RAVE PLANS LEAVE SOME CONCERNED

A rave in Woodstock?

An entertainment production company, self-described on its website as
"Toronto's darkest, hardest and most offensive underground company," is
setting up shop in Woodstock this Saturday night.

Nightmare Productions, co-owned by former Burgessville resident and former
St. Mary's High School student Rebecca Harrison, 22, has organized what she
calls an all-ages electronic music event. It's set to go at Goff Hall in
the Woodstock District Community Complex.

Woodstock is the kickoff for a five city, five-week tour dubbed Underground
Unleashed.

"The genre is rave," said Harrison. "But this is more than just a typical
rave - there are all types of music."

The company has worked with rappers 2 Live Crew in the past and boasts a
roster of 20 performers. The company is bringing six of them to Woodstock
this weekend, including Oshawa native Lady Bass, Sudbury's DJ Navigator,
Jef Harly, Omari Taylor, Double Dee and Plastic Motive.

Harrison said she and her partner Chris White are always looking for new
talent and will be accepting demos at the event.

"We specialize in electronic music around the globe and new talent is
always an asset," she said.

Harrison said she doesn't often use the word rave because of negative
connotations.

"Rave is synonymous with drug use - that's not here," Harrison said. "It
got a lot of attention in the original places where ecstasy was used. We
don't endorse or encourage (drug use)."

Raves are notorious for being all-night parties, but for $15, partygoers
will only be able to dance until about 3 a.m. because of municipal laws.

Harrison, who studied acting and marketing at Humber College, said she's
been attracted to events like this since she was 15 years old, mainly
because of the music.

"I loved the music. Nightmare is very much about techno, hard trance as
well as booty," she said.

Harrison said she thinks it's important to bring the electronic dance party
to outlying areas.

"The Toronto scene doesn't have an influx of people from out of town," she
said. "We want to expand people's horizons in outlying areas."

She describes the event as a cultural experience.

"The basic reason is to give them a taste of the music," she said.
"Everybody is very open. Everybody seems to be everybody's friends.
Everybody is on the same playing field."

But some area residents say they are not open to the idea of an event like
this here.

Pastor Bob McGregor of Huron Park Baptist Church believes "there is a lot
people need to be concerned about."

"They use hellish themes. We're talking about an organization that promotes
eroticism," he said. "They exist to shock people. I'm concerned they were
allowed to use Goff Hall."

He points to comments on their website www.nightmarehell.info about a
19-plus Valentine's show entitled Tainted Love, where 2 Live Crew
performed, which stated, "Nightmare is proud to have these rap legends
perform live, complete with their XXX-rated dancers, dirty, explicit
rhymes, and full on energy to get everyone in the proper moods for some
"Tainted Love" this Valentine's Day!"

McGregor said the comments "offend women and the sensitivities of decent
people."

Harrison said the Tainted Show was for a crowd ages 19 and over.

"Our regular shows don't have anything like that," she said.

Bob McFarland, director of community services, said it's not up to the City
of Woodstock to censor who uses their facilities.

"It is not our role to direct or censor the kind of activity that takes
place (in city facilities)," he said. "It's a needed event - as long as
they exercise diligence and control the same as everyone else using this
facility - there is no cause for alarm."

He said the hall has hosted several, similar-type events.

"The community will support what the community feels is appropriate," he
said. "It's a needed event. If it's not something the community wants, they
won't buy tickets to it. Our job is the provision of facilities, not the
provision of moral conscience."

Sgt. Daryl Longworth, a drugs investigator with the Oxford Community Police
Service, said local police are gathering information about the event.