Singer-songwriter David Myles, acclaimed soprano Measha Brueggergosman, indie-rockers Grand Theft Bus, bluesman Matt Andersen, DJ Naz Ali and folk act The Olympic Symphonium are among a list of at least 22 New Brunswick acts that will perform Feb. 13-28.

Those performances will take place at the Atlantic Canada House and Place de la Francophonie – two stages designed to promote the rich culture and history of this region.

Kyle Cunjak, who performs with The Olympic Symphonium and plays bass for David Myles, said it’s going to be exciting to perform amidst the excitement of such a large event.

“It’s going to be a pretty cool experience,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to see the bobsled in person. I think my dream might come true.”

He said the Olympic stage will give local performers a chance to catch the ears of a new audience.

“There’s going to be tons of bands there from around the Maritimes, and some great Fredericton talent,” he said.

“We’re hoping that maybe people will leave with another great experience and that they’ll learn a little bit more about the music happening in this part of the country.

“You never know who’ll be at the Olympics.”

Cunjak said he’s not sure if his band’s name – The Olympic Symphonium – is a positive or negative.

“It could be good or it could be bad,” he said with a laugh. “I’m just hoping nobody approaches us with a cease-and-desist order.”

A slew of talented Maritime artists are scheduled to perform during the festivities, including multiple East Coast Music Award-winning songwriter Joel Plaskett, Nova Scotia-born singer Sarah McLachlan, Newfoundland storyteller Ron Hynes and Cape Breton fiddle sensation Ashley MacIsaac.

MacIsaac said he believes the Atlantic Canada House could become one of the most exciting spots at the games.

“It’s going to be a real fun atmosphere there,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to the chance to be a part of it. There’ll be seafood, good music and lots of regular folks who will be there to take in the games, and probably some athletes. It should be lots of fun.”

Wellness, Culture and Sport Minister Hedard Albert said it’s a chance to show off the province’s rich cultural heritage.

“Our province is bursting with accomplished artists who make us very proud and whose talent deserves to be shared with the entire world,” he said in a statement.

“I am proud that artists from New Brunswick have the opportunity to be part of this unique artistic and athletic celebration and to serve as ambassadors for our province.”

Tim Walker, who performs with Grand Theft Bus, said his group is excited about the opportunity.

“We are absolutely tickled to have been asked,” he said.

“The lineup is fairly diverse every night, so we’ll be performing alongside (country singer) George Canyon, the (Prince Edward Island) Youth Orchestra, and (Newfoundland singer-songwriter) Amelia Curran. Anything can happen when you’re playing on such a big stage.”

The artists will receive financial assistance for travel and accommodations from the provincial government.

David Myles

DJ Bones

DJ Nasty Naz

Edith Butler

George Belliveau

Grand Theft Bus

Hubert Francis

Jean François Breau

Jessica Rhaye

Julian Austin

Julie Doiron

Lisa LeBlanc

Matt Anderson

Measha Brueggergosman

Mindy Ward

Ode A l’Acadie

Pascal Lejeune

Radio Radio

Ryan LeBlanc

Samantha Robichaud

The Olympic Symphonium

VJ Pan

Things have been crazy since I got back from Vegas, with many follow up calls, offers for gigs in foreign lands, even gigs in 2012 (!) already booked and paid for. I definitely think that 2009 is going to finish strong. I need to go somewhere warm for the holidays to take a break I think. My friend Marko decided to go to Cuba this week, for a wedding, he was gone for two days, but the size of the suitcase he carried was INSANE. It was a four feet high suitcase that he bought at like Canadian Tire or something (that place sells everything).

Can’t make it to Cuba? Try this recipe instead!

We all joked with him, telling him not to try and smuggle any “Juanita’s or Maria’s” back to Fredericton in his suitcase. I mean really, if you are going to a tropical island how much stuff can you possibly need. I am on tour a lot and I can fit a LOT of my clothes in like a carry-on. I told him that was the difference between seasoned travelers. I don’t even check my bags anymore.

Speaking of clothes and Cuba, it’s only fitting to do up something with that in mind. Ropa Vieja “” which means ‘old clothes’ in Spanish (I’m not saying my buddy has old clothes, although I have seen him wear some ripped jeans before). Anyway, it’s a Cuban dish made by braising beef until it is so tender it literally shreds right off. The meet is so soft it can be used for tacos as well (or even a left over salad).

Ingredients

- 1lb flank steak

- 3 chopped garlic cloves

- 2 each red & green bell peppers sliced.

- ½ cup grated carrots

- 2 red onions sliced

- 4 tblsp of sliced pitted green olives

- 1 tblsp of Tomato Paste

- 2 Bay Leaves

- ½ cup of freshly chopped cilantro

Directions

Add a little bit of oil to the pan and then the steak. Cook for about two minutes on each side, basically so you can get a nice golden brown colour and seal the meat.

Add the onions, sliced bell peppers and garlic, and cook for about five minutes or so. You can then throw in the olives and all the other ingredients, including your seasonings.

Your tomato paste and bay leaves and about five cups of water can now be added to the pot. This is where you should set up a game of chess or dominoes or something because this is where we play the waiting game.

You will need to reduce the heat and cover the pot and let it simmer for about two hours, basically until the meat is really tender. You should definitely check the pot so that you keep putting more water, to not dry it out or burn it.

Remove the steaks and using a fork, simply shred it. Once this is done you can re-add the rest of the stuff you originally had and give it a quick stir fry.

“Ole” you are all done. Serve on some warm or toasted tacos and it will be great. Now you see why they call the dish “Old Clothes”..? Cause it literally looks like some busted up rags – it definitely tastes better than chewing on some old jeans though.

DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul, to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award winning restaurant in Fredericton “Caribbean Flavas”.

His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend, Leonard Cohen.

DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week is a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars.

For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit www.djnastynaz.com, Join the “fan page” www.facebook.com/djnastynaz. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/djnastynaz.

Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St, Fredericton.

Halloween Goodies

His Crazy Caribbean Style definitely shines through his music selection, his energy, and his food.
DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul, to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award winning restaurant in Fredericton “Caribbean Flavas”.
His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend, Leonard Cohen.
DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week will be a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars.

For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit
www.djnastynaz.com,

Join the “fan page”
www.facebook.com/djnastynaz

Follow him on Twitter
 www.twitter.com/djnastynaz.

 Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St, Fredericton.

Halloween is in the air, and being a DJ, I know that “Thriller” by one of the greatest artists of all time, the king of pop, MJ, would be THE only time I would ever repeat a track, in my set. So sticking with that scary theme of things, I thought I would do up something with that in mind.

Every year there are usually crazy contests being put on by different clubs and schools. I have seen some pretty crazy costumes no doubt, this one guy (Greg from Mcleod Residence) got an OLD SCHOOL PAC MAN ARCADE…yup…you guessed it, and fitted himself in it, and the crazy thing is, he actually wired it to a car battery, so we could have played a game or two, needless to say he won the contest that year. I won’t lie though; I am a BIG WIMP when it comes to scary movies. I don’t like watching them on the big screen far less for my own house. Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, or any show that has Leah Miller in it, just crawls my blood, lets face it, she’s just as pale as most ghosts. But seriously though, it’s a scary time of year, and food, even though most people think it at most times can be sexy, if you have a crazy (or warped) imagination, it could be quite ghoulish.

So I thought if I was a Zombie, what would I wanna eat? I may want to eat a “Zombie BRAIN salad”. Best of both “worlds”, my brain protein and my veggies…come on some zombies may wanna be healthy…
- 2 packs of gelatin, grape flavored would be best.
- 1 pack of firm tofu (and a melon baller)
- 1 container of cottage cheese
- I/2 lb of blueberries or peeled grapes
- 1 pack blue and 1 pack of red food colouring
Directions
Prepare the gelatine as you would usually, and chill for a few hours.
Scoop the cottage cheese into a bowl, and add the blueberries or peeled grapes to it.
Scoop out balls of tofu and dot each center with blue…for blue eyes and dot the others with red…for red eyes.
Add three drops food coloring to turn the cottage cheese a nice greyish color when blended.
To serve the brain salad, cut the gelatine into squares or any type of shape and place a few spoonfuls of the firm gelatine (it supposed to represent brain fluid) onto the individual plates.
Add your human tofu eye balls
Top with a scoop of cottage cheese (brain tissue) and berries or grape mixture.

My good Lebanese friend Laura, always brings this wicked dessert over to our house, whenever we have events called “Lady Toes”…i dunno why she calls them that, but she’s a crazy Lebanese … and they are delicious, so I ask no questions…I just eat them :lol:  so I thought maybe I  can do up my Halloween version of that.

Freddy Cougar Fingers

We need a short bread type dough that you can use your piping bag to make them look like fingers. Then using a spoon, make lines suggesting knuckle and wrinkles; add a toasted almond for the creepy looking fingernail. If you use the plain almond, it looks equally as creepy. You can add a bit of red food colouring on the nail, if you want a bloody finger.

MmmMmm Marrow

Cut the crusts off of some slices of white bread. Spread a very thin layer of smooth peanut butter but double the amount of red jam on the bread. Roll the sandwiches up and now you have bones with gooey blood and yummy marrow!
Pimple Puss Poppers

For any teenager who just got rid of their acne problems, I’m sorry to bring them back up, but mom is gonna serve these pimples for dinner

Core about 1/2 lb of cherry tomatoes with a pointy carrot peeler. Drain the excess tomato juice. Using a piping bag, fill the holes in the tomatoes with cream cheese. Give each pimple a gentle squeeze and arrange them on a platter. For an added effect, you can even put one black pepper corn on top of the cheese, to simulate those stubborn black heads 
Icey Blood Cubes
We will need some nice cherry flavoured kool aid mix. Mix as you would normally, and fill into an ice cube tray, and then freeze. When you are ready to serve, put a few in your glass. It would look a lot better if the liquid was clear (like 7up) etc.
And for an additional over the top effect, you can put raisins in your ice cubes before freezing, so when it thaws, you will be left with “black maggots” floating in your drink

Hope you all have a safe and scary Halloween…definitely not my favorite time of year, so the only “creepy” thing I would be doing is “creeping” on face book…however, I have seen some pictures of friends on there…they can be just as frightening.

Lil Wayne lost his home when Katrina hit
Kanye pins Bush on some racist shit

meanwhile, he’s Rolling Stone’s cover as Jesus
violence in the Middle East increases

Lebanon, Darfur, high skool bomb threats
Democrats take back control of congress

Supernat brings back the freestyle title
one hit wonders…American Idols

reality shows makin’ major waves
-u know what time it iz boy…Flavor Flav!

-Saigon gets famous offa HBO
Johnny Drama, Ari Gold, that’s my favorite show

Biggest movie flop? Snakes on a Plane
eYo Sam, whattup? iz u gone insane?

hot slang: Brangelina and… firecrotch,
Jim Jones– “Ballin’” make money with Koch

a new license to kill: not Bond, Dick Cheney,
everybody wants an African baby

look who’s bringin’ shit back to the 80’s…
Cee-lo! makin us all go crazay

Grand Theft Auto –uzi kills
“my name a Borat, I make a movie film!”
high five! niiiice!

Fed-ex tries rappin, dam iz he hurting
-Britney shows the whole dam world her beef curtain!

RIP to Steve Irwin, “That’s a nice fella”
gone miss u Proof, Chris Penn, J-dilla!

Pam dumps Rock, Kim and Russell split,
Whit-ney leaves Bobby– Tom and Kate get hitched

now we can’t forget about the world of sports
George Mason stole hearts when they took the court

and I don’t know if y’all watched olympics or not
but godam, them curling chics iz hott!

and France, I know u just try to get a head butt…
Z did u really have to throw that head butt?

CBGB’s closed, yeah i see u cry
Mel Gibson blames jews for his d.u.i

–Anna Nicole sold photos on some get rich scheme
while I was rubbin’ one out to lonely girl 15

OJ not guilty, but just for kicks
“Here’s how I would’a carved up that bitch”

McDreamy, McSteamy… chics love them a doctor
3-6 mafia wins an oscar?!!!

Eminem re-upd, but that shit aint hot
there’s a new white rapper that’s about to pop…

and it suckd to be Nas, Lady Sov, and Meth Man
cuz Jay fukd every other rapper on Def Jam

One more quote before i cut this track…
“Stay in school–or get stuck in Iraq”