March 10, 2011 - B

section b The Sheaf ’s arts and culture section.

graphic by Maia Stark

Cassette tapes: The forgotten medium

Bart Records owner Kevin Stebner sets the record straight on cassette tapes and punk rock Aaron Scholz Arts Writer In an era that celebrates the ease of portable music and threatens to leave all physical mediums behind, a growing protest has risen from the prairies with the existence of Bart Records — a record label exclusively dedicated to the cassette tape medium.

With releases from bands all over Canada (including Saskatoon bands Black Magic Pyramid and Auld Beak), Bart Records has breathed new life into cassette culture and encourages the growth of its niche market in the prairie provinces.

The owner of Bart Records, Kevin Stebner, talked to the Sheaf about the superior medium.

The Sheaf: What is Bart Records?

Kevin Stebner: Bart is purely a documentation of what’s going

on musically in western Canada.

It sprung up out of necessity, considering that there were no record labels in western Canada that catered to the kind of music I wanted to hear.

Sheaf: Bart is a cassette label.

Why tape cassettes?

Stebner: Tapes are the world’s greatest format. The sound quality and most importantly, the portability of tapes are awesome.

Sheaf: Many would disagree.

What do you say to people who recall cassettes being the past bane of their audio existence?

Stebner: They’re obviously completely ignorant and don’t understand anything. If you really want disposable media, you can have it. If you want MP3s that can be lost on external hard drives, go for it. I want to make something with a beautiful aesthetic and as

old as the format may be, I’m not putting out tapes for modernists.

I’m doing it to make something that is real and tangible and lasting.

Sheaf: By not appealing to modernists, as you say, you obviously then have to rely on those who grew up listening to cassettes. What do the younger generation of kids say when they see you’re selling tapes at shows?

Stebner: Well, in Calgary in particular, there are all these amazing 15 year-old kids who are stoked on it and love the idea that they can make something themselves. Some of the music they write is questionable, but they’re doing it. Having the ability to record and distribute your own music through cassettes is a wonderful thing and I don’t think that concept is dated at all. It is a way to make music accessible. I sell my cassettes for $5 and I’m not

aware of any other media form that you can sell so cheaply to people.

Sheaf: Where does the name “Bart Records” come from?

Stebner: It’s actually an Adventures in Odyssey reference. For those who don’t know, Adventures in Odyssey was a radio drama produced by Focus on the Family.

The moral of the story is learning to carefully discern what you listen to. In the story, there’s a band called Bones of Wrath who write these songs that parents flip out over. They had a song called “Who Needs Parents?” and another song called “Razorblade Rag.” The lead singer of the band, his dad is named Bart Wrathbone and the band releases their debut cassette on the dad’s label called Bart Records.

Anyway, I loved the idea of cassette label and music being dangerous.

Sheaf: If you know what

Adventures in Odyssey is, you obviously either grew up in a religious household or are a spiritual dude yourself. Do religion and punk rock mix well?

Stebner: Yeah, absolutely! I think that religious people, Christians in particular, are marginalized in western society. And for me, those who are interested in punk rock have been a marginalized group as well. Both these views, religion and punk, affect how you see the world and how you examine society and are based on having something to say, regardless of whether its popular or not.

Sheaf: Are there any particular upcoming cassette releases you’re doing that are exciting to you?

Stebner: Yes! There is a Bart Records compilation coming out on cassette featuring bands who have done releases with me doing

Bart cont. on B3.

Talk Show tensions come to a head

THEODORE FONTAINE

MATTHEW STEFANSON Arts Writer The tension between the two hosts of Louis’ Monday night Talk Show has come to a head.

Jason “The Jackhammer” Hattie — long the antagonist in the host/ co-host relationship — will be facing down his long time friend, Paul “Meatgrinder” McMurtry on March 17. Frequent attendees of Talk Show will be familiar with the disrespect that each of these competitors shows to the other, and

the pummelling should prove to be cathartic for the fighters and the audience.

The showdown will take place at the end of a special St. Patrick’s Day episode of Talk Show which — according to Hattie will be packed with all of the favourite crowd contests from past shows.

In addition to the lightning round and other beer related competitions there will be a meat draw (you win meat) and a 50/50 raffle.

McMurtry has long been a punching bag on the show,

absorbing abuse and having his personal affairs exposed to the drunken crowd, and that history of abuse may influence the show.

“I think it’s going to be Paul getting back at me for everything we’ve ever done wrong to him, and he deserves to fight back and have his glory, but I’m not gonna give it to him, because that’s more fun,” said Hattie.

During our interview, “Meatgrinder” McMurtry sat across from me in one of campus’ dingiest cafeterias. True to his name, he was

rabidly consuming a cheeseburger, steadfastly cramming more and more of the pulverized meat product into his grimly set mouth.

“I’ve known him since elementary, and Jason and I have never fought before,” said Paul.

“Only on the courts. We’ve had many a battle, one on one, street style.”

McMurtry is a wisp of a man coming in, he says, “somewhere around 50 pounds under Jason,” whom he credits as “too out of

UPCOMING EVENTS

Host promises to wail on co-host in upcoming on-stage competition

Talk Show cont. on B2. run Mar 10, 11.indd

1

Reading & Signing Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools Tuesday, March 15, 7:30 PM

BRAD WARNER Reading & Signing Sex, Sin, and Zen Thursday, March 17, 7:30 PM

02/27/11 1:34:11 PM

B2 •

Section B

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

‘I am on a drug – it’s called Charlie Sheen’ A look at Sheen’s scandalous life and career AREN BERGSTROM Arts Writer Charlie Sheen is nuts. And he knows how to make a complete ass of himself.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone considering the actor’s lessthan-exemplary history of personal scandal. Sheen’s name has been connected with scandal for the past 20 years in everything from shooting his then-fiancé Kelly Preston in the arm in 1990 to overdosing on cocaine in 1998. He has been involved in very public splits, one with ex-wife Denise Richards in 2005 and another with estranged wife (divorce pending) Brooke Mueller last year.

Yet, with all this public controversy and the declining popularity that you think would’ve come from it, Sheen managed to remain the star of television’s most popular sitcom, Two and a Half Men, raking in 14 million viewers and making roughly $2 million per episode. That is, until recently.

With the amount of money that Sheen was bringing in to CBS, CBS’s

Madman Charlie Sheen is on the loose!

breaking point was (apparently) very high.

Until this year, Sheen had proved the exception to the rule that Hollywood scandal would torpedo an actor’s career. Celebrities like Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan have yet to recover from their various scandals, and while racist remarks and repeated incidents of theft and DUI are properly condemned in the social conscience, they are hardly more severe than the various

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allegations of violence against women and drug abuse that Sheen has perpetrated over the years.

However, unlike Gibson and Lohan, Sheen has had a successful career despite his personal follies, as if the viewing public simply didn’t care what he did and saw him as exempt from the personal standards they hold other celebrities to. This public exemption led to Sheen being not only one of the most successful TV actors working today, but the most successful actor working in television.

Sheen, the son of iconic actor Martin Sheen and brother of has-been Emilio Estevez, began his acting career in 1984 with the Cold War teen action movie Red Dawn.

Next came a starring role (and his best role) in Oliver Stone’s Oscarwinning Vietnam War drama Platoon.

Wall Street, Young Guns, Major League and Hot Shots! movies filled Sheen’s schedule over the intervening years until he made the move to television in 2000, filling the shoes of Michael J. Fox on Spin City. After his

successful two years on Spin City, a television show tailor made for Sheen was inevitable, and thus, Two and a Half Men was born.

Two and a Half Men is (or should I say was?) an extremely successful sitcom. So successful, in fact, that the New York Times has called it “the biggest hit comedy of the past decade.” This is a depressing indicator of the quality of modern TV because, frankly, the show stinks.

Repetitive storylines, tired jokes, unlikeable characters, and production values that seem straight out of 1994 make this show what it is: a champion of mediocre comedy — but that’s beside the point.

The point is that Two and a Half Men’s success lasted throughout all of Sheen’s past scandals and would likely have survived through his current one. It is only in danger of derailing because producers halted the show’s production after Sheen unleashed a rant against show cocreator and producer, Chuck Lorre.

What does it say about a TV watching society when audiences seem more

than willing to continue overlooking Sheen’s insane personal foibles and watch his show week after week, and television executives are not? Not something good, that’s for sure.

Sheen responded to this halt in production with a series of rants on every available talk show and celebrity news channel. His jabs at television producers, news commentators and Alcoholics Anonymous indicate that, although his drug tests came up negative, the man’s surely on something. Bizarre statements like “I am on a drug — it’s called Charlie Sheen” only go to prove just how far off the deep end Sheen has gone.

Distressingly, Sheen’s meltdown has only extended the public’s obsession with him. He used to invade our homes every week on his mediocre sitcom and now he invades our homes in the headlines of every news network, even ousting Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan Revolution as the top story.

Perhaps the saddest and funniest fact of Charlie Sheen’s very public, very strange breakdown is that it counts as the most entertaining moment of his career since Platoon.

His slew of insane rants and tweets (his Twitter feed is a goldmine of hilarious and egotistical comments) are far more entertaining than his mediocre sitcom ever was. Still, when Sheen’s meltdown is all over and done with (or at least banished from the TV headlines), let’s hope society can move on.

It may be too much to hope for, but a pop culture free of Charlie Sheen is a pop culture to look forward to.

Talk Show cont. from B1. shape to be a threat.”

The two combatants, lacking the experience or rigorous training regimen that boxers usually employ, have been preparing in their own unique ways.

“

I am going to put Hattie through the grinder, package him up, sell him to Fuddruckers and then take his family out for half pounds the next day.

Paul “Meatgrinder” McMurtry

“I’ve been playing a lot of Super Punch Out and just hammering pushups,” said Hattie. “I did like 47 pushups the other day, which is a feat.

“Still, it is kind of like, ‘Oh my

god I look fat. I’m going to have to get in shape by tomorrow,’” said Hattie of his unfair weight advantage. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see either of us with some jiffy marker abs up there.”

McMurtry is employing an even more unorthodox training program.

“Drinkin’, smokin’ and pussy,” he said, staring squarely into my eyes and repeating, “Drinking, smoking, pussy.”

Despite their long history together, there is little love lost between the two competitors.

McMurtry, whose violent trash talk lasted hours after the actual interview, commented on how he would “put [Hattie] through the grinder, package him up, sell him to Fuddruckers and then take his

graphic by Adam Slusar

family out for half pounds the next day.”

Hattie, not one to back down from the man who has played McMahon to his Carson for so long replied, “Has he been talking smack about me? Let me tell you, the only meat he’ll be grinding when I’m through with him is his bloody limbs, because I’m actually going to hit him with my car.

“I think he’ll be calling the ambulance in advance.”

The fight will commence on March 17 at Louis’.

Show time is 10 p.m.

Section B • B3

thesheaf.com/arts

The Depth set to release debut album Local electronic act finish album, people rejoice in street

“

There is a lot of amazing electronic stuff happening locally, and a lot of it is under the radar.

Jesse Selkirk

The Depth

Do they grow electronic music out there in the woods?

HOLLY CULP Arts Editor

Local musicians Jesse Selkirk and Aaron Engel were brought together by necessity in 2008. Ever since, they’ve been working on putting out an album. Now, in 2011, they have succeeded with their debut Asymptotic.

“We’ve been playing together since we were like 15, off and on,” said Selkirk. “Eventually it got to a point where we hadn’t played together in a while. I was doing my own thing and he had been working on this electronic music. We kept saying, ‘Hey, I should put vocals

supplied

on one of my tracks some time.’ So eventually we did.”

After that, they kept on creating music separately, not really considering the potential of the oneoff song they had recorded.

“Then, Aaron and I were both playing a Tele-miracle event in Prince Albert. He played and I played and then we sang our one song,” said Selkirk. “A friend of ours who saw us was on the Ness Creek board and later on, when we both auditioned separately for Ness Creek, they didn’t have enough room for both of us to play so our friend was like, ‘I saw them play together once and they were really

awesome.’ It was like, ‘Poof! You’re a band. Come up with enough material.’ ” So in a scramble to get enough material for a decent live-show, The Depth was born.

“We crammed. Basically I would drive up to Prince Albert at like 9 a.m. every weekend and drink coffee and we’d play music for 10 hours.

By the end I would just be a mess in the corner. But we did it, we came up with enough material to play Ness Creek.”

That was in 2008. Since then, the band has been taking odd opportunities and satisfy their simmering local following with a

show here and there. When they decided they wanted to write an album, the Sask Arts Board gave them a leg-up with funding. Now, Asymptotic is ready and the band is set to play their release party with Saskatoon’s favourite DJ, the Gaff, this weekend. The Depth also explore visual mediums during their live shows, listing their projectionist Michael Caron as their fourth band member.

“We think of it as more than a band, more like an artistic whole,” said Selkirk. “We’ve always wanted to incorporate visuals. Electronic music very much lends itself to being otherworldly, so the visuals are very abstract — mostly about colour and movement. [Michael] works hard to get organic effects.

He’ll film soap bubbles in water and then layer colour over it, stuff like that.”

In regards to the local electronic music scene, Selkirk hopes that The Depth can help rally together the disjointed ranks of electronic fans throughout the province.

“There is a lot of amazing electronic stuff happening locally, and a lot of it is under the radar.

It’s there but there’s not really a community surrounding it. I hope that we can take some small step toward bringing in some more likeminded people.”

The Depth release their debut at Amigos on March 12 with the Gaff.

INSERT YOUR TEXT

HERE

Tapedeck.

Bart cont. from B1. covers of ’70s and ’80s rock songs.

The bands on the roster, which everybody should check out are Stalwart Sons, Todos Caeran, Slates, Crippled Children, Auld Beak, Sans AIDS, Gyre Spire & Spindle, Book of Caverns and Japanese Beaver.

These are all Canadian bands.

Sheaf: You mentioned that making cassettes is cheap and easy. Does this mean you’re able to offer specific artists the chance to release a tape as soon as they want? How picky are you with what you release?

Stebner: I’m pretty picky with it. I don’t want to release an album if I don’t think the songs are any good.

Any record label will tell you that.

But if I hear something that I think is awesome, I’m going to want to put it out and if I can do that in a month, that’s way faster than a label being able to release a vinyl record, which would take two or three months.

photo by rockheim/Flickr

Spring & Summer

Sheaf: Do you feel you’re doing something that matters in terms of releasing this music?

Stebner: It is frustrating to me that I’m only able to sell a 100 tapes of a specific band. All the music I release, I stand behind and think is great. It’s too bad that more people aren’t paying attention to these amazing bands from the prairies.

I’m excited about the music happening around me.

Sheaf: If someone is reading this interview and thinking, “This is something that I could do,” what would you say to that person looking to do something similar?

Stebner: All it really takes is a love of music and some money. Instead of doing things like going to movies or going to the bar, I spend my money and free time putting out music. I would say go for it! There is a lot of exciting music being made in western Canada. Write an amazing song, record it and put it out there for the world to hear!

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B4 •

Reviews

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Shotgun Jimmie fresh out the studio And the mid-fi Transistor Sister may be his best LP to date AARON THACKER Arts Writer Sackville, N.B.’s Jim Killpatrick is a really nice guy.

And no, I don’t mean “nice, for a rock star.” I mean like one of the most kind, humble individuals I have ever met.

As it turns out, under the moniker “Shotgun Jimmie,” he is also one of the most talented songwriters that Canada has to offer and the release of Transistor Sister on You’ve Changed Records is most definitely an exciting addition to his already impressive discography.

Having lent his capacity as a guitarist and songsmith to the now defunct Shotgun and Jaybird, and releasing The Onlys and Still Jimmie under his alias, Jimmie hits up a true studio for the first time in his solo career with Ryan Peters (Ladyhawk) and Jay Baird (Feist) in tow to lay down the drums and bass, respectively.

Jim does the best he can to keep things lo-fi, but still utilizes the many opportunities afforded by the thoroughly equipped Old Confidence Lodge studio in Riverport, N.S. Probably the most important impact that the fully operational studio has on the album is the cohesion between the timbres of

See, doesn’t he look like the nicest guy ever?

all the instruments, where all of the individual contributions have a similar sonic character that makes each track mesh into something that is more than the sum of their parts (something sorely missed in most home recordings).

The cohesiveness in the recordings surely contributes to the fact that, as opposed to his previous efforts that came across more as a collection of songs (albeit amazing ones), Transistor Sister is a cohesive album that flows with intent from start to finish. Jimmie also ties everything together by employing a short instrumental flute song (performed

by Jay Baird) near the end of the album, recalling the motif of the

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title track that appears earlier on the disc.

What Transistor Sister does have in common with Shotgun’s prior solo records is that it comes across as a candid time capsule of his mind set, while occasional nostalgic numbers like “Suzy” (a touching recollection on a grade-school crush) lend an honest, retrospective touch to the album. The lyrics are sincere and positive and touch on everything from the awesome community of low-key musicians he tours with (“Transistor Sister” and “Paper Planes”) to detailed accounts of love on the east coast (“Too Many Flowers”).

He is also still wearing his

early ’90s Matador and Subpop “rock and roll” influences on his sleeve, and in the tradition of The Flaming Lips, he continues to combine humour with emotional revelations in his lyrics.

“Masterpiece,” a lighthearted tune about making art that features tickled keys and a mic-taped-toa-gas-powered-weed-whackerrun-through-a-wah-pedal-anda-guitar-amp solo, is a perfect example of this.

Continuing to experiment with sound in varying degrees of seriousness, the album contains everything from a 16-second long song that features nothing but someone running down three flights of stairs and slamming a door (“Confidence Lodge Stairwell Recording #1”, supposedly a tribute to the stairwells excellent acoustics) to a short instrumental piano-based number titled simply, “Piano.”

My favourite bits of utilized studio magic are featured on “Peace and Love” and “Late Last Year.” The former features a looped backing vocal track (done by Ryan Peters) that truly makes the track a stand out. I find myself habitually singing along to the bop-bop-bop-bop bop-bops instead of the lead vocal track about a societal cleansing (No offence, Jim). The latter has

a dancey and triumphant outro that features an intelligently arranged horn section. Along with this, there are a few tracks like the incredibly catchy “King of Kruezberg” that are tastefully adorned with some simple analog synth flourishes that manage to avoid sounding cheesy or forced.

Small forays aside, this is absolutely a guitar record, and Jim is one hell of a guitarist with impeccable taste in tone.

Crunchy, emotive guitar work and a rollicking rhythm section dominate much of Shotgun’s discography, but never so intensely and intelligently as on the (relatively) lengthy centerpiece “Swamp Magic” and the hook-laden “The Stereo and the Stove.”

Transistor Sister is absolutely Shotgun Jimmie’s crowning achievement as a solo artist and is a true album in the tradition of the ’90s greats like Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted. With a liberal dose of Halifax Pop exposure and Sappyfest swagger, Kilpatrick has created something undoubtedly special that is, in his own words, “good enough for me, and certainly, good enough for rock and roll.”

Step into Somewhere Else Or else!

Matt Cheetham Arts Writer Few bars in Saskatoon capture the essence of a secret hideaway that the Somewhere Else Pub and Grill does. It is located near the end of Broadway in the Avalon shopping centre.

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Somewhere Else offers that special, unique quality in that you may be one of the select few that knows of its existence.

While not as well known as other local establishments reputed for their music or food, Somewhere Else offers a unique quality in that you may be one of the select few that knows of its existence. While some may argue that being hidden prevents the bar from expanding on both clientele and presence, I think that the bar revels in this fact and plans to keep it that way.

When one first encounters this gem you may have to look very closely as it is nestled between two other business that make up part of the strip

mall. As you walk through the glass doors you are transported — as the title suggests — to somewhere else.

The bar itself is pretty small and only has room for a few large groups, but the friendly atmosphere and ambience cement it as a nice fixture in the city.

If you want to get away from crowds or noise, this the perfect place.

The menu has a nice selection of perfect pub food — everything from wings, chicken fingers, nachos or the occasional salad that are great to not only partake in alone but also for get-togethers. I have not been there recently so the menu may have changed but I don’t think people will walk away disappointed.

My only complaint of this great place is the service. The service is like a sliding scale of good days and bad; there seems to be no middle ground. There have been days where everything is efficient from both food delivery to service but then there have been other days that the service has been slow as molasses. While this may deter a few people I highly recommend it. Even on a bad day it’s still unlike any other place in the city.

The bottom line is if you’re looking for something a little different that is tucked away, isn’t noisy or crowded and has good food, then step into Somewhere Else Pub and Grill and you won’t regret it.

thesheaf.com/arts

Reviews • B5

My French is awful, but I am pretty sure this play is ‘très bon’ La Troupe du Jour stages their Saskatchewan-centric play HOLLY CULP Arts Editor Set in a time when hysteria was considered a treatable condition and women were subject to the whims of their husbands, La Troupe du Jour’s latest production sTain (La Maculée) explores the repercussions of religious dogma on the mind.

For those who are not familiar with La Troupe du Jour’s work, they are a francophone theatre company that operates in Saskatchewan. If you don’t speak French, it doesn’t matter. Their productions are accompanied by English subtitles.

It’s a worthwhile group that, frankly, doesn’t get enough anglophone attention. Even if you’re wretched at French (like me) you will be surprised at how well you can keep up.

The story follows the memories of Françoise, a devout Catholic

There, there. North Battleford isn’t so bad.

Quebecois woman living in the harsh Saskatchewan prairie. Raising children with her husband Bernard, she suffers a nervous breakdown at the hands of her husband’s abrupt conversion to Protestantism. When

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he uses her in a cruel tactic to gain followers at a religious “revival,” her sanity slips away and he commits her to a psychiatric hospital in North Battleford where the resident doctor takes a specific interest in her claims

of stigmata and visions of the Virgin Mary.

Written in French by Saskatchewan-born playwright Madeleine Blais-Dahlem and inspired by stories she learned from her mother as a child, the entire production is Saskatchewan-heavy in content, themes and actors, the desolate terrain of the newly settled province provides the mental backdrop for the audience.

Marie-Claire Marcotte plays the main character magnificently.

Marcotte, originally from Saskatoon, has studied drama around the world and is also a playwright working with La Troupe du Jour on upcoming productions. She was, without a doubt, the most unforgettable part of this entire play.

The set is extremely modern and minimalistic for a play set in the ’20s. Entirely white, the set hearkens to the name of the play sTain (La

Maculée).

Overall, the play attempts to make an old story relatable to modern audiences. The play centres on issues concerning mental health, women and faith and, specifically, ways in which women are used and abused by their religions. The playwright noted that it is a trend that perseveres to this day and the audience leaves with that theme resonating.

The director of the play, MarieEve Gagnon, is a Quebec import whose cutting edge style pushed the actors to extreme lengths, and it shows. The drama of the production is high-strung at times and extremely moving when it eventually slows and unravels. sTain is extremely accessible and touching; If you’re looking for a new experience in theatre I recommend seeing this play immediately.

Collective Coffee a new gem on 20th Street Get ready to be educated in coffee by the best baristas NICOLE BARRINGTON Arts Writer Located in a little shop on 20th Street past Avenue A, Jackson Wiebe and his team of baristas are serving up premium lattes, teas, macchiatos, cappuccinos and coffees (of course).

Collective Coffee is a new cafe in the Riversdale area, where old buildings are being turned into innovative new businesses. With no flashy signs (I think there was a cardboard one in the window) it was a little hard to point out; but this can be attributed to the fact that it opened recently in February.

Once inside, I couldn’t stop staring at the sweet layout of this place. The light bulbs hanging from wires, the old school wood paneled benches, teal-grey walls with red accents and paintings by local artists make me feel like I’m in a coffee shop in Victoria. (Is it ironic that I am brought back to Saskatoon by a painting of the Victoria Bridge?)

The bar is small and the seating is limited. Maybe 10 people could sit in the front part, which I’m not used to.

This is perhaps the only downfall of the space, and I can see it becoming a problem once the Riversdale area is fully restored and gets busier. Either this is the issue, or maybe I am so

used to sitting in Tim Horton’s with 50 people that a small-scale coffee shop seems bizarre. Read: this place is not Tim Horton’s. It’s not even Starbucks. The shop is not selling CDs of bands that were popular in the ’70s or pre-packaged biscotti.

In fact, it’s as far from corporate as you can get for coffee shops in Saskatoon. Customers can buy coffee beans that are roasted right in Saskatoon by Museo Coffee Roasters and baking from another popular local shop, Caffe Sola. This communal idea of local artisans and entrepreneurs merging for the purpose of quality products is reflected in a simple mantra: When I ask how Collective will answer to the franchise competition, the barista explained that, “It’s quality over quantity.” Perhaps it’s an overused phrase, but it’s ironically refreshing to hear, especially at this time of year when every 10 seconds I am somehow reminded about “Roll up the rim.” Collective Coffee is fairly comparable in price and business model to Caffe Sola, both serving flavourful Americanos and handcrafted lattes.

I had sworn off coffee until recently, and thus am no connoisseur, but I can appreciate the idea of paying a little extra for quality. My

friend who tagged along (and used to work in a local coffee shop) was a little more smitten, ordering a second latte before the shop closed at 5 p.m. Others in the shop looked like they also had seconds and thirds and fourths. I think it’s safe to say that the coffee served there would appeal to any palette.

In the future, the space will include a back room where clientele can plug in their laptops and work in a quiet environment. The menu will also expand, to include made-fresh sandwiches from Caffe Sola and bread from Christie’s Bakery.

This is head barista Jackson Wiebe’s second coffee endeavour — he also opened Evergreen Coffee and Food in Waskesiu in 2008. According to the barista who served my friend and me, Jackson is a little famous in Montreal for making the perfect cup — and wants to “educate” people about coffee. Personally, I’m looking forward to this caffeinated education and have high hopes for this business and its owner.

Collective Coffee is located at 220 20th Street. They are open every day until 5 p.m. and are closed on Sundays. Check out their website for updated hours and menu.

This is a coffee mug.

photo by Pete Yee

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B6 • Section B

the Sheaf • 10 march 2011

Music Listings March 9-16 WEDNESDAY 9

THE RESIGNATORS @ Amigos EVERYONE EVERYWHERE @ Caffe Sola OPEN MIC NIGHT with JASON HATTIE @ The Fez on Broadway

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WORST POP BAND EVER @ The Bassment

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SISTER GRAY @ Lydia’s THE DEPTH with THE GAFF @ Amigos

SUNDAY 13

JEFF MARTIN @ Broadway Theatre

MONDAY 14

Sell your cool stuff for CASH! We pay cash for gently used, guys and gals trendy and brand name clothes, shoes and accessories

So what’s in your closet?

THURSDAY 10

March 16-20 & 22-23

FRIDAY 11 RAPTURE BFA SHOW by TARA MITCHELL @ The Snelgrove Gallery

WEDNEDAY 9 FLIPPY CUP LEAGUE @ The Colonial $2 BEERS @ 302 Lounge

WEDNESDAY 16

TAKE AWAY AUDIO @ Buds on Broadway

March 9-16

KOSHASHIN 19th century photographs of Japan @ The Mendel Art Gallery RABBIT HOLE @ Persephone Theatre Until March 13 sTain (La Maculee) @ The Refinery

Q.E.D. @ Buds on Broadway

GZA @ Odeon

Culture Listings Jan 21 - April 3

TUESDAY 15

TALK SHOW with JASON HATTIE @ Louis’ Pub

SATURDAY 12

Union Centre CARNIVAL OF SEX @ Louis’ Pub TUESDAY 15 DOLLAR DRAUGHT @ Louis’ Pub MONDAY 14 TRIVIA NIGHT @ Louis’ Pub

WEDNESDAY 16

ROYAL WINNIPEG EDMONTON OIL KINGS vs. SASKATOON BALLET @ TCU Place FLIP CUP @ The BLADES @ Credit Colonial

PHOTO ESSAY 4: Key lime pies are #winning

What are they winning, you ask? And is this just a poorly executed Charlie Sheen reference? Mostly, yes. But Konga Cafe, on Saskatoon’s west side, has the best key lime pie in the world. So check it out! (Or else.)

Store Hours Monday - Friday 10-8 Saturday 10-6 Sunday 12-5 415 - 115th Street East (in Sutherland)

974-3900

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• B7

thesheaf.com

whiteninjacomics.com

“Server attention span”

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OXFORD SEMINARS 1-800-269-6719/604-683-3430

www.oxfordseminars.ca

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the Sheaf • ads@thesheaf.com • 10 march 2011