The Spring Activity Fest is a free, family-oriented community event which will be held on Saturday, March 20th from NOON until 3 PM at the North Peace Secondary School in the gymnasium. This vibrant and energetic event offers the public an opportunity to celebrate the first day of spring while participating in a variety of fun and family-oriented activities.

This community event will include:

Indoor Activity Centre: Children and adults of all ages can get active and have fun participating in mini indoor challenges featuring a special chance for you to literally spring or bounce into the new season on the Bungee Run or on the inflatable castle.

Outdoor Relays: Gather a team of family or friends together to take part in this hilarious outdoor competition. Sign up on-location for your chance to brave the spring elements and compete for prizes in the outdoor relay event. Don't forget to come dressed for the weather!

Indoor Cultural Demonstrations: Local dancers, performers and groups will be on location to demonstrate a range of cultural activities available to residents of Fort St John.

Indoor Live, Local Musical Entertainment

Indoor Multicultural Food Vendors: Selling an array of exotic and tasty treats including Indian Tacos, Pambazos, a traditional dish from Mexico City, and Biriyani a special dish from Bangladesh.
 

One of Canada's up and coming country talents, Karen-Lee Batten, will be in Fort St. John next week for a 3 night stint at JD Fitzgerald's - Thursday March 25, Friday March 26, and Saturday March 27.

In a very short time Karen-Lee Batten has gone from local BC talent to national notoriety. From her career breakthrough on Canadian Idol to the release of her first CMT Independent Canadian video for “Hearts on The Run”, Karen-Lee defines herself as anything else but an overnight success. Launching her career with a Top 11 finish 2003's Canadian Idol, she has since won BC Femal Vocalist of the Year 3 times, has performed at the Calgary Stampede numerous times (after playing the Premier stage at the Stampede in 2009 she was asked to return for 5 shows and counting for 2010), landed opening slots for Lonestar, Emerson Drive, Big & Rich, Aaron Pritchett, Ian Tyson, Deric Ruttan, Gord Bamford, and Shane Yellowbird.

In 2009 Karen Lee traveled most of Western Canada performing, and has just returned from being out on the road with the Oakridge Boys: “Yes ... they've still totally got it ... and 2010 is going to be even more exciting ... it's booking up fast,” Karen-Lee says.

Working alongside Tom McKillip, Karen released her debut album “Every Moment” in 2006 with “Hearts on the Run” becoming the 4th release (video to be released on April 24, 2010). With a CMT video now under her belt and the growing inspiration of a team, Karen-Lee is now heading back into studio to pull together a solid new project in 2009/2010 that will dive deep into your soul.

“Karen Lee is a talented artist with a killer voice and sparkling, infectious personality... she is beautiful inside and out.”

- Dayna Bourgoin, Music Director CMT Canada

Father of Five Leaves Family!

To play music in B.C.’s Expansive North, that is.

Although not technically abandoning his wife and family, Jared Fowler will be touching off his Traveling Dixie Cups tour of BC beginning March 18th, 2010 and running till April 24th, 2010 to promote his debut indie CD. The CD, which is set to release on March 1st, is entitled “Vancouver Rain”. Although the CD is presented with a full six-piece band in stereophonic sound, the tour will be an acoustic, one man performance.

Recently returned from the cultured and musical venues of Montreal, Jared has drawn his inspiration from the places, events and experiences that have defined his life, consequently, his music can be best described as songs about “heart ache and heart break… with a smile”. His music is an honest mix of upbeat Indie ballads, reflective love songs, and good ol’ fashioned Rock N Roll.

Jared has been writing and performing his music for the last 12 years, from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Fort St. John, British Columbia. He currently resides in the suburbs of Vancouver, and plays often at local and provincial festivals and events, most notably the Cranberry Festival in Fort Langley and the Berry Beat Festival in Abbotsford.

You can catch Jared and the Travelling Dixie Cups Tour in Fort St. John on Saturday, March 20 at Cosmic Grounds (7pm - admission by donation) along with the winner of RocKIN the Peace 2010, Lorissa Scriven.

www.jaredfowleris.com

www.myspace.com/lorissascriven

Tim 'n Tyc's will be hosting a fundraiser for Cancer on Saturday the 20th.  This event is something we're very passionate about.  two  members of the Tim n Tyc's familly have beaten cancer and are enjoyin' the beauty of life currently.  The ticket price is $30 and five of each will be donated drirectly to the FSJ Hospital Foundation.  The FSJ Hospital Foundation buys equipment for diagnostic and treatment for local cancer patients right here in FSJ.  Of course we'll be serving an array of Tapas from around the world, which will be continually served throughout the evening.  We also have three gorgeous female acts playing into the night.. Each of whom is equally talented and respected.  The party starts at seven, and will be closing around midnight.  Tickets can be purchased at our restaurant, which is located at 10403 100th ave.  Contact myself, or Tim n Tyc for tickets at 250-785-2525.  This is gonna be a groovy, really positive event, and would love the support of the community... thank you, stay groovy
 

Peter Katz is coming to Whole Wheat 'n Honey Saturday, April 17th.  While it's not Peter's first visit to Fort St. John, we're very lucky to have him!  He has recently released his latest album "First of the Last to Know", produced by Rob Szabo, available on itunes today (March 16th).  In fact, today, the first day of itunes sales for Peter, the album rose to the #1 position on the itunes singer-songwriter chart!  (checkout the screen capture on the left hand side) Peter is a well loved musician across Canada, and we are excited to see him come back to Fort St. John!

A little about Peter Katz ... Winner of the CBC Galazie Rising Star Award and the Grand Prize Winner of Toronto's IndieWeek, Peter Katz delights listeners with his captivating blend of folk, roots, and pop music.  Playing 150+ dates a year, Katz's remarkable grassroots efforts have resulted in him independently selling over 10,000 copies of his discs from the stage and landing support spots with such notable artists as Bedouin Soundclash, Tokyo Poilce Club, The Cat Empire, Jeremy Fisher, Danny Michel, Craig Cardiff, Tomi Swick, Murray McLachlan, among others.

Recent activity for Peter includes 5 successful national tours of Canada, a tour of the UK and Ireland, a tour of the Netherlands, with Dutch star Lucky Fonz III, a tour of Germany, the re-release of his record 'More Nights' on Cure/Universal Music, a special invitation by the National Arts Centre to play in Vimy, France as part of the 90th anniversary rededication ceremony of the Vimy Monument, as well as the invitation to perform alongside the legendary Garth Hudson on his upcoming tribute to 'The Band'.

Katz's new record 'First of the Last to Know' marks the true arrival of Peter Katz, solo artist.  Even with Academy Award Winner Glen Hansard (The Swell Season, Once), Canadian Folk darlings The Good Lovelies, and steel-town siren Melissa McClelland lending their talents, Peter's voice and acoustic guitar remain the focal point.

Ryan Hennessey, an amazing local performer, will be opening the night off.  Ryan is one of Fort St. John's most well respected original singer / songwriters.  He has recently released his first (of what we all hope is one of many) debut album labeled, Every Word You Say.

A little bit of the history between Peter and Ryan:  The seed was planted for Ryan in April of 2008 when the talented Peter Katz was jamming with him at home during a tour. Ryan had played, 'Simply Beautiful' and Katz had sang harmonies. When Katz was asked if he would sing on the track if it was recorded he immediately answered yes. Hennessey notes this as one of the real reasons he thought, “I can do this!”.

 Tickets are available now, $15 in advance, and $20 at the door.  We're expecting this show to sell out, so pickup your tickets early!

Northern Groove has been given the opportunity to present to City Council on March 22, 2010, at 3:45pm.  Our interest is to help bridge the gap between the City of Fort St. John and our thriving arts and entertainment scene.  We believe that even though it is understood amongst people who are involved in arts what an abundance of great local talent we have, it is necessary to help spread the word about our arts to the general public, including the City of Fort St. John and the general community.

The Presentation to City Council is on March 22nd, at 3:45pm.

The local arts community in Fort St. John consists of a huge number of people. We, as a community, have a local theatre group that presents many great productions. There are musicians, school bands, individual performers, and garage bands. There are dance schools, potters, and local painters. Textile artists like spinners and weavers and a quilting guild. There are many arts groups and organizations, arts related businesses, and many independent artists. This artistic community is very impressive in their impact and effectiveness in our community.

The arts community is relatively unknown to a visitor, and even to many residents of Fort St. John. In fact, we think it’s the best kept secret in Fort St. John! Our town is home to world class artists in almost every single arts discipline. Ranging from Irish dancers raised here who now perform in Riverdance, to world class Juno recognized musicians. Our goal is to expose them to the town and beyond!

An industry is created when the community supports the arts. Residents and visitors are spending money and making an impact at events, venues, and local businesses. Local entertainers, galleries, arts educators, music stores, cultural centres, theatres, and studios all receive a positive economic impact. The hospitality and tourism industry also thrives when these audiences explore the town and spend their money.

Northern Groove is an organization that supports and informs the city and Peace Region about the arts community that exists in Fort St. John. Our mission is to expose all of these groups and organizations, and more importantly the individual artist, to the entire city. In doing this we build a strong community, support our local economy, and draw visitors from all over to explore Fort St. John.

Hey, hey! We have some additions to the Crash Karma show on Saturday, April 3 at On the Rocks.

Crash Karma is poised to be Canada's newest super group and is comprised of members straight out of a Canadian music lover's wet dream - Edwin (ex-I Mother Earth), drummer Jeff Burrows (ex-The Tea Party), guitarist Mike Turner (ex-Our Lady Peace), and Amir Epstein (Zygote). They will be joined on stage by Soul Side In and Fort St. John's own Wauntid. Tickets to the show are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Advance tickets can only be purchased online at www.northerngroove.com. See the link at the bottom of this article to buy your tickets.

Soul Side In features four members, Dan Schmidt (lead singer), Allen Schmidt (guitar), Jayson Bacho (drums), and Dayne Finley (bass). In early 2007 the band joined forces with Tracey Singer and Chief (Hinder, Veer Union, NB) as management. The band spent several months writing and co-writing with the likes of Trevor Hurst (Econoline Crush) and Shaun Verreault (Wide Mouth Mason). During the early months of 2008 the band packed up and headed out west to record their album with Garth Richardson and Ben Kaplan. What an amazing experience! Dallas Smith (Default) and Trevor Hurst came in and sang on the record with Dave Benedict (Default) playing bass. Once the record was finished they were able to get Mike Fraser to mix three singles off the record and Dean Maher to mix the other 9. Both mix engineers come from very talented backgrounds working with bands such as Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Hedley and Rise Against. In August 2008 the band had their first showcase for Ralph James president of The Agency Group. After seeing the band preform he sat down with them and said “I Get It!” He has been booking shows for them ever since. As a result of performing at CMW the band was picked up by International booking Agent Nigel Hassler (President of Helter Skelter) The band has toured with Default, Buckcherry, The Trews, Mobile, Thornley, State of Shock, Age of Days, the Watchman, Inward Eye, and Rev Thoery to name a few. The newly mixed record has just finished being mastered at Sterling Sound NY by Ted Jensen.

Wauntid is made up of three local brothers: Lyle, Curt, and Dorian Smoler.  It's like Hanson's crazy twins! WAUNTID formed in 1998 as three bros jamming and since then they have released an independent full length album and played shows across BC, Alberta, and the Yukon.

BMac is back!

That sentence alone should send all you off scurrying to catch his show ... but you can't do that unless we tell you where and when his shows are going to be.

Brain MacMillan, along with Dave Tolley, will be playing 3 shows at 3 different venues within a 3 day period. That gives you all ample opportunity to catch at least one show!

Thursday, March 25 - Lone Wolf Golf Club

• Featuring Jordyn Busche. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Only 50 tickets will be sold. You can purchase your tickets in advance by calling the Lone Wolf Golf Club at 250-789-3711.

Friday, March 26 - Jackfish Dundee's

• Free show.

Saturday, March 27 - Earth Hour at Whole Wheat n' Honey

• Candle-lit concert by Brain MacMillan & Dave Tolley, Lorissa Scriven, and Jolene Reid for Earth Hour 2010. Tickets are $10 or $5 for NEAT members. Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.northerngroove.com or at Whole Wheat n' Honey. To purchase tickets, find out more info about Earth Hour and the musicians click here.

Toronto's Brian MacMillan (BMac) and Dave Tolley are two of FSJ's favorite musicians. They've both visited the city many times, and in fact Dave has taken to living and working here in his spare time.

Take the sweet vocals of James Taylor, the rhythm of Paul Simon, pepper it with a heartfelt message of love and you have the one-and-only Brian MacMillan.

Brian is one of Canada’s finest young musicians. An extremely talented singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Brian’s uplifting music is a blend of all of his favourite styles; Folk, Reggae, World and Pop music. Equally at ease and captivating as a solo performer or with his trio, Brian aims to connect and convey his genuine love of making and sharing music.

Brian has released 2 critically acclaimed solo albums; Gone To See The Morning in 2001 and Let The Darkness Go in 2007. He has since been across Canada 4 times, gathering a solid fan-base along the way. He continues to be heavily supported by the CBC and many national college radio stations across Canada. His 3rd release, tentatively titled “Shine”, is to be released in the spring of 2010.

The Ontario Council of Folk Festivals recognized Brian’s songwriting abilities in 2005 by awarding him the Colleen Peterson Award for a song he wrote with juno nominee Lori Cullen. Brian is a 2x Ontario Arts Council grant recipient.

Brian was a guest performer on all 3 of the Barenaked Ladies, “Ships and Dips”, Caribbean cruises, sharing the stage with The Barenaked Ladies, Great Big Sea, Sarah Harmer and Guster. Outside of his busy solo career he has appeared on albums by Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle, The Wailing Jennys, Garth Hudson, Lori Cullen, Jory Nash, Mr. Something Something, Layah Jane, Nine Mile and Eden Hertzog.

RocKIN the Peace 2010 was great!  There was a huge audience, and all of the musicians were amazing!  Congratulations to Lorissa Scriven