stops in at Retro Relics/The Rabbit Hole.

March is here!  It's been another whirlwind of a month leading into March, and the next 31 days are looking just as full of fun events as the past... Arts and Culture is exploding in the Peace Region.

This month there have been a host of new supporters for Northern Groove, and we think that this issue is our best yet. Click on the link or the magazine to check it out (and keep your eyes out for the physical magazine this week as it begins floating around the city)!

Hello, all you music lovers!

I was shocked, as I guess all the 'Egan's Open Mic Family' were about the closing of Egan's Pub with all of its musical events. But it can have its benefits too. I went to the first Open Mic at Casey's Pub on Feb 17, and was pleasantly suprised to meet some local musicians who hadn't been to Open Mic before. Now it will be interesting to see who we picked up at Jackfish Dundee's this past week. There are always some folks that have always been regulars at certain places - and if we have our Open Mics at different places we can gather more interest!

The night of local talent at the Lido for 'Travscend' was a real pleasant one for me. The Open Mic helps us to know what the various musicians are practicing, but a scheduled event on stage once in a while really brings out the finished product, or at least more refined versions!

I was specifically impressed with the Mystery of using silence to enhance sound. 'Miss Quincy' showed a very dramatic use of this effect in her personal style of blues. Usually, a silence gives you an unexpected pause that enhances expectancy, but in her songs, silence enhanced the rhythm of the beat. This is something that many singers do not realise - that a beat does not need to be filled with sound to be part of the song. Listen closely to all types of music, and you will be surprised how often this is the case.

Some of the other Rock music of the evening brought out the other effect of silence - that of causing suspense. In some cases, your heart seems to clog your throat and in others, the music can totally change beat after the silence, and you can follow it without realising what happened.
In short, I think we should all think about the importance of the absence of sound - in the right places, of course - as a more positive effect to enhance our music, and we will broaden our versatility on stage.

I have been considering the various styles of music, and how to relate them to each other in order to enhance the musical abilities of our musical comunity. I had suggested a song writing group for Fort St. John, but it seems that it is hard to get strong committed interest. However, if you are reading my column, there is some interest.

So starting in March, I will be posting a theme each month. During the month, anyone who has any musical ideas about that theme can post them in the comments below that article. The following month, I will process these comments, and assign a group of musicians to make a song out of them. At the end of the year, I will arrange for a 'Mysteries of Music' concert, where these songs will be staged by the groups who wrote them. The live recording will be made available for sale, and the proceeds go to development of local music.

So get your comments and suggestions ready - anyone can participate! You can suggest a phrase, a lyric, a guitar lick, an mp3 of your own music or vocals, a sheet of music, a set of tabulature - anything that can be helpful in creating a song! If you can't put it into the comment section, you can email it directly to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or send it to me by snailmail to: Hilding Donaldson Box 167 Montney,BC, V0C 1Y0. Watch for my first theme comming out next week!

Till March...

Hilding Donaldson.