Verb Issue S219 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

Issue #219 – December 7 to December 13

arts

culture

music

saskatoon

this moment japandroids with

graffiti gold Making art on the streets bird radio Bill Burns explores a world without birds playing for keeps + arbitrage Films reviewed­

Photo: courtesy of maya bassiouni

contents

NEWs + Opinion

culture

entertainment

Q + A with 911 turbo

listings

Techno, beer and neon pants with these local rockers. 12 / Q + A

Local music listings for December 7 through December 15. 18 / listings

What’s up with the stadium?

bird radio and the eames chair lounge

playing for keeps + arbitrage

Q+A with Brent Sjoberg. 3 / Local

Exploring a Mendel exhibit. 13 / Arts

The latest movie reviews. 20 / Film

verbnews.com @verbsaskatoon facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Handel’s messiah

Nightlife Photos

Editorial

The SSO takes on a holiday favourite.

We visit The Yard and The Long Branch. 22-25 / Nightlife

13 / Arts

Graffiti Gold

ART & Production

Jayde “Wizwon” Goodon brings his art to the streets. 4 / Local

On the cover:

Japandroids Living for the moment. 14 / cover

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

Business & Operations

one for the ages

welcome cora!

on the bus

Why we think the drinking age should be lowered to 18. 8 / Editorial

We visit the new Cora’s restaurant at Preston Crossing. 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 organ donation. 10 / comments

Jeans Boots, Jadakiss + Emerson Drive. 17 / music

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

Office Manager / Stephanie Lipsit Marketing Manager / Vogeson Paley Financial Manager / Cody Lang

contact Comments / feedback@verbnews.com / 881 8372 advertise / advertise@verbnews.com / 979 2253 design / layout@verbnews.com / 979 8474 General / info@verbnews.com / 979 2253

Please recycle after reading & sharing Photo: courtesy of the artist

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What’s up with the stadium?

Brent Sjoberg answers your most pressing questions

by Alex J Macpherson

T

he failure of a recent petition to force a referendum on plans to build a new football stadium in Regina means the Saskatchewan Roughriders will soon be getting a new home. The $278 million stadium will be built at Evraz Place and paid for by the City of Regina, the province, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Technical and financial details have been reported exhaustively, but there are still plenty of rumours and misconceptions floating around. To get some straight answers, I caught up with Brent Sjoberg, Regina’s deputy city manager and chief financial officer — the point man on all things stadium-related.

Alex J. MacPherson: The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was released in late July. Can you walk me through what’s happened since then?

Brent Sjoberg: The only major item is the release of the concept design. That was at the end of September. The key piece is that it’s just a conceptual design. We tried to highlight that with people when it was released, of course, because our procurement process will have the eventual bidders come forward with designs as well, so this is just a concept that shows what might be possible within the budget.

AJM: There is a council meeting this month at which a lot of decisions will be made. What’s happening, exactly?

BS: There are three items we’re working to have ready for that meeting. One of them is the final concept design for council’s approval. Each of the other funding partners is reviewing it as well to make sure it meets expectations. Another item is initiating the procurement process, the first step being a request for qualifications. It’s really a two-stage process: there’s a request for qualifications, and then once that’s complete we would shortlist and have a request for proposals. That’s not slated to start until probably May of next year. Each [shortlisted contractor will] submit some of their own design work, their bid for the project, and by the end of next year we will select one of them to go forward. And then the third would be the funding agreements. If you remember back in July, we had that [non-binding] memorandum of understanding that basically laid out the financial plan or arrangement. We’ve since been working on the formal legal agreements with that, and so we’re close to finalizing those as well.

AJM: Will the financial structure be similar to what was put forward in the MOU?

BS: They’re all really consistent with the MOU. [This is about] taking each of the elements and converting them into a formal agreement.

AJM: Let’s talk design. Because the eventual contractor supplies their own design, we don’t really know what the finished product will look like, right?

BS: The procurement process works down to a shortlist of three bidders, and each one of those will put forward their own design. They might incorporate all of the elements that were in the concept or there might be very few and they might go a different path in terms of how they deliver on it. There will be a number of things in the RFP process that will be described as mandatory, so they will have to lay those out.

AJM: Do you have an example?

BS: It might say it is mandatory that the design have individual seats as opposed to bench seating. It might not be specific in terms of ‘it needs to be these seats from this manufacturer,’ so it still leaves some opportunity in some cases for the bidders to decide, ‘I’m going to do a plastic seat or a wood seat,’ or whatever. This is just a hypothetical.

In other cases, if we’re really clear in what specifically we want, that would also be described. In the same example it could be that we want a 20-inch seat with this particular material and cerContinued on next page »

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Photos: Courtesy of the city of regina

tain spacing. You can get very specific if you know what you want.

AJM: What have you done to minimize the risk of delays?

BS: In this case…the builder…is both designing and building, so they’re putting their design together, setting

BS: [The process] works on a guaranteed maximum price basis. We have our budget and the bidders need to put together their program and design and everything within that budget envelope. There are contracts set up which basically transfer a bunch of that risk to the private builder, so they are responsible for staying on time and

The timeline is right on track…so that would have the stadium open in…2017.

BRENT sjoberg

up their construction schedule, and all that kind of stuff. Where you tend to have problems is with change orders, if the design changes. Those cause issues.

And we do a lot of work up front to lay out expectations. You don’t negotiate those contracts after it’s been awarded; [contractors] bid knowing they’re going to be responsible for a number of things, and if they don’t want to do that, then they don’t bid. It lays that process out, requires us to do our planning up-front. It takes more time but it also forces us to think through it in a more detailed way and be clear in what our expectations are. It’s a benefit to the process in the long run.

AJM: Who is responsible if the worst should happen and the project goes long on time or money?

on budget. And if they don’t, they eat cost overruns themselves.

AJM: That’s a lot of stuff going on. Is the timeline still set for 2017?

BS: The timeline is right on track at this point, so that would have the stadium open in early 2017. We’re still right on track for that.

Transcript edited for length and clarity.

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Graffiti Gold Jayde Goodon and 11 Hooks bring their art to the street

by Adam hawboldt

G

raffiti writing breaks the hegemonic hold of corporate/governmental style over the urban environment and the situations of daily life. As a form of aesthetic sabotage, it interrupts the pleasant, efficient uniformity of ‘planned’ urban space and predictable urban living. For the writers, graffiti disrupts the lived experience of mass culture, the passivity of mediated consumption.”

– Jeff Ferrell, Crimes of Style

If you want to become a graffiti artist, one of the first things you have to do is pick a name. Your name is your logo, your trademark; something like John or Steve or a nickname that everyone knows simply won’t cut it.

The next thing you have to do is develop a tag. This is your signature that everyone will see — your John Hancock, so to speak. It is the symbol (usually done with a marker) that will immediately identify you and your art. After that comes things like “throw-ups” and “pieces.” What these are depends on who you ask, but for the most part throw-ups are done with spray paint and usually consist of bubble letters, while pieces are more intricate designs. The key to turning your pieces into masterpieces and honing your throw-ups is practice.

Jayde Goodon knows all of this. See, back when he was young, Goodon really liked to draw. One of his favourite things to sketch was his name — and the names of his friends — in graffiti letters on pieces of paper. This love of drawing soon led him to the streets of Regina, where he tried his hand as a graffiti artist otherwise known as Wizwon.

“When I first started out, I was out tagging trains and other places around the city,” recalls the 26-yearold street artist. “Then I started to use spray paint. It wasn’t easy at first. We weren’t allowed to do it, so we would go to some abandoned places around the city, just f**k around, practice. I remember one time we kept going to the same spot and we almost got caught. I ran like hell that night. Then we’d just find somewhere else to go.”

And so went the formative years of Goodon’s training, his apprenticeship in the art of graffiti. They were years spent illegally spray painting his urban vision, honing his skills on brick walls and parked trains while playing cat-and-mouse with authorities in the dead of night.

It was an apprenticeship that wouldn’t last forever.

Anyone who has walked through downtown Saskatoon lately has seen

the works of graffiti artists scrawled on magazine kiosks, plastered on brick and mortar back alleys, and painted on the wall at the end of Warman Road. Like it or not, graffiti is a part of our city. And believe you me, there are many out there who don’t like it, who flat-out think it’s vandalism, symbolizes gang activity, or is a sure sign of urban decay.

But for the people who risk it all to have their work seen, for the lovers of hip hop culture, for some filmmakers, curators and aficionados of a certain pedigree, graffiti is much more than vandalism. It’s an art from.

An art form that’s been around for quite some time.

While many people believe graffiti to be a distinctly modern occurrence, the truth of the matter is graffiti was around in the days of ancient Greece, ancient Rome and ancient Pompeii (where the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. perfectly preserved graffiti, like Latin swear words, magic spells, political slogans and declarations of undying love, on walls and the sides of buildings).

Graffiti was around in America on boxcars during the Great Depression. It was around in the ‘60s as an expression of political unrest. And in the 1970’s, in New York City, graffiti exploded into pop culture, riding on the coattails of hip hop.

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Photo: Courtesy of jayde goodon

This is the graffiti most of us have come to know, the type tightly intertwined with hip hop culture.

The tags, the stylized letters, the bright colours and fresh urban vibes: this is the type of graffiti (along with a new wave of politi-

That’s what Goodon did.

After abandoning the life of a graffiti artist and trying his hand at the rap game, Goodon returned to his first love with a renewed sense of vigour. He hooked up a with a few local graffiti artists, formed a crew

Every year I’m doing this now, I look back and I’m like ‘Holy s**t! My style has really changed.’

Jayde “wizwon” Goodon

cally influenced stuff like, say, the work Banksy does) that has risen into the realm of legitimate, commissioned urban art. At times, the works of graffiti artists have even made it into art galleries.

If you want to be an urban artist and get paid for your work, always be original. Don’t copy anything you see or bite another artist’s style; you’ll be branded as a “toy.”

Instead, take inspiration from others, work on your art, evolve your style until your work matches your vision — then evolve some more.

and started doing legal and commissioned murals in Regina and around the province.

His crew came to be known as 11 Hooks, and it was through working with them that Goodon was able to evolve his style.

“Every year I’m doing this now, I look back and I’m like ‘Holy s**t!

My style has really changed,’” says Goodon. “And part of that is because my friends inspire me. Every time I go out with them, go out painting with them, I see something new. I pick up a new technique. I learned fading from one of my buddies, another guy showed me how

to cut my lines cleaner. We feed off each other.”

It’s not only 11 Hooks that inspires and helps Goodon grow as an artist, either. He has also branched out to the GFC (a crew from Toronto), as well as with Saskatoon’s own YGW crew.

And all that inspiration and hard work and artistic evolution has paid off. Once upon a time, Goodon was tagging things around the city, leaving temporary signs that he was here. These days, things are a bit more permanent for him. He’s started putting his creative talents into tattoos, every year he does a mural on Brandee’s wall, he had some of his art work (the stuff he does on canvas) exhibited at the Green Canvas Art Gallery, and just last month he put on a fine arts exhibit called Organic Mathematics at the 11 Hooks Studio.

Not too shabby for a kid who started out scrawling letters in a scrapbook.

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One for the ages Lowering the drinking age just makes sense

O

nce upon a time, we published a three-part series dealing with drinking in Saskatchewan. In the third installment, where we argued that the drinking age in Saskatchewan should be lowered to 18, we wrote that, “if you can vote, smoke, sign legal documents, be tried as an adult and be sent overseas to fight and possibly die for your country, you should be allowed to enjoy a beer.”

Seems pretty straightforward to us. Now, fast forward more than a year to last month’s Sask Party convention, where a resolution was put forward to lower the drinking age.

Here’s what premier Brad Wall had to say on the matter: “You can see the rationale that these young people come with. Someone can serve their country, be in harm’s way. Someone can choose their government … and yet that person serving his country can’t go to the [Royal Canadian] Legion and have a beer.”

Now, we’re not saying we influenced the Premier’s comments or anything. Far from it. All we’re saying is that we applaud the Premier for putting this debate back on the table.

You see, we are of the unwavering belief that lowering the drinking age to 18 is the fair and right thing to do. Sure, we know not everyone

agrees; for example, there are those who claim that lowering the drinking age will lead to more instances of drinking and driving. To that we say (backed by numbers from Stats Can), “Saskatchewan actually has a vastly higher drunk driving rate — 618 per 100,000 residents — than Alberta or Manitoba.” Oh, and did we mention those provinces allow legal drinking at 18 years of age? Clearly, age is not the problem here.

There are also those who are of the opinion that 18-year-olds are too immature to drink, and we think that is simply not true. In fact, a study in the journal Addiction found that while Canadian university students consume greater quantities of alcohol compared to their American counterparts, who must be 21, they drink less both in frequency and in volume. And besides, if you think 18-year-olds are abstaining from drinking — or that all adults consume alcohol purely in a responsible fashion — you’re sadly mistaken.

No matter how you slice it, this question isn’t, “should 18-year-olds be drinking?” It’s, “should they be allowed to drink legally?” And to that end, we’d like to commend Premier Wall for bringing this issue back to the public’s attention.

After all, the Sask Party didn’t have to. Think about it: some critics

are claiming the provincial government is only doing this to curry favour with the youth vote, but somehow we doubt switching the drinking age will provide Wall with an even cushier majority next time around.

Heck, in a conservative province like ours, it might even hurt them. And that, good readers, is why this is so refreshing. There’s scant evidence of any immediate political payoff for a measure like this, yet there the government is, preparing to consult different interest groups while initiating healthy and robust public discourse on a hot button topic.

So here’s to hoping a vigorous debate ensues, reasonable minds prevail and the drinking age is lowered. The sky isn’t falling and the world isn’t ending in Manitoba or Alberta. So why don’t we get with the times and march in lockstep with our Western neighbours — at least on this issue.

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

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On Topic: Last week we asked what you thought about changing organ donor policies. Here’s what you had to say:

– I like the idea of opting out over opting in many individuals don’t even think about donating their organs so maybe this will strike up conversations!

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

and his sculptures are so inspiring. He’s a wonderful addition to the arts community here on the prairies.

In response to “The Artist’s Eye,” Local page,

ize inanimate objects could hold opinions...

– Don’t matter if you believe in Jesus Christ or not Christmas is to celebrate his birth! It would be like Thanksgiving but not believing in indians and pilgrims.

– Think about this take the Christ out of Christmas and all you have is mas.

#218 (November 30, 2012)

– Opt out or opt in makes no difference if u want 2 donate u will or else u wont. Why spend $$$ to fix it if it works?

– Organ donation rates in this country definitely need to go up.

Did you look into religious reasons why someone wouldn’t choose to donate? Does that make up a significant portion of the nondonating group?

– Get all the old people to donate!

Our aging population is a great source of organs ripe for the plucking LOL!

– Cant they grow them FML i m gong 2need a liver or 2 :D !!!

OFF TOPIC – Love Joe Fafard’s artwork. I’ve been following his career for more than a few years. Brilliant man,

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

sound off – Why is it when someone does something wrong its splashed all over the paper, but they never mention anything about the Saskatoon police? This incident with the firefighters. They are not being charged which is good but the police are off the hook? Why? They were in the wrong and nothing is being done about it.

– Id love to thank my neices meagan Nekayla and jazmine for the courage they had to go in front of everyone in the church and talk about the grandpa they so much adored. I was so proud of you girls and grandpa would of been so proud of you! You were all amazing and again Im so gald what you did even though it was so hard to do. lotsa love auntie Ronda xo

– Unsigned editorials represent opinions of “Verb magazine” and not individual writers? Didn’t real-

– THAT fire burning TV Screen S **t at Regina stadium ! WARNING SAskatchewan People Are F**d Burned to Pay for it! 87 Million is it? ?

– People think money is life. So wrong! Air to breathe water to drink plants and animals to eat this is the source of life. The pursuit of money is killing it!

– Good God Y’all! Now gimme some room. Heh!

– Had a James Brown moment there. He’s funnier than most people catch on when he’s performing.

– Dear verb thanx for publishing my last text. It mean a world to me.

You should have 2 whole pages just for texts lol . THe more we can send the more we can read.

I look so forwrd in seeing what people send in. Love this paper.

Thanks

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

The modern monsters are familar understandable. Reflections of us?

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

– I love Christmas !:)

– The blanket wall to wall sci-fi violence in entertainment media could be aliens training us for their hi-tech space wars. It started about the time of Roswell!

– Just for laughs gags!

– Sometimes we just need a little kindness and understanding and empathy to realize that we’re all more alike then different. It’s important to help each other out, not just at this time of year but every day of every month. Namaste and peace to u all xo

– Never forget: Dec 6 1989.

– The transit tries so hard but they still suck! Ha ha

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

– Charlie Brown xmas on tv watch it every year since I was a kid. 23 and still love it lol. Merry Christmas charlie Brown!

– The people who sincerely believe the world is going to end on the 21, nothing will convince them otherwise. Well, except for when they wake up on the 22, and life gos on like normal. Haha!

– So atch says all roads are plowed? Has he been to the residential streets? The last 2 blocks of my drive are the worst but at least when i get stuck it’s not a far walk.

Silver lining!

– Go old Saskatchewan wether : )

– December 21st 2012 the end of the myian calender is getting close some say it could be the end of the world. anyone scared

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

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

Next week: What do you think about lowering the drinking age in Saskatchewan? 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.

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Techno, beer, and neon pants

Photos: courtesy of reyelle photography

911 Turbo deliver the best Germany has to offer

by Alex J MacPherson

H

ang your head and weep if you have never been to a 911 Turbo show. Allegedly from the land of autobahns and Porsches, Von Trask, Von Hattie, and Von Lermstein make flamboyant technicolour dance music. Fueled by beer and adrenaline and sweaty bodies, their shows are kaleidoscopic orgies of light and sound and neon clothes. I reached the mysterious Von Hattie via email, and he dished on German techno, the new record, and what 911 Turbo means to fans of post-cool dance beats. He didn’t say it, but I will: go to the show.

Alex J MacPherson: You’ve been bringing German techno to Saskatoon for awhile now. How does it feel today?

Von Hattie: It feels varm, und it feels sveaty, und it feels loving. Every show feels like ve are reborn. Born again Turbots.

AJM: What do people in Saskatoon need to know about German techno?

VH: Zhat free love can exist in ze time of ze shifting of ze ages. Und if you haven’t tried it, ze hiway to ze casino is kinda like ze autobahn!

AJM: Tell me about the influence of the autobahn on your music.

VH: Usually, our song start at a certain speed vhen ve write zhem.

Zhen, vhen zhey are almost finished ve think, now vhat vould ve do if ve vere on ze autobahn? Und ve turn up ze volume und slam on ze gas pedal! Zhis in essence is ze finishing touches. But ve are no strangers to danger, ve are trying to get to ze autobahn of ze stars, jah? Ze cosmic hivay, if you vill.

AJM: “Wolfenstein” in particular seems like a new fan favourite. How are the new songs being received?

AJM: What about the new album, 911 Turbo II?

VH: Vell, ve have been saying it for years, ve vill take you higher, und you vill show us ze fire burning inside ze

VH: Vhen ve feel ze crowd use ready to rock to ze beat, “Wolfenstein” provides ze heat. Zhis song gets ze dance floor moshing und partying. Ze most beer ust spilled during zhis little ditty.

AJM: What’s next for 911 Turbo?

[V]e vill take you higher, und you vill show us ze fire burning…

Von hattie

VH: Vell it picks up vhere 911 Turbo I left off. It starts off vith ze “Intro II,” und speeds through to ze song “Lazerbeams,” vhich of course is ze pop single about ze female body parts.

It is also ze only hit single in history to have ze drum solo. Just vhen you thought ve couldn’t beat it in you any longer, Von Lermstein hammers home ze drum/lazer gun solo und your ears und hearts reach enlightenment. Ze album continues, but I vould like to point out zhat ve took a much more artistic approach to ze creation of zhis album and vill continue to push our art further und faster. Listen vith ze open mind und ze full tank.

human spirit, und let’s not forget zhat ze speed of light is our final destination, 911 Turbo has entered ze space race und ve von’t stop until ve have left ze opposition in our dust jah! Oh, und ve are on Hairdu Records. So vatch for zhat … Ve love you Canada!

911 Turbo December 14 @ The Fez Tickets available at the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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Bird radio and the eames chair lounge Bill Burns explores a world without birds by alex J MacPherson

B

ird Radio and the Eames Chair Lounge is one of the strangest, most delightful exhibitions of the year. Its creator, Bill Burns, is known for his wry take on society’s interaction with nature. Bird Radio and the Eames Chair Lounge explores a much narrower though no less important question: a world without birds.

“I’m concerned about the future of animal life as we know it,” Burns says from Finland. “I keep coming back to this suggestion by this scientist I like to read, a biologist named David Quammen. He writes about animals and has suggested that we are a very successful species as humans. The future he was proposing would only have coyotes and pigeons and humans and maybe Atlantic salmon and cockroaches — and rats, of course.”

Burns’ interest in a future with only the most successful species transcends the biological and the ecological, and lands

squarely in the cultural: how impoverished would we be without bird songs, and what would we do about it?

Bird Radio and the Eames Chair Lounge is an interactive installation.

Illustrations lining the walls provide instruction; 10 rudimentary instruments allow visitors to reproduce the calls of about 25 different birds, and a radio system transmits the calls far beyond the gallery itself. This raises significant questions about not only the conventions of art galleries, but also notions of transparency and openness.

“First of all, I started thinking: what is radio nowadays and what does it represent for our society?” he says.

“The origins of radio were in this era when there was a flourishment of new ideas, turn-of-the-century ideas about transparency in politics and culture and life in general.”

And then there are the chairs, which undercut the openness of radio.

Designed by Charles and Ray Eames,

Photo: courtesy of Toni Hafkenscheid

Eames chairs are redolent of the 1950s — the decade television usurped radio as the main diviner of cultural norms.

Their presence in the exhibition can be interpreted several ways — not least as a manifestation of Burns’ quirky humour — but the theme of extinction is too strong to ignore. Burns just laughs: “One other thing I’ve noticed as I become a middle-aged artist is that people in middle age do two things: collect modern furniture like Eames chairs, and do a lot of bird watching.”

Bird Radio and the Eames Chair Lounge Through Januray 6 @ Mendel Art Gallery

Handel’s Messiah

An old piece of music becomes a new tradition by alex J MacPherson

V

ictor Sawa spends a lot of time looking forward to Christmas. “I’m a traditionalist,” the maestro explains. “That’s very important to know, that the turkey, the tree, the presents are very important for this time of year.” And then there’s the music. Sawa admits to stocking his iPod with Christmas carols, but says the two most important pieces are more profound than “Jingle Bell Rock”: Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Handel’s Messiah.

The latter has become an annual tradition for the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, one Sawa spends all year looking forward to.

Composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, Messiah is a largescale concert piece for an orchestra, a choir, and several soloists. A musical interpretation of the life of Jesus Christ

as Messiah, Handel’s most famous piece received middling reviews when first performed. Today, Messiah is one of the most popular choral works, and for good reason. Heard live, it is is a towering pillar of sound. The “Hallelujah Chorus” is probably the most recognizable part, but Sawa says every moment is memorable. “You wait for them every year,” he laughs.

Perhaps most importantly, Messiah is no longer regarded as a reflection on religion. Which, Sawa points out, would probably surprise Handel. “Different pieces from different composers just have a life of their own,” he says.

“He liked this one, it was one of his favourites for sure, but what happened?

Nobody knows. It acquires a life of its own and all of a sudden it’s there.”

Which is a good thing. “It’s become an experience,” Sawa says. “Especially

in this day and age we are in need of traditions … we live in a disposable society — and what’s interesting are the things that have endured.”

Featuring the SSO, the Saskatoon Chamber Singers, and soloists Meara Conway, Cassandra Warner, Michael Harris, and Chris Kelly, Messiah is a rare opportunity: a chance for hundreds of people to celebrate the good in their lives as one year comes to an end and a new one looms on the horizon.

Handel’s Messiah December 15 @ Third Avenue United $30 @ TCUTickets.ca ( ) Feedback?

Feedback? Text Text it! it! (306 306) 881 881 8372 8372 @MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

13 Dec 7 – Dec 13 @verbsaskatoon

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These are the droid you’re looking for Japandroids live for the moment

I

t is shortly after one in the afternoon. Brian King is sitting in a parking lot behind a Gainseville rock bar. He is smoking a cigarette and drinking coffee. He tells a funny story about being in a popular rock and roll band, and then asks me not to print it. His laugh is ragged and raw, the unmistakable sign of a musician on the road. Then he drops the phone.

Brian King is one half of Japandroids, the band he formed with David Prowse in 2006. The pair met at the University of Victoria. At first, they were just friends; the band came much later, a reaction to similar tastes in music and a desire to make noise.

They spent two years exploring the Vancouver music scene, setting up shows and airing out their blistering rock anthems. Success proved elusive and, burned out and depressed, the pair recorded an album called Post-Nothing. “No one cared about our band,” King says. “No one knew who we were. We couldn’t give copies of Post-Nothing away when we first made it.” Convinced the band was going nowhere, he and Prowse decided to quit. Post-Nothing became a swan song, or perhaps a eulogy.

“It was Dave and I making a record for ourselves,” King says. “It was no different than if you and your friends started a band on the weekend and just decided to make a record because that’s what bands do.”

Then everything changed. The internet discovered Post-Nothing and Japandroids left the gate just as King and Prowse were hanging up their

by Alex J MacPherson

spurs. The record’s success spawned a two-year odyssey on the road, an adrenaline- and beer-fueled tour punctuated by long hours in the van.

But it also changed everything King and Prowse had taken for granted, their instinctual approach to making music. Their second album, Celebration Rock, was conceived not as a full stop, but as a reaction to pressure from without and a desire to keep the party going. “You have a record label,” King says. “You have people who have invested their time, energy, and money into giving you what you

word,” he continues. “It’s a totally, totally different beast. It sounds so f**king clichéd because the whole second album, blah, blah, blah — it sounds so f**king clichéd — but we lived it, and that’s what it’s like.”

Verschlimmbessern is a German word referring to the act of ruining something by trying to improve it.

Bands that find success early are often guilty of this. King understands this. “Then of course it’s our second record, and now we’ve got to have

No one knew who we were. We couldn’t give copies of Post-Nothing away when we first made it.

Brian king

have, and you have their expectations,” he continues. “And then on top of all that you have the most crushing kind of psychological factor: you have fans now, you actually have people who know about your band, who like your band, who pay to come see your band, who have emotionally invested themselves in your band and your record, and you have them waiting.

All of this stuff didn’t exist when we made Post-Nothing.”

“It’s like all of those things are running through your mind before you even play a chord or write a

keyboards on this record,” he jokes.

“And we have to get the London Symphony Orchestra to play on this record, and we have to f**king get Bob Rock to produce this record. By the way, we got none of those things.

We can’t afford any of them.”

Celebration Rock doesn’t have keyboards or the London Symphony Orchestra or f**king Bob Rock on the console. From a technical point of view, it is indistinguishable from its predecessor. Both albums were recorded with similar techniques and similar equipment and Jesse Gander Continued on next page »

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ds Photos: courtesy of leigh righton

behind the board. More importantly, Celebration Rock is great for the same reason Post-Nothing is great: it is the musical expression of how its creators live. “We’re all highs right now,” King says. “We have lots of lows [but] there’s just enough lows that we don’t need to contribute to the lows right now. We need to contribute to the highs.”

Packed with heroic guitar lines, crushing drums, and shouted refrains, Celebration Rock is a rock record for a new generation. It begins and ends with the sound of fireworks detonating, and each song feels like a party

where no one thinks about leaving before dawn. “The Nights of Wine and Roses,” the musical equivalent of an all-nighter on the beach, recalls a time when tomorrow didn’t matter.

“Continuous Thunder,” which closes the record, is a blitzkrieg of scrubbed open chords and the sensual aroma of young love. “The House That Heaven Built” is quite simply the best rock and roll song of the year. It is the climax of the record, the moment when emotional intensity and musical ambition intersect. Legendary intensity and King’s best lyric (“When they love you,

and they will / Tell ’em all they’ll love in my shadow / And if they try to slow you down / Tell ‘em all to go to hell”) combine to produce a song of staggering power, a five minute rampage that affirms just how great it is to be young and alive.

But that is just one interpretation.

King’s lyrics aren’t difficult to parse, but he never tells anyone what the songs are really about. “My belief — and as a big music fan I think I have justification for this — is that the real power of the songs is in people’s interpretations of them, not what they’re actually about,” he says. “I don’t know anything about what Craig Finn was thinking when he wrote any of the Hold Steady or Lifter Puller songs, but they all mean something to me. I interpret them in a certain way and that’s where the real power is.”

What makes Japandroids special is that listening to their records feels like getting to know them. King, who is fond of long and convoluted analogies, compares Celebration Rock to OK Computer. “OK Computer is not necessarily the musical equivalent of that band and their feelings and their way of thinking and their personalities,” he says. “It’s a very, very, very loose interpretation of how one person in that band thinks and feels, and that’s been filtered through 16 engineers and assistant engineers and a producer who more or less is in the band and a giant f**king label that has 600,000 employees all over the planet.” Celebration Rock is not like that. Celebration

Rock is, like Post-Nothing before it, a reflection of what it’s like to hang out with Brian and David.

“If you’ve met us personally, if you take one look at us, we are not artists,” King says, explaining that many bands make music as art, implicit in which is the notion that art is forever.

“Dave and I are not of that mindset.

We’re not even that creative. We’re absolutely no different than if you and your friends decided to have a noisy

band in your garage for fun, because it’s just a fun thing to do.”

And Japandroids may be more fleeting than most bands. King admits that he has absolutely no plans beyond February. “We have no plans, no shows booked, and we haven’t even talked about what we’re going to do then.” Celebration Rock was not conceived as a swan song, but the simple fact that it could be makes it all the more valuable. Japandroids live for

the moment. And every note they’ve ever recorded says you should too.

Japandroids December 18 @ Louis’ $16.50 @ Northerntickets.com Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

15 Dec 7 – Dec 13 /verbsaskatoon

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Welcome Cora!

Photo courtesy of Adam Hawboldt

New breakfast chain comes to Saskatoon — finally by adam hawboldt

I

t all started in a small snack bar on Côte-Vertu Road, in Montreal.

That’s where, in 1987, Cora Tsouflidou — a single mother of three — embarked on a business venture that would turn her life completely around.

Struggling to make ends meet, Cora couldn’t even afford menus when she opened her first restaurant, called Chez Cora Dejeuner. So what she did was draw the names of dishes with fancy designs and bright colours on large pieces of bristol board, and post them on the walls of her restaurant.

Fast forward 25 years, and in the more than 130 Cora’s restaurants littered throughout Canada, the signs are still there. The multi-coloured Bobby Button Morning Club sign, with drawn buttons in the place of O’s. The picture of the rotund fish with the words Tuna Melt Wow on its belly. The Western Omelette sign, surrounded by hand drawn green onions and tomatoes and other veggies. These signs are the first thing I notice when I sit down for breakfast at the new Cora’s located at Preston Crossing — the only one in the province.

After the signs I notice the open kitchen. And when the menu comes, well, I notice I’m going to have a heckuva hard time deciding what to eat. The waffles look wonderful, the french toast seem fabulous and the crepes, I hear, are crazy good. But I’m an eggs-for-breakfast kind of chap, so I see-saw back and forth between ordering the 10 Star Omelette or one of the many kinds of eggs benedict.

the eggs benny and a generous helping of roasted potatoes (done on the grill, nothing is deep fried at Cora’s), but there was also a heaping mound of fruit. Banana, apple, strawberry, orange, kiwi, cantaloupe, pineapple … you name it, it’s there.

And to make a great breakfast even better was the staff. Everyone — from owners Brianna Snider and Dave Ukrainetz to the hostess and servers — are quick to smile, easy to talk to, and more than welcoming.

If you’ve never been to a Cora’s before, drop whatever you’re doing and check it out.

In the end, I pass on the omelette and go with the spinach, caramelized onion and cheddar cheese Eggs Ben et Dictine.

[T]he caramelized onions added a [new] dimension to eggs benny… adam hawboldt

Which, in case you’re wondering, was every bit as delicious as it sounds. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the sauce was delectable and the caramelized onions added a dimension to eggs benny that I’d never experienced before.

And the best part? The portion of food on my plate. Not only was there

Cora 1718 Preston Ave. | 249 2672 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide Melon Patch

Ingredients

If you’re going to drink in the morning (it’s gotta be five o’clock somewhere, right?), then we suggest you give this refreshing, flavourful cocktail a try. You won’t be disappointed.

1 oz melon liqueur 1/2 oz triple sec 2 oz vodka 4 oz club soda orange slice

Directions

Pour the melon liqueur, triple sec, vodka and some ice into a cocktail shaker.

Shake well, then drain the concoction into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with the orange slice.

16 Dec 7 – Dec 13 culture

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music

Next Week

coming up

Jeans Boots

Jadakiss

Emerson Drive

@ Amigos Cantina saturday, December 15 – $8

@ Tequila Thursday, December 13 – $45

@ The Odeon Events Centre Sunday, March 17 – $39.50+

Do you like Stevie Nicks? How about the Velvet Underground or Julie Doiron? If you answered yes to either (or all) of those questions, you might want to check out this talented local artist. Fronted by Jeanette Stewart, Jeans Boots’ lyrics and seductive vocals sweep and soar over feedback-laced music that is at once catchy, haunting and beautiful. Since starting her group, Stewart and her band have released a handful of EPs, and cut their teeth on stages around the city. The result of all the live-playing is an excellent stage show that will hypnotize even the most distant of listeners. So don’t pass up a chance to see this local act live when Jeans Boots takes to the Amigo’s stage. Tickets will be available at the door.

Since entering the game back in the mid-’90s, this rapper from Yonkers, New York, has worked with and/or been associated with some of the biggest names in the industry, like the Notorious B.I.G, Eminem, 50 Cent, Nas, P. Diddy, and more. A member of both the Ruff Ryders and The LOX, Jadakiss (aka Jason Phillips) has not only been a constant presence on mainstream radio and underground mix tapes, but as far as critics go he’s won them over and, in doing so, built a reputation as an MC not to be trifled with. With a rough and ready vocal tone, Jadakiss’ flow puts emphasis on specific words and syllables to create a sound all his own. The kind of sound that will get your head bobbin’. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.

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

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

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

Tickets at theodeon.ca – By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: the artist / the artist / tabercil

Sask music Preview The Big Gig, part of the 2013 JUNO Awards celebration, is a music talent search especially for Saskatchewan high school students. Interested solo or group artists can submit an audition video of original material by December 17. The top 10 semifinalists will compete in live play-offs in Regina in January, with the top 5 finalists performing at paid gigs, and the winner performing at a special showcase performance. For more information, please see http://www.saskmusic.org/thebiggig/ Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

17 Dec 7 – Dec 13 @verbsaskatoon

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December 7 » december 15 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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10 11 12 13 14 15

Friday 7 House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk & lounge DJs liven it up. 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 every Friday night.

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, Stones Throw, 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 Picture the Ocean, Blake Berglund / Lydia’s — Upbeat guitar-driven pop.

10pm / $5 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 The Huron Carole / Prairieland Park — A concert series aimed at eradicating hunger. 8pm / $47.75-57.75 (www. ticketmaster.ca) Tim Vaughn / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — A slick blues/rock/acoustic entertainer. 9pm / No cover.

DJ Fink / Spadina Freehouse — Dropping the beats that’ll move your feet. 10pm / 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 — A 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.

Funktion Saturday / Spadina Freehouse — EDM from your favourite local DJs. 10pm / 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 SSO: Symphony Holiday Spectacular — Celtic Style / TCU Place — Traditional Christmas carols with a Celtic flair.

7:30pm / $17.50-51.50 (www.saskatoonsymphony.org) 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

Sunday 9

Industry Night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff Eclipse Chorus / Broadway Theatre — Talented local musicians present “A Christmas Message for the Heart.”

7:30pm / $17

DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Machine Gun Kelly / The Odeon Events Centre — A rat-a-tat-tat rapper with sick flow. 9pm / $40-70 (www.theodeon.ca) Songs for Supper / The Refinery — A benefit concert for the Saskatoon Food Bank — what could be better? $7:30pm / $25 (www.ontheboards.ca) Jesse Cook / TCU Place — A virtuoso guitarist on The Blues Guitar Tour. 7:30pm / $42.50-52.50 (www.tcutickets.ca) Metro Jazz Ensemble / Third Ave United Church. Playing the music of Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite. 3pm / $15+ at the door or the Sasktel Jazz Festival box office SUNDAY JAM / Vangelis Tavern — The Vangelis Sunday Jam offers great tunes from blues to rock and beyond. 7:30pm / No cover

Monday 10

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

Tuesday 11

The Mules / Buds on Broadway — Come rock the night away. 10pm / 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

Wednesday 12

HUMP WEDNESDAYS / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Resident DJ Chris Knorr will be spinning all of your favourite songs and requests. 9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter Kim Churchill / Amigos — Folk/rock/ blues from down under. 10pm / $8 Activist Maguire / Buds on Broadway — Come rock the night away. 10pm / Cover $6 The Fab Four / Dakota Dunes — The ultimate Beatles tribute band. 8pm / $35 (www.tickets.siga.sk.ca) The Avenue Recording Company presents Open Mic / The Fez on Broadway — Hosted by Chad Reynolds. Sign

18 Dec 7 – Dec 13 entertainment

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up and play at this weekly event. 10pm / No cover DJ Kade / 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 Sheepdogs / The Odeon Events Centre — One of Saskatoon’s favourite bands return home. 8pm / $32.50 (www.ticketmaster.ca) WILD WEST WEDNESDAY / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — This is Saskatoon’s top industry night, hosted by DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman. And don’t forget to come ride the mechanical bull. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff Sylvia Chave / The Refinery — Come check out the Holiday Hoopla concert.

10:30am / $8 Tim Vaughn / Rock Creek — A slick blues/rock/acoustic entertainer. 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 / No cover Theory of a Deadman / TCU Place — A Juno-award winning rock band. 8pm / $27.50-39.50 (www.tcutickets.ca)

Thursday 13

Ritornello Underground: Warhol Dervish / The Bassment — Chamber music for the 21st Century. 8pm / $15/20 Activist Maguire / Buds on Broadway — Come rock the night away. 10pm / Cover $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 — Come dance the night away as this local DJ plays the kind of music that’ll get your feet moving.

9pm / $5 DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ Sugar Daddy / Jax Niteclub — Local DJ Sugar Daddy will be rocking the turntables to get you dancing on the dance floor! Every Thursday night will be filled with pole dancing, shadow dancers and much more! 8pm / $5; free cover with student ID before 11pm Sylvia Chave / The Refinery — Come check out the Holiday Hoopla concert.

10:30am / $8

Jadakiss / Tequila — A member of the Ruff Ryders, this rapper from Yonkers, New Yorik, is in town for a concert you absolutely don’t want to miss. 8pm / $45 (Ticketmaster)

Friday 14

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Young James / Amigos — A local folk/ alt-rock four piece sure to please.10pm / Cover TBD Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover Hung Jury / Buds on Broadway — Playing everything from AC/DC to Michael Jackson. 10pm / $6 Al Morrison / Bugsy’s (Lawson Heights) — Some blues music for your soul. 9pm / No cover Rock the ‘90s / Crown & Rok — All your favourite hits from the 1990’s. 9pm / Cover TBD 911 Turbo / The Fez — A wild night of German techno. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Eclectic / The Hose & Hydrant — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover DJ Sugar Daddy / Jax Niteclub — This local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. He’s sure to have you on the dance floor in no time.

9pm / $5 cover DJ Butterz / Lounge 306 — Top 40 songs.

8pm / Cover TBD September Long / Lydia’s Pub — A sweet set of jam-rock. 10pm / $5 Piano Man / The Odeon — A tribute to Elton John and Billy Joel. 5pm / $49 (www.theodeon.ca) DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm Wayne Bargen / Prairie Ink — Finger style acoustic guitar. 8pm / No cover Sylvia Chave / The Refinery — Come check out the Holiday Hoopla concert.

10:30am and 1:30pm / $8 Under the Bridge / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — Come out for a night of darn good music. 9pm / No cover.

DJ Albert + Dislexik / Spadina Freehouse — Two dope DJs for your listening pleasure. 10pm / No cover grumpy old men / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking tunes. 9pm / No cover

Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests. 10pm / $5

Saturday 15

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover Jeans Boots / Amigos — A local indie rock band worth checking out. 10pm / $8 Maurice Drouin’s Jazzy Christmas / The Bassment — Featuring Melanie Gibbs, Tatrina Tai, Grant Currie and Graham Dyck. 9pm / $15/20 Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover Hung Jury / Buds on Broadway — Playing everything from AC/DC to Skid Row to Michael Jackson. 10pm / Cover $6 Al Morrison / Bugsy’s (Lawson Heights) — Some blues music for your soul. 9pm / No cover The Undercover Pirates / Crown & Rok — These guys rock the seven seas. 10pm / Cover TBD Rory Borealis and the Northern Lights / The Fez — Dust off your dancing shoes and get ready to shake your money maker. 10pm / $5 DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up. 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 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 Piano Man / The Odeon Events Centre — A tribute to Elton John and Billy Joel. 5pm / $49 (www.theodeon.ca) DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Doug Boomhower / Prairie Ink — A talented jazz trio. 8pm / No cover Under the Bridge / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — Come out for a night of darn good music. 9pm / No cover.

The Gaff / Spadina Freehouse — Break out your dancing shoes and come have some fun. 10pm / No cover grumpy old men / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking tunes. 9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad

King belt out classic tunes and audience requests. 10pm / $5 The Small Business Christmas Party / Tequila — Featuring Sly Business and DJs. 8pm / $25

Get listed Have a live show you'd like to promote? Let us know! layout@verbnews.com

19 Dec 7 – Dec 13 /verbsaskatoon

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Ah, you can keep it…

Photo: Courtesy of open road films

Playing for Keeps ultimately falls flat by adam hawboldt

I

n the writing world, there are two schools of thought when it comes to chronicling something fictional based on your own experiences.

In the red corner, you have the folks who adhere to the age-old adage: write what you know.

In the blue corner, you have people like humourist P.J. O’Rourke, who once said, “Creative writing teachers should be purged until every last instructor who has uttered the words ‘Write what you know’ is confined to a labor camp.

Please, talented scribblers, write what you don’t. The blind guy with the funny little harp who composed The Iliad, how much combat do you think he saw?”

And when it comes to this week’s new release, Playing for Keeps, I

out a script that, while genuinely funny in parts, seems to fall flat more often than not.

In the movie, Gerard Butler plays George — a former professional soccer player who has seen better days.

Down on his luck, wanting to bond

can’t help but side with the alwaysamusing O’Rourke.

See, back in the day, the guy who wrote the script for the movie (Robbie Fox) was a little league coach who was, for lack of a better expression, noticed he was “getting a lot of atten-

Playing for Keeps in just another ho-hum romantic comedy…

Adam Hawboldt

with his son, George decides to coach his son’s soccer team. Soon enough, the soccer moms come scampering out of the woodwork trying to woo the former sports star. Hilarity ensues.

tion” from the moms of the players.

So he took that experience, turned baseball into soccer (because one can only assume he wanted to make the movie a walking cliché), and pumped

No, really. It does. The early scenes of this movie, in which soccer moms like Uma Thurman and Judy Greer try to win their hunky prize lead you to believe Playing for Keeps is going to be one of those good romantic comedies. But somewhere along the way the laughs get tossed to the wayside in favour of sentimental drivel and over-the-top sappy scenes about family and bonding and togetherness.

Now you can’t outright blame the screenwriter for that. Chances are what he put on paper was good, but the story got twisted, turned and diluted by the handful of producers attached to the project.

And that’s not to say Playing for Keeps is terrible. The movie is, at times, entertaining, and Gerard Butler does a solid, nuanced job in the lead role.

playing for keeps Directed by Gabriele Muccino Starring Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Judy Greer, Dennis Quaid + Catherine Zeta-Jones 108 minutes | PG

But for the most part, Playing for Keeps in just another ho-hum romantic comedy in a long line of other ho-hum rom-coms.

Watch at own risk.

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Wall street wonder

Arbitrage is a slick, well-placed thriller about the recent economic meltdown by adam hawboldt

R

obert Miller is a Wall Street billionaire. Robert Miller is a loving father, a hard worker, an executive who cares about protecting his clients’ life savings. And when we first meet him in the film Arbitrage, Robert Miller’s life is falling apart.

Don’t feel too bad for him, though.

Robert Miller is also a cold-hearted scumbag, one of the worst to grace fictional Wall Street since Gordon Gekko stomped that monied terra in the late-80’s.

When we first meet Miller (played excellently by Richard Gere), he’s running late, sprinting up stairs to his house where his family is throwing him a 60th birthday party. He enters with kisses and apologies, and takes his seat at the head of the table. Festivities are had. But before the party is over, Miller tells his wife (Susan Sarandon) and daughter (Brit Marling) something has come up at work.

Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate

main worry is that he might be charged with Julie’s death, right?

Nope. What Miller is worried about is that the accident might jeopardize his plan to sell his vastly over-valued company to a potential buyer.

Needless to say, Miller isn’t what you’d call a likable character. Heck, for that matter, there aren’t many likable characters in the entire movie. But no

A taught thriller, the film is perfectly paced. The longer you watch, the tighter the noose gets pulled.

Adam Hawboldt

Thing is, though, he isn’t heading back to work.

Instead, Miller scoots across town to see his mistress, Julie (Laetitia Casta). Julie seems to genuinely care about Miller, but what they have together isn’t enough.

Julie wants more. So to keep her happy, Miller invites Julie to his family’s weekend home in upstate New York. She accepts the invite, but along the way Miller and Julie get into a horrible car crash.

He walks away from it, Julie dies.

Naturally, from that point on, Miller’s

matter. Despite (or maybe because of) the contempt you’ll feel for certain people traipsing across the screen, Arbitrage is still a damn fine movie.

A taught thriller, the film is perfectly paced. The longer you watch, the tighter the noose gets pulled. Directed by newcomer Nicholas Jarecki, the film moves quickly and honestly straight forward: no gimmicks, no twists. And yet, Arbitrage does what a lot of thrillers don’t — it keeps you guessing.

Don’t know about you, but that’s what I look for in a movie of this ilk. That, and good acting. Which

arbitrage Directed by Nicholas Jarecki Starring Richard Gere, Tim Roth, Susan Sarandon + Brit Marling 107 minutes | 14A

Arbitrage has in abundance. Susan Sarandon is her usual talented self.

Brit Marling pulls her weight, Tim Roth is perfect as Detective Bryer, and Richard Gere — well, let’s just say you’ll be impressed. This is his best performance since I can’t remember when, and possibly the best movie he’s been in since Days of Heaven.

And no, Arbitrage is no Days of Heaven. But as far as smart thrillers full of unsavoury characters and modern themes go, it is stellar. By the time the final credits roll, you won’t be feeling warm and fuzzy inside. That’s for sure.

But you will get the feeling that you watched a good movie. And in the end, that’s all that counts, right?

Arbitrage is currently being screened at Roxy Theatre.

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Monday, December 3 @

The Yard The Yard & Flagon Pub 718 Broadway Avenue (306) 653 8883 Music vibe / Pretty much

everything except rap and country Featured deals / Burger and beer — $5.95 for a half pint or $8.85 for a full pint Drink of Choice / Single plop: cherry whiskey, Jameson and Frangelico top eats / Burger and fries something new / Alternative bands every second Sunday

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Friday, november 30 @

The Long branch The Long Branch 806 Idylwyld Drive North (306) 665 6500 Music vibe / Country Drink of Choice / Spiced rum top eats / Appetizers Coming up / Spirits of Giving on

December 14: $10 at the door, with the proceeds going towards the Children’s Hospital

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

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timeout

crossword canadian criss-cross 24. Beginning 25. Very brief time 27. Stewed fruit 30. Astronomical event 34. Complexion problem 35. Cart without sides 36. Rainbow colour 37. What a broken-down car may need 38. Broadcast 39. Resonant bronze plate 40. Printing mistakes 42. Pass by 44. Of birth 45. Noisy riotous brawl 46. Cribbage markers 47. 52-week period

DOWN 1. Handle for turning a rudder 2. Extremely displeasing to the eye 3. Stinging insect 4. Without any trickery 5. Become gradually smaller toward one end 6. Seemingly long time 7. Metal that shines like silver 8. Historical records 9. Shinbone 11. Eat greedily until full 12. You do it in a tub 14. Well-ordered 17. Part of EST

20. Chromosome part sudoku answer key 21. Against 23. Gratifying A 24. By itself 26. Specialized school 27. Satisfy to excess 28. Oak tree fruit 29. Open on Christmas morning 31. Right for the occasion 32. Become aware of B 33. Move through a crowd 35. Distributes cards 38. Mature male deer 39. Festive celebration 41. Consumed 43. Area sheltered from the wind

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

1. Instrument in a march ing band 5. Goodbye, in England 9. Large striped feline 10. Not getting any younger 12. Piece of firewood 13. Flag carried on a lance 15. With competence 16. Wine sediment 18. Exist 19. Equal outcome 20. Toothed machine part 21. Pond plant 22. Set of straps for controlling a horse

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

ACROSS

© walter D. Feener 2012

December 7 – December 15 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

Have you been struggling with something big lately, Aries? If so, there’s good news on the horizon. Very soon all the pieces will fall into place.

Your head is going to be bursting with ideas this week, Leo. Some will be good, others bad. It’s up to you to differentiate between the two.

Rarely do you get upset or peeved about the occasional setback, Sagittarius. Usually you’re cool as a cucumber.

Not this week, though, so get ready!

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Chances are you’re going to be very energetic this week, Taurus.

Put all that energy to good use. It won’t last forever, you know.

As I gaze into my dirty crystal ball I see days filled with tumult for you, Virgo. This may lead to some negative emotions, so do your best to roll with it.

You may find yourself torn between two polar opposite urges this week, Capricorn. Which one to give into will depend on a coin toss.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If passion guides you, let reason hold the reins.” Wise advice, Gemini. Best keep it in mind during the week ahead.

If you’re feeling irritated this week, Libra, try going for a run, hitting a punching bag, meditating … whatever it takes to chill the hell out.

Some advice from the incomparable James Dean: “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” Get out there, Aquarius. The time is now!

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

This is going to be a bizarre humdinger of a week, Cancer. Expect the unexpected, and embrace anything odd that comes your way.

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” Katharine Hepburn said that, Scorpio. And you know what?

She was right.

Hesitation is your enemy this week, Pisces. If you have a feeling, a thought, an urge, go with it. Don’t second-guess your instincts.

crossword answer key

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

A

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

B

27 Dec 7 – Dec 13 /verbsaskatoon

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