CHRISTIAN ROCKERS Hocus Pick Manouver are busy writing materiai for the follow up to their

debut Pick It Up, released lust year.

NV band put positive messages back into society

FIND it hard to believe that a fish walked on land and

started evolution when his fin hit the sand or that some
# green blob sprouted arms while sitting on a log, | find it
hard to believe { have-the mind of a frog’’ — from
LB.LLLT.O.F.W. by North Vancouver Christian rockers

Hokus Pick Manouver.

So much for the primordial stew
pot school of thinking.

Regardless of the nature of the
material matter of one’s mind,
when it comes down to belief,
Russell Smith, 20-year-old Hokus
Pick Manouver lead singer,says he
and fellow band mates draw the
Christian component of their
music from their lives.

The band released Fick It Up on
the Word Canada label last year.

Right now Smith, Dave
Striichuk, Matt Pierrot and Rick
Colhoun are jamming in the
church basement of the _
Sutherland Bible Chapel working
out new songs for the next CD
release. .

On Friday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
the band is double-billed with
Rhythm & News at Willingdon

-M.B.,; 4812 Willingdon Ave., in
Burnaby.

Music Now met with Smith
recently to talk about Hokus Pick
Manouver.

Music Now: Do you define

your music as Christian Rock?
Smith: ‘Ya, although usually
when people hear Christian Rock
they think it’s really, really heavy,
and they think it’s hymns with a
heavy metal beat.

“Our sound is kind of West
Coast Funk Folk, that kind of
thing, a little bit of Red Hot Chili
Peppers, The Police, Northern
Pikes, but our lyric slant comes
from our own experiences in life.

“The songs on the album, like
Two Answers, are about when we
decided we were going to leave
schoo} and do this full time and
how Gad fit into that.

“Rather than preaching to
people and knocking them over
the head with our message it’s
more like, this is our message and
this is how it refates to us.”
Music Now: Is the contem-
porary Christian music scene
that you are a part of
flourishing?

Smith: ‘It seems to be growing a

lot. Amy Grant crossed over and

Michael Becker
-RECORD REVIEW

then Michael W. Smith followed
suit and now there's a group call-
ed D.C. Talk, rap rockers.

“The Christian music industry
has grown a Int and has changed a
jot. In the past it was very
mediocre. It was always about five
years behind in the sound, but
now it seems to be right up there
on the cutting edge, which is
something we're trying to do.”
Music Naw: How about the

Photo submitted

venues that are available to
expose this type of music?
Smith : “It’s almost like being a
Christian band we have a whole
different market for playing. We
do play clubs, but our venues are
more church halls. You find there
are a lot of coffee-house-type
things, a Christian version of a
club.”’

Music Now: What’s your
perspective on some of the
messages coming out of the
secular side of the rock music
business right now, the heavy
metal Satanist stuff. Do you

see what you are doing as

your bit to cancel out some of
that?

Smith: “Ya,kind of. Especially
with a lot of new bands like Nir-
vana, the message is very negative.
So we're just trying to plug some
more positive messages into socie-
ty.”

Music Now: How about that
name?

Smith: “It’s an old expression of
surprise, like Holy Cow. If a man
suddenly gives you flowers, you’d
say, ‘Hokus Pick!’ So we took it
and made it our own.”

Both lodges located in Whistler Village proper.
Ski in, ski out, near both lifts.
RESERVATIONS:

Blackcomb Lodge
669-0560
1-800-7 7 7-8} 1 46

Mountainside Lodge
681-6710
1-800-777-8 135

Group offers music bursaries

THE WOMAN'S Musical Club
Memorial Trust Fund is mak-
ing bursaries available to music
students of the diploma stand-
ard or higher or those enrolled
in at least third year of a
Bachelor of Music program.
Qualified entrants between
the ages of 15 and 30 may ap-

ply for an application form by

writing to: Trust Fund Cem-

mittee, c/o Mrs. Helga Per-
then, 835 Younette Dr., West
Vancouver, V7T ?TI, or by
phoning 926-3807.

3g) PPlication deadline is Feb,

0,

ER OPERATIC SOCIETY

presents

THE HAPPIEST SHOW iN TOWN!

Choreographer:
Norman Leggatt

Stage Director:
Xgith Simpson

Set Designer: .
Stewart Fairley
Music Director:
Earl! Hobson

NORTH VANCOUVER CENTENNIAL ETC .

Thursday - Saturday * 2:00 PM.

FEBRUARY 18, 19, 20, 25, 26,27.
MARCH 4, 5 & 6 1982

Youngsters between the ages of 5 and 11 are invited to enter
the SHRINE CIRCUS ART & COLORING CONTEST. “a
This weekend we'll publish the official entry form in the
pages of this newspaper. The winner ‘will recieve a bicysla
from CAP’S BICYCLE STORE and six tickets to the Shrine
Circus. Second and Third place winners will
each recieve 6 tickets ta the Circus.
There will be BONUS PRIZES of four tickets each for the first
two entries recieved at our office,.so don't wait
until the last minute, enter early!

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