Media Release July 7th, 2010

Prince George Folkfest Society/Coldsnap Festival

We are pleased to announce that Dan Mangan [Coldsnap performer and Folkfest Series performer] has made the Polaris 2010 shortlist for his cd, Nice, Nice, Very Nice! Very nice Dan!! We are so proud of you! A surprise will be had when one other performer off this list will likely be announced in early Fall for performing at Coldsnap 2011.

Congrats also to Coldsnap performers The Sadies!

Polaris Shortlist

Due to most of the 19 local artists on the special cd “Live At Art Space” being away from PG on July 2nd we are now having the official cd release event on Saturday, October 23rd as part of our annual series!

Watch for details of the “Warm Up to Coldsnap” series which will see Quebecois award winners Genticorum on Nov.20th, the much requested return of Delhi 2 Dublin on Nov.30th, Stephen Fearing, Andy White and Martyn Joseph in March and Dala May 4th with others tba.

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A special offer!

Buy a “Flurry Ticket” for $100!
Receive a PG Folkfest cd now and exchange the Flurry Ticket for 5 mainstage Coldsnap 2011 show tickets in the fall!
Value $150!

Only 50 available until July 3rd 2010!
On sale at Books and Co phone 250 563 1640

Dan Mangan – Sold

Dan Mangan and Shane Koyczan – I Will (Beatles Cover)

Dan Mangan and Shane Koyczan – Robots

They also were on the CFUR show Off the Beaten Track (hosted by Coldsnap producer Jo Beattie), and we’re able to make it available for a podcast. Here it is:

Thanks for supporting our Concert Series for 2009-2010!

The last 2 nights with Dan Mangan and Shane Koyczan were sold out as were all series shows, yay!!!

We want to thank our official Warm Up and Apres Coldsnap Series sponsors, the BC Touring Council whose support has made a huge difference in being able to afford such artists to visit PG, as always Books and Company, Molson/Coors, Pacific Western Brewery Company and Indigo Ink Graphic Design.

Thanks also to local reporters, Frank Peebles, Teresa Mallum and Christine Skorepa for articles written, CBC Radio 1, CKPG, CFUR and CFIS!

Please watch out for details on our Tribute to Art Space cd featuring 19 PG artists with all original tunes. We hope this will take place July 2nd tbc featuring The Kickers, local rockabilly band.

It’s a darn good thing we made two shows for this, because there would have been a lot of disappointed people if we only did one. Dan Mangan and Shane Kozyan are in town for a two-night special this weekend, each bringing their own unique brand of music and wordplay to the Art Space (above Books & Company on 3rd Avenue). Saturday is all but sold out, and Sunday is well on its way.

Tickets are $25 and available from Books and Company (250-563-6637) or Studio 2880 (250-563-2880).

Showtimes are at 8:00.

Dan Mangan

Indie-rock troubadour Dan Mangan has thrown his support behind the Coldsnap music festival, asking the “decision makers” of the city to invest in the festival’s future. Not only is he an unparalleled singer-songwriter, he has a pretty good grasp on the economics of the arts, as well, writing:

“A more tangible and graspable fact is that the money spent on these events comes back to the community exponentially, and in a long term picture, culture is always a sound investment (mind the pun). According to the government’s own studies, every dollar spent on arts funding brings back more than a dollar in tax revenue. Investing in arts infrastructure is like investing in forestry – if we put public money in to it, it will stimulate industry and business growth in both public and private sectors – which will employ people and bring tax dollars back in to the system. Forestry investment creates jobs in tree-rich areas, arts investment creates jobs in arts communities.”

These are exactly the thoughts of those of us behind Coldsnap, and hopefully more than a few people out there, as well. Coldsnap has grown into a great promotional tool for what Prince George has to offer. As Dan concludes:

Had anybody ever heard of Glastonbury before the Glastonbury Festival existed? Coachella? I believe that tenacity precedes reputation, and reputation fosters sustainability.

You can read the full text of the letter, sent to local media, below:

Dear fine citizens and decision makers of Prince George,

My name is Dan Mangan. I am a recording artist and touring musician – some would say singer/songwriter – from Vancouver, BC. I have had the pleasure of playing concerts in Prince George twice now, and am excited to be returning next month with slam poet Shane Koyczan (who you may recognize from the Olympic Opening Ceremonies). I have also had the wonderful fortune to have received incredible support from the CBC and many other facets of online, print and alternative radio media here in Canada and abroad since the release of my newest album “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” in August of 2009.

I wanted to write to you on behalf of the artistic and art-supporting communities in small towns throughout this amazing country of ours. I have toured back and forth across Canada many, many times in the past six years or so, and have seen what a small motivated crew can manage against the obstacles of isolated geography. I want to implore you to exhaust every option to invest in your local music festivals and artistic community.

In Dawson City, over the course of their three-day sunshine marathon each year, is the Dawson City Music Festival. It is, beyond a doubt, one of the finest music festivals nationally, and notorious among musicians as a must-play opportunity. The population of Dawson City (according to a 2006 census) is 1,327. Against similar odds, the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival has also become a staple among Canadian music festival destinations. According to the same census, Salmon Arm’s population is 16,205. I imagine that if one were to ask small business owners in these two towns about what these festivals mean to their yearly revenues, their answers would be encouraging. These events are like sponges to surrounding areas, drawing in people from all walks of life to congregate in a mutual celebration of community and entertainment. And to spend money.

I could ramble endlessly about how and why music festivals are important to the cultural fabric of communities. The warmth of that semi-magical energy that comes from large scale concert events cultivates community building and pride among citizens. It sticks with children and creates nostalgia as they age. I know many people who grew up in Winnipeg and now live elsewhere, but have not missed a festival go in their home town in decades.

All the warm fuzzy stuff that comes from music festival is somewhat hard to define, and affects people differently. A more tangible and graspable fact is that the money spent on these events comes back to the community exponentially, and in a long term picture, culture is always a sound investment (mind the pun). According to the government’s own studies, every dollar spent on arts funding brings back more than a dollar in tax revenue. Investing in arts infrastructure is like investing in forestry – if we put public money in to it, it will stimulate industry and business growth in both public and private sectors – which will employ people and bring tax dollars back in to the system. Forestry investment creates jobs in tree-rich areas, arts investment creates jobs in arts communities.

Printers, advertisers, restaurants, hotels, print media and event labourers all make money from festivals. They act as financial injections to the local economy, not to mention as opportunities for lesser-known local artists to have a chance to play with world class musicians and expand their musical networks.

I believe that investing in the arts is a deep foundational affirmation that a society believes that creative thinking is important. The towns I mentioned above, Dawson City and Salmon Arm, did not acquire notoriety in their festivals because of chance. They have gained their reputations on the backs of countless hours of hard work, determination, and healthy support from their local governments. These successes could not have been achieved without the local communities that rallied for financial support and community involvement.

I do not know all that much about Prince George, but I do know one thing for sure. That there exists a vibrant, energetic and ready community of local people who have been and continue to be willing to donate their time, focus and personal assets to the greater good of your community – who have brought countless artisans from all over the world to your hometown, and continue to fight to make Prince George a cultural destination on the map and an ever-more enjoyable place to live. They largely work for free, giving away their evenings to planning community events. I know this because I have seen them at work, and I admire their tenacity. Not all cities of Prince George’s size are lucky enough to have such a community – and it would be an incredible shame for their passions to go to waste. If given the support they need to carry out their work, the Prince George Folkfest Society could not only foster an incredible cultural experience for Prince George and surrounding areas, but could help to constitute a sustainable and dependable source of annual revenue for the city and its businesses both big and small.

Had anybody ever heard of Glastonbury before the Glastonbury Festival existed? Coachella? I believe that tenacity precedes reputation, and reputation fosters sustainability. Thanks ever so much for listening to me ramble on. All the very best,

Dan Mangan

Thanks to Dan for all his support!

The Board would like to extend “Many Thanks” to the volunteers and supporters who attended the City Council meeting yesterday evening when the presentation request for funding from the City of Prince George for Coldsnap 2011 was made.

Despite an extremely good multimedia presentation as well as input from Jo Beattie and Eric Tompkins ( Board members) and Ken Kilkullen (CKPG/Jim Pattison Group and a long time Coldsnap/Folkfest supporter), the result was not what we had hoped for. We had requested $10,000.

City Council did approve of a cash donation of $1,500 and 2 days and 2 nights use of the Playhouse( including tech costs) , an ‘in -kind’ value of approximately $1,500.

We recognise the demands on Council and municipal government to provide in these challenging economic times. Tough choices for sure.

We can now apply for federal funding, as proof of local government support is a pre-requisite, so this is a positive. (This is not a pre-requisite when applying for provincial funding, but it sure helps if there is evidence that the local government is supportive).

In total we need $27,000 in cash and hopefully this remainder will be forthcoming from previous supporters, new supporters and sponsors and other levels of government, thus enabling Coldsnap 2011 to become a reality.

The Folkfest/Coldsnap Board will be meeting to discuss things and information will be sent out to volunteers when this becomes available.

Dandylines of downtown PG today committed $500 in new cash. We need about $9500 in other new cash

If anyone has any suggestions regarding funding assistance, please, please, please contact Jo (jocalico@telus.net)

Please come out to Prince George City Hall tonight, Monday, March 29th at 7pm to show support for the festival and series.  We really need your support!

Invitation to Youth ages 13-19 – We have had to change the date of this happening due to events taking place at Duchess Park High School involving too many of the youth who want to come….changed to Wednesday, March 31st at 6:30pm, 1665 Edmonton St. You are invited to take part in a meeting to discuss the forming of an official youth wing of the Prince George Folkfest Society.  We have tried hard since 2004 to involve young people as volunteers/artists in events in the year as well as the Coldsnap Festival. The time has come to lift this up a notch!

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Please RSVP to Jo Beattie jocalico@telus.net if you would like to come.