ISSUE #78 – MAY 17 TO MAY 23
FLYING FOX
HUNTER GATHERERS
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AMBITIOUS PURSUITS
TATTOOS 101 Getting inked in Saskatchewan THE MADDIGANS Independent pop punk from Alberta STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS + LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE Films reviewed
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CAT PANETTA
CONTENTS
ON THE COVER:
FLYING FOX & THE HUNTER GATHERERS
On ambitious pursuits. 10 / FEATURE
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CAT PANETTA
CULTURE
NEWS + OPINION
ENTERTAINMENT
Q + A WITH THE MADDIGANS
LIVE MUSIC LISTINGS
Independent pop punk. 8 / Q + A
Local music listings for May 17 through May 24. 14 / LISTINGS
TATTOOS 101
EMPIRE ASSOCIATES
NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS
The history of getting ink. 3 / LOCAL
Regina folk band finds solace in songwriting. 9 / ARTS
We visit Bushwakker Brewpub.
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS + LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE 16 / FILM
Celebrating musicals. 9 / ARTS
15 / NIGHTLIFE
MIGHT AS WELL FACE IT Shedding the stigma of sex addiction. 4 / LOCAL
BLADES OF GLORY
DECADANCE
ON THE BUS
Why we think the Blades have a chance at the Mem Cup. 6 / EDITORIAL
We visit Koko Pâtisserie.
Weekly original comic illustrations by Elaine M. Will. 18 / COMICS
12 / FOOD + DRINK
COMMENTS
MUSIC
GAME + HOROSCOPES
Here’s what you had to say about improving bicycle lanes. 7 / COMMENTS
Indigo Joseph, Liferuiner + Neko Case. 13 / MUSIC
Canadian criss-cross puzzle, weekly horoscopes and Sudoku. 19 / TIMEOUT
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EDITORIAL
BUSINESS & OPERATIONS
PUBLISHER / PARITY PUBLISHING EDITOR IN CHIEF / RYAN ALLAN MANAGING EDITOR / JESSICA PATRUCCO STAFF WRITERS / ADAM HAWBOLDT + ALEX J MACPHERSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER / JESSICA BICKFORD
OFFICE MANAGER / STEPHANIE LIPSIT MARKETING MANAGER / VOGESON PALEY FINANCIAL MANAGER / CODY LANG
ART & PRODUCTION
DESIGN / LAYOUT@VERBNEWS.COM / 306 979 8474
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GENERAL / INFO@VERBNEWS.COM / 306 979 2253
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MAXTON PRIEBE, ADAM HAWBOLDT + ALEX J MACPHERSON
2 MAY 17 – MAY 23 VERB MAGAZINE
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Q+A
ARTS
FEATURE
FOOD + DRINK
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TIMEOUT
VERBNEWS.COM
LOCAL
TATTOO 101
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF TATTOBLOGGER
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ALEX J MACPHERSON / VERB MAGAZINE
Getting ink and learning history BY ADAM HAWBOLDT
T
he buzzing of tattoo guns is the first thing you notice. The intermittent buzz, buzz, buzzing of needles pistoning up and down, puncturing flesh and depositing ink into skin. The thought of that skin being inked makes my heart race a little faster. And before you get the wrong idea, I’m not one of those people who get excited at the thought of acquiring a new tattoo. Quite the contrary. Save for a bout of teenage acne and the odd scar here and there, my skin has managed to go unblemished for 34 years. Until now. From behind the front desk the receptionist looks at me as I hand her a picture of the tattoo I’m planning to get sometime in the near future. “When do you want to schedule an appointment?” she asks. I tell her the sooner the better. I just want to get this over with. She types something into the computer in front of her, says, “We can fit you in right now if you want.” “How long will it take?” “No longer than an hour,” she says. Without thinking I tell her okay. And immediately I regret my decision. What am I thinking? Am I really going to get a tattoo for this story I’m writing? Is it going to hurt? My mom is going to kill me! And looking up at me as I hand her a filled-out consent form, the receptionist says, “You’re really fidgety. Are you nervous or something?” You could say that.
The first known person to have a tattoo was Ötzi the Iceman. That wasn’t his real name, of course, just the name he was given when his body was extracted from a glacier in the Ötztal
Alps, on the Austrian-Italian border. Thought to have lived about 3,300 B.C., Ötzi had over 50 carbon tattoos on his spine, his right knee and both ankles. Some people speculate these tattoos were used as a pain relief of sorts. Think acupuncture, only permanent. This is what Sean Maginnes and I are talking about when I sit down in what looks like a dentist’s chair, waiting for him to ink my shoulder. A Rush song is playing in the background. And as Sean picks up his tattoo gun he says, “Let me know if you feel light-headed. A lot of people, especially if it’s their first time, won’t say
I think [tattoos] are more popular because they’re a form of selfexpression… SEAN MAGINNES
anything. I’ve had a few people nearly fall out of their chairs.” Then he turns on his tattoo gun. The first few times it touches the skin pain shoots through my shoulder. It’s kind of like someone taking a sharp stick and rubbing it back and forth on your skin until it starts to burn. Taking a deep breath, I wipe my sweaty hands dry on my pants and ask Sean what else he knows about tattoo history. “The Romans had them, the Mayans, and then you have the Polynesians,” he says, “For them, being tattooed was a right of passage. They told a story. The story of who you are
and what you’ve done. They offered protection. They told how many battles you’ve been in, how many kills.” But when British captain James Cook and his men sailed to Polynesia in 1768, they didn’t fully understand this. That didn’t stop them from bringing tattoos back to Europe, though. And soon sailors adopted the practice to tell their own stories. A turtle meant they had crossed the equator, an anchor symbolized they’d sailed the Atlantic. Eventually, getting a tattoo at different ports became common practice You know what else was common at these ports? An underclass full of criminals, who also started getting tattoos. As soon as that started, tattoos once again became viewed as the ancient Romans had once viewed them — as a stigma associated with barbaric people and criminals. It’s a view that, until recently, held fast.
Since then, tattoos have not only grown in popularity, they’ve also become socially acceptable. Heck, they’re so popular these days there are even tattoo conventions — like the Ink Alley Tattoo and Art Show last month in Saskatoon and the Pile O’ Bones Tattoo Convention this week in Regina. And while Sean is putting a liberal dose of vitamin A and D on my finished tattoo, I ask him why body art has become so admissible and popular all of a sudden. “I’m not sure why all of a sudden it has became accepted,” he says, “but I think they’re more popular because they’re a form of self-expression of
this generation. That, and it’s a memory thing. It’s something that you’ll always have on your body to remind you of certain things that happened in your life.” And as I look down that the words he’s tattooed on my deltoid — “so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” — who am I to argue?
Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina ahawboldt@verbnews.com
“People in the drug trade, bikers, gangsters, that’s the crowd that’s supposed to have tattoos,” says Sean, as Mötley Crüe’s “Girls, Girls, Girls” blares over top of the buzzing of his tattoo gun. “Or at least, that’s what a lot of people of a certain age think. They think if you’re, like, a pastor, you’re not supposed to have a tattoo.” On the wall opposite us hangs a picture of a First Baptist Church billboard that reads “God loves you, unless you have tattoos. In that case, you are going to hell.” And as Sean wipes the ink from my tattoo, he says, “But that has changed severely. In the ‘90s things went for a spin. Tribal tattoos and stuff like that became really popular.”
3 MAY 17 – MAY 23 /VERBREGINA
CONTENTS
LOCAL
EDITORIAL
COMMENTS
Q+A
ARTS
FEATURE
FOOD + DRINK
MUSIC
LISTINGS
NIGHTLIFE
FILM
COMICS
TIMEOUT
NEWS + OPINION
LOCAL
MIGHT AS WELL FACE IT, YOU’RE ADDICTED TO... SEX Shedding the stigma of sex addiction BY ADAM HAWBOLDT
W
hen you stick a syringe full of heroin into your vein and push down, the drug slides like fire through your bloodstream. It enters your brain, mimics endorphins, and chemicals like dopamine are released. That’s where the opium rush comes from. That’s when the warm, fuzzy feeling settles over you and tucks you into a waking drug dream. Same thing happens when you have sex. While lost in the lusty throes of passion, phenylethylamine triggers the release of dopamine in the pleasure centres of your brain. It floods and builds, then peaks at orgasm. That’s where the feelings of excitement, arousal and bliss come from. The difference between this chemical reaction and the one that happens when your brain is subjected to opiates is that during sex the chemical reaction in your brain is 100% completely natural. John knows all about this. He knows about sex, the chemicals it releases in your brain, and the mindblowing pleasure it brings. He also knows how dangerous all this can be.
How does he know this? Well, because John is a sex addict.
The realization that one is a sex addict rarely strikes like a lightening bolt from the sky. It’s more like a gradual, albeit rude, awakening. For John, that awakening began in 2009.
Wrong. “That guy, I dated for about a year and I had strong feelings for him,” admits John. “But at the same time I was going online, chatting with guys. I cheated on him twice. And by that point I was totally devastated. I felt powerless. This behaviour had been going on for too long. I was willing to do whatever it took to stop it.”
Sex addiction is like any other addiction. It’s the same powerlessness. JOHN
“At the time I was dating a girl and I was also dating a guy,” he says, “and I was cheating on both of them, several times a week. I realized what I was doing was very wrong and I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t. Regardless of what I was thinking.” Those trysts eventually ended, but it wasn’t long before John found himself in another relationship. And with a new lease on life and love, naturally he put his unfaithful ways behind him and focused on monogamy, right?
So John went to see a counsellor about his problem. “I was lucky to find someone who knew what they were talking about,” he says. “And when the counsellor told me about sex addiction a light went on. I was like, ‘Aha! That makes perfect sense. That’s what I am.’” But as any addict will tell you, realizing and admitting you have a problem is just the first step of the healing process. The next is to seek help. So John signed up for a sex CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »
4 MAY 17 – MAY 23 NEWS + OPINION
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EDITORIAL
COMMENTS
Q+A
ARTS
FEATURE
FOOD + DRINK
MUSIC
LISTINGS
NIGHTLIFE
FILM
COMICS
TIMEOUT
VERBNEWS.COM
addiction program to try and relieve his affliction. But recovery didn’t work at first. “There was a period of time in 2011 when I kept relapsing,” admits John. “I just couldn’t stay out of trouble. I was still always looking for my next fix.” And like most addicts, John had a ritual for getting his fix. On weekdays, after working a 9-5 job, he’d come home, have supper, get ready, and then off he’d go in search of sex. “Oh, there are lots of ways!” says John, talking about how he went about finding sex on a daily basis. “In the gay world, to find a partner to f**k for a night is not a problem. You can go to certain parks, parking lots, you can go cruising, go to gay bars, go online. There are apps like Grindr. It’s really easy.” So easy, in fact, that at one point John was hooking up with two or three guys a night. Getting his fix in dirty bathrooms, public places, and the backseat of cars in dark parking lots. “It didn’t matter who it was. It didn’t matter if I was sexually attracted to them. It was about getting what I needed and getting out of there,” explains John. “It wasn’t about sex. It was about the thrill of going out, looking for someone, finding someone, getting my fix.” But the more fixes John got, the worse he felt. Sure, he was aware about how risky his behaviour was, he was aware of how much he was torturing himself. Thing is, though, he couldn’t stop.
“Sex addiction is like any other addiction,” he says, “It’s the same powerlessness. You’re not free to make your own choices anymore. And you know what? It’s really demoralizing. There’s so much shame and guilt. I felt worthless. I hated myself.” And John wanted a way out. He wanted a partner, kids, a future like a typical, well-adjusted person. Problem was, that seemed like such a pipe dream he didn’t think it would ever be attainable. “At that point,” says John, “I saw suicide as my only option and I made a plan. I was going to get in my car, get on the highway, go as fast as I could, and crash into a pole or a tree.” So one night he got dressed, grabbed his keys off the counter, and walked out of his home into the darkness, hellbent on ending his living hell. But something stopped him. He can’t say for sure what. All he can say for certain is that the next thing he knew he was back in his house calling the suicide hotline. “They told me to go to the hospital and check myself in,” says John. And that’s what he did.
Spoiler alert: John’s real name isn’t actually John. At the moment he’s in a sex addiction program in Saskatchewan, and for reasons we won’t get into here he prefers to remain anonymous. And that’s fine. His name could’ve just as easily been Adam or Jessica. And this
story could just as easily have been about someone you know. “There is a real stigma attached to this,” he says. “People have this image of sex addicts being creepy old guys in trench coats. What they don’t realize is it could be anyone. People from all walks of life — gay or straight, married or single — are addicted to sex. It doesn’t really matter. There are lots of successful people with good careers and good families who suffer from this.” And if they’re anything like John, they’ll try to find help. “Right now I’m in recovery,” he says. “It isn’t easy. The first challenge is to halt the behaviour … after you deal with the sexual behaviour you turn inwards. A lot of addicts have underlying issues. For me, the biggest challenge was to deal with co-dependency. Then I had to deal with my past. I was in denial. I had to deal with the fact that I was abused sexually, emotionally and physically for many years. That kind of stuff really f**ks you up.” But it doesn’t have to ruin your life. Right now, John is going through the steps of a sex addiction program. Heck, he’s even in a monogamous relationship for the first time in his life. “But it’s an ongoing challenge,” he admits, “to remain faithful and to not f**k this up.” Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina ahawboldt@verbnews.com
5 MAY 17 – MAY 23 @VERBREGINA
CONTENTS
LOCAL
EDITORIAL
COMMENTS
Q+A
ARTS
FEATURE
FOOD + DRINK
MUSIC
LISTINGS
NIGHTLIFE
FILM
COMICS
TIMEOUT
NEWS + OPINION
EDITORIAL
PHOTO: COURTESY OF NÜMAN FILMS
BLADES OF GLORY
Don’t discount Saskatchewan’s chance at winning the Memorial Cup
S
o the Memorial Cup is back in Saskatchewan, and for the host team (the Saskatoon Blades) a lot of talk around the water cooler has been, well, let’s just say it’s been on the negative side. But we don’t think that’s necessary — in fact, we don’t think the Blades should be discounted before the Mem Cup even gets off the ground. And it’s not because we want to see a Saskatchewan team come out on top. Yep, we’re going Moneyball here: you see, we think the Blades are going to win the Mem Cup because they have history and chance on their side. Now, we understand why some might assume the Blades are doomed. After all, the team had a brutal start. They struggled to find consistency and, perhaps most damning of all, they were swept in the first round of the 2013 WHL playoffs by the Medicine Hat Tigers — good thing the hosts automatically get a spot. Add to that the fact that the three teams they’ll be competing against — the Halifax Mooseheads, Portland Winterhawks and London Knights — stomped the junior hockey terra like goddamn giants this year, and it’s understandable why many junior hockey fans around the province and beyond feel the Blades are in way over their heads and probably won’t even make the semi-final round.
But if you dig a little deeper and consider the stats, the Blades actually have way more than a fighting chance. You see, since the Memorial Cup changed to its current format back in 1983, 21 of the 30 host teams have made it to the finals. In other words, for 70% of all host teams the Memorial Cup boils down to one, last, winnertakes-all game. And of those 21 teams
won a lot of games and are a really good team. Remember the last time the Blades hosted the Mem Cup, back in 1989 — they lost the championship game in overtime after going 42-28-2 during the regular season. The Blades’ record this year? An East Division best 44-22-2-4. To put that record into perspective, when Vancouver won in 2007 they finished the regular season with only 45 wins, while national champ Kelowna had 47 regular season wins in 2004. So there’s no reason to count the Blades out before the tournament even starts. Last year people counted out the host Shawinigan Cataractes before the Memorial Cup began and look what happened — they won the whole thing even though many experts had all but written them off. What’s more, in a 10-day roundrobin tournament like the Memorial Cup, all it really takes is for one team to get red hot. And in a season marked with highs and lows, the one thing the Saskatoon Blades have proven is that they know how to string a bunch of victories together. Or did you forget about their 18game win streak already? And therein lies the beauty of the Memorial Cup. Once the four teams are set, everything is up for grabs. Because the one thing you have to realize — the thing that anyone who has ever played sports before realizes — is
…the Saskatoon Blades … know how to string a bunch of victories together. VERB MAGAZINE
who made the championship game, nine of them have gone on to win the whole shebang. Not bad odds at all. And to narrow that even further, let’s look at the Memorial Cup in Western Canada in the last decade. Since the Kelowna Rockets hosted in 2004, all three WHL host teams have made the final game, with two of them (Kelowna and Vancouver) going down in history as national champs. Oh, and speaking of history, let’s not forget that the Blades have actually
that the best team on paper doesn’t always win. There are too many factors that come into play. Chance, randomness, injury, hometown crowd … you name it. With a sample size this small, the chance of any of the four teams winning the whole thing is extremely high — even for the Blades. These editorials are left unsigned because they represent the opinions of Verb magazine, not those of the individual writers. Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina feedback@verbnews.com
6 MAY 17 – MAY 23 NEWS + OPINION
CONTENTS
LOCAL
EDITORIAL
COMMENTS
Q+A
ARTS
FEATURE
FOOD + DRINK
MUSIC
LISTINGS
NIGHTLIFE
FILM
COMICS
TIMEOUT
VERBNEWS.COM
COMMENTS
ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about improving bike lanes. Here's what you had to say:
Text yo thoughtsur to 881 VE R B 8372
– Bike lanes are fine keep them the way they are.
Clearing designated bike routes of snow would also be needed.
– The safest head for urban cycling pretend your invisible to pedestrians and motorists. No one sees you. Its all up to you to avoid a collision! Speed kills!
– Bike lanes already take up so much space downtown, on already narrow streets. Bikes slow traffic, keep things crawling as they pedal at whatever speed they like. How would you propose having them keep up with speed of traffic?
– They should defiantly improve bike lanes, then I could use my longboard on them instead of the sidewalk cuz it’s not safe now that it’s legal to longboard downtown, but we should be able to use the bike lane because of no people walking and have to weave in between people, having a lane for bikes, longboards and other trans portation like such, people would use them and be more happy with it! JoshuaTree
– On the cycling lanes issue, if the street is one way, is the designated bike lane two way or one way? There’s some hazardous confusion between cyclists and motorists. Driver’s don’t look both ways for cyclists, focus on vehicle traffic.
– Thanks Verb for making my coffee break at work fun. As for improving bike lanes, it’s the smart thing to do. Great form of exercise and practical, environmentally friendly transportation. In Europe it’s often a main for of transportation. Saskatoon is a young vibrant progressive city. Making it easier to commute via bike only makes sense.
– I cycle all year round. This winter was especially dangerous with the way windrows of snow narrowed the streets and covered sidewalks.
– Improving bike lanes should be something that’s considered in more than just good weather. People bike year round in this province, and having a plan for when it’s snowy and winter out is also necessary.
– Definitely agree we need to start treating our city like it’s part of a province that is booming, with tons of young people who are active and out there and making biking lanes and the city more bike friendly is an essential part of this. Those kicking their heels about making this city more of a biker’s paradise are dinosaurs, the old guard, and they need to go we need to make this happen!
– Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto says forced prostitution of Asian women before & during the 2nd World War was needed to “maintain discipline” in the ranks of Japanese soldiers. He seems to have forgotten that sexually transmitted diseases helped bring down the Roman Empire & Napoleon!! :-!
OFF TOPIC – Fashion Week is a great thing that supports creativity in our province. Nice to see it get some attention!
– It may get to a point soon where in order to preserve humanity and its sanity we’ll just have to shoot all the greedy people. Unfortunate necessary evil.
In response to “Designing Woman,” Local, #77 (May 10, 2013)
– What is the point of a YIELD sign anyway in this city nobody uses them stupid drivers blows through like a green light
SOUND OFF – No God no peace. Know God know peace.
– Who remembers the Bush “Ashoesinatian”. Funniets piece of
comic political theatre in decades. Sidesplitting! He deked it. Quick little sucker!
– Landlords rental agencies Are Blacklisting Tenants ILIGAL
– Everyone involved with the Mike Duffy scandal needs to resign right now! This is unbelievable.
– Summer is HERE way to go Saskatchewan it took long enough time to spend a little quality stint on a patio methinks
– Loved the text about Taylor Swift Tweet! I don’t really care about her or her music but this made me realize how unintentionally hilarious she is. Bring more!
POWERED BY THE CREW AT MOGA MOBILE
– So nice to see people out and about enjoying the city at night walking with families hanging out with friends. Have a great long weekend everyone xoxo :D
NEXT WEEK: What do you think of Blades’ odds of winning the Mem Cup? 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 MAY 17 – MAY 23 /VERBREGINA
CONTENTS
LOCAL
EDITORIAL
COMMENTS
Q+A
ARTS
FEATURE
FOOD + DRINK
MUSIC
LISTINGS
NIGHTLIFE
FILM
COMICS
TIMEOUT
NEWS + OPINION
Q+A
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
THE MADDIGANS
Independent pop punk from Alberta to everywhere BY ALEX J MACPHERSON
I
t has been a busy year for The Maddigans, a pop punk band from Edmonton. After releasing their second EP, Love vs. Passion, last summer, the band began a tour that carried them across Canada and western Europe, where their infectious brand of guitar-driven rock captured the attention of fans in Germany and the United Kingdom. Shaped by sparking guitar riffs and Trisha Watson’s punchy vocals, The Maddigans inject their vision of endless summer into the arc of pop punk that began in the 1990s. And while the trio, which includes guitarist Seb Sanders and drummer Benn Kimmis, are planning a follow-up to Love vs. Passion, Kimmis says they are still having fun on the road, playing their songs to anyone who will listen. I caught up with Kimmis, who was in a van outside Toronto, to talk about independent music, picking singles, and making videos. Alex J MacPherson: How important is it to your band to be independent at this moment in time, when the music industry is uncertain at best?
Benn Kimmis: It is important for us to be independent. There’s a lot of labels right now, like with the state of the music industry, that we probably wouldn’t even sign to even if we got [an] offer. There’s certain ones that we still would, but as far as being independent goes, it allows us to control so much more of our stuff … It works out really well.
higher iTunes sales and … people were really liking those songs. And we ended up releasing a video for “Miles Ahead.” AJM: That’s no surprise. Musicians all seem to agree that picking singles is one of the hardest things they have to do. BK: For “Miles Ahead” we just thought that one would have the larg-
…as far as being independent goes, it allows us to control so much more… BENN KIMMIS
AJM: You released Love vs. Passion almost a year ago. Looking back, what are your thoughts on the record today?
est potential demographic of people, because it does have a slightly heavier edge than some of our other songs. We thought it would maybe appeal to slightly more people than if we released, say, “Talk This Way,” which is one of the lighter songs on the album. They’re both the same genre, but slightly different variations on it.
BK: We still really like it. When we started out with it we thought our song “Talk This Way” was going to be the single. We released it first, it was the first one we put out, and we got a good reception from that — but then we were putting out other songs from the EP, and we found they got slightly
AJM: And how was shooting the music video for “Miles Ahead”?
BK: It was really cool! We did it in England. Our guitarist, Seb, he’s from England, and maybe half an hour from his house there’s a huge, crazy hill. We went on top of that and took some really cool shots up there. It was a huge trek to get up there! And then we actually made our jam space in England, made it look really good. It was a lot of effort, but it was totally worth it. AJM: One of the things you’ve talked about is the sheer number of songs you’ve written. What’s that process like for your band? BK: We’ve never really sat down with a producer. Seb, our guitarist, will write a riff, and our singer,
Trisha, will put something to it. Or I’ll write drums with him and we’ll jam it out at practice, make it a shell of a song. We’ll write a few of them and [Trisha] will say, ‘Oh, these ones are good.’ We’ll all talk about it, and then she’ll write vocals for them – or the good ones, at least! For our EP we wrote maybe 25 to 30 songs and picked five. The Maddigans May 24 @ The Exchange $15 @ the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com
8 MAY 17 – MAY 23 CULTURE
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EMPIRE ASSOCIATES
Regina folk band find solace in songwriting
A
nybody who has ever driven into a big city at night knows how difficult it is to resist the bright lights, a beacon of warmth and energy rising out of the darkness. And no one is more susceptible to this gravitational field than a musician with a dream. Terrance Williamson, one half of the musical and matrimonial partnership Empire Associates, knows these urges well — and does his best to resist. “I really enjoy the music scene in Regina,” Williamson explains. “The music scene out in places like Toronto and Vancouver is already established, already built — and in a sense it’s easier to make it bigger, faster, when you go out to those locations. But the risk is greater, too. You’re leaving the city, leaving everything behind, chasing after that [dream].” The decision to remain in Saskatchewan was a good one. Williamson and his wife, Kelsi Kerestesh, have spent the last several years building a music career. Their take on folk music — powerful open guitar
BY ALEX J MACPHERSON
chords, rich vocal harmonies, and delicate mandolin lines — can be scaled up with drums and electric guitars or reduced to its essence depending on the situation. Whatever the setting, however, Empire Associates’ sound reflects the duality of life in Saskatchewan: long stretches of bleakness and winter punctuated by brilliant rays of sunshine. But Empire Associates is more than just a folk band. When their young son was diagnosed with leukemia, Williamson and Kerestesh quit their jobs, a concession to the endless hospital visits and appointments. Emotionally drained and physically exhausted, they found solace in songwriting. Writing and performing became an outlet, a valve to release the immense pressure before it boiled over. “Now it seems that some of the songs that didn’t seem like they were really about anything seem like they’re about everything that matters to me,” Williamson muses. “When tough times in life happen, it’s crazy how the things that aren’t important just fall away.”
PHOTO: COURTESY OF STICK PRODUCTIONS
Meaning and purpose are refined in the crucible of trauma. In the case of Empire Associates, a devastating series of events has produced music of great depth and clarity. The group’s first album, In Times Of Trouble, reduced the chaos of cancer to a handful of pure ideas. Their next release, which Williamson says will be out sometime later this year, promises even more moving songs by a couple who have found joy in creation — and the relentless ups and downs of life in the province’s capital. Empire Associates May 25 @ Mercury Cafe $TBD
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
A rollicking send-up of jazz age musicals at the Globe Theatre BY ALEX J MACPHERSON
I
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE GLOBE THEATRE
hate theatre.” This is the opening line of The Drowsy Chaperone, a novel play billed as a musical within a comedy. By casting the dreary reality of life in the late twentieth century against the unfettered joy of the jazz age, The Drowsy Chaperone is both a mockery of, and a lasting tribute to, the elaborate musicals that have become a symbol of the roaring twenties. Just as The Princess Bride uses contemporary narration to frame a fictional tale of true love and high adventure, The Drowsy Chaperone is the title of a musical narrated by the dour Man In A Chair. After putting the soundtrack on his record player, the show comes to life in his living room. He repeatedly
freezes the action to provide commentary and context, revealing in the process that his professed hatred of theatre is a sham – merely a cover for his only escape from his lonely and solitary life. “That’s a very enjoyable part of the story — him making current comments, a present-day take, on the silliness of breaking out into song and dance,” says Robb Paterson, the show’s ebullient director. “Nowadays only the hopelessly deranged do that. But I don’t think it’s a cynical show. I think it’s the opposite.” Conceived for a one-off performance at a 1997 bachelor party, The Drowsy Chaperone was eventually rewritten and performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Audiences
loved the musical send-up, and its affecting mixture of pure joy and hopelessness. The Drowsy Chaperone opened on Broadway in 2006, where it went on to win a Tony Award, further cementing its reputation as a charming parody of the great musicals from the 1920s. Paterson says the strength of the show is derived from its juxtaposition of two completely different worlds. “There’s the real world, which is for him miserable. ‘Disappointing’ is the word he uses,” Paterson explains. “And then there’s the world of the musical comedy, of vaudeville, of musical revue. Two different tones.” And while one of those worlds seems grey and dreary next to the bright lights of the jazz age, a pe-
riod defined by a collective desire to drown war weariness in a river of illicit booze, Paterson thinks the show only heightens the raw beauty of the classic musical. Theatre is entertainment, and The Drowsy Chaperone uses a novel storytelling device to put a new spin on one of the oldest — and most entertaining — shows ever created. The Drowsy Chaperone May 22-June 9 @ Globe Theatre $30+ @ Globe Theatre Box Office Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com
9 MAY 17 – MAY 23 @VERBREGINA
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IF IT CAN BE DONE…
Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers tackle their most ambitious p
I
t sounds improbable. Maybe even impossible. But Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers, an operatic rock band from Winnipeg, pulled it off. Less than two months after the idea first took hold, the quintet is preparing to release Fruit and Ash, a collection of four songs overflowing with pyrotechnical performances, theatrical arrangements, and cagey lyrics. The EP, their first release since 2011’s Hans My Lion, was finished in just over two weeks. “It was pretty ridiculous,” says Lindsey Collins, the band’s tireless bass player, “but that’s the standard for us. We’ve always taken on ambitious tasks, just set our minds to it. And at the risk of burning ourselves out, we usually come out on the other end with the task accomplished.” After a short tour in March, and just a few hours after Collins mentioned his desire to record a new album, he and his colleagues piled into their van for the long drive back to Winnipeg. What had been an offhand remark soon crystallized into a plan. “We basically made the decision during the van ride home,” he explains. “If we pulled the trigger immediately, we could get the EP done and ready for our May tour. So we got back and hit the ground running.” Recording an album is a long and ridiculously involved procedure.
From finalizing the arrangements to extracting the best sound from each instrument and designing the packaging, the list of tasks that need to be accomplished seems limitless. Most bands take months to produce an EP. Flying Fox did it in 16 days.
home to his one-month-old,” singer Jesse Krause laughs. That Fruit and Ash was finished in 16 days is a testament to the band’s willingness to tackle difficult projects. In some respects, the new album carries on the traditions established
We’ve always been pretty interested in exploration and delving into other kinds of music. JESSE KRAUSE
We recorded the demos at my house one weekend,” Collins says. “The next weekend we were in the studio for three days.” After tracking the rhythm section and horns at the Mid-Ocean School of Media Arts in Winnipeg, the band began overdubbing the flourishes that transform each Flying Fox song into a symphony in miniature. Although the time in the studio went smoothly, the process was complicated by scheduling difficulties. Drummer Jaime Carrasco taught music lessons during the day. After working for eight hours, he would race to the studio to spend another four or five hours laying down the vital drum tracks. “Then he went
on Hans My Lion: vivid melodies, the contrast between the band’s fiery performances and Krause’s sonorous baritone, and the unmistakable influence of ancient lore, mythology, and fairy tales. Flying Fox have always sought to break down the barriers between popular music and the more obscure corners of classical. Hans My Lion bent the spectrum, pushing rock aesthetics and classical techniques together, creating in the process a stew of loud guitars and ornamental horns. But while its predecessor was burdened with the weight of myth and legend, Fruit and Ash is light and airy — though it does not sacrifice the musical depth that gives the band its sound. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CAT PANETTA
project to date BY ALEX J MACPHERSON This shift can be attributed to changes in the band’s lineup and the speed with which the album was recorded. “We’ve always been pretty interested in exploration and delving into other kinds of music,” Krause explains. “We have pretty diverse influences through
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CAT PANETTA
all the band members. Now I suppose it’s a little more concise. Andrew [Littleford] and Kyle [Wedlake] played a lot of horn music together, a lot of jazz and those kinds of things, and so their musical tastes are more in line than maybe [our old horn players] were.” The most impressive aspect of Fruit and Ash, which doesn’t lack inspired performan ces, is the band’s ability to manipulate time and rhythm in complicated ways. An overwhelming majority of rock and roll songs are written and performed in four four time, a term referring to the number and length of beats in each measure. Flying Fox, on the other hand, like unconventional time signatures. This
tendency is apparent from the first measures of “Boatmen,” which opens the record with a syncopated riff split between Krause’s guitar and a pair of entwined horn lines. “We never play to a click track, for better or for worse,” Collins laughs. “There’s some push and pull, which makes it sound like a live band playing rather than having this clicking at 120 beats per minute in our ear the whole time.” But don’t think Flying Fox play complicated music for the sake of playing complicated music. Krause, who writes the songs, sketching out a melody and harmonic structure before the group fleshes them out, is clearly capable of composing music that would stump even the most proficient players. But he is much more interested in the fusion of melody and lyrics — the heart of any great song and the band’s defining characteristic. “If it sounds overly complicated and indigestible than something’s been lost,” he muses. “But if it sounds like something other than what you’re used to but still has language in it you can latch onto, then it’s still music — and it’s still successful to the listener even though it’s difficult to play.” This is the key to unlocking Fruit and Ash — and the music of Flying Fox. Instead of writing lyrics to suit a piece of music, Krause writes music to suit his lyrics. Time signature shifts and other musical flourishes are coor-
dinated to enhance and highlight the language of the song — not the other way around. “It can get very technical, but all of those things are simply based on the lyrics and the words,” he says. “We let the storytelling aspect, the narrative flow, dictate the time signatures, rather than the numbers dictating something else.” This fusion of language and music reaches its apex on Fruit and Ash, which features the most complete arc of any Flying Fox record. The new album is an exploration of the gulf between reality and the things we believe to be reality. Of the four tracks, three are told from the perspective of insects: “Boatmen,” “Dragonfly,” and “Ant Eating Matriarch.” By shifting the point of view, Krause was able to alter the perspective, casting new light on our lives. Krause has always been interested in insects. He grew up on a farm, and his biologist mother occasionally enlisted his help with her work. The songs on Fruit and Ash reveal more than his love of arthropods, however. “I certainly was interested in the idea of making an entire record just of insect stories,” he says. “Looking at important events and goings-on in human lives. Sort of looking at those stories and telling them through the parallels of the natural world, the other inhabitants of the planet that we live on.” The songs on Fruit and Ash alter the way we think about the arc of a human
life. “Boatmen” explores the urge to define oneself in the face of a limitless cosmos. “Dragonfly” deals with love. The broad theme, Krause explains, is centered on the act of “trying to find the parallels between those somewhat trivial things and the very real struggle for life that has been going on for the last couple hundred million years.” But Fruit and Ash also includes an outlier, “Salmon.” Shaped by a syncopated guitar riff and a manic horn line, “Salmon” is about love and the meaning of home. “Obviously,” Krause says, “a salmon is not an insect. That’s the last song that got finished, and some kind of evolution happened there very quickly.” This evolution, which has carried the band from the Black Forest to the
streams of northern Canada, is ongoing. Fruit and Ash established the contours of a still-to-come full-length release. And the unpredictability, raw musicality, and sheer joy to be found in the music of Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers’ ensures the future is wide open. “I guess if it can be done,” Collins says with a laugh, “we’ll do it.” Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers May 31 @ O’Hanlon’s Free Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com
11 MAY 17 – MAY 23 /VERBREGINA
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Photos courtesy of Maxton Priebe
DECADENCE
Sweet indulgence abounds at Koko Pâtisserie at the Hotel Saskatchewan BYJESSICA BICKFORD
K
oko Pâtisserie at the Hotel Saskatchewan is a gorgeous little shop, and owners Marcie and Kirby Punshon use real ingredients of the highest quality to make their baked goods and sandwiches the best they can be. That means using butter, cream, no artificial flavours or colours, and even organic local flour from Riceton. Everything is hand-crafted and they both take real pride in all of their products. I started with a goat cheese and wild mushroom panini with pesto,
spinach and roasted tomatoes. This was one heck of a sandwich —
deep umami taste. The roasted tomatoes were delicious and the goat
The curd was perfectly tart from the fresh lemon juice Koko uses… JESSICA BICKFORD
savoury, earthy, melty, crispy; it had a bit of everything. The great basil flavour of the pesto permeated the sandwich and the mushrooms had a
cheese had a lovely tanginess, giving this sandwich real depth. I began on the desserts with a selection of cookies that included bittersweet chocolate truffle, lemon poppyseed, and three kinds of french macaroons. The truffle cookie was thick, dense, and chewy, with incredible chocolate intensity. It was like an entire plate of rich brownies condensed down into just one cookie! The crisp and golden-brown lemon poppyseed cookie was very buttery with a light lemon flavour, and was studded with tiny poppyseeds. The macaroons I tried were a bold coffee buttercream, bittersweet chocolate with coconut, and lemon matcha. All were perfectly light, crispy, and chewy delicacies, and the flavour combos were all deliciously interesting. Two petits gâteaux were up next, and they were beautifully presented
LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE LEMON DROP MARTINI
INGREDIENTS
This very sweet and slightly tart tipple is the perfect girly drink. If you like it a bit less sweet, just add less simple syrup for a more lemony punch.
1 ½ oz vodka ½ oz orange liqueur 1 teaspoon simple syrup ¾ oz fresh lemon juice ice sugar and lemon twists for garnishing
DIRECTIONS
Rim a martini glass with a wedge of lemon and fine sugar. In a cocktail shaker half filled with ice, add the vodka, orange liqueur, simple syrup and lemon juice. Shake thoroughly and strain into the rimmed glass. Add a twist of lemon to garnish.
and as decadent as they looked. Bittersweet chocolate ganache was first, and the dense, moist cake had a strong cocoa flavour and a super rich chocolate ganache that added to the bittersweetness of the cake. The flourless mocha hazelnut cake was nutty, and the white chocolate and coffee ganache on top was sweet with a great coffee kick. Both of these cakes were incredibly rich and very decadent. Last up was my absolute favourite by far — a giant lemon tart! The tart had a fantastic yellow colour, very tart lemon curd, and a rich, buttery pastry base. The curd was perfectly tart from the fresh lemon juice Koko uses, and it was so silky smooth with
a velvety, buttery finish. This was absolutely perfect! At Koko Pâtisserie all of their sweets look as great as they taste and their sandwiches are best described as appetizingly artisanal. If you are going to indulge, why not indulge in something that was made with pure and real ingredients like those at Koko? Koko Pâtisserie Main Floor - Hotel Saskatchewan 2125 Victoria Ave. | 306 205 8393 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina jbickford@verbnews.com
12 MAY 17 – MAY 23 CULTURE
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MUSIC
NEXT WEEK
COMING UP
INDIGO JOSEPH
LIFERUINER
NEKO CASE
@ ARTFUL DODGER SATURDAY, MAY 25 – $TBD
@ THE EXCHANGE WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 – $15
@ REGINA FOLK FEST (VICTORIA PARK) SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 – $53+
“Infectious, man. Simply infectious.” That’s what my friend told me last year when I asked about Indigo Joseph’s music. And after seeing them play, turns out my friend was right. With an upbeat, folky, funky rock sound, this quartet from Regina not only makes music that’s catchy as hell, but their live show is something else. Full of energy and audience engagement, Indigo Joseph has stage presence that is at once natural and developed. Natural in the sense you can tell they’re just up there having fun; developed from playing bars and festivals and a B.C. to Ontario tour last year. So if you want to see a rock show that’s fun and wildly entertaining, check these guys out when they open for the Young Benjamins next week.
It’s funny the twists and turns life takes you on. Take the band formerly known as xLIFERUINERx, for example. Back when this metalcore band started in Toronto, they were all about making music that mocked straightedge bands that wrote only about death and hate. But somewhere along the way things changed. Everybody but frontman Jonny O’Callaghan left the band, and xLIFERUINERx became Liferuiner — a straight-edge, hardcore band. These days, O’Callaghan, Burton Lavery, Mike Short and Chris Davies are putting their energy towards making music that’s a tad more positive and melodic, and this spring the group released their sophomore album, Future Revisionists. Check ‘em out when they drop by the Exchange next week. Tickets at the door.
Neko Case once told Time that “Country in its pure form is very punk.” And she should know. Having started her career drumming for punk bands in Vancouver, Case crossed over into the world of country — bringing with her a certain turbulence from her punk roots. The result was a sort of noir country that has garnered her massive amounts of fans and critical acclaim. And if her sweeping brand of alt-country isn’t enough to make you fall love with Case, well, maybe her penchant for dropping f-bombs in interviews or her habit of covering Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Hank Williams will make you jump on the bandwagon. Catch her live at the Regina Folk Festival; see reginafolkfestival.com for ticket info. – By Adam Hawboldt
PHOTOS COURTESY OF: THE ARTIST / DAVE PIKE / GUUS KROL
SASK MUSIC PREVIEW Introducing the Music Heals iPod Pharmacy! Music Heals would like your old MP3 players, which they will clean and donate to a music therapist. That way, people waiting for treatment or sitting on dialysis can take their mind off things while grooving to their favourite tunes. If you have an old device you’d like to donate, please send it to: Music Heals. Suite 400-1788 W. 5th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., V6J 1P2. More info at http://musicheals. ca/ipod-pharmacy Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org
13 MAY 17 – MAY 23 @VERBREGINA
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LISTINGS
MAY 17 » MAY 25 The most complete live music listings for Regina. S
M
T
W
T
17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
FRIDAY 17
CAM PENNER / Artful Dodger — A folk/ Americana musician from Calgary. Also featuring SC Mira. 8pm / Cover TBD THE OAK RIDGE BOYS / Casino Regina — Classic country music from American icons. 8pm / SOLD OUT DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 DJ PAT & DJ KIM / Habano’s — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night that are sure to get you on the dance floor. 9pm / $5 cover BIG CHILL FRIDAYS / Lancaster — Come out and get your weekend started with DJ Fatbot. 10pm / Cover TBD THE MONTAGUES / McNally’s Tavern — Classic rock, funk, R&B and pop favourites. 10pm / $5
BARNEY BENTALL & THE LEGENDARY HEARTS / The Pump Roadhouse — Come check out their 25th anniversary tour! 9pm / Cover TBD DIRTY FEET / Rocks Bar and Grill — Some blues/funk/rock from Queen City. 8pm / Cover TBD DANGEROUS CHEESE / The Sip Nightclub — Some ‘80s pop/rock for you to dance to. 9pm / Cover TBD JESS MOSKALUKE / Whiskey Saloon — A local songstress with a tremendous voice. 8pm / $10 DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs as he gets his spin on. 8pm / Cover TBD
WILDEFIRE / Pump Roadhouse — Local country to get you grooving! 9pm / Cover TBD DANGEROUS CHEESE / The Sip Nightclub - Some 80‘s pop/rock for you to dance to. 9pm / Cover TBD JAM SESSIONS / Smokin’ Okies BBQ — Promoting blues and country blues, come in and play or listen and be entertained. 2pm / No cover JESS MOSKALUKE / Whiskey Saloon — A local songstress with a tremendous voice. 8pm / $10
SUNDAY 19
CAM PENNER / Artesian on 13th — Fiery folk/rock n’ roll. 8pm / $12-15 (www.picatic.com) KAYLA LUKY, RAMBLIN DAN / Artful Dodger — Alt. country, folk and blues from two talented acts. 8pm / Cover TBD KERRI SENKOW / King’s Head Tavern — A local singer/songwriter oozing talent. 8pm / Cover TBD JESS MOSKALUKE / Whiskey Saloon — A local songstress with a tremendous voice. 8pm / $10
SATURDAY 18
DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 STRUCTURES, TEXAS IN JULY, NORHTLANE, INTERVALS / The Exchange — Hardcore and progressive metal from Canada, the U.S. and Australia. 7:30pm / $17 (ticketexchange.ca) BRENDA LEE COTTRELL / Lancaster Taphouse — Patsy Cline and Brenda Lee tribute. 9pm / No cover THE MONTAGUES / McNally’s Tavern — Classic rock, funk, R&B and pop favourites. 10pm / $5
MONDAY 20
OPEN MIC NIGHT / The Artful Dodger — Come down and jam! 8pm / No cover
TUESDAY 21
THE ABRAMSON SINGERS / Artful Dodger — An ethereal band/choir from Vancouver. 8pm / Cover TBD TROUBADOUR TUESDAYS / Bocados — Come check out some live tunes from local talents every week. 8pm / No cover
WEDNESDAY 22
WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOLK / Bushwakker Brewpub — Featuring Lucas Chaisson, an up-and-coming folk artist from Alberta. 8pm / No cover JAM NIGHT AND OPEN STAGE / McNally’s Tavern — Come on down and enjoy some local talent. 9pm / No cover BLEEKER RIDGE / Pump Roadhouse — An alt-rock band from Orillia, Ontario. 9pm / Cover TBD
THURSDAY 23
JULIA MCDOUGALL, LUKE LEIGHFIELD / The Club — Indie and piano music to sooth your soul. 7:30pm / $10 (ticketedge.ca) DECIBEL FREQUENCY / Gabbo’s Nightclub — A night of electronic fun. 10pm / Cover $5 PS FRESH / The Hookah Lounge — DJ Ageless started spinning in Montreal, DJ Drewski started in Saskatoon. They both landed in Regina and have come together to sling some bomb beats. 7pm / No cover OPEN MIC NIGHT / King’s Head Tavern — Come out, play some tunes, sing some songs, and show Regina what you got. 8pm / No cover TWO EASY / McNally’s Tavern — Come out and support local music. 9pm / $5 FOXX WORTHEE / The Pump Roadhouse — A local country duo. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs as he drops some of the best country beats around. 8pm / Cover TBD
FRIDAY 24
TINSEL TREES, WHITE WOMEN / Artful Dodger — Down tempo and rock and roll. 8pm / Cover TBD DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 LIONS LIONS, THE MADDIGANS, EMPIRE CHOIR, SILHOUETTE CITY, ME AND MY ANATOMY / The Exchange — Some punk, some rock, post-hardcore and more. 7pm / $15
DJ PAT & DJ KIM / Habano’s — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover BIG CHILL FRIDAYS / Lancaster Taphouse — Come out and get your weekend started with DJ Fatbot, who’ll be doing his spinning thing every Friday night. 10pm / Cover TBD SLOW MOTION WALTER / McNally’s Tavern — Rock n’ roll party band. 10pm / $5 HALTERAS / Mercury Cafe — Surf music with gritty undertones. 9pm / $5 FOXX WORTHEE / The Pump Roadhouse — A local country duo. 9pm / Cover TBD PARLOR TRIXX / The Sip Nightclub — A local hard rock outfit. 9pm / Cover TBD KAL HOURD / Whiskey Saloon — A local country act that’s big on talent. 8pm / $10 DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs as he drops some of the best country beats around. 8pm / Cover TBD
SATURDAY 25
YOUNG BENJAMINS, INDIGO JOSEPH / Artful Dodger — A night of sweet indie tunes. 8pm / Cover TBD MEMORIES OF CONWAY TWITTY / Casino Regina — Featuring the legend’s son Michael and his grandson Tre. 8pm / $20-25 (casinoregina.com) GLENN SUTTER / Cathedral Village Arts Festival — Folk music with a social conscience. 5:30pm / Cover TBD DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 SLOW MOTION WALTER / McNally’s Tavern — Rock n’ roll party band. 10pm / $5 FOXX WORTHEE / The Pump Roadhouse — A local country duo will rock your socks off. 9pm / Cover TBD PARLOR TRIXX / The Sip Nightclub — A local hard rock outfit. 9pm / Cover TBD JAM SESSIONS / Smokin’ Okies BBQ — Promoting blues and country blues, come in and play or listen and be entertained. 2pm / No cover KAL HOURD / Whiskey Saloon — A local country act that’s big on talent. 8pm / $10
GET LISTED Have a live show you'd like to promote? Let us know! layout@verbnews.com
14 MAY 17 – MAY 23 ENTERTAINMENT
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NIGHTLIFE
SATURDAY, MAY 11 @
BUSHWAKKER
Bushwakker Brewpub 2206 Dewdney Avenue (306) 359 7276
MUSIC VIBE / All Saskatchewan artists, all the time FEATURED DEALS / Steak and a pint for $15.95 DRINK OF CHOICE / Prairie cherry ale, made right here in Saskatchewan TOP EATS / Nachos COMING UP / May Long weekend keg event — it’s the annual
Screamin’ Mosquito Chili Beer release — and live music every Monday and Wednesday
CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, May 24. facebook.com/verbsaskatoon
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INTERGALACTIC BROMANCE
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Star Trek Into Darkness provides edge-of-your-seat action with much character development BY ADAM HAWBOLDT
T
he newest installment in the Star Trek franchise begins in warp drive. Not literally. But if the opening scenes of Star Trek Into Darkness don’t pin you to your seat, blow your hair back, and leave you thinking “my word! That was exhilarating!” well, you might not have a pulse. Seriously. From the get-go the film plunges straight into the mouth of chaos. Spock (played to scientific perfection by Zachary Quinto) is beamed down into the belly of a roaring, spitting, hellfire volcano. And this isn’t some ordinary volcano. If it erupts, it will destroy the planet it’s on. So it’s Spock to the rescue. But things don’t go exactly as planned. Tension mounts, and as meltdown approaches Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) breaks Starfleet rules — as he’s wont to do — in order to save his pal and first officer from an impending, fiery doom. And how does Spock repay him? Naturally, because Vulcans can’t lie,
Spock rats him out when the authorities ask what happened. This opening sequence slaps you in the face with an urgency that most films lack in this day and age. And to be frank, it was all kinds of awesome. But beginning like that causes problems. As any good
the same break-neck speed throughout the entire movie, I would’ve had to walk away before it finished out of fear of excitement overload. Mercifully, J.J. Abrams (who rebooted the Star Trek franchise in 2009 to great acclaim) knows better than that. And soon after Spock is rescued
…the real heart of this story is the relationship between Kirk and Spock. ADAM HAWBOLDT
long-distance runner will tell you, if you come out of the gates like your ass is on fire, sooner or later you’re going to slow down. And if people expect that kind of pace to continue, well, you may run into some unfair criticism along the way. Not here, mind you. If Star Trek Into Darkness had kept propelling itself at
from the volcano the movie smooths out into a solid, even pace and begins dealing with the real story — a terrorist named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) who wants to exact revenge on the Federation. But enough of that. I know how much Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike love their Star
Trek movies and I don’t want to spoil a second more of what happens. And really, the plot of this film doesn’t matter. I mean, it’s good and stuff, but the real heart of this story is the relationship between Kirk and Spock. In Abrams’ first Star Trek flick, the pair’s relationship gets its grounding. In this one, their friendship — which, if you think about it, is the heart and soul of the original Star Trek and these movies — becomes fully realized. The rivalry, the camaraderie, the warmth, the interspecies misunderstanding … it is all established in Star Trek Into Darkness. And the movie really skips and bounces because of this. So is this installment better than the first Star Trek Abrams directed? Depends who you ask. A Trekkie friend of mine thought Star Trek Into
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS J.J. Abrams STARRING Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Benedict Cumberbatch + Zoe Saldana DIRECTED BY
132 MINUTES | PG
Darkness was vastly inferior (for reasons we can’t get into here). But personally, I liked it better. What can I say? I’m a sucker for bromance movies.
Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina ahawboldt@verbnews.com
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SLOW-BURNING DRAMA
Like Someone in Love raises unanswerable questions BY ADAM HAWBOLDT
V
oltaire, the ever-brilliant 18th-century writer/ philosopher, once wrote that you should “judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” If that be the case, then with his new movie, Abbas Kiarostami proves he’s one helluva man. An esteemed Iranian director, Kiarostami is known for making slowburning arthouse films that pose more questions than they answer. Movies like Certified Copy and Taste of Cherry will certainly attest to that. But with his latest flick, Like Someone in Love, Kiarostami takes the movie-that-raisesquestions bar and bumps it up higher than he ever has before. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, if you ask me, it’s a pretty darn good thing. In this day and age, when Hollywood movies bombard you with action and answers and explain everything down to the last painful detail, it’s quite refreshing to have a movie that leaves you guessing. Set in Tokyo, and filmed entirely in Japanese, Like Someone in Love begins in a bar. There’s a female voice talking as the camera pans slowly, steadily, from table to table. But who is the voice
PHOTO: COURTESY OF IFC
Because aside from being a student, Akiko is also a high-priced escort. And not long after she gets off the phone with her boyfriend, her boss tells her she has to go on an hour-long journey to visit a client. Akiko doesn’t want to. See, her grandma is in town for a visit and she really wants to see her. But alas, her boss raises his metaphorical pimp hand and puts her to work.
But if you’re willing to… invest in these empty-yet-fully-realized characters, the ride may very well be worth your while. ADAM HAWBOLDT
coming from? Is it the girl sitting at the table with the man in the suit? The girl with her legs crossed having a drink? No. It’s a girl named Akiko who is off-screen for the first minute or so. When the camera finally gets to Akiko (played by the oh-so-cute Rin Takanashi), we figure out she’s talking to her jealous fiancé (Ryo Kase), lying to him, telling him she’s somewhere she is not. Why?
The man she is told to visit is a writer, translator and retired professor named Takashi (Tadashi Okuno) who, instead of, you know, having sex with Akiko, opts to chat with her and make her soup. One thing leads to another, and soon Takashi develops almost a grandfather-like bond with Akiko. Her jealous fiancé finds out and, well, you have to see the ending to understand how much of a gut punch it truly is.
LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE Abbas Kiarostami STARRING Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno + Ryo Kase DIRECTED BY
109 MINUTES | NR
And while the final act brings closure to the movie, as the credits roll you can’t help but ask yourself a host of questions. Like: why did this old guy, Takashi, get an escort in the first place? Did or didn’t they have sex? Why is Akiko with her scumbag of a fiancé? What in the name of jumpin’ Jehoshaphat did I just witness? Needless to say, a movie this open-ended and vague isn’t for everyone. But if you’re willing to buy the ticket and invest in these emptyyet-fully-realized characters, the ride may very well be worth your while. Like Someone in Love will be opening at the Regina Public Library on May 23.
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CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS DOWN 30. Rubber band 34. At that moment 35. Affirm 36. Some 37. Lout 38. Controlled intake of food 39. Close forcefully 40. Establishes facts 42. Torment a stand-up comedian 44. Statistical experiment 45. Modern message 46. Nothing else than 47. Not hesitating
SUDOKU ANSWER KEY
1. Stand idly about 2. Makes a choice 3. Diner order 4. Newfoundland rum 5. Breakfast food 6. Enormous 7. Wear and tear 8. Not excitable 9. Unspoken 11. Work very hard 12. Mouthfuls of gum 14. Like Easter eggs 17. Succeed in doing 20. Meat and vegetables dish 21. Wine sediment 23. Well balanced
24. Hammer part A 26. Wearing apparel 27. Word on a red sign 28. Map to navigate by 29. ___ Party (former Canadian political party) 31. Movie with a soundtrack 32. Including everything 33. Flower cluster B 35. Passageway in a supermarket 38. Word used in a letter salutation 39. Scratch mark 41. Contend 43. Australian bird
7 8 5 1 6 4 9 3 2 2 6 4 7 3 9 8 1 5 1 3 9 8 2 5 6 4 7 5 9 7 4 1 8 3 2 6 8 2 1 6 5 3 4 7 9 6 4 3 2 9 7 5 8 1 9 7 6 3 8 2 1 5 4 4 5 8 9 7 1 2 6 3 3 1 2 5 4 6 7 9 8
ACROSS 1. Cuts off branches 5. Consequently 9. Subject 10. Removes from office 12. Restaurant employee 13. Ancient 15. New Testament book 16. Tranquil rest 18. Nonprofessional 19. Stop functioning 20. Religious denomination 21. Not on tape 22. Make a small amount go further 24. Surrendered 25. Means of transportation 27. Threaded fastener
5 1 8 4 3 9 7 2 6 4 3 9 6 2 7 1 5 8 6 2 7 1 5 8 4 9 3 2 7 6 9 4 3 5 8 1 3 9 5 8 1 2 6 7 4 8 4 1 5 7 6 2 3 9 1 6 3 7 8 5 9 4 2 9 5 2 3 6 4 8 1 7 7 8 4 2 9 1 3 6 5
TIMEOUT
© WALTER D. FEENER 2013
HOROSCOPES MAY 17 – MAY 23 ARIES March 21–April 19
LEO July 23–August 22
SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21
Lady Luck shall smile upon you this week, Aries. Make the best of it. She doesn’t smile too often.
The travel bug may be starting to bite, Leo. If so, give in to your wanderlust and plan a trip somewhere. Anywhere.
There’s no halfway for you in the coming days, Sagittarius. No fence sitting. Either crap or get off the pot, because a decision has got to be made.
TAURUS April 20–May 20
VIRGO August 23–September 22
CAPRICORN December 22–January 19
Don’t try to do everything all at once, Taurus. Be sure to prioritize and focus this week, or things are going to get out of hand.
Keep your eyes open and your ears tuned this week, Virgo. If you do that, you might find out something that could surprise you.
Got the urge to do something different, Capricorn? Something out of the ordinary, or maybe a little crazy? Don’t hesitate. Do it.
GEMINI May 21–June 20
LIBRA September 23–October 23
AQUARIUS January 20–February 19
Working hard lately, Gemini? Feeling like you’re about to burn out? Don’t worry! All that work is about to pay off in a big way.
You will be given some important knowledge very soon, Libra. The problem is, you may not realize its value until it’s too late.
Know what you should do this week, Aquarius? Call some friends out of the blue and schedule an impromptu get-together.
CANCER June 21–July 22
SCORPIO October 24–November 22
PISCES February 20–March 20
You may have some unexpected visitors this week. Whether you’re glad to see them or not, be sure to treat them all with the same hospitality.
You may be suddenly struck by all of the beauty around you this week, Scorpio. If so, sit back and soak it in.
If you don’t understand the questions this week, Pisces, take a page out of Lucille Bluth’s book and simply don’t respond.
SUDOKU 5 8 3 9 7 3 2 8 2 1 4 3 6 4 5 1 3 9 8 1 1 6 2 9 7 5 4 9 5 6 8 7 7 4 2 6
CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY
A
7 8 5 1 6 9 2 9 1 5 9 2 4 3 6 8 2 3 4 6 3 2 7 8 7 6 3 5 4 5 9 1 1 4 7 8
B
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