THE FREE PRESS ENTERTAINMENT Page B6 THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1995 PHONE 564-0005 ARTSBRIEFS ► JammiiT At Sawmill The 01’ Sawmill Bluegrass Jamboree is only two weeks away, and tickets are still available at all Overwaitea locations. This is the inaugural year for the family festival, and features the prime pickin’ talents of Due North, Blue Mule, the Liberty Bluegrass Boys, and Grand Ol’ Opry stars Jim & Jesse with Mike Stevens. The show is located on North Nechako Road and will be emceed by former Prince George resident George McK-night, host of Uptown Bluegrass on C101*FM. Call 562-2566 for information. ^Travelling For Goso Peter Myers, the author of the whimsical fantasy novel “Goso’s Tale” will be in Prince George on August 12. This is the first book by the Bums Lake resident who will be riding his bike across the province this summer to promote the work. Times and locations for book signings will be released next week. Superstar Starts Tonight is the first of four nights for Jesus Christ Superstar, weather permitting. The shows are being held at the UNBC Agora, which is a spectacular set for one of Lloyd Webber/Rice’s most explosive works. Tickets are still available, but moving fast. This production features the direction/choreography of Judy Russell, Andy Beesley as Christ, Steve O’Donnell as Judas, and Maia Brown as Mary Magdalene. It’s an all-local cast doing a world-class rock-opera. ► Plenty Of Live Stuff Prince George Live, presented by Tourism Prince George, is presenting Amateur Night on Thursday, August 24 from 7-8:30 p.m. They are looking for local artists and volunteers for the event. Call Tanya or Shauna at 562-3700 for info. Tonight at the Civic Centre will be Barry Hilland, Tuesday is the Northern Twisters, Wednesday is Socks On Your Feet, Bin Down South, and Nasheem, while next Thursday is the Gospel Hillbillies, PG Gymnastics and Just 6. ► Barenaked In Smithers There are two concert festivals coming up in the region nearby Prince George. The Northern Lights Music Festival in Smithers features the Barenaked Ladies, 54*40, Yel-lowbelly and the Afronubians on August 5. The Mackenzie Music Festival, August 11-13, features Farmer’s Daughter, Suzanne Gitzi, Rhodes & Marshall and more. For information on the Smithers show call 847-5245, for Mackenzie’s call 997-2119. Spiritual Theatre Knox United Church and St. Michael's Anglican Church are presenting their first ever Theatre Camp. It will be held August 1 to 27 and the cost is $25. Christian and spiritual themes will be explored and developed into an original play. Interested actors aged 12-17 are invited to register by calling Dave at 564-1320. He’s a mighty, mighty man and they call him the rockin’ James. Colin James. Just when the old guard of the music industry were writing his obituary, he comes up with a new album that’s going to knock their dentures out. After being one of the most successful Canadian male vocalists of the last 10 years, Colin James seemed to slip after his land mark “Sudden Stop” CD. At least album purchasers thought so. He lulled through a period of inactivity and a jump blues album that was technically sound but made little impact. After that came a Greatest Hits album that sounded like a swan song, but in this case it was a migration call. James got married, just became a father (girl, Deghan Lee), moved to a new record company, changed up some band members, and built himself a brand new album. No exaggeration, “Bad Habits,” is going to be huge. Probably his most lucrative to date. He is touring with it into Prince George August 9 at the Generator, and radio already has the new single, “Saviour”, which features Lenny Kravitz guesting on guitars. This is back to big-sound rock, and blues purists may not take kindly to their boy wonder pulling his mask off. “I don’t really care. 1 never have at the end of the day,” says James from his home in Vancouver. “I listen to strait blues -Howlin’ Wolf - and I’ll love it. I’ll listen to Junkhouse and I’ll like that. I don’t tend to think about that a whole lot. Some will like it, some won’t. As usual.” Cuts like “Freedom”, which features the voice of soul legend Mavis Staples, and “Real Stuff’ will be the likely singles and don’t sound far off from his “Voodoo Thang” material. There is the usual blues influence though, on absolute winners like “Atlanta Moan.” “‘Atlanta Moan’ was something I had heard when I was nine or 10 years old and it took us this long to record it,” he says. And he has more up his sleeve. ‘There’s some gospel stuff we did that I really like, and there’s some outtakes from the Little Big Band that never got used (including his Colin James sounds more like the Stones than Robert Johnson this time, but Canada's blues/rock saviour will play the Generator this Wednesday. that Colin is actually one of the most heralded guitar players in the business. He was befriended by late giants like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Albert Collins because of his skill. He doesn’t strike any poses when he records, however. “Stevie did more out-and-out playing, but I’m looking more at what the song needs. If the song wants a flashy piece or something to drift through, that’s what I’ll do. I don’t want "If the song wants a flashy piece or something to drift through, that's what I'll do. I don't want to fust have parts where it's me wanking for a while. I don't play with my teeth, you know." old trademark song ‘Mighty Mighty Man’), so who knows where things might pop up later.” It might surprise some people to know to just have parts where it’s me wanking for a while. I don't play with my teeth, you know. Would that do the song any favour?’ James has been criticized for arrogance Nadine Pearson Photo before, but he stands behind his confidence level. There aren’t too many other performers to play the Letterman Show, tour with ZZ Top, open for the Stones, and be invited to play on a Chieftains album while still in their 20s. “When I was 14 or 15 I used to play a lot of Irish traditional music and I was pretty well versed in it,” he says, explaining the latter encounter. “I’ll still pick up a mandolin now and then. I’ve tried banjo but never got it, and 1 tried fiddle which was a complete disaster,” he laughs. The Colin James concert experience is rarely a disaster, although they should come with an ear plug warning. His “Bad Habits” sound awfully virtuous from this end of the speakers. Mighty, rockin’ come