Verb Issue S217 (Nov. 23-29, 2012)

ISSUE #217 – NOVEMBER 23 TO NOVEMBER 29

ARTS

CULTURE

MUSIC

SASKATOON

THE RENEGADE

WITH

CORB LUND

SECULAR IN SASKATCHEWAN Atheism in the prairies THE AFTER-IMAGE Art exhibit explores the swan song LIFE OF PI + THE SESSIONS Films reviewed­

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA VALENTI

CONTENTS

NEWS + OPINION

CULTURE

ENTERTAINMENT

Q + A WITH THE TOM FUN ORCHESTRA

LISTINGS

On their punk backgrounds. 12 / Q + A

Local music listings for November 23 through December 1. 18 / LISTINGS

THE RIGHT STUFF

THE DECEMBER MAN

What it takes to fly with the Snowbirds. 4 / LOCAL

A dark part of Canada’s past is played out on the stage. 13 / ARTS

THE SESSIONS + LIFE OF PI The latest movie reviews. 20 / FILM

THE AFTER-IMAGE

NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS

Fiona Annis explores the swan song in AKA exhibition. 13 / ARTS

We visit Vangelis and Bacchus Lounge. 22-25 / NIGHTLIFE

DESIGN LEAD / ROBERTA BARRINGTON DESIGN & PRODUCTION / BRITTNEY GRAHAM CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS / PATRICK CARLEY PATRICIO DEL RIO, ADAM HAWBOLDT + ALEX J MACPHERSON

Atheism in the prairies. 6 / LOCAL

STRAIGHT TALK

CORB LUND

On being a renegade in the business.

14 / COVER

EDITORIAL PUBLISHER / PARITY PUBLISHING EDITOR IN CHIEF / RYAN ALLAN MANAGING EDITOR / JESSICA PATRUCCO STAFF WRITERS / ADAM HAWBOLDT + ALEX J MACPHERSON

ART & PRODUCTION

SECULAR IN SASATCHEWAN

ON THE COVER:

VERBNEWS.COM @VERBSASKATOON FACEBOOK.COM/VERBSASKATOON

INTRODUCING MEDITERRANNO

Our thoughts on protecting free speech in universities. 8 / EDITORIAL

BUSINESS & OPERATIONS

ON THE BUS

Food, markets + more. 16 / FOOD + DRINK

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 26 / COMICS

COMMENTS

MUSIC

GAMES + HOROSCOPES

Your say on the U of R students facing deportation. 10 / COMMENTS

Wil, Mother Mother + Gorjira.

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, horoscopes, and Sudoku. 27 / TIMEOUT

17 / MUSIC

OFFICE MANAGER / STEPHANIE LIPSIT MARKETING MANAGER / VOGESON PALEY FINANCIAL MANAGER / CODY LANG

CONTACT COMMENTS / FEEDBACK@VERBNEWS.COM / 881 8372 ADVERTISE / ADVERTISE@VERBNEWS.COM / 979 2253 DESIGN / LAYOUT@VERBNEWS.COM / 979 8474 GENERAL / INFO@VERBNEWS.COM / 979 2253

PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING & SHARING PHOTO: COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA VALENTI

2 NOV 23 – NOV 29 VERB MAGAZINE

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LOCAL

THE RIGHT STUFF

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SECOND-LIEUTENANT OLIVIER GALLANT

One man’s journey to the pinnacle of military aviation

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

C

aptain Regan Wickett knows it’s been a good day at the office when he is drenched in sweat before noon. This is because Wickett has one of the most intellectually, physically, and emotionally taxing jobs around: he is a pilot with the Snowbirds. “It’s incredibly demanding,” he says of the training regimen new Snowbird pilots undergo. “We always joke that when we come back…we’re covered in sweat and swap out one jacket for another.” An officer in the Canadian Forces since 2004, Wickett was chosen to be part of the famous aerobatic team earlier this year. He will fly Snowbird 7, the outer left wing, for the 2013 and 2014 air show seasons. It is a difficult job, but Wickett has been flying for almost two decades and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Memories of the Snowbirds are common currency in this country. Millions of people have watched the team perform. Millions more have heard the unmistakable whine of jet engines and looked up to see the nine CT-114 Tutors streak overhead, waggling their wings before vanishing in the distance. Strangely, Wickett can’t recall the first time he saw them fly — even though he

spent his childhood in Saskatoon obsessed with airplanes. “I was always very interested in aviation, but I didn’t come at it from an air show perspective,” he says. “I came at it from my dad and from building aircraft models. His interest got me into the Air Cadet program and it just took off from there.”

Wickett, who is 35, joined the air cadet program while still in elementary school. In 1993, he earned his glider pilot’s license on the Schweizer 2-33A sailplane; a year later, he was a fully-qualified private pilot. Flying is infectious, and each moment in the air persuaded Wickett that he was on the right course.

In 1997, he became an instructor and spent summers away from university teaching cadets how to fly. He credits the cadet program with shaping many facets of his life, from personal to professional.

His first solo flight as a cadet laid the groundwork for a career in the cockpit. “I remember that I landed short after the flight,” he says. “My instructor was quick to remind me that it doesn’t matter how good it was: you still landed short and there’s still lots of room to improve on it. I think I’ve always strived to try and improve. There’s always more to learn, and no matter how much you learn about flying, there’s always so much more to know.”

It was a small correction, one every pilot experiences, but for Wickett it changed the way he thought about aviation — and set his course for the Snowbirds.

The Royal Canadian Air Force has a long history of fielding formation aerobatic teams. The Snowbirds were formed in 1971 to preserve traditions established by the Golden Hawks and Golden Centennaires. Composed of nine pilots and dozens of support staff, the team performs dozens of shows each year, culminating in a homecoming show at their Moose Jaw base. Wickett joined the Forces in 2004 and remembers watching the team perform their home closer two years later, while he was completing basic flight training. “I’m sure I did see them quite a few times, especially when I was an air cadet,” he says. “But the time that really stands out in my memory is…when I saw them do the home closer show in the fall of 2006. That really inspired me as a new student who was coming in to be a pilot in the forces, and that brought it all home.”

Wickett joined the Air Force intending to fly multi-engine transports, which he saw as the best way to see the world as part of his job.

He changed his mind after flying the CT-155 Hawk, Canada’s basic CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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fighter trainer. “It blew me away how fast it got me up to 400 knots,” he laughs. After completing his training on the CT-156 Harvard II and the Hawk, Wickett chose to remain in Moose Jaw as an instructor, a decision he says was influenced by his background in teaching. It was an enjoyable experience, but he never forgot what it was like to watch the Snowbirds perform in 2006. Late last year he applied and was asked to try out for the team, which is composed of pilots from across the country.

The tryouts are grueling: six flights during which every facet of a candidate’s flying ability is scrutinized by current team members.

us. If during the challenge and the stress of the tryouts, if you can look around and take it in…and still enjoy it — I think that’s what lets you know you’re in the right spot.”

A few hours after his last tryout flight, Wickett was told he was on the team. “I was a little dumfounded, a little blown away,” he laughs. “It took a little while for it to really sink in.”

Winning a seat with the Snowbirds is just the beginning; learning how to fly like one is the real challenge, and Wickett has been working hard to assemble and refine the skills necessary for tight formation flying.

[No] matter how much you learn about flying, there’s always so much more to know.

REGAN WICKETT

“It was certainly challenging, because you’re pushing yourself to do your very, very best,” he says of the experience. “I wouldn’t say it was terrifying or nerve-wracking. I think we all felt it was a big moment.

I think as much as it was challenging and there was a lot of pressure on us, I think it also brought out the best in

“When you start with the Snowbirds, you start right back at the beginning,” he says. “All summer we’ve been working on our basic formation skills. One thing I’ve really enjoyed… is the focus on the fundamentals.”

Pilots in the Canadian Forces are extremely well-trained, but learning the Snowbirds’ ambitious routine

is still daunting. Wickett likens the process to building blocks, with each step rigorously supervised and evaluated. New pilots are paired with a returning veteran. They practice together and then separately, breaking down each movement into its constituent parts, building skills and confidence. It is a slow process, but it ensures precision and, more importantly, safety.

At the same time, his job with the Snowbirds has opened Wickett up to yet another side of military aviation.

Team members are talented pilots, but they must also be ambassadors for the Canadian Forces. “That’s one of the things that got me attracted to being a Snowbird, is just how personal it is,” he explains. “I was blown away by how personal the team is, that no matter where they are or how long they’ve been working, they’ve always got time after a show — they always have time to go out, sign autographs, and talk to everybody that wants to talk to them.”

Ultimately, the Snowbirds offer an opportunity like no other: a chance to travel and experience some of the best flying the world has to offer while changing the way people think about not only the Canadian Forces but aviation in general. Wickett knows just how powerful the thrill of flying can be, and even though he has two years

with the Snowbirds ahead of him, he knows whatever comes next will be just as good. “I don’t think there’s ever an end to a flying career, especially not in the Canadian Forces,” he says. “Every step of the way it seems like I’ve had an experience where I’ve said, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ Sometimes it’s small details, sometimes it’s something really profound. In the gliding program I really loved flying at sunset; I loved the light, I love everything about being out there. On the Harvard II it was everything from the amazing

aerobatics we could do with it to going through mountain canyons on transits out to the west coast. On the Hawk it was the breathtaking performance. I can’t believe how fortunate, how lucky, how blessed I am to be doing what I’m doing.”

Even if it means changing jackets two or three times a day. ( ( ) 881 Feedback?

8372 Feedback?Text Textit!it!306 306) 881 8372 @MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

5 NOV 23 – NOV 29 @VERBSASKATOON

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LOCAL

SECULAR IN SASKATCHEWAN

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ADAM HAWBOLDT / VERB MAGAZINE

Café Apostate, and the rise of atheism BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

C

oming out wasn’t easy for Rebekah Bennetch.

She grew up in Savannah, Georgia, where she was raised in a devoutly evangelical family. Her parents were both missionaries, her father a minister. For most of Bennetch’s life, the shadow of the church loomed large and imposing.

People who knew Bennetch back then never envisioned that one day she would move to Canada and start an atheist support group, but those people were wrong. Somewhere along the line, something happened.

The pillars that once supported her faith began to crumble.

“It wasn’t any one specific thing,” says Bennetch, who now calls Saskatchewan home. “It was more like a series of disappointments and disillusionment. I saw a lot of hypocrisy and social conservatism attached to our evangelical movement. And it didn’t make a lot of sense. I mean, I have gay and lesbian friends and I simply couldn’t judge them the way my religion did.”

Confronted with conflicting feelings and misgivings, Bennetch began losing her religion. “It just got to be too difficult to hold onto,” she explains. “The analogy I like to use

is that I was holding religion in my hand, and — slowly — my fingers started to slip away, one at a time.

And pretty soon I wasn’t holding on to anything anymore.”

But that didn’t mean it was time to come out as an atheist to her family. No, that time didn’t come until five or so years ago, when her daughter was born.

“When she came along,” admits Bennetch, “that’s when I decided it was time. I want to be a good example for my daughter.”

So Bennetch came out to her family, and told them she no longer believed in religion or God. Needless to say, Bennetch’s family was less than impressed.

“I remember how things were with my family in the days before coming out, and I remember how things were in the days after,” says Bennetch, “Things are very different now. I myself hadn’t changed. Their knowledge of me changed. They really wanted me to be who they thought I was, even though I wasn’t that person anymore.”

Bennetch doesn’t blame her family for their reaction. After all, in the evangelical world she came from, people weren’t friends with atheists. It just didn’t happen. So how could she

expect her family to embrace her decision with open arms?

“It’s been really hard for them,” says Bennetch. “Because, for the most part, they believe I’m going to hell … they really don’t like that too much.”

And it wasn’t just her family who had issues with Bennetch’s newfound atheism.

“I lost a lot of friends,” she says.

“There are just some people who couldn’t handle it.”

Stuck in a situation like this, with your family and friends pulling away, how would you react? What would you do?

On the first Sunday of every second month, a group of people meet at the Mackenzie Cole coffee shop in Saskatoon. This is the group Rebekah Bennetch helped form.

It’s called the Café Apostate. And there in Mackenzie Cole, in a little room that they usually book, members of the group sit around talking.

For the last little bit they’ve been discussing Guy Harrison’s book, 50 Reasons People Give For Believing in a God. But when they meet in December, the talk will switch to how you can celebrate the holidays in a non-religious way.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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Talk: that’s what people do at the Café Apostate. They talk about ideas and religion and family and whatnot.

And they’re not alone.

Since the early 2000s, there’s been a wide and vocal wave called New Atheism gaining momentum.

Propelled by the scientific theories and stone-cold logic of writers like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens (who died last year), New Atheism is a more in-your-face

religion,” says Bennetch. “They’re saying, ‘we’re out here, we’re a part of society and we’re going to ask questions — uncomfortable questions you might have to answer.’”

And it seems as though this new strain of atheism is catching on.

In 2001, Statistics Canada released a report on religion that said around 4.9 million people had no religious affiliation whatsoever in

For a long time it was a cultural thing, you didn’t talk ill about religion.

REBEKAH BENNETCH

atheism than people have historically been used to.

See, in the past most atheists were content to sit back. But these new atheists are different: they’re more visible, more vocal. More willing to counter, criticize and question religion at every turn.

“The benefit I see in what these guys do is they’re very vocal. They’re not afraid. For a long time it was a cultural thing, you didn’t talk ill about

this country. That number climbed to nearly 5.7 million in 2006, and is projected to break the 8-million mark by 2031.

So is this a direct result of the rising tide of New Atheism? Nobody can say for sure.

What we can say, however, is this: province by province — from Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan and beyond —our country is becoming increasingly secular.

Does this mean atheism is, in a sense, becoming a religion in and of itself? A new religion sweeping the nation?

“There are certain strains out there [where] if you ask them ‘is atheism your religion,’ they’d say ‘yes,’” explains Bennetch. “But that’s not me. Yes, I’m an atheist, but that doesn’t dictate my philosophy or ideology.”

And Bennetch will continue being an atheist. She’ll continue to meet with the Café Apostate on the first Sunday of every second month. She’ll continue to talk and discuss ideas. But she won’t treat it like a religion. Instead, her group will remain what it’s always been — a safe place where people who have lost religion can go without fear of being rejected. A place to find the support they’ve lost through coming out.

Or maybe just a safe place for like-minded people to sit around and shoot the breeze.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

7 NOV 23 – NOV 29 /VERBSASKATOON

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EDITORIAL

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JEFF DRAKE

STRAIGHT TALK

Canadian universities must encourage free speech

H

ave Canadian universities become intolerant of free speech?

That’s a question a lot of people have been asking for the past few years. And do you know what? There are no shortage of groups out there that feel post secondary institutions have become close-minded.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) certainly believes university rules and regulations are girded so tight they’re strangling free speech. And we imagine the various university student groups who have been decertified or refused certification based on their beliefs feel the same.

And the latest group to chime in — the Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, whose mission is to “defend the constitutional freedoms of Canadi-

ans through litigation and education” — recently released a report called the 2012 Campus Freedom Index. This report shows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the state of free speech on our university campuses is in serious trouble.

In fact, of the 35 universities and students’ unions on the index (which, oddly enough, did not include the University of Regina), 12 university administrations failed while nearly a dozen students’ unions received a total of 16 Fs — the lowest possible grade.

According to the report, many of these unions received such a poor ranking in part because at some point they had censored unpopular opinion, from banning campus pro-life groups to prohibiting the expression “Israeli apartheid.” The University of Saskatchewan’s Stu-

dents’ Union received an F for both its policies and its actions.

And we feel that, in no way, shape or form should speech or opinions be curtailed.

Novelist and essayist Salman Rushdie once said: “Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game.

Free speech is life itself.”

And he was right — especially when it comes to our institutions of higher learning. Here in the Western world, universities have traditionally been bastions of free thought and free speech. Places where you’re encouraged to ask serious-minded questions, express wild opinions and defend offhanded, even offensive, beliefs.

In fact, cultivating that reputation is how many of these institutions lobby for funding: as Justice Centre president John Carpay told CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

8 NOV 23 – NOV 29 NEWS + OPINION

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF LIAM RICHARDS

the National Post, “It’s fundamentally dishonest for the university to go to the government … and ask for hundreds of millions of dollars on the pretext that they are a centre for free inquiry and then receive the money and turn around and censor unpopular opinions.”

And here’s the thing: when you restrict free speech, the pursuit of truth becomes impossible. And the life, the very essence of academia, is sucked up and spit out.

So we believe it’s time for our universities to smarten up. It’s time for campuses to once again become places where controversial ideas are to be debated and argued over with vigour. Places where ideas and beliefs and ideologies can be presented with words, images or action — in any way permitted by the Canadian Charter of Rights

and Freedoms — without fear of persecution.

This is not to suggest that we are condoning student groups who harass others. Acting aggressively towards those who have clearly demonstrated that they would like to be left alone should not be permitted, whether you’re espousing your reproductive views or advertising your club’s latest pub crawl. We support your right to have your contentious beliefs; we do not support hostile behaviour to passersby.

And to that end, simply walking onto a public university campus implies that you are willing to engage in higher-minded, disputed, perhaps even uncomfortable conversations. And so we think that university students should be allowed to form their contentious student groups, to hold their

contestable conferences, to freely post their controversial posters on university bulletin boards. It’s their right. Just because certain universities have become skewed institutions where one ideology has taken a stranglehold, it doesn’t mean that ideology is correct. Especially when diversity of opinion isn’t tolerated, and free speech is taken away.

“You can’t have a university without having free speech, even

though at times it makes us terribly uncomfortable,” former Secretary of Health and Human Services, and current president of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala once said. “If students are not going to hear controversial ideas on college campuses, they’re not going to hear them in America. I believe it’s part of their education.”

And we believe the same holds true for our country.

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

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9 NOV 23 – NOV 29 @VERBSASKATOON

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COMMENTS

ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about the U of R students facing deportation. Here's what you had to say:

– We can’t make exceptions for these students just because we feel sorry for them. The law is the law.

Sad as it is to say.

Text yo thoughtsur to 881 VE R B 8372

– LOVE THE WOODEN SKY! They are gettin so huge right now and they’re so talented can’t wait to see them In response to “The Wooden Sky,” Cover story, #216 (November 16, 2012)

– Been reading comments about this on other websites and the amount of ignorant, uninformed and blatantly rascist comments going around about these two students is disgusting. Ordu and Amadi made a mistake they are paying for but they shouldn’t be paying for it by wiping out previous years of education and sending them packing. If the university is willing to stand with them, then shouldn’t that be all that really matters?

– These students need to go if we make a exception for them then what’ll happen next time something like this happens. We need to be firm in our stance.

– Regarding editorial FEEDBACK I didn’t realized that people could still be free from laws by hiding out in a church and pleading sanctuary? How can they be safe from the law in there?

– Deportation is way too harsh of a punishment for what these two student’s did. This needs to be revisited and I think a fine would work good

– Lincoln was terrible, but Daniel day lewis was awesome. Movie was just to cheeeeezy (November 16, 2012)

Local page, #216 (November 16, 2012)

– I was a kid the first time I heard the phrase “a person of colour”.

I thought it meant some kind of painter or artist.

– Breaking out the studded tires on my bike

– Now is the time to come together as a community, be it the food baskets or anything. And not religious: just because we’re all human.

SOUND OFF – Yes, you are right when you say Christmas is a massive commercial holiday. I don’t agree with how commercial it has become however. Jesus is the reason for the season.

– About keep the Christ in Christmas. While I’m not personally religious, I believe everyone has the right to celebrate the season privately in whatever way they find meaningful but to try to force your perspective (religious or otherwise) as the “right way” the season is to be celebrated is just dogmatic.

– GSP vs Condit? GSP is gonna kick Condit’s azz! I’m giving the match to GSP in the 3rd round by submisson either arm bar or choke hold.

– I’m all for people expressing their opinions in their texts but can people not express themselves without swearing? It’s simply not respectful. We need to get respect back into society.

In response to “A Life Under the Lights,”

– A farm pal said things can also get OUT of town where he lives.

Drinking home brew until you end up naked singing on the roof or windmill is OUT of town!

In response to “Love for Lincoln,” Film, #216

OFF TOPIC – Amy Matysio does so much for the arts in Saskatchewan. Love her!

– Some texts in the verb don’t even make sense. At least submit something that’s worth reading.

– Housewives in the 1950s and 1960s likely needed Valium to keep from screaming. Or murdering the family.

– If more people would carpool in this city it would help ease traffic congestion. Think about it 4 people in a car or 4 people in 4 separate cars.

– Ya can’t help wondering how big a role naturally occurring psychoactive compounds played in our evolution? A monkey ate mushrooms and “invented” “God”?

– I want to see you guys! Why dont u have FB pics of the staff? More pics LOLz

– I do not get the Black Friday thing in the States seems ridiculous why would anyone want to hang around for hours facing the potential of getting trampled to save a bit of cash. These sales can’t be worth it it seems so stressful to me. Hate boxing day too

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

10 NOV 23 – NOV 29 NEWS + OPINION

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ARTS

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– Happy Thanksgiving USA!

– LOL at Petreus scandal text. So dumb! They’re all adults who cares what they do

– Oh no poor Teri hope that txt was not an actual breakup.!

– At least half my neighbourhood has xmas lights up already and i love it. Bring on Christmas!

– Pat Lorje Fund: For just a $1.00 a day you can help a City Councillor put food on the table, educate a provide insight into what poverty really means. Save a City Councillor. Donate today at City Hall.

– What the hell is Atch talking about putting a toll on the bridges that is the dumbest thing ever. I would totally go out of my way to avoid paying for that.

– To the person who texted about the rattling hope you solved the problem :D Ghost maybe?

– I hate how when it gets slippery I have to drive more slowly I really like driving fast (defensively) and then if I need to stop suddenly I can. Snow and ice tho means sliding and accidents. When will summer be back?

– Some a-hole just about smashed into the side of my car because he thought he could make the left turn. Jesus people chill out it’s not the greatest out there on the roads

– I also never saw u on the bus givn away the 50 u just give it to ur friends

– It’s times like these I wish I could take off somewhere hot as hell for the next four months and pretend that winter isn’t even a real thing that happens in the prairies. Depressing: it’s only started. And not that cold.

– Why was Verb writer Adam Hawboldt shouting. Is he shouting at you? is that ur office?

– Had a cat crawl up under my car to stay warm when I parked. Don’t forget to bang your hood/check before driving

– LC was amazing, checked that one off the bucket list. What an incredible performance

– U guys should have a advice column let readers write in, then print their questions and ur answers. It would be awesome

– Family circus reference? Is that even still around?

– Hey busstop u up for headn 2 ryans latr? Txt me

– I can’t believe the number of people I see running their cars excessively in the winter. I know it’s cold out, but try to be a little more environmentally conscious, hey.

IT’S MY BDAAAAY lol thx verb

NEXT WEEK: What do you think about the state of free speech on university campuses. 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.

11 NOV 23 – NOV 29 /VERBSASKATOON

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Q+A

EARTHWORM HEART

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATHAN M. BOONE

The Tom Fun Orchestra takes their show on the road

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

E

arthworm Heart is a rock record like no other. Which is probably not surprising, considering that its by the Tom Fun Orchestra. The brainchild of singer-songwriter Ian MacDougall, the Tom Fun Orchestra is a sprawling collective featuring a wide array of instruments. The Cape Breton-based band’s latest effort, Earthworm Heart, sounds like what you might expect from a band featuring Tom Waits, Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy, Ken Casey, and half of Arcade Fire: a record meant to be played loud in a pub or at a party. Which is pretty much what a Tom Fun Orchestra show feels like — the most fun you can have with pants on. I caught up with MacDougall to chat about making a new record and wreaking havoc on the road.

Alex J MacPherson: Can you tell me a bit about making this album?

Ian MacDougall: I don’t know if we planned to make anything in particular.

It’s been a long time and the songs on the first record were the first songs that we ever wrote.

They were just there and it was time to make a record, they just happened without a lot of thought or consideration. This time around we’d been playing for a long time and it’s just the direction we wanted to take the band.

It’s more representative of how we think of ourselves, probably.

AJM: Making second records is notoriously hard. Did you worry about

departing too much from what you did last time?

Pretty much everybody in the band comes from a really good punk rock scene here, and we all kind of stem from that. It’s such a weird thing. I don’t think we’re trying to put anything on the map; we’re just surrounded by all of this all at once. It’s a nice thing to be a part of. We just like to play music, in whatever way it comes out.

IM: I don’t think so. I don’t even know that they were written with a record in mind. I think it was all pretty organic, just the type of songs we wanted to write. Some are very old, and some are very new. It was a really gradual progression. We didn’t do it in the same way most bands would record a second record. I don’t think any of that pressure was paramount when we were approaching it.

AJM: What’s life like on the road?

IM: I think it’s an organic thing. I think it’s kind of the nature of what we are. We certainly aren’t in this for the money. We’re generally a seven or eight-piece band, and from what I’ve

AJM: The album has traditional and rock sounds. Is it difficult to balance those?

Pretty much everybody in the band comes from a really good punk rock scene…

IAN MACDOUGALL

IM: I don’t think so, no. We don’t ever really set out to try and capture any sort of Celtic sound or influence. To me, it’s sometimes a surprise that we get that association, I think partly because in Cape Breton the people that listen to traditional music are so hardcore about it that we would never be lumped in with that group. At the same time, it’s certainly not something we set out to do. I would think of us more as a rock band with folk instruments.

observed over the years with other bands on the road, I don’t think a lot of bands get along the way we do. We’re all best friends; we have a ridiculous amount of fun wherever we go, and it’s not something we set out to do — it just happens, an extension of our character as a traveling unit.

The Tom Fun Orchestra December 1 @ Amigos Cantina Tickets available at the door

AJM: Does being from Cape Breton change the way you approach music?

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IM: There’s such an abundance of music in Cape Breton — and in the Maritimes. Everybody plays music.

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THE DECEMBER MAN

The lasting reverberations of a massive tragedy play out onstage

O

n December 6, 1989, Marc Lépine walked into the École Polytechnique in Montreal and opened fire. In less than 20 minutes, he shot 28 people, almost all of them women, before committing suicide. Fourteen women died.

The massacre shocked people across Canada. It became a catalyst for the gun control debate, and is recognized as a seminal event in our country’s history. Lépine’s motivations have been examined from every angle, but they remain inscrutable. Not so the emotional impact of the event, which is the subject of The December Man, an award-winning play by Colleen Murphy.

“It’s a story about a family in Montreal dealing with the École Polytechnique tragedy,” says Aaron Hursh, who stars as Jean in the production.

“It’s not actually about the event; it’s about how that event reverberates into the homes of the victims.” The December Man is about emotional fallout, the way enormous events af-

fect individuals, the way we grapple with tragedy and disaster and a lack of understanding.

Hursh’s character is one of the men Lépine asked to leave a classroom before shooting the women who remained. The narrative arc runs backward through time, beginning with the fracture of his family two years after the murders and ending — inevitably — on a December day in 1989.

“You watch the family deteriorate to the point where they can’t actually consolidate their grief and their hatred for this guy and for themselves for not being able to fix their own situation,” Hursh says.

And while Hursh isn’t sure whether we will ever understand what prompts someone like Lépine to commit a massacre, he believes The December Man shows that there are outlets, ways to slough off the inevitable feelings of guilt and responsibility. “We’ve got more tools now to deal with that sort of thing,” he says. “It’s

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NATHAN HURSH

important to talk about them, not let them get bottled up.”

Starring Kent Allen as Benoît, Sharon Bakker as Kathleen, and Hursh as Jean, The December Man is an examination of what it means to be a family. “It’s easier to blame someone than it is to understand it,” Hursh says of the tragedy. But it’s the understanding that is really important.

The December Man Nov 15-18, 22-25, + 29-Dec 2 @ The Refinery $21 @ Ontheboards.ca

THE AFTER-IMAGE

Fiona Annis explores the swan song BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

PHOTO: COURTESY OF AKA GALLERY

F

iona Annis thought it was a waste of time. She though her film was ruined by the fading light over the River Ouse. She was wrong. What Annis actually had was a series of elegiac photographs of the site of Virginia Woolf’s suicide. The photos became the heart of her latest exhibition, The AfterImage (Swan Songs), a collection of photographic renderings of death, the places where the final acts of great lives are played out.

“The departure point came from the expression ‘swan song,’” Annis explains. “And ‘swan song’ comes from the Greek myth that swans are mute throughout their lifetime, but before they die they sing a final song. Over time this has come to mean an artist’s or a poet’s last work. I became curious about this poignant final articulation, and over time I started linking that with the notion of place.”

The project became a three-year odyssey. Annis shot at dawn and at dusk, capturing smoky images of places inextricably linked to an artist’s last work and death. She photographed the lawn at the Dakota Apartments where John Lennon was murdered and the Williamsburg apartment where Mark Lombardi committed suicide; she captured images of the most westerly tip of Ireland, where Bas Jan Ader’s art

collided with his life, ending one and immortalizing the other.

The photographs are dark and compelling, not unlike the mingled horror and fascination created by death itself.

They feel like abstract interpretations of Fournier’s “The Funeral of Shelley,” art that doesn’t quite know the difference between finality and forever.

The After-Image (Swan Songs) makes no distinction. In one sense, it is a collection of postcards, beautiful images of beautiful places. But ever present is the idea of just how fragile and fleeting life is. The meditation on final acts the exhibition provokes is not only a contemplation of life and death, but also the exploration of immortality through art. Annis, though, prefers to leave more questions than answers. “I think that challenge is my job,” she says.

JUPITER

Ultimately, The After Image (Swan Songs) is a profound and moving example of how photography of the present can intermingle with echoes of the past. “I think sometimes when we are reminded of death, we are also reminded how temporary and precious the moments that we have here are,” Annis says. “And the potential in what we can do with that.”

The After-Image (Swan Songs) Through December 1 @ AKA Gallery

( ( ) 881 Feedback?

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THE OUTSIDER Corb Lund’s career as an outlaw, a renegade, and a rascal

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

H

e may not be a hussar, a Hun, or a wretched Englishman, but there is no question that Corb Lund is an outlaw, a renegade, and a rascal. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve been able to build a career where I can pretty much do whatever I want as long as I don’t turn into a paedophile or something,” he laughs.

“Musically, I seem to be able to stretch any way I want to go — and so far people have followed.”

Lund is one of the most vital voices in Canadian music, a singular force in country music and a bastion of dry humour, encyclopedic musical knowledge, and unparalleled authenticity. He has spent the best part of two decades establishing himself without regard for trend or style; he exists on the fringes of popular music, channeling dozens of traditions yet cleaving to none. “I don’t think that country people know quite what to do with me, because I’m kind of on the outside of that scene,” he says. “But at the same time, my sh*t’s got way more country [and] rural lyrical content than theirs does. My stuff is ironically chock full of rural content, and they know that, but they can’t fully embrace me because I’m a weirdo.”

“It’s funny,” he adds with a laugh.

Corb Lund wasn’t always an outlaw. Years ago, he was just a

kid growing up in Taber, living the ranch life he has never been able to excise from his songs. Everything changed when he moved to the city and formed the Smalls, a seminal speed metal band. In a career spanning 12 years, the Smalls sold thousands of records and played hundreds of shows. They culti-

keep releasing albums, each generating more excitement than the last.

All are eclectic, a trend shaped by the sharp divide in Lund’s life: the division between country and city, rural and urban. “It’s just my personality, I guess,” he says. “All that stuff, the traditional stuff and all the traditions of country and roots music, and all

I’ve had a crush on [Christiane Amanpour] for a long time. I’ve been meaning to write her a love song.

CORB LUND

vated a rabid fan base with little support from the industry, relying instead on quality songwriting and inexhaustible enthusiasm. Their farewell show is still fresh in some people’s minds.

Lund recorded a brace of country albums before the Smalls quit in 2001, but his break came with Five Dollar Bill, which he released a year later.

“I got kind of fortunate years ago, because they played the crap out of two or three of my songs on country radio,” he says, referring to the title track. Lund’s credit with mainstream radio ebbs and flows, but support from the CBC and a strong fanbase in western Canada has allowed him to

the standards, I approach them with some irreverence and abandon. I like all that stuff, but I’ve never felt I need to do it this way. I kind of f*ck with it a little bit.”

Conformity is anathema to Lund, who rejects orthodox approaches to songwriting and recording. Although his knowledge of early country is vast, Lund seems to consider music art in motion. He dislikes blind adherence and thoughtless devotion, preferring to jettison dogma and stamp each song with his own mark. Which, he laughs, is sometimes easier to do: “I’m surprised more people don’t do that because there’s so much history to dig into and basically steal. It’s like, even

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA VALENTI

within country there’s like 20 different styles you can grab and basically commandeer for your own.”

Cabin Fever, his latest record, is a perfect example of Lund’s willingness to mine the depths of country for inspiration. The album opens with the post-apocalyptic “Gettin’ Down on the Mountain,” Lund’s menacing

survivalist-inspired musing on the end of the oil industry. “Dig Gravedigger Dig” is a sinewy blues stomp steeped in rye whiskey and best served long after midnight. “One Left in the Chamber” is a straightforward weeper, a simple yet effective ballad about losing love and the coward’s way out, while “The Gothest Girl I Can” is an arch look at the virtues of women wearing leather and black lipstick. “Cows Around” is pure western swing, a lively look at the many virtues of bovine livestock — and, it should be said, reminiscent of “Long Gone to Saskatchewan” from Losin’ Lately Gambler. The best song on the record, and probably the best Lund has ever penned, is “September,”

a devastating reverb-drenched love song and quiet reminder of how Lund is pulled in different directions. It also features the best line on the record: “I can picture how you’re living in a tiny fourth floor flat / There’s times that a thousand acres and the rocky mountains can’t compete with that.”

Ultimately, Lund’s songwriting can be summed up in a single sentence: “I write about sh*t I’m interested in.”

Lund is more of an antenna than a generator; he waits for inspiration to strike rather than attempt to write about a specific subject. The result is a collection of songs charting his minor obsessions, from Civil War history and gambling to equine matters and the future of his beloved Alberta. “I don’t really do it on purpose,” he says. “If my brain real estate is taken up by a particular topic, I just automatically pull songs out of it.” His latest project is a series of songs about war correspondents and combat journalism. And, of course, a love song for Christiane Amanpour. “I’ve had a crush on her for a long time,” he says. “I’ve been meaning to write her a love song. I started one, started a couple actually.”

What makes Cabin Fever sound so good is a combination of quality songwriting and first-rate musicianship. Lund wrote the album in a cabin after his 13-year relationship imploded. When his band, the Hurtin’ Albertans, convened to cut it, the

whiskey flowed and organic was the adjective of choice. “It’s all live, even the vocals, and there’s no click track,” he says. “We got really drunk and recorded the whole thing real loose.” Kurt Ciesla, Grant Siemens, and Brady Valgardson long ago ceased to be a backup band. Today, they are an integral part of Lund’s sound. “I’m a band guy,” Lund says, referring to his years with the Smalls. “I’ve seen some singer-songwriter acts and I get the feeling the bandleader maybe doesn’t know very much about arranging band stuff, and I think that’s really crucial.”

Perhaps more importantly, the Hurtin’ Albertans are flexible, a handy trait when the next venue could be a rowdy country bar or a massive theatre.

“We play the craziest variety of shows,” Lund says. “We’ll play folk fests, we’ll play full-on country fests, and we’ll play the odd rock fest night.

We’ll play a theatre one place and then a full-on honky-tonk in the next place, and then the hip indie bar in the next town, then a biker bar, then

somebody’s f*cking living room.” And unlike most audiences, Lund’s are as diverse as his records. He draws riggers and bikers, rockers and hipsters, and pretty much anyone who is fond of strong drink. When the Hurtin’ Albertans play small theatres in small towns, their fans descend “like locusts and drink the bar completely dry in the first 20 minutes,” Lund explains with a laugh. “That’s one of the things I’m most proud of. It’s good to get all those people in one room together and force them to deal with each other.”

Many musicians spend years on the road in search of the spotlight. Lund has spent years on the road not giving a damn about the spotlight. And now it’s paying off. He is successful in Canada and a growing phenomenon in the United States. His catalogue is expanding, and each record he releases is better than the last. Even the radio, the ultimate maker or breaker of careers, doesn’t much matter. “I

look at those poor Canadian country people [and] I just feel bad for them,” he says. “They’re in such a f*cking box. Whether you like it or not, it’s a really, really, really narrowly-defined genre. There are very tight boundaries with what they can get away with. I’m lucky.”

Lucky because he can do whatever he wants. Lucky because it keeps working out. Lucky because he is now a vital part of the fabric of Canadian music. And lucky because outlaw or not, most people can’t imagine him anywhere else.

Lucky indeed.

Corb Lund December 4 @ The Odeon Events Centre $36.25 @ Ticketmaster.ca

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Photography courtesy of Adam Hawboldt.

BIG CHANGES, MEDITERRANNO-STYLE

The restaurant formerly known as the Real Greek Restaurant gets a makeover. BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

A

ristotle once said that “change in all things is sweet.”

And you know what? He was right. Especially when you apply Aristotle’s idea to the changes being made at the old Real Greek Restaurant downtown.

What kind of changes, you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you.

For starters, it’s not called the Real Greek anymore. No sir. These days, the sign hanging outside says Mediterranno. And while the inside of the restaurant still looks the same, some seriously big changes are on the horizon.

For starters, the people there have already completely overhauled their menu. Now, instead of serving solely Greek cuisine, they’ve expanded their menu to encompass the whole of the Mediterranean. Take their lunch menu, for instance…

On a recent visit I chowed down on a Caprese salad (wildly delicious), lobster bisque (so good I wanted to lick the bowl clean), penne Amatrici-

ana (an amazing pasta dish consisting of penne, bacon, onions, garlic and tomato) and a delectable pizza topped with roasted garlic, mushrooms, cheese and truffle oil. For dessert, I was served some of the best tiramisu I’ve had in a long time, as

up levels, is going to be completely gutted to make room for a walk-in market.

The market, which will have everything from imported oils and cheeses to freshly made pasta and sauces, will also feature a pâtisserie (a bakery that specializes in croissants and pastries).

Oh, and off to the left-hand side of the downstairs space— in place of what’s now a walk-up level with tables and hanging plants — there will be a bar where you can sit down with some friends and throw back a glass of wine or an imported beer while you nibble on a piece of gourmet pizza.

If all this sounds like a radical departure from what the Real Greek Restaurant used to be, well, that’s because it is.

But don’t worry. The upstairs of Mediterranno is still a sit-down restaurant, albeit much different from what it once was. Now the restaurant part of the building is done up in a soft Mediterranean colour-scheme, the lights have been dimmed and, to be completely honest, it’s one of the coziest, most inviting atmospheres around.

The market … will have everything from imported oils and cheeses…

ADAM HAWBOLDT

well as a silky smooth bowl of crème brûlée à la lavande that can only be described as heavenly.

And the changes don’t stop at the menu.

In fact, there are plans to change the entire look of the restaurant. The downstairs, which now consists mainly of tables, walkways and various step-

If you don’t believe me, go check it out for yourself.

Mediterranno 119 3rd Ave S | 244 4777

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LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE SANTORINI SUNRISE

INGREDIENTS

Shine a little ray of sunshine on these otherwise dreary winter days. This drink is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a warm glow in your belly.

2 slices pink grapefruit, quartered (eight in total) 4 mint leaves, plus extra for garnish 2 tsp. honey 2 oz. vodka 3 oz. freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice 1 oz. Campari

DIRECTIONS

In a highball glass, muddle seven of the quartered grapefruit slices together with mint and honey. Fill the glass with ice. Add vodka, juice, and Campari. Stir well. Garnish the drink with remaining slice of grapefruit and a mint leaf (if you want.)

16 NOV 23 – NOV 29 CULTURE

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NEXT WEEK

COMING UP

WIL

MOTHER MOTHER

GOJIRA

@ LYDIA’S FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30 – $5

@ THE ODEON EVENTS CENTRE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5 – $36.25

@ THE ODEON EVENTS CENTRE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16 – $26

This engaging singer/songwriter comes by his musical talents honestly. Raised by “musically proficient” parents, Wil grew up listening to the likes of Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins and Hank Williams. And you know what, the influence of those legends can still be heard in small traces in Wil’s down-to-earth folk/roots-rock music. With well crafted lyrics, an edgy raw voice and more than enough stage presence to go around, this is a guy who puts on a terrific concert. And he’s taking his talents on the road this winter, playing gigs everywhere from Vancouver to Moose Jaw and back again. He’ll be making a pit stop here in Saskatoon at Lydia’s, playing a show with Ryan McMahon. Tickets are available at Lydia’s Pub.

It all stared in 2005, when B.C. vocalist Ryan Guldemond decided to start a vocal-driven pop band.

He recruited his sister and a college friend, and soon the trio began playing as an acoustic act. Fast forward half a decade, and Mother Mother is now an art-pop quintet that uses tri-harmony vocal arrangements, playful piano licks, dynamic string music and a retrospective style of writing to give this band a sound all its own. After a whirlwind year that saw the group do a bit of globetrotting, Mother Mother went back to the studio and pumped out their fourth record, The Sticks. The sky is the limit for this fast-rising band.

Mother Mother will be hitting up The Odeon in early December; tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

Formed in Bayonne, France, in 1996, this thrash/death/prog-metal four-piece used to be called Godzilla.

Until 2001, that is, when they became known as Gojira. Consisting of Joe Duplantier (vocals, rhythm guitar), Mario Duplantier (drums), Christian Andreu (lead guitar) and Jean-Michel Labadie (bass), the band is wellknown for being eco-conscious, often singing songs with serious environmental themes. On the strength of five studio albums and three live DVDs, Gojira has rocketed from relative obscurity to one the vanguards of the eco-genre of music. Their sound includes rhythmic drums, interesting song structures, and vocals ranging from screams to death metal growls. For more information about tickets, go to www.theodeon.ca – By Adam Hawboldt

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: THE ARTIST / TODD. M. DUYM / ROMAIN DRONNE

SASK MUSIC PREVIEW MusiCounts has extended their deadline grant for the 20122013 school year until November 30th. These grants, in $5,000 and $1,000 allotments, provide elementary and high schools with the means of purchasing the instruments and equipment necessary to sustain an effective music program. For more information, please visit www.musicounts.ca

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

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LISTINGS

NOVEMBER 23 » DECEMBER 1 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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M

T

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23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

1

FRIDAY 23

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven it up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover FOAM LAKE / Amigos Cantina — Catchy rock and roll from a wicked local quartet.

10pm / Tickets available at the door PIANO FRIDAYS: ROSS NYKIFORUK / The Bassment — Come check out Nykiforuk tickle the ivories of the Kinsman Yamaha S6 grand piano. 4:30pm / No cover STRAIGHT FROM THE FRIDGE / The Bassment — Featuring Ellen Kolenick, this band plays a mix of jazz, Latin and pop. 9pm / Cover $12/16 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover THE MOAS, FOGGY NOTIONS, LATCHO DROM / Beaumont Film & Record — If it’s good tunes you like, don’t miss this show.

8pm / $7 ALPHA YAYA DIALLO / Broadway Theatre — A guitarist, singer, songwriter at the front ranks of the African music scene.

8pm / $35.50 KASHMIR / Buds on Broadway — Western Canada’s premier Led Zeppelin tribute band. 10pm / $6 NATALIE STRUCK, MAKELIARS, THE SLEEVES / The Fez — A night filled with sweet sounds from three talented acts.

9pm / Cover TBD 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 favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. 9pm / $5 cover DJ BUTTERZ / Lounge 302 - Top 40 songs and all the requests you want. 8pm YOUNG BENJAMINS / Lydia’s — Local indie rockers take to the stage.

10pm

XAVIER RUDD / The Odeon — A folksie, funky singer/songwriter from Australia.

8pm / $39.25 (www.ticketmaster.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 STONE MOUNTAIN MUSIC / Prairie Ink — A folk rock trio that’s all kinds of good.

8pm / No cover TRANSCONTINENTAL BLUES BAND / Somewhere Else Pub — A night of blues bustling good times. 9pm / No cover TIM VAUGHN BAND, JOCELYN & LISA / Spadina Freehouse — Come celebrate the Freehouse’s 10th birthday! 8pm TERRI-ANNE STRONGARM / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking country. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests,from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5 CRYSTAL ELLIS, RHIANNON / Tequila — Rhiannon is a hot DJ/rap artist. Crystal Ellis is a DJ/Playboy Centrefold. 8pm THE REBELLION / Vangelis — A local altrock/pop group. 10pm / $8

SATURDAY 24

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night.

9pm / No cover WOOL ON WOLVES / Amigos Cantina — An indie rock band from Edmonton that’ll rock your world. 10pm / Tickets available at the door THE WOODEN SKY / The Bassment — A country-folk indie band from Tortonto.

9pm / $25/30 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a highenergy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover KASHMIR / Buds on Broadway — Western Canada’s premier Led Zeppelin tribute band. 10pm / Cover $6 KELLY READ / Bugsy’s (Lawson Heights) — A consummate blues musician. 9pm RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS / Credit Union Centre — It’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers, folks. Need we say more? 8pm / $48.5085.90 (www.ticketmaster.ca) RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS AFTERYPARTY / Crown & Rok — Come unwind after a hot show!

JOHNNY DON’T / The Fez on Broadway — Satirical songwriting meets kick-ass rock in this wicked show. 9pm / Cover TBD

DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local crowd favourite is sure to have you on the dance floor. 9pm / $5 cover DJ BUTTERZ / Lounge 302 - Top 40 songs and all the requests you want. 8pm LIFTED / Lydia’s Pub — Come dance your heart out in Lydia’s loft. Sweet electro tunes, every Saturday night. 10pm / $5 TIM VAUGHN / Lydia’s Pub — This blues/ pop/acoustic musician is all kinds of good. 10pm / $5 DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 THE LOST KEYS / Prairie Ink — Eclectic, easy listening tunes in a cozy atmosphere. 8pm / No cover TRANSCONTINENTAL BLUES BAND / Somewhere Else Pub — A night of blues, booze and bustling good times. 9pm / No cover THE GAFF / Spadina Freehouse — Dust off your dancing shoes and check out this local DJ. 8pm / No cover AMATI QUARTET / Third Avenue United Church — Featuring bass baritone Henri Loiselle. 2pm and 7:30pm / $30 adult, $25 seniors (65+), $15 students (www. persephonetheatre.org) TERRI-ANNE STRONGARM / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking country. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5 VIVA LAS VEGAS / Tequila — Featuring DJs Dubz, Mern and Kidalgo. 9pm / Cover TBD

SUNDAY 25

INDUSTRY NIGHT / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up. 8pm / No cover MC LOVE / Lounge 302 - Come out for some sisha and international beats. 8pm SUNDAY JAM / Vangelis Tavern — The Vangelis Sunday Jam offers great tunes.

7:30pm / No cover

MONDAY 26

METAL MONDAYS / Lydia’s Pub — If hard, heavy awesomeness is your thing, swing by. 9pm

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TUESDAY 27 BIG SHINY TUNES 2 / Broadway Theatre - Featuring 911 Turbo, Jeans Boots, The Classy Chassys, Carrie Catherine and Kirby Criddle and more. 8pm THE DUSTY ROADS BAND / Buds on Broadway— These kick-ass rockers have a little something for everyone. 10pm / $6 DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce — This crowd favourite is able to rock any party. 9:30pm / $4 cover VERB PRESENTS OPEN STAGE / Lydia’s Pub — The open stage at Lydia’s has hosted many of Saskatoon’s finest performers. 9pm / No cover OPEN MIC / The Somewhere Else Pub — Come out to show your talent. 7pm / No cover

WEDNESDAY 28

HUMP WEDNESDAYS / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Resident DJ Chris Knorr will be spinning all of your favourite songs, every Wednesday night, so come on down and party. 9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter THE DUSTY ROADS BAND / Buds on Broadway — These rockers have a little something for everyone, so come on down. 10pm / $6 JOURNEY, NIGHT RANGER, LOVERBOY / Credit Union Centre — What more could you want? Come rock like it’s 1984.

7:30pm / $50.25+ THE AVENUE RECORDING COMPANY PRESENTS OPEN MIC / The Fez on Broadway — Hosted by Chad Reynolds. 10pm / No cover DJ KADE / Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up. 8pm / 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. And did we mention there’s a mechanical bull? 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff STEPHEN MAGUIRE / Rock Creek — Soul meets country music. 8pm DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests. 10pm / No cover

THURSDAY 29

ROOTS SERIES: MEAGHAN SMITH / The Bassment — This Juno winner puts on a Christmas concert like no other. 8pm / $12/16

JOHN MCDERMOTT TRIO / Broadway Theatre — Playing a collection of your favourite songs in a chilled out setting.

8pm / $38-43 THE DUSTY ROADS BAND / Buds — These rockers have a little something for everyone. 10pm / $6 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 with this awesome local disc jockey. 9pm / $5 DJ KADE / Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — Local DJ Sugar Daddy will be rocking the turntables to get you dancing on the dance floor! 8pm / $5; free cover with student ID before 11pm MC LOVE / Lounge 302 - Shisha, international beats and belly dancing. 8pm LAUREN MANN / Lydia’s Pub — Captivating indie folk-pop from this songstress and the Fairly Odd Folk. 10pm

FRIDAY 30

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere. 9pm / No cover PROPAGANDHI, THE REBEL SPELL, REHASHED / Amigos — A night of hard-rock and punk. 10pm / Cover TBD PIANO FRIDAYS: MARION MENDELSOHN / The Bassment — Enjoy some smooth jazz stylings. 4:30pm / No cover ROOTS SERIES: SASKATOON SONGWRITER FEST / The Bassment — Seven up-and-coming songwriters hit the stage.

9pm / Cover $12/16 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a top 40 dance party. 9pm / $5 cover LITTLE MISS HIGGINS / Broadway Theatre — Old-time country sprinkled with jazz and folk — this promises to be a wonderful show with sweet tunes. 8pm / $28 GONG SHOW / Buds on Broadway— One of Saskatoon’s premier party bands.

10pm / $6 PHANTOM RADIO, HARD HONEY / The Fez on Broadway — A night of high-energy rock and roll will commence. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ ECLECTIC / Hose & Hydrant — Featuring local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic — how can you resist? 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local crowd favourite has always been

known to break the latest and greatest tracks. 9pm / $5 cover BLESSTHEFALL / Louis’ — Some posthardcore/metalcore for your ears. 6pm / $24.25 DJ BUTTERZ / Lounge 302 - Top 40 songs and all the requests you want WIL W/ RYAN MCMAHON / Lydia’s Pub — Some cool roots rock music from these BC-based artists. 10pm / $5 DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — There’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm CAILA ELLERMAN / Prairie Ink — Sweet, gentle melodies from a local singer, enjoyed in a chilled out atmosphere. 8pm / No cover THE CHICKADEES / Somewhere Else Pub — A night of good music. 9pm / No cover CHARLY HUSTLE / Spadina Freehouse — Local DJ spins the songs you want to hear. 9pm / Cover TBD IDLE RAINS / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking country. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga. 10pm / Cover $5 DISLEXIK + MERN / Tequila — Two dope DJs, one night of dancing. Is there anything better? 9pm

JEFF STUART AND THE HEARTS / Vangelis Tavern — A night of sweet roots music.

10pm / $5

SATURDAY 1

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes. 9pm / No cover TOM FUN ORCHESTRA / Amigos Cantina — Think Tom Waits with a big band and east-coast flair. Plus “fun” is right in there name! 10pm PIANO SERIES: TOMMY BANKS AND PJ PERRY / The Bassment — Featuring two of Canada’s most respected jazz musicians. 9pm / $35/40 KNAR, CLOUDFIGHT, CHRONOBOT, DANNY HANSON / Beaumont Film + Record — A night of sonic explosions. 8pm / $5 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL every Saturday night. Two local DJs for the price of one! 9pm / $5 cover NIGHTRAIN / Buds on Broadway — A Guns N’ Roses tribute band that totally rocks. 10pm / Cover $6 HARRESON JAMES / Bugsy’s (Lawson Heights) — Blending classic and modern rock with blues. 9pm DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local favourite has always been known

to break the latest and greatest tracks.

9pm / $5 DJ BUTTERZ / Lounge 302 - Top 40 songs and all the requests you want LIFTED / Lydia’s — Come dance your heart out in Lydia’s loft. 10pm / $5 DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — There’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 JAMES IRVING / Prairie Ink — Acoustic guitar and vocals. 8pm / No cover THE CHICKADEES / Somewhere Else Pub — A night of good music and good times.

9pm / No cover FUSE COLLECTIVE / Spadina Freehouse — Sweet beats from this group of artists.

9pm / Cover TBD IDLE RAINS / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking country. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5 MYLES AND THE BLANKS / Vangelis — Come down for their album release!

10pm / $5

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THE SESSIONS IS SENSATIONAL

PHOTO: COURTESY OF FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

New movie about paralyzed poet is award worthy

BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

W

ay I see it, the 2013 Oscar for best actor is going to boil down to five or six guys. In random order they will be: Daniel Day-Lewis (for Lincoln), Joaquin Phoenix (for The Master); Denzel Washington (for Flight) either Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) or Anthony Hopkins

But this time around, of all the performances I’ve seen (have yet to see Silver Linings or Hitchcock), Hawkes’ has been the best. Come Oscar night, I’ll be betting heavily on Daniel Day-Lewis, while cheering wildly for Hawkes, because in The Sessions he is fantastic.

In the film Hawkes plays Mark O’Brien, a journalist and a poet who

THE SESSIONS Ben Lewin STARRING John Hawkes, Helen Hunt + William H. Macy DIRECTED BY

98 MINUTES | 18A

(William H. Macy) — to whom he tells things like “My penis speaks to me, Father.” And even though fornication out of wedlock is a big no-no in the Catholic world, the good Father weighs the circumstance of Mark’s situation, and tells him he has a pass from Jesus.

Enter Cheryl (Helen Hunt), a sex surrogate who gets naked, helps Mark explore his sexual potential, counsels him, and hopes to give Mark the confidence to pursue sexual encounters in the future.

And no, she’s not a prostitute. Sex surrogacy is an actual profession.

Anyways, the long and the short of it is, The Sessions is a raw, tender, deeply funny, fabulously acted film that everyone should see.

The Sessions is currently being screened at Roxy Theatre.

The Sessions is a raw, tender, deeply funny, fabulously acted film…

ADAM HAWBOLDT

(Hitchcock), and last but not least, John Hawkes (for The Sessions.)

Alright, now admit it. You went through that list and were like “He’ll probably win … good actor … awesome actor … John who?”

John bleeping Hawkes, that’s who! The guy who played Kenny Power’s older brother in Eastbound & Down, Sol Star in Deadwood and the highly disturbing Teardrop in Winter’s Bone (a role that earned him a 2010 Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor).

Hawkes didn’t win in 2010, nor did he deserve to. Christian Bale was far too good in The Fighter.

contracted polio as a kid and, as a result, is paralyzed from the neck down. He spends most of his days in an iron lung, you know, in order to breath.

But here’s the thing: even though Mark’s muscles are useless and he can’t breathe properly and he can’t move anything below his neck, his skin nevertheless still retains full sensation.

So one day Mark gets an idea.

See, at the age of 38 he’s still a virgin and he figures it’s time he pops his cherry.

Before he does this, though, Mark consults his priest, Father Brendan

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

PI-PARE TO BE AMAZED

Yann Martel’s best-selling novel made into Oscar-calibre movie BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

W

ow! That’s all I can say about the movie, Life of Pi. Holy. Frickin’. Wow. Hands down, it is the most beautiful, visually ravishing, spellbinding film I’ve seen all year.

Now, I’m not saying Life of Pi is the best movie I’ve ever seen (though it was pretty darn good).

What I am saying is that the gorgeous cinematography and the new, subtle-yet-inventive use of 3D technology will drop your jaw and blow your hair back.

Seriously. It’s that amazing.

Directed by Ang Lee, the movie is a faithful adaptation of Yann Martel’s 2001 award-winning, bestselling novel of the same name.

In fact, the film was so faithful to the book that there’s only one

glaring difference between the two (which will be discussed in my interview with Martel in next week’s magazine). Other than that, what Ang Lee does is take Martel’s book and streamlines it, while keeping

For those of you who haven’t read Life of Pi before, here’s quick, spoiler-free rundown of what the story entails: It all begins with a man named Piscine “Pi” Patel (played by Irrfan

[B]e prepared to be captivated by images and movie-making…

ADAM HAWBOLDT

most of the major themes intact, and breathes a 3D life into it that, honestly, I can’t stop raving about.

Those of you who read the book will be awed by Lee’s vision and interpretation of Martel’s novel.

Khan) sitting in his house, talking to a writer (Rafe Spall) about his life story.

It is the kind of story, the writer has heard, that will make a person believe in God.

From there, the narrative flashes back to Pi’s childhood as the son of a zoo owner in India. For reasons too extensive to get into here, Pi’s family decides to relocate to Winnipeg, so they book tickets on a Japanese ship, stow the animals (which they’re going to sell in North America) in the hull, and set sail for Canada.

The thing is, though, the ship sinks. Everyone and everything dies except for Pi (played as a teenager by Suraj Sharma), a zebra, an orangutang, a hyena and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. All of whom end up on a life raft together.

Top-of-the-food-chain type mayhem ensues, and soon only Pi and Richard Parker are left. For the next 200 days or so, the boy and the tiger are adrift together.

LIFE OF PI Ang Lee Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan + Gérard Depardieu DIRECTED BY STARRING

127 MINUTES | PG

And again, if you have read the book you know how it ends. If not, be prepared to do some serious thinking. And also be prepared to be captivated by images and movie-making that you may never have believed was possible.

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Photography by Patrick Carley – feedback@verbnews.com

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 @

VANGELIS

Vangelis Tavern 801 Broadway Avenue (306) 652 5173 MUSIC VIBE / Varies, from blues

to hip hop FEATURED DEALS / Doubles of the

house brand for $7.75 DRINK OF CHOICE / Pints of Traditional or Original 16 TOP EATS / Pizza SOMETHING NEW / New website (www.ninos.ca), a new music director, and new trivia nights on Tuesdays: hosted by Chris Smith, come and play for your chance to win prizes

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 @

BACCHUS LOUNGE

Bacchus Lounge 610 2nd Avenue North (306) 664 4060 MUSIC VIBE / Dance + popular FEATURED DEALS / Pork ribs +

Cajun chicken DRINK OF CHOICE / Pints of beer TOP EATS / Prawn Dynamite roll SOMETHING NEW / A new vanilla

pomegranate mojito, and new DJs will soon be performing

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

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TIMEOUT

CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS 52. Animal with hooves 53. Constellation part

DOWN 1. Streak of light in the sky 2. Didn’t go hungry 3. Satellite TV receiver 4. Opposite of exit 5. More sallow 6. Museum display 7. Table extension 8. Get along 9. Coffee additive 11. Urge to attack 12. Place for batting practice 14. Beavers make them 17. Without luxuries or decoration

20. What some old cabins SUDOKU ANSWER KEY are made of 22. It gets hit on the head A 25. Surprise visit by the police 27. Run before a gale 29. Calumny 30. Spice made from nutmeg 31. Some golf clubs 32. Spent time in prison 34. Young boy’s title 35. Clean with one’s bill B 36. January to December 39. Sharp flavours 42. Store opening time 44. Like some apples 47. Compass heading 49. Light afternoon meal

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

24. Program problem 26. There are four of them in a year 28. Of the stomach 30. It may be ballistic 33. Like gravy, sometimes 37. “___ we there yet?”

38. Move quickly & suddenly 40. Risk doing 41. One kind of oil 43. Carefully arranged 45. Kind of horse 46. Like a lottery winner, perhaps 48. Talk idly 50. Know by intuition 51. Kermit’s colour

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

ACROSS 1. Like beds that haven’t been slept in 5. Inside part of the hand 9. Become established 10. Two-dimensional extents 12. Category in a baby contest 13. Ran the risk of 15. “___ before beauty” 16. Winter requirement, in Canada 18. Greek cheese 19. British lock-up 21. Damage beyond repair 23. ___ Pérignon © WALTER D. FEENER 2012

HOROSCOPES NOVEMBER 23 – NOVEMBER 29 ARIES March 21–April 19

LEO July 23–August 22

SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21

You know that inner strength you get when you feel completely confident, Aries? Well, get used to it being around this week.

We all know you’re a powerful creature, Leo, but early this week you may not feel like it. Don’t let it get you down; you’ll be yourself again in no time.

People often say there’s power in positive thinking. And you know what, Sagittarius? They’re right. So turn your mind to the good things in life.

TAURUS April 20–May 20

VIRGO August 23–September 22

CAPRICORN December 22–January 19

Some fascinating, eye-opening conversations are in store for you this week, Taurus, so don’t be shy. Get your chat on with whomever will listen.

This will be a good week to set some goals, Virgo. They can be short-term, long-term, or anything in between. Just get cracking.

You’re going to be busier than a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest this week, Capricorn. Don’t stress: all will sort itself out in the end.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

LIBRA September 23–October 23

AQUARIUS January 20–February 19

If you’ve been working to improve your health, you might see some results this week. If you haven’t been, what’s the hold up?

Something new may come along and pique your interest, Libra.

The best thing you can do is follow your interests, wherever they may lead.

Events will occur this week that will be completely out of your control, Aquarius. Don’t try to be a control freak. It will only make matters worse.

CANCER June 21–July 22

SCORPIO October 24–November 22

PISCES February 20–March 20

If you get a strange feeling about something important this week, Cancer, trust your gut. Your intuition has never been better.

You will encounter a couple of obstacles this week, Scorpio. Don’t let them get the better of you. Just put your head down and keep on going.

If you’re good this week, a surprise gift will come your way.

Maybe it’s a new kitten or just a hug when you need one. You’ll have to wait and see.

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

CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY

A

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

B

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