Verb Issue S275 (Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2014)

Issue #275 – January 31 to February 6

arts

culture

music

saskatoon

DEAN BRODY +

sex work in sk One woman’s tale of her life in the industry

Love/stories A modern tale of love lost and found

Labor Day + That awkward moment We review the latest films

Photo: courtesy of Kristin Barlowe

NEWs + Opinion

contents

sex work in SK One woman in the industry tells her side of the story 4 / Local

a day with drew What it takes to be a sports broadcaster 6 / Local

for our protection

On the cover:

dean brody

Blazes his own trail. 16 / cover

Our thoughts on flu vaccines for health care workers. 8 / Editorial

comments Here’s what you had to say about the oil sands debate. 10 / comments

Photo: courtesy of naomi campbell

culture

Q + A with we were lovers On Pyramids and more. 12 / Q + A

Gilles Auger on the art of conducting.

the legend of the mexican pizza We visit

14 / Arts

Pancho’s Pizza 18 / Food + Drink

no music, no fun

love/stories

music

A tale of modern love lost and found.

Foam Lake, Matt Andersen + City and Colour. 19 / music

15 / Arts

entertainment

live music listings Local music listings for January 31 through February 8. 20 / listings

labor day + that awkward moment We review the latest movies 22 / Film

Nightlife Photos

Games + Horoscopes

We visit Louis’ Pub + Jax Niteclub.

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, horoscopes, and Sudoku. 31 / timeout

24 / Nightlife

verbnews.com @verbsaskatoon facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

on the bus Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 30 / comics

Editorial

ART & Production

Business & Operations

contact

Publisher / Parity Publishing Editor in Chief / Ryan Allan Managing Editor / Jessica Patrucco staff Writers / Adam Hawboldt + Alex J MacPherson

Design Lead / andrew yanko graphic Designer / Bryce Kirk Contributing Photographers / Patrick Carley, Adam Hawboldt + Ishtiaq Opal

Office Manager / Stephanie Lipsit account Manager / nathan holowaty sales Manager / Vogeson Paley Financial Manager / Cody Lang

Comments / feedback@verbnews.com / 306 881 8372 advertise / advertise@verbnews.com / 306 979 2253 design / layout@verbnews.com / 306 979 8474 General / info@verbnews.com /

Please recycle after reading & sharing

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Photo: Courtesy of memoflores

Sex Work in Saskatchewan Stigmas, stereotypes and the sex industry by ADAM HAWBOLDT

S

ydney is a regular woman. A regular 40-year-old with regular hobbies, regular likes and dislikes.

Sitting in her apartment on a cozy white couch, surrounded by artwork, Sydney talks about a lot of things any 40-year-old might talk about.

She talks about art and literature.

About family and philosophy and food.

Taking a sip of bottled water, she leans back on the couch and says, “Have you seen the movie Her? A friend of mine suggested it to me, so I watched it the other day.” She pauses, puts the bottled water on the coffee table in front of her and says, “I watch a lot of dramas.”

Sydney is a straightforward woman. She’s not into going out and burning the figurative candle at both ends. She’s an introvert who leads a quiet, slow-paced life. When you first meet Sydney, there’s nothing that really stands out about her. Yes, she’s pretty and personable, but for the most part she’s just a regular person who does regular people things.

Except when it comes to work.

See, Sydney is a sex worker. An outcast in a society that thinks people who have sex for money are anything but regular.

When it comes to sex work— whether it be prostitute, escort, or a masseuse who provides happy endings — there are no shortages of social stigmas that are attached to that line of work. Myths and stereotypes swirl around the profession like an ever-present storm.

There are those who believe sex workers are dirty and spread disease.

That they all come from dysfunctional families. That they are sex addicts who abuse drugs and alcohol. For some, the possibility that a person who sells sex for money can be rational, ordinary or pragmatic … well, that’s not a possibility at all. Some think the people who become sex workers do so because they are uneducated and don’t know any better. They think sex workers are seduced by pimps, manipulated by families, that they are psychologically damaged and enter the sex business because they don’t have any other choice.

And while all this can be true in some instances, it’s not always the case.

“I have a lot of choices,” says Sydney, leaning forward on the couch.

“The first time I considered doing this work, I was already in my late-20s.

I’d worked various jobs — I’d been a server, worked in offices, I’d gotten a post-secondary education and was working in my field — but I’d never been satisfied with what I was doing. I always felt like I’d just fallen into those positions, like I never deliberately picked anything.”

So with her 30th birthday approaching, Sydney asked herself one simple, but important question: is there anything out there that I can do that I will love? She found the answer in a local newspaper. “I saw a want ad that read ‘Adult Massage Parlour Seeking OpenMinded Masseuse,’” she remembers.

“I thought to myself, I wonder what that’s all about? Maybe it was going topless or something sexy like that, adult-oriented. And I thought, maybe that’s what I need. I’m a very intimate person. I enjoy connecting with people, not on a small-talk or superficial level, but deeper, sharing moments. So I Continued on next page »

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called them, went down for an interview and they said, ‘sure, pick a name, you can start tomorrow.’”

And that’s what she did. But after working as an adult masseuse for a while Sydney started thinking about branching out on her own. Wind of this got to the management at the massage parlour, and she was fired for being “too ambitious”.

That’s when she made a choice — a very deliberate choice — to start offering her services as an independent escort. Be her own boss.

Fulfill the dream of owning her own, legitimate business. It’s a business she still runs to this day.

But even though she was in charge, making her own choices, providing a service for a fee like many other businesspeople do, Sydney was still subjected to the stigmas society places on sex workers.

often put in the position to defend ourselves against the usual stereotypes — that we are abused, drug addicted, diseased, lazy.”

These aren’t uncommon thoughts for people who work in the sex industry. And often, because of the psychological consequences attached, these stigmas become internalized.

“Sometimes I do wake up and ask myself why I’m doing this, question my decision, my views,” says Sydney. “What can I say, I grew up in this society too, I was also conditioned. But conditioning can change, and I stand by my choice.”

A choice that, for a time, left Sydney feeling very isolated.

“I alienated my own family,” she says. “This is something a lot of sex workers go through. I chose to spend my time with people who knew about

I’m for full decriminalization — allow us to do our work safety and consensually. sydney

“I do worry how people might judge me. Some people don’t believe sex workers are ever good, healthy people with morals and good judgement, able to love and maintain relationships if we want to, work at something else if we want to,” she says, taking another drink of water. “We’re

my job, just because they knew. My quality of life, at that time, wasn’t great.

I was hiding. I knew that improving my quality of life depended on being honest with my family, telling them what I do for a living.”

Sydney wasn’t afraid to tell her family, wasn’t afraid of them disap-

proving or being disappointed. It was just that she’d gotten so used to not telling anyone what she did for a living.

Then, eight years into the business of sex work, she told her family.

“It changed my life,” says Sydney.

“It really did. The quality of my life improved dramatically. Feeling the need to hide is the worst part of the business.

Still, most people who know me are unaware.”

Sydney knows that coming out to friends and family is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to eradicating the stigmas that surround sex work.

I think that it’s important that, as the laws are being rewritten, sex workers be consulted — all of us who choose, from street workers to indoor workers.”

Sydney shifts on the couch and says, “Any new laws must distinguish between those of us who choose to do sex work and those who are coerced, forced, trafficked, raped, abused and so on. There are already laws to protect the

latter. For actual sex workers, our work could be licensed, regulated and have a framework like other industries do. Don’t assume we’re all victims.”

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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On December 20th, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down our country’s existing prostitution laws — against keeping a brothel, living on the avails of prostitution and street soliciting – as direct violations of the constitutional guarantee to life, liberty and security of the person.

The Supreme Court then gave Parliament one year to come up with new legislation. What that legislation will be, nobody knows.

“I hope it won’t be worse than it was — the dreaded Nordic model replicates the same harms we faced previously” says Sydney. “I’m confident that the courts and government will do the right thing. I’m for full decriminalization — allow us to do our work safety and consensually. At the same time, sex work is intended as a discreet arrangement so I am against a red light district.

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A day with Drew Saskatoon boy Drew Remenda on doing his thing with the San Jose Sharks by ADAM HAWBOLDT

D

rew Remenda is sitting in his office.

It’s a little after 1pm and the San Jose Sharks’ television color commentator is upstairs in the Shark Tank (what hockey fans call the SAP Center in San Jose), taking notes for tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. There’s a game sheet in front of him. He’s going down the list of names: Evander Kane, Tobias Enstrom, Jacob Trouba. He needs a story, a brief snippet of information for each and every one of them.

Earlier in the day, Remenda woke up “ridiculously early.” He went to the gym, worked out, arrived at the Shark Tank early, and began getting ready for the game-day routine.

It’s almost always the same when the Sharks are at home. The home team takes the ice at 10:30am for their morning skate. Remenda chats with the other squad’s broadcast team — sharing information, trying to get an idea of what’s happening on their end.

When the morning skate is over, it’s off to the Sharks’ dressing room for interviews. Today the story line is the Sharks’ four-game win streak. Everybody in the room knows the major reasons for the streak is goaltending and the superb play of Joe Pavelski, but Remenda won’t be focusing on that. Instead, he’ll be interviewing players about the underlying reasons for the streak. Then he’ll go to a media scrum with coach Todd McLellan.

Then he’ll watch tape of the opposing team’s powerplay, their penalty kill, their five-on-five play. Then he’ll go to a quick production meeting before the visiting team takes the ice.

After that, it’s time to focus on the Jets. It’s time to chat again, visit the dressing room, interview players, hop in the media scrum with the opposing coach. When that’s over, it’s time to retreat to his office and prepare his notes for the game.

Rememda doesn’t bother making notes on any of the San Jose players.

He’s around them every day, knows everything about them. So today it’s just the Jets, just one set of notes in case there’s a 15-second lull in action that needs to be filled with hockey trivia.

“You just make these notes in case nothing’s happening in the game,” explains Remenda. “In case our director throws me a shot of, say, James Wright from Saskatoon. I better know something about him. I better know he’s the grandson of the mayor and know he scored his first goal against the Sharks when he was with Tampa Bay. I should know he rooms with Darcy Kuemper of the Minnesota Wild when he goes back to Saskatoon in the summer.”

Funny thing about these notes Remenda makes is, he rarely uses them. “I might use, maybe, 10% of it each game,” he says. “And on a lot of nights I don’t use any of it because I end up talking about what’s going on in the game all night. I’m in the moment. Very rarely do I get to wax on about a player.”

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Photo: Courtesy of morgen

But if he does, Drew Remenda is prepared.

He’s prepared because he’s a student of his craft.

Doing color commentary for a hockey game isn’t easy. It takes a keen eye for the game, a quick mind, verbal dexterity, and the ability to analyze what’s happening on the ice at any

ple, other broadcasters. If someone does something you like, take it, try it, see if it works for you. If so, great.

If not, no big deal. But you always have to be watching hockey, you always have to be working at your craft, you always have to be striving to improve.” Remenda pauses for a second, then says, “The other thing you have to do to be good at this is rely on your strengths.”

My strength is being able to break down a game, analyze it, teach it. drew remenda

given moment. It also takes a lot of practice and hard work.

“If you want to be good at this there are two things you have to do,” says Remenda. “One, you have to work on your craft. Watch other peo-

For Remenda, that means approaching the game from a coach’s standpoint. See, back before the turn of the century, from 1991-1995, Remenda was an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks. Eventually he

was fired, but spent one more year coaching in Kansas City with the Sharks AHL affiliate before returning to San Jose to be a broadcaster.

“Given my past, I tend to approach every game as though I’m coaching,” says Remenda. “My strength is being able to break down a game, analyze it, teach it. That’s one thing we try to do, we’re always trying to teach the game if the opportunity arises.”

By “we” Remenda means himself and his on-air partner — play-by-play guy Randy Hahn. Together they form one of the best TV duos in the league.

It’s been a couple of hours since Remenda finished making his notes for the game tonight. He’s since left the rink, decompressed a little bit, had some time to himself. But now it’s two hours before game time and he’s returning to the Shark Tank.

There’s another production meeting to attend, to “make sure everyone’s

ducks are in a row.” Then Remenda puts on his suit (he never gets dressed up until the very last minute before he appears on camera) and heads down to ice level to do bench interviews with players during warm-ups. After that it’s upstairs to call the game with his partner. “I’m lucky,” says Remenda.

“Randy is about the quickest guy on his feet I’ve ever met. He’s the wittiest person I know. He’s funny. We get along extremely well, and I think that shows on air. That chemistry.

“You know, I genuinely love the guy,” continues Remenda, “He’s not in the room right now, so I can say that.”

Working with Hahn isn’t the only thing Remenda loves. He still loves coaching, even after all these years

away from it. At times he still dreams of coaching.

“It’s still a burning desire,” says Remenda, who would one day like to return home to Saskatoon to coach midget or junior or something like that.

“There are times I really want to get back into coaching, but at the same time I look at the quality of my life as a broadcaster and it’s hard to complain.

As my partner says, we work 24/7 — 24 hours a week, seven months a year.

It’s a pretty high quality of life.”

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For our protection Health care workers should have to take mandatory precautions against the flu

T

o get a flu shot or not get a flu shot? That’s the question many people face when this time of year rolls around.

And to be honest, we feel that whether or not you opt to get immunized is entirely up to you. The general population can do what it wants. Making vaccines mandatory for the public is a slippery slope, one that we should tread carefully. However, we believe a caveat should be added to that statement: if you work in health care, then we feel that certain precautions — such as getting the flu shot or wearing a mask — should be required during flu season.

Now, before you get too upset, please hear us out. According to government health information, here in Canada roughly 20,000 people are admitted to hospital yearly with influenza or other illnesses related to influenza. Approximately 4,000-8,000 of those people die.

That’s a fairly high percentage, any way you want to slice it. And do you know what else has a high percentage?

Physicians who do not get vaccinated against the flu. Their numbers land somewhere in the 55-65% range.

This is not acceptable. Especially when you consider Dr. Ken Flegel’s recent editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). He notes that, “[e]ach season, 20% of health care workers get influenza, and 28%–59% of young healthy adults who get it have asymptomatic or subclinical infections. Some of them may shed virus up to a day before symptoms appear

… The time has come for health care institutions to demand that all health care workers be vaccinated. Our patients’ lives depend on this change.”

We agree that it’s time to nip this problem in the bud. It’s time to stop jeopardizing the lives of patients, many of whom have seriously compromised immune systems. It’s time, as we mentioned earlier, to make preventative measures mandatory for health care workers. The benefits of doing so are abundantly clear.

According to Dr. Flegel’s CMAJ study, efficacy rates of the flu shot are somewhere in the neighbourhood of 86% when the circulating strain and vaccine strain are matched. This leads to less influenza among patients, and less time lost at work for workers.

What’s more, according to the study, in an overview of four random trials the mortality rate of residents in chronic care was reduced by 5-20% in institutions where 51-70% of the staff had flu shots.

Oh, and if you were wondering about how expensive mandatory flu shots for health care workers will be, just know this: a cost-benefit analysis found that for every US$1,000 spent on the vaccination of health care workers, approximately US$1,600 in costs was saved. In a country like ours, where the cost of health care comes out of our pockets, every penny saved counts.

So why, pray tell, would anyone be opposed to mandatory flu shots for health care workers? Well, some people oppose it on ethical grounds, saying it violates a person’s autonomy.

But here’s the thing: any time the au-

tonomy of health care workers comes into conflict with protecting a patient’s safety, best-interests, and well-being, the welfare of the patient should come first. It really is as simple as that.

Now, we realize that some health care workers won’t want to or are unable to get a flu shot. And that’s fine.

So for the people who fall into those categories, we believe they should then be required to wear a mask while caring for patients during flu season.

And this proposal of ours isn’t coming out of left field. In fact, British Columbia recently passed a law requiring health care workers to either get the shot or wear a mask during flu season.

That’s a similar measure to what they do in many of the leading public and private hospitals in the United States (where compulsory programs for health care workers have resulted in a 95% participation rate).

And that’s what we should do here in Saskatchewan. When our health is compromised, we rely on those in the industry to take care of us.

It only makes sense that they do whatever they can to protect vulnerable populations from further illness.

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

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On Topic: Last week we asked what you thought about Neil Young and the oil sands debate in Canada.

Here's what you had to say:

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

– It is so bizarre to suggest that because someone is a celebrity s/ he has no right to voice a wellinformed opinion. My guess is that Neil Young understands more about the realities of Canada’s energy policies than does our myopic prime minister.

– Ya know those haters knocking Neil Young for his comparison of Fort Mac to Hiroshima should be aware that Japenese citizens were dyin decades after the blast..cancer ridden. Sure hope those guys pulling in big bucks and livin the dream dont become proof Young was right in a way ...

– Oil does run this country in that it provides people in Western Canada with a means of supporting themselves. You can make good money without having to go to university first. You can buy a house, have a family, save for retirement. Everyone is against the theory of the oil sands in Alberta, but think of the workers and their families that would be hurt. There’s two sides to every coin.

– I fully support Neil Young, our government only cares about profit and not envornment issues, as long as they can make a few million dollars they could care less about what a mess the oilsands are making! DOWN WITH HARPER!!

– It is heartbreaking to hear about what is happening to the communities around the oil sands development in AB Everyone scoffs at Young and what he has to say, but he’s brought a relevant point to the forefront. Everyone who is disregarding his points have distanced themselves empathetically from those who live there. They would be the loudest crying for help if this was in their back yards.

– Neil Young didn’t just get by on his looks. He’s had some pretty profound messages. Whether you agree with one or not is your own personal opinion. Everyone is allowed to have their own. That’s a part of freedom so many fought for. This is something nobody should forget.

– 1974 Neil Young releases LP On the Beach which contains a tune called Vampire Blues about those who need their high octane.. chances are Stephen Harper office boy for Shell was not listening..

– Disregarding Young’s perspectives because he is a celebrity is ridiculous (and done only by those who would disagree with them anyways). Everyone is entitled to have an opinion and spout it from whatever platform they have, be it a touring musician or a newspaper writer.

– Oil production and extraction is the most contentious issue in our country. Advocating for rational debate is a nice idea, but one side as a bunch of money and therefore doesn’t need to listen, and the other side is left picking up the picking up the pieces of a devestated planet. We can do better, but when it comes to money, anyone in a position to make any real meaningful change will look at the dollars and choose to turn a blind eye. Sad but how it is.

– The cash in the oil sands talks way more than anything else so this is how it is. Its sad but its true.

There is nothing we can do to stop this now.

– Reading about the communities in the area is heartbreaking. It’s so sad that we can live in a country that would actually do this to its own people. The tar sands in AB have caused widespread and documented health problems but nothing is being done. Oil production might be a small fraction of our GDP but the money it makes talks a ton. Harper and his cronies will never ever let this stop.

– I love the idea of putting aside the rehetoric and tryingt to work on a compromised solution but I just don’t see it happening. The people who are involved in the oil industry don’t care about the people living nearby.

– Neil Young should shut his mouth and think about all the oil he relies on. Give me a break.

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– Instead of considering issues on oilsands development, most media outlets chose to focus on the messenger. Were Neil Young’s facts 100% accurate? In many cases, no. Should that detract from the sentiment and his support of a worthy cause? No. Red-herrings were dished up left, right and center from proponents of oilsand development.

– Kudos to Pamela Anderson for the causes she supports. Someone has to stand up for the defenceless.

– Everyone is Free! To join a political party yes, But it must be a politcal party that works for The electorate! Not for political servitude, Business man! IT works for the People!

– Take a good look around. Ya gotta wonder how much of this economic boom is built on the backs of min wage or less immigrants?

Same as it ever was!

– There are some terrible drivers in Saskatoon and with the roads the way they are (some good some icy rut hells) everyone needs to be carefull. Just have a little patience!

– THOSE .Who have care not for those less fortunate!

– So much complaining about winter in your texts section Verb there is still lots to do out there.

People can try doing any sports outside or going for walks. Lots of shows to watch i mean music shows or there are the galleries.

Getout there!

– The grass is not greener on the other side. In fact, it is white.

– Given the personal attacks on Neil Young during his tour--it would seem that he was successful in that oil-sand companies needed to go on the defensive

– This new stadium debt, buncha wannabe losers who don’t have what it takes to be real bigshots in the private sector hijacking public funds to play bigwheel!

OFF TOPIC

– Saying “Drugs” when its really just marijuana is a tired ass old chestnut stupid people use!

Including many press and police trying to play up a situation!

– When you have to stop for a train in this city, you might as well take time to smell the roses or in winter take time to build a snowman.

In response to “Off the rails,” Editorial , #273 (January 17, 2014)

– Get you heads out of your asses.

The railways were here first, they will never be moved out of our cities. Your article talks about all the deaths related to railways. All those deaths are not the railways fault. People drive into trains not the other way around.

In response to “Off the rails,” Editorial , #273 (January 17, 2014)

– How does NASA organize their company parties? They planet

– Ignore the warnings. Shut down as many update processes as you can. Hard to find and kill. You’ll waste a lot less of your life looking at that hourglass.

– The NSM Nazis!!! A vile and sick racial movenent Across the USA and Infected Canada Southern Saskatchewan and Alberta

– Can’t wait for the Superbowl this weekend gonna be good! Score points and do stuff!

– Maybe people should take a beat and try t o open there hearts to people out there, rather then taking them down and crapping all over their beliefs or thoughts or etc. A little compassion will go a long way.

– The city needs to keep sidewalks and the ramps from them to intersections clear. I saw a man in a wheelchair have extreme difficulty in getting his chair over a lump of ice and back onto the sidewalk when he was crossing the street. And homeowners don’t forget to shovel your sidewalks it helps so much. Thanks :)

– Justin Trudeau’s bold move today (putting Senators as independents) is brilliant and will kill Harper can’t wait for the Harperites to be gone!

– People need to take their heads out of the sand and look around and give themselves a good hard look before they start judging other people! You never know what is going on in their lives!

– Amanda Noble, you are the best friend a girl could ask for thanks for all the support babe I couldnt have done it with out you!

Next week: What do you think about mandatory flu vaccines for healthcare workers?

Text in your thoughts to 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.

– The city enginers should Get there act together! Only 1 walk light on 8th and Acadia it stays on 5 seconds

sound off – The Bizzle is in the shizzle!

– If someone tries to make friends with you not even saying a word, you might be DOWNtown

– Verb the texts should become your missed connections would be funny!!!

– If you’re watching your back, you might be DOWNtown

– DOWNtown scouring pad: after reading crumple a page of Verb and use to clean crusty greasy pots n pans. Seems OK for non-stick.

Greeny! Fresh batch every Fri..

– Why is it that when I put on my signal light to merge, that seems to be the cue for the driver in the next lane to pass me with lightning speed? Just chill already people.

Ease off the gas so another driver can merge. No need to pass like an idiot.

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Paradigm Shift

Photos: courtesy of Desiree Martin Photography

We Were Lovers become a lean electro-pop duo on Pyramids by Alex J MacPherson

I

n late November, We Were Lovers released an eclectic and engaging album of electro-pop songs titled Pyramids. Unusually, the album began generating attention and criticism months before it was released. It began when We Were Lovers, which consists of Elsa Gebremichael and Ash Lamothe, announced plans to pay for the

Were Lovers reached its fundraising goal; Pyramids was released a few weeks before Christmas.

The group’s first release since 2010, the new record codifies what fans have been witnessing since Gebremichael and Lamothe decided to eschew supporting musicians and work as a duo.

What was once an edgy, fractious pop band has emerged as a con-

record using Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website. Crowd-funding is not a new phenomenon; it has been used to finance countless projects, including at least one major film. But bands who resort to crowd-funding rather than ‘paying their dues’ on the road are frequently criticized for taking an unethical shortcut to success. As debate raged, We

cise and polished electronic duo.

By stripping away excess, the two principal songwriters gave themselves room to experiment, and Pyramids contains everything from airy synth-driven tracks like “Islands” to “Bodies,” a grimy, fuzzed-out club track. More than anything else, the record captures the band’s fascination with music designed for dancing — solid

grooves, in other words. Last week, I caught up with Gebremichael to talk about the crowdfunding fallout, the new record, and the band’s desire to make music for dancing.

Alex J MacPherson: You used a crowd-funding tool, Indiegogo, to finance Pyramids. What was that experience like?

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Elsa Gebremichael: It was great, because it was nice to have that support and know that people believe in you enough to give you money to make it happen. To have that support was really great, an encouraging feeling. In terms of the process, though, it was a lot of work.

It’s not like, this is what we’re doing, give us some money. There’s a lot that goes into it prior to the launch of the campaign, during the campaign, and after the campaign.

AJM: The decision to use crowdfunding was not uncontroversial, and the band was criticized in some circles. What do you make of that conversation now?

EG: It was interesting because a lot of people were like, ‘you got to pay your dues, man’ and ‘you got to play shows to pay for your record — don’t ask for people’s money.’

It’s like, well, are you okay with receiving grants from the govern-

between the EP you released in 2010 and Pyramids?

EG: I think the evolution originates from the fact that the band has changed member-wise, to us becoming a duo and having to reform and incorporate electronic elements to fill the gaps. We jammed with drum machines and were just working with what we could, and I think that naturally changed our sound to more of an electro-pop thing. We’ve always been a pop band — or indie pop, or rock pop, or whatever — but becoming a duo has evolved our sound. And we’ve toured a lot with these songs, and they’ve evolved musically.

AJM: Even though you are recording and performing as a duo, does having just two members give you more freedom to experiment and develop songs?

EG: Definitely. It’s a lot more concise. Ash and I are very much on the same page in terms of music

…it was nice to have that support and know that people believe in you enough to give you money to make it happen.

Elsa gebremichael

ment? That’s taxpayers’ dollars that are going, without their knowledge, towards your project. At least this is people willingly giving you their money, choosing to do so.

AJM: Controversy aside, the project was a success and it produced Pyramids. How did the band grow and evolve

— writing music and our influences — and there’s less hands in the pot, less people in the kitchen. We were always the main songwriters so it made sense for us to become a duo, instead of having to rely on people to commit, because we are committed and you can’t always ask that of people.

AJM: Pyramids is a pretty eclectic album, at least in terms of sounds and textures. What do you think links the songs together?

EG: We think about that a lot, we’ve talked about it, and we agree: Pyramids is a very eclectic album.

Some artists can make a full album and all the songs sound exactly the same, even though they’re different in some way. Ours is different in that the songs don’t sound the same, but there’s something that connects them — we wrote them, and that’s the connecting factor. It’s the same songwriters, it’s the same vocalists.

at the same time we’re staying true to who we are. We’re not trying to do something that’s never been done before. We’re doing what we love to do and we’re going to keep doing it.

AJM: Which brings us to 2014. Obviously, Pyramids was almost three years in the making. What’s next?

EG: We are very, very grateful: we applied for a couple grants, and we were accepted for a writing grant and a recording grant. So it’s really nice to have those funds prepared for when we record, and we’re planning to release an EP, because we want

to get something out as soon as possible. We’re not going to rush it, but we’d like to not wait a couple years to release something, so we’re thinking realistically an EP definitely out this year, probably toward the end of the year.

We Were Lovers w/ Economics February 14 @ Amigos Cantina $10 at the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon amacpherson@verbnews.com

AJM: Could it be that another thread joining these songs is that they were all designed with dancing in mind?

EG: I feel like that’s always been in our minds and in our hearts. That’s the music we’re drawn to. We like Michael Jackson, we like Daft Punk, we like LCD Soundsystem, we like disco. We’ve always said we want to make music people can move to.

Not that we’re never going to make a slower album or write slower songs, but this is what we’re drawn to, especially right now. And I think it reflects our taste in music.

AJM: Do you have to balance the band’s desire to explore new musical ideas against this nebulous concept of identity, the thing people will use to identify you?

EG: We’ve thought about that, but we’ve never written a song that just doesn’t sound like us. We’re never trying to be anything that we’re not. And when we say that we’re trying to do different things or we like to do different things and explore different genres, it’s on a conscious level to a point, but

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No Music, No Fun

Photos: courtesy of the artist

Gilles Auger on Bernstein and the art of conducting

by Alex J MacPherson

W

hen Gilles Auger was studying conducting at the Juilliard School in New York City, he attended several masterclasses taught by Leonard Bernstein.

Equally famous for his conducting and his restless urge to popularize classical music, Bernstein made a big impression on the young maestro from Quebec. “When I speak about music, I can’t speak more than five minutes without quoting Leonard Bernstein,” Auger says from his home in Montreal. “This guy really transformed my music view. Lenny said, ‘Music-making should be fun. If there’s no fun, there’s no music.’ He was pointing out that technical aspects are nothing: the most important thing is you have to touch the audience, you have to make them live something.”

Today, Auger is one of Canada’s preeminent conductors. He has performed with orchestras across Canada and Europe. Next month, he will lead the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Samuel Barber’s Adagio For Strings; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, featuring the Halifax-born cellist Denise Djokic; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s stun-

ning Symphony No. Six, the Pastoral.

Although the three works are presented as “romantic,” they span more than twelve decades of composing and share little DNA. Beethoven premiered Sixth Symphony in 1808. Although it was composed at the same time as the famous Fifth, the Sixth shows a very different side of its complex and mercurial creator. “I like to call the Pastoral Symphony an antidote to the Fifth,” Auger says. “The Fifth is all human struggle, all the stories about victory and destiny; the Pastoral is all nature.” Beethoven is famous for his titanic meditations on human nature, themes exemplified by his Fifth and Ninth symphonies. But he was also a great lover of nature, and liked nothing better than to leave Vienna for the countryside, where he would rest and write and eat and drink.

“The Fifth would be the picture of his human struggle for life,” Auger says.

“The [Sixth] would be a picture of his deep love of the Viennese forests.

After a period of big difficulties, he goes into the forest and just relaxes — restores himself.”

The thing that links the two works together is Beethoven’s greatest skill: his innate ability to craft and develop memorable motifs in novel ways. In classical music, a

motif is a recurring figure or pattern.

According to Auger, Beethoven compensated for his relatively simple melodies by developing and re-developing simple, profound motifs. Put another way, Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony uses relatively little to achieve a lot. The five movements — particularly the bucolic first and unsettled fourth — catapult the audience into a cycle of rebirth and renewal. They capture the essence of Beethoven’s love for the country — a love that was simple, unaffected, and blindingly intense.

The strength of Barber’s Adagio For Strings, on the other hand, is its emotional arc. The piece builds slowly toward its towering climax before sinking back into contemplative lassitude. Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme is different again. Auger characterizes it as an exercise in virtuosity and musical depth. “It’s not the toughest cello piece,” he says, “but it’s guaranteed applause because it’s so flashy and it’s so brilliant, and wellplayed it’s a hit. Even in the middle there’s this very beautiful slow variation where the cellist can go, ‘you’ve seen that I can play, now let me show you that I can play some deep music.’ It’s just beautiful.”

But technical details, compositional structures, and motifs are just parts of the whole. And that whole is incomplete without Bernstein’s notion of fun. “Everyone knows these pieces, and if they don’t, it’s going to be love at first sight,” Auger says.

“My principal aim in conducting a concert is making the orchestra members enjoy themselves playing the work as much as I can, so that the public can get a piece of it. They just forget about the first horn, the second flute: they just listen to the piece of music, and for ten minutes or forty minutes, they’re immersed in that universe and forget about everything else.”

Romantic By Nature February 8 @ TCU Place $18 + @ SSO Box Office, TCUTickets.ca Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Love/Stories Photos: courtesy of Damien Kent

Independent theatre artists stage Itamar Moses’s tale of modern love lost and found by Alex J MacPherson

D

eeAnn and Jules Mercier have been thinking about Itamar Moses’s play Love/Stories (or, But You Will Get Used To It) for ten years. The couple first saw Moses’s examination of modern love in Langley, British Columbia, where they were living at the time. Its combination of raw honesty and unabashed comedy captured their attention. When the Merciers moved back to Saskatoon in 2011, they began thinking about staging their own version of the play.

According to DeeAnn, putting on Love/Stories offered more than just an opportunity to share one of her favourite plays with the burgeoning independent theatre community in Saskatoon. It also gave her and Jules the chance to enlist their friends for a few weeks of hard work and good fun.

“I was worried that after we got married my husband wouldn’t act as much, because acting is his passion,” she says of the decision to create Ball & Chain Theatre, their own independent production company. “I was like, if I get this play going my husband can act — he’s a great actor, he’s been onstage at Persephone — and we can get our friends to do it.” Among their friends is Brian Cochrane, who directed the production of Love/Stories the couple saw in Langley and agreed to travel to Saskatoon to reprise his role as director. After a short pause Mercier laughs and says, “Lots of ulterior motives for doing it.”

Producing a play from scratch is a daunting and ridiculously involved procedure. To help with some of the work, particularly promotion and

ticket sales, Ball & Chain Theatre joined forces with Live Five, a local nonprofit dedicated to independent theatre. “It collects a bunch of people like us who maybe have just one project, or a couple of projects, they can do,” Mercier says. “It’s hard to do a full slate of shows, and I think it’s good to mix up who’s in your shows.

Live Five markets the groups, puts all the advertising and all that kind of stuff together at the start of the year, and then sells season tickets so you have a bit of an audience. It’s a great organization to be a part of.”

Live Five has developed a reputation for producing complex and occasionally edgy plays that don’t always appeal to a mainstream audience. Its current season, for example, includes both Michael Garneau’s anxious Cold War advertising drama, Warriors, and The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekov’s classic play about the decline of a family of Russian aristocrats. Mercier describes Love/Stories as the perfect addition to Live Five’s season, a complex and entertaining examination of modern love, chemistry, and the blurry line between the stage and life itself. “There are some people that you just seem to have chemistry with,” she says of the play’s major theme. “And then you’re like, I have chemistry with this person, are we just clicking or are we friends? Is this what happens when you’re a good friend? Is this the thing people write poems about? What’s happening?”

In other words, Love/Stories is about what happens when the action onstage spills out into the streets and the apartments of a modern city. Constructed from five related vignettes, Moses’s play includes tales of casting

session disasters, readings that force participants into making life-altering decisions, and theatrical relationships that threaten to implode when the scripted dialogue runs out. The play has been described as an example of “meta-theatre,” a complicated and thoughtful postmodern work of art.

But according to Mercier, it can also be read as an entertaining play about people in love.

“As a producer, what I really wanted to give people was a good date night,” she says. “I think sometimes we want stuff that’s going to make us think or re-examine the world or whatever.

I personally have a pretty stressful job, so when I’m looking to be entertained, I’m not looking for those deep things. I wanted a good date night sort of thing, and it’s right around Valentine’s Day, so it’s perfect for that.” The best art can be read on multiple levels, and Mercier is convinced Love/Stories includes something for everyone. And, after more than ten years of thinking about the play, Mercier and her husband have brought their dream to fruition.

When asked whether she and Jules are planning to produce another play, she just laughs. “It makes you think about wanting to do more. I don’t know about my husband though. But that’s the whole Ball & Chain title, that’s why we’re called that.”

Love/Stories Feb 7-9 + 13-16 @ The Refinery $18.50+ @ OnTheBoards.ca Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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Feature

Outside & Inside Dean Brody blazes his own trail in the world of country music

by Alex J MacPherson

D

ean Brody refuses to play by any rules but his own. Although he is one of the most popular country singers and songwriters in Canada, Brody stands apart from most of his contemporaries.

While most country artists shop around for songs penned by an army of professional songwriters, Brody sequesters himself with an acoustic guitar, a pad of paper, and a pen. When other country singers release albums packed with shiny, uptempo party anthems, Brody records dour murder ballads, tender love songs about the Civil War, and sun-drenched jams best suited for a beach in the Caribbean. Even his collaborations are refreshingly offbeat. Instead of teaming up with popular country artists, Brody joins forces with people working in a variety of genres, including Great Big Sea and Lindi Ortega. And while most of his peers flock to Nashville, Tennessee, the centre of the titanic country music industry, Brody left as quickly as he arrived. Today, he leads a quiet life near Chester, a picturesque town on Nova Scotia’s south shore. When he isn’t playing to thousands, that is.

“It’s still a little odd for me,” the softspoken Brody says of his career, which reached a new high in 2012 when he released his third album, Dirt. “I got into this to write songs, and the performance aspect just kind of happened. It happened naturally, which is great, but I still just feel like a songwriter. I sing my songs and I’m a pretty quiet person, so to be in the spotlight has been an adjustment for sure.” Despite the success of Dirt — a record that sent five singles up the charts and earned the reticent singer a heap of award show hardware

the album title and the cover art, we had some fun with that, too.”

But Brody likes to downplay his achievements. Crop Circles is, even more than its predecessor, a mainstream country album that is appealing both to serious fans of country music and people who dabble in a variety of genres and styles. “It’s so important to me as a songwriter, connecting with people,” he says, laying out his basic manifesto for writing music. “I know there’s one school of thought where it’s like, I’m going to write whatever

I don’t think about it too much, about going too far or getting too edgy. I suppose I just love writing… dean brody

— Brody resolved to resist the pressure that inevitably accompanies success.

In early November, he released Crop Circles, which is in many ways the most unorthodox record he has ever made. “We just wanted to have some fun with it,” he says. “I had fun writing it, had fun recording it, and then with

and who cares, I’m just going to be an artist. I know there’s some people that approach art and music that way. But for me, unless I can write something that’s relevant and that someone else can relate to, and we can share that experience together, it’s not necessarily as good. I think great art is something Continued on next page »

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Photos: courtesy of Kristin Barlowe

we can all experience together and appreciate together.” In other words, Brody’s view of popular music is deeply populist. Which should not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed his career.

Brody grew up in Jaffray, British Columbia, a tiny village dominated by the looming Rocky Mountains.

By the time he was fifteen years old, he was working in a sawmill.

But the long hours and backbreaking work could not compare to the struggle in front of him. In 2004,

Photo: courtesy of Kristin Barlowe

Brody signed his first music publishing deal and moved to Nashville to write songs for a living. The experience was uninspiring. “I had to show up at a certain time and leave at a certain time and write with strangers all day long,” he says. “Being forced to be creative

is so anti-productive for me. It actually shut me down creatively.”

Two years later, Brody was back in Jaffray, working at the sawmill.

Eventually, another recording deal took him back to the United States, where he released his eponymous debut. But Brody’s career didn’t start generating serious momentum until 2009, when he signed with Open Road Recordings, a Canadian label that also represents Emerson Drive, High Valley, and Doc Walker.

His first two records for Open Road, Trail In Life and Dirt, each won the Canadian Country Music Association award for record of the year.

“Definitely when you win awards there’s an added pressure, because you feel like you want to live up to that honour,” Brody says, expressing disbelief at being inducted into a group that includes Ian Tyson, k.d. lang, and Shania Twain. “It means a lot when I win an award, because it’s industry-voted, and so there’s people I completely respect and have huge admiration for musically that are voting for what we’re doing. It’s almost like I feel like I need to earn it still, that I have big shoes to fill.” Like many songwriters, Brody seems to have little insight into his own success. But his ability to connect with

fans across Canada cannot be ignored.

He has sold thousands of records and dominated radio station playlists. And when it came time to begin writing the record that would become Crop Circles, he refused to do anything unusual. Which meant turning down songs penned by professional songwriters, holing up with a guitar, and waiting to see what came out. “I don’t think about it too much,” he says with a laugh, “about going too far or getting too edgy. I suppose I just love writing, taking different journeys in the writing process.”

Those journeys are apparent on his new album, which is even more diverse than its predecessor. (This is saying a lot, considering Dirt was a country record that featured both a collaboration with a Celtic-flavoured roots band and a tribute to Bob Marley, whose music Brody adores.) The record opens with a straightforward modern country song, “Four Wheel Drive,” before fading into “Bounty,” a brooding song about love on the run in the wild west. “Bounty,” the first single, features a haunting fiddle line, the unmistakable echo of a hammered dulcimer, and Lindi Ortega’s gossamer croon opposite Brody’s muscular baritone. Then Crop Circles starts to change direction. “Sand

In My Soul” is a reggae-influenced escapist anthem that conjures up images of Jimmy Buffet and fruity cocktails served in hollowed-out gourds.

The title track, on the other hand, includes a guitar lick that wouldn’t be out of place in a metal club. “Crop Circles” is one of the most amusing songs on the album, a story about two smitten teenagers taking midnight joyrides through a clueless farmer’s field; when the farmer inspects his field, he attributes the damage to alien invaders. As the song fades into its coda, a lengthy gang vocal passage featuring the line “We’re gonna beam you up, beam you up, experiment on love,” one of the threads linking the songs becomes clear.

“I think why I’m allowed that freedom [to experiment] is that it’s me writing and recording and singing them,” Brody says of the songs on Crop Circles, which contain the same cheeky (and often tongue-in-cheek) humour that has defined his career to date. “It might be more confusing to my fans if they weren’t my songs that I’d written myself, if they’d been songs I’d handpicked from wherever.

But I think the common thread is that I wrote them. I think that’s what it is.” In the end, Brody has transformed himself from a struggling songwriter into a household name by writing songs that are at once personal and universal. He tackles themes and topics anybody can identify with in a way that is impossible to mistake for anybody else. By forging a path between the commercial world of modern country and the vast tracts of unexplored territory open to a fledgling songwriter, he has positioned himself for a bright future. But Brody is the first to say that everything depends on the songs. “I suppose I have a little bit of ADHD when it comes to writing songs,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t like staying in one place for too long.”

Dean Brody February 13 @ TCU Place $29.50+ @ TCUtickets.ca, TCU box office Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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The legend of the Mexican Pizza (err ... sort of) Photos courtesy of Adam Hawboldt

Pancho’s Pizza and Pasta offers good eats for a great price by adam hawboldt

R

umour has it that the first Mexican Pizza was made by a man named Pancho. Long ago, on a bright and marvellous day, Pan-

pers. The most savoury of onions.

The most succulent ground beef made from blessed cattle. The freshest green peppers. The hottest hot sauce, filched from the depths of an active volcano. He took all of these, laid them atop a pizza crust, placed it in an altar to the pizza gods, and shazam!

The Mexican Pizza was born. He soon brought it to Saskatoon for all to feast on its magnificence.

Or at least that’s the rumour I heard.

Okay. Who am I kidding? That’s the rumour I made up. Like, just now, while writing this review. But that’s beside the point.

The point here is that the delicious Mexican pizza at Pancho’s Pizza and Pasta in Lakewood deserves an origin story of such depth. The crust is light and tasty. The cheese melted to a gooey goodness (not too much, not too

cho went on a voyage to find the perfect ingredients. He journeyed to the end of the earth to find toppings for his masterpiece. The tangiest, zippiest banana pep-

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide Blood and Sand

Ingredients

Sticking with the “rumour” theme, rumour has it this cocktail was named after the 1922 movie Blood and Sand starring Rudolph Valentino as a famous bullfigher. Sweet and smoky, this drink is both complex and delicious.

1oz scotch 1oz sweet vermouth 1oz cherry liqueur 1oz orange juice ice

Directions

Pour scotch, vermouth, cherry liqueur and orange juice into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well, until the outside of the shaker is frosty. Strain the drink into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and serve.

little). And the toppings (the ground beef, banana peppers, green peppers and onions), well, put together they pack a spicy and savoury punch. And the best part about it all?

The price For $10 you can get yourself a large pizza. That’s just the kind of place Pancho’s Pizza and Pasta is.

There’s nothing pretentious or fancy about it. It’s just a small, hole-in-thewall place in a strip-mall in Lakewood that serves good pizza pie at excellent prices. Eight bucks for a small, $10 for a large, $15 for an extra-large.

And it’s not just the Mexican pizza that’s tasty. Having ordered from this place more than I probably should have, I can tell you that every pizza I have tried at Pancho’s has wowed me. The Greek Pizza (beef, onion, tomato, black olive, feta), the Indian Supreme (veggies and Indian spices), the uber-spicy El Paso Pizza (beef,

pepperoni, onion, banana pepper, jalapeño) — all great. Heck, even the Anchovies Supreme was alright, and I’m no lover of anchovies.

Basically what I’m trying to get at here is: if you like small, neighbourhood pizzerias with friendly staff, if you like good pizza at a cheap price … next time you’re in Lakewood you should stop by Pancho’s and check it out. And while you’re there you should grab yourself an order of empanadas.

Rumour has it, they’re pretty good too.

Pancho’s Pizza and Pasta 1945 McKercher Drive | (306) 933-9500 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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music

Next Week

coming up

Foam Lake

Matt Andersen

City and Colour

@ O’Brians Event Centre Friday, February 7 – $10

@ Broadway Theatre Monday, February 10 – SOLD OUT

@ Credit Union Centre sunday, May 18 – $46.50+

Bands featuring brothers are nothing new in the world of music. There’s the Beach Boys (Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson), Van Halen (Eddie and Alex), CCR (John and Tom Fogerty), Oasis (Liam and Noel Gallagher) … and the list goes on. One of Saskatoon’s entries to that list is Foam Lake. Made up of the Ross brothers — Paul, Barrett, Tyler, and Kalen — this indie/experimental/ pop-rock quartet creates catchy rock riffs drenched with explosive rhythms, nuanced lyrics, whirring guitars and synth textures. What makes their songs even more infectious is how the four brothers balance their energy and musicianship while still keeping things gritty. Foam Lake will be participating with other groups at the Rock the Shelter fundraiser in early February. Tickets sales go to support the SPCA.

Matt Andersen is no stranger to tough times and hard grinds. Growing up in small-town, blue-collar New Brunswick, Andersen was instilled with the kind of work ethic you need in order to survive hard times. It’s a work ethic that has stuck with him to this day. Playing around 200 shows a year, Andersen brings it, and brings it hard, to the stage every night. Playing a blend of blues and folk, this eastcoast musician is skilled with a guitar and big on showmanship. You have to see him live in order to understand how good he is. Trust us. Too bad the word that Andersen is coming to town wasn’t a better kept secret because, as it stands, you’re going to have to know someone with an extra ticket to his concert if you want to see him. The show has been sold out.

Since releasing his first album in 2005, Dallas Green (the guy who writes records and performs under the alias City and Colour) has amassed a cultlike following amongst alt-folkie types — and for good reason. The musician from Ontario is an inspired songwriter with an unmistakable voice, and his pared-down acoustic tunes have won Green fans as well as earning him a pair of Juno awards. On the heels of releasing his fourth studio album, The Hurry and the Harm, Green will be bringing his U.S./Canada tour to the Credit Union Centre. His touring band consists of Jack Lawrence (bass), Doug MacGregor (drums), Matt Kelly (pedal steel/organ/piano), Dante Schwebel (guitar) and, of course, the man himself — Dallas Green. Tickets available through Ticketmaster.

– By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: the artist / the artist / the artist

Sask music Preview The Creative Sask Funding deadline is February 7, so get your applications in! Creative Saskatchewan Investment Fund grant programs are generally available to creative industry projects and endeavours that encompass music, sound recording, interactive digital media, visual arts, and more. They are currently accepting applications for the following streams up to the deadline of February 7: Creative Industries Production Grant; Market & Export Development Grant and Creative Saskatchewan’s Culture on the Go; and Business Capacity and Research Grant. See http://www.creativesask.ca for more info.

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January 31 » february 8 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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Friday 31 House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven it up. 9pm / No cover Future Forests / Amigos — With Autopilot and DJ Marketmall. 10pm / Cover TBD Jesse Brown / The Bassment — It’s piano Friday! 4:30pm / No cover

Aaron Adair / The Bassment — A local songwriter with a unique soul. 9pm / $15+ DJ Aash Money / Béily’s — DJ Aash Money throws it down. 9pm / $5 cover Hung Jury / Buds — AC/DC to Michael Jackson. 10pm / Cover TBD BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/ vocal house music. 10pm / $5 DJ Eclectic / The Hose & Hydrant — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Kick off your weekend with all your favourite party hits..

9pm / $5 cover DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm The Prairie Winds Woodwind Quartet / Prairie Ink — Playing light classical music.

8pm / No cover

Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King.

10pm / $5 VIP Fridays / Tequila — Celebrate Chinese New Year with DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Nick Ruston / Uncle Barley’s — Come and check him out! 9pm / Cover TBD Bad Decisions, Quinzee Town / Vangelis — A night of alt and indie rock. 10pm / Cover TBD

Saturday 1

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover All Mighty Voice / Amigos Cantina — With Gunner and Smith, The Dead South.

10pm / Cover TBD Piano Series: Jan Janovsky Sextet / The Bassment — An explosive pianist from Edmonton. 8:30pm / $17/$23 DJ Aash Money + DJ Sugar Daddy / Béily’s UltraLounge — These two DJs throw down a dance party every Saturday night.

9pm / $5 cover Hung Jury / Buds on Broadway — Playing everything from AC/DC to Michael Jackson.

10pm / Cover TBD SaturGAY Night / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin exclusive dance remixes every Saturday. 10pm / $5 DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover

DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Ladies night with DJ Stikman and the Jax party crew.

9pm / $5 cover DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music all night. 8pm / $4 We the Artists / O’Brians — Music, art and drama from the U of S. 6:30pm / $20+ DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Wayne Bargen / Prairie Ink — Playing instrumental guitar. 8pm / No cover Mendez and the Mexico Concert / Robert Hinitt Castle Theatre — Featuring the talents of the Saskatoon Concert Band and Ryan Cole. 7:30pm / $10+ Bassment Paintings / Rock Bottom — With A Ghost in Drag and The Mailman’s Children. 9pm / Cover TBD Mikey Dubz / Spadina Freehouse — Local DJ doing his thing. 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 DJ Anchor / Sutherland Bar — It’s the world famous video mix show! 10pm / Cover TBD Saturday Night Social / Tequila — Electronic Saturdays will have you moving and grooving. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Thorpdeo / Uncle Barley’s — Spinning hot tunes all night. 10pm / Cover TBD Spoils / Vangelis — With White Women and the Faps. 10pm / Cover TBD

Sunday 2

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 SJO Presents: All Ellington / Broadway Theatre — Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra playing the songs of Duke Ellington. 3pm / $20+ Viennese Classic / Convocation Hall — Elixer ensemble performing Mozart and Brahms. 2:30pm / Cover TBD DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Down With Webster / O’Brians Event Centre — Rap-rock straight out of the T-dot.

6:30pm / $39.75 (www.ticketmaster.ca) Stan’s Place Jam / Stan’s Place — Bring your instrument, all music types welcome.

8:30pm / No cover Blues Jam / Vangelis Tavern — The Vangelis Sunday Jam is an institution, offering great tunes from blues to rock and beyond.

7:30pm / No cover

Monday 3 DJ Audio / Dublins — Spinning dope beats.

9pm / Cover TBD Bleeker Ridge / Louis — Rock form Orillia, Ontario. 9pm / Cover TBD

Tuesday 4

Kool Keith / Amigos Cantina — The “original black Elvis” with Snow Goons, Ka Lil + more. 10pm / Cover TBD Jesse Rhodes Band / Buds on Broadway — C’mon out for a rockin’ good time. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce — Able to rock any party, this crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres.

9:30pm / $4 cover DJ Nick Ruston / Dublins — Spinning dope beats. 9pm / Cover TBD The Young Guns Tour / O’Brians Event Centre — Featuring Brett Kissell, One More Girl + more. 7pm / $21 (www.picatic.com) Verb presents Open Mic / Rock Bottom — Come and rock the stage! 9pm / No cover Open Mic / The Somewhere Else Pub — Come out to show your talent. 7pm / No cover DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Playing your favorite songs to lighten the work week.

9:30pm / No cover

Wednesday 5

DJ Modus / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Spinning all your favourite tracks. 9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter DJ Aash Money / Béily’s — Spinning dope beats all night. 9pm / Cover TBD Jesse Rhodes Band / Buds — C’mon out for a rockin’ good time. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ Memo / Dublins — Spinning dope beats.

9pm / Cover TBD DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Buck Wild Wednesdays / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Come out and ride the mechanical bull! 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Playing your favorite songs to lighten the work week.

9:30pm / 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 / No cover

Thursday 6

Root Series: Outside the Wall / The Bassment — Saskatoon’s Pink Floyd tribute band. 8pm / $17/$23 Continued on next page »

20 Jan 31 – Feb 6 entertainment

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Brewsters and Roosters / Buds on Broadway — Break out your drinking boots and get ready to party. 10pm / Cover TBD Throwback Thursdays / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music all night. 8pm / $4 cover DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Playing your favorite songs to lighten the work week.

9:30pm / No cover Triple Up Thursdays / Tequila — Featuring DJ Dislexic. 9pm / Cover TBD Open Stage / The Woods — Hosted by Steven Maier. 9pm / No cover

Jomama / Stan’s Place — A rockin’ good time at Stan’s. 9:30pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie + Brad King. 10pm / $5 Torro Torro / Tequila — A Toronto-based EDM duo. 8:30pm / $15 DJ Nick Ruston / Uncle Barley’s — Come and check him out! 9pm / Cover TBD Good Enough / Vangelis — With Herd of Wasters + more. 10pm / Cover TBD

Saturday 8

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes. 9pm / No cover Les Hay Babies / Amigos — Bilingual folk music from NB. 10pm / Cover TBD The Pianomen / The Bassment — Featuring David Fong + more. 8pm / $15/$20 DJ Aash Money + DJ Sugar Daddy / Béily’s — It’s a dance party. 9pm / $5

Nightrain / Buds on Broadway — A Guns N’ Roses tribute band. 10pm / Cover TBD SaturGAY Night / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin exclusive dance remixes. 10pm / $5 DJ Kade / The Hose — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax — Ladies night with the Jax party crew. 9pm / $5 cover DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music. 8pm / $4 cover DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws — Round up your friends. 8pm / $5 It’s Too Late Baby / Prairie Ink — Covering Carole King + more. 8pm / No cover Danger Bay / Rock Bottom — With Dames, Ollie Ox + more. 9pm / Cover TBD Jomama / Stan’s Place — A rockin’ good time at Stan’s. 9:30pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie + Brad King. 10pm / $5

DJ Anchor / Sutherland Bar — It’s the world famous video mix show! 10pm / Cover TBD Saturday Night Social / Tequila Nightclub — Electronic Saturdays will have you moving and grooving. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Thorpdeo / Uncle Barley’s — Spinning hot tunes all night. 10pm / Cover TBD

Whiskey Jerks / Vangelis — A fusion of folk, blues, jazz, pop and more. 10pm / Cover TBD

Get listed Have a live show you'd like to promote? Let us know! layout@verbnews.com

Friday 7

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Lou Reed Tribute Night / Amigos Cantina — Featuring Maybe Smith, Shakey + more.

10pm / Cover TBD Ray Stephanson / The Bassment — It’s piano Friday! 4:30pm / No cover Root Series: Outside the Wall / The Bassment — Saskatoon’s Pink Floyd tribute band. 9pm / $17/$23 DJ Aash Money / Béily’s UltraLounge — DJ Aash Money throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover Nightrain / Buds on Broadway — A Guns N’ Roses tribute band. 10pm / Cover TBD BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/ vocal house music. 10pm / $5 DJ Eclectic / The Hose & Hydrant — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Kick off your weekend with all your favourite party hits..

9pm / $5 cover Rock the Shelter / O’Brians Event Centre — Foam Lake + more raise funds for the SPCA! 7pm / $10 DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — 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 Apollo Cruz / Rock Bottom — A highoctane blues show. 9pm / Cover TBD Tribute to Everly Brothers and the Monkeys / Royal Canadian Legion Nutana Branch — Come listen to some golden oldies. 8pm / $12/$15

21 Jan 31 – Feb 6 @verbsaskatoon

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What the heck?

Photo: Courtesy of paramount pictures

With Labor Day, Jason Reitman departs from his sardonic filmmaking ways by adam hawboldt

W

hen you think of movies director Jason Reitman has made, certain adjectives pop into your mind — smart, funny and sardonic being just a few.

Think of Juno, think of Thank You For Smoking, Young Adult or Up in the Air and you’ll get an idea of what I’m talking about. All of Reitman’s movies are sharply written, wisecracking exploration about modern life, mores and issues.

Well, nearly all of them. Because Reitman’s latest film, Labor Day, is nothing like the other movies in his portfolio. It’s so different, in fact, that you can’t help but wonder if this is just a one-off experiment, or if the sardonic boy wonder of Hollywood has changed his tack entirely and we’re about to see a very different side of him.

Personally, I’m hoping it’s just an experiment.

Why?

shopping for back-to-school clothes with his mother, Adele (Kate Winslet). This is a big occasion for the two. See, Adele’s husband (Henry’s father) has left, and she’s one loud noise away from a nervous breakdown. She rarely leaves their old, dilapidated house. So yeah, like I said, this shopping trip is a bit of an occasion.

Because Reitman’s first four films were terrific. Labor Day … not so much. And that’s not to say it’s a bad movie. Far from it. It’s just that, well, it didn’t feel like a Jason Reitman film.

Adapted from a novel by Joyce Maynard (yes, the same Joyce Maynard who shacked up with J.D. Salinger when she was 18), Labor Day is a coming-of-age story about

…Reitman’s latest film, Labor Day, is nothing like the other movies in his portfolio.

Adam Hawboldt

An occasion that’s interrupted when a stranger named Frank (Josh Brolin), a convicted murderer who has just escaped from prison, tells Henry and his mom, in no uncertain terms,

a boy, his mother, and the escaped convict they take into their house.

The year is 1987. Labor Day weekend. A shy, 13-year-old boy named Henry (Gattlin Griffin) is out

that they have to help him. They have to hide him from the authorities.

Not really given much of a choice, Adele agrees and takes Frank back to their house.

This is when things get a little strange. Instead of giving Frank a safe place for a couple of days, then telling him to be on his way, Adele and Henry start to grow fond of the convict. Frank teaches Henry how to hit a curveball. Pretty soon, the lonely Adele begins to fall for Frank.

What follows is a melodrama/ love story that borders on the mawkish. So mawkish that Frank teaches the family how to make the perfect peach pie and invites a disabled boy to play baseball in the backyard. This part of the movie unfolds in a very un-Reitman like process, full of whimsical and gauzy dreamlike sequences. Eventually (some will say thankfully), the claustrophobic living conditions are shattered.

labor day Jason Reitman Starring Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin + Gattlin Griffin Directed by

111 minutes | 14A

Both Brolin and Winslet act the hell out of their roles, and the idea of telling the story from the child’s point of view prevents Labor Day from being just another love story.

But, in the end, anyone who is a big Jason Reitman fan will cross their fingers and hope that his next film (Men, Women, and Children) will be a return to his original form.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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It has its moments That Awkward Moment: not the best rom-com you’ll ever see, but definitely not the worst by adam hawboldt

Photo: Courtesy of focus features

M

ichael B. Jordan is one heck of an actor.

With that megawatt smile, that onscreen chemistry, and the way he makes audiences really and truly care about the characters he portrays, the guy is an up-and-coming actor on the make.

Whether it was as Wallace on The Wire, quarterback Vince Howard on Friday Night Lights or the doomed Oscar Grant on the crimi-

new rom-com called That Awkward Moment, I was sold. No matter how unoriginal or bad or mildly okay the movie would be, I had a feeling that Michael B. Jordan would be good in it.

And he is. But here’s the thing: Michael B. Jordan isn’t the best thing about the film. That honour goes to another up-and-comer — Miles Teller.

Hot off a sizzling performance in a terrific little film called The

…it seems as though That Awkward Moment is hellbent on catering to men, and, as a result, it’s a tad bro-centric.

Adam Hawboldt

nally underrated Fruitvale Station, Michael B. Jordan has a way of connecting with audiences on a very intimate, very human level.

So when I found out he was in a

Spectacular Now, Teller kills it as Daniel in That Awkward Moment.

One minute he’s all bro’d out, the next he’s wildly vulnerable, the next he’s choke-on-your-popcorn

that awkward moment Tom Gormican Starring Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan + Miles Teller Directed by

94 minutes | 14A

funny. It may be Zac Efron’s face the studio is using to sell this movie, but it’s Teller’s and (to a slightly lesser degree) Jordan’s performances that buoy the picture.

So what is That Awkward Moment all about?

Well, if you took Sex in the City, bred it with Entourage and then threw in a liberal dose of crass humour, you’d end up with a flick like this. The film is about three guys, three best friends, living in New York City. One of the friends, Mikey (Michael B. Jordan) has just split up with his wife after finding out she’d been seeing someone behind his back. Needless to say, the last thing he needs to do is go leaping into another relationship.

So, to lend support, his two best friends, book jacket designer Jason (Zac Efron) and smart-mouthed

Daniel (Miles Teller) decide they’ll stand by their boy and the three of them make a pact to stay out of any serious relationships.

This is easier said than done, and eventually all three of the guys find themselves hiding a relationship (of sorts) from their friends.

Now, I admit, this isn’t the most inclusive concept for a screenplay you’ll ever see. In a day and age when most rom-com/date movies try to appeal to both sexes, it seems as though That Awkward Moment is hellbent on catering to men, and, as a result, it’s a tad bro-centric.

But there’s something about it that keeps it from being terrible. Maybe it’s Miles Teller. Maybe it’s Michael B. Jordan. Maybe it’s the handful of

deep belly laughs or the way the script teeters between cliche and real emotion. Whatever it is, That Awkward Moment, well … it has its moments.

It’s not the best rom-com you’ll see this year, but it’s certainly not the worst. So if you’re in the mood for some raunchy humour, give That Awkward Moment a shot. It might just surprise you.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

23 Jan 31 – Feb 6 /verbsaskatoon

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saturday, January 25 @

Louis’ Pub

Louis’ Pub 93 Campus Drive (306) 966 7000

Continued on next page »

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Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, February 7. facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Photography by Patrick Carley

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saturday, january 25 @

Jax Niteclub

Jax Niteclub 302 Pacific Avenue (306) 934 4444

Photography by Patrick Carley

27 Jan 31 – Feb 6 /verbsaskatoon

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Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, February 7. facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Continued on next page Âť

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Photography by Patrick Carley

29 Jan 31 – Feb 6 @verbsaskatoon

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

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timeout

crossword canadian criss-cross 24. Japanese food 25. With mistakes 27. Had a really bad smell 30. Baby talk 34. Sharpen on a whetstone 35. Mountain lake 36. Mare, in astronomy 37. In circulation 38. Pretend to be someone you are not 39. Comes to have 40. Custard-filled pastry 42. Lack of interest 44. Hair dye 45. Salary increase 46. Red spots on the skin 47. Auld lang ___

sudoku answer key

A

24. Move a light beam over 26. Unpaid overdue debt 27. It’s worn below the ankle 28. Come in contact with 29. One of a pair on a deer 31. African fly 32. River of forgetfulness 33. Like taking candy B from a baby 35. First five books of the Hebrew Scriptures 38. Types of passwords used for authentication 39. Go faster by, like a watch 41. Collection of anecdotes 43. Be worthwhile

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

1. Dim period of twilight 5. Ones dressed in stripes, for short 9. Evening stroll 10. Message sent over the Internet 12. Monetary unit of Russia 13. Fruit like oranges and lemons 15. Bites gently 16. At a distance 18. Canadian radio producer Basen 19. Alcoholic drink 20. Bite suddenly 21. Hockey disc 22. Frequently visited place

DOWN 1. Neatly dressed 2. Puts to work 3. Dry, said of wine 4. Sockeye salmon 5. Summarize briefly 6. Arabian ruler 7. On the heavy side 8. Brightest star in the sky 9. French soldier in World War I 11. Roll suddenly to one side 12. Kind of sack 14. H. H. Munro’s pseudonym 17. Error in etiquette 20. Descend to the bottom 21. Green shot 23. Reinforce with fabric

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

ACROSS

© walter D. Feener 2014

Horoscopes january 31 – february 6 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

It’s probably best if you don’t spend too much time at home this week, Aries. Get out and be social! You never know who you’re going to meet.

You’ve been putting off a very important project for some time now, Leo, but it’s important to bring it to a close. Get your butt into gear.

Have you been staring at computer and television screens too much lately, Sagittarius? If so, it’s time to get out and be active.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Let your imagination soar this week, Taurus. Your creativity knows no bounds. You may be surprised where it will take you.

On the love front, Virgo, this is going to be a good week. Bask in it! On the school/work front, however … not so much.

This is going to be one of those weeks when you catch on to things quickly, Capricorn. Enjoy how easy things come. It won’t last.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

At some point this week you’re going to have a rather unusual dream, Gemini. Pay close attention to it. The universe is trying to tell you something.

If you need help with something this week, Libra, don’t worry.

Friends and family will be there for you.

All you have to do is ask.

Your understanding of others will be enhanced this week by a keen sense of intuition, Aquarius. But don’t rely on intuition alone.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

Thoughts of travel won’t be very far from the forefront of your mind this week, Cancer. Put those thoughts to good use.

You may have an intellectually enhancing experience this week.

Not matter what you think, Scorpio, it’s not random.

Don’t rush into making any decisions this week, Pisces. You might think it’s a good idea, but it’ll come back to bite you in the you-know-what.

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

31 Jan 31 – Feb 6 /verbsaskatoon

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