Verb Issue S205 (Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 2012)

New v&ed!

Impro

chasing down a dream Hunting storms in Saskatchewan patrick krief On making the album of his life the woman in the fifth Reviewed ­

+

Gettin’ our hands dirty with

dean brody

Issue #205 – August 31 to September 6 Photo: courtesy of mark maryanovich

contents

NEWs + Opinion

culture

entertainment

Q + A with patrick krief

Live Music listings

Patrick tells Alex about making the album of his life. 12 / Q + A

Local music listings for August 31 through September 8. 18 / listings

pedal power

who could sit on that?

How bike cops are changing policing in Saskatchewan. 4 / Local

Swiss artist Susan Clark von Saskatoon talks form and function. 13 / Arts

The possession & the Woman in the fifth Adam reviews the latest films. 20 / Film

the dutiful son

Nightlife Photos

Jerry Sereda talks music, mothers, and moving forward. 13 / Arts

Patrick & Michelle visit Rock Creek and the Longbranch. 22 / Nightlife

Publisher / Parity Publishing Editor in Chief / Ryan Allan Managing Editor / Jessica Patrucco staff Writers / Adam Hawboldt + Alex J MacPherson Design Lead / Roberta Barrington Design & Production / Brittney Graham Contributing Photographers / Michelle Berg, Patrick Carley + Adam Hawboldt

Greg Johnson gets up close and personal with tornados. 6 / Local

Welcome to the redesign of verb

Dean talks to Alex about perfectionism and feeling pressure. 14 / cover

Editorial

ART & Production

storm chasing

On the cover: dean Brody

verbnews.com @verbsaskatoon facebook.com/verbnewssaskatoon

Here’s what it’s all about. 8 / Editorial

Business & Operations

Root Down CafÉ review

on the bus

Adam checks out Rood Down Worker’s Co-op Café. 16 / Food + Drink

Weekly original comic illustrations by Elaine M. Will. 26 / comics

comments

Music

Game & Horoscopes

Here’s what you thought about changing electoral districts. 10 / comments

The Noble Liars, A Tribe Called Red & Rural Alberta Advantage. 17 / music

Canadian criss-cross puzzle & weekly horoscope readings. 27 / 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

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Pedal Powered How old tools and new ideas are shaping policing in Saskatchewan. by Alex J MacPherson

P

atrick Barbar and Eric Flogan are pedaling hard, their bicycles devouring miles of asphalt under the warm summer sun. Broadshouldered and muscular, the pair are in peak condition. They have been riding for several hours and neither is breathing hard. This is what they do for a living.

Barbar and Flogan are members of the Saskatoon Police Service’s Community Response Unit. Beat and bike cops, in other words. Saskatoon police officers have been using mountain bikes for 20 years, but the section has profited greatly from the community-oriented views of Clive Weighill, Saskatoon’s chief of police.

Barbar, who runs the unit, thinks police officers on bicycles are a vital part of the service. Flogan is new to the group but seems to share Barbar’s vision.

But what is that vision, exactly?

And how does it make policing better?

“That goes back to Robert Peel,” Barbar says. Peel was twice prime minister of Great Britain, but his accomplishments at 10 Downing Street

Saskatoon Police Service Community Response Unit

16 Constables 2 Sergeants 12 hour shifts 40 - 60 kilometres per shift 20 years of bikes in Saskatoon are overshadowed by the sweeping police reforms he spearheaded in 1829. Peel died in 1850 but his ideas live on in men like Patrick Barbar.

“One of his principles was that the police are the people and the people are the police,” Barbar explains. “The police are the only ones paid to ensure the full-time protection of the city, but it’s incumbent on everyone to do that. We need the pubic. That doesn’t happen when there’s no relationship.”

Barbar is talking about community policing, a philosophy based on the intrinsic value of interaction.

Bicycles, he says, are one of the best

ways to build relationships with the people who live and work in the city — the people he and his colleagues rely on. “If you think back to the early days of policing, before the combustion engine, that’s how they patrolled: horseback, bicycle, foot.

That pretty much died off with the car. In cars, we’re able to get anywhere in the city at incredibly fast speeds. That’s important, but we’re forgetting that while we’re in the car we’re not interacting with anyone.

And you have no sense of what’s going on around you.”

Riding north along the river, Barbar and Flogan meet an endless Continued on next page »

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Sergeant Patrick Barbar and Constable Eric Flogan on patrol. Photo: Alex J. MacPherson/ Verb Magazine

stream of people. Some are cycling, others walking, and some simply enjoying the placid July evening.

Almost all of them say hello, wave, or merely nod their approval.

At one point, Barbar piles on the brakes and whips his bike around.

“Let’s go talk to this kid,” he says, gesturing toward a young boy and his father. Barbar and the boy chat for a few minutes before we carry on down the trail. “We don’t realize it,” he says, “but if you hand a kid a sticker or a tattoo, some of those kids grow up and remember those moments, because at the time it was a huge deal for them.”

People become police officers for a variety of reasons. Some are adrenaline junkies. Others, like Flogan, experience firsthand the restorative power of a police officer. And some are pulled into the profession by more abstract ideas.

“There’s a sense of justice that exists,” Barbar says, “of getting upset when someone gets away with something or when someone is treated unfairly. It’s just a way for me to be able to influence the world we live in and to try and prevent a little of that from happening. From the age of 11 or 12, this is what I wanted to do.”

Barbar’s motivations are personal. His mother and father were displaced by the Second World War; they came to Canada in the 1960s.

Barbar was the first of his siblings born on Canadian soil. He is 40 now, but he can’t forget his parents’ experiences. He refuses to take democracy for granted, and regrets not serving his country as a young man.

“I feel a lot of gratitude to them having come here, and for what we have here,” he says. “I always had a part of me that wanted to, at some point, go overseas and serve on behalf of this country.”

These feelings, along with a

Kandahar in the spring of 2010. “At one point,” he says, “the only thing that kept me going, kept me from turning around, was that I didn’t want to face people here.”

In Afghanistan, Barbar worked with a group of Canadian police officers to train members of the Afghan National Police. In addition to working at a police academy, Barbar spent time in Kandahar, teaching community policing to rookies, most of whom didn’t speak English.

“We would put the Afghan policemen front and centre, and it was as basic as saying we want you to interact with members of the community, because that’s just not something they did,” he explains. “These guys would retreat to a fortified checkpoint in the city and wait for people to come to them. We wanted them to go out to the people and meet them, just like we do.”

“You had a public that didn’t trust their police, and a police that didn’t trust their public,” Barbar says of the situation he was thrust into. “We wanted to bring them to a point where, if you get to know a person because you’ve spoken to them, you’re going to have a greater tendency to trust that person and call upon them in a time of need.”

The most important thing Barbar learned in Afghanistan was the value

…the police are the people and the people are the police.

Sergeant Patrick Barbar

healthy thirst for travel, impelled him, in 2009, to sign up for a joint mission with the RCMP. The project was meant to train police forces in developing countries. Barbar, who speaks French, wanted to go to Haiti; they sent him to Afghanistan.

“I didn’t feel warm and fuzzy about that,” he admits, “[but] I felt it was an opportunity being thrown at me, and I’m going to take it and run with it.”

After three months of military training — everything in Afghanistan was done under the umbrella of the Canadian Forces — Barbar left for

of community policing. He came back energized and inspired. Even now, almost two years later, it shows.

In three hours on the trail, he and Flogan meet dozens if not hundreds of people. All of them smile, presumably because there is something comforting about knowing that police officers aren’t all that different — they’re just guys on bikes.

“We talk about contacts in policing,” Barbar tells me. “A patrol officer, unfortunately, has mainly negative contacts. In my day, I have so much positive contact with members of the community because my job is slightly

different. I’m still going to some calls, but if you bike along the trail here, people will say hi to you.”

That interaction, as short as it may be, is significant. It’s evidence that old ideas and new tools are building relationships and tearing down walls.

Evidence that what Barbar is doing is

working, and that the face of modern policing may have come full circle.

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@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

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CHASING DOWN A DREAM Regina’s Greg Johnson sold a lucrative marketing and communications business to chase storms all across North America. Does he regret it? Not a chance. by adam hawboldt

J

uly 24th, 2012 was what storm chasers call a “high risk” tornado day in Saskatchewan — a day that holds real expectations of seeing a twister.

In Regina, Greg Johnson and his team of storm chasers were watching their equipment intently, waiting for a monstrous tornado to brew west of the city. They’d been at work since 6am. And as the morning progressed, everything seemed to be falling into place. The air was moist and humid.

A warm jet stream had arrived from the U.S, ready to collide with a cold, dry stream blasting down from the north.

“Everything was coming together nicely,” says Johnson. “By early afternoon the storm really started to develop.”

So Johnson and his fellow storm chasers jumped in the Tornado Truck and began to drive to where they needed to go — or at least, where they thought they needed to go.

“On our way out there we noticed the target storm we were following was starting to die,” says Johnson. “It was disorganized. Storms that produce tornadoes are organized, this one wasn’t. It was losing its shape and intensity.”

The team was frustrated. They’d spent a lot of time forecasting this storm. It was supposed to be a guaranteed tornado situation. But there

they were, no tornado in sight. So they turned around and began driving back to Regina.

Little did they know what would happen next.

The windswept prairies of Canada are no stranger to severe weather. In winter, severe weather is a way of life. From -50 degree temperatures to blizzards and ice storms, prairie dwellers have seen it all and endured it with a frozen smile. In the summer, there’s never any shortage of thunder and lightning storms. But tornadoes?

That’s a different story.

Sure, there are some every year, but it takes a few very specific, rare ingredients to create a tornado. And for the most part, these ingredients come in sparse supply around here.

Not this year, though. This year, things were different.

“The first thing you need is humidity – a moist surface layer,” explains Johnson. “Typically, that moist air comes from the Gulf of Mexico. That’s why places like Texas and Oklahoma and Arkansas get so many tornadoes. But by the time that air surges north to the prairies, it’s fairly dried out.”

Not so this year.

“What happened was the last few years we’ve had a lot of snow, a lot of run off, a lot of spring and sum-

mer rain,” explains Johnson. “So we have all this standing water sitting in southwest Manitoba and southeast Saskatchewan. So we have a moist layer of surface air that isn’t usually there.”

The other thing we have is constant exposure to the jet stream. A big high-pressure ridge — the same ridge responsible for all the drought in America this year — has pushed this jet stream much farther north than normal.

“For most of this summer, that jet stream has been positioned over the prairies,” says Johnson. “With those two key ingredients, it’s made for a perfect combination for tornadoes all summer.”

How perfect?

“Well, last year we had three tornadoes the whole season,” says Johnson. “This season we’ve had well over 30.”

And on July 24th, as Johnson and his disappointed team drove back to Regina, they were about to find themselves heading face-first into one of the finest tornadoes to hit Saskatchewan this summer.

“On the way back, a new storm appeared on the radar,” says Johnson.

“The thing about radar is, it’s about 10 minutes behind what’s actually happening. So there we were, watching this new storm develop. It looks okay, not fantastic, but we decide to check Continued on next page »

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Greg Johnson gets up close and personal with storms. Photo: courtesy of greg Johnson

it out anyway.”

So there they were, motoring along with low expectations through blinding rain. Over grid roads they traversed the hilly, up-and-down landscape of western Saskatchewan.

Then all of a sudden the rain stopped.

They’d punched through to the updraft portion of the storm. The portion where there’s no precipitation because everything is being sucked up into the belly of the storm, like a vacuum.

The ominous clouds were hanging low. To Johnson and his team’s right, about 300 yards out, this giant tornado was on the ground. The second they see it, the radar picture hits the screen. It’s the perfect storm.

“We stopped and were filming this tornado when all of a sudden

became a storm chaser, his answer is simple.

“My background is in photography,” he tells you. “And when I moved to Saskatchewan [from Ontario] I fell in love with all these prairie lightning storms. I was always out with my camera taking pictures whenever a storm rolled in because it was an interesting photographic subject.”

Then, what started out as a hobby for Johnson soon turned into an obsession.

“I won’t lie to you. It’s a little like Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” he muses. “You know how he’s out there, building the Devil’s Tower out of mashed potatoes? Well, this [storm chasing thing] has kind of become my Devil’s Tower.”

We stopped and were filming this tornado when all of a sudden it rips through a farmyard.

Greg Johnson

it rips through a farmyard,” says Johnson. “We were streaming it live to the world — I think something like 15,000 people were watching it — and from behind this shelterbelt of trees you can see this house flying into the air, roofs being ripped off.”

Johnson begins to panic. Are people dying up there?”

When you ask Johnson how he

So much so that two years ago Johnson sold a lucrative marketing and communications company he’d built from the ground up in order to become a full-time storm chaser. But he doesn’t regret it.

Sure, in the beginning there was a real and latent fear his new business venture wasn’t going to pan out. But it has. And because of that, Johnson

is doing what he loves to do — tracking and photographing storms.

“I threw caution to the wind, took a leap of faith, all that stuff,” he says.

“But it’s something I really believe in, something I try to instill in my kids: go after what you want, don’t be afraid to chase your dreams.”

Even if those dreams, at times, may seem like a nightmare.

Which is exactly what it felt like as Johnson and his team drove towards the farmyard, behind the shelterbelt, from which they’d just seen houses fly. Towards the farmyard where, conceivably, people could be breathing their last breaths.

Fortunately for them, the nightmare wasn’t a nightmare after all.

Their eyes had deceived them. It wasn’t a house they’d seen swept up in that giant tornado, it was a patio deck, outbuildings, barns. And the people on the farm? They were

alright, too.

“There was a feeling of relief,” admits Johnson. “It was an intense, very dramatic, very violent storm.

Thankfully nobody was hurt.”

Thankfully, too, that the team, close enough to the storm to have debris fall on their truck, had managed to capture the entire thing on video.

“It’s definitely the best tornado we’ve ever caught on video,” says Johnson. “Maybe one of the best that’s been shot in a long time.”

And in the end, it’s that shot, that moment, that chaotic brush with beauty and danger that makes everything all worthwhile for Greg Johnson. Days like that justify his obsession and the selling of his business. Days like that are what storm chasers live for.

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Out with the old...

We worked for a year to redesign Verb. Let us walk you through it. by the verb team

W

elcome, dear reader, to Verb’s all new design!

It is, without question, the best version of the magazine we’ve ever produced.

As soon as you open Verb you’re now greeted by a table of contents, divided into three subjects: news + opinion, culture, and entertainment.

Inside each subject are the sections you know and love, covering topics like local news, arts, food, music and nightlife. These sections are repeated in a navigation bar at the bottom of each page, with the current one highlighted so you always know where you’re at. And even though they include much more information than our previous headers, they take up far less space (over eighty percent less, to be exact).

That streamlining - paired with a new set of typefaces that make text easier to read and remember, along with a more efficient spacing of elements - means we now have more room for fantastic content for you to enjoy.

In fact, with extra space, we’re able to write longer stories, include larger, more dramatic photos and

add compelling new elements like infographics to our layouts.

And without space constraints, we can stop chasing the ‘big story of the week’ - like the province’s latest immigration numbers, or the mayor’s most recent comment on municipal budget proceedings - and spend our time tracking down much more exciting narratives.

We can delve deeper into exploring interesting local personalities, issues and events than we ever could before, and we’ve already got a long list of amazing stories we can’t wait to share with you.

As you flip through the magazine, you’ll notice that we’ve also expanded our coverage of the local arts scene by devoting more pages to visual arts, music, and performing arts. These are things we’re incredibly passionate about, and we’re thrilled that we can do even more to promote the local arts community with our new design.

You’ll also see, at the bottom of some of our pages, previews about articles in upcoming issues of Verb or other sections in the current issue. This allows us to give you a heads up about what’s in store for

the following week, or draw your attention to parts of the current issue you may have missed.

Finally, as you near the end of the publication, you’ll find a couple of surprises. First, Verb has a comic strip! We’ve partnered with talented Saskatchewan artist Elaine M. Will to bring you a unique, original comic strip every week, exclusive to Verb. Elaine is a fantastic illustrator and cartoonist, and we’re excited to see where her imaginative mind takes us.

Our other surprise has been a long time coming, and is something you’ve been asking for since we launched: Verb has a crossword puzzle! It’s not easy, but it’s not too tough either, and the answers are on the same page in case you need a little help. Since it’s got a Canadian flavour, the subject matter should be familiar to you, so if you’re a word fan be sure to give it a go.

This redesign began more than a year ago, and it’s been a long, difficult and often frustrating endeavour - even with incredible and patient support from our partners, relatives and friends.

But the outcome - the magazine

you’re currently holding - reminds us of what we love about what we do, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

So thanks for reading Verb. We worked our tails off to bring you an all new design, and we hope you love it as much as we do.

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comments comments

On Topic: Last week we wrote that reworking Saskatchewan’s electoral districts is a good idea. Here's what you had to say:

– Yes finally this needs to happen.

Embarrassed it got shot down once before but this time will work. Get with it Saskatchewan.

– I don’t live in the city, and if this goes through I’ll have to go that much further just to get in touch with my new “rural” MP. This seems to work great if you’re in Regina or Saskatoon, but not so much if you live anywhere else.

– Reworking the electoral boundaries desperately needs to happen, if Saskatchewan wants to continue being a desirable province.

– This will never happen it’ll hurt Walls party so he won’t let it go through.

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r B 8372

to those patients that needs immediate attention especially when the case is life threatening. Canada government should accept many surgical specialist or surgeon from other countries, like ours to eliminate surgical backlog. Thanks Comment in response to “Surgical Wait

– Today I learned of some of my cell phone provider’s capacity to track my activities interfere with the phone’s function and use it for their purposes. This will be in mind when the contract expires! I don’t need a credit rating. I’ll likely pull the battery and score another cheap cell phone sooner than that.

– I’m too texty for my car, too texty for my car too texty by far.

I’m a driver and you know what I mean and I do my little turn on the sidewalk, ya on the sidewalk. I’m too texty for my car.

Times Drop Across Province,” Local page, #204 (August 24, 2012)

– No guns.....no liberty.......all you left wing loons should know guns don’t kill people crazy people do.

Comment in response to “Guns: way better than words, reason,” Editorial page, #203 (August 17, 2012)

– There’s not a lot of things this government does that I like, but this art project treasure hunt sounds pretty awesome. I hope I find one!

– Does anyone proofread these texts? The lack of spelling and grammar in the text section is so frustrating . I am furious that illiteracy is still a factor with spell check available. Before spell check I used a dictionary to save me from embarrassment. I could never go through life looking like a moron that can’t get a hold of the english language which has surrounded me for over 25 years. If your text doesn’t fit the proper criteria it has no place in this paper.

Comment in response to “Art Project Hon-

– Why has this not happened sooner? Why did it get shut down the first time? U should have explained that better verb but I agree. We shouldn’t have mixed urban and rural ridings it makes no sense.

– I’m all for changing up the election areas it seems ridiculous to me that it hasn’t happened before.

Doubt Wall will push it thru though

Off Topic – I am from the Philippines, though our country belongs to the third world we never had a problem regarding surgical waiting time, especially when you belong to the upper family class that’s why I wonder why Canada had a long surgical wait times…. Isn’t it scary

ours Legislative Building,” Local page, #204 (August 24, 2012)

– Careful what you wish for!

If people start to carry guns in canada then everyone needs to carry guns... Which then leads to common sense catastrophe!

– Instead of a Political Sevitude The mayor should fix city streets and City transit gone to S**t

– We all make mistakes. Some people are just better at it than others.

Comment in response to “Guns: way better than words, reason,” Editorial page, #203

– This too shall pass away.

(August 17, 2012)

– DONT WANNA GO BACK TO SKOOLZ I WANT SUMMER BREAK TO LAST FOREVER

Sound-Off – There’s a very strong desire among many people employers landlords spouses gov’t types etc. to control the people around them have them do their will. This is morally wrong but more importantly such power over others doesn’t really exist. Its nothing but a frustrating waste of your life to seek it.

– I bet the people that want to go back to school the least right now are all teachers

– To the person who texted about eating up to 12 eggs a day, I think if the average guy did that Continued on next page »

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without working out excessively it wouldn’t be healthy. If you’re on a intense exercise regimen, that’s one thing. But excess of ANYTHING is never a good idea.

– This year cruise weekend wasn’t too bad but it would’ve been nice to see the A & W bear walking around.

– When your girlfriend says “I’ll do anything you want!” and you ask her to do the dishes thats DOWNtown!

– Hey grrrrrl u no i luv u ur the best friend i could ask for MWAH Sades xx

– Participating in democracy is a privilege not a right so make sure u make ur voices heard. It doesn’t matter what you believe, u make the process better by being in a part of it. I couldn’t do that were I lived before but am shocked that people here take it for granted maybe if u had it taken away from u it would be differant but please get out there n make ur voices heard!

– In regards to motorbikes riding side by side i think thats done to increase visibility so drivers can see them better. We’ve all got to get somewhere safely so a little patience probably helps.

– LFL startin soon gonna watch for shore sports just got good

– Good landlords deserve good tenants. The rest deserve what they get!

– Proud to share the road with bicyclists but please either stick to road or sidewalk jumping between the 2 makes me nervous

– The next generation might surprise us all don’t be so hard on them they need us to guide them through. Peace & love, Nancy

– Oh no I’ve been petting the sweaty things this whole time!

– The <3 wants what it wants so don’t be so hard on urself. Always luv u Kali

– Annual camp trip next with the tree planting ladayz cant wait to see u chicas!

– I hate it when people chew with their mouth open its so gross I don’t want to see what ur eating!

Went on blind date with chick who did that never called her again.

Sick!

– Did anyone ever find that pump cheese im still waitin for a update

– Congrats sd & jg on jobs well done u totaly killed it!!

– SOFT KITTY WARM KITTY LITTLE BALL OF FURRR (knock knock txtr u know what i mean!)

– U guys really like futurama I see

– Mmmm bear arms ;D

– Now that there’s a little money in the province the seeds of greed which were always here finally have full opportunity to grow and blossom.

– Patience is a virtue but when you’re driving it’s a speedbump lol so get outta my way!

– About late middle age I thought u guys were supposed to be havin hotter sex not less this makes me :(

– Excited for the presidential election. Four more years!

– Nice office pic love those comps u have to work on they’re fab!

– Harper cuts environmental inspections in SK. Suspicious

– Traffic over College bridge needs to get sorted with everyone merging into one lane heading east it’s a total mess. Almost a fight between this guy who wouldn’t let someone merge there has to be something better.

– Any time we get started somewhere new I think of u and what we had and it makes it harder to on with my life

We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories & content or just your thoughts. Emails are welcome too! Send with ‘Comments’ in the subject line.

– I like pirates.

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Photo: courtesy of Richmond lam

Hundred Thousand Pieces

How Patrick Krief made the album of his life. by Alex J MacPherson

T

his year, Patrick Krief made the album he always wanted to make. The album he needed to make. The album he was born to make. Hundred Thousand Pieces is an ambitious project, a collection of songs that weld Krief’s ringing, tape-delayed vocals to swirling, reverb-drenched guitars.

It is a symphony of rock and pop, a reflection of the sounds Krief spent the past several years listening to in his head. A departure from Krief’s work with The Dears and Black Diamond Bay, Hundred Thousand Pieces was an ordeal to record. Krief, who is 32, played almost every track himself, learning to play drums in the process. But he says that he doesn’t want to do it any other way.

Alex J MacPherson: You played every track on this record. How difficult was it?

Patrick Krief: I knew what I was getting myself into. I had done it before with my first release but this time the arrangement was so much more ambitious. There were a few

moments where I was like, this is never going to get finished — what the hell was I thinking? It was a lot of work, especially the drums.

AJM: This album was built around the song “Lost in Japan.” Can you tell me a bit about how that process was for you?

AJM: Is it difficult, even now, to go from a band setting to making a solo record?

PK: When I heard “Lost in Japan” in my head, or however that song started forming, I was like, oh, this is the start of an album. Instantly after I had that thought, that I have an album, “Hundred Thousand Pieces” was the first song I actually demoed.

I actually approached it before “Lost in Japan,” even though “Lost in Japan” got me [started].

PK: I was kind of in a place as a musician where I didn’t feel like I had a band, really. I was asking myself should I put a band together to work on all these songs I’m writing? Or should I just do this thing where I

It was brewing up in me for so long, to just be like completely in control of what I’m hearing.

Patrick krief

I would lay down basic structure, a synth pad just playing the chords.

Then I would play that on repeat and play guitar to it like I was jamming.

Improvise, improvise, improvise until, “Oh, I like this, that’s the guitar part.” Meanwhile there’s a drum machine playing. Then I’d go to my rehearsal studio, throw up a microphone, and play drums all day to this recording.

AJM: Hearing you talk about it, it sounds like this is the album you wanted and needed to make.

do all the instruments? That’s what I wanted to do in the first place. I saw an opportunity in the fact that my band at the time was dissolving. It was kind of a convenient opportunity.

AJM: You recorded all of these parts yourself. Can you tell me a bit about how you did it?

PK: It was really fun for me. At home

PK: Absolutely. It was brewing up in me for so long, to just be like completely in control of what I’m hearing. I don’t know how this is going to

come off, if I’ll sound like a jerk, but every time I bend on something… maybe for an outsider the song is better in the end, but for me it will always feel wrong. So I was like this is the album where — it’s masturbatory, for lack of a better word — I am going to execute exactly what I’m hearing. Now, I don’t know if I’ll ever turn back.

Patrick Krief September 6 @ The Bassment $13/18 @ tickets.saskatoonjazzsociety.com/ Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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Who could sit on that?

Swiss artist Susan Clark talks form and function.

s

usan Clark von Saskatoon’s artwork is the intersection of form and function, beauty and practicality.

Born from Clark’s desire to move beyond the limits imposed by conventional textile art, her painted silk chairs transform two dimensions into three. And by combining disciplines, Clark is able to raise questions about functionality while creating pieces that are both beautiful and usable.

“I hear people say that all the time, ‘Who could sit on a chair like this?’” she writes in an e-mail from her home in Basel, Switzerland. “Well, most people hardly sit in their living rooms anyway. Silk is an amazingly strong fabric, but that said, my pieces are more or less for display.”

Clark’s ornate chairs begin life as sketches, drawings of plants, flowers, and trees that are painstakingly transferred to white silk with nothing

by alex J MacPherson

more complicated than a pencil. Then fine lines of a cement-like adhesive called gutta are painted on; the next step is colour, which Clark achieves using a series of fabric dyes that are not unlike watercolours.

The results are staggering.

Clark’s chairs are as intricate as they are impressive. Reflecting her interest in botany, the chairs also raise questions about the relationship between consumerism and the environment. Clark, however, says she didn’t think about an environmental agenda; she sees gardens and the outdoors as a source of inspiration.

Her chairs are also a throwback to the golden age of furniture design, Clark explains. “They’re curvaceous and rounded, almost like a body, and they harken back to old Europe. It took me a long time to find such a chair, as it is not a traditional furniture shape in North America at all.”

Taken together, these disparate elements coalesce into a metaphor for Clark’s artistic practice and life.

Clark’s exhibition also features a number of silk paintings, forebears of her chairs. But there’s no question the chairs are the centrepiece. “You could consider it a throne for the home,” she writes.

Silk Paintings and Soft Furnishings Through September 23 @ Affinity Gallery

Photo: courtesy of G. Kernan

The dutiful son

Jerry Sereda talks music, mothers, and moving forward. by alex J MacPherson

Photo: courtesy of karen Lambert

I

f Jerry Sereda’s mother loved him any less, he would still be teaching high school computer science in Winnipeg. In early 2007, shortly after Sereda hung up his hat and jettisoned his dream of becoming a working musician, his telephone started to ring.

“I got a phone call one day from my mom,” Sereda says, laughing at the memory. “She said ‘I entered you

in this talent contest.’ I told her no way I’m doing another talent contest.

She said, ‘I’m your mother and you’re doing this contest.’”

Ever the dutiful son, Sereda showed up and sang his heart out. No stranger to losing singing contests, Sereda was astonished when he placed third. In retrospect, he says, it was probably because he wasn’t playing to win — he was playing to sate his mother. His good luck continued when the first two acts sank out sight. Then, he says, “I started getting my name out there.”

Now, three years later, the hard work, bitter perseverance, and countless late nights are starting to pay off. Since his de facto victory, Sereda has released a brace of albums and is preparing a third. His upbeat country-rock songs have won multiple awards and, more importantly, built the foundation for a long career.

“It’s country music with an edge,”

Sereda says, pointing to his live performance. “The most important thing to me about live shows is really engaging the audience. It’s not your standard show, holding a guitar in your hand, standing in one place and singing songs — people can buy an album for that.”

Sereda, who takes a cue or two from his hero Garth Brooks, is a profoundly enthusiastic performer, and enjoys spending time in the crowd as much as he does onstage.

It’s all about the audience, he says. “I want to leave the people thinking, ‘I don’t believe I just saw that — and I’ll definitely go see this show again.’”

And while Manitoba may not be the high citadel of country music, Sereda uses it to his advantage. “I get that question a lot,” he laughs. “If I were to go to New York and stand in the middle of Times Square and start screaming, no one would even look.

No one would care. In Manitoba, if I started screaming the whole town

would know almost instantly.”

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

CCMA Manitoba Showcase September 7 @ Amigos Cantina Tickets available at the door

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dirt

Dean Brody dishes on perfectionism, pressure, and writing the best songs he can. by Alex J MacPherson

W

hat sort of person writes a country song about Bob Marley? Or a country song with Great Big Sea? These were among the first questions I asked Dean Brody, a Nova Scotia-based country singer whose songs are making waves across the country.

As it turned out, Brody’s answers were unremarkable — not because he’s crazy, but because he’s honest. And in the music business, honesty may be the craziest thing of all.

“It’s funny,” Brody laughed, his rich baritone sounding nothing like it does onstage. “I had someone the other day go, ‘Bob Marley and country music?’ I never really thought about it. I’ve just always liked the song ‘Three Little Birds.’”

I didn’t expect Brody to say this; I expected a long anecdote or perhaps an even longer justification for the song. But Brody genuinely likes Bob Marley and, in retrospect, it would be absurd for anyone to say he shouldn’t write about “Three Little Birds.” After all, Brody’s popularity is

a function of how many people identify with his songs, and he must be doing something right because that number is booming. But that doesn’t mean he can’t worry about it.

“That was one of my fears,” Brody said, choosing his words carefully, “that because I write a lot of different stuff, are people just going to look at

diverse and eclectic as it gets. Featuring the aforementioned song about Bob Marley and rollicking collaboration with Great Big Sea, as well as a hard-rocking anthem praising Canadian girls, the album was a gamble for Brody, who could easily have adopted a more traditional approach without anyone saying a word.

That was one of my fears, that because I write a lot of different stuff … people [are] going to … go, ‘who is this guy?’ dean brody

me and go, ‘who is this guy? What is he really trying to say?’ But I think because I write the songs, I’m given a little more freedom by the listeners.

They can accept two different kinds of song because it’s the same writer, the same person writing the lyric.”

This is more important than ever before. Brody’s new record, Dirt, is as

“This record was tough,” he said.

“Trail in Life was such a big album for me. There was a lot of pressure to make this next record, the third one, as good. And I had to just forget about Trail in Life and look forward and move on and try and write and not compare everything to the last record. After awhile, I was able to do Continued on next page »

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Photos: courtesy of mark maryonovich

that, break away and write this new stuff.”

The gamble appears to have paid off. Dirt, which was released in April, was recently nominated for seven Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards. Last year, Trail in Life won four awards, and because he is scheduled to perform at the ceremony, Brody will be well-placed to collect some more hardware. But, like most country musicians, Brody is humble: “It means the world to me, to be nominated by other musicians, other people in the business,” he said. “It’s very special.”

At this point, Brody launched

into a story that went a long way to explaining his success. “I’m hard on myself,” he explained, almost sheepishly. “It’s one of the things I’ve battled with since I was a kid. I’ve always been a perfectionist, and one of my first dreams was to be a punter. In ninth grade I’d go and try and punt as far as the guys in the CFL. And then

CCMAs by the numbers 1976 – Canadian Country Music Association was first founded, as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment 1982 – The Country Music Awards ceremony was held for the first time 1987 – The association changed its name to the Canadian Country Music Association 2009 – Dean Brody won his first CCMA award, for “Brothers” (Single of the Year) 2011 – Brody followed his ‘09 win with three awards: Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year and Single of the Year

I’d get depressed if I couldn’t I carry that with me — I’m always trying to push myself.”

Perfectionism is a virtue, not a vice, and it carried him when times were tough. Brody once spent six years lugging a guitar around Nashville, playing for anyone who would listen and resting his hopes and dreams on an endless series of performances. Then, his career was derailed by a horrific waterskiing accident and an acrimonious split with his label. Even today, he admits that songwriting is a struggle — and that

his perfectionism keeps him going.

“It’s a weird beast,” Brody said, laughing. “At any point in the day I can pick up my guitar and sing to somebody, but writing a song? I can sit down some days and write terrible stuff. And the next day, I write good stuff. It’s always been a battle for me — I love it and I hate it.”

Ultimately, Brody recognizes that honesty draws crowds and hard work retains them. “It’s a weird

beast,” Brody said, laughing. “At any point in the day I can pick up my guitar and sing to somebody, but writing a song? I can sit down some days and write terrible stuff. And the next day, I write good stuff. It’s always been a battle for me — I love it and I hate it.”

“It’s so important to try and be authentic,” he added, “even if it’s tough to do.”

Even if some people think you’re crazy.

The Canadian Country Music Association Awards will be broadcast from the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon on September 9th; check out CBC for the live broadcast of the event, which begins at 8pm.

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VEGgie DELIGHTS Cool, cozy & crazy good: the Root Down Workers’ Cooperative Café offers amazing soups, salads & sandwiches. by adam hawboldt

H

ave you ever entered a place you’d never been before and a feeling of comfort, of ease, of laid-back coolness washed over you?

You look around the place and say to yourself, “Hotdamn! I think I’m gonna like it here.”

Well, that’s precisely what happened to me the other day when I first stepped foot in the Root Down Workers’ Cooperative Café.

I don’t know if it was the café’s

first impression — an impression that only got better after meeting the good folks who own and run the place. Warm, friendly and professional, the workers at this exquisite little cooperative are quick to smile and easy to chat with.

And while chatting here’s what I learned. Bryce, the guy I’m talking to, used to work at a co-operative in Kingston, Ontario. He digs that kind of business because of his politics, because you get to work with friends

Made from sweet potatoes, fennel seeds, peanuts and more, this soup was … absolute [perfection]. adam hawboldt

rustic/chic decor, or all the books on display (the café works with Turning the Tide, an alternative bookstore), or the soft, sweet sound of Ben Harper’s “Steal My Kisses” playing in the background.

But whatever it was, the Root Down certainly made one heckuva

and like-minded people, and because everybody seems to care about what they’re doing.

I also learned that Amanda, the slender girl who takes my order, doesn’t like cow’s milk.

Oh, and when all is said and done, I learned that not only does Root

Down have a really chill, relaxing atmosphere, it also serves some damn fine food as well.

The menu is on an old-fashioned blackboard behind the counter.

Scrawled in chalk are dishes with intriguing names like The Maria Luisa, Be the Hummingbird, and La Resistance. And after hemming and hawing for a while, I end up going with the third option.

Which turned out to be a delectable sandwich consisting of caramelized onions, tapenade, goat cheese and thyme, all stacked high between two slices of savoury rosemary bread. And man, was it good.

With the sandwich, I ordered a bowl of the delicious Sweet Potato Spiced soup. Made from sweet potatoes, fennel seeds, peanuts and more, this soup was the absolute perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

Heading into Root Down (which, by the way, is located in the building adjacent to the Farmer’s Market), that was all I’d planned to eat. But the instant I saw the pear and pecan salad on display that plan flew straight out the window. Not wanting to be too full while writing this article, I ordered a small one.

Photography courtesy of Adam Hawboldt.

“Do you want it warmed,” I was asked. “Oh, and with or without goat cheese?”

Warmed and with cheese, please!

And for a brief, fleeting moment I thought, whoa, this might be a tad too much for lunch. The moment passed, though, and after I put the first bite of that sweet, crunchy, ambrosial dish in my mouth, everything was magnificent.

So whatever you’re doing today or tomorrow for lunch, cancel. And

get your butt to Root Down for some seriously good, local, made-with-love vegetarian fare. Vegen and glutenfree options also available.

Root Down Workers’ Cooperative Café 200 Sonnenschein Way | (306) 955 3079 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide The american Collins

Ingredients

Sure we’re in Canada, but who says we can’t enjoy Americaning up a summer classic like the Tom Collins? The addition of berries brings a fresh twist to an old favourite, so kick back and enjoy the rest of summer with this tasty drink.

1 1/2 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin 3/4 oz simple syrup 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice 4 bing cherries, pitted 8 blueberries club soda 1 bing cherry for garnish lemon wheel for garnish

Directions

Muddle the blueberries and cherries in a tall glass with the lemon juice and simple syrup. Add the gin and ice, then top it all up with the club soda. Add your garnish, and you’re set to get sipping. Badda-boom, badda-bing!

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coming up

THE NOBLE LIARS

A TRIBE CALLED RED

RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE

@ WESTVIEW HEIGHTS PARK Saturday, september 8 – Free!

@ Louis’ Pub Thursday, september 13 – $ TBD

@ the odeon events Centre Saturday, November 3 – $34.74

Consisting of Davin Burlingham (vocals/piano/guitar), Mike Nicholaichuk (bass), Kurt Touet (drums) and Sayde Black (vocals), this band has evolved a lot since 2004. And these days, with Black’s smoky countrysoul vocals pushing the band to different levels, the act formerly known as Jasper Ave. seems to be really hitting its stride. Having honed their rockin’ sound at venues across town (while also moonlighting in small towns throughout the prairies) this talented four-piece puts on smooth, energetic and entertaining performances. Their music offers the original, catchy, down home kind of tracks that will have you tapping your feet and bobbing your head.

The Noble Liars will be performing as a part of Culture Day in the Park.

Not so long ago, in 2008, DJ NDN and DJ Bear Witness came together and formed a group — A Tribe Called Red — and things went well for the duo. Then, two years later, they added DJ Shub to the crew.

Shub, in case you’re wondering, is a two-time Canadian DMC champ.

Since becoming a trio, the group has been holding this thing called the Electric Pow Wow, a monthly club night in Ottawa dedicated to celebrating Native urban culture.

As for ATCR’s sound, well, it consists of a wide variety of musical styles ranging from hip hop and dance hall to electronic, as well as their own mash-up of club and Pow Wow music, called Pow Wow Step. They’ll be playing Louis’ on Thursday, September 13.

With indie-rock songs about hometowns and heartbreaks, about summers in the Rockies and winters on the farm, The Rural Alberta Advantage is a trio that knows how to capture their listeners’ attention. Consisting of Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole and Nils Edenloff, this Toronto-based band has a sound that’s infectious. Their talents and energetic stage performances have been on display at SXSW, as well as at sold-out venues across the country, and they’ll be heading out on tour again this fall, this time with their friend Dan Mangan. Along the way they’re making a stop at the Odeon Events Centre in Saskatoon to play a show on November 3. Check out Ticketmaster for all your ticket information.

– By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: Lucas Arundel / the artist / the artist

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August 31 » September 8 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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Friday 31 House DJs / 6Twelve — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere. 9pm / No cover Trampled by Turtles / Amigos Cantina — This indie folk five-piece from Duluth, Minnesota, have played Coachella, Bonnaroo, Sasquatch and more. Also appearing will be Erik Koskinen. 10pm / Tickets available at the door Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — With over 25 years of DJ experience, Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with DJ Ash Money every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover Rippertrain / Buds on Broadway — Simply put: this local foursome rocks.

Come check them out. 10pm / $6 cover 911 Turbo / The Fez on Broadway — This juggernaut of German techno from Saskatoon brings party energy and catchy dance hits to each of their shows. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Eclectic / The Hose & Hydrant — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover DJ Sugar Daddy / Jax Niteclub — Able to rock any party, this local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. He is sure to have you on the dance floor in no time. 9pm / $5 cover FUN. / The Odeon Events Centre — Last year, this New York band’s smash single “We Are Young” became the first rock/ alternative song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” did it in 2008. Now they’re playing Saskatoon. 7pm / Tickets $32 (www. ticketmaster.ca) DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm Neil Roston / Prairie Ink — Here’s some

laid back blues/folk music for the soul.

8pm / No cover Show and Dance / Royal Canadian Legion, Nutana Branch — Come check out a show that will feature “England” and “Johnny Cash.” 8:30pm / Tickets $10, advance tickets available at McNally Robinson bookstore Mike Gamboe / Somewhere Else Pub — Come check out some sweet local music.

9pm / No cover Jett Run / Stan’s Place — This local band plays country, country-rock and pure rock. 9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests,from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5 DJ MODUS / Tequila Nightclub — Prepare for a banging night of hot music. 10pm / Cover TBD Raya Star / Victoria School’s LSS — Hailing from Comox Valley, B.C., this singer/songwriter is all kinds of good.

11:30pm / No cover

Saturday 1

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

9pm / No cover Slow Down, Molasses / Amigos Cantina — Consisting of a shifting cast of talented musicians, this local band plays a sprawling brand of indie rock that’s rife with horns, strings, feedback-laced guitars and sweeping vocal harmonies. Also appearing will be the Young Benjamins.

10pm / Tickets available at the door Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — With over 25 years of DJ experience, Austen Roadz throws down a highenergy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover Alex Runions, Jay Semko, Larry Krause, Ray Whitton / The Centre — Come out and enjoy the PotashCorp Country Music Week mall series. 1pm / No cover 911 Turbo / The Fez on Broadway — This juggernaut of German techno from Saskatoon brings party energy and catchy dance hits to each of their shows. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ Sugar Daddy / Jax Niteclub — Able to rock any party, this local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple

genres. He is sure to have you on the dance floor in no time. 9pm / $5 cover DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 No Hurry Trio / Prairie Ink — Come down and enjoy this trio of musicians as they blend acoustic guitars with tight vocal harmonies. 8pm / No cover Mike Gamboe / Somewhere Else Pub Come check out some sweet local music.

9pm / No cover Jett Run / Stan’s Place — This local band plays country, country-rock and pure rock. 9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5

Sunday 2

Saskatoon’s original industry night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy; this crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. $4 after 9pm; no cover for industry staff DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover SUNDAY JAM / Vangelis Tavern — The Vangelis Sunday Jam is an institution, offering great tunes from blues to rock and beyond. 7:30pm / No cover

Monday 3

Metal Mondays / Lydia’s Pub — If hard, heavy awesomeness is your thing, swing by, listen to some killer music and get in on some concert giveaways. 9pm

tuesday 4

Yukon Blonde / Amigos Cantina — As far as post-indie rock bands go, these guys have it all: shredding guitars, ethereal vocals, wickedly catchy tunes, a sound that spans decades, and the look of a band that’s just crawled off a tour bus. 10pm / Tickets $12 (www.ticketedge.ca) DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce — Able to rock any party, this crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. 9:30pm / $4 cover VERB PRESENTS OPEN STAGE / Lydia’s Pub — The open stage at Lydia’s has hosted many of Saskatoon’s finest performers, and is a chance for bands, solo artists and even comedians to showcase original material. 9pm / No cover Continued on next page »

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Open Mic / The Somewhere Else Pub — Come out to show your talent. 7pm / No cover

Wednesday 5

HUMP WEDNESDAYS / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Resident DJ Chris Knorr will be spinning all of your favourite songs and requests, every Wednesday night.

9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter Charlie Major / Dakota Dunes Casino - This Juno-winning, five-time CCMAwinning country singer from Quebec puts on a show you do not want to miss.

8pm / Tickets $25 (www.dakotadunescasino.com) The Avenue Recording Company presents Open Mic / The Fez on Broadway — Hosted by Chad Reynolds. Sign up and play at this weekly event. 10pm / No cover DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Dr. J ‘Souled Out’ / Lydia’s Pub — Dr. J spins hot funk and soul every Wednesday night. 9pm / No cover WILD WEST WEDNESDAY / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — This is Saskatoon’s top industry night, hosted by DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff Paul Kuzbik / Rock Creek Tap & Grill — This local singer/songwriter blends blues, rock and folk to create a smooth, sweet sound. 8pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / No cover

thursday 6

Mahogany Frog / Amigos Cantina — An experimental electro-rock four-piece from Winnipeg that will blow your mind.

Also appearing will be The Switching Yard.10pm / Tickets available at the door Roots Series: Patrick Krief / The Bassment — This talented Montrealer writes intensely personal music that will suck you into his world. Also appearing will be Castle River. 8pm / Cover $13/18 Throwback Thursdays / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover Thunder Riot with Conky Showpony / The Fez on Broadway — Come dance the night away as this local DJ plays the kind of music that’ll get your feet moving.

9pm / $5

DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ Sugar Daddy / Jax Niteclub — Local DJ Sugar Daddy will be rocking the turntables to get you dancing on the dance floor!

Every Thursday night will be filled with passion parties, pole dancing, shadow dancers and much more! 8pm / $5; free cover with student ID before 11pm CCMA Songwriter’s Cafe / TCU Place — Come out for an intimate, informative show featuring the finest Canadian country musicians. 2pm / Ticket information at http://potashcorpcountrymusicweek2012.com/ CCMA New Artist Showcase / TCU Place — Want to see the up-and-coming stars of Canadian country music? Stop by and check out this show. 9pm / Tickets TBD

friday 7

Mahogany Frog / House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Keith & Renee / Amigos Cantina — Country with a twist of rock and folk, that’s what this duo from Winnipeg will bring to the Manitoba Country Music Showcase. They’ll be joined by Jerry Sereda, Del Barber and Kyla Cederwall.

10pm / Tickets available at the door Jazz Diva Series: The Jazz Singers Fundraiser / The Bassment — This two-night celebration will feature nearly every jazz singer in town. On Friday Michelle Auser, Jamie Donlevy, Donna Hay, Ellen Kolenick, Heidi Munro, Alexis Normand, Kathryn Schulz, Grant Currie, and BJ Harris will be performing. 9pm / $15/$20 Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — With over 25 years of DJ experience, Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with DJ Ash Money every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover Lavagoat / The Fez on Broadway — This hard-thrashing local heavy metal band is kicking off its tour right here in town.

They’ll be joined by Skull Fist and Chronobot. 9pm / Tickets $10 DJ Eclectic / The Hose & Hydrant — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover DJ Sugar Daddy / Jax Niteclub — Able to rock any party, this local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. He is sure to have you on the dance floor in no time. 9pm / $5 cover

DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm Doug Boomhower / Prairie Ink — Come down and check out some smooth jazz tunes. 8pm / No cover Rock ‘n Country Carbaret / Prairieland Park — With a line-up featuring Doc Walker, Deric Ruttan, Aaron Pritchett, Jason Blaine, Wyatt and more, this is a show no country fan can afford to miss.

9pm / Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door (www.ticketmaster.ca) BC Read / Somewhere Else Pub — With a whiskey-soaked voice and years of experience, this local roots/blues musician puts on a captivating show. 9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests,from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5 CCMA Songwriter’s Cafe / TCU Place — Come out for an intimate, informative show featuring the finest Canadian country musicians. 7pm / Go to http:// potashcorpcountrymusicweek2012. com/i for ticket information

saturday 8

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

9pm / No cover Jazz Diva Series: The Jazz Singers Fundraiser / The Bassment — This two-night celebration will feature nearly every jazz singer in town. On Saturday Colleen Carr, Rebecca Griffith, Maureen Kennedy Butler, Alexis Korchinski, Robyn Knight, Gillian Snider, Tatrina Tai, Neil Currie, and Graham Dyck will be performing. 9pm / $15/$20 Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — With over 25 years of DJ experience, Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover Ministry of Zen / The Fez on Broadway — Take traditional, old-school hard rock music, splash in a bit of modern radio rock influences and you’ll get an idea what this five-piece from Edmonton is all about. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ Sugar Daddy / Jax Niteclub — Able to rock any party, this local crowd favourite has always been known to break

the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. He is sure to have you on the dance floor in no time. 9pm / $5 cover LIFTED / Lydia’s Pub — Like good DJs? Come to Lydia’s upstairs loft for this back to school kick off party. 9 pm / $5 cover DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Shefindsoldpoems / Prairie Ink - Come down for a night of folk/acoustic tunes.

8pm / No cover CCMA FanFest / Prairieland Park — Come check out this line-up. Trust us, it’s one that will delight any avid country music fan. 11am / No cover BC Read / Somewhere Else Pub — With a whiskey-soaked voice and years of experience, this local roots/blues musi-

cian puts on a captivating show. 9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5 CCMA Songwriter’s Cafe / TCU Place — Come out for an intimate, informative show featuring the finest Canadian country musicians. 2pm / Ticket information at http://potashcorpcountrymusicweek2012.com/i

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Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate

Same old scares

The Possession offers up predictable thrills. by verb staff

T

he Oxford Dictionary of English defines dybbuk thus: “(in Jewish folklore) a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possess the body of a living person until exorcised.”

One particular dybbuk is at the heart of The Possession, a new film

by Ole Bornedal. Actually, “new”

this movie feels like it was cobbled together from hackneyed ideas and heard phrases.

Nevertheless, the action begins when 10-year-old Em Brenek (Natasha Calis) persuades her father Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to buy her a mysterious box at a yard sale.

Engraved with indecipherable Hebrew script and apparently sealed

[The Possession] feels like it was cobbled together from hackneyed ideas… verb staff

might be a bit of a stretch: The Possession is as predictable as it is boring. Horror movies are all the same in that directors have a limited number of tools with which to induce the thrill film-goers seek, but

shut, the box is ominous from the start.

If that wasn’t obvious enough, Bornedal chooses to show us that the box rendered its previous owner, an elderly woman, virtually

catatonic.

Eventually, Em starts to behave erratically, and there is no question that her bizarre actions result from her obsession with the box. Plainly, she is possessed.

And if you’re not convinced, the appearance of giant moths in her bedroom — a step up from normal troubled teen behavior — sort of drives the point home.

This, naturally, gives Clyde and his ex-wife Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) cause for concern. Eventually, they start searching for a solution — including, rather bizarrely, a rabbi’s son played by reggae artist Matisyahu. More bizarrely, it later turns out that dybbuks are visible to the all-seeing MRI machine, a revelation that leads to a hospital ward exorcism.

And the predictable plot is just the beginning.

Rather than use the natural rises and falls of what may have been a decent script to build and hold and

release tension, Bornedal seems to prefer cheap thrills to memorable storytelling. Not only that, but because scenes so often fade to black, there is little cohesion and less interest when something memorable does appear.

Even the cheap thrills, ammunition in Hollywood’s magazine of blockbuster selling points, are boring.

But the really staggering thing about The Possession is that it was produced by Sam Raimi, who is sort of like a god to horror fans. It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which Raimi, who was plainly brought aboard for his knowledge of the genre, isn’t allowed to answer a single question or contribute his talent to the project.

Now, not everything about The Possession is awful. The acting is pretty good, actually.

Sedgwick is great, and once again demonstrates her capacity to be angry and frightened with the best of them.

And Calis will probably go far.

The possession Directed by Ole Bornedal Starring Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan + Kyra Sedgwick 91 minutes | 14A

Although she does a lot of staring in this film, she’s compelling onscreen and that’s what counts.

Matisyahu, who is not known for being an actor, is workmanlike. And his facial hair is first-rate.

But unless you’re the sort of person who makes a habit of watching every horror film the California sausage factory churns out, you may want to give The Possession a Pass.

Watching it feels like rewatching a movie you saw while very, very drunk — vaguely predictable and forgettable.

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Parisian mystery

The Woman in the Fifth provides few answers. by adam Hawboldt

L

et me preface this review by saying that I enjoyed the hell out of Pawel Pawlikowski’s latest film, The Woman in the Fifth.

It possessed the kind of Kafkaesque strangeness that appeals to my perverse nature; the kind of Roman-Polanski-meets-David-Lynch surrealism that excites, provokes and challenges my inner movie snob.

That said, The Woman in the Fifth is not for everybody.

Of the three other people I watched the film with, one of them outright hated it, another thought the “acting was fine, but the film was boring” and the final person liked it, but was left scratching his head — wondering what in the hell he’d just witnessed.

And you can’t really blame him.

See, The Woman in the Fifth is the type of movie that raises more questions than it answers. Way more.

Directed by the incredibly talented Pawlikowski (Last Resort, My Summer of Love), this movie tells the sensual, perplexing story of Tom Ricks (Ethan Hawke) — an American writer with a shady past. Tom arrives in Paris hoping to see his daughter,

Photo: courtesy of Memento Films

up penniless, living in a Parisian flophouse and working as a security guard. His boss, a shady, criminaltype character, has Tom guarding a mysterious locked room. What that has to do with anything, we never find out.

Falling deeper into flophouse debt and delving into despair over his daughter, Tom eventually meets an elegant, wealthy widow named Margit (Kristin Scott Thomas) who takes him to bed and helps Tom find his way back to writing.

Is this woman Tom’s savior or de-

It’s your job to piece the puzzle together, with no help or hints from the storyteller.

Adam Hawboldt

and, hopefully, to make amends with his ex-wife. The problem is, she isn’t interested. In fact, as soon she sees Tom she calls the police.

Which raises the question: what happened between them back in America?

Unfortunately, we never find out.

What we do find out, however, is that when Tom leaves his ex’s house he falls asleep on a bus, gets robbed, goes to a grubby café and winds

stroyer? Is she a murderess? A ghost?

A cipher? Again — you guessed it — we never find out.

And that, folks, was the crux of why most of my friends didn’t enjoy The Woman in the Fifth. There were just too many damned unanswered questions for their liking, which is certainly a fair criticism.

There are parts of the movie that still perplex me. But therein lies one of the main reasons why I dug the

The woman in the fifth Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski Starring Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joanna Kulig + Samir Guesmi 85 minutes | PG

film so much. In a way, The Woman in the Fifth asks you the viewer to be a detective of sorts. It’s your job to piece the puzzle together, with no help or hints from the storyteller. You just have to make your guesses and trust your intuition.

And if that sounds like a highfalutin’ concept of a movie, well, that’s because it is. But it’s also a movie in which the acting is terrific, the atmosphere is intense and the writing is sound.

No, The Woman in the Fifth is certainly not for everybody. But if you’re in the mood for a good ghost story, give it a try. Or was it a detective story? Or the story of a man slowly descending into madness? That’s up to you to decide.

The Woman in the Fifth is currently being screened at the Broadway Theatre.

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wednesday, august 22 @

Rock Creek

Rock Creek Tap & Grill 1820 McOrmond Drive (306) 979 7337 Music vibe / Changes, depending

on the bartender or the live show Featured deals / $5 pints of

domestic, and $3 off wings (5pm â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til close) Drink of Choice / Caesars top eats / Hot wings something new / New menu items, and a new brunch menu on Sundays, from 11am to 2pm

Photography by Patrick Carley â&#x20AC;&#x201C; feedback@verbnews.com

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Photography by Michelle Berg â&#x20AC;&#x201C; feedback@verbnews.com

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saturday, August 25 @

The Longbranch The Longbranch 806 Idylwyld Drive North (306) 665 6500

Music vibe / Country Featured deals / $3.75 Paralyzers Drink of Choice / Rye and Coke top eats / Nachos and dry ribs something new / First school year with a new VIP section

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Š Elaine M. Will | blog.E2W-Illustration.com

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crossword canadian criss-cross

timeout

ACROSS 1. What has happened 5. Tool with an arched blade 9. Lake in Manitoba 10. Around the bend 12. Hold lovingly in your arms 13. Person who sells food 15. Distinctive period of time 16. Studentís exercise 18. Atomic number of hydrogen 19. Have a repast 21. Definite article 22. Part of BA 23. Fit to consume 25. What ice does in a warm room 26. One thousand dollars 27. Place for fish and ships 28. Turn the corners of your mouth up 31. Early 35. Having no companions 36. Make an engine go vroom 37. Makeshift swing 38. Volcanic dust 39. Student at a military school

41. A Bobbsey twin 42. Gun, for one 44. Strong and healthy 46. Street language 47. Playing marble 48. Otherwise 49. Behind schedule DOWN 1. Teacher who overemphasizes rules 2. Recipe direction 3. Mall attraction 4. Bridge support 5. Aquarium problem 6. Fishermanís boat 7. Collection of wild animals 8. Concert finale 9. Senate house in ancient Rome 11. Woman gossip 12. Surrender formally 14. Be tranquil 17. That girl 20. Two under par 22. Be ready for

© walter D. Feener 2012

24. Flower visitor 25. Adjust the alarm clock 27. More than two but not many 28. Cabbage dish 29. Ten Commandments recipient 30. Fill your lungs 31. Hospital unit 32. 60 seconds 33. Backspace over text 34. Already in the mail 36. Chain of mountains 39. Persuades by deception 40. Draped attire 43. Close friend 45. Black Halloween creature

answer key

Horoscopes August 31 – September 6 Aries March 21–April 19 There are good weeks and there are bad weeks, Aries. And sorry, this one looks like a doozy. Don’t worry, though, it’ll pass. Until it does, though, stay out of tall trees.

Leo July 23–August 22 Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.” That doesn’t apply to everybody, though, Leo. Don’t let your head get too big this week.

Sagittarius November 23–December 21 Been boozing a bit lately?

Not eating right? Meh. Keep at it. But make a promise to start a new fitness regime or diet next week. Right now, though, is a time for fun.

Taurus April 20–May 20 Everybody is different, Taurus. So don’t get bent out of shape this week if people disagree with your opinions. After all, you know what they say about opinions and belly buttons…

Virgo August 23–September 22 It’s all about people power this week, Virgo. Spend time with family and friends and you’ll find stores of energy that you forgot even existed. Now you have to figure out how to use it.

Capricorn December 22–January 19 French is the language of love, right? Wrong. The language of love is whatever you’re speaking this week ,you smooth operator you. Be sure to put your charm to good use.

Gemini May 21–June 20 Remember that R.E.M. song “Shiny Happy People?” That’s what you should aim to be this week, Gemini.

Even if it takes every single last ounce of your strength.

Libra September 23–October 23 For the love of Pete! Make up your mind already! Chances are you’ve been waffling on a decision lately. Stop it! Just make your choice and deal with the consequences — good or bad.

Aquarius January 20–February 19 This is the dawning of the week of Aquarius. Enjoy it.

Everything you try should work out for you. Everything you touch will turn to gold. Not literally, but wouldn’t that be sweet?

Cancer June 21–July 22 “Take time with a wounded hand, ‘cause it likes to heal.” So too do wounded shoulders, hearts and egos. If you need time to heal this week, Cancer, take it. You deserve it.

Scorpio October 24–November 22 You may be feeling a bit like Dirty Harry this week — all tough and badass. If that’s the case, use your newfound confidence wisely, lest someone gets fed up and makes your day miserable.

Pisces February 20–March 20 Beware of kittens over the next few days, Pisces! Cuddling kittens, kitten videos, kitten posters, whatever. Nothing good can come of them this week. Sure they’re cute and all, but…

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