Verb Issue S236 (Apr. 19-25, 2013)

ARTS CULTURE MUSIC SASKATOON

ISSUE #236 – APRIL 19 TO APRIL 25

CLOSE TALKERARE TAKING OVER

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EA

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THE ART OF HEALING Jeff Nachtigall helps unlikely artists

ANY GIVEN NIGHT Q+A with Rococode

OBLIVION + GINGER & ROSA Films reviewed

PHOTO: COURTESY OF EVAN NEUFELD

VERBNEWS.COMVERB MAGAZINE CONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

2APR 19 – APR 25

2APR 19 – APR 25

CONTENTS

PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING & SHARING

STR8 UP GANGSTAHelping Saskatchewan gang members go straight. 4 / LOCAL

THE ART OF HEALINGJeff Nachtigall helps unlikely artists. 6 / LOCAL

IT’S TOO TAXINGOur thoughts on switching to govern-ment-prepared tax returns. 8 / EDITORIAL

COMMENTSHere’s your say on public-private partnerships. 10 / COMMENTS

Q + A WITH ROCOCODEOn evolving pop. 12 / Q + A

NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS We visied Somewhere Else Pub & Grill and The Woods. 26-29 / NIGHTLIFE

LISTINGSLocal music listings for April 19 through April 27. 20 / LISTINGS

OBLIVION + GINGER AND ROSAThe latest movie reviews. 24 / FILM

ON THE BUS Weekly original comic illustrations by Elaine M. Will. 30 / COMICS

LETTERS FROM THE LOST Jay Nash searches for sound. 13 / ARTS

ALL THE FISH IN THE SEA We visit Joey’s. 16 / FOOD + DRINK

ANOTHER PERFECT DAYJanet Werner’s latest exhibit examines portraits. 13 / ARTS

ENTERTAINMENT

NEWS + OPINION

VERBNEWS.COM@VERBSASKATOON FACEBOOK.COM/VERBSASKATOON

MUSICAaron Pritchett, Royal Canoe + Kiss. 18 / MUSIC

GAMES + HOROSCOPESCanadian criss-cross puzzle, horoscopes, and Sudoku. 31 / TIMEOUT

EDITORIALPUBLISHER / PARITY PUBLISHINGEDITOR IN CHIEF / RYAN ALLANMANAGING EDITOR / JESSICA PATRUCCOSTAFF WRITERS / ADAM HAWBOLDT + ALEX J MACPHERSON

ART & PRODUCTIONDESIGN LEAD / ROBERTA BARRINGTONDESIGN & PRODUCTION / BRITTNEY GRAHAMCONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS / PATRICK CARLEY, ADAM HAWBOLDT + ISHTIAQ OPAL

BUSINESS & OPERATIONSOFFICE MANAGER / STEPHANIE LIPSITACCOUNT MANAGER / NATHAN HOLOWATYSALES MANAGER / VOGESON PALEYFINANCIAL MANAGER / CODY LANG

CONTACTCOMMENTS / [email protected] / 306 881 8372

ADVERTISE / [email protected] / 306 979 2253

DESIGN / [email protected] / 306 979 8474

GENERAL / [email protected] / 306 979 2253

ON THE COVER:

CLOSE TALKERSaskatchewan’s newest music sensation. 14 / COVER

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

CULTURE

VERBNEWS.COMNEWS + OPINION CONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

4APR 19 – APR 25

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

ames slouches on the couch, stretched back and to the right. A tattoo

twists its way out from under his red hoodie and crawls up the side of his neck, as he sits listening to a man speak.

The speaker’s name is Shane, a great big guy with a bushy beard and a former gang member. Standing at the front of a packed room in the back of the Calder Centre, giving a talk to a group of at-risk teens, Shane is saying, “By the time I was eight years old I had my first six pack of beer bought for me … when I was in my teens I started do-ing intravenous drugs, and by 16 I was charged with attempted murder.”

James sinks deeper in the couch, and bounces one leg up and down. Every now and then he lifts the flat-brimmed baseball hat from his head and runs his hand through his buzz-cut hair.

And at the front of the room Shane is saying, “After 16 things

really snowballed for me. I was in and out of jail every year since then, up until this last year. That’s the first full year I spent out of jail … I’m 36 years old.”

James understands what Shane went through. Been there, done

that. And when Shane starts talking about being kidnapped and tor-tured, about being “shot in the face and stabbed on two separate occa-sions,” James knows exactly where he’s coming from.

In fact, when it’s James turn to speak, the violence inherent in gang culture is one of the first things he talks about.

“I’ve been a gang member since I was 14. I’ve seen a lot of s**t,” says James. “I got shot five times, stabbed

twice during a home invasion when I was 21.”

James pauses, takes a deep breath.

“And you know what, it didn’t phase me,” he continues. “It didn’t

J

STR8 UP GANGSTAStr8 Up program helps Saskatchewan gang members and at-risk youths go straight BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

I was in the gang for 14 years, dealing with that s**t every day. Always looking over my shoulder … I’ve been through it all and it sucks.

JAMES

LOCAL

FATHER ANDRÉ POILIEVRE HELPED FOUND STR8 UP

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@AdamHawboldt

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Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

change my life. I felt like I was unstoppable. I was walking around, like, a week later. I felt good. Really good. So after that, I just got deeper in the gang.”

As James speaks, he paces back and forth across the front of the room, his hands subtly but constantly moving. If he appears ill-at-ease or a tad uncomfortable, there’s a good reason for that.

This is the first time he has shared his story — not as a gang member, but as a member of the Str8 Up program.

Str8 Up was created more than a decade ago when its founder, Father André Poilievre — a Catholic priest, high school counsellor and prison chaplain — was approached by two members of the Indian Posse who

wanted to get out of the game and didn’t know how.

Poilievre didn’t know either, but he was determined to help.

What he came up with was Str8 Up, a gang-exit program that has since helped more than 125 young men and women in Saskatchewan escape gang activity.

But don’t be mistaken. Str8 Up isn’t at war with the gangs or anything. They don’t actively recruit, promote or advertise. You go to Str8 Up because you want to. Because, as Poilievre says, at some point you realize that if you “stick a needle in your arm in the morning and a knife into people at night, things aren’t going to turn out well for you.”

And once you join Str8 Up there are five straightforward rules you have to follow: 1. Drop your colours, 2. Deal with your addiction, 3. Learn to be honest, 4. Be humble, drop the attitude, and 5. Give four years of your life to the program.

If you can follow all those rules maybe, just maybe, you can leave your previous life behind.

And with so much gang activity in Saskatchewan, with gangs now using social media to recruit, and with the recent video of a gang initiation in Re-gina springing up online, programs like Str8 Up are more important than ever.

The problem is, while Str8 Up is great for Saskatoon, where it’s based, Regina has lacked a proper gang-exit alternative ever since RAGS (the Regina Anti-Gang

Services) had its funding cut last year. Sure, there’s Street Culture, a non-profit organization that mentors under-serviced youth, but a compre-hensive program like Str8 Up works with young people, too. They’ve visited more than 1,000 schools and treatment centres trying to reach young offenders and at-risk youth. Trying to convince them to stay away from gang life.

That’s why James is opening up for the first time at the Calder Centre. He’s trying to teach the roomful of youths to learn from his life. To avoid making the same mistakes he made.

And James’ mistakes have been myriad.

“I started regretting being a gang member when my brothers follow-ing in my footsteps,” says James, still pacing the floor at the Calder Centre. “They were just trying to be like me.”

But regret wasn’t enough for James to drop his colours.

It took something different, some-thing deeper and closer to home. It took the birth of his second child.

See, James was in jail serving a seven-and-a-half year stretch when his first baby was born. And as his child grew up, the way James got to know his firstborn was through phone calls.

When James’ second baby was about to be born, he was determined not to make the same mistake and miss his child coming into this world again.

“I could never really smile be-cause everything was so serious in my life,” he admits, “but when my baby was born I smiled. It was the happiest time of my life.”

That happiness soon turned to pain when, for reasons we won’t get into here, the baby was taken away by social services.

“When that happened I was so f**king hurt, man.” James stops pacing for a moment. From the back of the room Father Poilievre — his eyes gentle, face kind — watches on as he continues. “You know,” says James, “I’d been shot, stabbed, burned, all that. But when I saw my baby being born and fell in love like that and then he was taken away, that’s real pain.”

The kind of pain that convinced James to drop his colours and seek help at Str8 Up. “It got to the point where I had to make a choice,” he says. “I was in the gang for 14 years, dealing with that s**t every day. Always looking over my shoulder, not knowing what was going to hap-pen at the end of the block. I’ve been through it all and it sucks. So instead of choosing to stay a gang member, I chose to be a daddy.”

And with the help of Str8 Up, he’ll have the chance to do just that.

VERBNEWS.COM

6APR 19 – APR 25

CONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT


PHOTO: COURTESY OF ADAM HAWBOLDT / VERB MAGAZINE

t all began during a con-versation with a man who can’t speak.

One day, half a decade or so ago, Jeff Nachtigall was walking down the hallway at Sherbrooke Community Centre — a long-term care facility in Saskatoon — when he ran into Larry Fitzgerald, a genial gentleman who lacks the ability to walk or talk. He asked Fitzgerald if he wanted to come to the studio and paint.

Nachtigall, who was the artist-in-residence at Sherbrooke at the time, told Fitzgerald that he would re-move his head-stick (which Fitzger-ald uses to type into a computer that allows him to speak in a manner similar to Stephen Hawking) and replace it with a paint brush.

Fitzgerald slowly pecked his head-stick against the computer-based com-munications system on his wheelchair,

and the answer that emanated from the box was direct and to point: yes!

“So when I brought Larry into the studio I assumed his limited range of mobility would limit the size of the painting,” explains Nachtigall. “He

had it in his head that he wanted to paint these long horizontal lines, so I was thinking maybe a two or three foot painting at best.”

But Fitzgerald surprised Nachtigall. He found a way to maneuver in the studio, filled with other folks in wheel-chairs, while making his horizontal

lines longer and longer. “And I was like, ‘holy s**t,’” admits Nachtigall. “I realized this wheelchair wasn’t some-thing they’re confined to. It’s a device for mobility. So I began asking myself, ‘what if the wheelchair isn’t limiting?

What if I could change it into some-thing that would allow you to do things that even I can’t do?’”

That’s when the idea for the Mobile Painting Device was born — a device that, essentially, transforms a wheel-chair into a giant paint brush and al-lows people with disabilities to express

I

So I began asking myself, ‘what if the wheelchair isn’t limiting?’

JEFF NACHTIGALL

LOCAL

THE ART OF HEALINGJeff Nachtigall uses the open studio concept for unlikely artists BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

/VERBSASKATOON NEWS + OPINIONCONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

7APR 19 – APR 25

themselves creatively on a large, sweeping, artistic scale.

If you were to rewind a few decades, and tell a younger Jeff Nachtigall that one day he’d invent a machine to help wheelchair-bound people paint, he’d probably question your sanity.

If you told him he’d one day turn his back on the commercial art world to unlock the artistic passions of se-niors, veterans and people in long-term care facilities, he probably wouldn’t have believed you.

But it happened.Once upon a time Nachtigall

was an artist in demand, with solo and group shows all over North America.

“I was having exhibitions in New York and Chicago and LA,” he says. “People were buying my work and it was really, really exciting. But after I graduated from the U of R and went to do my MFA in the States I began to realize I was becoming part of this ma-chine. There was this arc being created for me. First a BFA, then an MFA, then become a teacher.”

This wasn’t the vision of an artist Nachtigall had in mind. He’d always thought artists had to be knocked around, beaten up, worn down a bit by life. Unbeknownst to him at the time, when he quit his MFA halfway through, that’s exactly what was go-ing to happen.

“When I left school [in Chicago], I moved to Calgary completely broke,” he says. “I got a job picking up garbage, basically cigarette butts, at Mount Royal University.”

From there, Nachtigall built himself up again, and once again ascended the ladder of the modern art world only to come crashing back down at the turn of the millennium. “I left Toronto and came to Saskatoon with literally just the shirt I had on my back,” he says

That’s when he walked through the doors of Sherbrooke and had his life changed — forever.

“Before that my whole life revolved around my CV. I was self-involved, always looking for more,” says Nachtigall. “How many people were at my last exhibit? What magazines wrote about it? What did they say? How much did I sell?

What’s my new price tag? How do I break into Europe?”

All that thinking was pushed to the wayside once he began spending more and more time at Sherbrooke. “It shook me to my core, my very foundations,” says Nachtigall of his experience at Sherbrooke. “When I saw those people who didn’t have to ability to communi-cate verbally, who were quadriplegic and paraplegic, painting and express-ing themselves in the studio — when I saw how much of a difference it makes…” Nachtigall pauses, hesitating to say what he’s thinking. “I know this is going to sound corny, and it drives me crazy even saying it,” he continues. “But I saw the power of art.”

Especially when it comes to health care.

But we’re not talking about art ther-apy here. There’s no analysis or assess-ments or standardized therapy in the open studio Nachtigall set up. There’s no teaching, either. Just Nachtigall “dig-ging ditches,” as he calls it, burrowing down to the creative well in each of the people who participate. Unlocking their inner artist, helping them strive to be the best painters and sculptors they can be, making them smile.

And Nachtigall isn’t stopping at Sherbrooke.

His residency may have ended there, but he is in the process of bring-ing the open studio concept and the Mobile Painting Device to places in Calgary and Toronto and beyond.

And no matter where he goes, Nachtigall remains hellbent on making art a vehicle for change, for hope, and for healing.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF TEDXSASKATOON

@AdamHawboldt

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VERBNEWS.COMNEWS + OPINION CONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

8APR 19 – APR 25


I

IT’S TOO TAXING Our tax filing system is convoluted, so why not change it?

t’s that time of year again. The time when the taxman (or woman) cometh.

And for many, the process of getting your taxes done can be an enormous headache. Filling out the paperwork yourself can be a bit of a time suck — and that’s if you have a fairly straightforward situation. Things get exponentially more complicated if you file with a spouse, have children, have to ac-count for RRSPs and assorted other savings or deductions, moved in the last year, are filing income from more than one employer, etc. The more variables at play, the greater the room for error.

Alright, so to save yourself the time and headache of doing your taxes on your own, you have the option to take them down to your local professional tax preparer.

There, you can fork over some serious cash to have someone who knows what they’re doing fill out the paperwork for you, and if you’re lucky the amount you get

back is more than what it costs to have your taxes done.

Either way, we admit it: doing your taxes isn’t much fun. And that’s why we think it’s time to streamline the process, by hav-

ing the government do it for us. This isn’t a novel idea — countries like Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Chile and Spain have already embraced this

model, and it’s so easy, it’s almost unbelievable. Think about it: the Canadian Revenue Agency already has our SIN numbers, net income, CPP contributions and more — all the information that’s needed to

EDITORIAL

[A government-prepared tax return] takes just a few minutes to complete, and we don’t have to shell out big bucks to have it done for us.

VERB MAGAZINE

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9APR 19 – APR 25


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prepare a return. So how about they prepare our taxes for us? That way, you receive your completed paperwork in the mail, glance over it, and approve it if it all looks right. Got some changes to make? No big deal — make the fixes online, the calculations are done automati-cally, and you send it back to the government. What if you forget to approve your taxes altogether? Well, let’s do as they do in Norway: if they don’t hear from you, they assume all is copacetic and fire you off your cheque.

The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete, and we don’t have to shell out big bucks to have it done for us.

And while many of you may be sitting there thinking “this sounds a tad too idealistic,” rest assured it isn’t. Called “return-free filing,” “simple returns,” or “government-prepared returns,” this method has been endorsed by many people, including American presidents from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama. Heck, in California they

have already put a version of this theory into action, with a system called Ready Return. All eligible California taxpayers can opt in for the service, and wait for the Inter-nal Revenue Service to send them the completed paperwork. A quick glance will determine whether or not there are any errors, and after amending anything that needs changes the taxpayer sends it back to the IRS. Easy peasy.

And while the United States has slightly embraced the simple return method, these are far more popular overseas. As mentioned above, both Sweden and Denmark have implemented voluntary return programs, country-wide, where each country’s respective government preps citizens’ returns for them, and so far these have been widely embraced.

In fact, more than 70% of the population in both countries sub-scribe to the program. And as for the other 30%? Well, they do their taxes the old-fashioned way. And we think that ensuring the program

is voluntary is a good way to go. After all, not every taxpayer may want the government filing paper-work on his or her behalf. So for those people who feel that having the feds involved to that capacity is too risky or too heavy-handed, do not worry: you won’t be forced to participate.

The benefits of pre-prepared returns are pretty great, too. Most countries report a fairly high (at least half, and in Denmark’s case, 78%) rate of non-adjustment, meaning that no changes were necessary, accord-ing to the OECD. And there’s hardly any turnaround time to receive a refund — rather than waiting weeks for their money, taxpayers in Den-mark and Estonia typically receive their cheques within five business days. Not to mention that having the government prepare your returns ensures that everyone pays, and receives, their fair share.

So if simple returns are so great, why haven’t we embraced them already? Well, south of the border Intuit, the maker of Tur-boTax, is one of many companies that have lobbied against the idea of return-free filing — spending as much as $11.5 million to do so in thepast five years, according to Propublica. We know that Canada often moves in lockstep with America, policy-wise, but we think this is one area where we should embrace the better alterna-tive, regardless of the battles being fought over this issue by our neighbours to the south.

So why not give it a shot here in Canada? It could save you money and time, it could help make the income tax return process more honest, and it could give the people more options. Government-prepared returns means tax season no longer has to be a headache.

These editorials are left unsigned because they represent the opinions of Verb magazine, not those of the individual writers.

VERBNEWS.COMNEWS + OPINION

10APR 19 – APR 25


COMMENTS

Text your thoughts to881 VERB

8372

ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about P3s. Here's what you had to say:


– P3s don’t work anywhere else look into it readers! Most studies say they are not a smart move.

– Great idea re P3’s! Botched up mess at #1 & Transportation hub is prime example, with traffic lites on the #1highway for months on end

and no activity since last fall! What an abysmal joke … pure hick-town mentality.

– P3s are a terrible way to go, they take jobs away from public workers and end up costing more moneyin the long run it basically

just lets the government not pay now and have to pay later why would that be any better?

– Anything that gets the projects done around this province faster than how they’re being done now sounds great to me. Competition helps people be held accountable so if P3s bring a little competition to the table then I think this is wonderful. How long has it taken to get things down around here? To long

– I guess as long as there is a set budget and end date it would be

/VERBSASKATOON NEWS + OPINIONCONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

11APR 19 – APR 25

alright? I haven’t heard many good things about public and private projects but if they get stuff done then i’m okay with it.

OFF TOPIC

– Dog sled article was great! Always been a fan of getting out-doors in winter, people think I am crazy! Love the feel good energy of the article. Too many people whine and complain about the cold. I tell them ‘so move?’

In response to “Winter’s Delight,” Local

page, #235 (April 12, 2013)

SOUND OFF

– In 40 yrs of paying attention I’ve noticed economic booms are never good for the poor and working poor. Everybody gets greedy when there’s new money. The price of everything goes up while incomes for the poor never keep pace. Busts are bad too. We never have leadership that aims for long term steady state stable economy. They all aim for growth the boom and then we get its inevitable following bust. Culture of Greed!

– Gosh people it’s not hard to grab a shovel an ice pick and clean up your freaking sidewalks and can’t even walk on a sidewalk without going through a river and ice it’s your responsibility not the city’s consider other people that use the sidewalks thank you <melly :-D >

– Atch and the missus are off to China on a mission. Sue hope he can score a few pandas for the Toonerville Zoo...

– WHEN WILL THIS FREAKING SNOW GO AWAY?! OUR PROVIN-CIAL FLAG EMBLEM SHOULD BE A SNOWFLAKE!

– Spring in Saskatchewan - diving the convertible with the top down an the studded snow tires on...

– My heart goes out to the victims of the Boston bombing.

– There is one very simple very easy very effective way for the working class to reign in bankers and financiers. Stop borrowing money to buy things!

– I LOVE YOU CRYSTAL I’M SO HAPPY THAT WE’VE BEEN MAR-RIED FOR A YEAR NOW HERE’S TO MANY MORE! LOVE YOU FOR-EVER AND ALWAYS-MIKE

– You can’t bitch about the banks if you owe them money. You bought in to the scheme were more than happy to get the loan. Same for big oil if you drive a car.

– The city should build some parkades and get rid of on street parking so there is more place to drive on the street.

– Violence solves nothing.

– Federal NDP went more centrist more vanilla bland this past week. You’d think they’d have been mindful of the lesson of the bland middle of the road Sask NDP. I call it now. Good fight tween the Conservatives and Liberals next Fed election. Greens firmly on the left populist. Blander Fed NDP will lose Layton’s gains!

NEXT WEEK: What do you think about moving to pre-prepared tax returns? Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation:

We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories and content, or anything else on your mind.

VERBNEWS.COMNEWS + OPINION

12APR 19 – APR 25


ANY GIVEN NIGHT

R

Rococode on the evolution of the pop songBY ALEX J MACPHERSON

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ROBYN JAMIESON / THE ARTIST

…we’re just being ourselves, and playing the songs as we see fit on any given night.

ANDREW BRAUN

ococode is at its heart the creative partnership of Laura Smith and An-

drew Braun. Last year they released Guns, Sex & Glory, which positioned the pair as songwriters of not inconsiderable talent. I caught up with Braun to take a look back and a look forward.

Alex J MacPherson: It’s been a year since Guns, Sex & Glory was released, and now you’ve got a new single out. Is there another album coming soon?

Andrew Braun: It’s sort of more of an in-between kind of thing. We recorded the

record so long ago, and it took such a long time for it to come out, so even it being out for a year it was already completely finished for a year before that — and the songs are much older than that, even. We’re getting a bit anx-ious to get something new out there, and we had a little window of time and just banged out those two songs in about three days. Just kind of an in-between thing; it’s not a part of more stuff we’ve got on the shelf.

AJM: But that doesn’t necessarily mean a new record will take two years.

AB: Who knows. I mean, it’s easy to say that. I’m sure the perfectionists will take over. Hopefully it doesn’t get stretched out in the same way. Even though one of the songs that we just put out is an old song, it felt kind of nice to just record it, get it mixed, and literally put it out

into the world the day after it was mastered. There was no hemming and hawing; it was just, ‘this is what we’re doing, and here it goes.’

AJM: “Follow You ‘Round” definitely shares some DNA with the record, but the sound feels more relaxed, more comfortable. Is this just you and Laura figuring out a sound for the band?

AB: When we made our record we didn’t really know what we were. Me and Laura decided that we wanted to record some songs. We weren’t a band; we hadn’t played anything live. We hadn’t done really anything. When we recorded those songs they were real baby versions of the songs. And that’s not a bad way to go, necessarily. But in this case we’ve been playing these songs for probably almost a year and a half on the road. They took shape in a more natural course than being crafted in the studio.

AJM: Given the success of Guns, Sex & Glory, does that change the way you approach new material?

AB: I don’t think so. I don’t think that I, personally, or Laura would feel any kind of external pressure. We both just feel like we can do way better, and we’re kind of raring to go on that side

of things. The pressure I personally put on myself far exceeds anything I would feel from anyone else.

AJM: As songs evolved, were you ever surprised by the direction or the way things developed?

AB: I always think that a recording is just a snapshot of a song. I don’t think

it’s a definitive version, so the songs we’ve been playing definitely have come a long way from their concep-tion, which was pretty much in the studio. I think they’ve all grown, and we’ve sort of figured out what they are — more so than we knew in the beginning. But I don’t know if I had any expectation as to what they might do, or what they might become. At this point we’re just being ourselves, and playing the songs as we see fit on any given night.

RococodeApril 27 @ Amigos CantinaTickets at the door

@MacPhersonA

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Q + A

CULTURE

13APR 19 – APR 25

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ARTS

S

P

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DEBORAH LOPEZ

uccess in the music industry is supposed to guarantee

artistic freedom. Too often, how-ever, successful songwriters are compelled to sacrifice creativity at the altars of palatable sounds and guaranteed sales. Jay Nash has dedicated his career to avoiding this trap.

“I made this record without having any preconceived notions of what it should be,” Nash says of Letters From The Lost, his seventh record since 2005 and by far his most adventurous effort to date. “It wasn’t like I was trying to achieve some-thing with the record. This particular one was really just about trying to find new creative ground.”

Last year Nash retreated to his home in Vermont. He started writing early and would spend all day in his studio, capturing whatever ideas emerged from the ether. “I was searching for the sound, searching for harmonic resonance, prior to putting any words to anything,” he recalls. “I would write to a drumbeat or a guitar riff or a riff on a mandolin. And I would build the track up over the course of a day.”

Unlike many of his earlier songs, which were written to address a specific idea, the tracks that make up Letters From The Lost were built around sonics. He wanted to re-capture the magic of his childhood, the moment when he realized that records by Cat Stevens and the Grateful Dead were a lifeline for the lonely and the lost.

Letters From The Lost is expan-sive and unrestrained. Each song feels like a snapshot of the richest landscape imaginable, a window into Nash’s unfettered mind. From the melancholy two-note riff and sparse percussion that drive “Wan-der” to the dramatic instrumenta-tion (mandolins, marching band drums) of “Sailor” and the devastat-ing saxophone coda of “I Won’t Let Go,” the record is awash in waves of luscious, vibrant sound.

And while Nash didn’t envision a grand theme for the record, Let-ters From The Lost emerged as a se-ries of meditations on loss and love and oblivion. A series of signposts on a journey of exploration, a trip with no fixed destination.

“There’s a very fine line between doing something that’s innovative

and being completely lost,” Nash muses. “And a lot of times, you have to be lost to make progress. I think that’s true in a lot of different disciplines. Whether it’s music or science or writing, you have to get out of the status quo. And that can be scary territory.”

Jay Nash May 2 @ Amigos Cantina$11 @ Ticketedge.ca

@MacPhersonA

[email protected]


ortraiture is the art of depicting an individual. The

best portraits strip away extraneous details, leaving only the subject’s irreducible essence. The paintings that make up Another Perfect Day, Janet Werner’s latest exhibition of major works, attempt to subvert the form by depicting fictional indi-viduals and fantastical characters. Her portraits were painted not for posterity, but for the present.

“It allows me to project my own subjectivity and emotions into these empty vessels,” Werner says from her home in Montreal. “It’s something

that’s nothing. You start from an ar-mature, an idea of a person that’s not that specific, and through the process of painting and colour and texture and tonality, there’s a mood that’s evoked and an identity that’s formed. It also contains the idea of a history”

Since the 1990s, Werner has explored the fringes of portraiture, swinging between idealized glamour and scarcely believable fiction. Her works tend to refer to the frantic pace and information overload of the media age, but Werner is less interested in making a point than showing the audi-ence a new way of seeing the world.

“As people we like narrative,” she says of the works that make up Another Perfect Day, which include an image of a woman wearing a bear mask and a marching band jacket, and a girl clad in an enor-mous, and vaguely absurd, hat. “It’s playing with that impulse towards narrative. The paintings have very little information in them in terms of narrative, but when people look at an image of a person, they start to project.”

Werner avoids sculpting a spe-cific narrative; instead, she works to embed enough information to

suggest ideas without directing the viewer to a predetermined con-clusion. Most of the paintings in Another Perfect Day, and espe-cially her less fantastical offer-ings, present and then subvert an obvious conclusion. The grotesque becomes beautiful, and the beauti-ful grotesque. Clarity fades into questions. “You want something that’s going be a surprise, and not be too easily digestible,” she says. “I guess I’m trying to solicit a kind of empathy in the viewer. It goes beyond seduction and beauty, and more toward empathy.”

Therein lies the essence of Werner’s work. Unlike traditional portraits, which represent an estab-lished narrative, the paintings in Another Perfect Day hint at nothing apart from our ability to extract meaning from everything.

Janet Werner Through May 4 @ College Gallery

LETTERS FROM THE LOSTJay Nash and the search for a sound BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

ANOTHER PERFECT DAY Janet Werner’s latest exhibition of fictional portraits BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

VERBNEWS.COMCULTURE

14APR 19 – APR 25



COVER

his time last year nobody had heard of the rock band Close Talker. Mostly

because this time last year the rock band Close Talker didn’t exist. And in a career spanning just 10 months, the Saskatoon-based band has made up for a lot of lost time: they released a powerful debut, played dozens of shows, built a not insig-nificant fan base in Saskatchewan, and heard their songs on national radio. Chris Morien, who plays drums in the group, attributes their success to earnestness, good timing, and a little bit of luck.

“I think fairly consistently we’ve been playing the music we want to play,” he muses. Jeremy Olson, whose muscular bass lines serve as a refresh-ing counterpoint to the band’s airy aesthetics, cuts him off: “We were just having fun playing music and hoping people would come watch. We’d tell our friends, and hope they’d tell a friend or two.”

It worked. The band’s debut, Timbers was released — unintention-ally — to coincide with Searchlight, a music contest sponsored by the CBC. The band reached the final eight; before it was eliminated, their song “By The Lake” was heard across the country. Morien is thrilled, but refuses to take anything for granted. “You want people to listen,” he says. “We’ve played small shows and a few bigger shows, and when people come to listen, it’s great. But it’s just been slowly building up.”

Close Talker was formed when Olson joined forces with Morien, Will Quiring, and Matthew Kopperud — friends who grew up in Saskatoon’s north end and spent years playing music together. After writing a handful of uncluttered tracks that fuse experi-mental sounds with gritty rock guitars, the foursome decided to debut their material at an open mic night.

It was almost a disaster. Olson was on a flight home from Ottawa when a thunderstorm threatened to derail

the show. “I was supposed to get back at 10, and we were on at 10:30,” he recalls. “I would be just in time for the gig. Then there was one of those crazy storms. We were above the clouds and the lightning was just nuts. I was like, ‘This isn’t happening.’” The plane landed on time, and Olson raced across town to the venue. The show was a success, the first of many open mic night performances that led, inevitably, to bigger rooms and bigger crowds.

Most bands take months to write and record an album; Close Talker didn’t have that much time. Because

Quiring and Kopperud split their time between Saskatchewan and British Columbia, where they attend school, the band was forced to work in short bursts, and decided to record over Christmas. “We had two weeks to work,” Morien recalls. “And then we had February break, and we decided to release it then. Which might have been, in hindsight, pushing the time-line pretty heavily.”

The band booked an album release party as a preemptive strike against

procrastination and sequestered them-selves in the studio. It was a new expe-rience for Olson. “It’s definitely a weird feeling, playing your part by yourself,” he says. “You’re just standing there, playing by yourself, and there’s four or five dudes just hanging out, waiting for you to get your stuff right. And every time you make a mistake it costs money.” After a brief pause he adds, “We went through a lot of Jameson and Great Western. Well, at least I did.”

Timbers was released on time. The deadline made for a few tense days, but Morien says the band delivered

T

CLOSE TALKER

The one thing I’m proud of is that we never sacrificed anything we wanted to do, even with the time constraints…

CHRIS MORIEN

Ten months in the life of Saskatchewan’s newest musical sensation BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

CONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT CULTURE

15APR 19 – APR 25

/VERBSASKATOON

@MacPhersonA

[email protected]


PHOTO: COURTESY OF MIKE MORIEN

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF EVAN NEUFEILD + THE ARTIST

Ten months in the life of Saskatchewan’s newest musical sensation BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

solid performances as time ran out. The album was cut in just a few days, but it doesn’t feel rushed. Languid and luxurious, Timbers sprawls across the sonic spectrum. From the cacopho-nous feedback that opens “Creatures” to the massive crescendo that carries the record to its conclusion, each sound on Timbers is calculated, part of a greater whole.

Broadly speaking, the album is a rock and roll record. It features crunchy guitars, pulsating bass lines,

and jazz-inspired drumming. But it is much more than a collection of three-chords-and-a-dream anthems: Timbers reflects the band’s love of lavish sonics. The best song on the record is “To The Coast,” which builds for a full minute before Quiring’s ethereal voice finds a place in the mix. Blending a pair of entwined guitar licks and rolling piano chords with a dreamy soundscape, the song runs past six minutes without sounding tired or overblown. Unlike many long songs, which push a simple riff to the edge of meaninglessness, “To The Coast” layers new ideas on top of

older ones, creating a sonic tapestry that unfolds like a novel: each sentence in place, each paragraph an integral part of the story.

Quiring’s lyrics, which tend to be either inscrutable abstractions or simple placeholders, are the most obvious reflection of the band’s relative inexperience, but his voice is an inte-gral part of the sound. This is the key to unlocking Timbers: by weaving a broad palette of sonic novelties into the fabric of guitar rock, Close Talker created an album greater than the sum of its parts. Featuring a wide array of sounds, from droning feedback and swirling synthesizers to analog delay and the unmistakable sound of a reverb unit being abused, the album covers a lot of territory.

Olson was sitting in a Philadelphia hotel room when the mastered copy arrived in his inbox. “They had one of those iPod docks and I had a few hours to kill,” he recalls. “I just put it in and listened. I was like, ‘Holy smokes! We made this thing?’ I was pretty impressed with how it turned out.” Morien is more pragmatic: “The one thing I’m proud of is that we never sac-rificed anything we wanted to do, even with the time constraints we put on ourselves,” he says. “We had decided if it really wasn’t ready at all for our deadline, it wasn’t worth it to rush it.”

Unlike countless thousands of re-cords that never get a chance, Timbers had help. Just before the album was released, the CBC announced Search-light, a competition to find “Canada’s

next great musical act.” Close Talker submitted “By The Lake” on a whim. Within weeks the song, a cheerful exploration of sounds popularized by bands like Hey Ocean! and Said The Whale, was selected to represent Saskatchewan in the final 24. Morien and Olson had reservations about the competition format (“It [measured] your ability as a band, but the main part of it was your ability to market yourself,” Morien says), but both agree the contest was an invaluable resource. “It was huge for us,” Olson says. “It got our music out across the country.”

Music contests are not universally adored. Although unknown bands can reap extraordinary benefits from competitions like Searchlight, many people think elevating artists who have not “paid their dues” is unfair. Morien says this is ridiculous. “In the music business there’s no process to get big,” he says. “All the bands that are big now, they’re big for a reason: because they’re amazing musicians and because they’re bringing something new to the

industry. But if there was a set process to do it, everybody would be doing it, and everybody would be famous. It’s all a matter of luck, and it’s all about who’s taking a chance with you.”

And because so many people took that chance, Close Talker’s songs have been played across the country. But Morien and Olson aren’t savouring their success. They are planning a second album and want to keep working hard, to keep making great music. Which is what they set out to do in the first place. And, contest or no contest, it will be interesting to see where Close Talker is 10 months from today.

Close TalkerApril 27 @ Amigos CantinaTickets at the door

VERBNEWS.COMCULTURE

16APR 19 – APR 25


FOOD + DRINK

LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE

HERB AND WHITE WINE GRANITA

The summer months aren’t too far away, so to get prepared why not try making and perfecting this drink. It’s sure to be a hit.

INGREDIENTS

250ml water 1/3 cup sugar4 sprigs rosemary150ml white wine (sauvignon blanc or pinot gris)1 splash lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Mix the water, sugar and rosemary to a boil in a pot. Turn off the heat, and let the mixture stand until cooled. Once cooled, add the wine and lemon juice. Freeze in a container for three hours, stirring often until solid. Serve garnished with rosemary.

T

ALL THE FISH IN THE SEA Joey’s Seafood does all-you-can eat Tuesdays BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

Photo courtesy of Adam Hawboldt.

@AdamHawboldt

[email protected]


hroughout history, people have asked some deep questions

that have propelled humanity forward. Questions like is the world flat? What is free will? Why in the heck did that apple just fall on my head?

Well, the other day I asked myself one such question. Sitting in Joey’s Seafood in Confederation, I asked myself “just how muchfish can an east coast boy eat?”

It was a Tuesday. And seeing as Tuesday is Joey’s all-you-can-eat fish n’ chips day, I figured “what the heck,” and set about getting an answer to my question.

The first plate I ordered came out with a heaping mound of fries (tasty and well salted!), a bowl of creamy slaw, and two pieces of battered fish that were about as long as my forearm and three-fingers thick.

Soon as I saw the plate, I knew I was going to need a plan. The strategy I came up with was simple: have a bite of fries and a bite of slaw, just to say I tasted them, then mow down on the fish. Oh, and avoid wa-ter unless absolutely necessary.

For the first two pieces of fish, I sprinkled them with lemon, avoided

condiments, and ate them in about three minutes flat.

“No sweat,” I thought. “This fish is delicious.”

So with pieces #3 and #4, I got sassy. Did one up British style (doused in vinegar, sprinkled with salt), and lathered the other in tartar sauce. Mmm, mmm good.

I ate the next two the sameway. When my waitress came over and asked, “How you doin’ love?” I gave here the thumbs up and meant it. Six pieces down andfeeling fine.

But somewhere between #6 and #7 something happened. My chewing speed began to slow down and a lump of fish formed in the pit of my stomach.

After #8 I wished I’d wornmaternity pants, while #9 caused me to break out in sweats. Then came #10. By this time I’d aban-doned all condiments and was

eating the fish “as is.” With the last bite sitting on my plate, I was about to throw in the fork when the words “get up, you sonofabitch, ‘cause Mickey loves ya” began echoing in my head. And while it isn’t applicable in the least, the quote from Rocky V gave the the motivation to eat on, finish my 10th

piece, and promptly call it quits. Unable to swallow another morsel.

How the guy who holds the record there ate 27 pieces, I’ll never know. But at least now I know my personal limit.

Joey’s Seafood 15 Worobetz Pl. | 306 955 5858

…I asked myself, ‘just how muchfish can an east coast boy eat?’

ADAM HAWBOLDT

VERBNEWS.COMCULTURE

18APR 19 – APR 25


MUSIC

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: THE ARTIST / THE ARTIST / AKTIVIOSLO

COMING UPNEXT WEEK

AARON PRITCHETT

When you think of country music, what comes to mind? Ask some people that question and they’ll say, “A sad genre of music full of twangs and drawls.” Thing is, these people probably haven’t heard of Aaron Pritchett. One of Canada’s most capti-vating country solo artists, Pritchett makes music about living life to the fullest, and puts on live shows intended to get the audience up and out of their seats. Since winning the Project Discovery Talent Contest at the Canadian Country Music Awards in 2001, this B.C. native has released five albums with 15 top-ten hits and won a slew of awards. He’ll be ap-pearing at Dakota Dunes Casino as part of the Saskatchewan Country Music Awards’ New Artist Cabaret. Tickets available at picatic.com.

@ DAKOTA DUNES CASINOSATURDAY, APRIL 27 – $20

If you’re into falsettos, guitars, effects pedals, drums, basses, tam- bourines, shakers, five-keyboard superweapons, and one awesome, poppy sound, then Royal Canoe is a band for you. Heck, even if you have no conceivable idea what all that would sound like together, you should probably check out this Winnipeg six-piece anyway. Consisting of Matt Peters, Bucky Driedger, Matt Schellenberg, Bren-dan Berg, Derek Allard and Michael Jordan, Royal Canoe produce inventive, infectious music that’ll make you want to get up and move your dancing feet. Defying conven-tion by mixing and mashing rock, pop and hip hop, this band puts on one heckuva live show. Tickets will be available at the door.

ROYAL CANOE

When Kiss burst onto the music scene in 1973, people hadn’t seen anything like them before. With their painted faces, outlandish outfits and flamboyant stage antics (which ranged from breathing fire to spit-ting blood to shooting rockets), this hard-rocking quartet from New York certainly grabbed peoples’ attention. Fast forward 40 years and 40+ million records sold, and Kiss is still a hot act to see. Whether playing their hard rock from the ‘70s, glam metal of the ‘80s or their grittier stuff from the ‘90s, this band — led by Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar/lead vocals) and Gene Simmons (bass/vocals) — never fails to deliver. Especially for the loyal members of the Kiss Army. They’ll be in Saskatoon this summer. Tickets available through Ticketmaster.

– By Adam Hawboldt

KISS

@ AMIGOS CANTINASATURDAY, APRIL 27 – $TBD

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

@ CREDIT UNION CENTRESUNDAY, JULY 14 – $28.25-143.75

SASK MUSIC PREVIEWBig Dog 92-7 is looking for emerging country artists to enter their Next Big Thing contest. The winner will be awarded cash, mentorship and career-building options, with a prize package valued at over $15,000. All Saskatchewan country artists are invited to submit, and the top four will perform in a live showdown in Regina this June. The entry deadline is May 9; see www.thenextbigthing2013.ca for more information.

VERBNEWS.COMENTERTAINMENT

20APR 19 – APR 25


The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

APRIL 19 » APRIL 27

19 20

26 2724 2522 2321

S M T W T

LISTINGS

FRIDAY 19HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk,

soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmo-

sphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover

LIBRARY VOICES / Amigos — Indie pop from

the Queen City. 10pm / $15 (ticketedge.ca)

PIANO FRIDAYS: SHELDON CORBETT / The Bassment — Come check out

Corbett tickle the ivories of the Kinsman

Yamaha S6 grand piano. 4:30pm /

No cover

ROOTS SERIES: ROSIE AND THE RIVETERS / The Bassment — Everything from folk to

bluegrass from this female foursome. 9pm

/ $12/16

DJ AASH MONEY / Béily’s UltraLounge —

DJ Aash Money throws down a high-ener-

gy top 40 dance party every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover

ONE BAD SON / Buds on Broadway — Sas-

katoon’s own return home for a one-off

show. 10pm / Cover TBD

MARIANAS TRENCH, DOWN WITH WEBSTER, ANAMI VICE / Credit Union

Centre — A line up too good to resist. 7pm

/$39.25-54.75 (ticketmaster.ca)

SPRING FEVER CABARET / Fez on Broad-

way — Featuring the incomprable George

Leach. 9pm / $10

JD EDWARDS / Gillian Snider’s House —

A talented roots/folk musician from Win-

nipeg. 8pm / $10 (advance), $15 (door)

DJ ECLECTIC / The Hose & Hydrant —

Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps

snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover

DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — Able

to rock any party, this local crowd fa-

vourite has always been known to break

the latest and greatest tracks in multiple

genres. 9pm / $5 cover

SEAN BURNS TRIO / Lydia’s Pub — An

excellent singer/songwriter from Ontario.

10pm / $5

CLASSIFIED / Odeon Events Centre —

One of the dopest rappers in the nation.

7pm / $25-45 (theodeon.ca)

DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws

— Round up your friends ‘cause there’s

no better country rock party around. 8pm

/ $5; ladies in free before 11pm

NEIL ROSTON / Prairie Ink — A blues/folk

duo. 8pm / No cover

PETER KATZ AND EMMA LEE / The Refin-

ery — Two immense talents you should

definitely check out. 8pm / $15 (advance),

$20 (the door)

THE 11TH OCTAVE / Somewhere Else Pub

and Grill — Things are going to get funky

up in here. 9pm / No cover

COLLECTED BY FUSE COLLECTIVE / Spadina Freehouse — Featuring Flatland

Funk, DJ Noor and more. 9pm / No cover

RUSTY MEN / Stan’s Place — Rock to get

your weekend started. 9pm / No cover

DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge

— Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad


@VERBSASKATOON ENTERTAINMENT

21APR 19 – APR 25


King belt out classic tunes and audience

requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5

D!GGY THE DJ / Tequila Nightclub — Hit

up the Down With Webster afterparty. $5

MNOZIL / Third Avenue Centre — An Aus-

trian brass band. 7:30pm / $10 (McNally

Robinson, St. John’s Music, Long

and McQuade)

SATURDAY 20HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve — Resident DJs

spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm

/ No cover

MO’ MARLEY / Amigos Cantina — Come

out for the Mo’ Marley 4/20 Party! 10pm /

Cover TBD

THE WORST POP BAND EVER / The

Bassment — Also appearing is Luke + Tess

Pretty. 9pm / $15/20

RECORD STORE DAY / Beaumont Film

+ Record — Featuring Ride ‘til Dawn,

Haunted Soles, The Faps. 6pm

DJ CTRL / Béily’s UltraLounge — DJ CTRL

throws it down every Saturday night. 9pm

/ $5 cover

RIFF RAFF / Buds on Broadway — A local

hard rock band.10pm / $6

SPRING FEVER CABARET / Fez on Broad-

way — Featuring Black Rain. 9pm / $10

DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saska-

toon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover





genres. He is sure to have you on the

dance floor in no time. 9pm / $5 cover

JOHNNY DON’T / Lydia’s Pub — Come

rock the night away. 10pm / $5

RATED R WITH APHRODITE / Odeon Event

Centre — A show you don’t want to miss.

7pm / $30+ (theodeon.ca)


Country Rock Bar — Round up your

friends ‘cause there’s no better country

rock party around. 8pm / $5

SIMON WALLS / Prairie Ink — A talented

folk/pop/rock artist. 8pm / No cover

THE 11TH OCTAVE / Somewhere Else Pub

and Grill — Things are going to get funky

up in here. 9pm / No cover

CHARLY HUSTLE / Spadina Freehouse — A

local DJ who gets the party started. 9pm

/ No cover

RUSTY MEN / Stan’s Place — Rock to get





requests. 10pm / $5

SEXY SATURDAYS / Tequila Nightclub —

Featuring DJ Dislexik. 9pm / Cover TBD

(ladies get free cover before 11pm)

PRAIRIE BRASS BAND GRAND FINALE / Third Avenue Centre — Featuring bands

from Saskatoon, Edmonton, Regina and

beyond. 7:30pm / $10 (McNally Robinson,

St. John’s Music, Long and McQuade)

STEVE BROCKLEY BAND / Vangelis — Folk

music isn’t usually this greasy. 10pm / $5

SUNDAY 21JAZZ DIVA SERIES: VERONIQUE EBER-HART TRIO / The Bassment — Eberhart

has a voice you don’t want to miss.

2:30pm / $15/20

INDUSTRY NIGHT / Béily’s UltraLounge

— Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy; this crowd

favourite has always been known to

break the latest and greatest tracks in

multiple genres. 9pm / $4; no cover for

industry staff


toon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm /

No cover

BLUES JAM / Vangelis Tavern — The

Vangelis Sunday Jam is an institution, of-

fering great tunes from blues to rock and

beyond. 7:30pm / No cover

MONDAY 22JASON ELMORE / Buds on Broadway —

Roots and rock straight out of Texas. 10pm

/ $6

METAL MONDAYS / Lydia’s Pub — If hard,

heavy awesomeness is your thing, swing

by, listen to some killer music and get in

on some concert giveaways. 9pm


22APR 19 – APR 25



SYNAPTIC / Vangelis — A great night of

electronic fun. 10pm / No cover

TUESDAY 23THE ARNTZEN BROTHERS / The Bassment

— This brother duo will rock your socks

off. 8pm / $12/16

JASON ELMORE / Buds on Broadway —


/ $6

DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce

— Able to rock any party, this crowd fa-



genres. 9:30pm / $4 cover

VERB PRESENTS OPEN STAGE / Lydia’s

Pub — The open stage at Lydia’s has

hosted many of Saskatoon’s finest per-

formers, and is a chance for bands, solo

artists and even comedians to showcase

original material. 9pm / No cover

OPEN MIC / The Somewhere Else Pub —

Come out to show your talent. 7pm /

No cover

WEDNESDAY 24HUMP WEDNESDAYS / 302 Lounge & Dis-

cotheque — Resident DJ Chris Knorr will

be spinning all of your favourite songs

and requests, every Wednesday night.

9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter

THE HISSES, THE MOAS / Beaumont Film

+ Record — Rockin’ bands from Winnipeg

and right here. 8pm / $5

HOLLY COLE / Broadway Theatre — A

versatile and talented Juno-winning

jazz singer. For tickets and time call

(306) 652-1421

JASON ELMORE / Buds on Broadway —


/ $6

THE AVENUE RECORDING COMPANY PRESENTS OPEN MIC / The Fez on Broad-

way — Hosted by Chad Reynolds. Sign up

and play at this weekly event.

10pm / No cover



No cover

DR. J ‘SOULED OUT’ / Lydia’s Pub — Dr. J

spins hot funk and soul every Wednesday

night. 9pm / No cover

WILD WEST WEDNESDAY / Outlaws

Country Rock Bar — Hosted by DJ Big

Ayyy & DJ Henchman. Come out and ride

the mechanical bull! 9pm / $4; no cover

for industry staff

GREGORY S. EDMUNDS / Spadina Free-

house — Live sax for your soul. 8pm /

No cover

CJWW KARAOKE / Stan’s Place — Your tal-

ent, aired on the radio! 9pm / No cover





10pm / No cover

THURSDAY 25JAZZ JAM: THE DAVID FONG TRIO / The

Bassment — If you play an instrument or

sing, come on down. 8pm / $5 (jammers

get in free)

DEAD PAST DUE / Buds on Broadway — A

local alt-rock band. 10pm / $6

WILMA GROENEN AND MIKE SHERIDAN / D’Lish — Originals and covers of folk and

blues. 8pm / Cover by donation

THROWBACK THURSDAYS / Earls — Come

experience the best in retro funk, soul,

reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm /

No cover

THUNDER RIOT W/CONKY SHOWPONY / The Fez on Broadway — Come dance

the night away as this local DJ plays the

kind of music that’ll get your feet moving.

9pm / $5



No cover

DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax — Local DJ Sugar

Daddy will be rocking the turntables to

get you dancing on the dance floor! Every

Thursday night will be filled with passion

parties, pole dancing, and more! 8pm / $5;

free cover with student ID before 11pm

ANBERLIN / Odeon Events Centre — A

soaring rock band from Florida. 7pm /

$26(advance), $29(day of)

TRIPLE UP THURSDAYS / Tequila — Fea-

turing DJ Stikman. 9pm / Cover TBD

CONTINUUM / Vangelis — Come out for a

good time and good music. 10pm /

No cover

FRIDAY 26HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk,

soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmo-

sphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover

JEANS BOOTS, PANDAS IN JAPAN, MEHTA / Amigos Cantina — Get ready for

a pop explosion. 10pm / Cover TBD

FRED BALLANTYNE / The Bassment —

Come check out Ballantyne tickle the

ivories of the Kinsman Yamaha S6 grand

piano. 4:30pm / No cover

ROMI MAYES + JAY NOWICKI / The

Bassment — Some sweet blues rock for

you. 9pm / $15/20

DJ AASH MONEY / Béily’s UltraLounge —

DJ Aash Money throws down a high-ener-

gy top 40 dance party every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover

HARRY MANX / Broadway Theatre — One

of the best bluesmen working in the coun-

try. 8pm / For tickets info call

(306) 652-6556

KASHMIR / Buds on Broadway — Western

Canada’s premier tribute to Led Zeppelin.

10pm / $6

CHUBBY CHECKER / Dakota Dunes Casino

— This music mainstay wants you to

come out and do the twist with him. 8pm

/ For ticket info contact casino

BAND WARS IX / Fez on Broadway —

Feat. Evening Armistice, Six Blocks,

Mostly Wanted, Jumbo, Hollow Between

the Hills, and Wrathed. 9:30pm / No cover

before 9pm

DJ ECLECTIC / The Hose & Hydrant —

Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps

snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover





genres. He is sure to have you on the

dance floor in no time. 9pm / $5 cover

THE REBELLION, SHOELESS JOES / Lydia’s

Pub — A little bit of rock, a little bit of

soul, and a whole lot of fun. 10pm / $5




rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free

before 11pm

CAILA ELLERMAN / Prairie Ink — A local

folk/roots artist. 8pm / No cover

THUNDER ROSE / Somewhere Else Pub

and Grill — Things are going to be a

rockin’ in here. 9pm / No cover

THE PLAN / Spadina Freehouse — Smooth

beats from a talented DJ. 9pm / No cover

/VERBSASKATOON ENTERTAINMENT

23APR 19 – APR 25


Have a live show you'd like to promote? Let us know!

GET LISTED

[email protected]

REZ BOYS / Stan’s Place — Rock to get





requests,from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5

PARTY ROCK FRIDAYS / Tequila Nightclub

— Featuring DJ Dislexik. 9pm /

Cover TBD

GUNNER AND SMITH, UNWED MOTHERS / Vangelis — Let’s rock the night away with

these local acts. 10pm / $5

SATURDAY 27HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve — Resident DJs

spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm

/ No cover

ROYAL CANOE, ROCOCODE, CLOSE TALKER / Amigos Cantina — With three bands this

good playing, how can you afford to miss

it? 10pm / Cover TBD

SOLSTICE / The Bassment — Singing jazz

standards from the ‘20s to the present.

9pm / $15/20

AUSTEN ROADZ + DJ CTRL / Béily’s

UltraLounge — With over 25 years of DJ

experience, Austen Roadz throws down

a high-energy top 40 dance party along

with DJ CTRL every Saturday night. 9pm

/ $5 cover

KASHMIR / Buds on Broadway — Western

Canada’s premier tribute to Led Zeppelin.

10pm / $6

THE S.I.N. / Fez on Broadway — A rockin’

band from Edmonton. 9pm / Cover TBD


toon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover


to rock any party, this local crowd

favourite has always been known to

break the latest and greatest tracks in

multiple genres. He is sure to have you

on the dance floor in no time. 9pm /

$5 cover

COAL CREEK BOYS, BANJO VAN / Lydia’s

Pub — Yeehaw! Come on out for a folkin’

good time. 10pm / $5




rock party around. 8pm / $5

DOUG BOOMHOWER TRIO / Prairie Ink

— Smooth jazz music for your listening

pleasure. 8pm / No cover

THUNDER ROSE / Somewhere Else Pub

and Grill — Things are going to be rockin’

in here. 9pm / No cover

DJ ALBERT / Spadina Freehouse — A DJ

who gets the party started. 9pm /

No cover

REZ BOYS / Stan’s Place — A little bit of

rock to get your weekend started. 9pm

/ No cover





10pm / $5

SEXY SATURDAYS / Tequila Nightclub —

Featuring DJ Dislexik. 9pm / Cover TBD

(ladies in free before 11pm)

RANDI NELSON AND THE AMATI QUARTET / Third Ave. United Church — Works by

Mozetich, Foote, Schubert, Mozart and

Beethoven. 2pm and 7pm / $15 (www.

persephonetheatre.org)


24APR 19 – APR 25


PHOTO: COURTESY OF UNIVERSIAL PICTURES

T

New Tom Cruise film a visual adventure, but far from perfect BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

…when [Tom Cruise] slows down the film falters.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

OBLIVION

DIRECTED BY Joseph Kosinski

STARRING Tom Cruise, Morgan

Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, +

Olga Kurylenko

124 MINUTES | PG

A BEAUTIFUL OBLIVION

@AdamHawboldt

[email protected]


he year is 2077. Sixty years ago a race of alien scavengers invaded our

world, and all hell broke loose. They knocked out the moon, initiated an apocalyptic nuclear war, and laid waste to the Earth’s surface like it was Sodom and Gomorrah.

No need to fret, though. Humans actually won the war but, in the end, had to abandon the planet. They live now on a gargantuan space station orbiting Earth, while the planet’s remaining water is sucked up.

The end goal? To one day set up shop on Titan — the largest of Saturn’s moons. We knows this because Tom Cruise knows this. Well, not Tom Cruise, exactly. His character in the new sci-fi film Oblivion, Jack Harper, knows this. And in truth, he doesn’t know much more.

See, Jack is one of the humans who survived the alien war. But, for reasons we won’t get into here, his memory has been erased. He now spends his days as a member of a “mop up crew” who lives on a special space station and makes daily trips to Earth to perform maintenance on white, flying, spheri-cal drones, kill whatever alien scaven-gers he sees, and plunder what few remaining resources are left on the planet. All the while his move-ments are monitored by Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) who lives on the special space station with him.

One day there is a huge explo-sion on Earth. Jack goes to check it out, and finds a spaceship carrying a bunch of hibernating humans; one

of them wakes up. Her name is Julia (Olga Kurylenko). Jack takes her back to the station and then things really start happening.

Turns out Julia is Jack’s wife, though he really doesn’t remember because of the whole memory-erase thing.

That’s the first twist in Oblivion, but it certainly isn’t the last. Morgan Free-man shows up. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, too. Mysteries arise and are unraveled.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Tron Legacy), Oblivion is yet another install-ment in the long, long line of post-

apocalyptic sci-fi flicks that have been made in recent years. And like the ones that have come before, Oblivion gives you all the usual scenes and clichés. The unpeopled, barren landscapes. The destroyed, half-buried monuments. The robots.

But what sets Oblivion apart from most of those movies is that, to put it frankly, it’s so goddamn beautiful. Remember how visually stunning Life of Pi was? Remember how bold and beautiful the whole thing was? Well, the same cinematographer who worked on that film worked on this one. His name is Claudio Miranda, and again he’s done one heckuva job.

That’s the good part.The bad part is that no matter how

gorgeous Oblivion is, it’s ultimately just another big Tom Cruise blockbuster. Things work well when he’s in motion and running (he’s always running in

his movies!), but when he slows down the film falters.

But if you can get past the fact that Tom Cruise is doing his Tom Cruise thing again, you should go see Oblivion — if for no other reason than to see the world Kosinski and Miranda have created.

FILM

@VERBSASKATOON ENTERTAINMENTCONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

25APR 19 – APR 25


C

The entire film rests on Fanning’s slight shoulders, and she pulls it off with panache and aplomb.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

COMING OF AGE WITH GINGER AND ROSAElle Fanning knocks it out of the park in her new movieBY ADAM HAWBOLDT

@AdamHawboldt

[email protected]


GINGER AND ROSA

DIRECTED BY Sally Potter

STARRING Elle Fanning, Alice Englert,

Annette Bening, Oliver Platt +

Christina Hendricks

90 MINUTES | PG

PHOTO: COURTESY OF A24

’mon, admit it: you love a good coming-of-age flick.

You know you do. Deep down we all do. With titles like Stand By Me, Almost Famous, Dazed and Confused, Rebel Without a Cause, The Breakfast Club, Good Will Hunting and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints leading the way, how can you not be a fan of the genre?

Now there’s a new, oh-so-good addition to the coming-of-age ge-nus. It’s called Ginger and Rosa, and while it’s a tad more art house and a tad more bleak than the afore-mentioned installments, it’s still one heckuva movie.

Written and directed by the acclaimed Sally Potter (Orlando, Yes), the movie tells the story of two teenage girls, Ginger (Elle Fanning) and Rosa (Alice Englert). The two have been friends since birth, but when we meet them it’s 1962. They live in post-war London, and do what young ladies of the time were wont to do. They sneak cigarettes, hitch-hike, shrink their jeans in the tub together, make out with Mod boys — that kind of stuff.

And at this point if you’re think-ing, “Oh, this sounds like just another

filmmaker taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane,” think again.

Ginger and Rosa isn’t just some idyl-lic swan song to adolescence. No, it’s a movie about politics and history and what happens when the paths of two life-long friends begin to diverge.

You have to remember, this is 1962. The Cold War is raging and the world is going to end.

Or at least that’s what Ginger thinks. And you can’t really blame her. The Bay of Pigs invasion just happened, and she — along with many other people around the globe — lives in fear of America and the U.S.S.R. engaging in an end-of-times nuclear war.

Her fears are magnified by her pacifist professor father, Roland (Ale-sandro Nivola), her gay godparents (Oliver Platt and Timothy Spall) and their quirky friend (Annette Bening). Instead of cowering in her room, though, waiting for a nuclear winter,

Ginger takes to the streets and be-comes a political activist. She tries to convince Rosa to join the cause, but Rosa is too busy getting involved in the church. Oh, she is also busy get-ting involved with Ginger’s dad, who, because of his skirt-chasing nature, returns the interest.

This burgeoning relationship takes a toll on Ginger as she marches to Ban the Bomb while trying to come to terms with growing up.

It’s a heavy burden to bare and a tough role for a young actress like Elle Fanning to play. But she plays the hell out of it. I’m telling you, she is one to keep your eye on. The entire film rests on Fanning’s slight shoulders, and she pulls it off with panache and aplomb. There’s something about her face, the way it can slide so easily from ponderous to smiling, that you can’t

help but notice. Can’t help but want to see more of.

And speaking of seeing things, go see this terrific little movie. If you dig coming-of-age flicks the way I do, you’ll be glad you did.

Ginger and Rosa is currently being screened at Roxy Theatre.

VERBNEWS.COMENTERTAINMENT CONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

26APR 19 – APR 25

CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, April 26.

facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

NIGHTLIFE

/VERBSASKATOON ENTERTAINMENTCONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

27APR 19 – APR 25

SATURDAY, APRIL 13 @

SOMEWHERE ELSESomewhere Else Pub & Grill2605 Broadway Avenue(306) 652 3233

MUSIC VIBE / Blues and rockFEATURED DEALS / Imports or coolers for $4.75 DRINK OF CHOICE / Pints of Alexander Keith’sTOP EATS / Somewhere Else Pub burgers (comes with lettuce, tomato, red onions and mayo, with your choice of fries, soup or salad)SOMETHING NEW / Original 16 is now on tapCOMING UP / Thunder Rose on April 26 + 27

Photography by Patrick Carley


28APR 19 – APR 25

NIGHTLIFE SATURDAY, APRIL 13 @

THEWOODSThe Woods Alehouse148 2nd Avenue North(306) 652 5883

MUSIC VIBE / Eclectic, thanks to a good mix of live tunesFEATURED DEALS / Paddock Wood Red Hammer for $6.50, and a steak sandwich for $18DRINK OF CHOICE / Paddock Wood 606TOP EATS / Jerked turkey pot pie and the ruben on rye sandwichCOMING UP / Live bands every weekend, check their Facebook page for more details

@VERBSASKATOON ENTERTAINMENTCONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

29APR 19 – APR 25

CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! These photos will be uploaded to

Facebook on Friday, April 26.

facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Photography by Ishtiaq Opal


COMICS

30APR 19 – APR 25

© Elaine M. Will | blog.E2W-Illustration.com | Check onthebus.webcomic.ws/ for previous editions!

/VERBSASKATOON ENTERTAINMENTCONTENTS LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENTS Q + A ARTS COVER FOOD + DRINK MUSIC LISTINGS FILM NIGHTLIFE COMICS TIMEOUT

31APR 19 – APR 25

TIMEOUT CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS

HOROSCOPES APRIL 19 – APRIL 25

© WALTER D. FEENER 2012

SUDOKU CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY

A B

SUDOKU ANSWER KEY

A

B

4 5 1 8 7 2 3 9 66 9 3 1 4 5 8 2 77 2 8 9 3 6 5 1 43 8 9 7 6 1 4 5 21 4 7 5 2 9 6 8 35 6 2 4 8 3 1 7 98 3 5 2 9 4 7 6 19 7 6 3 1 8 2 4 52 1 4 6 5 7 9 3 8

2 5 7 1 9 6 8 3 46 1 8 7 4 3 9 2 54 9 3 5 8 2 6 1 77 8 4 3 2 5 1 6 91 3 2 6 7 9 4 5 85 6 9 8 1 4 2 7 39 7 5 4 6 1 3 8 28 2 6 9 3 7 5 4 13 4 1 2 5 8 7 9 6

1 8 7 6 3 5 8 2 7 8 9 1 3 9 7 6 4 4 5 8 5 3 7 9 5 2 9 4 1 6 2 4 2 1 6 3

2 7 6 3 3 9 4 3 5 2 6 1 4 5 1 7 4 85 9 8 1 2 7 7 4 6 8 8 2 6 9 3 5 1 9

ACROSS 1. Burn partially

5. One’s place

of employment

9. Plates, cups, saucers,

etc., collectively

10. Expect

12. Made a surprise attack

13. One who sells wares

15. Not paired

with another

16. Rubs dry

18. Change the colour of

19. Surface measurement

21. Financial help

22. Film spool

23. Movement downward

25. Able to live out of

doors throughout

the winter

26. Short-handled axe

28. Valuable quality

31. Then again

35. Fishing spot

36. Fit out

37. Song sung alone

38. Long span of

geologic time

39. Fender mishaps

41. Spread out for drying

42. Back problem

44. Electrical resistance

46. Spend time in prison

47. Lose sleep over

48. Simmered dish

49. Very curious

DOWN 1. Scolds mildly

2. Cut off from sight

3. In a different way

4. Beaming with joy

5. Acknowledged

the crowd

6. Has outstanding bills

7. Did a marathon

8. Actress from

Yellowknife

9. Nucleus of

trained personnel

11. Played with

12. Thoroughfare

14. Have confidence in

17. Help willingly

20. Wanted badly

22. Puts a value on

24. Corrode

25. Fell by cutting

27. Nickname for Toronto

28. Imitates

29. Places in order

30. Some drums

32. Monk or nun

33. Mournful poem

34. Went on horseback

36. Extend a subscription

39. Submarine captain’s

command

40. Frighten away

by shouting

43. School subject

45. Bride’s new title

TIMEOUT

ARIES March 21–April 19

Get your fill of small, sensual

pleasures this week, Aries. Some

chocolate and strawberries. Cheesecake.

Perhaps a massage.

TAURUS April 20–May 20

Is there someone special in your

life that you’ve been neglecting as

of late, Taurus? If so, try to spend a little

time — it’ll do wonders.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

Have you been experiencing déjà

vu lately? Have you been experi-

encing déjà vu, lately? No worries: it will

soon pass.

CANCER June 21–July 22

What’s your talent, Cancer? If

you’re not sure, mine the depths

of your soul until you unlock what you’re

passionate about. Then start to hone it.

LEO July 23–August 22

We know you love to socialize,

Leo, but take a break this week.

Sequester yourself at home, pull down the

blinds, and relax.

VIRGO August 23–September 22

Pay attention to the small details,

Virgo. The success or failure of

nearly everything you do this week will

depend on it.

LIBRA September 23–October 23

Remember that line from Cool

Hand Luke: “What we got here is

failure to communicate?” That basically

sums up your week.

SCORPIO October 24–November 22

Don’t complicate matters this

week, Scorpio. Keep it simple,

keep it easy, or else you’re in for a long,

long haul.

SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21

Are you worried about coming off

as silly or ridiculous, Sagittarius?

If so, don’t be. Let it all hang out this

week. Be absurd.

CAPRICORN December 22–January 19

Most of the time, Capricorn, you

are a very logical and reason-

able person. But those traits will get you

nowhere in the next few days.

AQUARIUS January 20–February 19

If someone invites you to go

somewhere or do something, don’t

hesitate. Leap, and the chance is you’ll

enjoy the heck out of yourself.

PISCES February 20–March 20

Sometimes people’s eyes don’t

work properly. So instead of try-

ing to physically show them something,

paint them a word picture.

VERBNEWS.COM

Verb Issue S236 (Apr. 19-25, 2013)

Documents

Transcript of Verb Issue S236 (Apr. 19-25, 2013)