Castlegar Sunfest 2014

Hanging out with Craig!

Happy Sunfest!

I am pretty pumped about Sunfest this year, why? Well because it is my first Sunfest! I have officially been living in the Kootenays for 11 months + 1 week (I am just twenty-one days away from a full year)! This is one of the last events that I can say that I have not been part of. 

One really cool part of Sunfest was the Craig Mortiz show last night at Kinsman Park. He took Mountain FM by storm yesterday when he came in. The lovely Jenny Fines interviewed him because I was on my lunch break at the gym. Apparently Craig is not on Kootenay time! Between the country boy and country fan-girl giggles they had a great chat about his upcoming album and his last appearance here in the Kootenays years ago for Trail Silver City Days. I do not normally post other peoples interviews, but Craig Mortiz is the exception to the rule.

His show was awesome! Lots of dancing from my partners in crime, couples and of course the kids! Enormous productions provided the awesome light show and killer sound that had everyone on their feet. Craig Mortiz and his band were the stars of the show though; I would have to say the highlight moment for me was when they covered John Micheal Montgomery's "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" one of my all-time favourite country songs. I'm not a dancer, but I let a small child lead me around the grass dance floor for that one! 

Castlegar's own Lisa Nicole was even there jamming to Craig's tunes!

Here the song we featured on Mountain FM from Craig Mortiz, played for the first time on rock radio it is called "Ready to Roll".

This one really stuck out to me during the show... it is the "booty call song" (formally known as "Only When Your Lonely").

Craig Mortiz was the highlight of Sunfest Friday for sure!

I am really excited to go check in on our Mountain FM "Kiss My Glass" contest that is running as I type this blog up over at the park. The last person with their lips to the glass will win $600 cash from Adam's Windows and Doors! 

Sunfest continues tonight and tomorrow at Kinsman Park in Castlegar! I'll update with the results of "Kiss My Glass" a little later today :) 

Update: Our four finalists split the "Kiss My Glass" $600 prize after keeping their lips locked on the glass from 9am until 6:50pm! Big thanks to Adam's Windows and Doors!

I treated the Street Team to deep-fried oreos and we enjoyed a TON of amazing food vendors. Kootenay Kettle Corn and Filipino food were my guilty pleasures today; along with handfuls of salt water taffy. It is a good thing Sunfest weekend is not every weekend that is for sure! 

Coming To Our Neighbourhood: Mounties

I am really excited for the Mounties show at the Spirit Bar in Nelson coming up in March. It is the perfect way to celebrate the countdown to my 25^th birthday. One week to the day before I turn a quarter-century-old (March 24^, 2014) Mounties will be visiting Nelson. It is going to be a great show; the Spirit Bar is always an awesome time.  I can’t wait to add Mounties to the list of talented acts I have seen in my short time in the Kootenays.

Who are Mounties?

Well they are the incredibly talented: Hawksley Workman (the man himself), Ryan Dahle (LimbLifter/Age of Electric) and Steve Bays (HOT HOT HEAT).

I must admit, I was/am a huge Hot Hot Heat fan. I can still remember the first time I heard ‘Talk To Me, Dance With Me’ on snowy morning in Nictaux, Nova Scotia when we had to stop into my grandmother’s house to let her dog out for a morning #1. Yes, I understand that it is weird that I remember that, whilst my mum took care of Missy I snuck in and absorbed some much needed Much Music time. Boom, I heard it and was addicted.

So I was beyond thrilled to hear about Mounties and even more excited to hear they are coming to Nelson. It is going to be a great show, see ya there!

The technical stuff:

March 24, 2014

Doors are at 7pm.

Opening talent: Rich Aucoin and Special Guests

Click here to get your tickets now! 

‘If This Dance Catches On’

‘Headphones’

Josh Hutcherson and HAIM on Saturday Night Live

         I am a massive Saturday Night Live fan, honestly if I am home alone I re-watch old episodes, when I am at home in Nova Scotia I drive my family crazy trying to make them laugh by showing them old clips from episodes I know they have not watched (they never find them as funny as I do) and I have no problem spending my Saturday nights at home waiting for ‘SNL’ to come on.

         Last night’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ was by far my favourite episode of the season, with one of my current favourite bands HAIM and Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson it was an incredible episode. I think this episode was great for multiple reasons:

1.   There was no shortage of jokes about host Josh Hutcherson’s height, he is 5’5 and as you can see next to his Hunger Game’s co-stars quite small. This was taken in stride, in one sketch Hutcherson is a character names ‘lil’ peanut’. Adorable.

2.   The host and band are still pretty unknown. Yes, Hutcherson is in one of the biggest movies of the year; but I bet you wouldn’t recognize him (unless you are a 14 year old girl) on the streets though! HAIM is blowing up, but still unknown to most people. I think this is a magical combination for SNL; it is harder for the episode to get overhyped and it lets the stars and cast shine without as much pressure.

3.   The sketches did not rely too much on recurring sketches from the past this episode. There was a free flow to the episode with great sketches that incorporated some of the new cast members.

I am no SNL expert, but I thought this week’s episode was brilliant. Here is my favourite sketch which incorporates two 80s songs we play on Mountain FM and HAIM’s ‘Don’t Save Me’.

Josh Hutcherson - Josie Sketch (Your Love... by IdolxMuzic
[HD] Haim - Don't Save Me - SNL 11-23-13 by IdolxMuzic

Click here to see the music video for HAIM’s ‘The Wire’ it was the song they opened with last night on SNL.

After the Show: Matt Mays Plays Spirit Bar in Nelson

Matt Mays killed it Friday night with special guest Adam Baldwin at Nelson’s Spirit Bar. In case you missed it here is a clip of Matt playing on of my all time favourites (that we just happen to also play on Mountain FM) called ‘Tall Trees’. If you ever have a chance to see Matt Mays live I recommend checking him out.

For more about Matt Mays visit www.mattmays.com.

For more on Adam Baldwin visit www.adambaldwin.ca.

Here is my chat with Matt before the show in Nelson.

Matt Mays on Mountain FM

Matt Mays will be playing the Spirit Bar in Nelson tonight. I am really excited for the show, doors are at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm. Adam Baldwin will open this acoustic set that will similar to an East Coast Kitchen Party. Tickets are just $20 and you can get yours at www.mattmays.com. 

I am really looking forward to Matt Mays tonight; he puts on a killer show. I have seen him a few times back home in Nova Scotia and he nails it every time. 

Kate's First DOTA Experience: A Lesson In Watching Competitive Gaming

So, my weekend away from the Kootenays led me to my second home, Calgary. My boyfriend was surprisingly cool to make the eight-hour trek; he drives an automatic so he was forced to drive the entire time because I have NO idea how to drive stick. Why was he so cool with it? It is the DOTA finals weekend. 

So, right now I am making a valiant effort to understand the computer game that has taken up so much of his free time over the last couple of years. Around me are a posse of boys (I guess I should say 20-something men), who assembled in record time to watch the DOTA live stream on our large TV all afternoon.

Full disclosure, here is what I know about DOTA pre-game:

I’ll check in to throughout the afternoon to give you some insight into my DOTA finals experience.

Break 1:

Well, really happy that the team the guy’s here are cheering for ‘Navi’ won and will be in the finals. One thing I have learned is that watching professional computer gaming live is just like watching professional sports in the sense that you eat tones of food. So far we’ve gone through a 12 pack of Wild Rose beer, a fruit tray, 2 bags of tortilla chips, 20 chicken wings and a box of oreo ice cream sandwiches. I could totally get into this.

I’m slowly learning about the game. There is so much to know, I can’t believe how complex DOTA is, props to everyone out there who plays it and can remember all this stuff!

We missed one match in the best of five finals, we ate more food; I learned that if you sat me down at a table with ribs I could continue to eat all of them at a steady pace until the end of time. I love ribs.

Cupcakes, potatoes, peas, beans and wine were also involved in our supper break.

After the Finals:

So the ‘International 3’ DOTA 2 finals just ended. The boys were pretty pumped that Na’Vi made it to the finals. Na’Vi lost the first (of the best of five) series. Alliance lost the second and third matches, tying it up with a win on the fourth match. Alliance took it the plate and the $$$ in the end, the boys were pretty mad… I got to watch Big Brother.

What I learned:

‘The International’ is the Superbowl of gaming. Seriously, so much food was consumed during our all-day DOTA marathon. If this is what this world is like, it is the world I want to live in.

I am not sure that I want to start playing ‘DOTA 2’, I can’t see having enough time to be addicted to the game like all of the guys I know; but I do have a new appreciation for professional gaming… and amateur gamers fanboy love for professional gaming.

Please note, we began our stream around 12pm Sunday afternoon for the pre-show and the action continued on until around 10:15pm when the tournament ended.

To find out more about DOTA 2 check out: http://www.dota2.com/