Verb Issue 218 (Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 2012)

ISSUE #218 – NOVEMBER 30 TO DECEMBER 6

ARTS

CULTURE

MUSIC

SASKATOON

DRIFTING KIM CHURCHILL WITH

THE ARTIST’S EYE Joe Fafard on capturing movement HIPSTER CLASSICAL Q+A with Warhol Dervish THE ORANGES + KILLING THEM SOFTLY Films reviewed­

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JAMES LOOKER

CONTENTS

NEWS + OPINION

JOE FAFARD A celebrated artist talks capturing movement. 4 / LOCAL

CULTURE

ENTERTAINMENT

Q + A WITH WARHOL DERVISH

LISTINGS

Hipster classical totally rocks! 12 / Q + A

Local music listings for November 30 through December 8. 18 / LISTINGS

THE SHAMAN EXTERMINATOR

KILLING THEM SOFTLY & THE ORANGES

Adrian Stimson’s latest exhibit. 13 / ARTS

The latest movie reviews. 20 / FILM

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HOW THE CHIEF STOLE CHRISTMAS

NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS

EDITORIAL

A new version of an old play. 13 / ARTS

22-25 / NIGHTLIFE

We visit The Bassment and Flint.

ART & PRODUCTION

YANN MARTEL

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

On turning his best-selling novel into a major motion picture. 6 / LOCAL

ON THE COVER:

KIM CHURCHILL Kim finds a new home for his tunes in Canada. 14 / COVER

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

BUSINESS & OPERATIONS

ORGAN OVERHAUL

INDIA PALACE

ON THE BUS

Our thoughts on changing Canada’s donation practices. 8 / EDITORIAL

New chef Raghunadh Sharma brings a fresh spin to town. 16 / FOOD + DRINK

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 26 / COMICS

COMMENTS

MUSIC

GAMES + HOROSCOPES

Here’s what you had to say about free speech in universities. 10 / COMMENTS

Picture the Ocean, Machine Gun Kelly & Elizabeth Shepherd. 17 / MUSIC

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

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PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING & SHARING PHOTO: COURTESY OF ARNAUD ANCIAUX

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THE ARTIST’S EYE

Joe Fafard makes artwork for everyone BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

T

he Metropolitan Museum of Art is full of beautiful things.

Towering sculptures conceived by the incandescent minds of the Italian Renaissance repose next to oil paintings by the finest Dutch masters. A new generation of irreverent pioneers is cast against the finest objects from epochs long past. Joe Fafard has explored the vast collection many times, but he always comes back to a single piece.

“One of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever seen is a small carving by an Egyptian in the desert of a small gazelle,” Fafard says from his home north of Regina. “He carved it out of ivory. Whenever I go to New York, I go visit that piece. It sits there in a little glass box. I think that is one of the good things about art and art objects, be it paintings or sculpture: it is a conduit between one human being and another.”

Today, Joe Fafard is recognized as a regional artist who has transcended political borders and cultural boundaries. Known for titanic installations at public institutions across Canada, and distinctive

ceramic and metal miniatures that adorn mantlepieces around the world, Fafard’s art has escaped the borders of Saskatchewan without sacrificing its prairie roots. “Even the great works of art by Michelangelo were regional and localized in that area of Florence and Rome in their particular time,” Fafard says. “When you read Shakespeare, it’s really

carving out a sustainable career in the arts.“I had all kinds of compromises planned,” he laughs. “I didn’t expect that I would support myself so easily from my work. I expected I would have to take an outside job, like teaching school or doing commercial art in advertising.”

What ultimately allowed Fafard to give up his day job at the Univer-

[Art] is a conduit between one human being and another.

JOE FAFARD

about Elizabethan times and the values that people who lived during that time had. I don’t think you can work from abstract environments: you would live in a totally abstract world, devoid of subject.”

Fafard does not live in an abstract world; he lives in Saskatchewan, surrounded by subjects. Born in 1942 near Ste. Marthe, Fafard grew up in an area dominated by French and Métis influence. The people and things he knew best served as inspiration; the difficult part was

sity of Regina, and what continues to animate his creations, is an innate ability to capture in a single deft movement the essence of a thing.

Making art is an exercise in conveying an emotion or a feeling through a medium, not crafting a perfect likeness. Fafard’s sculptures are strikingly universal not because they contain photographic detail, but because he understands how to transform lumps of clay and metal into the things we remember. “When you try to think of a person who is CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF JOE FAFARD

absent who you know very well, you kind of see them in a way that reminds you about them,” he says, explaining that memory is triggered not by perfect likeness but by movements and gestures. “How they sit, how they concentrate and look at you when they are engaged with you. It’s very much like the process that everybody lives through in their daily experience of life; you just have to be able to condense some of it into a work.”

Fafard is best known for his ceramic portraits of his family and friends, as well as luminaries from art and politics, and his metal sculptures of animals. The thread linking them together is Fafard’s ability to observe and replicate posture and movement.

Stance conveys far more than realistic skin and accurate eyes ever could.

The strength of Fafard’s practice is his keen eye, his ability to observe and interpret. “You try and condense it to one gesture, one expression, one stance that will give you some information through body language about that particular person’s attitude and experience,” he says. “I don’t try to manipulate other people’s response.

I just try to bring out what I see.” This talent is ineffable, something that can be experienced but not dissected or

analyzed. What can be explained, however, is the subtle humour that pervades every aspect of his practice.

Fafard’s sculptures are beautiful, but they are also funny. From a certain point of view, things like people and cows and chickens are preposterous, strange agglomerations of flesh and blood and sinew that serve little practical purpose. “I think the human condition is humourous,” Fafard laughs, “the fact that we are conscious and can observe our environment, see the contradictions and the limitations. The humour is connected to affection and love.

That’s why we ought to celebrate life and celebrate the fact that we are here, but we’re not going to be forever. Better to enjoy it than to cry about it.”

Joe Fafard’s work has demolished obstacles because it is grounded in the most fundamental human activities: observation and communication. He has no ideology to preach, no viewpoint to drive home. All he has is a remarkable ability to see things and share his observations with the world. And because they are succinct enough, those observations are relatable. Fafard makes art

for everyone — and that, perhaps more than anything else, explains his success. “When I was a younger artist, in my twenties, there was a pretty big attitude around the art circles that the hoi polloi did not understand anything and there was no use reaching out to them,” he says. “And the hoi polloi was just ordinary people, like my dad.

Why do they have such disdain for them? They don’t even know them.

You want to say, ‘Let’s reach out to people, see if we can bring them to art, to the joy past artists have tried to put into their work.”

Just like the joy put into that gazelle three thousand years ago.

“When I think about that little gazelle in Egypt that was observed by a person how many thousands of years ago, and they observed the gesture, the way it was made, the anatomy of it, I think it’s a pretty exciting thing to have that kind of connection to other humans from times past and maybe times future.”

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YANN’S LIFE

PHOTO: COURTESY OF YANN MARTEL

Yann Martel’s life has been a whirlwind of late BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

Y

ann Martel is getting ready to speak.

It’s a Monday night, and Theatre 2 at the Galaxy in downtown Saskatoon is packed. There’s an anxious buzz in the air as people wait for the screening of the new movie based on Martel’s best-selling novel, Life of Pi. Standing at the front of the darkened room, microphone in hand, Martel is being filmed by a local news cameraperson. The light from the camera sends the author’s shadow, long and distorted, creeping up the blank white screen behind him. “Thanks for coming,” Martel says to the crowd. He then goes on to talk about why he decided to bring a screening of Life of Pi to Saskatoon.

About what brought him to the city in the first place, what has kept him here, and about the movie itself.

“Anyone who has read the book will realize just how faithful this movie is to it,” says Martel. “There are some minor differences, like there’s a love story in the film, but other than that it’s very much the same.”

Martel thanks the audience again, then advises them to watch the movie with the 3D glasses they’ve been given. “It’s the best way.”

Martel first saw the movie in New York City.

Two days before Life of Pi was set to premiere at the New York Film Festival, a theatre was rented out so that he and the lead actor of the movie, Suraj Sharma, could have a closed viewing. Neither of the men had seen the film before.

And, like millions of others who would see the film in the upcoming weeks, Martel was impressed.

“The first time I saw the movie, I thought it was visually dazzling,” says Martel, breaking off a piece of cookie while sitting in the Il Secondo coffee shop in Saskatoon. He puts the cookie in his mouth, chews, then says, “I thought it was leisurely in its pacing. Very faithful to the book, very well acted, technically accomplished. You know … the tiger, the life boat, that kind of stuff.” The second time Martel saw the movie was at the film festival, the third was in Montreal (where a portion of the movie is set), and the fourth was at the screening in Saskatoon. And the more he watched the film version of his book, the more Martel began to notice the little things, the inherent beauty in it all.

“Ang Lee, who directed the film, is really good at creating tableaus,” explains Martel. “He’s really good at creating beautiful scenes, but with movies, they’re moving all the time so you don’t really have time to linger on just one. So the advantage

of having seen it four times now is that I’m becoming more familiar with the scenes so I can appreciate them more. There are several tableaus in the Pacific — still ones, with the lifeboat, the tiger — that I can look at now better because I’ve seen them more often. Same goes for some of the shots in India. Now that I’m more familiar, I can linger a bit more and I’ve come to appreciate more the visual quality of the film.”

Directed by the incomparable Lee, Life of Pi the movie (like the book) tells the story of a young Indian boy named Piscine “Pi” Patel. Pi is a religious lad whose family owns a zoo in Pondicherry, India. After a series of economic issues, the Patel family find themselves emigrating to Canada — and taking their animals with them. The beasts are stowed away in the hull of a Japanese ship and the family sets sail. But in rough seas near Marianas Trench, tragedy strikes. The ship sinks, and Pi ends up stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, fighting for survival in the vast Pacific Ocean.

And if you talk to Martel, those are two of the things that really wowed him about the film — the treatment of the sinking ship and the Bengal tiger.

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

they’re not very good at describing objects or at describing cataclysmic events like, for example, the sinking of a ship,” explains the author. “Part two of the book begins, literally, ‘The ship sank.’ And I have a few more descriptive jabs and I quickly move on to what Pi’s reaction is … In the movie, those three words ‘the ship sank’ are done incredibly powerfully.”

Indeed they are.

every time it appears on screen, but it’s virtually impossible to tell when they’re using one of the four tame tigers on set, or when the creature is a CGI version.

“The tiger was extraordinary,” admits Martel. “When the tiger jumps off the lifeboat, remember that scene? That’s a real tiger. And when you see the camera underneath, that’s also a real tiger. But, do you remember early on when Pi is a little boy and he meets Richard

Books are very good for describing ideas and emotions, but they’re not very good at describing … cataclysmic events…

YANN MARTEL

The cinematic treatment of the sinking ship is intense, dramatic, and visually stunning. And the scene when Pi is underwater while the ship is sinking beneath him, well, it’s absolutely beautiful. The way the lights of the ship beam below the waters of the Pacific, eerily contrasted against the black depths of the ocean, will linger with you long after the movie is over.

So too will the scenes involving the tiger, Richard Parker. Not only does the beast command your attention

Parker for the first time, and he’s holding a piece of meat and Richard Parker is coming down the corridor? In that scene all the tiger does is walk up, stare, then come a bit closer. I thought for sure one of the four tame tigers they had could’ve done that, but no. That’s a CGI tiger, and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference.”

begins to clap. It’s just a smattering at first, but then the theatre erupts into noise as full-blown applause sweeps through the audience. After that come the whispers.

“Amazing,” says one voice.

“Absolutely stunning,” says another.

Amid all the hubbub, Yann Martel wends his way down the stairs from the back of the theatre. He’s greeted by many well-wishers along the way.

“That was terrific,” says a man in passing.

Martel thanks him, pausing for a moment, before he keeps on walking. Outside the theatre doors, the author mills about, chatting with friends and other attendees. He stays mingling for a bit, then heads over to the counter to pay for all the free popcorn and drinks he had purchased for the crowd.

Martel lingers around Galaxy Cinemas until nearly all his guests have left. And only then does he head home for, one can only guess, a much needed rest.

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As the final credits roll and the lights come up in Theatre 2, the audience

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EDITORIAL

ORGAN OVERHAUL Updating how we become organ donors will save lives

D

id you know that every week, five Canadians die because the organ they need to live is not available for transplant?

This staggering figure comes courtesy of the Donation Project, a nonprofit organization in Canada whose aim is to increase the number of registered donors across the country.

Now, we understand that not everyone wants to be an organ donor. Some choose not to because of religious beliefs, or they may perceive it as a desecration of the body after death. You may be one of these people. And that’s cool. We support your right to choose whether or not you want to be an organ donor.

Here’s the thing, though: a lot of people don’t sign up for reasons that are less than stellar. For instance, some people simply can’t be bothered to put the Organ & Tissue Donor sticker on their health card or fill out the Consent Under The Human Tissue Act form that comes with the card. Then there are those who refuse to sign up because they believe in the myths surrounding organ donation. These are the people who say, “Oh, I’m too old to donate” or “If doctors see my card they won’t work hard to save my life,” or our personal favourite, “After the reckless life I’ve lived, who the hell would want my organs?”

None of those things are true. Your age or “reckless lifestyle” doesn’t automatically prevent you from being

a donor. And trust us: a doctor is going to work to save you, whether or not you’re willing to offer up a lung or a kidney for another person.

So why are we talking about this now? Well, obviously Canada is facing a healthcare issue when it comes to organ donation. In fact, our national donation rates in Canada have been stagnant since 2006.

Which would be fine and dandy if, you know, our rates were high to begin with. But they aren’t.

While 95 percent of Canadians say that they support organ and tissue donation, the Donation Project has found that only about 35 percent of people are actual donors. And considering that as of mid-way through 2012 roughly 4,800 patients are waiting for transplants in Canada, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, that percentage is entirely too low.

So what can be done to eradicate this gap and fix the problem? Well, a new study out of Alberta suggests that Canadians would be more inclined to donate their organs and tissues if they were given money for doing so. And while there is some merit to that suggestion, we believe the answer lies elsewhere — in a nationally integrated opt-out system.

Obviously the current opt-in system isn’t working as well as it should. And while the idea of financial compensation (or any other incentives, like funeral expenses being taken care of) for organ donation may work better

than our current system, we feel the best way to help people and save lives is with an opt-out system.

This would provide the best of both worlds. If you were adamantly against organ and tissue donation for whatever reason, all you have to do is fill out a card and bingo! Your organs will go to the grave with you, safe and sound.

What’s more, an opt-out system would also encourage people to talk to their loved ones about what to do with their organs and tissues while increasing the amount of organs and tissue available for transplant.

Sure, this may seem like a simplistic solution, but consider this: in the New York Times’ piece “Opting In vs. Opting Out,” Richard Thaler notes that in Germany, which uses an opt-in system, only 12 percent of the population gives their consent to be donors. In Austria, which uses an opt-out, a staggering 99 percent agree to donate.

And if so many people are dying on waiting lists, then isn’t it worth giving this a shot?

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

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COMMENTS

ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about the state of free speech on Canada’s university campuses. Here’s what you had to say:

– Definitely agree with free speech. Its easy to stand behind it and then shrink away when an unpopular opinion wants its turn to talk (went to uni in 80s and gay rights were a hot button issue).

You gotta take the good n the bad dialogue is the only way we can go

Text yo thoughtsur to 881 VE R B 8372

– Typical lefty universities shut down any talk that might not be PC abortion is a sin deal with it don’t silence us!

– Free speech defendors? Ok here u go: I don’t like you verb :D

– Sure protect free speech but what about the people who would like to pursue their education and life on campus without having malformed and incorrect images of a fetus shoved in their face what about those people.

– Free speech is something we should vitally strive to protect, especially on universities. The tricky bit is where free speech and hate speech intersect. That line is blurry and difficult to parse.

But the conversations are always worth having.

OFF TOPIC – How is protecting the rights of people who spew hateful, misinformed ideological beliefs empowering to anyone? Makes no sense to me

– On topic: The U of R students made a mistake and should get a second chance.

In response to “School Break,” Editorial page, #216 (November 16, 2012)

SOUND OFF – The Grey Cup is the only championship Toronto will ever win since hockey just ain’t thier game!! HA HA HA! The Leafs suck!!

– This so called labor shortage is BS. Plenty of bodies in Sask.

Employers are just being too picky and cheap. Good wages treat employees well, no labor problems!

– Why don’t they have guys to hand out Verb like the Metro does? Seems like if you guys want to keep your readers you should keep up with compitition.

– I’ve seen at least 4 people totally bite it walked across campus, disappearing suddenly into a puff of snow as they erratically fall to

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the ground. Which would be real funny if you knew that at any second that could be you.

– Out of Town Losing your liscene for 08 Then using combine to go to the bar

– Had to bust a move to stay on my feet ystrdy. Yee Hah! Its breakdancing season. Even Sask elders put L.A. hip hoppers to shame. (you can break something)

– We work very very hard at accentuating the differences between men and women with hair clothes makeup etc. This is a fairly chauvinistic homophobic society!

– You could say that a belief in Santa Claus is dogmatic. Yet people all over the place embrace the idea and don’t bat an eye. I prefer to believe in Jesus Christ and don’t apologize for my beliefs.

You believe what you wish.

– Ever notice how girls jeans are so tight and guys jeans look like they will fall down?

– I don’t want to force my perspective on you. We do however live in a country of free speech. I choose to believe in God. You don’t. That’s your choice. I’m not knocking that.

I just would like to see some Christian support out there and don’t want Christianity to fade away. It is your choice to believe whatever you like. So don’t think I’m forcing my perspective on you because that was not my intention.

– To the txtr who said keeping Christ in Christmas is dogmatic. I also don’t believe in god (atheist) but I think when both sides accuse each other of pushing views whenever they say something is counterintuitive. I didn’t feel the OP was dogmatic, they were just expressing their wish. So for u I hope ur holiday is secular and to the OP I hope u don’t lose your love of christ in this season. Appreciating each other is what we should be doing this time of year. Peace.

– You give my life a hope that’s real ‘cause when I’m with you you take me away to another world.

– What is this white stuff some one asked . it’s called snow love it or go back where you came from.

– Cold winters build character. I doubt that Californians know what Canadian winters are all about.

– Why can ‘t you drive when winter comes! Slow down and don ‘ t drive so close . It comes every year.

– Cars going down freeway with snowbank on roof and windows frosted up Dumb idea

– It’s Christmas not Xmas.

– Keep the Chanukkah in xmas

– We lost our dear father husband grandfather and freind. Dad was a very special person and touched very many hearts. I will and already miss him very much. You are free from agony now dad and you will be beside us everyday and with every step we take. Life with you was a gift full of laughter so many good times and yes very tearfull in the end. You were so strong and you fought so hard never complaining or showing any fear. You hid your greif and pain inside only to keep us from crying.

You always smiled reguardless of your fear and wanted us to always stay strong and smiling with you.

You were very dear to me and im so thankful for everything you have taught me in life. We had very many cherished memories

that I will carry with me forever and held me when I cried. Love u forever xoxo

– Merry Christmas Everyone!

NEXT WEEK: What do you think about changing organ donor policies? Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation:

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HIPSTER CLASSICAL

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Warhol Dervish brings chamber music from the concert hall to the rock club BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

W

arhol Dervish would be a good name for a rock band.

Or a synthesizer-heavy new wave outfit inspired by ancient religious practices. The members of Warhol Dervish are certainly attracted to these ideas, but they don’t play pop or rock or even new wave. Far from it. Warhol Dervish plays hipster classical. An unorthodox (to say the least) string quartet, they are bent on bringing classical from the concert hall to the jazz club and the rock bar. Playing music by classically-trained pop musicians like Bryce Dessner and Richard ReedParry, Warhol Dervish blurs the line between stuffy classical and accessible pop while affirming that good music is good music, regardless of form or style. I caught up with violinist Carissa Klopoushak, a Saskatoon expat, to learn more.

Alex J MacPherson: Let’s talk about bringing classical into the 21st century.

Why is that so important to you?

Carissa Klopoushak: Well, why isn’t it so important? It’s our livelihood. I think there’s a real need to connect as artists with the people that you’re playing for. There’s also a real need at this point to pare down the perceived elitism of classical music. We are strong believers in the idea that music is music. People generally like to listen to music of most kinds, in ways where they’re comfortable.

AJM: So it’s about presenting classical music in a new and fresh way?

sical composition tradition, but very aware of current trends in other kinds of music. And the lines have totally been blurred. None of us only play Mozart. Most classical musicians are in that same position, actually, it’s just that we don’t get to showcase it often.

CK: The real goal was to do the unexpected. What’s really neat about this group is that right now we’re playing this kind of 21st century music. The composers are the same age we are. It’s hipster classical, really.

AJM: And yet this is still chamber music.

AJM: So tell me: what exactly is hipster classical?

CK: It is chamber music. And I’ve always equated chamber music with the indie band. It’s a small group of people getting together, collaborat-

CK: I think it’s something relatable.

Most people that would attend an indie

[W]e’re playing this kind of 21st century music…it’s hipster classical, really.

CARISSA KLOPOUSHAK

rock show would really like this kind of music. There’s an accessibility. If we’re talking about the hipster world, you have the arena concert featuring Radiohead and the small show at Amigos. It’s the same kind of thing, paring it down to seeing a local band playing Amigos — a little more independent, a different way of presenting it.

ing, it’s more of a conversation. The roots of chamber music are in parties where people would sit down and read together and other people would stand behind and watch. It would always be new music, the hot off the press Haydn quartet. There’s a real gap being bridged right now.

Warhol Dervish December 13 @ The Bassment $15/20

AJM: So it’s a fairly informal type of music, less dressed-up than a symphony in a concert hall?

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CK: There’s a little bit of a dresseddown approach, but that’s not the focal point. It’s music that’s universally relatable and it’s absolutely steeped in clas-

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THE SHAMAN EXTERMINATOR Culture, ownership, and appropriation then and now BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

A

nything can happen when Adrian Stimson unleashes his provocative alter egos, Buffalo Boy and the Shaman Exterminator.

Marrying coquettish performance art with serious questions about the past and future of our society, Stimson’s style lampoons stereotypes and misapprehensions with a smile and a wink. His latest exhibition, The Shaman Exterminator: On the trail of the Woodcraft Indians with the Buffalo Boy Scouts of America, explores the appropriation of indigenous culture, and the evolution of taboo in a society divided.

“Appropriation of course is pretty big in my life, especially as a First Nations person,” Stimson says, referring to the practice of “becoming Indian.”

Stimson’s current work focuses on the life of Ernest Thompson Seton, who founded the Woodcraft Indians in 1902. An organization for young men,

the Woodcraft Indians romanticized and appropriated aboriginal lore.

“It was very interesting to see how those appropriations came about, but also how they were either exaggerated or then of course layered with Eurocentric ideas,” Stimson says. “Although Seton does acknowledge some of the people he talked to, which is a good thing, you do see the very fine line of ownership.”

What transforms Stimson’s work from thoughtless diatribe into thoughtful exploration of ownership is an awareness of time. The Shaman Exterminator acknowledges that Seton’s work was not considered to be in poor taste at the time. Rather than skewer him for wantonly exploiting aboriginals, the exhibition asks how our views have evolved — a germane question in light of the recent Victoria’s Secret boondoggle — and how we ought to view our actions today.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF COLLIN ZIPP

“If anything, he really truly did love Indian life and Indian lore and the ways of the First Nations people,” Stimson says of Seton. “It’s important to recognize that.”

Pointing to the idea of “becoming Indian,” Stimson says he hopes people will consider their own actions using the lens of contemporary sensitivity.

Ultimately, he says, “I think we always take a few steps forward, a few steps back.” But The Shaman Exterminator is a big step forward.

The Shaman Exterminator Through December 8 @ Paved Arts

HOW THE CHIEF STOLE CHRISTMAS An old play gets some new clothes BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

H

ow the Chief Stole Christmas is not a new play. In fact, it is one of the most popular productions the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company has ever staged. This year, however, the tale of greed and investigation on a fictional reserve is getting a radical overhaul. And playwright Curtis Peeteetuce couldn’t be happier.

“It’s a remount from 2003,” Peeteetuce explains. “We did this show in English back then, and this year I was inspired by an aboriginal cast that I saw perform King Lear in Ottawa. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, these actors have really pulled off the Shakespearean language, and they’ve never performed it before. Why can’t we do that with out own language?’”

On a whim, Peeteetuce decided to translate How the Chief Stole Christmas into Cree — a major project considering his lack of fluency in the language. “I knew I was creating a monster,” he laughs. “I knew that I was really ambitious in actually saying this is what we’re going to do this year. There’s so much involved with this.”

According to Peeteetuce, this is the first time in Canadian history a project of this size has been attempted. To pull it off, the SNTC employed six fluent Cree speakers to translate the script. But that was only the beginning. Peeteetuce is a theatre veteran, but staging How the Chief Stole Christmas in Cree sent him back to school. “I’ve been learning that we have to take a new approach to the basic rehearsal process,” he says.

Rather than simply read the lines off the page, the actors — Lacey Eninew, Arron Naytowhow, Gloria Okeynan, and Waylon Machiskinic — are relying on physical movements to jog their audio memories.

Performing in Cree is an intimidating prospect, but Peeteetuce thinks the cast is more than up to the challenge.

And English-speaking audiences will benefit from surtitles and the natural correlation between sound and emotion. “Funny is funny in any language,” he laughs.

Ultimately, Peeteetuce hopes the project inspires other aboriginal communities to animate their lives with indigenous language. “We’re doing it through the arts, but we hope to inspire others … to know that the arts are a very good way for us to keep the language alive.”

How the Chief Stole Christmas 29 November–8 December La Troupe Du Jour (914 20th Street W) $16 @ Persephone Box Office

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CONTINENTAL DRIFT Kim Churchill’s music finds a new home in Canada

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

E

very coin has two sides, heads and tails.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of Kim Churchill. The young Australian songwriter seems perfectly content with a simple life on the beach, with nothing but blinding sun and painfully blue breakers for company. At the same time, Churchill is powerless to resist the lure of the stage. Which is why he plans on spending the next month wearing a parka and huddling in the back of a van, making his way across the frozen prairie landscape for one more night under the lights.

Churchill was born in Canberra and raised in Merimbula, a small city 400 miles north of Melbourne.

Surfing came easily. His parents had other ideas. “My mom was quite a creative musical person, and the guitar was the direction she sort of nudged me in,” he chirps. “My dad started wanting me to have some kind of more structured way forward, so he enrolled me in classical guitar.” By the time he turned 17, Churchill was a technically proficient and deeply knowledgeable guitar player — and then he started to rebel

against the strictures of classical music. “Everything had to be done in a certain way,” he says. “You had to sit in a certain position and your hands had to be held a certain way. I think I started to rebel against that, and that sort of led me in the direction of becoming incredibly experimental — which is the journey I’m on.”

That journey has carried Churchill halfway around the world. He is pleased with the idea of living and working in Canada. “It’s brilliant,” he says. “Most Australians, when they go to a tavern or something, they talk

more than explore, however. Since arriving and signing to Indica Records, Churchill has released a pair of albums and played dozens if not hundreds of shows. His latest, Detail of Distance, showcases not only his towering guitar chops but also a sensitivity and maturity absent in so many 21-year-olds.

Beyond the initial astonishment that a record of such emotional depth can come from such a young man, Detail of Distance is difficult to nail down. Sonically, Churchill is all over the map. Delicate ballads bracket raucous bar anthems and the

I think just purely through naïveté I allowed myself to go in every and any direction I wanted to.

KIM CHURCHILL

about going to Europe or Indonesia or Asia. Very few mention Canada, which I don’t understand. I always tell everybody it’s been the most incredible country to explore over the last few years.” Churchill has done much

whole thing would feel a bit uneven if Churchill wasn’t such a talented songwriter. “I think just purely through naïveté I allowed myself to go in every and any direction I wanted to,” he laughs. “I just had so CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF JAMES LOOKER

many ideas and I didn’t try to make them all follow any specific flow.”

What keeps Detail of Distance on the rails is Churchill’s ability to write coherent songs that follow a simple yet remarkably thoughtful arc. The album is dominated by a pair of complementary themes: the tyranny of distance and a love of the sea.

Churchill writes what he knows.

“That’s the whole concept behind Detail of Distance,” he says, “the clarity that space can give you, space in time or physical distance between you and something. [The songs] are looking at

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

something from far enough away to see it clearly.” From “Seasons Grind,” a manic electric guitar-driven stomp animated by a shrieking blues harp, to “Dying Sun,” which shows just how much Churchill can accomplish with

nothing but an acoustic guitar and his raspy voice, Detail of Distance is brimming with references to space, time, and loss.

“It gives you freedom in a lot of different areas,” Churchill says of living in a place where going anywhere takes time. “That gives you an incredible amount of freedom in the sense that time is accepted. It also means that we’re excited to see people.

We’re not yet at a stage where it’s weird to smile at somebody when you’re walking down the street.”

Time and space are opportunities to learn more about ourselves. The same is true of the ocean.

Detail of Distance doesn’t draw as heavily on the sea as Churchill’s earlier records, but Churchill’s fascination is plain on “Sarah” (“She said give me back the crashing waves, and the storm I fight to flee / Make my life a struggle, it reminds me why I’m free”). “It’s always been a very strong theme for me lyrically, and I rely on the ocean for a lot of things,” he explains. “Within [surfing] there is a whole set of rules and way of life, and lessons I’ve been able to apply to the rest of my life. You’re never able to control the elements, so you’re forced to be patient. And it forces you

to act when it is good. You have to drop everything when it’s good or accept that you’re not going to be able to do it. And once you get out there, the ocean is always different. No one wave has ever broken the same.” Just like people.

Detail of Distance is refreshing because it captures a single moment, seen through the eyes of a remarkably articulate young man. What appears to have solidified his reputation as an artist, however, is what he does with the songs onstage. On the record, each song is fully-formed, realized as layer after layer of lush sonic textures. Onstage, they are skeletal: little more than a melody, a voice, and a hope. Which is exactly what Churchill wants. “It’s just something that seems to naturally happen, because I think that they are such different projects,” he says of recording and performing. “Delivering music for somebody to just listen to, what you want to create sonically becomes vastly different from what

you have the ability to create if they are watching you as a performer.”

Onstage, Churchill plays guitar and uses a variety of effects to beef up the sound. If albums are perfectlypreserved records of moments past, concerts are the moments themselves, and like the waves Churchill knows so well, they are never the same. “I do like to be very loyal to the songs once we get into the studio,” he says. “And if I feel like they need something once I get into the studio, I’ve learned to not hold back, to not deny the song something it deserves purely because it’s not going to be something I can do live. I’m quite proud to be an artist that does differ largely from the live show to the album. And I think the continuity comes in the songs, in the melodies, and that’s where I put most of my work — into the songs.”

But it makes little difference whether you hear Churchill’s songs in a crowded bar or through a pair of headphones. And like all good songs,

they can stand on their own, whatever the format. “That was one of the big things I tried to do,” the Australian admits. “I’m never going to pay much attention to what’s happening musically in the world. I’ve just accepted that with this album there was no way it was going to be any kind of competition against other records in terms of being cutting-edge or on the edge of what’s really happening. Instead of that I really tried to focus on creating something that would find the people that like it — and that the people who like it would find it.”

He wanted to do it. He did it. And they’re finding it.

Kim Churchill December 12 @ Amigos $8 at the door (306 ) 881 (306 ) 881 Feedback? Text 8372 Feedback?

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NEW CHEF IN TOWN Photography courtesy of Adam Hawboldt.

Raghunadh Sharma breathes fresh life into India Palace

BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

R

aghunadh Sharma knows a thing or two about cooking.

Born in India, Sharma began his career in 1978 at a Taj Hotel as a dessert chef. From there he went to the Ambassador Hotel, where he began to extend his talents beyond the dessert realm, and started making entrées and such.

That gig lasted until 1992 — the year he took a leap of faith and moved to Bermuda.

“I was a chef in Bermuda for decades,” explained Sharma. “I had my own restaurant and I worked in hotels there until 2010.”

It is needless to say that, along the way, a man like Sharma — who is wildly passionate about food — was bound to become good at what he does. And now he’s brought his knowledge and passion to Saskatoon as the new chef at India Palace on 8th Street.

Having lived around the corner from the restaurant for the past year,

I’ve ordered India Palace a time or two, good reader. And let me tell you: the food there has improved by leaps and bounds!

Not knowing what Sharma’s best dishes were, I left my fate in his

lent: the chicken was moist and the marinade was spiced to perfection.

First thing I did was dip a piece of chicken in the mint sauce. It’s coolness contrasted nicely with the subtle spice of the meat for a wellbalanced bite. In the spirit of keeping things fair, I then tried a piece with the tamarind sauce and large smile spread across my face. Without babbling on too much about it, let’s just say the tamarind sauce was so good, I considered tipping back the bowl and just drinking it.

When the meal was finished I tossed my napkin on the table and prepared to leave.

That’s when Sharma came out with a platter of food.

On it was lamb rogan josh (the meat was succulent; the sauce, topped with shreds of fresh garlic, was terrific), basmati rice (mixed with saffron and cilantro), garlic naan bread and a plate of sweet Indian desserts. I ate as much as I could before tapping out.

Sharma is the kind of cook who can easily make me overeat…

ADAM HAWBOLDT

hands. When asked what I wanted, I simply replied: “Whatever’s good.”

What was brought out to me was the chicken tikka masala.

Served with two dipping sauces (one mint, the other tamarind), cucumber, lettuce, tomato and topped with coriander, the tikka was excel-

But by the time I was stuffed to the point of explosion I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Sharma is the kind of cook who can easily make me overeat because his fare is so darn good.

What a difference a new chef can have in a restaurant!

India Palace 1501 8th St. E | 244 6777

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LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE MUMBAI SURPRISE

INGREDIENTS

Pairing Indian food with cocktails is no easy task. But the next time you dig into some tikka masala or rogan josh, try them with this delightful drink. You won’t be disappointed.

20ml tamarind syrup 30ml dry vermouth 2 ounces tequila 5ml sweet vermouth 35ml gin 30ml lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Place ice into a shaker. Add syrup, vermouth, gin and lemon juice.

Shake well and fine-strain into a chilled highball glass. *To make tamarind syrup, oil a block of crushed tamarind in water for around an hour. Fine-strain and mix in the same quantity of sugar.

16 NOV 30 – DEC 6 CULTURE

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MUSIC

NEXT WEEK

COMING UP

PICTURE THE OCEAN

MACHINE GUN KELLY

ELIZABETH SHEPHERD

@ LYDIA’S PUB FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 – $5

@ THE ODEON EVENTS CENTRE SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 – $40+

@ THE BASSMENT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4 – $13/18

Once upon a time, this band went by the name Jesse Dee & Jacquie B (JDJB to fans), and their music, while oozing with influences ranging from rock to jazz, was very laid-back and folksy. These days, though, the group — consisting of Jesse Dee (vocals, electric and acoustic guitar), Jacquie B (lead and harmony vocals, keys, accordion) and new addition Matt Blackie (drums, harmony, vocals) — are singing a new tune. Literally. Not only did they change their name to Picture the Ocean, but their sound is different. It’s more poppy, upbeat and alt-rock than roots, and so far it’s been well received. So much so that recently Picture the Ocean rocked the bejesus out of adoring audiences during a UK/European tour. Now it’s your chance to see them live.

When you listen to his song “Chip off the Block,” a couple of things become abundantly clear.

One, Richard Colson Baker (aka Machine Gun Kelly) comes by his stage name honestly. With a rapidfire flow like his, any other name wouldn’t do him justice. Second, the dude is good — seriously good. In fact, he’s good enough to be signed

by Bad Boy and Interscope Records.

Before he was signed, however, MGK (as his fans call him) became the first rapper to ever win first place at the famed Apollo Theater Amateur Night Competition. That was in 2009, and since then he’s release a few studio albums, blown up YouTube and won fans across the continent. See theodeon.ca for more ticket info.

To say that Elizabeth Shepherd is good at what she does is an understatement. Why? Well, not only has the Toronto-based jazz singer/ songwriter/pianist/arranger sold out legendary jazz venues like Tokyo’s Cotton Club and Detroit’s Cliff Bell’s, but along with Esperanza Spalding and José James she’s credited with reinventing jazz for a younger, hipper audience. Not too shabby for someone who released her debut record, Start To Move, a mere five years ago.

Oh, and did I mention she’s the only jazz vocalist to ever be long-listed for the Polaris Prize? Well, she is. So maybe you should take a break out of your hectic winter schedule and swing by The Bassment in February to see what she’s all about. It’ll be one show you won’t want to miss.

– By Adam Hawboldt

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

SASK MUSIC PREVIEW Interested in performing at JUNOfest, the annual music festival that will showcase the best Canadian artists in venues across Regina and Moose Jaw? Submissions will be accepted until January 11, 2013, and the event will take place during JUNO week (April 15-21, 2013). Interested artists can check out http://marcatoapp. com/website_integration/junofest2013/artists/ to apply. Open to Canadian artists only; must be at least 19 to apply.

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

17 NOV 30 – DEC 6 @VERBSASKATOON

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LISTINGS

NOVEMBER 30 » DECEMBER 8 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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FRIDAY 30 HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere all night long. Come on down and enjoy. 9pm / No cover

PROPAGANDHI, THE REBEL SPELL, REHASHED / Amigos — A night of hard-rock and punk. 10pm / $18 (ticketedge.ca) PIANO FRIDAYS: MARION MENDELSOHN / The Bassment — Enjoy some smooth jazz stylings. 4:30pm / No cover ROOTS SERIES: SASKATOON SONGWRITER FEST / The Bassment — Seven up-and-coming songwriters hit the stage.

9pm / Cover $12/16 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a top 40 dance party. 9pm / $5 cover LITTLE MISS HIGGINS / Broadway Theatre — Old-time country sprinkled with jazz and folk. 8pm / $28 GONG SHOW / Buds — One of Saskatoon’s premier party bands. 10pm / $6 OVERCOME / Crown & Rok -- A local hard rock group. 9pm

PHANTOM RADIO, HARD HONEY / The Fez — A night of high-energy rock and roll.

9pm / $8 DJ ECLECTIC / Hose & Hydrant — Featuring local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic. 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks. 9pm / $5 cover WIL W/ RYAN MCMAHON / Lydia’s — Some cool roots rock music. 10pm / $5 DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — A rad country rock party. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm CAILA ELLERMAN / Prairie Ink — Sweet, gentle melodies from a local singer. 8pm / No cover THE CHICKADEES / Somewhere Else Pub — A night of good music. 9pm / No cover CHARLY HUSTLE / Spadina Freehouse — Local DJ spins the songs you want to hear. 9pm / Cover TBD IDLE RAINS / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking country. 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 DISLEXIK + MERN / Tequila — Two dope DJs, one night of dancing. 9pm JEFF STUART AND THE HEARTS / Vangelis Tavern — A night of sweet roots music.

10pm / $5

SATURDAY 1

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes. 9pm / No cover TOM FUN ORCHESTRA / Amigos — Think Tom Waits with an east-coast flair. 10pm PIANO SERIES: TOMMY BANKS AND PJ PERRY / The Bassment — Featuring two of Canada’s most respected jazz musicians. 9pm / $35/40 KNAR, CLOUDFIGHT, CHRONOBOT, DANNY HANSON / Beaumont Film + Record — A night of sonic explosions. 8pm / $5 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL. 9pm / $5 cover NIGHTRAIN / Buds — A Guns N’ Roses tribute band. 10pm / Cover $6 HARRESON JAMES / Bugsy’s (Lawson Heights) — Blending classic and modern rock with blues. 9pm JUMBO / The Fez — Also featuring Lords Kitchner, Pandas in Japan and Old Towns. 10pm / $8 DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks.

9pm / $5 TIFF HALL / Lydia’s — A soulful songstress from Edmonton. 9pm / Cover TBD

SKYLAB / Lydia’s — A monthly cosmic club night in the Loft. 9pm / $5 DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — There’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 JAMES IRVING / Prairie Ink — Acoustic guitar and vocals. 8pm / No cover THE CHICKADEES / Somewhere Else Pub — A night of good music and good times.

9pm / No cover FUSE COLLECTIVE / Spadina Freehouse — Sweet beats from this group of artists.

9pm / Cover TBD IDLE RAINS / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking country. 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 — Dropping the dope beats that’ll move your feet. 9pm / Cover TBD MYLES AND THE BLANKS / Vangelis — Come down for their album release!

10pm / $5

SUNDAY 2

INDUSTRY NIGHT / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff PETUNIA / Gillian Snider’s House — Rockabilly blues. 8pm / $10 (advance @ gillians@sasktel.net), $15 door

18 NOV 30 – DEC 6 ENTERTAINMENT

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DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up. 8pm / No cover SUNDAY JAM / Vangelis — The Vangelis Sunday Jam offers great tunes from blues to rock and beyond. 7:30pm / No cover

MONDAY 3

ASTRONAUTALIS / Amigos — Alternative hip-hop from south of the border. 10pm / $12 (ticketedge.ca) METAL MONDAYS / Lydia’s Pub — If hard, heavy awesomeness is your thing, swing by and listen to some killer music. 9pm

TUESDAY 4

DEEP DARK WOODS / Amigos — Local alt-country at its finest. 10pm / $18 (ticketedge.ca) BAD DOG / Buds on Broadway — Come rock the night away. 10pm / $6 DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce — This crowd favourite is able to rock any party. 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 CORB LUND / The Odeon — Awesome country music from a real talent. 8pm / $36.25 (Ticketmaster) 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 BAD DOG / Buds on Broadway — Come rock the night away. 10pm / $6 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 MOTHER MOTHER / The Odeon — Come out for some killer indie rock. 7pm / $36.25 (Ticketmaster) WILD WEST WEDNESDAY / Outlaws — Hosted by DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman.

Come ride the mechanical bull. 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

THURSDAY 6

JAZZ JAM: RICHARD HAUBRICH TRIO / The Bassment — If you play an instrument or sing, come down and jam. 8pm / $5 (free for jammers) THE SEEKERS / Buds — A four-piece you won’t want to miss. 10pm / $6 THROWBACK THURSDAYS / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover THUNDER RIOT W/CONKY SHOWPONY / The Fez on Broadway — 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! 8pm / $5; free cover with student ID before 11pm MC LOVE / Lounge 306 — Shisha, international beats and belly dancing. 8pm / No cover

FRIDAY 7

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover POOR YOUNG THINGS / Amigos — Sweet rock and roll straight from Thunder Bay. 10pm / Cover TBD PIANO FRIDAYS: BRETT BALON / The Bassment — Come enjoy some smooth jazz stylings. 4:30pm / No cover ROOTS SERIES: BELLE PLAINE / The Bassment — A singer/songwriter with a voice you can’t ignore. 9pm / Cover $15/20 DESTRIER, SYNAPSE, THE HADRONS / Beaumont Film + Record — Come check out this wicked three-act line-up. 8pm / Cover TBD AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — With over 25 years of DJ experience, Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party. 9pm / $5 cover SCREAMER / Buds on Broadway — Highenergy classic rock. 10pm / $6 BED OF ROSES / Crown & Rok — A Bon Jovi tribute group. 9pm / $10 advance; $15 door THE ROWDYMEN / Dakota Dunes — Canada’s premier ‘50s rock and roll show band. 8:30pm / SOLD OUT

BLACK HELL OIL W/ THE REBEL O’S / The Fez — Loud-ass rock and roll. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ ECLECTIC / The Hose — Turntable whiz pumps snappy beats. 8pm DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local crowd favourite rocks. 9pm / $5 ELUVEITIE / Louis’ — Swiss folk metal music. 7pm / $27 (Ticketmaster) DJ BUTTERZ / Lounge 306 — Top 40 songs. 8pm / Cover TBD PATSY CLINE SHOW + DANCE / Nutana Royal Canadian Legion — Featuring special guest England. 8pm / $10 (available @ Nutana Legion or McNally Robinson) DJS BIG AYYY & HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar— There’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm THE STANDARDS TRIO / Prairie Ink — Smooth jazz licks. 8pm / No cover TIM VAUGHN / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — A slick blues/rock/acoustic entertainer. 9pm / No cover.

RED BLAZE / Stan’s Place — Come out for some rocking country. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests. 10pm / $5 ALBERT + DISLEXIK / Tequila — Come check out these hot DJs. 9pm

SATURDAY 8

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

9pm / No cover CROOKED CREEK / Amigos — Some sweet roots/folk music to tap your feet to. 10pm / Cover TBD DEAN MCNEILL QUINTET / The Bassment — Jazz brass quartet with drums. 9pm / $12/16 AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL. 9pm / $5 cover ECLIPSE CHORUS / Broadway Theatre — Presenting their “A Christmas Message from the Heart” concert. 7:30pm / $17 SCREAMER / Buds on Broadway — Highenergy classic rock. 10pm / $6 TRAVIS PANKIW / Bugsy’s (Lawson Heights) — Check out this local artist.

9pm / Cover TBD BED OF ROSES / Crown & Rok — A Bon Jovi tribute group. 9pm / $10 advance; $15 door THE ROWDYMEN / Dakota Dunes — Canada’s premier ‘50s rock and roll show band. 8:30pm / SOLD OUT THE GUTTERDOGS / The Fez — High-energy rock for your soul. 9pm / Cover TBD

DJ KADE / The Hose — Saskatoon DJ lights it up. 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — This local crowd favourite is able to rock any party. 9pm / $5 cover DJ BUTTERZ / Lounge 306 — Top 40 songs. 8pm / Cover TBD LIFTED / Lydia’s Pub — Come dance your heart out in Lydia’s loft. 10pm / $5 911 TURBO / Lydia’s Pub — German techno that’ll make you move. 10pm / $5 DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — There’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 NO HURRY TRIO / Prairie Ink — Acoustic guitar and rock. 8pm / No cover TIM VAUGHN / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — A slick blues/rock/acoustic entertainer. Sure to please. 9pm / No cover.

RED BLAZE / Stan’s Place — Come out for some rocking country. 9pm / No cover DUELING PIANOS / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests. 10pm / $5 DJ CHAN + MERN / Tequila — Two dope DJs, one night of dancing. 9pm CECILIAN SINGERS ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT / Zion Lutheran Church — This concert will put you in a festive mood.

7:30pm / $12 in advance (@McNally Robinson’s) or $15 at the door

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ORANGE YOU GLAD I WARNED YOU?

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ATO PICTURES

New dramedy, The Oranges, a charming little film with an interesting premise BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

W

arning: if you want to see the new indie flick The Oranges, don’t watch the trailer. I repeat: Do not. Watch. The trailer.

Well, first, because it will spoil all the funny parts of the movie for you (don’t you just hate when trailers do that)? But mostly because after watching the trailer you’ll walk away thinking “Oh, that looks like it’s going to be a rollicking, hilarious flick full of R-rated comedy.”

On one side of the street you have the Walling clan. The father, David (Hugh Laurie, otherwise known as Dr. House), is embroiled in serious marital problems with his wife, Paige (Catherine Keener). Their daughter (Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat), who narrates the tale, is old enough to move away from home, but seems to have no plans of doing so; their son Toby (Adam Brody) is at home, visiting his family for the holidays.

THE ORANGES DIRECTED BY Julian Farino STARRING Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester + Alia Shawkat 90 MINUTES | NR

more on the ripples the relationship creates in the pond than anything else.

And honestly, the story kind of suffers because of it. I mean, they have a concept here (a man sleeping with his best friend’s daughter) that could’ve been riotous while being profound. But, unfortunately, the narrative kind of sputters at times.

The acting is good, though. I mean, just look at that cast. And while all turned in strong performances, the best come from Catherine Keener (naturally) and Laurie (though in this case I really wish his character had more of the Dr. House snark).

So there you have it. The Oranges isn’t the best movie you’ll see this year, and it probably won’t etch itself in your memory, either. But as far as an indie dramedy goes, it’s capable and charming.

The Oranges is currently being screened at Roxy Theatre.

[A]s far as an indie dramedy goes, [The Orangesz] is capable and charming.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

Wrong.

I mean, yes, at times this movie is laugh-out-loud hilarious. But for the most part, The Oranges — directed

by Julian Farino (Byron, The Last Yellow) — is a deep, dark film that takes a relationship which could’ve been given the R-rated, raunch treatment, examines it, examines how people react to it and, in the end, makes sense of the situation.

If that sounds a tad cryptic or confusing, let me explain.

The Oranges is set in West Orange, New Jersey, and tells the story of two neighbouring families — the Wallings and the Ostroffs.

Across the street there’s the Ostroff family. Terry (Oliver Platt) and Carol (Allison Janney) are a happily married couple, whose daughter Nina (Leighton Meester) has finally come home for the first time in five years.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that David Walling and Terry Ostroff are best friends. They hang out together, go for runs together. Basically, they’re inseparable.

That’s important because, well, you see … David is sleeping with Terry’s daughter, Nina.

I wish I could tell you hijinks ensue, but outside of a couple of hilariously tense encounters, the story focuses

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KILLING YOU SOFTLY WITH AWESOMENESS! New film starring Brad Pitt is a stupendous, satirical addition to the gangster genre BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

B

rad Pitt may not be the best actor working today, but he’s my favourite.

Why? Well, the answer is twofold. First, in part, he has the same thing going for him that Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and James Dean did. That smouldering vibe of cool makes you either want to be him or be with him.

But that’s just a small part. The main reason Brad Pitt is so awesome is because of the roles he chooses and the way he knocks the ball out of the park — time and time again.

Think about it: he’s Tristan Ludlow in Legends of the Fall, David Mills in Seven, Jeffrey Goines in Twelve Monkeys, Tyler Durden in Fight Club, Mickey in Snatch, Lieutenant Aldo Raine in Inglourious

KILLING THEM SOFTLY DIRECTED BY Andrew Dominik STARRING Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini + Scoot McNairy 97 MINUTES | 14A

crumpling mafia empire.

The situation begins when a couple of small-time grifters — Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) — are let in on a surefire scam by a local thug that simply can’t go wrong.

The scam is easy: knock over a backroom poker game run by Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta), and let Trattman take the fall.

Naturally, things go wrong. Trattman’s bosses know he’d never do something so stupid, so they bring in an enforcer to find the two re-

Killing Them Softly is a savage satirical stab at corporate-political America…

ADAM HAWBOLDT

Basterds, Billy Beane in Moneyball.

The list goes on and on.

And now you can add another knock-the-leather-off-the-ball, cooler-than-hell role to that list — Jackie Cogan in Killing Them Softly.

In the movie, directed by Andrew Dominik (Chopper), Pitt plays a self-conscious hitman named Jackie brought in to fix a situation for a

sponsible and remedy the situation.

Enter Brad Pitt’s Jackie.

But when Jackie stumbles upon a few realizations, he decides to hire a New York hitman named Mickey (James Gandolfini) to help him.

Without giving anything else away, let me just say that Killing Them Softly is a terrific movie. There’s something fresh about it, something original.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

Sure, it has all the violence and vivid brutality inherent in the gangster genre. But this isn’t your average clichéd gangster film.

There are scenes of true and terrifying beauty. There are also scenes (and there are a lot of them) made up of lengthy, witty, detailed dialogue.

Killing Them Softly is also a stinging satire.

The bosses running the show are inept, the middle men are on the take and the guys on the bottom are gonna get it — good and hard.

Everything everywhere around everyone is crumbling. And if that sounds a lot like what’s happened economically in America to you, well, you’re not wrong.

From top to bottom, Killing Them Softly is a savage satirical stab at corporate-political America that cuts through the capitalist system like a bullet through fractured glass (this simile will make more sense after you watch the movie.)

Think Dr. Strangeglove meets Wall Street meets Goodfellas. Think whatever you want, but whatever you do don’t miss this movie.

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Photography by Patrick Carley – feedback@verbnews.com

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 @

THE BASSMENT The Bassment 202 4th Avenue North (306) 683 2277

MUSIC VIBE / Local root or indie

bands on Fridays, and jazz on Saturdays DRINK OF CHOICE / Paddock Wood Red Hammer TOP EATS / Nachos SOMETHING NEW / The kitchen has been renovated, and there’s new menu items COMING UP / Tommy Banks and PJ Perry on Dec 1, the Richard Haubrich Trio on Dec 6, Belle Plaine on Dec 7 + the Dean McNeill Quintet on Dec 8

23 NOV 30 – DEC 6 /VERBSASKATOON

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24 NOV 30 – DEC 6 ENTERTAINMENT

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 @

FLINT

Flint 259 2nd Avenue South (306) 651 2255 MUSIC VIBE / Eclectic DRINK OF CHOICE / Martini TOP EATS / Candied salmon SOMETHING NEW / The Dogville

shorts collection is being screened COMING UP / New drink menu

25 NOV 30 – DEC 6 @VERBSASKATOON

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

26 NOV 30 – DEC 6 ENTERTAINMENT

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TIMEOUT

CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS DOWN examination 26. Reading stand 28. Moral consideration 31. Greek vowels 35. Genealogy diagram 36. Consequently 38. French goose 39. Be wrong with 40. Container for flowers 41. Dark plain on the moon 42. Think in a logical way 44. Spied on racehorses 46. Cooks by simmering 47. Fire sign 48. Manoeuvre gently 49. Vetch plant

1. Place to park your car 2. Unattractive 3. Protective shelter 4. Mentally prepare 5. Gunshot evidence 6. Tools for splitting wood 7. Baking container 8. Mistake 9. Less experienced 11. Works hard 12. Whitish 14. Have confidence in 17. They warm you up 20. One level of stairs 21. One prefix 23. Fact that helps solve a mystery

25. Group of three 27. Wash 28. Point of light in the night sky 29. Inarticulate sounds 30. Tell about 32. Exactly 33. Buenos ___ 34. Plant in soil 37. Subtly suggest 40. Wedding words 41. “The Maple Leaf Forever” composer 43. Kind of horse 45. Mouths, in zoology

SUDOKU ANSWER KEY

A

B

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

1. Drink fast 5. Knocking sounds 9. Is very angry 10. Praise highly 12. Negotiate with an enemy 13. Elderly person 15. To another place 16. Greek consonants 18. Easy as ___ 19. You can’t walk on just one of them 20. Dogs and cats do it 21. Warm wine with sugar and spices 22. Straight and vertical 24. Post-mortem

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

ACROSS

© WALTER D. FEENER 2012

HOROSCOPES NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6 ARIES March 21–April 19

LEO July 23–August 22

SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21

Expect the expected this week, Aries. Your intuition is running high. Whatever you think will happen, will happen.

You will stumble upon some surprising information, Leo. What you do with it, well, that’s up to you. But whatever you choose, don’t ignore it.

There’s a massive decision coming down the pipe, Sagittarius. Brace yourself. And even if you don’t want to make it, have faith. You’ll get it right.

TAURUS April 20–May 20

VIRGO August 23–September 22

CAPRICORN December 22–January 19

Sometime within the next few weeks you should really consider making plans for a trip, Taurus. You don’t know it yet, but your battery is dwindling.

Feeling creative, Virgo? If so, don’t let that energy go to waste. Start a new project, whether it’s writing, drawing, singing or something else.

Have you been thinking about expanding your skill set lately, Capricorn? If so, why don’t you give underwater basket-weaving a shot?

GEMINI May 21–June 20

LIBRA September 23–October 23

AQUARIUS January 20–February 19

Success is just around the corner, Gemini. The problem is, the corner is hard to find. Don’t give up, though.

Keep looking, bucko.

Beware of snow-covered curbs and run-away dogs this week, Libra. They’re both out to get you. Don’t take them lightly.

If you find your mind getting wrapped up in political issues this week, Aquarius, step back, breathe and think about something else. Like statim.

CANCER June 21–July 22

SCORPIO October 24–November 22

PISCES February 20–March 20

You should pick up a new book this week, Cancer. If you can’t read, well, you won’t know what I’m saying here, so no matter.

This is a good week to blow off some steam, Scorpio. So why not go out and tie one on over the next couple of days? You won’t regret it.

New ideas are going to flood your head over the next few days, Pisces. You’d be best advised to wear water wings. Everywhere. All week.

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

CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY

A

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

B

27 NOV 30 – DEC 6 /VERBSASKATOON

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