When we are growing up, the question we ask is “What do I want to do with my life?” when the question should be “Who will I be with my life?” People who ask themselves that question are the inspiration for my next post. Some people use music and song to answer that question. Music is the way we find comfort in times of trouble, express emotions that may be too complicated to express with words alone. Music is a guide, a crutch and even an engine to propel us to places beyond our wildest dreams.
When we talk about the music scene in Prince George, we should not allow ourselves to think that just because we live in Prince George, we will never find the life we want with music. In fact, anyone can find an amazing future inside the music industry here. I spoke to a friend of mine, an artist that goes by the stage name Britt AM, who has worked hard and made a name for herself here in Prince George. I asked her to give me her opinion of what she thinks of the music industry here and this is what she had to say.
“The great thing about being in the arts and culture scene in Prince George, is that there are still a lot of opportunities for growth, and a lot of opportunity to showcase your work. The competition for crowds is very minimal, as the music community work together to create successful events for each other, rather than the crab bucket, dog-eat-dog climate you might find in bigger cities. There is a wealth of talent in Prince George, with local musicians spanning the gamut from classical symphonic music to punk rock. Prince George is also a well-traveled tour stop for a lot musicians from across Canada and abroad, and serves as a good anchor for musicians like myself, who tour on a regular basis.”
Now, I am no musician, though I did learn the guitar and got decent at Smoke on the Water, but that’s about it. However, even with my lack of ability to string two notes together, I can understand how the Prince George music scene is great for people who want to find their sound, niche, or drive. Some people might think that in order to make it big they have to go to places like Vancouver, and though I would be remiss if I went on and said you don’t have to do that, it is more important to know who you are first as an artist before you go riding off into the sunset. Prince George, like with many other things, has lots of opportunities for people to get tons of exposures in the field you are passionate about and music is no different. In bigger cities, you will be fighting with tons of other bands to get your time in the spotlight and you may never get any chances at all. In Prince George, this experience is different. There is a community in this city that will support you, build you and possibly even launch you to bigger and better things. In a community like this, you will have chances to collaborate with many different types of people who are involved with music that can help you develop, and also get exposure to other bands as they come through on tour.
In summary, if you are thinking that you want to be a rock star, but feel as if your community is not the place to do that, then I ask you to wait, and think of the amazing teachers that will help form you, the many stages that will test you, and most important, a community that will rally behind you all the way. If you need any more proof, just look at how we get behind the Prince George native, Dave Rosin, from Hedley.
