Bruised Orange Productions brings Music in the Park to FSJ

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – An idea that came to Bruised Orange Productions co-owner Naomi Shore years ago has now come to fruition.

Last Thursday, Bruised Orange held its first Music in the Park, a free, family-friendly event held at Centennial Park.

Every Thursday, weather permitting, there will be a local or travelling artist performing at the park stage.

This week, Half/Asian with Amy, the CODA, will be performing at 6:30 p.m. The duo is not new to the Peace region, having played concerts in the area before, and is playing at the Peace Valley Folk Festival this weekend.

Shore says she’s been thinking about bringing Music in the Park to Fort St. John for years now, especially since the installment of the stage.

“Turns out, I just had to make it happen myself,” she said.

Both Shore and the city’s new arts and culture manager, Eryn Griffith, found the funds and booked eight concerts at the park this summer.

“We figured we’ll catch people before they go camping, right after work,” Naomi said.

They’ve booked a mix of local, regional and touring acts for the summer shows.

“I’ve tried to be really conscious of diversity and representation. So I think it’s going to be a nice mix of all kinds of music and all different ages of performers and genders,” she explained.

She and her partner, Ryan Sebastiano, have been organizing and promoting shows for almost five years and decided to create Bruised Orange to have some brand recognition.

“I think if we can build some brand recognition, maybe people will be more likely to take a chance on an artist they don’t know or they haven’t heard of,” explained Naomi.

She says the Music in the Park idea helps bring awareness to artists that some people may not have heard of, and even if it rains, they can just move over to the Festival Plaza.

Naomi recommends attendees bring their own chairs, snacks and drinks for Music in the Park and reminds people that the city by-laws are still in effect.

“You gotta be friendly and follow all the normal rules,” she explained.

Additionally, she asks attendees to bring cash, as many of the acts will have a merch table set up.

The full Moose FM interview with Dub can be viewed below: