Verb Issue R58 (Dec. 14-20, 2012)

ISSUE #58 – DECEMBER 14 TO DECEMBER 20

LET’S CELEBRATE TURNER PRIZE* WITH

LUCKY BASTARD Having fun making boutique booze THE WIZARD OF OZ Q+A with Michael de Rose THE HOBBIT + SAMSARA Films reviewed­

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ERIC HILL

CONTENTS

NEWS + OPINION

CULTURE

ENTERTAINMENT

Q + A WITH MICHAEL DE ROSE

LIVE MUSIC LISTINGS

The Cowardly Lion speaks! 8 / Q + A

Local music listings for December 14 through December 22. 14 / LISTINGS

A NEW GOLDEN AGE?

THE FORTUNATE ISLES

NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS

Riley Rossmo, and the new, grittier comic book. 3 / LOCAL

Dance rock for a summer paradise.

We visit Bushwakker Brewpub.

9 / ARTS

15 / NIGHTLIFE

VERBNEWS.COM @VERBREGINA FACEBOOK.COM/VERBREGINA

EDITORIAL

AMY NELSON Country singer on her journey from the classroom to the stage. 9 / ARTS

SAMSARA + THE HOBBIT We review the latest movies. 16 / FILM

ART & PRODUCTION

LUCKY BASTARDS

DESIGN LEAD / ROBERTA BARRINGTON DESIGN & PRODUCTION / BRITTNEY GRAHAM CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS / TAMARA KLEIN, DANIELLE TOCKER, ADAM HAWBOLDT + ALEX J MACPHERSON

Having fun making boutique booze.

4 / LOCAL

ON THE COVER:

TURNER PRIZE* GOLDEN JUBILEE

Celebrating the Dunlop Art Gallery.

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

BUSINESS & OPERATIONS

CLOSE, BUT NOT ENOUGH

A CUP ABOVE

ON THE BUS

Our thoughts on the stripping laws in Saskatchewan. 6 / EDITORIAL

This week we visit Brewed Awakening. 12 / FOOD + DRINK

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 18 / COMICS

COMMENTS

MUSIC

GAME + HOROSCOPES

Here’s your say on lowering the drinking age to 18. 7 / COMMENTS

Skavenjah, Chris Henderson + Emerson Drive. 13 / MUSIC

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, weekly horoscopes and Sudoku. 19 / TIMEOUT

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

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

PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING & SHARING

10 / COVER PHOTO: COURTESY OF JASON CAWOOD

2 DEC 14 – DEC 20 VERB MAGAZINE

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A NEW GOLDEN AGE?

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Riley Rossmo is one of many who are breaking ground in a new wave of comic book making BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

A

man is standing in a forest, surrounded by wolves. At his feet lies a human body that’s been torn to shreds. He’s wearing a parka with the hood pulled up. When you first lay eyes on him the only thing you see is his back and, over his left shoulder, the tip of the doublebarrelled rifle he’s holding.

The wolves slowly close in around him, snarling, blood dripping from their exposed fangs. The lead wolf leaps at the man in the parka and … boom! The perspective shifts to the side as you watch the man, the hood of his parka now down, falling back and ripping a shot through a wolf’s throat.

Blood explodes from the creature, splattering on the white snow below.

This is how Riley Rossmo’s comic book series, Rebel Blood, begins. The series, which tells the story of a contagious disease that turns every living thing into zombies, was inspired by a canoe trip the artist took to Waskesiu.

“There were signs in Waskesiu that say something like ‘If we don’t show up in five days, start looking for us’ … or something like that,” says the 32-year-old comic book artist.

“So I started thinking, if there was a serial killer on the loose or the zombie apocalypse or an outbreak, it would be a long time before anyone up there would find out.”

With this idea in mind, Rossmo, a comic book artist by trade, decided to try his hand at writing. “It was my own

project,” he says. “It was the first time I was working by myself without … anybody else attached.”

The result is a fast-paced, beautifully rendered, blood-and-horror-filled comic book series. The kind of comic book series that, 30 years ago, would be hard to come by.

“In the ‘40s and ‘50s, the most popular comic books were horror, suspense stories, crime stories … real shocking stuff,” explains Chad Boudreau from his shop, ComicReaders, in Regina. “But then the comic code authority came in the mid-’50s and all those kind of comics went by the wayside.”

What they made room for was the rise of the superhero comic book: Superman, Spider-Man, Captain America and the rest of the good, righteous characters that many people, to this day, immediately think of when comics are mentioned. “Obviously, these superheroes were around since the ‘40s” says Boudreau, “but in the mid ‘50s to ‘60s it was all, ‘rah, rah America!’ It was okay to fight aliens and Nazis, but you couldn’t have sex or show blood or anything.”

This puritanical comic book period continued for decades. Sure, there were underground artists, like Robert Crumb, and there was a cutting-edge, sci-fi comic book scene in the U.K. during the ‘70s

and early ‘80s, but over here, for the most part, it was all superheroes and spandex.

Then the 1990s came around, and the mainstream comic world was turned upside down. “Most people will tell you the game changer was when Alan Moore did Watchmen,” says Boudreau. “That was the pinnacle … It was one of the things that lead to the death of the comic code authority. More writers and artists had freedom to make better stories with complex characters, with anti-heroes at the centre.”

And such a change in content altered comic book consumption.

“Fact is, the majority of comic book buyers aren’t what people deem to be the stereotypical comic reader,” says Boudreau. “They are young professional men, university students, young adult females who are in here seeking The Walking Dead, Sandman, Scalped.”

And according to Boudreau, this new demographic of reader is helping artists like Riley Rossmo sell books. Which makes perfect sense when you look at the kinds of books Rossmo makes.

Proof is about a sasquatch who works for a secret government agency. Green Wake, a series Rossmo did with Saskatoon writer Kurt Wiebe, deals with a host of murder mysteries in a small

town. And Cowboy Ninja Viking, which he illustrated for writer A.J. Lieberman (of DC Comics fame), focuses on an assassin with multiple personality disorder.

Needless to say, Rossmo’s catalogue isn’t your usual superhero, cape-and-mask kind of stuff.

Take, for instance, his latest project — Bedlam. Featuring one of the creepiest super-villains/main characters you’ll ever lay eyes on, Bedlam tells the story of a charismatic, utterly insane serial killer named Madder Red, and his alter ego, Fillmore Press. To date, the series has received such rave reviews that Rossmo doesn’t quite know what to make of it all.

“The orders for it have just been crazy,” says Rossmo, who collaborated

on the series with Nick Spencer and Frazer Irving. “I was so shocked — still am. I do okay in this industry, but this book … it’s just crazy.”

And things could very well get even crazier for artists like Rossmo, who delve into the dark, complex nature of humanity in their works.

“I think, in a way, we’re living in the golden age, the renaissance of comic books,” admits Rossmo. “It’s a great time for these type of comics and for artists like me. I don’t know what it is, but it’s fantastic.”

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LUCKY BASTARDS How to make a living making boutique booze BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

D

rinking whisky at ten in the morning is an interesting experience.

Drinking un-aged whisky right off the still at ten in the morning while surrounded by the people who made it, is an interesting experience that demands an explanation.

“If you’re not having fun making booze, you’re not doing it correctly,” says Michael Goldney after I refuse a second slug of the stuff.

Goldney ought to know. He is one third of Lucky Bastard distillers, Saskatchewan’s newest fountain of boutique booze.

The spearhead of the emerging micro-distillery trend in the province, Lucky Bastard produces high-quality spirits and liqueurs and bitters made from prairie grains. Goldney started the company with Cary Bowman and Lacey J. Crocker in 2010, after a late-night speculation session turned serious. Today, the distillery produces more than a dozen products, from standbys like vodka and gin to experiments in bitters and eaux de vie.

Goldney calls them craft spirits.

“I love craft spirits because they’re not produced on an assembly line, and every one is a little different,” he says. “The world of spirits is so wonderful because it’s so diverse.”

Building a distillery is far from easy.

Liquor takes time and money to make.

“A lot of time,” Crocker laughs, the

massive copper still looming above her like something from a steampunk novel. “A lot of money, a lot of research, and a lot of dedication.”

Bowman latched onto the idea while touring Europe. He was surprised that the micro-distillery movement, so prominent on the continent and building steam in the Pacific Northwest, was virtually unknown on the prairies. “Saskatchewan is full of grains, fruit, great water,” he says. “To have no such enterprise here was just very odd given that whisky — and all alcohol — is made out of grain.”

Convinced the idea was sound, he approached Goldney and Crocker.

refining the policies for microbreweries [and] micro-wineries.

They actually had to write the policy with us to be able to deal with us.”

Bowman and his colleagues worked with the SLGA to establish a legal framework for the business. Then they started making alcohol.

The basic process is no secret.

Grains and fruits are mixed into a mash and fermented. The resulting mash is then distilled, which concentrates it, and filtered. Making eye-wateringly potent alcohol is relatively easy. People have concealed stills for generations. But making flavourful and enjoyable spirits, on

If you’re not having fun making booze, you’re not doing it correctly.

MICHAEL GOLDNEY

They were enthusiastic, and wasted no time getting started. They registered the business, found a building, and tracked down the necessary equipment — a still, fermentation vats, a filtration tower, and various other sinister-looking apparatuses.

The biggest roadblock turned out to be the government. “At the time, SLGA didn’t have anything to deal with us, any sort of policies in place,” Bowman explains. “They had just started

the other hand, is anything but easy.

“We had to redo it and redo it and redo it,” Bowman says of their first attempt at making vodka, a staple at any distillery. “The hard part with the vodka is how to make it as smooth as water — that’s the craft.”

Gin proved even more difficult.

Steeped in history and tradition, most dry gins are redolent of juniper — the unmistakable taste of England. “We toured a distillery in Portland that CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

4 DEC 14 – DEC 20 NEWS + OPINION

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF LUCKY BASTARD DISTILLERY

made a fantastic gin in a style I had never had before,” Goldney says. “I thought, ‘I want to make a gin similar to this.’” He spent an afternoon smelling botanicals — ingredients — with Bowman and Crocker before deciding what, exactly, a Lucky Bastard gin should taste like. “We got really lucky because we all decided we liked the same gin,” Crocker says.

“It’s a new western dry gin, so what [we] do is pull back on that juniper.

It’s not as piney.” They threw a few batches away before creating the perfect recipe for what became Gambit Gin. Unlike most dry gins, Gambit has a much more balanced flavour profile, featuring notes of coriander, aniseed, and chamomile.

It was a good decision. Goldney spent months hearing that gin was going out of vogue, that “those old British people are dying off [and] no one is drinking gin anymore.” But Gambit is exactly what adventurous young drinkers are looking for. Cocktails are gaining traction across North America, and Lucky Bastard have positioned themselves as a viable alternative to the big brands.

After spending several weeks searching fruitlessly for quality bitters — a type of herbal alcohol that is integral to many cocktails, from Old Fashioneds to Manhattans — Bowman, Goldney, and Crocker decided to make their own. Today, Lucky Bastard sells four types of bitters, including angostura and absinthe. “Part of be-

ing a craft distiller is controlling the entire process: the grain selection, the yeast selection, how we’re going to do our mash, what kind of equipment we’ll use, how we’re going to make our cuts, how we’re going to get that flavour profile, right down to bottling and labeling,” Goldney says. Being a craft distiller also means making what you need, because other drinkers will surely be in the same situation.

Bowman, Crocker, and Goldney have produced many different spirits, but they set out to be a whisky distillery.

Pointing out that much of what passes for rye, and what everyone else calls Canadian Whisky, is actually made from corn, Bowman says he hopes Lucky Bastard can craft something distinctive and original. “It’s going to be heavier, spicier,” he says. “To us, it’s a real rye whisky.”

But no one will know for at least two more years what Lucky Bastard’s whisky will taste like. Canadian law prohibits distillers from selling whisky as whisky until it has spent three years maturing in a barrel. There are a couple of dozen barrels lining the walls at Lucky Bastard, but even the oldest won’t be ready for bottling until sometime in 2014. Which explains why I’m drinking the un-aged stuff at ten on a Tuesday morning. “It’s commonly referred to as white dog, white lightning, and sometimes moonshine,” Bowman says after Crocker produces a

bottle. “It’s a fantastic spirit, in that you can taste what comes off the still, what the mash was like. It’s fresh and raw.”

It is also aggressive. Un-aged whisky is perfectly safe to drink, but it is not for the faint of heart.

“You’re going to taste all the malty, grainy esters, but it’s got a bit

of a bite to it because it has not been mellowed out,” Bowman adds. “That’s the thing with our whiskies here. They’re coming off the still amazing, and when you put them in a barrel and age them, they’re just going to get that much better.”

The Lucky Bastard white dog burns my throat and tastes like potential.

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EDITORIAL

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THOMAS HAWK

CLOSE, BUT NOT ENOUGH It’s time our province fully embraces stripping

W

inston Churchill once said something to the effect that “sometimes doing your best is not good enough. Sometimes you must do what is required.”

And while we celebrate some of the Sask Party’s recent changes to our provincial liquor laws, we absolutely do not believe that they were the best the government could do — especially when it comes to stripping. These new rules (which we’ll talk about in a moment) move in the right direction, but we have not become as progressive a province as we should be.

Now don’t get us wrong. There was plenty of red tape cut, a lot of nonsensical (at times even archaic) laws altered, and that should be commended. For example, now movie theatres will be able to sell booze in age-restricted areas. And if you’ve never experienced it, there’s something terrific about throwing back a cold one while watching a new release (a cold one, that is, that you didn’t have to sneak in and sip surreptitiously after you managed to crack it open without drawing attention to yourself). The Europe-

ans have known this for decades, and we have finally hopped on that welcome train.

On the restaurant front, not only did the government give a green light to the whole bring-your-ownwine concept (a measure that we have previously advocated for on this page), but they also made it legal for eateries to serve alcohol without also having to serve food to customers.

Oh, and let us not forget about the modernization of the law that permits Sask brewpubs to produce up to 5,000 hectolitres of beer a year — up from a measly 2,000 hectolitres. All of these updated laws are a step in the right direction, one that will help pull Saskatchewan out of the dark ages of ale and spirits and into the modern world. But here’s the thing — for all the encouraging updates (more than 70 in all), the one thing that glaringly stood out was the liquor law that deals with stripteases.

See, prior to these changes Saskatchewan was the only province puritanical enough to prohibit the stripping off of clothing in the same room where alcohol was being consumed. Sure, you can have your

strippers, just no booze. And sure, you can have booze, just no nudity.

But both? You have to be crazy!

Now, we’ve railed against the SLGA regulating morality before, so we’re pleased with the (slightly) softened stance Brad Wall’s government has taken towards alcohol and stripping. After all, it is now legal for alcohol to be sold during stripteases and wet clothing contests. Hooray for adults being able to dictate what they watch and drink at the same time — well, mostly.

You see, the Sask Party stopped short of allowing booze and fullfrontal nudity to be in the same room at the same time. And that just isn’t good enough. What is so wrong with mixing stripping and alcohol? Every single other province in Canada allows it, and they’re not sinking into the ocean or having hellfire rained down upon them. So what’s our deal?

Why do we insist on clinging to these archaic, puritanical beliefs about breasts, penises and booze?

Sure, some people oppose stripping on moral grounds, and you know what? That’s their prerogative. They can then choose not to participate,

either on stage or from the audience, in behaviour they find uncomfortable.

But for such a strict moral code to be imposed on all adults — and sanctioned by our government, no less — is beyond outrageous.

And that’s why, to us, this stripping limbo we are now in seems just as outrageous as what preceded it. After all, this is all about freedom, folks. But half-freedom?

Being able to go some of the way, but not all? These things don’t really make sense in this case. So we think it’s time for our government to do better than its best. It’s time to drop the pasties and the panties part of this new law, and put strip-

ping and alcohol in the same room.

This outdated, prohibitive mandate needs to be repealed, and the government needs to give the people in this province the right to choose.

It’s time Saskatchewan got in step with the rest of the country.

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

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COMMENTS

ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about lowering the drinking age in Saskatchewan to 18.

Here’s what you had to say:

Text yo thoughtsur to 881 VE R B 8372

– Local street artists need more coverage like this. That Wizwon guy is amazing

some say it could be the end of the world. anyone scared

obviously exist no evidence to support jesus.

– Goin Up The Country ...Country Joe N The Fish C00l Hey

– I believe saskatchewan should make law people with drivers licenses should be retested every 10 years with the way people drive.

In response to “Graffiti Gold,” Local story, #57 (December 7, 2012)

SOUND OFF – Just for laughs gags!

– I think if there going to lower the drinking age they might as well legalize pot, how many cases of death have been recorded from alcohol related incedents?? LOTS now how many peole have over marijuana cunsumption? If u guessed none! Your right! L and R, miss you rukkyruk

– Lowering the drinking age would appear to be a logical choice for all of the reasons already stated.

Becoming of legal age at 18 should include all adult rights. Period.

There is lots of unfounded fear but little evidence this would cause more harm (as per MB and AB). Let this be a bridge towards more education about alcohol misuse-for ALL age groups. SK needs to focus on other pertinent issues. Let the 18 yr olds have a beer at their grad and be done with the topic.

– We don’t need a lower drinking age in SK! We have already the deadliest record on SK highways and people are talking about lowering the drinking age! Get your heads out of your butts!

– I think gratuitously pandering to “popular” opinion like lowering the drinking age to 18 is disgusting, just so people like your paper.

What you are advocating will result in greater injuries and deaths among teens, a key demographic who reads you. So you might think your evidence makes sense,but the age is 19 for a reason, and frankly should be higher. Kids just aren’t responsible enough to make educated choices at 18 about drinking.

– Lon Chaney Bela Lugosi film monsters were strange with scary mysterious actions and motives.

The modern monsters are familar understandable. Reflections of us?

– Lowering drinking age was just spin by Brad Wall & Saskparty being found guilty of hiding $6billion Sk debt creation & misleading SK voters about $528m GRF debt

– When did JC state that shopping was the way to celebrate his birth

– I say let the 18 year olds drink.

They are going too drink if they want too legal or not

– WWI and WWII proved to our galactic neighbors our potential for war. They landed in Roswell after WWII to start training us up to our full potential.

OFF TOPIC – Kal Hourd is amazing good job Ive seen him a few times around town at shows and he is a phenomenal performer!

In response to “Lucky Break,” Cover story, #57 (December 7, 2012)

– Go old Saskatchewan wether : )

– More than a few MPs in Ottawa need a heart Others could use some guts

– I love Christmas !:)

– 0 n valentines day Do PEOPLE have enough of silly Love songs?

– December 21st 2012 the end of the myian calender is getting close

– Amazing to see the protests across Canada from first nations peoples opposing Harpertrons new omnibus bill. Encouraged by the power of peaceful demonstration. We can make a difference!

– I don’t understand Americans.

They think arming themselves with guns is the answer. People do not need guns. They take far too many innocent lives. Let’s get guns out of the hands of citizens and leave them rather in the hands of law enforcement or the military.

This latest Oregon tragedy is so senseless!

– Lolz ya rite person who said not believing in Jesus is like not believing in pilgrims and indians.

You know pilgrims and Indians actually existed right? Jesus was at best some random guy who died thousands of years ago, and at worst a spirit created to impose control

– To the person comparing believing in indians to believing in jesus smarten the f up. Indians

– I think all the NHL players should quit and start there own league in Canada and USA instead of going to play in Europe. F**lk Bettman and the owners!!! I can’t wait for World Juniors to start. -ZJT

– Remembering all the courageous men and women who endured the madness in Montreal in 1989.

– In this society poor homeless Jesus Mary and Joseph would likely freeze to death on Christmas Eve!

– Happy early festivus! Airing of grievances, feats of strength!!

NEXT WEEK: What do you think about the Sask Party’s new stripping laws?

Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation: We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories and content, or anything else on your mind.

7 DEC 14 – DEC 20 /VERBREGINA

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THE WIZARD OF OZ

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHARPSHOOTER PHOTOGRAPHY

A timeless classic makes its debut on the Globe stage

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

I

t is impossible to know what L. Frank Baum would make of the Wizard of Oz today. What began life as a short novel for children has morphed into a worldwide phenomenon, one of the most popular stories ever told. The 1939 film, starring Judy Garland and Frank Morgan, spawned a series of productions around the world. Now, the wonderful Wizard of Oz, an epic story of friendship and discovery, is coming to Regina. Based on the motion picture and adapted for the stage by John Kane and directed

by Joey Tremblay, The Wizard of Oz offers audiences a chance to experience a timeless classic in an intimate venue. I caught up with the Cowardly Lion, played

by Michael De Rose, to learn why, exactly, Baum’s tale continues to warm hearts and entertain people of all ages.

Alex J MacPherson: This is quite a timeless story.

Michael De Rose: Absolutely. Everybody has their own memories associated with it from the film version. It appeals to both adults and kids. Everybody is kind of a big kid in this show, anyway. I think The Wizard of Oz is incredibly relatable in the sense that it’s just about this

girl growing up and realizing that she comes from love and a great family and that she loves her home.

I think it’s got those themes of childhood and wonder and searching for something that’s already there.

It’s something that really appeals to everybody’s life journey.

citing part for me, because I’m used to new work at this point, is that it was really nice to be able to put my spin on something as iconic as that, and bring my own journey to it. The Lion is in all of us. We’re all faced with trying to find our courage at some point. I was able to find where I was able to bring some nuance while still honouring what was done on the film.

AJM: The big idea here is that the characters embody little bits of us.

They’re very relatable.

AJM: It’s kind of a balancing act, isn’t it?

MDR: They’re all flawed, right? In fact, the three friends, the Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man — and it’s only implied in the show — are

MDR: It’s a fine balance. I’m going to sound like a bad actor, but it requires both having a great

The Lion is in all of us. We’re all faced with trying to find our courage at some point.

MICHAEL DE ROSE

looking for something that they already have. The Tin Man is incredibly feeling. The Lion is incredibly courageous. The Scarecrow has these moments of extreme clarity from the very beginning. All these characters are on the same journey as Dorothy.

knowledge of the source material that you’re working from, but for myself at least it requires completely ignoring it — at a certain point I’m not going to watch the movie, because like it or not it starts to inform the choices you’re making.

The sooner you can depart from that, I think, the better. I needed to discover this on my own.

AJM: What’s it like interpreting a classic character? Is that a big challenge?

AJM: Obviously acting is hard work, but this role in this show sounds like a lot of fun, too.

MDR: I have had a wild time with it.

It’s such an iconic role. The most ex-

MDR: It’s a riot! It’s so much fun! The jump-off point is the fact that we have this incredible cast of goons who just go out there to play every night, just have some fun, and who bring their own sense of the show. That’s wonderful! And getting the Lion costume on, and disappearing into that, is unlike any other. I really get to step out of myself for an evening and just go and have some fun.

The Wizard of Oz Through December 30 @ Globe Theatre $ 30.45+ @ GlobeTheatreLive.com

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THE FORTUNATE ISLES Dance rock for a summer paradise

W

e came by night to the Fortunate Isles, / And lay like fish / Under the net of our kisses.”

— Pablo Neruda.

The Fortunate Isles are not the first band to inadvertently reference Pablo Neruda, and they will not be the last.

What separates them from other bands is that their accidental ode to Neruda’s “Drunk as Drunk” works brilliantly, capturing in two words the essence of their manic dance rock. “We actually found out about the Neruda poem after we picked the name,” laughs Jeremy Putz, who plays bass in the Regina group. “I wanted something to do with mythology, so I was looking through names and that one caught my eye.”

In Greek mythology, the Fortunate Isles are a summer paradise, an eternal home for heroes and mortals favoured by the Gods; the band is the musical expression of that place.

“The whole philosophy, from the time that the idea to start a group happened, [was] to play uptempo rock,” Putz explains. “We wanted to get people dancing.”

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

“I think what really made me want to do what we’re doing is that it’s the type of music we liked, and we wanted to be a fun band and play music you can dance to,” he adds.

What makes the Fortunate Isles interesting is that no one in the band had any experience playing dance music. Putz and drummer Steve McNeil cut their teeth playing hardcore and punk rock. Steph Tewksbury, whose soaring vocals and funky synthesizer lines are integral to the band’s sound, had virtually no experience at all. “We had to think about exactly what we wanted to do, and how the parts should be written,” Putz says.

The Fortunate Isles’ sound can be broken down into powerful beats, a collection of frantic guitar riffs, and Tewksbury’s lofty vocals. Over the past few months, the band has incorporated more electronic elements into their music. Putz compares their approach, if not their sound, to Metric, a band known for adorning powerful guitar parts with synthesizer riffs and rolling waves of electronic sound.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Now that they are established in Regina, with a seven-inch single on the way, Putz has noticed something strange happening: “It was interesting for us when we started this group and started playing shows, [that] the majority of people we were playing to we didn’t know.”

Which is bound to happen when you play loud and infectious dance music, songs calculated to transport people from the Hoth-like Saskatchewan landscape to a place that’s sunny and warm, and where the party never stops.

The Fortunate Isles December 28 @ O’Hanlon’s Free

AMY NELSON

From classroom to concert hall BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

PHOTO: COURTESY OF HEED MEDIA

A

my Nelson knew she wanted to chase a career in music. She just didn’t know how to go about it. “I didn’t really know that anybody was performing music for a living unless they were somebody huge like Shania Twain,” she laughs.

“I didn’t know people could do

it locally. Apparently, I had my heads in the clouds — or in the sand, probably.”

Convinced performing locally was not an option, Nelson chose to become a music teacher. After completing her degree at the University of Regina, she learned to play guitar.

One thing led to another, and soon Nelson was playing and singing songs by Terri Clark and the Dixie Chicks. “It was an innocent move in the sense that I really learnt some of these things so I could be better off in the classroom,” she says. “And through that figured out there were people working as musicians in the local scene.”

Today, Nelson plays upbeat pop country, a genre she admires because of its crossover potential

and broadly positive message. “I did not grow up listening to country,” she says. “All country music, it has this misconception of being such a negative, woe-is-me genre, but if you listen to it, it’s positive music. I really liked that part about it.” Although Nelson seems ambivalent about the classic country acts, she admires younger acts like Taylor Swift for making country “cool again.”

Today, Nelson is preparing to release her debut album, which she recorded in Vancouver and Saskatchewan. The next challenge she faces is about balancing. Contemporary country musicians must tread a fine line, balancing their personal identity against the marketing juggernaut that is mainstream radio. Nelson thinks

she has discovered a niche on the pop end of the spectrum.

“I’m definitely in the contemporary pop country side of things,” she says. “[My music] is really pop-sounding, the messages are always really positive, and I think a lot of my songs have a sarcastic quality to them.”

Nelson’s approach seems to be working. She has placed well in several talent contests, and recorded her album with help from the Rawlco Radio 10k20 program. Her latest project, a countrified version of “All I Want

For Christmas Is You,” was recently released to radio. Her album is scheduled for release early next year.

Amy Nelson December 27-29 @ Whiskey Saloon $5+

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AN UNRELIABLE NARRATOR Turner Prize* and the Dunlop Art Gallery’s birthday party

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

C

urtis Collins wanted to do something original.

Something unpredictable. Something fun. “I knew this date was coming, and thought we needed to do something to celebrate the fact that the Dunlop Art Gallery was 50 years old, which is an exceptional thing for any public art gallery in Canada,” says Collins, director of the Regina Public Library gallery. “But how do you celebrate that? How do you acknowledge the past? What I didn’t want to do was a very historical, didactic type of show.”

Collins has pushed the Dunlop into the 21st century. In 2012, the gallery hosted exhibitions addressing a range of postmodern problems, from evolution and genetic modification to aboriginal identity and masculinity.

Collins wanted to continue this trend.

Instead of an authoritative, overblown retrospective, he decided to look at the gallery’s history from a contemporary perspective. He called Turner Prize*.

Turner Prize* is an artist collective known for idiosyncratic and often jarring photographic dream interpretations. Their work explores the rupture between experience and memory.

The project was formed in early 2008, after its members spent a week living in close proximity, house-sitting for a friend. They spent their time hanging out and discussing their artistic ambitions. One day, Jason Cawood fell

asleep and dreamed about cardboard boxes with arms and legs sticking out of them. “We had the day free, so we said we could photograph what his dream looked like,” Blair Fornwald says. “We went and got a bunch of cardboard boxes and we went into the country, cut holes in them, and stuck our limbs through them, and made this funny piece.”

Less than three months later Turner Prize* had their first exhibition, a bogus retrospective called Early Works.

these guys take people’s ideas and interpret them for him,’” he recalls. “If I was to present them in a circumstance where they had to reinterpret history, or interpret history, that would be fairly consistent with their approach.”

Golden Jubilee was born.

Most galleries celebrate their history by reviving it, with old works paraded before new audiences. It is a flawed approach. Retrospectives address the

I’m biased because I like to make funny work, but I think a lot of times humour can be a really good entry point for the viewer.

BLAIR FORNWALD

“In reality, that was all the work we had ever made,” Fornwald laughs. “We wrote a catalogue essay for a catalogue that didn’t exist about our longstanding influence, our cultural importance, our history when we were this experimental noise band, and it was all just lies.”

Collins moved in the same social circles as Turner Prize*. He invited them to appear on his television program, Prairie Postmodern, where they recreated one of his dreams with the cameras rolling. “I thought, ‘Wow,

past with no regard for the way time distorts experience. Instead of concealing subjectivity, Collins and Turner Prize* embraced it. Golden Jubilee evolved into a series of unmistakably new works posing as a retrospective.

“I thought that this was a radical departure from our dream work, but in retrospect it’s not, really,” Fornwald says. “We were thinking about our past experiences with art at the Dunlop and exhibitions that really resonated with us or exhibitions that we weren’t even CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ERIC HILL / DUNLOP ART GALLERY

around for. We imagined what these exhibitions were like or we remembered what they were like, and again a memory or an imagination is not something you can accurately represent.”

Golden Jubilee is framed as a series of “covers,” one from each decade of the Dunlop’s history, referencing the original works without simply recreating them. The idea was appealing, but actually executing it made Collins nervous. “Conventionally, you would look at a body of work by an artist or

group of artists and select works based on a thematic trajectory,” he says of his role as curator. “In this case, I just set a conceptual context for them to fill in.”

The first cover Turner Prize* attempted was inspired by Cawood’s memory of Tomiyo Sasaki’s Four Video Installations, which was exhibited at the Dunlop in 1986. He recalled being awed by Sasaki’s blend of new technology and ancient concerns.

Turner Prize* covered a piece called “Spawning Sockeyes.” They removed

video footage of salmon and replaced it with images of themselves dressed as salmon swimming in the Dewdney Pool. Besides exemplifying their cheerful subversiveness and reliance on DIY aesthetics, the finished cover lampoons Sasaki’s concern for the environment and trains the spotlight on the intellectual underpinning of political art.

The Turner Prize* cover of Douglas Morton’s “Fractured Black” has a decidedly local flavour. By splitting the piece into a series of meaningless splotches, Turner Prize* refer to the explosion of abstract expressionism on the prairies while questioning the sociocultural wake left by Morton and the Regina Five. Their cover of Terrance Houle’s “Landscape #1,” on the other hand, creates tension by upending the artist’s premise. The original is a deeply personal reflection on the way stereotyping stains the social landscape, the cover an unsettling reversal of roles that raises questions about appropriation and assimilation.

While researching the exhibition Fornwald discovered that Douglas Bentham’s “Reach” was a danger to visitors. “In order to prevent people from tripping, they put a bunch of potted plants around it,” Collins says of Bentham’s “modernist metal guy sculpture.” The polystyrene Turner Prize* cover, not surprisingly, is heavy on potted plants. Domesticated art.

Each cover has its own eccentricities. The history is there,

but it isn’t quite right, an effect heightened by the gallery space itself. By transforming the Dunlop into a museum, a series of small rooms dedicated to a specific slice of history, Collins and Turner Prize* managed to amplify the feeling of time passing without abandoning the subjectivity of perspective.

Golden Jubilee dusts off what has been swept under the rug for so long, Fornwald explains. “Whenever you’re looking back at your institution’s history — or, more generally, looking back at your life … [y]ou selectively remember things.”

Most people ignore this, and treat their memories of experience as objective history. Turner Prize* have embraced it, capturing the moment and jettisoning the desire to tell the story without becoming a part of it.

This inclination is evidenced by the

presence of their crest, a whimsical representation of themselves and Collins, designed by Erin Gee. “We become part of the institutional history,” Fornwald says. “Which is a history of social relationships with other people and relationships with the public and with the art objects.”

Golden Jubilee is a complicated exhibition, a reflection of its creators’ love of deep thought and intellectual rigour.

But it is also an amusing exhibition, and occasionally a funny one. “I’m biased because I like to make funny work,” Fornwald says, “but I think a lot of times humour can be a really good entry point for the viewer… I think beauty and humour are sometimes the carrot you dangle.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter if viewers chase the carrot or not. What mat-

ters is that Golden Jubilee cannot help but convey a sense of time. By perverting the past and leaving the future unwritten, Collins and Turner Prize* have made the moment important, offering people a chance to see the world from a different perspective. “We’re interested in that sort of disjuncture between things as they’re experienced and things as they are narrativized,” Fornwald says. That disjuncture is called the moment. Memories will be fleeting. Experience is everything.

Turner Prize* Golden Jubilee Through January 20 @ Dunlop Art Gallery

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A CUP ABOVE

Photos: courtesy of Danielle Tocker

Brewed Awakening offers notable drinks and fresh coffee house favourites BY JESSICA BICKFORD

B

rewed Awakening is a cozy little coffee shop in Regina’s east end.

They have a cute, three-season screen room that in any other season but our lovely winter would be a great place to hang out. Not to worry, though: with their fireplace and holiday decorations, Brewed Awakening’s interior is plenty warm and charming.

I started off with two of the healthier lunch options they have, which are part of owner Lisa MacMurchy’s larger trend of offering plenty of healthy items (but don’t worry, the usual treats won’t be disappearing). First up were some tasty chicken breast fresh rolls that were nice and fat, filled with cilantro, noodles, lettuce, carrots and green onion, and served with a sweet chili dipping sauce. After that was a quinoa feta salad, complete with big pieces of feta, red and green peppers, chick peas, tomato, red onion, and cucumber. This salad was nicely seasoned, had a lovely hint of citrus, and thanks to the chickpeas and quinoa, it was quite a hearty vegetarian meal.

Another item on the healthy front at Brewed Awakening is their range of Holly Barker protein shakes. And with Brewed Awakening located next to a gym, it’s no surprise these are very popular, and the fact that

With this I snacked on a wheatfree peanut butter cookie that was dense and rich, with great peanut butter flavour. It had a drizzle of sweet icing, was studded with creamy milk chocolate chips and

[The cookie] had a drizzle of sweet icing, [and] was studded with creamy milk chocolate chips…

has great selection and lots of new things to try.

Brewed Awakening 3115 Woodhams Dr. | 565 2739 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@TheGeekCooks jbickford@verbnews.com

LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE

JESSICA BICKFORD

they’re pretty tasty also helps. I tried an “aww sugar honey,” and it was pleasantly sweet, filling and smooth.

Going completely away from the healthy options is Brewed Awakening’s blackberry crumble latte, which is touted as “dessert in a glass.” This blackberry- and almond-flavoured coffee was topped with whipped cream, caramel, and a little bit of streusel — a pleasing drink for a cold day.

derfully different take on a peppermint hot chocolate.

Lisa says that she has the best customers in the world and wants Brewed Awakening to be “a cozy place to kick back.” They have wheat-free selections daily, and everything is baked or made on-site. Whether you go for their healthy options, their great drinks, or their treats, Brewed Awakening

topped off with a small peanut butter cup that took this cookie over the top.

Last was one of my new alltime favourite things — a mint tea chocolate latte. Chocolate milk was steamed and infused with Tiesta Tea’s Minty Winter Wonderland tea, then everything was covered with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. This drink was incredibly delicious, creamy, minty and comforting, and a won-

CREAMY MINT HOT CHOCOLATE

INGREDIENTS

The holiday season is fast approaching, and nothing is better to enjoy with friends and family at this time of year than a creamy mug of minty hot chocolate. Line up some mugs, whip up some cream, and just stay in tonight.

1-2 oz. mint chocolate Irish cream liqueur hot chocolate whipped cream candy cane to garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a mug mix together your favourite hot chocolate and the mint chocolate Irish cream liqueur. Top up with lots of whipped cream, and either a whole candy cane or crushed candy cane pieces. Best enjoyed after shoveling the ridiculous amounts of snow we’ve had.

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MUSIC

NEXT WEEK

SKAVENJAH @ MCNALLY’S TAVERN FRIDAY + SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28 + 29 – $5

It’s not easy being one of Canada’s best ska bands, but for the past two decades Skavenjah has made it look that way. Consisting of Chad Guy, Colin Neufeld, Rick Gelsinger, Cody Gamracy, Rob D, Dan Hanline and Andre Boehm, this prairie-based group has worked hard to sharpen their sound and hone their act to the point where their live show is something you simply must see.

With off-beat jams and smooth lyrics, Skavenjah has won fans in Canada, the U.S. and around the world. Their seamless mix of ska, reggae and soul make them an easy group to love.

Check out Skavenjah when they take to the stage at McNally’s at the end of the month. Word of warning: you might want to get there early, as their shows tend to sell out quickly.

COMING UP

CHRIS HENDERSON

EMERSON DRIVE

@ WHISKEY SALOON MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 – $10

@ CASINO REGINA MARCH 12+13 – $60+

A regular on Whiskey’s stage, Chris Henderson got his big break in 2006 when he won the 620 CKRM Big Country Talent Search. From there his career began to take off. In March of the following year he put together the Chris Henderson Band — featuring himself, Tyler “Buzz” Wanner, Darryl Carver, Kylee Glover and Sean Hayward. After recording his first full-length album, Follow the Signs, which was well received, Henderson was nominated for four Saskatchewan Country Music Awards. Henderson followed that up by winning the Big Dog “Saskatchewan’s Next Big Thing” contest in 2010. He isn’t slowing down, so head on over to Whiskey Saloon to celebrate New Year’s with Chris. You won’t regret it.

Quick: what was this band called before they were known as, well, Emerson Drive? If you’re a true fan, you’ll know the correct answer is 12 Gauge. They released two albums under that stage name before becoming Emerson Drive in ‘95.

Since then, let’s just say their star has taken off. With hits like “I Should Be Sleeping,” “Moments” and “Fall Into Me,” this five-piece — consisting of Brad Mates, Danick Dupelle, Mike Melancon, Dale Wallace and David Pichette — has made quite a name for itself in the country music scene.

From Billboard Magazine Year End Awards to awards from the Academy of Country Music, Emerson Drive is a decorated, highly talented band that you probably don’t want to miss.

Tickets at the casino’s box office.

– By Adam Hawboldt

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: THE ARTIST / THE ARTIST / TABERCIL

SASK MUSIC PREVIEW The Canadian Radio Star talent search is now under way. Emerging Canadian artists are invited to submit their original work to be heard by top tier musical professionals, as well as a shot at numerous prizes, including $10,000 cash. Please submit online at www.radiostar.ca to the closest participating radio station before January 18th, 2013.

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

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DECEMBER 14 » DECEMBER 22 The most complete live music listings for Regina.

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14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

FRIDAY 14

MONDAY 17

vance at BSharp Music, Bocados, Vintage Vinyl or Long & McQuade) or $15 (door) DJ PAT & DJ KIM / Habano’s — Local DJs spin top 40 hits. 9pm / $5 cover BREAK DOWN PARTY BAND / McNally’s Tavern — Classic rock and roll favourites.

10pm / $5 THIRD DEGREE BIRNZ / Pump Roadhouse — A local band playing good-time party music. 9pm / Cover TBD ALBERT / Pure Ultra Lounge — Come listen to Albert every Friday. 10pm / $5 cover WHATEVER / The Sip — Come on down and rock out. 10pm / Cover TBD KAL HOURD / Whiskey Saloon — A talented country musician. 8pm / $10

OPEN MIC NIGHT / The Artful Dodger — Come down and jam! 8pm / No cover MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ AND BLUES / Bushwakker Brewpub — Featuring ‘round midnight, a group led by lead singer Bev Zizzy. 8pm / No cover

BIG BAD STORM / McNally’s — Come support local bands. 8:30pm / $5 LEANNE PEARSON / Pump Roadhouse — A country singer from Winnipeg. 9pm / Cover TBD JJ VOSS / Whiskey Saloon — Some great rock and country covers along with original songs. 8pm / $5 DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs. 8pm / $5

JJ VOSS / Whiskey Saloon — Some great rock and country covers along with original songs. 8pm / $10

SATURDAY 22

RORY ALLEN / Casino Regina — Come join your favourite impersonator at his A Classic Elvis Christmas concert. 8pm / $20+ (www.casinoregina.com) NICK FAYE, MEGAN NASH, GRAIN REKARAOKE TUESDAY / McNally’s Tavern PORT, EDEN ROHATENSKY / The Club — A — Famous live music venue offers its night of original music. patrons a chance to share the stage. 8pm 8pm / $8 / No cover WINTER SOLSTICE DJ JUAN LOPEZ / EVENT / Artful Envy Nightclub Dodger — A — This DJ WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOLK / Bushwakker night of loves Brewpub — Featuring The Regina Male unplugged requests.

Voice Choir, and a boar’s head. 9pm / acoustic 10pm / No cover music. 7pm / Cover $5 RORY ALLEN / Casino Regina — Come join Cover TBD FADADAyour favourite impersonator at his A ClasRORY ALLEN / NCE sic Elvis Christmas concert. 8pm / $20+ Casino Regina CHRIST(www.casinoregina.com) — Come join MAS WHATEVER / King’s Head Tavern — Swing your favourite PARTY / The JJ VOSS COURTESY OF LEFTBOOT PRODUCTIONS by and enjoy some sweet tunes from this impersonator at his Exchange — great group. 8pm / Cover TBD A Classic Elvis ChristFeaturing DJs JAM NIGHT AND OPEN STAGE / McNally’s mas concert. 8pm / $20+ B-Rad, Natural SympaTavern — Come on down and enjoy some (www.casinoregina.com) thies, The Duchess, Hardtoe, local talent. 9pm / No cover ITCHY STITCHES, OBLIVIONS EYE, SEPTIC Clean Living. 9pm / $12 ($10 students) / The Club — Celebrate the end of the RIFF RAFF / Gaslight Saloon — A classic world in hard rocking style. 8pm / $10 hard rock band. 9pm / Cover TBD DRUM FOR THE WORLD / Artesian on 13th (advance, from the band, Vintage Vinyl THE NOWHERE MEN / Lancaster Taphouse — A worldwide drumming event. 7pm / and Madame Yes) — A hard-rocking Beatles tribute band.

Cover TBD DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This 9pm / Cover TBD INDIGO JOSEPH, JEANS BOOTS, DEF 3 / DJ loves requests. 10pm / $5 WONDERTLAND / McNally’s Tavern — Artful Dodger — Swing by for the GateH1GG1NS / The Exchange — Spinning One hit wonders and classic rock. way Festival End of the World. records all night at The Last Christ10pm / $5 7pm / Cover TBD mas Ever party. 9pm / $15 LEANNE PEARSON / Pump Roadhouse — RORY ALLEN / DJ PAT & DJ KIM / A country singer from Winnipeg. 9pm / Casino Regina Habano’s — Local Cover TBD — Come join DJs spin top-40 DREWSKI / Pure Ultra Lounge — Doing your hits. 9pm / $5 what he does best. 10pm / $5 cover favourite cover DANGEROUS CHEESE / The Sip — Come impersonTEQUILA on down and rock out. 10pm / Cover TBD ator at his WRANGLERS OPEN JAM SESSIONS / Smokin’ Okies A Classic / McNally’s BBQ — Drop by for a jam or to just listen.

Elvis Tavern — 3pm / No cover Christmas Country and JJ VOSS / Whiskey Saloon — Some great concert. rock collide. rock and country covers along with origi8pm / $20+ 10pm / $5 nal songs. 8pm / $10 INDIGO JOSEPH (www.casinoreLEANNE PEARSON / COURTESY OF THE ARTIST gina.com) Pump Roadhouse — A DECIBEL FREQUENCY / country singer from WinGabbo’s Nightclub — A night of nipeg. 9pm / Cover TBD electronic fun. 10pm / Cover $5 ALBERT / Pure Ultra Lounge — Come PS FRESH / The Hookah Lounge — Fealisten to Albert every Friday. 10pm / GET LISTED turing DJ Ageless and DJ Drewski. 7pm $5 cover / No cover DANGEROUS CHEESE / The Sip — Come Have a live show you'd like RYAN PROSPER / King’s Head Tavern — A on down and rock out. 10pm / Cover TBD to promote? Let us know!

Christmas jam. 8pm / No cover layout@verbnews.com

TUESDAY 18

FRIDAY 21

WEDNESDAY 19

WARHOL DERVISH / Artful Dodger — Chamber music for the 21st century — come out and enjoy some self-described “hipster classical.” 7:30pm / Cover TBD THE FAB FOUR / Casino Regina TINSEL TREES, BULL NORTH / Art— The ultimate Beatles ful Dodger — Some downtribute band. 8pm tempo rock/folk / $30+ (www. music from local casinoregina. artists. 7:30pm / com) Cover TBD DJ JUAN THE FAB LOPEZ FOUR / Ca/ Envy sino Regina Nightclub — The ulti— This mate Beatles DJ loves tribute band. requests, 8pm / $30+ nothing is off (casinoregina.

KAL HOURD limits. 10pm / $5 com) COURTESY OF THE ARTIST KEEP ON ROCKING DJ JUAN LOPEZ / IN THE FREE WORLD Envy Nightclub — This DJ / The Exchange — Featuring loves requests. 10pm / Cover $5 Val Halla, Big Bad Storm and more, this DIRTY ROSE BAND / Lancaster Taphouse benefit raises funds for the Rock Centre in — Playing a wide variety of tunes to get Kabul, Afghanistan. 7:30pm / $10 (adyou dancing. 9:30pm / Cover TBD JJ VOSS / McNally’s Tavern — Some great rock and country covers along with original songs. 10pm / $5 THIRD DEGREE BIRNZ / Pump Roadhouse — A local band playing good-time party music. 9pm / Cover TBD DREWSKI / Pure Ultra Lounge — Doing what he does best. 10pm / $5 cover WHATEVER / The Sip — Come on down and rock out. 10pm / Cover TBD OPEN JAM SESSIONS / Smokin’ Okies BBQ — Drop by for a jam or to just listen.

3pm / No cover KAL HOURD / Whiskey Saloon — A country musician with loads of talent.

8pm / $10

SATURDAY 15

THURSDAY 20

SUNDAY 16

THE HURON CAROLE / Conexus Arts Centre — Featuring Tom Jackson. 8pm / $42-62 (conexusticket.com)

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 @

BUSHWAKKER BREWPUB Bushwakker Brewpub 2206 Dewdney Ave (306) 359 7276 MUSIC VIBE / Thanks to Redbeard and Grant, it’s all homegrown

Saskatchewan talent FEATURED DEALS / Classic happy hour, from 4:30-6:30pm DRINK OF CHOICE / It’s a tie between the Firkin and the Mead TOP EATS / Beer-battered fish ‘n chips COMING UP / Redbeard is home for Bushwakker’s HoliDAZE Boxing Day Bash, featuring Buffalo Narrows and Whitmore & Sons

Photography by Klein Photography

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A SENSORY EXPERIENCE

PHOTO: COURTESY OF OSCILLOSCOPE LABORATORIES

Ron Fricke’s new film Samsara is beautifully unsubtle BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

I

f you’ve seen directoreditor-cinematographer Ron Fricke’s films Chronos (1985) and/or Baraka (1992), then you have a good idea what his new flick, Samsara, will be like.

If you’re new to Fricke and his movie-making style, well then, lend me your ears (or should I say eyes?) and let me learn you about Samsara. First off, you need to know that “samsara” is a Sanskrit word that means something along the lines of “the ever-turning wheel of life” or “the circle of life.” This idea is one of the driving themes behind Fricke’s new film.

Presented as a series of images without words, Samsara is a visual journey that takes the viewer to 25 countries and explores our planet’s cyclical journey from nature to civilization and back again. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Because Samsara is about more than just the flow of life. It’s about a planet spoiled by humans. It’s about the ever-widening chasm between the rich and the poor. It’s about spirituality, religion, tranquility, and a world inhabited by people living an unbalanced life.

sex-doll assembly line to face-painted African tribal leaders, Fricke does a good job of offering the viewer interesting and juxtaposed scenes of the world in which we live.

Shot in straight 70mm celluloid, these scenes — shown without narration or dialogue — burst from

[T]hese scenes — shown without narration or dialogue — burst from the screen in vivid color and profound depth.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

Yes, Samsara is about all that, and more. Think of it as a sort of guided meditation through life and across the earth. A meditation fueled by images. From slums to office cubicles, from people working at a

the screen in vivid color and profound depth. There are numerous sequences, usually sped up, of mobs of people in urban environments, of people shopping, of convicts doing a rehearsed dance in prison. These

are contrasted with, for instance, a Hawaiian volcano erupting, or mindblowing rock formations.

It’s all so achingly beautiful that, at first, you don’t realize how heavy-handed it all is. How Fricke uses all these images to, time and time again, bang home the idea of birth and renewal, of the cycle of life. After a while, though, it kind of feels repetitive. Like a song played over and over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, the whole thing is beautiful and visually stimulating and intriguing. But there’s something missing. Maybe it’s just me, but I wanted more emotional weight.

Fricke managed to give that kind of heft to his last film, Baraka.

This time around, though, that is missing. Rather, the images and the message all seem just a bit too contrived and beat-you-over-thehead apparent. Which is not to say Samsara is a bad movie. Far from it. It

SAMSARA DIRECTED BY

Ron Fricke Ron Fricke

CINEMATOGRAPHY

99 MINUTES | G

is a striking and profoundly gorgeous film that will titillate your senses all to hell. I just wish Fricke would’ve been a bit more subtle with his message, so I could be sitting here typing something like “Samsara is superior to Baraka in every way,” instead of writing, “It was good, but…”

Samsara will open at the Regina Public Library on December 20th; see reginalibrary.ca for more info.

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AN UNEXPECTEDLY LONG JOURNEY

The Hobbit, while visually stimulating, lacks the magic of LOTR

BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

D

o you guys remember when Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace came out?

If you’re a fan of the original Star Wars trilogy, of course you do.

Chances are you waited in line on opening night, maybe even dressed up in a costume and held your breath as the opening sequence began to roll.

You were excited, and understandably so.

Now, do you remember the gutwrenching disappointment you felt when it was over? Well, that’s how a lot of The Lord of the Rings fans are going to feel when the final credits of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey appear on screen.

Don’t get me wrong. The Hobbit isn’t nearly as bad as Phantom Menace.

But it’s not nearly as good as any of the movies in the LOTR trilogy, either.

Set 60 years prior to the trilogy, The Hobbit begins with a 20-minute-or-so CGI’d prologue about the fall of Erebor — the homeland of the dwarves.

After that it moves to the Shire, and we meet Bilbo Baggins (played this time around by Martin Freeman).

Eventually Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and a baker’s dozen of dwarves show up. Gandalf tries to convince Bilbo to go on an adventure to get Erebor back from the evil dragon, Smaug.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

didn’t, there wouldn’t be much of a movie, would there?

The problem is, though, that by the time ol’ Bilbo is convinced, packs his bags and begins the

THE HOBBIT DIRECTED BY Peter Jackson STARRING Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Martin Freeman + Richard Armitage 160 MINUTES | 14A

Sure, the group of adventurers run into danger in the form of orcs, goblins … and more, but there’s never any urgency.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

Bilbo tells Gandalf that adventures are “nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things.” But eventually he agrees to go because, well, if he

adventure, the movie is already almost an hour old.

And therein lies the main problem with The Hobbit. There’s no real

immediacy to it. The plot meanders, and the movie slogs along without drama or any real sense of purpose for nearly three hours.

Sure, the group of adventurers run into danger in the form of orcs, goblins, trolls, wargs and more, but there’s never any urgency.

But honestly, what did you expect?

Think about it. The LOTR films came from the more than 1,500 pages of the trilogy novels. The Hobbit, which may also become a trilogy

(though hopefully not), was pulled from J.R.R. Tolkien’s 300-page book of the same name.

Talk about stretching a story thin!

What made Peter Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro think a 300page novel deserved more than one movie, I’ll never know.

Yet for all The Hobbit is lacking (in relation to the original film trilogy), it’s still not a bad movie. The battle scenes are vivid and striking.

The fantasy landscapes created

by Jackson are lush, beautiful and gorgeously realized.

And the dwarf named Thorin (played by Richard Armitage) is pretty kickass. Think of him as

The Hobbit’s answer to The Lord of The Rings’ Aragorn.

So yeah, The Hobbit most certainly has its virtues. And if you go into it expecting a marathon and predicting that it’s much more of a kid’s movie than any of the LOTR films, than you may not be as disappointed as I let on in the beginning of this review.

But you probably won’t be incredibly impressed, either.

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@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS 1. Mexican coin 5. Fruit of forest trees used as food for pigs 9. Part of the large intestine 10. Turn away 12. Change 13. Go off the tracks 15. May it become true 16. Hot tub 18. On its own prefix 19. Variety of rummy 20. Smallest part of an element 21. Do damage to 22. Whole number 24. Secreting organ

26. An alligator is one 28. 60-minute periods 31. Doctors study it 35. Rural hotel 36. Brought to maturity, as wine 37. Ghostly greeting 38. Previously mentioned 40. Gender 41. Mix ingredients 42. Peaceful protests 44. Place the blame on 46. Musical variety show 47. Slide downhill 48. Financial burden 49. Large, heavy book

DOWN 1. Strong and effective 2. Liveliness 3. One who habitually drinks too much 4. Ballroom dance 5. Woman of refinement 6. Map abbreviation 7. Antitoxins 8. Emotional shock 9. Chili powder ingredient 11. Largest moon of Saturn 12. Wise Men of the East 14. Nobleman 17. ___ la Prairie, Manitoba 20. “Rock of ___” (hymn) 23. Get it wrong

24. Delighted A 25. Agree to 27. With mistakes 28. Geese and snakes do it 29. Broadcasting 30. Combined into one 32. Having an angle of more than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees B 33. Slightly wet 34. Of long ago (with “of”) 36. Item of value 39. Plunge headfirst into water 41. Telemarketing danger 43. Protuberance 45. Soft, murmuring sound

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

ACROSS

SUDOKU ANSWER KEY

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

TIMEOUT

© WALTER D. FEENER 2012

HOROSCOPES DECEMBER 14 – DECEMBER 20 ARIES March 21–April 19

LEO July 23–August 22

SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21

Emotions will be running wild this week, Aries. Don’t let them get the better of you. So no matter what, act like a cowboy (or girl), and rein them in.

No matter what happens, stay positive this week. If you can do that, things will go your way. If not, cosmic forces will make you stub your toe.

Do you have a thousand things to do this week, Sagittarius? If so, you’ll only get them done if you focus on finishing one at a time.

TAURUS April 20–May 20

VIRGO August 23–September 22

CAPRICORN December 22–January 19

You might find yourself feeling down in the dumps this week, Taurus. And that might not be a bad thing.

Use the time to do some soul searching.

You may be reluctant, even afraid, to commit to something this week, Virgo. Chicken! Just throw yourself into whatever it is, head first

Fun: that’s the name of the game this week, Capricorn. So whistle while you work, don’t worry be happy, and all that other jazz.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

LIBRA September 23–October 23

AQUARIUS January 20–February 19

You know the old cliché, “laughter is the best medicine?” Well, it’s a cliché for a reason, Gemini. So try to chuckle your ass off this week.

Ever have one of those weeks where it seems no one understands you, Libra? If so, you have another one coming down the pipe at you.

Life getting hectic? The hustle and bustle getting you down? Say to hell with it all and take some much needed alone time, Aquarius.

CANCER June 21–July 22

SCORPIO October 24–November 22

PISCES February 20–March 20

A lot of times we fail to sit back and see just how fortunate we are. This week, Cancer, remember to be thankful for what you have. It may not always be there.

They say life is all about balance. But seriously, Scorpio, have you ever sat back and really thought about who “they” are? So just do what’s good for you.

Sticktoitiveness, organization and a bit of your own personal flair.

That’s what’ll make this coming week a resounding success, Pisces.

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

CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY

A

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

B

19 DEC 14 – DEC 20 /VERBREGINA

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