Verb Issue S212 (Oct. 19-25, 2012)

ISSUE #212 – OCTOBER 19 TO OCTOBER 25

THE OUTSIDER HAWKSLEY WORKMAN

AND

POWER DUO Curtis Olson + Carrie Catherine talk visionary neighbourhoods ART PARTY Megan Morman + Ruth Cuthand at Mendel Art Gallery ALEX CROSS + SAMSARA Films reviewed­

PHOTO: COURTESY OF IVAN OTIS

CONTENTS

NEWS + OPINION

CULTURE

ENTERTAINMENT

Q + A WITH MATT MAYS

LISTINGS

East Coast rocker on the pressures of being a musician. 12 / Q + A

Local music listings for October 19 through October 27. 18 / LISTINGS

ULTIMATE POWER DUO

THEY HAVE A CLAIM

Curtis Olson + Carrie Catherine on visionary neighbourhoods. 4 / LOCAL

Del Barber explores the meaning of the song. 13 / ARTS

ALEX CROSS + SAMSARA We review the latest movies. 20 / FILM

ARTISTS BY ARTISTS

NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS

Megan Morman + Ruth Cuthand have an Art Party. 13 / ARTS

We visit the Red Zone + Double Deuce. 22-25 / NIGHTLIFE

DESIGN LEAD / ROBERTA BARRINGTON DESIGN & PRODUCTION / BRITTNEY GRAHAM CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS / MICHELLE BERG, PATRICK CARLEY + ADAM HAWBOLDT + ALEX J MACPHERSON

Superbike racer Brett McCormick gets back on the track. 6 / LOCAL

HAWKSLEY WORKMAN

On finding meaning in music.

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

ART & PRODUCTION

RACING TO RECOVERY

ON THE COVER:

VERBNEWS.COM @VERBSASKATOON FACEBOOK.COM/VERBSASKATOON

BUSINESS & OPERATIONS

UNWELCOME WAGON

GUNS A’ BLAZIN’

ON THE BUS

Ending benefits for refugees makes no sense. 8 / EDITORIAL

This week we visit the Two Gun Quiche House. 16 / FOOD + DRINK

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 26 / COMICS

COMMENTS

MUSIC

GAMES + HOROSCOPES

Here’s your say on cutting nonChristian chaplains. 10 / COMMENTS

Bahamas, The Pack A.D., + Wildlife.

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, horoscopes, and Sudoku. 27 / TIMEOUT

17 / MUSIC

14 / COVER

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

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

PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING & SHARING PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

2 OCT 19 – OCT 25 VERB MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

LOCAL

EDITORIAL

COMMENTS

Q+A

ARTS

COVER

FOOD + DRINK

MUSIC

LISTINGS

FILM

NIGHTLIFE

COMICS

TIMEOUT

VERBNEWS.COM

/VERBSASKATOON

LOCAL

PHOTO: COURTESY OF RENÉ PREFONTAINE

ULTIMATE POWER DUO

How Curtis Olson and Carrie Catherine are challenging perceptions and changing the face of Riversdale. BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

C

urtis Olson remembers when he stopped thinking about what was and started thinking about what could be. Today, more than six years after an offhand remark reshaped the way he imagined Saskatoon, the memory is still clear. “In one second my perspective changed,” Olson says between sips of coffee.

“I came down here with Jyhling Lee, who is an architect and a friend. We were standing on the corner of 20th and Avenue B. Jyhling said, ‘I love it down in Riversdale. It reminds me of Queen Street West in Toronto ten years

ago.’ I understood everything she was talking about because I was a touring musician for awhile, and we played in Toronto in the late 1990s. Queen West was filled with used record shops, CD shops, tons of quirky little boutiques — it was cheap, it was interesting, it was diverse.”

The insight came like a flash of light: Olson saw the potential of an otherwise unremarkable street in the Saskatoon core. Just as Queen Street West became a bastion of social dynamism and carefully-managed growth, so too could Riversdale. Six years later, he and his wife, Car-

rie Catherine, have emerged as the vanguard in a dramatic urban transformation. Their vision of a mixed neighbourhood overflowing with exciting businesses and interesting people is now a reality.

Ten years ago, many people thought of Riversdale as a hive of transient businesses and dodgy characters.

Anchored by the infamous Barry and Albany Hotels, the old neighbourhood on the western edge of Saskatoon’s core was best forgotten.

Or so people thought. Not Olson and Catherine. Where some people saw CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

4 OCT 19 – OCT 25 NEWS + OPINION

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FOOD + DRINK

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LISTINGS

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TIMEOUT

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decay, they saw opportunity. Where others noticed derelict buildings and crumbling façades, they saw a vast urban playground. Olson and Catherine saw Riversdale for what it could be, not what it was.

“We’ve always been firm believers in the notion that a city is what you make it,” says Catherine, a singer-songwriter who is well-known as a social and developmental activist. “We loved the notion that a lot of people feared, which was that it was a very mixed neighbourhood — a lot of older residents who had been there forever, a lot of new people moving in, and a lot of rentals. Culturally diverse. All of those things, to us, were assets.”

The pair have spent several years building an ideal that reflects their belief in the benefits of diversity.

They see the natural intersection of communities in Riversdale as something to embrace, not ignore or correct. Olson and Catherine believe

Riversdale.” This same principle can be applied to their latest, much more ambitious, project.

The TwoTwenty is an office building, a social hub, and one of the city’s liveliest public spaces. Based on an idea called coworking, the TwoTwenty is an extension of the principle at work in the HayLoft and a microcosm of the larger neighbourhood: spontaneous meetings grounded by common goals and shared experience.

Catherine sees coworking as the perfect metaphor for a healthy community. “If you create the conditions where people are going to cross paths, sit side-by-side, grab a coffee together, just by sheer virtue of proximity people are going to interact, overlap, and collaborate,” she says. “The idea is to help your business grow just by being part of the community.” Besides Olson’s Shift Development, clients include a printing studio, an immigra-

If you create the conditions where people are going to cross paths…by sheer virtue of proximity people are going to…collaborate.

CARRIE CATHERINE

diversity breeds stability: “It’s a good thing because it drives compassion, it drives charity, it drives all of these other positive social aspects — just because of people crossing paths with each other.”

Although Olson works as a developer and Catherine as a songwriter, both have ideas that transcend their vocations. These ideas are captured in their home, an old Safeway store that has been transformed into a sleek and modern space, a functional office, and a performing arts venue.

It is called the HayLoft and it works because it brings together people of many different stripes. “We needed something unconventional to accommodate our lifestyle,” Catherine says.

“So when we actually found this old convenience store and decided to use that as our home base, that’s when we became intimately more connected to events and things in

tion lawyer, a publishing house, a photographer, and a developer of affordable housing.

“The goal of the TwoTwenty was to build a home for our business, but also our colleagues and other businesses that are part of every one of my projects,” Olson says, adding that the building is only part of the bigger picture. Rapid development is changing the face of 20th Street. A class of young entrepreneurs whose vision for the area mirrors that of Olson and Catherine has taken root in the neighbourhood. Today, Riversdale is home to a boutique guitar store, a pair of coffee shops, and dozens of other similar ventures. “Carrie and I came to agree that we have this great little urban sandbox that we’re playing in,” Olson laughs. “And all the other people jumping in the sandbox are of the same philosophy, innovative people with great ideas, that

are adding to the richness and the diversity of the neighbourhood.”

Projects like the HayLoft and the TwoTwenty have captured the imagination of many people, but Olson and Catherine are still working to prove their ideas. “There are people who have a strong belief about the neighbourhood, and it’s never going to change,” Olson laments. “Carrie and I have tried to focus on doing projects or events or things that are embracing the people that are open to it.”

In September, Catherine threw her weight behind PARK(ing) Day, an international event aimed at generating ideas about how cities are planned and executed. “My response to many challenges we face is to throw a party,” she laughs.

“And a party is a great way to involve the broader community, to make them feel the emotion that goes along with being in that kind of neighbourhood.”

PARK(ing) Day was not without critics. Many people questioned the wisdom of transforming a normal street into a bustling hive of activity, a hybrid urban atmosphere replete with businesses, restaurants, performances, and thousands of spontaneous conversations. Catherine thinks a demonstration can be much more convincing than a conversation: “For me to sit here and talk to somebody about biking who will never bike around downtown, and blather on about the benefits of bike lanes? I’m never going to convert that person.”

But the multifaceted event offers people a chance to participate, rather than simply listen. And that, Catherine and Olson believe, is precisely what the neighbourhood needs.

On PARK(ing) Day, 20th Street was a zoo: hundreds of people came out to enjoy the sunshine and sample what a truly heterogeneous neighbourhood can feel like. Few left without smiles.

A few months ago, Olson and Catherine were invited to speak to a class of entrepreneurship students. Olson asked if anyone remembered the Barry and Albany Hotels. “Nobody put up their hand,” he says. “It blew

me away.” In an instant, he and Catherine realized their project had already succeeded. “We’re talking about changing perceptions of Riversdale and changing the direction of the neighbourhood,” Catherine says. “One person puts up their hand and says, ‘What did people

think about Riversdale when you guys were kids?’”

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

5 OCT 19 – OCT 25 @VERBSASKATOON

CONTENTS

LOCAL

EDITORIAL

COMMENTS

Q+A

ARTS

COVER

FOOD + DRINK

MUSIC

LISTINGS

FILM

NIGHTLIFE

COMICS

TIMEOUT

NEWS + OPINION

LOCAL

RACING TO RECOVERY After breaking his neck, Canadian Superbike Champion Brett McCormick is back tearing up the track. BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

W

hen Brett McCormick came to he had no idea where he was. A group of people was standing around him, all of them speaking Dutch. What was going on? How did he get there? What were these people saying?

McCormick had no clue, so he just lay there, mouth shut, neck in a brace, trying to put together all the pieces. The thing is, they just wouldn’t fall into place.

The one thing, the only thing, McCormick knew for certain was this: he wasn’t paralyzed. Even though his neck was in a brace, he could still move his extremities. But still … what the hell had happened?

What happened was McCormick crashed his motorcycle.

And not just any motorcycle. See, McCormick is a Superbike racer. And the bike he crashed was an Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R. It happened in April at the Superbike World Championship in Assen — a city in northeastern Netherlands. It was a Saturday. During

his second race of the weekend, the 2011 Canadian Superbike Champion was doing well. After battling and weaving through a busy pack, McCormick had moved into the 11th position. But he was still advancing, closing in on the top 10.

And that’s when things started to go wrong.

“The weather was a little bit strange that weekend,” remembers McCormick. “Normally when we’re racing it’s either wet or dry. But that weekend we were racing in half conditions.”

In these not-so-ideal circumstances, coming out of a turn, McCormick was run a little wide by another driver, and forced off the pavement at, arguably, the fastest part of the track.

“When I first left the pavement it was all good,” says McCormick.

“Things were dry, it was ridable. But then I got onto the Astro Turf and it was soaked by the rain.”

At this point, McCormick only had one thought in mind: if I can get over the Astro Turf to the run-off pavement, I’ll be okay.

He didn’t make it.

Nearly the instant he hit the Astro Turf, the rear wheel of his Ducati slid out. The bike went sideways. McCormick put his foot down, but when you’re on a hunk of metal traveling 160 kilometres per hour, a foot simply isn’t enough. He was thrown from the bike and smashed head-first into the ground. He flipped arse-over-teakettle, hit his head again and came to a sliding stop next to his bike.

McCormick doesn’t remember any of this, though. It was all a blur, it happened too fast. And by the time he stopped sliding, McCormick was out cold.

When he came to, the Dutch medical crew were crowded around him. McCormick’s fifth cervical vertebra was broken, he had a lumbar fracture, and his thumb was cracked at the bottom joint, right where it connects to your wrist.

Pins and wires were surgically placed in McCormick’s thumb to help hold it together. The recovery time from that injury was just over a month. McCormick’s neck, however, was a different story. He had to wear CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

6 OCT 19 – OCT 25 NEWS + OPINION

CONTENTS

LOCAL

EDITORIAL

COMMENTS

Q+A

ARTS

COVER

FOOD + DRINK

MUSIC

LISTINGS

FILM

NIGHTLIFE

COMICS

TIMEOUT

VERBNEWS.COM

PHOTO: COURTESY OF COLIN FRASER

a collar and back brace to immobilize the fractured areas.

“I was in that brace for eight or 10 weeks,” says McCormick, who returned home to Saskatoon after the crash. “It was really confining.”

Eventually, inevitably, the brace came off and McCormick didn’t

circuit, so in August he traveled to England for a medical to make sure he was able to race. The visit was a success, and on September 9th McCormick got back in the saddle, so to speak, and continued his rookie season at the fabled Nürburgring circuit in Germany.

I’m racing at the top level in the world… so when you break your neck and come back, you have to wonder, ‘Have I lost the touch…

BRETT MCCORMICK

hesitate. Ten weeks after his injury he climbed back onto a motorcycle — this time, his Blackfoot dirt bike — and started to ride again.

“Back home I was motocrossing every couple days,” he explains.

“The first time I rode my dirt bike my neck felt fine so I made sure to ride a couple of times every week.”

It wasn’t long before McCormick got the urge to get back on the WSBK

“That first weekend back, I just wanted to finish with no drama,” says the 21-year-old racer. “The only thing I was worried about was if I came back and was slower on the bike. I’m racing at the top level in the world here, so when you break your neck and come back, you have to wonder, ‘Have I lost the touch or will it all be good?’”

McCormick finished 15th. Yet things were about to get better. Later that

month, in Portimão, Portugal, McCormick would cruise to a fifth and ninth place finish in the weekend races. But then McCormick’s luck again took a turn. Just before the 14th and final round of the Superbike World Championship at Magny-Cours in France, his team (Effenbert Liberty Racing) announced they wouldn’t be taking their Ducati Superbikes to the final round. What’s more, because contracts in superbike racing tend to be yearto-year, not only did McCormick miss out on the final race, he’s now officially without a contract or a team.

“To get a two-year contract is almost unheard of,” he explains. “It’s a pretty cutthroat competition and you’re only as good as your last race.”

If that’s the case, McCormick shouldn’t worry. In his last race he placed 9th amongst the best riders in the world, he’s still young and his neck — well, it’s back to normal. Finally.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

7 OCT 19 – OCT 25 /VERBSASKATOON

CONTENTS

LOCAL

EDITORIAL

COMMENTS

Q+A

ARTS

COVER

FOOD + DRINK

MUSIC

LISTINGS

FILM

NIGHTLIFE

COMICS

TIMEOUT

NEWS + OPINION

EDITORIAL

PHOTO: COURTESY OF KELLY BLOCK

THE UNWELCOME WAGON

This MP’s suggestion to end benefits to refugees is wildly bad policy.

C

hances are that by now you’ve heard about Saskatoon-RosetownBiggar MP Kelly Block and her infamous mail-outs.

If not, here’s a quick recap: last week Block sent out a circular to her constituents that read, “Ending Unfair Benefits for Refugee Claimants.”

Under that, the mail-out informed readers that “New arrivals to Canada have received dental and vision care paid by your tax dollars. They’ve had free prescriptions.” And beneath that lingers the bold, underlined phrase: “Not anymore.” In the bottom corner of the page, Block’s constituents had the choice to check one of two boxes.

The first said “I agree with Kelly Block! Newcomers don’t deserve more benefits than Canadians;” the other read “I disagree! Refugee claimants should get dental, vision and pharmacare even if I don’t.”

Well, the reaction to this mailout was swift, divisive, and fairly predictable. People were outraged.

In no time at all, a Facebook group called Tell MP Kelly Block “I Disagree” with Racism sprung up, and Block was called everything from a bigot to Grand Wizard.

That’s some pretty heavy language, but we think we should get to the real issue here, which is: separate from the woman herself, Block’s mail-out is bad policy and bad politicking. Plain and simple.

On the policy side of things, we feel that Block’s ideas are seriously wrong-headed. By taking a poke at refugees, Block is targeting some of the most vulnerable in our society.

The federal government defines refugees as people “in need of protection in Canada whose removal to their home country … would subject them personally to: a danger or torture; a risk to their life; or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.” So why would you want to deprive these unfortunate people of medicine or help if they need it?

Doing so is not humane, and definitely not decent. What if a person has diabetes? Should we withhold insulin just because they’re a refugee? What if they have asthma? Do we turn our backs and deprive them of inhalers? Or say a refugee has an infection, do we not give them penicillin?

In addition to not making sense, Block’s wildly misguided proposal doesn’t make cents, either. What if the diabetic newcomer slips into a coma, or the asthmatic suffers a serious attack or an infection begins to threaten a refugee’s life — what happens then?

The afflicted end up in emergency care which, in the long run, costs more than contributing to the preventative healthcare dedicated to refugees. If Block is actually concerned with the cost to Canadians, would she not have thought of this?

And keeping with using or misusing taxpayers’ money, wouldn’t Block have had to use our dollars to create and send her mail-out letter? That’s not just bad money sense, it’s bad politicking. Because whether she intended it to be or not, Block’s mailout was divisive as hell. Any sensible politician would’ve known to a) tone down the rhetoric and b) include facts.

Trying to convince your constituents to support something simply because you believe in it isn’t good politicking. If you want to win support, a way better way to go about it is to give constituents cold, hard, empirical facts and let them make up their own minds. If you go looking for said facts and can’t find any, well, that should tell you something. And over and above that, taking to task vulnerable individuals who are in need of our help is wildly bad policy.

Too bad Kelly Block didn’t know this.

It probably would have saved her, her party, and her constituents a lot of grief.

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

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@VerbSaskatoon feedback@verbnews.com

8 OCT 19 – OCT 25 NEWS + OPINION

CONTENTS

LOCAL

EDITORIAL

COMMENTS

Q+A

ARTS

COVER

FOOD + DRINK

MUSIC

LISTINGS

FILM

NIGHTLIFE

COMICS

TIMEOUT

VERBNEWS.COM

@VERBSASKATOON

COMMENTS

ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about the government cutting non-Christian prison chaplains in federal jails. Here's what you had to say:

– The harper governments recent cut to non-christian chaplains while planning on spending twenty five million to re brand a museum shows how little respect they have towards diversity and the wishes of the people.

Text yo thoughtsur to 881 VE R B 8372

– Wow harper government working towards making this a fully christian country. This is abyssmally stupid. Cut diversity to a already at risk populations is retarded.

– That’s terrible that the gov is cutting all non christian religious help in jail. So much for diversity!

– They should just cut all religious people from their payroll. This is federally funded! Why not let each jail organize it on behalf of their prisoners instead?

– Either make it fair for all prisoners or get rid of all chaplains.

OFF TOPIC – Interesting read on NDP candidates though I still get feeling they’re all just talking heads.

would name it “Wonderbannock”.

I would make sure everyone get a piece of fry bread or baked bannock. Keeps you full for hours.

You can go to work with bannock sandwhiches. U can have the ultimate hangover bannock munchies…other then all that BANNOCK IS GOOD FOR U!

In response to “A New Direction,” Local page, #211 (October 12, 2012)

– Housing for the homeless is a fantastic idea! Mangano sounds incredibly progressive we learn from him In response to “Home Sweet Home,” Editorial page, #210 (October 5, 2012)

SOUND OFF – To this day, I still think about making bannock for everybody…I

– I was appalled at the number of texts in Verb this week decrying over the food hampers. People need to work together and take care of one another. How dare you assume that because someone said a hamper wasn’t full, they were a recipient and not donating!

How dare you lecture someone saying they aren’t owed anything.

Everyone needs a helping hand at some time, and we clearly need some empathy. Let’s pull together instead of pushing apart.

10 OCT 19 – OCT 25 NEWS + OPINION

CONTENTS

LOCAL

EDITORIAL

COMMENTS

Q+A

ARTS

COVER

FOOD + DRINK

MUSIC

LISTINGS

FILM

NIGHTLIFE

COMICS

TIMEOUT

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– All that mean hearted selfish greedy crap betrays what your people were over there and what you still are. Small desperate loser feudal peasants!

– The Bowery Boys were the original OOoold School DOWNtown crew. Comedy dramas. They might be on the net or NetFlix.

Fairly good.

– Apparently you can take the peasant out of the Dark Ages but you can’t.......

– “On The Bus” is DOWNtown!

Good Job Elaine M. Will!

– About the food hamper Whiner be greatful you received somethng For Nothing there are many working Poor that contribute

– Camping out in tiny old houses with few or no utilities is DOWNtown!

– An oven in an electric stove is a DOWNtown campfire! We’re thinking of having an oven party.

Wienies potatoes beans marshmallows smores.

– Why dont you have the offbeat section anymore that was my favorite

– Abos in general we’ve always known the real cause of this scarcity is human inspired not The Great Spirit punishing us. It don’t play the same way on us!

– Take the bus. Really. How are we suposed to when the bus wont reach 3/4 of the industrial part of town where half the city works.

Thats why we have the most vehicles per house hold

– I agree with text about Verb looking at metal/hardcore scene in city.

– The children the elderly the sick and the disabled this loser society is failing miserably at looking after its weaker members. NO SCARCITY HERE! LOSERS!

– Saw Verb writer Alex MacPherson playing drums at Vaneglis on the weekend. He should stick to writing. JK Alex!

– Why don’t skateboarders use the skateboard parks instead of marking up the concrete at River Landing?

– Careful running yellow lights, seen an uptick in cops watching intersections.

– Know we’re Canadian but the US presidential debates are

fascinating to watch. Fascinating and utterly predictable and full of empty phrases. But still could you imagine Harper doing that?

– Instead of building condos on the university land maybe it could be converted into a park and ride. We need to alleviate traffic congestion in this city.

NEXT WEEK: What do you think about Kelly Block’s recent mail-out?

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.

11 OCT 19 – OCT 25 /VERBSASKATOON

CONTENTS

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EDITORIAL

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ARTS

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FOOD + DRINK

MUSIC

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Q+A

COYOTE

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DEVIN MCLEAN

Matt Mays howls at the moon on his latest record.

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

M

Matt Mays is one of the nicest guys in rock and roll. When I called him, he was afflicted with a terrible cold, but nothing could dull his enthusiasm. Rather than cut the conversation short, Mays soldiered on, sharing his views on rock and roll, his new record, Coyote, and his innate restlessness. His first record without El Torpedo, his longtime backing band, Coyote represents Mays’ attempt to push his particular brand of guttural rock as far as it can go. In a wide-ranging discussion, Mays talked about the pressures of being a musician, the benefits of travel, and why albums are still relevant today.

MM: Some artists are different. Some people can sit in a blank room and write a gorgeous novel, an amazing novel. I’m not one of those people. I need to travel around; I need input to provide output. I just found over the years that anytime I would write a song, it was derived from somewhere I’d been or something I’d seen. I just decided to work with that — and it kind of worked on this record.

MM: I think it’s there. I grew up here on the East Coast. Through my influential years of learning songwriting and learning to work in a studio, I was always here. Like it or not, it definitely is ingrained and I still feel that to this day.

AJM: How do you feel about the idea of the album today?

I need to travel around; I need input to provide output.

MATT MAYS

Alex J MacPherson: Terminal Romance was released more than four years ago. Did you feel a lot of pressure to release Coyote too soon?

AJM: “Indio” and “Chase the Light” bookend the record and show just how diverse it is, but at the same time the album is remarkably cohesive. Is that something you struggle for?

Matt Mays: I didn’t feel much pressure.

I’ve been in that position before and tried to speed up the process or whatever, but it didn’t turn out how I wanted. With this album, I took the time that I needed to make sure it felt done. There were people going, ‘Come on man, where’s your record?’ But I didn’t really care. I knew that taking the time I needed would be beneficial and pay off in the end.

MM: Not really. I think the main thing with this record for me was to try not to think, you know? Any songs I was thinking about too hard, I didn’t use. I like everything to be more like a stream of consciousness.

I used some drums from demos, whatever had the most vibe I used as opposed to trying to repeat the demo or think anything. I try to not think and just use it if it was good. I think, in the end, that probably makes for a record that has good flow, good feeling and energy to it.

AJM: You traveled a lot, wrote all over the place — how does moving around and experiencing different things help you as a writer?

AJM: You’re still identified as an East Coast musician, yet this album is sonically expansive. What does it mean to you to be from Nova Scotia?

MM: It’s weird. Sometimes, I think maybe I’ll do six-song EPs once a year, or once every six months.

Other times, I don’t know. If it’s an album you should feel good about it and the songs that fit on it. I think there’s room for both. In a year everybody dismissed the full length album, the two biggest albums of the year had sixteen songs — Arcade Fire and Brothers, the Black Keys record. As far as rock music goes, I thought I knew and then I saw that happen.

Matt Mays October 28 @ Louis’ Pub $30.75 + @ ticketmaster.ca Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

12 OCT 19 – OCT 25 CULTURE

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ARTS

THEY HAVE A CLAIM

Del Barber explores the meaning of the song.

D

el Barber released his third album, Headwaters, more than six months ago. He is still trying to understand what it is about, a process that begins with live performances. But, he says, “I haven’t been able to tour it properly yet. I have been mostly opening shows and playing folk festivals. Those are great things, but I haven’t played a full set.”

Songs are born from a single mind and reared in the sterile, acoustically-deadened solitude of a recording studio. Then, they are launched into the world. Barber is captivated by this idea, and the sense of community it implies. “They belong to people and not a person, because it can’t be boiled down to anything,” he says.

“You can’t have an ultimate script of what songs are because they belong to culture. Despite what the law says, I don’t own them or the meaning of them or the relationships other

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

people have with them. What’s more important is that the people own them in a lot more tangible way.”

Barber has lived in eight provinces and fifteen states. His accumulated experiences could fill reams of paper.

The songs on Headwaters are the best of the best, transformed into simple poetry. But because he believes in the power of the song, he has devoted much of his time debunking the myth of the mysterious artist. (“They’re just people who are trying to redo their hardwood floors and cook better and get in car accidents,” he says.)

He does this by grabbing a Gibson and hopping onstage, where he spends between forty and sixty minutes swapping stories with an audience. People just like him. Headwaters is a great country record, to be sure, but it is also an attempt to show the universal power of the song.

Barber writes about simple subjects, things everyone has experienced.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MARK MARYANOVICH

“All my favourite songs in the world make mundane things important again, or at least see more mundane characters realizing there is more meaning in your life than you’re willing to give it,” he says.

It is a shame that Barber hasn’t had more chances to play Headwaters. Maybe then people might grasp his idea that songs are just another way for us to feel close to each other, if only for a moment.

Del Barber October 28 @ The Bassment $12/16

ARTISTS BY ARTISTS

Megan Morman, Ruth Cuthand, and an Art Party. BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

A

rtists by Artists is one of the most innovative and vital programs run by the Mendel Art Gallery. By pairing established artists with emerging counterparts, the program fosters collaboration and gives young artists a voice and an opportunity to learn something about their craft.

The partnership between Ruth Cuthand and Megan Morman, Art Party, is no exception: it offered Morman a chance to flex her creative muscles — an opportunity she took full advantage of.

“I’ve known Ruth for quite a few years,” Morman says. “We haven’t worked together, haven’t made art together. I guess you could say we’ve been in an informal mentorship relationship for quite a long time.”

When the gallery approached Morman about doing an Artists by Artists show, it was obvious who her mentor should be. Art Party doesn’t include any of Cuthand’s work, but her influence on Morman is plain. “I think our work has a lot of affinity,” Morman says. “She makes a lot of work out of beads that uses craft and pixillation in the same way my work does.”

Morman is a portrait artist. But her portraits are meticulously crafted from fusible plastic beads, not paints.

Her work appears to address tensions between conventional gallery spaces and the digital realm, but Morman says her pixillated images are actually an attempt to illustrate

her view of the world. Because Morman’s subjects are people she doesn’t know, the works in Art Party are an examination of the confusing relationship between artists and society.

“I know there’s this great modernist ideal of the artist working alone,” Morman says. “But people can’t make things by themselves. We’re working in community, even if we’re working by ourselves.” Inspired by the idea of working as part of a larger community, Morman’s works blurs the line between artist and subject.

“Certainly other artists may be a primary audience for my work, but I don’t want then to be the only audience,” Morman says. “I don’t want it to be wrapped up in disciplinary weirdness, where it’s only relevant to people in my profession.” And it works: Morman’s fellow artists will leave fascinated, and even the most resistant viewers will exit the gallery

with questions, not answers. And that’s the way it should be.

Art Party: Megan Morman + Ruth Cuthand Through January 6 @ Mendel Art Gallery Free

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

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A MOMENT OF CLARITY IN A WORLD OF STATIC

Hawksley Workman opens up about the record industry, songwriting, and finding meaning in music. BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

H

awksley Workman used to worry about the things he didn’t have.

He craved bigger venues and larger audiences, increased record sales and legions of people clamouring for his music. Those impulses, natural for a young artist poised on the brink of mainstream success, are gone now. Today, Workman is simply thankful for the things he has: the opportunity to spend his time writing, recording, and performing music.

“When I look out at an audience now, it’s quite a lot different from ten years ago, when I was a star on the rise or whatever,” he says, speaking from his home north of Toronto.

“You’d look out and feel like you were conquering the world. Now I look out and feel like I’m part of a community. I’m grateful that I have this audience that has stuck with me all these years. I think it’s a far more humbling experience than it used to be.”

Ryan Corrigan was born in Huntsville, Ontario. He spent his childhood listening to pop from the 1970s and 1980s. His father, a record collec-

tor, ensured that music was never in short supply. Corrigan learned to play the drums. After finishing high school, he changed his name to Hawksley Workman and left for Toronto, to chase a career in music.

His first record, For Him and the Girls, was released in 1999, sparking a meteoric rise. But Workman’s career

they like.” Workman likes comparing the record industry to fast food chains, which prosper by making the same hamburger over and over again. “Nickelback is always cited,” he says. “They’re loathed and they’re loved, but the fact of the matter is that guy writes the same song over and over again. I think if you want to

Holy sh*t, the prize is that I get to do this every day.

HAWKSLEY WORKMAN

has always been fraught with tension. Resistant to trends and deeply iconoclastic, he exists on the fringes of the record industry. He needs it to survive as an artist yet he does not fit into any of its narrowly-defined moulds; he is an outsider on the inside.

“Most people sort of get into one lane and stay in that lane,” he says, referring to success in contemporary pop music. “It’s a good way to connect with an audience because they know that if they buy your record they’re guaranteed to get the thing

connect in a massive kind of way in the music business, it behooves you to try and pigeonhole yourself and to stay in that hole.” But Workman does not — and perhaps cannot — do this.

His catalogue is diverse, featuring everything from glam and slinky cabaret sounds to electro-pop and crunchy rock and roll. He reinvents himself each time he sits puts out a record or walks onstage. He has written songs about how special his grandmother made Christmas and songs about how important it is to stay drunk and keep f**king. Milk sounds like rock and roll CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF IVAN OTIS

echoing through a Swedish dance club; Full Moon Eleven is a tender reinterpretation of a Christmas album he wrote and recorded while fasting in Paris. Los Manlicious is a straightforward rock record; Meat covers a lot of sonic territory, as expansive as it is compelling.

Sometimes, Workman’s taste for experimentation has angered fans, many of whom buy records expecting one thing and receive something entirely different. This is understandable. Pop music is based on predictability, not variation. Workman is not averse to writing a smash single, but he struggles to balance his creative impulses against the demands of radio. “When I’ve chased trying to write a hit, or peppered a record with a few radio songs, what goes through my mind when I’m writing is, ‘Okay, I can’t write that, I can’t be myself like that,’” he says. “It’s not about what I can do. It’s about which of my eccentricities do I trim away to try and be palatable for an audience I maybe don’t entirely understand.”

When pressed about songwriting, Workman adopts the Keith Richards line. “You’ve got to be a faithful pious little critter who wants to go out into that special place and put your hands out and hope that the sky drops a little drop into your hands,” he laughs. “That’s what this is about, just believing that it’s going to be there.

Religions are largely based on faith, believing in something you can’t actually see exists, and I feel the same way about songwriting. I just believe it’s going to be there.” Like Richards, who claims to have written “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” in a few minutes, Work-

man works quickly. He sometimes writes, records, and finishes a song in a single day.

Ultimately, Workman’s refusal to compromise is his greatest asset.

People gravitate to his records and concerts because they offer a moment of clarity in a world filled with static. By revealing himself as someone who abhors the notion of massproduced “content,” someone with flaws and faults and flights of fancy, Workman becomes a bastion of freedom and independence, and a living incarnation of the spirit of rock and roll. “When I was a kid,” he laughs, “my mom would knit my brother and I a sweater, once per year. When my brother and I would go to school after the Christmas break with our new sweaters on, teachers would see us in the hall and rush over. What I realized was that you can spot a home-knit sweater from a mile away, just by virtue of the fact that most of the world is wearing store-bought.”

Ten years ago, Hawksley Workman was dancing around in rock videos and appearing on MuchMusic. He had hit records and some people believed that his career was unstoppable. He says he felt like a marauder, out with his band to conquer the world. That Hawksley Workman doesn’t exist anymore. “Now, I’m grateful for the relationship I have with the music and that others have invited it into their lives,” he says. Ultimately, the difference between Hawksley Workman ten years ago and Hawksley Workman today is one of perspective. “I think what you’re told in the music

business is that you’re just one more gig away from the prize, you’re just one more hit single away from the prize, one great interview away from the prize. You keep chasing the prize and, all of a sudden, you wake up one morning with a bit of maturity and a bit of a sense of self. You go, ‘Holy sh*t, the prize is that I get to do this every day.’”

“Everyone tells you that awards and money and success and fame and all that stuff is the prize,” he says. “In fact, if you just get to honestly go out and … create and be yourself, I don’t think you can win the game better than that.”

Hawksley Workman October 30 @ Broadway Theatre $33 advance; $35 day of @ Broadway Box Office Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Photography courtesy of Adam Hawboldt

GUNS A’ BLAZIN’ Two Gun Quiche House specializes in quiche, sandwiches and downhome hospitality. BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

W

hen I was a boy of, oh, about 10 or 11, my mother gave me a book about Al Capone. On the cover there was a painting of the Chicago gangster’s face hovering over a turquoise blue machine gun. The title, in yellow and pink letters, read Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone.

Now, what possessed my mom to give a kid a story about bootlegging, double-crossing and ruthless, gangland murder, I have no clue. But what I do know is this — from that day on I was a huge fan of old gangster stories. And maybe that’s why Two Gun Quiche House, a new restaurant on 20th Street W, immediately struck me as the kind of place I would want to frequent. On the walls are black and white pictures of old-time gangsters, guys like Bugsy Siegel, Capone, and Charles “Lucky” Luciano. There are black and white photos of gangster

movies too, like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, and Humphrey Bogart.

But don’t be mistaken. Two Gun Quiche isn’t some gangster-like joint with dim lights and white-and-red checked table cloths, like you’d see

the most welcoming. The moment I walk in, owner Bill Mathews asks me if I want a coffee. I get one, then we sit down and chat. We chat about gangsters and Morris “Two Gun” Cohen (after whom the restaurant is named). We chat about old movies and food and cooking.

Eventually we talk about quiche.

Bill loves working with quiche. He talks about the many ways to make it, the different and interesting combinations he can come up with. All the talk makes me hungry, so I ask Bill if it would be too much trouble for him to whip me up a slice.

Moments later I’m sitting in front of an Italian sausage and peppers quiche. And, to be quite frank, it was amazing. The crust was light and flakey, the eggs smooth and velvety and the sausage — ­ made by Bill, the sausages were from an old family recipe, and they were flat-out delicious. As was the house-made Italian bean and pork soup that came with it.

I finished everything up with a lemony tapioca pudding, a nice end to a great meal. Two Gun Quiche is a great addition to Riversdale, and well worth a visit.

Two Gun Quiche is a bright and funky place that’s big on hospitality.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

in the movies. Heck, no. With its yellow and purple walls and big picture windows at the front, Two Gun Quiche is a bright and funky place that’s big on hospitality.

Seriously — of all the restaurants I’ve been to in the city, this is one of

LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE MANHATTAN

INGREDIENTS

One of the oldest and finest cocktails around, the Manhattan is a classic drink that brings you back to a bygone era.

2 oz rye whiskey 1/2 oz sweet vermouth 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters maraschino cherry for garnish

Two Gun Quiche House 135 20th St. W. | 380 5209

DIRECTIONS

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

Start out by pouring the whiskey, vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass (a martini glass works well); garnish with the cherry.

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

16 OCT 19 – OCT 25 CULTURE

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MUSIC

NEXT WEEK

COMING UP

BAHAMAS

THE PACK A.D.

WILDLIFE

@ AMIGOS CANTINA SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28TH – $12

@ AMIGOS CANTINA THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST – $10

@ THE BASSMENT SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH– $17/22

What do Feist, Great Lake Swimmers, The Stills and Zeus all have in common? Well, at one point or another a guy named Afie Jurvanen played with them. These days, however, Jurvanen — a Finnish Canadian — is performing solo under the stage name Bahamas, and so far things have been looking up for this rising musical star. His first album, Pink Strat, was nominated for a Juno Award, and his sophomore effort, Barchords, is pretty darn good, too.

Simple yet haunting, Barchords is driven by Jurvanen’s smooth voice, raw emotion and an abundance of natural talent. Jurvanen’s tour will bring him to Saskatoon on the 28th.

His first four shows are all sold out, so get your tickets soon if you want to see him. Tickets at ticketedge.ca.

Since dropping their debut album, Tintype, in 2008, this duo from East Vancouver has been steadily winning over fans and critics alike.

Playing a grab-you-by-the-collar brand of music that fuses blues with tribal and punk-laced garage, Maya Miller (drums) and Becky Black (guitar/vocals) put on a show you don’t want to miss. In the early going, some critics compared these rockers to The White Stripes and The Black Keys, but now — with their fourth studio album, Unpersons — the Pack a.d. have found their own groove. And whether it’s their single “Sirens” or the latest song “Haunt You,” one thing is for sure: they rock.

Check them out when the stop in Saskatoon; tickets are available at ticketedge.ca.

Consisting of singer/guitarist Dean Povinsky, Graham Plant (guitar), Dwayne Christie (drums), Derek Bosomworth (bass, vocals) and Tim Daugulis (keyboard, synth), this indie rock outfit from Ontario has been making quite a name for themselves since they put out their debut album, Strike Hard, Young Diamond, on the independent label Easy Tiger Music. Their sound is big and bold and catchy. With lyrics that will stick your head and music that will fill you full of energy, this band is bound to win fans across the country when they set out on tour with The Wooden Sky. You won’t want to miss either of these bands-on-the-rise when they pull into town and take to The Bassment stage; see saskatoonjazzsociety.com for more info.

– By Adam Hawboldt

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: THE ARTIST / THE ARTIST / THE ARTIST

SASK MUSIC PREVIEW SaskMusic, with the help of the provincial government, has launched a new investment program designed to help the Saskatchewan music industry by providing funding for recording, tour support, marketing initiatives and more. Applications can come from commercial artists or recording industry professionals; initial applications are due by November 15, 2012. See saskmusic.org for more information.

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

17 OCT 19 – OCT 25 @VERBSASKATOON

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LISTINGS

OCTOBER 19 » OCTOBER 27 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

FRIDAY 19

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover LADYHAWK / Amigos Cantina – These indie rockers from Vancouver always put on a good show. 10pm / Tickets $12 (www.ticketedge.ca) PIANO FRIDAYS: DAVID FONG / The Bassment — Feel like taking in some smooth jazz stylings? 4:30pm / No cover ROOTS SERIES: THE GORDS / The Bassment – Featuring Gord Maxwell, Gorde Matthews and Gordon Lee Worden. 9pm / Cover $15/20 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover MR. BROWNSTONE / Buds on Broadway – A Guns N’ Roses cover band you won’t want to miss. 10pm / Cover $6 BED OF ROSES / Crown and Rok — This Bon Jovi tribute band rocks. 9pm / Cover TBD NIGHT SWITCH, OTENANG, NOSEDIVE, THE REBELS, THE WORKING MOJOS / The Fez on Broadway — A night of hardrocking bands. 10pm / Cover $10 DJ ECLECTIC / The Hose & Hydrant — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. 9pm / $5 cover CROOKED CREEK, LITTLE CRIMINALS / Lydia’s Pub — Two hot acts, one great night. 10pm / tickets at the door DOOWAKADOOS / The Mix Gallery — These rockers provide the tunes for a great night at the gallery. 7:30pm 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

MATT HUNTER / Prairie Ink – Come check out this progressive fingerstyle guitarist.

8pm / No cover ROUTE 66 / Stan’s Place — A local country rock/vintage rock four piece that’s sure to impress. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests. 10pm / Cover $5 MISE EN SCENE, THE NOBLE THIEFS / Vangelis – Alt pop/rock meets rock and soul in this sweet show. 10pm / Cover $5

SATURDAY 20

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

9pm / No cover CADENCE WEAPON / Amigos Cantina – One of the dopest rappers on the Canadian scene right now. 10pm / $12 (www. ticketedge.ca) AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a highenergy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover RCA BAND JAZZ TASK FORCE / The Bassment — Come check out the oldest professional military band in Canada.

9pm / Cover $12/16 SEVEN STRAIT / Buds on Broadway — These local musicians play a blend of grunge/progressive/rock. 10pm / Cover $6 BED OF ROSES / Crown and Rok – This Bon Jovi tribute band rocks. 9pm / Cover TBD DUSTY TUCKER BAND, COCAINE MOUSTACHE, DEAD PAST DUE / The Fez – Three good bands, one great night. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax — This local crowd favourite will have you on the dance floor in no time. 9pm / $5 cover GRIMES / Louis’ – Based out of Montreal, this experimental musician is one of a kind. 8pm / $15 (Northerntickets.com) BANJOVAN, ALEX VISSIA TRIO / Lydia’s Pub – Come out for a night of good tunes and a sweet banjo. 10pm / Cover $5 ROCKFEST / Odeon Events Centre — Featuring the tribute bands Who Made Who (AC/DC), Disposable Heroes (Metallica) and Mr. Brownstone (GNR). 8pm / $20 (www.theodeon.ca) DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — There’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5

IAN MARTENS / Prairie Ink – Come check out this acoustic/folk-rock musicians.

8pm / No cover ROUTE 66 / Stan’s Place — A local country rock/vintage rock four-piece that’s sure to impress. 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 BLACK MASTIFF, LADY DEATH STRYKE / Vangelis — Come out for a night of hard hitting rock. 10pm / Cover $5 MATT HUNTER / The Woods Alehouse — Check out this acoustic, finger-style guitarist. 8pm / Cover $5.

SUNDAY 21

INDUSTRY NIGHT / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / $4; 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 offers great tunes from blues to rock and beyond. 7:30pm / No cover

MONDAY 22

APOLLO CRUZ / Buds – A local blues-rock power trio. 9pm / Cover $6 METAL MONDAYS / Lydia’s Pub — If hard, heavy awesomeness is your thing, swing by and listen to some killer music. 9pm RAIN / TCU Place — An amazing tribute to The Beatles. 7pm / Tickets $49.5059.50 (www.tcutickets.ca)

TUESDAY 23

MONKEY JUNK / Broadway Theatre – An award-winning blues trio from Ottawa.

7:30pm / Tickets $20 APOLLO CRUZ / Buds On Broadway – A local blues-rock power trio. 9pm / Cover $6 DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce — 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. 9pm / No cover OPEN MIC / The Somewhere Else Pub — Come out to show your talent. 7pm / No cover DON MACLEAN, MORGAN DAVIS / Vangelis – Come out for a night of darn good music. 10pm / Cover $5 CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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WEDNESDAY 24

JAZZ JAM: BRETT BALON TRIO / The Bassment – If you play an instrument or just want to hear a jam, come on down.

8pm / Cover $5 (jammers get in for free) WILD UPRISING / Buds on Broadway – Some sweet rock licks from this local four-piece. 10pm / Cover $6 THROWBACK THURSDAYS / Earls — Come experience retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover THUNDER RIOT W/CONKY SHOWPONY / The Fez — Come dance the night away.

9pm / $5 DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up. 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — Local DJ Sugar Daddy will be rocking the turntables! 8pm / $5; free cover with student ID before 11pm

THE ZOLAS / Amigos Cantina – These prog-rockers from Vancouver always put on a good show. 10pm / Cover TBD PIANO FRIDAYS: RAY STEPHANSON / The Bassment — Feel like taking in some smooth jazz stylings? 4:30pm / No cover GUITAR SERIES: JACK SEMPLE / The Bassment – Come check Saskatchewan’s own Jack Semple play a two-night stand.

9pm / Cover $18/23 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover UNCHAINED / Buds on Broadway – A night of sweet tunes. 10pm / Cover $6 THE NIGHTTRAIN / Crown and Rok – This Guns N’ Roses tribute band rocks. 9pm / Cover TBD DEADINGER / Dakota Dunes – The spookiest, instrument-wielding zombies in town. 9pm / Tickets $15 (www.dakotadunescasino.com) OVERCOME, COLFAX, FEEDING FICTION / The Fez – In the mood for a night of hardrocking bands? Here you have it. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ ECLECTIC / The Hose & Hydrant — Turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy beats. 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest tracks in multiple genres. 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 STONE MOUNTAIN MUSIC / Prairie Ink – Come check out this folk/ rock trio. 8pm / No cover JETT RUN / Stan’s Place – A local band that plays everything from country to classic rock. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt it out. 10pm / Cover $5 HALLOWEEN PART 1 / Tequila – Featuring DJs Mern and Kidalgo. 9pm / Cover TBD RITORNELLO GROUP / The Woods Alehouse — Mezzo soprano Cassandra Warner, soprano Anastasia Winterhalt and pianist Jacqueline Woods present a smokey cabaret. 8pm / Cover TBD PUNK ROCK HALLOWEEN / Vangelis – There’s nothing quite like hard punk at a Halloween party. 10pm / Cover $5

FRIDAY 26

SATURDAY 27

HUMP WEDNESDAYS / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Resident DJ Chris Knorr will be spinning all of your favourite songs.

9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter AGNOSTIC FRONT / Amigos – A New York punk band that rocks hella hard. 10pm / Tickets $15 (www.ticketedge.ca) ASHLEY MACISAAC / Broadway Theatre – This Cape Breton musician puts on one heckuva show. 7:30pm / Tickets $35 in advance, $40 at the door WILD UPRISING / Buds – Some sweet rock licks from this local group. 10pm / $6 THE AVENUE RECORDING COMPANY PRESENTS OPEN MIC / The Fez — 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. 9pm / No cover WILD WEST WEDNESDAY / Outlaws — This is Saskatoon’s top industry night, hosted by DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman.

9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests. 10pm / No cover THE WIGGLES / TCU Place – This children’s music band from Australia are on their Celebration Tour! 6:30pm / $15.50-75.50

THURSDAY 25

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover

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

9pm / No cover

LIAM TITCOMB / Amigos – This actor/ musician from Ontario plays a laid back, brand of folk rock. 10pm / Cover TBD GUITAR SERIES: JACK SEMPLE / The Bassment – Come check Saskatchewan’s own Jack Semple play a two-night stand.

9pm / Cover $18/23 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL. 9pm / $5 cover MICHELLE WRIGHT / Broadway Theatre – Wright puts on a show not to be missed.

8pm / Tickets $45 UNCHAINED / Buds on Broadway – A night of sweet tunes. 10pm / Cover $6 DANSE MACABRE / Diva’s — Celebrate Halloween at the Asylum Ball. Doors at 8pm / $5 cover THE PISTOLWHIPS / The Fez – An EP release party for The Pistolwhips, featur-

ing Blackwater, Charly Hustle and Ricky Rock. 9pm / $10 advance,$12 door DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up. 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — Come see this local favourite. 9pm / $5 cover FUR EEL / Lydia’s Pub – Guaranteed to be a rocking night. 10pm / Cover $5 LIFTED / Lydia’s Pub – Featuring Flatland Funk, Marc Overthere and Sodiumglow in the upstairs loft. 9pm / $5 DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — There’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 VAMPIRE BEAT VIDEO DANCE PARTY / Paved Arts — Live music, prizes and more! 9pm / $15 advance, $20 door JAMES IRVING / Prairie Ink – Come check out this folk-rock musician. 8pm / No cover

JETT RUN / Stan’s Place – A local band that plays everything from country to classic rock. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests. 10pm / $5 HALLOWEEN PART 2 / Tequila – Featuring the spinning of DJs Albert and Dubz.

9pm / Cover TBD MEGAN LANE / Vangelis — Mixing blues, soul and rock, this local musician is all kinds of good. 10pm / Cover $5

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19 OCT 19 – OCT 25 /VERBSASKATOON

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NOT WORTH A TRIP ACROSS THE STREET

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

Without Morgan Freeman or a sensible plot, the latest Alex Cross movie falls flat. BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

W

hoever is responsible for this new movie, Alex Cross, should be locked in stocks.

Okay, maybe that’s a tad excessive, but I couldn’t help myself.

Alex Cross is so monumentally bad that words are beginning to fail me.

Public punishment and/or humiliation seems like the only sensible recourse left.

But since Freeman is getting on in years, the powers that be decided to revamp the Cross series and do an origins story, of sorts. So naturally they cast Tyler Perry in the lead.

That’s right, the guy who directs and stars in all the Madea movies is the same guy they chose to hunt a psychotic assassin/serial killer.

Don’t get me wrong. Tyler Perry is a bankable star who plays likable

ALEX CROSS Rob Cohen STARRING Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox + Edward Burns DIRECTED BY

90 MINUTES | PG

Matthew Fox, Picasso is an assassin hired to take out high-profile targets.

He’s a real whack-job, this guy. Gets a kick out of torturing his targets before he kills them, and then leaves charcoal sketches at crime scenes.

Which, admittedly, in the right hands, could’ve lent the film an eerie, tense feel.

But here’s the thing: Picasso also leaves behind a path of evidence so in-your-face and traceable that my half-blind little cousin could see them. I kid you not.

And I think that’s the main reason this film grated on me so much.

It wasn’t Tyler Perry in the lead so much as it was the dead, lifeless, silly way the plot unfolded. The utter lack of tension took the piss out of the entire thing. Unfortunately.

Bring back Freeman. Until then, Alex Cross is a miss for me.

Another thing that torpedoed this movie was the…utter lack of supense.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

Now, you may be thinking “Alright, Mr. Overreaction … just relax.

Take a deep breath. The movie can’t be as bad you’re making it out to be.” Oh yes it can! In fact, Alex Cross is, hands down, the worst movie I’ve seen this year.

What makes it so bad? Well, let’s start with the casting of the main character. The last time we saw psychologist/detective Dr. Alex Cross, he was in a movie called Along Came a Spider; the time before that he was in Kiss The Girls. In both of those films, Dr. Cross was played by the always watchable, though only sometimes brilliant, Morgan Freeman.

characters. But casting him in this role is kind of like casting Woody Allen as Hannibal Lecter. Or Bruce Willis to play Martin Luther King, Jr. Another thing that torpedoed this movie was the complete and utter lack of suspense.

You’d think that a thriller would be suspenseful, right? Wrong.

Not once during the hour and a half running time will you think to yourself “what’s going to happen next?” The only thing that will keep you guessing is how, in the name of all things sacred, Dr. Cross can’t catch a clumsy killer who is known simply as “Picasso.” Played by

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A SENSORY EXPERIENCE

Ron Fricke’s new film Samsara is beautifully unsubtle.

BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

I

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

If you’re new to Fricke and his movie-making style, well then, lend me your ears (or should I say eyes?) and let me learn you about Samsara.

First off, you need to know that Samarsa is a Sanskrit word that means something along the lines of “the ever-turning wheel of life” or “the circle of life.”

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

Because Samsara is about more than just the flow of life. It’s about a

PHOTO: COURTESY OF OSCILLOSCOPE LABORATORIES

a good job of offering the viewer interesting and juxtaposed scenes of the world in which we live.

Shot in straight 70mm celluloid, these scenes — shown without narration or dialogue — burst from the screen in vivid color and profound depth.

There are numerous sequences, usually sped up, of mobs of people in urban environments, of people shopping, of convicts doing a

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

ADAM HAWBOLDT

planet spoiled by man. It’s about the ever-widening chasm between the rich and the poor. It’s about spirituality, religion, tranquility, and a world inhabited by people living an unbalanced life.

Yes, Samsara is about all that and more. Think of it as a sort of guided meditation through life and across the earth. A meditation fueled by images. From slums to office cubicles, from people working at a sex-doll assembly line to face-painted African tribal leaders, Fricke does

rehearsed dance in prison. These are contrasted with, for instance, a Hawaiian volcano erupting, or mind-blowing rock formations.

It’s all so achingly beautiful that, at first, you don’t realize how heavy handed it all is. How Fricke uses all these images to, time and time again, bang home the overlying idea of birth and renewal, of the cycle of life. After a while, though, it kind of feels repetitive. Like a song played over and over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, the whole thing is

SAMSARA DIRECTED BY

Ron Fricke Ron Fricke

CINEMATPOGRAPHY

99 MINUTES | G

beautiful and visually stimulating and intriguing. But there’s something missing. Maybe it’s just me, but I wanted more emotional weight.

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

This time around, though, that is missing. Rather, the images and the message all seem just a bit too contrived and beat-you-over-thehead apparent. Which is not to say Samsara is a bad movie. Far from it. It is a striking and profoundly gorgeous film that will titillate your senses all to hell. I just wish Fricke would’ve been a bit more subtle with his message so I could be sitting here typing something like “Samsara is superior to Baraka in every way,” instead of writing, “It was good, but…”

Samsara is currently being screened at the Roxy Theatre.

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 @

RED ZONE

Red Zone Premium Sports Bar 106 Circle Drive West (306) 978 6514 FEATURED DEALS / Buckets of Bud

Light for $16, and a carved roast and natural chips for $8 DRINK OF CHOICE / Bud Light TOP EATS / The triple header burger with fries

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The Double Deuce 3510 8th St E (306) 477 7000 MUSIC VIBE / Top 30 FEATURED DEALS / Highballs for

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

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1. Serve a drink 5. Mark points on a graph 9. Animal with a long head 10. Object-locating equipment 12. Dessert similar to a frappé 13. Continental glacier 15. Shot of liquor 16. Cattle moving together 18. Fasten with rope 19. Clearing of the throat sound 21. Eggs 22. The location of a property 23. Captain of industry

25. Morally correct 27. Troop withdrawal 29. God (with “The”) 32. Adam’s needle, for one 36. Gradient in a road 37. Small powerful boat 39. Game played riding horses 40. ___ rule 41. Lion features 43. Cooking container 44. Small fact 46. Pass by 48. Fight against 49. Business concern 50. Say is not true 51. Wide-mouthed water pitcher

DOWN

1. Hospital employee 2. Sphere 3. Accustomed 4. Modelled on a style of fashion from the past 5. Not for other people to know about 6. Delicate fabric 7. Lyric poem 8. Skillful move 9. Fuss 11. Indian salad 12. Attempt 14. Beauty treatment 17. Swarming 20. Lesson taught by a fable

22. A physical exercise 24. Light meshwork fabric 26. Winter feed 28. 100 percent 29. Pieces punched out of a punch card 30. Vertical part of a step 31. Ecstatic 33. Reddish-brown metal 34. Group taught together 35. Top-notch 38. Birds flying in a V formation 41. One’s general appearance 42. Cabbage salad 45. Primate 47. Type of beer

SUDOKU ANSWER KEY

A

B

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

CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS

ACROSS

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

TIMEOUT

© WALTER D. FEENER 2012

HOROSCOPES OCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25 ARIES March 21–April 19

LEO July 23–August 22

SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21

Change is constant, Aries, so don’t resist it. Especially this week.

Instead, embrace alterations as an opportunity to start things anew.

Things may be getting stale lately, Leo, so why not change it up. Try something new this week. An activity, a new type of food, anything.

Have you had your eye on something for awhile? Something that you just have to have? Well, Sagittarius, this is the week. Enjoy!

TAURUS April 20–May 20

VIRGO August 23–September 22

CAPRICORN December 22–January 19

In boxing, one of the first defensive things you learn is how to roll with the punches. Here’s hoping you figure out how to roll with life’s punches this week.

Inspiration: sometimes you have to chase it down with a stick, other times it chases you. This week, Virgo, prepare to be chased.

Frustration is going the be a word that comes to mind an awful lot this week, Capricorn. So grit your teeth, clench your jaw, and get ready for a doozy.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

LIBRA September 23–October 23

AQUARIUS January 20–February 19

Things been hectic for you lately, Gemini? Feel like a one-legged person in an arse-kicking contest? Breath easy — things will slow down soon.

Wanna do something spontaneous this week, Libra? Throw a party.

A big, ol’ bash. You could meet someone who will change your life.

What’s your biggest fear, Aquarius? The thing that scares you the most? This week, figure the answer to that, then face it. The time is now.

CANCER June 21–July 22

SCORPIO October 24–November 22

PISCES February 20–March 20

Have you been getting agitated lately, Cancer? If so, blow off some steam this week. Go have a drink with some friends, check out a show, have fun!

You will meet a tall dark stranger this week, Scorpio. Or maybe it’ll be a short, light one. Who knows — just remember, though, to be friendly.

Patience is a virtue, young grasshopper — especially this week.

But patient you must be, Pisces. For your good and the good of those around you.

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

CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY

A

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

B

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