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WINTER 2012

The STaTiSTicS

GRANDTHEFT

THE SNowyou need to know

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The Scene PG

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10 12SMALL TOWN DJS BEATS, BRANDS & BUZZ

THE STATISTICS THE SNOW YOU NEED TO KNOW

20GRANDTHEFT

22FACING SELF ESTEEM ISSUES

DENISE GODEAU FINE FEATHERED FINDS

> >>>>


While art has always been a part of Denise Godeau’s life, it wasn’t until her first experi-ence at Shambala that she found its soul.

Next summer will mark the Prince George resident’s sixth excursion to the West Kootenays music festival, an atmosphere that inspired Godeau to really throw herself into the world of oils and acrylics.

“I found some pretty visionary art down there,” she said.

In a way, the electronic dance music scene is reflect-ed in her work, paintings which are a blend of realist figures in abstract environments.

Drawing for as long as she could hold a pencil, Godeau was lured from cartoon and anime figures into more lifelike likenesses.

“I was really inspired by figure work and trying to cap-ture someone’s spirit and essence in a painting,” she said.

Godeau’s work has been seen around town at Nancy O’s, in Victoria at Cabin 12 and on the web via her Facebook page and personal website, denisegodeau.com.

She credits Facebook with helping her really make a name for herself and her art. Her fan page, Denise Godeau’s Art and Designs, was set up in 2010 and has more than 1,300 Likes.

Cont’d on page 5 by Charelle evelyn

Denise Godeau: serenity in the sound


Cont’d from page 4

The self-taught artist, who describes painting as an obsession, hasn’t limited herself to paint on canvas. A recent gradu-ate of College of New Caledonia’s new media pro-gram, Godeau is a graphic designer by trade and has delved into the digital art world of Photoshop and tablet work.

She has also collaborated with other local artists to step out from behind the canvas and computer and in front on the camera lens.

Cont’d on page 6

> >>>> DENISE GODEAU ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||


Cont’d from page 5“Photography and photoshoots are a fun side proj-

ect,” she said of her modeling shots, which began by modeling jewelry and accessories for friend Amanda George.

The collaborations bring new ideas and more expo-sure, which all lead to a dream of being able to devote herself to her art full time.

“That is definitely one of my biggest goals in life,” Godeau said.

> >>>> DENISE GODEAU ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||


feather can signify many things - speed, truth, flight, spirituality.

But for Amanda George, a feather literally holds a piece of someone dear to her.

Almost four years ago, George’s father passed away and it was that loss which made her turn to her art as an escape.

“I threw myself into what made me feel good and what made me feel better,” she recalled.

George’s love of feathers grew from her immersion in the summer music festival scene and her back bears a feather tattoo containing her father’s ashes in the ink.

Cont’d on page 8

Fine feathered finds

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“That’s a really inspiring piece to me, because the feather itself represents the lift off to spiritual creativ-ity, which I felt after I lost my father,” she said. “I was kind of almost given this extra ‘oomph’ to take off with my art.”

Though she worked through painting and wire-wrapped jewelry, George has latched on to her feather appreciation as inspiration for what is quickly becoming a burgeoning business.

“It’s just a hobby that really took off,” she said.As the brain behind Orange U Creative, George has

created necklaces, earrings, headdresses and other accessories that demonstrate her love for the steam-punk and Victoria-era aesthetic. Leather, lace, gears, beads and more all come together to create something unique and beautiful.

The 26-year-old web designer has found an audience for her work not just locally, but also internationally through her online store.

Her work has also broken the barrier between cus-tomer and merchant and built friendships.

A connection through a mutual Facebook friend intro-duced George to a woman in Saskatchewan who bought a couple of her pieces. Shortly after that transaction, the woman’s grandmother passed away. That connec-tion through mutual loss inspired her to send George some of her late grandmother’s jewelry, which George remade into new pieces.

Cont’d on page 9

> >>>> Feathered Finds ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||



“This meant so much to this girl, we became really good online friends,” George said. The two met face to face for the first time in October.

Throughout the holiday season, Orange U Creative can be found at the city’s variety of craft fairs. George’s work can also regularly be found at Topaz Bead Gallery, Cruze salon and online via Facebook and the Orange U Creative store on Etsy.com.

> >>>> Feathered Finds ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||


If your ears work, you

can’t not have fun at a Smalltown DJs gig. That’s a scientific fact. Look it up.

Cont’d on page 11

> >>>> ARTIST BIO ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||



The Canadian duo’s uncanny ability to make crowds feel like schoolkids at recess stems naturally from their focus on maximizing fun for themselves.

“We’re just out to consistently have the best time pos-sible,” says Pete Emes, who shares space behind the decks with partner Mike Grimes. This fun maximization philosophy is the unifying force behind the Smalltown’s genre-warping club sets, which cover vast musical ter-ritory but never veer from the good times vibe.

Smalltown DJs began in 1999, when Emes and Grimes started playing records out together. Before long the duo had launched Hai Karate, a weekly Thursday smash-up that’s still going strong. Now in its twelfth year, Hai Karate is a free-for-all dance party that bor-rows a little from each of the scenes that shaped the Smalltown sound: community hall punk rock, block party hip-hop and early nineties rave.

The long-running night is now hosted at HiFi Club, the Calgary nightspot that the Smalltowners opened with a partner in 2005. In 2011, they added to their clubland empire with Commonweath Bar & Stage, a much larger venue that has already become a linchpin of Calgary’s music scene.

When they’re not deejaying or tending to their busi-nesses in Calgary, you can usually find Smalltown DJs on the road headlining shows and performing at festivals throughout North America and Europe. You can also find them on the airwaves. On Scion Radio, Emes and Grimes host a bilingual radio show called “Le Gros,” alongside fellow Canadian deejay, Neoteric. CBC Radio 3 also called on the boys to deejay a set for its inaugural podcast featuring all-Canadian electronic and dance music.

At the same time, Smalltown DJs stay busy on the production side of things, putting out dancefloor-friend-ly music both as a duo and as members of Smalltown Romeo, the trio they formed with Wax Romeo in 2010. “Boom Ha,” Smalltown Romeo’s breakout single, was recently featured in the box office hit The Sitter star-ring Jonah Hill, and the trio has made a pile of notable remixes, including ones that saw release on Fool’s Gold records (owned in part by A-Trak) and Teenage Riot. As a duo, Smalltown DJs have upcoming releases slated for Top Billin, T&A Records, Sol Selectas, and Bigfoot (their own label). Not surprisingly, the squad’s produc-tion style resembles their approach to deejaying – poly-morphous, party-focused and pretension-free.

Smalltown DJs’ quest to maximize fun for themselves and others is an ongoing saga. They continue to tour relentlessly. Look for them in your town soon.

> >>>> ARTIST BIO ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

See Small Town DJs live with Grandtheft on the Good People Tour December 1 at Heartbreakers.


by Charelle evelyn

It started with a ‘stache.In many of the greatest origin

stories, from Wolverine to the Watchmen, there’s usually some bad-ass facial hair involved.

And as James Matosevic made the transformation into Jimi Smyth, DJ and promoter extraordinaire, there were some cookie dusters that had to be sacrificed.

Smyth, who’s grandfather battled prostate cancer, jumped on the Movember train early and convinced a group of friends to attend an end of month celebration party.

“We brought up a bunch of older DJs and had a really awesome event at the Roll A Dome about five years ago,” he said. “That snowballed into where we are now.”

Where the third-year UNBC business student is now is as the face of a growing brand. Not only is Smyth a key player in the Prince George music scene as a musi-cian – in addition to Djing and producing, he also plays

piano, guitar and drums – but he’s also the person bringing acts to town to spin at the Generator.

And establishing the brand isn’t something that comes by slapping the name Jimi Smyth on a poster.

“I’m out every weekend, going to every show I can get to,” he said. The weekend prior to Halloween alone was a four-show excursion. “It’s about bringing myself to people, so they know where I am, not about creating a faceless, nameless brand. It’s just me.”

Smyth is hoping to use the brand to grow the P.G. scene into a place new artists don’t want to miss.

“I would really like to bring some larger shows from new musical genres into the city,” he said, citing dub-step and EDM players as areas he wants to tap into.

“We’re on the path for that – the whole world is. The new rockstars are DJs. It’s around the corner and it takes the scene that we have to keep pushing.”

On Nov. 24, Smyth jumps headfirst into another new avenue and brings party photographer Kirill Bichutsky (KirillWasHere) to Prince George. The Generator Cabaret will be added to the long list of prominent nightspots the New York-based photog and man behind the increasingly popular Champagne Facials tumblr has shot.


utting brothers together in a band can lead to some interesting conflicts.

There’s the well-documented history of the Gal-laghers in Oasis, the crazy that ended up following the Jackson 5, the recent tumult in Kings of Leon and the list goes on.

But despite the band name, the brothers Yule are hop-ing to overcome their sibling rivalry predecessors.

The current incarnation of The Statistics features Dar-by, 20, on guitar and vocals and Erin, 18, on the drums along with Jake Olexyn (also with Faith in the Fallen) on bass and Dan McIntyre also on guitar.

“I’ve always the thought the brother thing has really helped it in a lot of ways. Luckily we’re close and we have a lot of the same sort of views towards music and writing… and I know a lot of bands that have the broth-ers in it don’t,” said Erin.

“We fake fight a lot,” Darby supplied.“That’s different,” Erin explained. “Slap fights.”Music affects every part of their lifestyle, the brothers

explained. Whether they’re writing, playing, promoting themselves or touring, they’re constantly in music mode.

“It’s what we’ve always wanted to do,” said Darby, the group’s chief songwriter. Erin takes Darby’s material and arranges it for the rest of the instruments.

Cont’d on page 16

by Charelle evelyn



And while making music has been a long-time obsession, the Yules have just fallen in love with the art of recording, having recently laid down the tracks their debut album Boy Who Would Be King in a profes-sional setting.

“A lot of people hate it, but it’s such a sci-ence,” Erin said, describing music as hav-ing an artistic and “nebulous” side where the artist is trying to connect with the audience, as well as having the technical recording aspect where everyone involved has to line up and hit their mark.

Though they hit the road hard in the summer, during the winter The Statistics will focus on writing and hopefully shoot-ing some videos, the brothers said.

And, they’ll be playing local shows as often as they can. Coming from a punk background, Statistics shows are lively affairs.

“We want to reanimate live music,” Erin said, adding the live element has “really taken a shot to the naughty bits.”

To check out their music, visit The Statistics’ page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/statisticsband).

> >>>> THE STATISTICS ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||


CFUR, UNBC’s premiere (and only) campus radio sta-tion is going to be assembling a Holiday album for sale and distribution this late November-December.

Selected contributors’ pieces will be showcased across Canada, as this cd will be a gift from CFUR to community stations across the country.

All submissions must deal with themes of winter holidays, winter activities, etc, including but not nec-essarily limited to Christmas, Hannukah, New Year’s, winter, snowflakes, too much eggnog and the like.

We’re looking for just about any genre. Punk rock, metal, folk, pop, techno; whatever you’ve got, we want it, holiday style. Go wild, experiment. It doesn’t have to be happy. Make it honest, make it interesting, make it funny. Your submission should reflect your view of the holidays, creating an album that showcases a very CFUR holiday season.

This is CFUR, for you, by you; how do you really feel about the holidays? Make your track reflect all of the wonderful dysfunctionality and unintentional good cheer of the holiday season. Make it classic. Feel free to use Public Domain classic holiday tracks (there are lists on the internet) or to create your own original piece.

This is a great opportunity to get your music played at stations across Canada, so submit today! If you are worried about the quality of your composition or a lack of recording facilities, talk to us. CFUR will provide recording facilities to all interested musicians, and feedback about your song.

If interested (and you know you are) please email [email protected], with the header “HOLIDAY CD SUBMIS-SION” or come to the office Mondays 10-5 and Thurs-days 1-5, or contact Jordan at 250-960-7664. Tell your friends, tell your neighbours, tell the Elvis imperson-ator in front of Ave Maria’s.

Deadline November 20th.

Attentionto All northern BC musiCiAns, BAnds And spoken word Artists:


POWDER KINGDusted with 41 Feet of amazing Powder per Year,

Powder King has built up a reputation as a world class hill and has an undeniable momentum.

Nestled in the pristine wilderness of the Canadian Rockies, Powder King offers the best of the great out-doors, with an amazing annual snowfall of 41 feet, our terrain ranges from breath taking drops for the adven-turous skier, to the gentle groomed slopes of beginner runs. A million miles from stress, but only 500 yards from the highway, Powder King is located in the center of the Pine Pass on Highway 97 in Northeast BC, 42 miles (67 km) west of Mackenzie and 123 miles (195 km) north of Prince George.

A daily mountain express bus(the PK Express) will run from Prince George to Powder King every day the mountain is open. Leaving Pine Center Mall at 6:20am and The Hart Mall at 6:40am. The return trip leaves Powder King approximately half an hour after the lift closes.

TabOR MOuNTaIN SKI RESORTFrom skiing and snowboarding in the winter, to

mountain biking and hiking in the summer, Tabor Mountain offers downhill skiing 15 minutes east of Prince George in Northern British Columbia.

13 runs ranging from Novice to Expert highlight this local favorite. Being situated so close to the city makes planning a trip to this hill’s breathtaking landscapes an accessible option for snowboarders and skiers looking for deep powder close to home. Throw in the possibility of a season that runs from November – April and you have a lot of possible run time on a great set of slopes.Tabor Mountain Ski Resort is located on the Yellowhead Highway, 12.5 miles (20 km) east of Prince George.

Graham Birdman Mear.

Photo courtesy of Bergmedia

MegaSuperCo.


PuRDEN SKI VIllaGE Purden Ski Village is the largest ski mountain in

central British Columbia, and is without doubt among some of the best riding in the area.

Boasting more than 1,100 vertical feet of quality dry powder, many treed runs and slopes that don’t get overrun with a ton of crowds, Purden Ski Village is a family friendly hill with levels ranging from Novice – to Intermediate – to Expert on runs that are as long as 2 miles of terrain.

Purden Ski Village is located 38 miles (60 km) due east on the Yellowhead Highway, and 91 miles (145 km) northwest of McBride.The mountain is a 4-km drive north of the highway.

HaRT HIGHlaNDS SKI HIllOnly small in size, this is a terrific hill for beginners,

children, or anyone who just wants to get runs in inside city limits. Here is a hill that always opens right after first snowfall. Hart Highlands Ski Hill is equipped with 11 machine groomed runs and the non-profit society running it maintains it at a low cost for riders. Easy ac-cess on bus routes, rentals, ski school, T-bar and night. Don’t overlook this little treasure. You could be on the hill from downtown in ten minutes….

TROll SKI RESORTWith a focus on family fun, Troll Ski Resort has

earned it’s nickname as the “gold nugget” of British Columbia ski resorts.

With two terrain parks, runs for skiers of all abili-ties and four surface lifts, Troll Ski Resort is proud to offer something for every member of the family from the young beginner to the seasoned recreational adult skier. There are numerous intermediate runs, a fabu-lous beginner/teaching area and Black Diamond runs for the seasoned thrill-seeker.The groomed and pow-der runs at Troll Resort are covered with 100% pure and natural mountain snow.

Troll Ski Resort is located 27 miles (44 km) east of Quesnel, midway between Quesnel and the historic towns of Wells and Barkerville on Highway 26.

MuRRay RIDGE SKI HIllA beauty site for downhill skiers and snowboarders,

Murray Ridge and is known for great powder rides and sweet sunny days .

Murray Ridge Ski Hill is a great family oriented ski hill located 6miles (10 km) north of Fort St. James, and northwest of Prince George. From Prince George, drive west on Hwy 16 to Vanderhoof. Go through town continuing west until you reach the intersection of Hwy 27. Turn right and drive another 1/2 hour or so till Fort St James - the Murray Ridge Ski Area will be that big mountain behind town with all the runs - you really can’t miss it!

SHaMES MOuNTaIN SKISituated in the Coastal Mountain range outside of

Terrace, Shames Mountain is worth the trip. With 1600 feet of vertical powder, insane backcountry and seem-ingly untouched terrain, this mountain is a must for the adventurous skier or snowboarder.

With the massive drops of powder and less line-ups, this mountain offers full access to crazy amounts of snow, tree skiing, steeps, big mountains or just powder.

This mountain boasts the most accumulated snow of any ski hill in North America. Shames Mountain is located in the Shames Valley of Northwest BC, 22 miles (35 km) west of Terrace and 85 miles (137 km) east of Prince Rupert. Shames lies 13 km off Highway 16, between Terrace and Prince Rupert.

For booking info and weblinks to these hills go to www.thescenepg.com

> >>>> THE SNOW YOU NEED TO KNOW ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||


Pete Emes and Mike Grimes are anything but small town.

The pair, who have been spinning together since the late 90s are some of Canada’s best exports on the dance music scene and can be found on the road in North America and Europe playing some of the world’s biggest festivals.

Cont’d on page 21

Good people finish first

by Charelle evelyn

See Grandtheft live with Small Town DJs on the Good People Tour December 1 at Heartbreakers.



They were also tapped to co-host Scion Radio’s Le Gros with fellow Canuck Neoteric and deejayed a set for the inaugural CBC Radio 3 podcast featuring all-Cana-dian electronic and dance music.

But the duo, billed as Smalltown DJs, still run the weekly Calgary dance party they started 12 years ago, Hai Karate.

“We’ve had the opportunity to move away,” said Emes, but for them that wasn’t an option. “The scene supported us, the people recognize what we’re trying to do and accomplish and they have respect for it – and we have a lot of respect for people who support us in town.”

A lack of ego and love of music have helped make the Smalltown relationship work over the years.

“We were able to drop our egos on the business side pretty quickly,” Emes said. “If you’re not willing to do that sometimes, that can definitely hurt a working rela-tionship between friends.”

And their relationship is anything but hurting. In addi-tion to music, the pair runs Calgary nightspots the HiFi Club as well as Commonwealth Bar & Stage.

“It started out as DJing, but now it involves produc-tion and also operating the bars here where we’re able to book the bands and music we love,” Emes said. “It’s all centered around the music.”

When the pair first got together, it was because they were playing the same kinds of music and it made more sense to team up, Emes recalled.

“To talk about it now, it seems silly to say we were playing funk and soul and disco and hip hop and house and club music all together,” he said. “But at the time that was rare and now it’s pretty commonplace. It took years for that to become the norm.”

What has also become the norm is teaming up with other acts.

“It’s always fun to pair musically with different people,” Emes said.

This winter, the duo is hitting the road and pairing up with Team Canada DJ Grandtheft for the Good People tour, which lands at Heartbreakers in Prince George on Dec. 1.

The Toronto-based multi-hyphenate act was one-half of the 2010 Winter Olympics’ official DJ crew and spin-ner to the stars. He has also supported bands such as U2 and Arcade Fire.

‘[Grandtheft] is kind of on a similar path that we are. He’s the east coast version of us,” Emes said. “When we get in the studio, we’re really on the same page.”

New York’s T&A Records will release the Good People EP Nov. 20.

> >>>> GOOD PEOPLE |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||


hen you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? Someone who’s confident and happy with their appearance? Or would you rather be that attractive person from a TV

show, movie, magazine, or billboard? Media images have a huge impact on how we view

ourselves, and some people unfortunately go to extreme lengths to try to copy the mainstream media’s image of perfection. These images can even contribute to eating disorders in both females and males.

Yes, males are affected this too! Even though fewer males than females face eating disorders and self-esteem issues, it’s important to recognize that men can have these problems too, and that their challenges are different.

It’s no secret that healthy eating and regular physical activity are keys to a healthy lifestyle. However, there’s a growing trend of males going to extremes. Over-dieting is when a person pursues an overly strict eating pattern to develop their body in a specific way. This can include drinking too many protein shakes or taking too many other supplements.

Likewise, taking exercising to extremes involves pushing the body to an unsustainable level on a regular basis, which can lead to injury and burnout.

If you’re thinking about changing what you eat or how you exercise, consult a physical activity coordinator or your doctor. You could even call a dietitian at 8-1-1.

Men, like women, can also develop anorexia (an eat-ing disorder that makes people obsess about their weight and try to lose weight by refusing to eat), and

bulimia (binge eating followed by purging). More women than men suffer from anorexia and buli-

mia, but it’s still a problem that needs to be addressed for both sexes. Also, the statistics for men may be higher, since many men are reluctant to talk about this problem.

Some signs that you or someone you know might be suffering from these conditions:

• Unexplained weight loss • Obsessive focus on food • Not feeling “good enough” (feeling that they’re not

living up to standards set by themselves or others) • Not feeling in control of their lives • Feeling depressed, angry, anxious or alienated • A history of troubled family or social relationships • Having difficulties in expressing their feelings• A history of abuse

Northern Health’s mental health and addictions team is available for anyone, male or female, who needs help with an eating disorder. Their contact information is available on northernhealth.ca. You can also talk to your doctor if you feel you’re not on the right path.

Finally, people come in all shapes and sizes, and not everyone with washboard abs and giant biceps is as healthy as they look. A balanced diet and regular exer-cise is the key to great self-esteem and confidence!

For more information on proper physical activity and healthy eating, visit blog.northernhealth.ca.

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