Verb Issue S221 (Dec. 21-27, 2012)

Issue #221 – December 21 to January 10, 2013

arts

culture

music

saskatoon

ial spec ded n e t x e day holi ue iss

A new beginning How Clive Weighill transformed policing Prop Planes Regina rockers on making the music they want this is 40 + hitchcock Films reviewed­

getting lost blue rodeo

with

Photo: courtesy of dustin rabin

contents

NEWs + Opinion

entertainment

culture

Q + A with prop planes

listings Local music listings for December 21 through January 12 20 / listings

Local rockers speak out. 12 / Q + A

onward and upward

a lesson in the blues

Corey Chamblin talks about his love of coaching. 4 / Local

We chat with local musicians Kacy + Clayton. 14 / Arts

This is 40 + hitchcock The latest movie reviews. 24 / Film

A diverse experience

Nightlife Photos

On experiencing something new at Lugo. 14 / Arts

We visit Outlaws and Lydia’s Pub. 26-29 / Nightlife

verbnews.com @verbsaskatoon facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Editorial Publisher / Parity Publishing Editor in Chief / Ryan Allan Managing Editor / Jessica Patrucco staff Writers / Adam Hawboldt + Alex J MacPherson

ART & Production

a new beginning

Design Lead / Roberta Barrington Design & Production / Brittney Graham Contributing Photographers / Patrick Carley Adam Hawboldt + Alex J MacPherson

How Clive Weighill transformed policing. 6 / Local

Business & Operations

On the cover:

blue rodeo

Getting lost with these iconic Canadian rockers. 16/ cover

holiday headache

Oozing classic cool

on the bus

Our thoughts on the alleged war on Christmas. 8 / Editorial

The recently revamped 2nd Ave Grill has it all. 18 / Food + Drink

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 30 / comics

comments

Music

Games + Horoscopes

Here’s your say about stripping laws in Saskatchewan. 10 / comments

We Were Lovers, Alexis Korchinski + Fleetwood Mac 19 / music

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, horoscopes, and Sudoku. 31 / timeout

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Photo: Courtesy of the saskatchewan roughriders

Onward and Upward

Corey Chamblin on coaching, his love of the game, and winning the Grey Cup by ADAM HAWBOLDT

C

orey Chamblin always wanted to be a coach.

Even when he was a professional football player — bouncing around the NFL from Baltimore to Jacksonville, from Green Bay to Tampa Bay, Denver to Indianapolis — he always knew he’d end up standing on the sidelines, wearing a headset, calling the shots.

“My plan was to play a couple of years of pro, then go be a high school guidance counsellor and get into high school coaching,” says Chamblin in his laid-back southern drawl. “That was the original plan. I ended up playing a couple years pro, but didn’t end up walking down that other road.”

Indeed he didn’t.

When Chamblin’s playing days were over, instead of coaching at a local high school in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, he moved to Tennessee (the state where he played his college ball) and became an assistant coach at Cumberland University.

That was 2005.

In 2006, Chamblin moved to Germany where, as defensive assistant and secondary coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy, he helped the team win the World Bowl Championship.

But his time in Europe was shortlived. The following year, Chamblin hopped back across the pond and into a job as the defensive backs coach with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

From Winnipeg he went to Calgary and then to Hamilton, before settling

in as rookie head coach with the Saskatchewan Roughriders last year.

“I’ve been to a lot of places in a fairly short period of time,” chuckles Chamblin. “And the biggest thing I’ve figured out, having been all those places, is that it doesn’t matter to me where I am. Football is football.

Doesn’t matter where you go or what the surroundings are, it’s always the same on the field. Doesn’t matter about the situation.”

And here’s the thing: regardless of what situation he’s in, Chamblin invariably finds ways to be successful.

turned the program around and led the Riders back into to the playoffs in just one year.

Not too shabby for a guy who has yet to see his 36th birthday.

Yet for the tremendous amounts of success he’s experienced at such a young age, it hasn’t been all wine and roses for Coach Chamblin.

“DAMN!” That was the first thought that came to Chamblin’s mind when a 68yard touchdown pass found Calgary

This next year, I think it’s possible to have the best record and be in the Grey Cup. corey chamblin

So much so that, heading into the 2012 season, every CFL team he had been a part of made it either to the division finals or the Grey Cup (Chamblin finally captured the holy grail of Canadian football four years ago with the Stampeders).

And while Chamblin’s string of division finals and Grey Cup berths came to a halt this past season, the 2012 campaign must still be viewed as a success. Think about it. He took a team with the worst record in the league, lit a fire under their asses,

receiver Romby Bryant in the endzone during November’s semi-final between the Riders and the Stamps.

With only 20 seconds left on the clock, hearts and hopes all around Saskatchewan dropped in unison as the Stamps pulled ahead 36-30.

Chamblin’s heart wasn’t one of them.

“It didn’t break or hit rock bottom,” he says. “I knew it was a big blow. Still, I thought we had a chance to make something happen at the end.”

The only thing that happened was the Stamps went on to play for the Continued on next page »

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Photo: Courtesy of Huskies Outsider

Grey Cup, while the Riders went to clean out their lockers.

The loss was a tough pill for many in the province to swallow, but not Chamblin. Within five or 10 minutes of the final buzzer he had gotten over it.

“There’s no sense in dwelling on it,” he explains. “Almost immediately after that loss it was time to look ahead to 2013. That’s the thing: sometimes people and fans put too much weight on a loss and the past. Me, I learn from the past and take that new knowledge into the future. Build on it.”

But what exactly does the future hold for Chamblin?

The simple answer to that is “a lot of work.”

Stop for a minute and ask yourself: what does a CFL head coach do in the off-season after his team gets eliminated?

Does he unwind for a bit? Perhaps take a vacation?

Not if his name is Cory Chamblin.

Since the 2012 season ended, Chamblin has been incredibly busy. There are GM meetings to attend, old game tapes to watch, analysis to be done on all the things the Riders did well last year, as well as all the things they did bad. Then there’s free agency on the horizon — and all the complex decisions that come with it.

Oh, and since the team recently decided not to renew the contracts

of offensive-line coach Kris Sweet, defensive-line coach Mike Walker and linebackers coach Alex Smith, there’s also a good deal of work going into finding their replacements.

“There’s so many things to do,” admits Chamblin. “You wanna go ahead and interview coaches or go ahead and sign the coaches you’ve already interviewed. You have to look at the current team, look at free agents, look at the production of the offence, defence and special teams. Yeah … there’s a lot going on.”

But Chamblin is up for the task.

Heck, he’s more than up for it — he’s enjoying the hell out of it.

“I have a deep love for this game,” he admits. “A deep love for coaching. A deep love for teaching and discipline and winning. So all this is fun. And everything we do now, in the off-season, is going to set us up to be in a better position to win next year. We went from worst record to the playoffs in one year. This next year, I think it’s possible to have the best record and be in the Grey Cup.” And most of Saskatchewan hopes he’s right.

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A New Beginning How Clive Weighill transformed the Saskatoon Police Service

by Alex J Macpherson

C

live Weighill climbs stairs quickly. Really quickly. Like a man half his age, or a teenager. When I meet him, Saskatoon’s omnipresent chief of police is wearing a simple uniform: shirt, pants, badge. Standing in his cluttered third-floor office, he plays the perfect host, disappearing in search of water and returning with coffee. He is lean and spry and energetic, the result of lunchtime runs along the riverbank. His speech is measured and steady, an engaging mix of insights and asides. He avoids copspeak whenever he can. And, of course, he climbs stairs quickly.

Weighill, who is 59, is a man of boundless energy. That his constitution has not been eroded by six years of stress and responsibility is a testament to his vitality, because his job has not been easy. When Weighill took over in 2006, the Saskatoon Police Service was an institution in crisis. Today, the force operates as a modern police service should, working with and within the community to stamp out crime and address the socioeconomic groundwork of criminal behaviour. Weighill is the architect of that change.

Clive Weighill didn’t plan on becoming a police officer. Growing up in Regina, he wore his hair long and disliked the forces of law and order. Then his house was robbed. His visit to the police sta-

tion changed everything. “This great big burly policeman was at the front desk, and he treated me real nice,” Weighill recalls. “He really cared about my break-and-enter. He seemed to care about me. I left with a whole different impression. I guess my stereotype, what I thought police were like, was sort of torn down.” Grainy images beamed north from the United States, pictures of violence and turbulence in the late 1960s, galvanized him to join the ranks of the Regina Police Service.

“I was thinking, ‘Gee, those poor cops are really put in the middle,’” he says.

“I thought it would be a good thing to get involved with, to try to make a bit of a difference in the community.”

Weighill suspected policing would be a good career, but he had no real expectations. “Certainly I never dreamed I’d end up chief of police somewhere,” he laughs. “I was hoping I would maybe retire at the rank of sergeant, or something like that.” He underestimated his capacity for hard work. In three decades of service, Weighill amassed a dizzying array of experience, from straightforward patrol work and crime prevention to fraud investigations, drug enforcement, and long-term planning. (Even now, he spends several days each year working on the street, an adrenaline rush he can’t bring himself to give up.) After nine years as deputy chief, he was tapped to replace Russell Sabo as the anchor of the Saskatoon Police Service.

“I was very fortunate,” he muses.

“I’ve had a real good growth experience throughout my career. I’ve got a

fairly solid operational background, and yet I’m very adept at [understanding] what’s going on in the community as well.” These experiences would prove vital in Saskatoon, a city united by its mistrust of the police. In 2006, when Weighill arrived, the Saskatoon Police Service was at its nadir. Rocked by allegations of misconduct, and in at least two cases criminal behaviour, the force’s public image was in serious trouble. Weighill knew he needed to resuscitate the service’s reputation while managing change and growth in the city. “There were a few unfortunate incidents that directed attention toward the service,” he says after pointing out that the Saskatoon Police Service had a lot of potential. “It brought morale down and it brought perceptions of the service down. But we got to work quickly.”

Weighill’s approach can be broken down into three pillars: visibility, consistency, and transparency. To make the police more visible, and in doing so rehabilitate its strained relationship with the public, he orchestrated a major redeployment designed to put officers where they were needed most: on the street. The decision had far-reaching consequences. More beat officers curbed street crime which reduced the workload of the investigation division, which allowed them to spend more time working on serious cases. More importantly, officers on the street became a conduit between Weighill and the public. “I think the community has to have trust in the police, and without the trust we’re lost,” he says, alluding to Continued on next page »

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Photo: Courtesy of the saskatoon police service

the fact that interaction fosters healthy relationships. “It’s so important to build up that rapport with the public, that they believe in what we’re doing, that they believe in the direction, and they believe we’re going to do something to help them if a crisis does arise.”

The idea is simple. An officer insulated by the steel and glass of

it’s my responsibility to communicate with the citizens and with the media as much as I can. That gives people the assurance that they know what’s going on with the police service, and that the chief knows what’s going on.”

Tellingly, his philosophy extends beyond triumphant reports of solved cases and captured crooks. “We always

I think the community has to have trust in the police, and without the trust we’re lost. clive weighill

his patrol car is a stranger, but an officer on the street is a human being, someone who shows up when things are bad and when things are good — someone who can be trusted. “That’s one of the most important functions of policing, the visibility,” Weighill says. “Because number one, visibility reassures people; and number two, it takes away an opportunity for crime.

It’s kind of a double-whammy.”

Weighill ensured consistency by carving the city into three divisions, each with a dedicated staff. Officers learned about their patrol areas and people learned about their police officers. Then he turned to transparency, a problem that has plagued police forces for decades. “As the chief of police, the buck stops at my desk,” he explains.

“I’ve always believed that as the chief

have incidents we’re not proud of that happen at the service, but we don’t hide those, either,” Weighill explains, hinting perhaps at a recent scuffle between police officers and firefighters that resulted in a highly publicized trial. “[If] we have a police officer that’s in trouble, we’re honest about it, people know about it, and we deal with it.”

Evidence of Weighill’s success –— and tireless work ethic — is everywhere. The Saskatoon Police Service commissions third-party surveys, which have consistently shown decreasing crime rates and increasing public satisfaction. A recent study found that eight percent of residents consider crime and policing the number one issue facing the city, a de-

crease of almost 30 percent over six years. This confidence in the police and its tireless chief is echoed by the city’s politicians. “I remember when I first came to Saskatoon,” Weighill explains. “One of the members of the Board of Police Commissioners said, ‘Chief, we don’t mind spending money to help the police service, but we want to see some results.’” And they have.

Weighill’s stock is such that in June, 2011, city council approved the construction of a new police station, a modern headquarters fitted with the latest technology and big enough to handle a growing police force. The current building, which was built in 1977, was designed to house 300 people. The Saskatoon Police Service currently employs more than 650 individuals.

“Almost everywhere you look at the building is outdated,” he says.

“They’ve built a building now that will last us well into the future.”

“Every day I get to be a part of the change, what’s going to happen for Saskatoon, and there’s a pride in that,” Weighill muses. “And it’s also a big responsibility, and that gives you kind of an adrenaline rush as well.”

The station is scheduled to open in 2013. Expect a lot of stairs.

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Holiday Headache

Photo: Courtesy of Trey Ratcliff

We all need to chill out when it comes to the semantics of Christmas

T

is the season to be jolly, to show unrequited goodwill towards those around you, to spend time with people you care about (if you want), and, in certain circles, to sit around, beer in hand, watching Team Canada vie for the World Junior Hockey Championships.

‘Tis also the season for the so-called “war on Christmas” to recommence.

You know what we’re talking about. Every year around this time people on one side of the debate start going on about how the phrase “Merry Christmas” should be replaced with something more politically correct, like “Happy Holidays,” and about how Christmas slogans and symbols should be removed from public places because of their religious (to some) affiliations. Folks on the other side argue that it’s imperative to keep Christ in Christmas, and that any use of a more generic greeting is proof of a vast secular conspiracy to destroy Christianity. This is, they claim, the birthday of their saviour and should be celebrated as such.

It’s almost impossible to make it through this time of year without the issue of “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays” getting revisited for the

umpteenth time. In fact, recently in Saskatoon tempers on both sides flared when city buses began displaying “Merry Christmas” on their electronic destination boards. And we think that’s simply preposterous. Not the messages, but the debate itself. We don’t care if Merry Christmas is displayed on public transit. And it’s not because we support the “keep Christ in Christmas” argument, because we don’t. Nor do we support those on the politically correct side of the fence. What we support is a society in which you can say anything you want — Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Jolly Solstice, Happy friggin’ Holidays, or anything else — without fear of criticism or reprimand from others.

This is a time of year to rejoice, folks, not to bicker over semantics.

Why can’t we take the well-wishing as a simple gesture of good will without getting embroiled in a kerfuffle that regurgitates the same soundbites over and over without making any progress, before ultimately dying away in the cool dawn of the new year, where it lies dormant until the following November?

Seriously. Can’t we all just get along? It’s not so hard.

Don’t believe us? Think back to the year 1914 (go with us here, this

will all make sense in a minute).

The British and German armies, two sworn enemies, were locked in mortal combat all along the Western Front. Bullets, barbed wire and death were in abundance. But in the week leading up to Christmas, and especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, unofficial ceasefires were called. At Ypres, German soldiers allegedly began placing candles on Christmas trees in their trenches and singing Christmas carols. Pretty soon soldiers from both sides were venturing into No Man’s Land, exchanging gifts and season’s greetings.

Lest we forget, these were people trying to kill each other less than 24 hours earlier.

And if they can get along during this time of year (even if it was only for a short period of time), we, the purportedly peaceful and respectful public, should be able to do the same.

And yes, we fully realize that noting the use of Christmas trees and Christmas carols in the aforementioned anecdote may seem as though we support the whole religious/ Merry Christmas side of the argument, but that’s not the case. See, Christmas trees pre-date a Christian version of Christmas. So do wreaths Continued on next page »

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and yuletide and a whole host of Christmas carols (heck, check out our infographic on this page for more details). And for many, Christmas is simply a secular holiday, a few days off work/school to hang out, perhaps go wassailing (essentially carolling, sometimes with booze), and generally take a load off.

But that’s besides the point here.

Hell, those soldiers could’ve been lighting menorahs, decorating their trenches with kente, sacrificing a lamb to pagan gods or sending politically correct well wishes from one end of No Man’s Land to the other. You see, ultimately, it’s not the words or customs that you use at this time of year, it’s the message and intent behind them.

And in one way or another, whether you’re saying “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays” or “Have a swell Saturnalia,” it’s the message that’s important. As long as you’re conveying good will and joy to others, why bother getting tangled up in your -isms or religions or beliefs?

Let’s stop all the petty squabbling, chill out, and just enjoy the season. So a big Happy Hanukkah!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Joyous Kwanzaa! and Stupendous

holiday trivia

Many of the symbols associated with Christmas have been influenced by different cultures and beliefs from all over the world

• Christmas trees: evergreens were used as symbols during

pre-Christian winter festivals and rites. For the ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Hebrews, the evergreen was a symbol of eternal life.

Ditto for wreaths. Oh, and in pagan Europe, tree worship was fairly commonplace • Yule or Yuletide: people often associate this idea with the Christian version of Christmas, but really Yule has been linked to a mid-winter festival celebrated by Germanic pagans, the Wild Hunt (an ancient European folk myth), and the Norse god, Odin

• Christmas carols: while some are certainly religious, others are just fun-loving jingles, like “Jingle Bells,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

• Fun Fact: in 1647, the Puritan-led English Parliament banned Christmas celebrations because the symbols being used were too pagan. In America, between 1659-1681, the Pilgrims enacted a similar ban in Boston

Solstice — essentially, keep on rocking, Saskatoon! — from the staff here at Verb.

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 the stripping laws in Saskatchewan.

Here's what you had to say:

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

– The only Stripping Laws the Saskparty & NDP should be concerned with are the election laws that will let voters STRIP them of their legislative seats.

OFF TOPIC – Holy cow we have Strppers in SK. Get the tar and feathers Maggie. Cover the kids eyes. We’ll need a railroad tie to run them out on bring that tooMaggie. Maggie trying to carry the tar and feathers, cover the kids eyes and drag a rail road tie dutifully fallows her husband Who are we kidding.

– If new stripping laws and lower drinking age are best examples of progress we r in trouble

– There are a lot of issues surround stripping and what it might do to the comunity, the people who go and the people who work in the industryl. Separate from that is whether or not it should be al

lowed, and while I wouldn’t go, I think it’s a choice that people have to make for themselves.

– Love feature on graphic novels and artists would like to see more!

In response to “A New Golden Age?” Local page, #220 (December 14, 2012

– Yes saskatchewan should allow strip joints to operate if u want to have a beer and watch people dance naked fine if u dont then dont go.

– It’ll be fun to go to the local strip club and run into all the girls I went to school with.

– Good for Saskatchewan for finally allowing stripping and drinking now I can enjoy some juggs with a cold one!

sound off – For anyone that wants to voice their opinion about evolution, have you ever seen a rock evolve into anything more intelligent than a rock? Or does a person evolve into anything other than a person? It should be clear to anyone that any intelligence must be first be created. We can become smarter with education but there is no proof to say we are evolving into anything but human beings which we already are. Appreciate creation for what it is. Stop trying to justify something which is out of your hands. If it were in your hands, you would prove that you could live forever. I’m quite certain that you will leave this earthly world as will the rest of us at some point.

– Luv u yesterday luv u still always have always will. Ure my best friend my soul mate my wife ure my companion my soul and my life.Luv u Crystal!Mike

– Regarding the Newtown, CT shooting, we need to get the guns out of people’s hands and start putting God back into our schools. We have nothing to give us any conscience to our actions anymore. There is no godly standard to live our lives by and to teach our children to live by anymore. There are no consequences to people’s actions. The justice system has failed everyone. We are lifting up murderers as celebrities and rate mass shootings as one being worse than another. Even one murder Continued on next page »

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is too many. Let’s stop glorifying the murderer and remember the victims. Let’s also disarm people for guns+rage=death. People need to guard their minds rather than their bodies or their possessions. Let’s pray to God that we can keep a sane and healthy mind as well as those around us. Let’s have consequences for our actions. Let’s discipline our children so they know right from wrong. Let’s have a justice system that serves our citizens and victims and serves true justice on criminals and not just a slap on the wrist. Let’s grow our children into law abiding citizens and God fearing people. If we kick God out of our schools and our lives, we cannot expect him to protect us.

– When will people learn that you don’t solve problems with guns? If

you don’t learn from history you are bound to repeat it.

– Fisrt time I heard hoarfrost without seeing its spelling I thought Man! She musta been cold!

– JC’s B-Day Dec 25th they say...

WHAT HE’S GOT N0 RELATIVES ?

AUNTS UNCLES ?

– So someone is pissed because city bus has Merry Christmas on it really with all the things going on in the world today that what upsets you

– As a Jew living in Saskatoon I take no offence when somebody wishes me a Merry Christmas I simply reply with Happy Holidays! :-)

– It seems like people want freedom of speech but that don’t want that to apply to christians saying Merry Christmas what’s up with that!?

Next issue: What do you think about the alleged war on Christmas? Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation:

– To all a DOWNtown Merry Christmas and to all a DOWNtown Good Night!

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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Prop Planes

Photos: courtesy of Scott Goodwill / the artist

Regina rockers make the music they want by Alex J MacPherson

M

atty O’Connell was fed up with playing music he didn’t love. Rather than complain, he simply formed a band he wanted to play in. Prop Planes played their first show earlier this year.

Their debut EP, Begging to Believe, is a slick package, half a dozen songs driven by a range of influences, from contemporary rock to old school punk. The record is part memoir and part roadmap for the future. Although the album is packed with crunchy guitars and punctuated by Craig Moleski’s affecting vocals, the arrangements (clever, hinting at epic) and the dynamics (spoton) are what make Begging to Believe crackle. I caught up with O’Connell to talk about the slow burn before the band’s first concert, and the tension that defines all good rock groups.

Alex J MacPherson: You guys took some heat for the long marketing campaign, with no music, that preceded your first show.

MO: We wanted people to start talking about us. There was some controversy around us. It was both positive and negative. At the end of the day, it did exactly what we intended it to do: create a buzz and just get people talking about the name Prop Planes. All of the negativity that surrounded it?

There’s always going to be that group of people that don’t agree with what you’re doing. We’re not in it to make music for those people, anyways.

MO: I think that’s a fair assessment for any band’s first efforts. A lot of it was defining what we were going to sound like as a band. We never set out and said, ‘What do we want this to sound like?’ We probably wrote upwards of 25 songs when we first started. Those six were the first six we played at our very first show. Now we have a solid direction of where we want to go.

AJM: I get not making music for naysayers, but who do you want to make music for?

MO: It’s totally clichéd to say, but we’re at a point in all of our lives that we’re done trying to pay attention to the radio, what’s selling, what’s popular. If we get the opportunity to tour and do some of that stuff with our band, that’s a bonus to us, but at the end of the day, it’s about us being able to get together a few nights a week. We’re making music for ourselves.

AJM: One thing common in all good rock bands is tension, creative or otherwise. You guys can’t all be on the same page all the time. Where’s the tension in Prop Planes?

AJM: Is balancing that against the desire to be critically and commercially successful difficult?

MO: I think one of the reasons it took us so long to get any music out is that

[W]e’re all fighting for the music we want to play.

Matty O’Connell

MO: I think we just want to be authentic and passionate about what we do. You’re always going to have a record label or pop culture play a factor in the direction of your sound, but as long as it’s authentic, something true to who you are, that contributes to a band’s ultimate success. People aren’t stupid. If they can see right through what you’re doing, it’s not going to turn a lot of heads.

we all come from different backgrounds. I wouldn’t say we’re breaking out into fistfights in our jam sessions or writing sessions, but I think we’re all fighting for the music we want to play. For us … to get our voices heard, I think that’s a struggle in itself. And maybe that speaks to authenticity.

Prop Planes January 4 @ Amigos Tickets at the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

AJM: Let’s talk about the record. This seems less like an album than a collection of solid rock songs, leaving a lot of choices for the next one.

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

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A Lesson In The Blues

Kacy & Clayton eat, drink, and breathe roots music

R

obert Johnson made fewer than 50 recordings. These tapes, gritty and raw, are for most people the very beginning of music history, and Johnson’s Faustian pact its creation myth. Kacy Anderson and Clayton Linthicum know better.

They see Johnson as the end of history, not the beginning.

“A lot of Robert Johnson’s influences are the ones we like,” says Linthicum, citing Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Patton, and Skip James . “The twenties, when they first started recording music, we really love that stuff.

Everybody has influences, and it’s just that [Johnson] might have been one of the first to be recorded.”

Mining the depths of black history for roots and blues music, simple songs formed in the crucible of the Mississippi Delta and fired by the passions of racial tension and the legacy of slavery, may not seem like a typical pastime for two young Canadians.

by alex J MacPherson

Anderson and Linthicum are forging a career from it.

Today, they perform across western Canada as Kacy and Clayton.

Their expanding catalogue includes a slew of classic blues songs as well as several originals, songs written in the same spirit as their forebears. Their obsession with early blues music — as well as their skill in performing it — has attracted some serious fans, including the Deep Dark Woods’ Ryan Boldt, who will produce their second album next year.

But getting started wasn’t easy.

“Yup,” Linthicum deadpans when asked if he and Anderson struggled to be taken seriously. “I would say that it was.” It did not take long before Anderson’s sweet voice and Linthicum’s guitar chops — he plays better than someone three times his age — changed people’s minds. Linthicum thinks the inherent strength of the songs can’t help but win people over.

Photo: courtesy of dane roy photography

“It’s fairly genuine, and it’s very stripped-down, raw music,” he says.

“Good melodies. Good rhythm.”

Heard live, Kacy and Clayton have a sound that swings, like a pendulum, from coarse and emotional to light and ethereal. Two voices, one guitar. It is a timeless sound, one that has emanated from people for more than a century — and one that promises to emerge from Kacy and Clayton for years to come.

Kacy + Clayton January 4 @ The Bassment $15/20

A diverse experience

Mendel fundraiser offers a chance to experience something new

L

ugo is many things to many people. Some see the Mendel Art Gallery fundraiser as a bohemian paradise, a sprawling array of art and dance and music and noise. Others see it as a swanky party, a chance to drink and celebrate with Saskatoon’s vibrant arts community. Troy Gronsdahl, who organizes the event, thinks Lugo is the physical manifestation of something we do every day.

“We use social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter to connect with our audience, but also to shape the program, connect with other artists,” says Gronsdahl, who is also a curator at the public art gallery. “To bring it all together for a good cause is one of the best uses of the technology. It’s a realization of the most positive potential of social networking.”

Here’s the thing about social media: the person with the most follow-

by alex J MacPherson

to see something new. Gronsdahl is a hardcore music fan, but admits that contemporary dance is out of his social purview. “We do sort of have a tendency to stick with what we know, and lose a chance to have a real diverse experience, and maybe have an encounter with part of the arts world you otherwise wouldn’t.” he says.

Unlike our Twitter feeds, which are heavily curated streams of information, Lugo is a flood of new ideas, new experiences, and a new way to engage with this city and its arts community.

ers on Twitter is still sitting in front of a computer in his or her underpants, desperately trying to connect with the wider world. Events like Lugo are the physical manifestation of social networking, an opportunity for a diverse group of people to meet in public and share a range of new experience.

“I have picked up on that renewed interest in social gatherings, handmade objects, firsthand personal experiences,” the soft-spoken Gronsdahl explains, alluding to the loneliness and alienation of a world where friendships are virtual and ideas exchanged online. “I like that Lugo…embraces some of the best parts about being a human being and technology that is potentially alienating, and harnessing it for a real positive social experience.”

That social experience is difficult to describe. Holding a raucous, beer-fueled party in the Mendel’s pristine gallery space is just the beginning. What makes Lugo special is the opportunity

Lugo January 12 @ Mendel Art Gallery $20 advance @ the Gallery Shop, or $25 at the door ( ) Feedback?

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

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Lost Together What Blue Rodeo Means Today by Alex J MacPherson

G

Keelor doesn’t want to talk about his achievements. “I don’t mind,” he says. “I’ve just become a little self-conscious.” This is both understandable and unfortunate. Understandable because Keelor, bearded and bespectacled, is in many ways just an average guy from Toronto.

He favours cowboy shirts and aviator sunglasses, and likes spending time away from the city. Keelor’s reticence is unfortunate because he also happens to be a famous rock musician, a founding member of Blue Rodeo, the band he and Jim Cuddy have spent the past three decades elevating from blistering bar rock outfit to national icon.

It is popular to claim that Blue Rodeo’s music is indivisible from the national identity, but such statements are simplistic. Canadians do not have one identity; we have many, and Blue Rodeo’s music has served as a soundtrack to lives in every corner of this country. We are still trying to figure out how two songwriters from Toronto captured the essence of the Canadian experience in a handful of rock songs. The default response to perceptions of greatness is praise, and over the past several years Blue Rodeo have been wined and dined and lavished with awards.

But Keelor doesn’t think about it all that much. “They’re sort of secondary to playing music,” he tells me, his voice strong and clear. “They’re just these funny little things that happen. They don’t really have any effect; they’re just a little bit of punctuation along the way.” He pauses for a moment before

adding, “And there’s usually a good party that ensues.”

Keelor met Cuddy on the football field at the North Toronto Collegiate Institute. Cuddy played quarterback, Keelor defence. The pair became fast friends, and promised to stay in touch after graduation. By the late seventies, after stints out west, they were playing together in the Hi-Fis, a reasonably successful power pop band. Keelor struggles to remember their first concert in Saskatchewan. “That’s back in the middle ages,” he laughs. After thinking for a moment, he summons the memory. “You know, I think the

We could make our own songs.’” That fan’s name was Jay Semko. A few years later, he emerged as the frontman of the Northern Pikes.

Cuddy and Keelor bounced around the music scene before forming a new band in 1984. Blue Rodeo’s first album, Outskirts, was released in 1987. From the beginning it was clear that their sound, rooted in folk and rock and country, and enhanced by two distinct songwriting voices, was special. Their second single, “Try,” rocketed up the charts, eventually winning Single of the Year at the Juno Awards. By the time they wrote and released Diamond Mine in 1989, the band had evolved into something much larger than a bar

Jim and I, we still love songwriting.

It’s a big part of how we define ourselves as human beings. greg keelor

first time we played [Saskatchewan] was opening up for a band called the Pointed Sticks, in around 1979.”

Keelor’s memory is good. He and Cuddy played the basement of Saskatoon’s Centennial Auditorium with two other bands, Modern Minds and the Pointed Sticks. “You didn’t get many shows in Saskatoon that were neat like that,” one fan who attended the show later wrote. “It was inspirational to me being an 18-year-old kid. I remember thinking, ‘We could do a band like that.

band. Keelor found the experience deeply uncomfortable.

“It’s a horrible feeling when you first start playing theatres,” he says.

“You’re used to playing in front of an intoxicated audience. You’re used to people dancing and hanging out. Then, all of a sudden, you’re in this room where people are sitting, moderately sober, and without any distraction they’re just looking at you.”

Although he equates playing theatres to playing with his pants around Continued on next page »

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Photo: courtesy of Dustin rabin

his ankles, Keelor understands that the experience changed the band’s sound.

To illustrate, he tells a story from their first national tour, when the band supported k.d. lang. “She had this one song in the middle of her set, something about cigarettes,” he says. “It was a ballad: very dramatic, very simply played.

That song got the biggest response every night. That one song got the audience in a way nothing else did.”

Struck by the power of a simple tune in a big room, Keelor decided he would try and write ones like that, too.

“I thought that rather than just playing loud dance-y sort of stuff, you could do more subtle things.

You could use that space to create

writing songs that are warm and approachable. This is apparent in their ballads, intimate and inviting tracks like “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” and “Lost Together,” but even their uptempo songs have a warmth absent from so much guitar rock.

“Jim and I, we still love songwriting,” Keelor says. “It’s a big part of how we define ourselves as human beings.”

This is what makes Blue Rodeo special.

Individual records are a reflection of the songwriter’s experience flavoured by the spirit of the times. With each new crop of songs comes a new perspective, new maturity, evolution.

It is a powerful thought, and one that Keelor, who is extremely modest, tends to disregard. “There can be three generations at one of our shows, and that’s very sweet to see,” he says. “But I think part of that [is that] a lot of the songs are just sort of singable songs. There are some songs that are a little more complicated than others, but a lot of them are just simple, singalong sort of numbers, and I think that has worked for us as well.”

Photo: courtesy of Heather Pollock

an intimacy you couldn’t really do in a bar.”

This was the genesis of the sound people identify with Blue Rodeo, an immediately recognizable blend of country and rock characterized by huge respect for the sonic spectrum, dynamics, and the power of literate introspection. Cuddy and Keelor have dramatically different songwriting styles and singing voices, and each have factions within the band’s fanbase, but they are both adept at

Earlier this year, Blue Rodeo was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The CBC threw a massive party and invited dozens of prominent musicians to help Cuddy, Keelor, Bazil Donovan, Bob Egan, and Glenn Milchem celebrate 25 years of making records. It was a diverse group, from the Sadies and Cuff the Duke to Great Big Sea and Whitehorse — musicians who grew up listening to records like Casino and Five Days in July and thinking of Blue Rodeo as one of the

most vital voices in Canadian music.

Keelor was nonplussed. “It’s a reciprocal thing,” he says. “I’m inspired by all those people. They’ve given us lots, all of them. As songwriters, we’re all stealing from each other a little bit all the time, and so it’s good to have those people around. When I think of a band like the Sadies, I’ve stolen tons from their songbook. What we might have done for them they have certainly done for us, as well.”

But while some bands come and go, Blue Rodeo are here to stay. They are working on a new record, the followup to 2009’s The Things We Left Behind.

Beyond that, Keelor isn’t sure what will happen, except that he and Cuddy will continue to write and record songs.

“We’ve never really been big on the long plan, even though we’ve been around a long time,” he laughs. And they will surely be around for years to come. Keelor can’t imagine doing

anything else. “It’s how I understand myself in the world,” he says. It’s how we understand ourselves, too.

Blue Rodeo January 15 @ TCU Place $25+ @ tcutickets.ca Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Oozing classic cool Photos courtesy of Adam Hawboldt

The recently revamped 2nd Ave Grill has it all by adam hawboldt

T

he 2nd Ave Grill is cool.

Not in a smooth, postmodern kind of way, and not in a so-full-of-kitsch-thatit’s-hip kind of way. No, the 2nd Ave Grill is cool in a way that the instant you walk in, you get the feeling it’s the kind of joint in which Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin would hang out. But don’t get it twisted, the downtown restaurant isn’t dated or anything. With recent renovations (new drapes, new walls, new booths, lights and entrance), it has a fresh yet classically cool feel.

Featuring everything from dim lights to black leather booths to a giant painting of a red-headed dame smoking a cigarette hanging in the restaurant’s entrance, 2nd Ave Grill has an atmosphere that is both warm and inviting. The kind of place to go on a cold winter’s eve to sip a glass of wine, toss back a Brandy Alexander, or sink your teeth into a juicy steak.

Or better yet, why not try something different?

When I first decided to go to 2nd Ave Grill, I figured I’d just pop in for a steak and a drink, then be on

my merry ol’ way. Thing is, once I saw the menu that idea flew straight out the window. From chorizo and chevre pizza to ginger lime shrimp and pistachio-crusted salmon, the 2nd Ave Grill had a host of dishes that looked absolutely mouth watering.

In the end, I opted for a threecourse meal that included Saskatoon berry brie, Niçoise salad and braised short ribs.

The brie — which came wrapped in phyllo pastry and topped with Saskatoon berries and pecans — was a creamy, sweet start to my meal.

As for the salad, it was handsdown the best I’ve had in the city.

Why? Well, for a couple of reasons.

First, I love Niçoise salad. And this one — which consisted of lettuce, a hard-boiled egg, potatoes, asparagus, tomatoes and seared ahi tuna — was especially good. The tuna was perfectly cooked, and the potatoes were wonderfully herbed.

The other reason this Niçoise salad rocked my world is because it came deconstructed. Which, in case you’re wondering, also made it the most fun salad I’ve had to eat in the city.

Last up was the braised short ribs, which came finished in a tomato/

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide MACPHERSON BRANDY ALEXANDER

Ingredients

Brandy Alexanders are a great way to warm up when it’s cold outside. Or to drink anytime, really. Here, Alex shares his family recipe.

3 parts heavy cream 2 (and a bit) parts brandy 1 part creme de cacao

Directions

Shake the heavy cream, brandy and creme de cacao over ice, then garnish with nutmeg. 15 to 20 test swallows should confirm the proportions. For something a little different, try tossing all ingredients in a blender.

maple reduction. These came with a steak knife, but it wasn’t needed — the meat was so moist and tender it fell off the bone the instant I touched it.

So the next time you’re downtown looking for a cool, classic place with good eats, give 2nd Ave Grill a try. Frank Sinatra would’ve approved. Or at least I assume he would have.

2nd Ave Grill 123 2 Avenue S | 244 9899 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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Next Week

coming up

We Were Lovers

Alexis Korchinski

Fleetwood Mac

@ Amigos Cantina Monday, December 31 – $15

@ the bassment Friday, january 14 – $10/14

@ Credit Union Centre tuesday, May 14 – $62+

The first time you hear We Were Lovers, images of new wave ‘80s will dance through your head. But listen to them a bit more and you’ll realize this duo is more than just a wanna-be ‘80s band. Using slick beats, swirling guitars and hypnotic synths, Elsa Gebremichael (vocals, synth, percussion) and Ash Lamothe (guitar, synth, back-up vocals) have created a catchy, dreamy electro kind of music that’s instantly recognizable yet still intriguing. Having stolen shows from New York City to Las Vegas and back again, We Were Lovers have honed their sound on the road. They’re slated to release their first LP later in 2013, so come check them out when they arrive back in their hometown for a wicked New Year’s Eve party. Tickets for the show available on ticketedge.ca / the door.

Alexis is nothing if not a true hometown talent. She grew up here, studied voice here, got a degree in Music and Education from the university here, and now, after a brief hiatus away from Saskatoon, is back again. With a soulful voice and real musical chops, Korchinski’s vocals seduce the audience into an intimate evening full of tremendous jazz/blues music. But that’s not all. Korchinski also possesses an engaging stage presence, telling stories and creating a joyful mood full of laughter and appreciation. A singer-songwriter with loads of talent, Korchinski is also backed by an excellent band that includes Amy Bourassa, Adam Bourassa, Daryl Pierce and Peter Pizurny. This is one show you won’t want to miss.

Once upon a time ago, a girl named “Rhiannon” tried to “Hold Me” and give me “Big Love” near the “Silver Springs.” But there was a “Landslide” and her love for me became “Second Hand News.” The stuff that only “Dreams” are made of. Okay, so none of that is true. But if you know anything about the legendary group Fleetwood Mac, you’ll recognize their big hits. And frankly, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Their 1977 album Rumours produced four top-10 singles alone. Fleetwood Mac’s sound is so closely linked with the ‘60s and ‘70s experience, it’s hard to think about either decade without a song by Fleetwood Mac crossing your mind. And in the spring they’ll be gracing the stage of the Credit Union Centre. Tickets available through Ticketmaster.

– By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: Desiree Martin Photography / the artist / the artist

Sask music Preview There’s a lot going on around town this holiday season, so if you’re not sure what to do in the lull between Christmas and New Year’s, or where to be when the clock counts down to 2013, head over to SaskMusic’s events listings at http://www.saskmusic.org/events.php to see what’s going on, now or at any time during the year. And from the staff at SaskMusic, best greetings for the season!

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

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December 21 » January 12 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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Friday 21

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

Slow Down, Molasses, Moonbahn, SoSo / Amigos — Come check out the End of the World Party. 10pm / Cover TBD Piano Fridays: Jesse Brown / The Bassment — Enjoy some smooth jazz stylings. 4:30pm / No cover Root Series: The Hard Ramblers, The Whiskey Jerks / The Bassment — Come rockabilly the night away. 9pm / $12/16 Austen Roadz / Béily’s — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy, top-40 dance party every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover One Bad Son / Buds on Broadway — A hard-rocking local four-piece. 10pm / $6 Black Rain / Crown + Rok — A night of good ol’ rock and roll. 9pm / Cover TBD Mo’ Love / The Fez on Broadway — A tribute to Motown. 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 Ultimate Power Duo / Lydia’s Pub — They’ll rock you like a hurricane at this Doomsday Party. 10pm / $7 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 Ian Martens / Prairie Ink — Acoustic folk rock. 8pm / No cover L.O.R.D. Funk and Friends / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — Come out for a night of funky music. 9pm / No cover.

Charly Hustle / Spadina Freehouse — He drops beats for your listening pleasure.

10pm / No cover Urban Outlaws / 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 Fireside Singers / TCU Place — A local choir with over 100 voices of all ages will mesmerize at this holiday event.

7:30pm / $27-29 (www.tcutickets.ca) Dislexik + Mern / Tequila — Come party like there’s no tomorrow. 8pm / $5 Graham Tilsley, Ryan Holaday / Vangelis — Two sweet acts, one great price.

10pm / $5

Saturday 22

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover Vulture Kult, Ultimate Power Duo / Amigos — Rock and roll for the modern age. 10pm / Cover TBD Piano Series: Ray Stephanson’s Moxon Trio / The Bassment — Playing original compositions and improvised tunes. 9pm / $10/14 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 One Bad Son / Buds on Broadway — A hard-rocking local four-piece. 10pm / $6 Kick Start Louie / Crown + Rok — Come bid farewell to this local act. 10pm / Cover TBD 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 Christmas Party 3 / Lydia’s Pub — Join Smokekiller, Jen Lane and the Karpinka Brothers for Lydia’s third seasonal Christmas Party. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Caila Ellerman / Prairie Ink — Gentle melodies over ominous tones. 8pm / No cover L.O.R.D. Funk and Friends / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — Come out for a night of funky music. 9pm / No cover.

Chris Astro / Spadina Freehouse — Break out your dancing shoes and come have some fun. 10pm / No cover Urban Outlaws / 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 Fireside Singers / TCU Place — A local choir with over 100 voices of all ages. 7:30pm / $27-29 (www.tcutickets. ca) DJ Kidalgo / Tequila — Break out your holiday dancing shoes. 9pm / Cover TBD Young Benjamins, Close Talker, Castle River / Vangelis — A rockin’ night not to be missed. 10pm / $10 in advance, $12 at the door

Sunday 23

Industry Night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff The Pistol Whips / The Fez on Broadway — A night of garage rock. 9pm / Cover TBD

Wednesday 26

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 Shooting Guns / Amigos Cantina — Some hard rockin’ tunes for the holidays.

10pm / Cover TBD Apollo Cruz / Buds — A night of highoctane blues. 10pm / Cover $6

Boxing Day Spectacular / Crown + Rok — What better way to celebrate the holidays? 9pm / Cover TBD 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 / 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 The Steadies Boxing Day / Lydia’s Pub — Come rock out with these guys at Lydia’s fifth annual boxing day bash.

10pm / $10 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 BC Read / Rock Creek — Blues music you just gotta hear. 9pm / Cover TBD Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / No cover

Thursday 27

Jazz Jam: Brett Balon Trio / The Bassment — If you play an instrument, come on down. 8pm / $5 (free for jammers) Apollo Cruz / Buds on Broadway — A night of high-octane blues. 10pm / Cover $6 Throwback Thursdays / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover 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 Continuum / Vangelis — Come out for a night of electronic music. 10pm / No cover

Friday 28

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Continued on next page »

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Band Swap Se7en / Amigos — A bunch of musicians switching and swapping bands. 9pm / Cover TBD Piano Fridays: Fred Ballantyne / The Bassment — Enjoy some smooth jazz stylings. 4:30pm / No cover Root Series: The Barrelmen / The Bassment — A multi-instrument affair.

9pm / $12/16 Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy, top-40 dance party every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover Gong Show / Buds on Broadway — A party band you don’t want to miss. 10pm / $6 The Grip Slips / Crown + Rok — A night of good ol’ rock and roll. 9pm / Cover TBD Travertine and naughty / The Fez on Broadway — Come on down and hang out. 10pm / 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 The Rebellion / Lydia’s — A wildly talented rock trio. 10pm / $5 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 James Steele Trio / Prairie Ink — Sweet fiddle tunes in a laid-back, intimate setting. 8pm / No cover Kelly Read / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — Come out for a night of good rockin’ tunes. 9pm / No cover Dr. J / Spadina Freehouse — He drops beats for your listening pleasure. 10pm / No cover Jomama / 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 Mikey Dubz + Kidalgo / Tequila — Come out for this GLAAD fundraiser night! 8pm Undercover Pirates / Vangelis — Arrgghh! Don’t ye miss the show. 10pm / $5

Saturday 29

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover

Savage Henry and the Infamous One Pounders / Amigos Cantina — Come rock the night away. 10pm / Cover TBD Brett Balon / The Bassment — Come down and enjoy a Brecker Brothers tribute. 9pm / $12/16 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 Gong Show / Buds — A party band you don’t want to miss. 10pm / $6 Kenny Shields + Streetheart / Dakota Dunes — A hall-of-fame Canadian rock band. 8pm / $30 (www.tickets.siga.sk.ca) 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 DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Paulo Borges / Prairie Ink — Come out and enjoy some folk/world music for ya.

8pm / No cover Kelly Read / Somewhere Else Pub and Grill — Come out for a night of good rockin’ tunes. 9pm / No cover Mitchy The Kid / Spadina Freehouse — Break out your dancing shoes and come have some fun. 10pm / No cover Jomama / 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 DJ Kidalgo / Tequila — Break out those pre-New Year’s dancing shoes. 8pm / Cover TBD

Sunday 30

Industry Night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Jomama / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking tunes. 9pm / No cover

Monday 31

We Were Lovers / Amigos Cantina — Featuring the Young Benjamins. 10pm / $15 (www.ticketedge.ca)

New Years in New Orleans / The Bassment — Come and welcome 2013 with The Crawdaddios, Zyde-Gogo, Dr. Don and the Black Mambas. 9pm / Sold out Memory Lane / Broadway Cafe — Join this tribute to the 40s, 50s and 60s for a NYE dinner + a show. 6pm / $75 Penny Reign / Buds On Broadway — Hard-hitting power pop. 10pm / $10 (includes champagne at midnight) Riff Raff / Crown + Rok — It’s a New Year’s party with classic ‘80s rock. 9pm / Cover TBD The Highwaymen / Dakota Dunes — A tribute to Waylon, Willie and Johnny. 8pm / $45 (www.tickets.siga.sk.ca) Phanom Radio, Thresh / Fez on Broadway — Come and ring in 2013 with this wicked show. 10pm / Cover TBD 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 Skratch Bastid, The Gaff / The Odeon Events Centre — It’s a New Year’s Eve house party! Also appearing is Conky Showpony and Chris Astro. 7pm / $24.50 (www.theodeon.ca) Disco Ninjaz + Dislexik / Tequlia — Check out the Underwater New Year’s Eve party. 8pm / $15 KBroNomics NYE Party / Vangelis Tavern — Featuring the Karpinka Brothers, Economics, The Seahags, Myles and the Blanks. 10pm / $10 in advance, $12 at the door

Tuesday 1

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

Wednesday 2

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 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 / Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Dr. J ‘Souled Out’ / Lydia’s Pub — Dr. J spins hot funk and soul every Wednesday night. 9pm / No cover

WILD WEST WEDNESDAY / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — This is Saskatoon’s top industry night, hosted by DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman. And don’t forget to come ride the mechanical bull. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff

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Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / No cover

Thursday 3

Throwback Thursdays / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover 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

Friday 4

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Prop Planes / Amigos — This Regina band rocks.10pm / Cover TBD Piano Fridays: Ray Stephanson / The Bassment — Enjoy some smooth jazz stylings. 4:30pm / No cover Root Series: Kacy + Clayton, Ryan Boldt / The Bassment — These local blues musicians are an act not to miss.

Saturday 5

Also appearing is the Deep Dark Woods’ Ryan Boldt. 9pm / $15/20 Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy, top 40 dance party every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover DJ Eclectic / The Hose & Hydrant — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy electronic beats to get you moving on the dance floor. 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 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 Urban Outlaws / 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 Pirate Fridays: Indigo Joseph, Herd of Wasters, Mario Lepage / Vangelis — It’s an album release party. Be there!

10pm / $10

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover Tessa Kautzman / Amigos — An indie folk act from Montreal. 10pm / Cover TBD Piano Series: Martin Janovsky Orchestra / The Bassment — A night of Latin, jazz and blues. 9pm / $15/20 Walter TV w/ Caves / Beaumont Film + Record — A hot show to warm up a cold winter’s night. 8pm / $5 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 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 Skylab / Lydia’s Loft — Hit up Lydia’s to enjoy a chill, cosmic, DJ night with a deep space theme. Styles include house, techno, bass, breaks and more. No cover before 10pm DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5

Neil Roston Trio / Prairie Ink — Come and enjoy some blues and folk in an intimate setting. 8pm / No cover Urban Outlaws / 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 Rory Borealis and the Northern Lights / Vangelis — A night of cool rockin’ tunes. 10pm / $5

Sunday 6

Industry Night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff Saskatoon Brass Band / Grace Westminster United Church — A Christmas concert featuring the Choirs of GraceWestminster United Church. 7pm / Donation DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Blues Jam / Vangelis — Come on down and get your jam on. 9pm / No cover

Monday 7

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

Synapse / Vangelis Tavern — An open stage for electronic music. 9pm / No cover

Tuesday 8

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 9

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 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 / 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 Continued on next page »

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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 when you visit. 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, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / No cover Johnny Broadway Record Club / Vangelis Tavern — Come on down and chill out while listening to some great tunes. 9pm / No cover

Thursday 10

Throwback Thursdays / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover 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

Friday 11

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Piano Fridays: Maurice Drouin / The Bassment — Enjoy some smooth jazz stylings. 4:30pm / No cover Alexis Korchinski / The Bassment — An intimate evening of music and laughter.

9pm / $10/14 Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover 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 Method Man / The Odeon — This famous rapper is swinging by Saskatoon on his So High Tour. 8pm / $42.50-60 (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 Urban Outlaws / Stan’s Place — Come out for a night of rocking tunes. 9pm / No cover

Saturday 12

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night long at 6Twelve, so come on down and get your groove on. 9pm / No cover Piano Series: Jan Janovsky Trio / The Bassment — Ragtime to classical to jazz to polka. 9pm / $12/16 Greg Rekus / Beaumont Film and Record — An alt/punk act from Winnipeg. 8pm / Cover TBD Austen Roadz / Béily’s UltraLounge — Austen Roadz throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL every Saturday night — come and check ‘em out. 9pm / $5 cover 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 DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Urban Outlaws / 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 All Mighty Voice w/Guy and the Fellas / Vangelis — Some folk/roots/soul for ya. 10pm / $5

next issue available January 11, 2013!

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

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Mid-life Crisis?

Photo: Courtesy of universal pictures

Judd Apatow’s new flick, This is 40, is full of hits and misses by adam hawboldt

I

f you twisted my arm and forced me to tell you what my favourite Judd Apatowdirected movie is, after much hemming and hawing (and possibly screaming) I’d have to go with Funny People.

Yes, that scene from The 40-YearOld Virgin — the one where Steve Carell gets his chest waxed — remains one of the funniest things I’ve seen in my life. And yes, I liked the heck out of Knocked Up. But there was something about Funny People, something real and personal and hilarious, that rubs me in all the right ways. And I wish like hell I could say the same for Apatow’s latest film, This is 40. Because on so many levels it should be his best film yet. It’s the most intensely personal movie Apatow has ever made, it has a terrific cast, it’s touching and well-written.

But here’s the thing: not only is This is 40 not as good as Funny People, I’ll

an indie record label that’s going belly-up; Debbie’s clothing store is missing thousands of dollars which may or may not have been stolen by one of her employees — the beautiful Desi (Megan Fox) or the strange Jodi (Charlyne Yi).

go on the record saying it’s my least favorite of all of Apatow’s films.

Don’t get it wrong, This is 40 isn’t a bad film. Far from it. It’s just that certain things don’t strike the right chords in it.

But more on that later; for now, let’s look at the plot.

[T]he movie never hits the high point you want it to.

Adam Hawboldt

At home, things aren’t much better. Both Pete and Debbie are preparing to celebrate their 40th birthdays … even though Debbie insists she’s only 38. Or is it 37?.

The couple have two daughters (played by Apatow and Mann’s

A spin-off of Knocked Up, the film tells the story of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann), two minor characters in the original film. They’re all grown up now, both run their own companies and both companies are in trouble. Pete owns

real-life girls, Maude and Iris), a nice house, a BMW, and a typical upper middle class life.

The problem is they bicker. Like, always. Almost every time you see them, Pete and Debbie are at each other’s throats. But like all good married couples, they don’t let their bickering prevent them from defending their family against other’s disapproval, as proved in one of the movie’s funniest scenes involving the ever-arguing couple and Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) at a parent-teacher meeting.

Yet for all the laughs (and being an Apatow flick, there are more than a few of them), the movie never hits the high point you want it to. Maybe it’s because, while this is Apatow’s most personal movie, it isn’t quite personal enough.

Perhaps it’s because there’s way too much on-screen bickering. Or

This is 40 Judd Apatow Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Megan Fox + Jason Segel Directed by Starring

134 minutes | 14A

maybe, just maybe, it’s because This is 40 feels more like a collection of scenes than a whole movie with a coherent plot.

No matter, though.

For all its shortcomings, This is 40 is still a pretty good movie. Just not the best Apatow has ever made.

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@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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The making of a masterpiece Hitchcock explores a brief period in the life of the Master of Suspense by adam hawboldt

W

hen Alfred Hitchcock released his movie Psycho in the summer of 1960, audiences were shocked.

They’d never seen anything like it before. The combination of sex and violence in the film was unprecedented. From the opening scene, in which two illicit lovers are shown sharing the same bed, to the main character preserving his mother’s corpse, to the cross-dressing, voyeurism and the bad girl meeting a violent end, Psycho took the horror genre down a road it had never been before.

But the road was not without its potholes.

Censors were outraged at the sight of a character’s bra, the flushing of a toilet, the provocative and disturbing nature of the movie in general.

And in director Sacha Gervasi’s new film, Hitchcock, we meet the great

Photo: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

talents in a different direction. That’s when he stumbles upon the story of serial killer Ed Gein (played by Michael Wincott). Hitchcock thinks Gein’s life story would be perfect for the silver screen, so he pitches the idea to a host of studios.

They all turn him down.

So Hitch finances the film himself and starts shooting. What follows is a Hollywoodized romp through the rigors of film-making, and a strange, little

[F]or a movie about … the greatest horror/suspense film of all time, Hitchcock is… lacking in… suspense…

Adam Hawboldt

director (played brilliantly by Anthony Hopkins) as he struggles to get this game-changing, genre-defining movie made.

The year is 1959.

When we first meet Alfred Hitchcock he is 60 years old and has established himself as one of the best moviemakers in the world. But at the tail-end of a decade in which he made films like Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo and North by Northwest, Hitchcock is at a crossroads of sorts.

Critics are wondering if his run at the top is nearing an end, while Hitchcock himself is looking to take his directorial

story about Hitchcock and the women in his life. There’s his wife, Alma (Helen Mirren), who proves to be Hitchcock’s rock. And then there are the actresses he hires for the movie — Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson) and Vera Miles (Jessica Biel) — over whom the great director obsesses.

Put that all together and you get a biopic that, while entertaining, doesn’t really carry as much weight as I had hoped.

Sure, it has a fantastic, A-list cast (I forgot to mention James D’Arcy, who plays a terrific Anthony Perkins), and sure, the film reveals a love story

Hitchcock Sacha Gervasi Starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson + Jessica Biel Directed by

99 minutes | PG

that few people know about (the one between Hopkins and Alma), but for all that Hitchcock has going for it, the film isn’t without its problems.

First of which is that for a movie about, arguably, the greatest horror/ suspense film of all time, Hitchcock is utterly lacking in the suspense department. It is also more about Hitchcock’s troubles with women and his inability to understand them than it is about all the difficulties he had with getting Psycho made.

Still, though, Hitchcock is an easy, breezy look at a fascinating icon at a fascinating point in his career. For anyone who is a fan of the man, this film is a must-see.

Heck, even if you’re not, give it a watch. It may not blow your hair back, but it won’t disappoint either.

Hitchcock is currently being screened at Roxy Theatre.

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@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

25 Dec 28 – Jan 3 @verbsaskatoon

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friday, december 14 @

outlaws

Outlaws Country Rock Bar 710 Idylwyld Drive (306) 978 0808 Music vibe / Country rock Featured deal / 2 beer for $9.50 Drink of Choice / Shot of Jack

Daniel’s coming up / New Year’s Eve

party, and the Eric Church after-party in the new year

Photography by Patrick Carley

26 Dec 28 – Jan 3 entertainment

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Rock Creek

27 Dec 28 – Jan 3 /verbsaskatoon

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saturday, december 15 @

lydia’s pub

Lydia’s Pub 650 Broadway Ave (306) 652 8595 Music vibe / A good mix

of everything Featured deals / All wraps for $5,

and double highballs for $7.50 Drink of Choice / Alexander

Keith’s beer top eats / Wraps Coming up / The Ultimate Power Duo on December 21st, Jedi Council Christmas on December 22nd, Mo ‘Marley Boxing Day Night on December 26th, and the Classy Chassys will be playing at the New Year’s Eve party

Photography by Patrick Carley

28 Dec 28 – Jan 3 entertainment

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

30 Dec 28 – Jan 3 entertainment

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timeout

crossword canadian criss-cross 49. Winter Olympics athlete 50. Take notice of 51. Money drawer

DOWN 1. Vertical list 2. Uses the ì+î function 3. Look at 4. Father of Confederation 5. Think fit 6. Sphere 7. Sealed court document 9. Washer cycle 11. Oppose authority 12. Work hard 14. Butler’s counterpart 17. Aardvark snack 20. Existence

21. Squealers sudoku answer key 24. Fury 26. Vex A 28. Manage to live 29. Tibetan Buddhist monk 30. Give as due 31. Muffle, as a sound 32. ___ voyage 33. Paint that dries to a hard glossy finish 34. Miramichi, for one B 35. Do some punching 38. Unit of petrol 41. Office note 43. Wind around and around 45. It screws onto a bolt 47. Compete in a slalom

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

25. Use a weapon effectively 27. Clear (of) 28. Knight’s title 29. Weighed down 32. Golf course hazards 36. Overwhelming feeling of wonder 37. Model of the Earth 39. Stinging cold 40. Sir’s opposite 42. ___ and outs 43. Spanish sparkling wine 44. Passionate 46. Compound similar to another 48. Take exception

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

ACROSS 1. Money in a wallet 5. Elevator button 9. Place to see some bronco riding 10. Baseball misplay 12. Bathroom problem 13. In the same book 15. Burden 16. Move more slowly than others 18. Big brass instrument 19. Distinctive doctrine 20. Marriage announcement 22. Wreath of flowers 23. Merciful © walter D. Feener 2012

Horoscopes December 21 – january 10 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

Sometimes you have a solid grip on the situations in your life and are all over them like a dog on a bone. But now ain’t one of those times, Aries.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful … so say to hell with the weather, Leo. Stay inside as much as possible, and just relax.

Some people may say your thoughts are dreamy, others may claim your head is in the clouds. Either way, it’s gonna be a bit of a slog to focus right now.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Why take time to chop an onion by hand when you can use a food processor? Just a little something to think about right now, Taurus.

Has the weight of the world been hanging about your shoulders lately, Virgo? If so, good news: things will get considerably lighter in the next little bit.

Your emotions are going to run amok over the next little while, Capricorn: up, down, left, right. Buckle your safety belt, and get ready for the ride.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

Some sensitive information may come your way over the next little while, Gemini. Who knows where it may lead, so be careful what you do with it.

You could be on the receiving end of some exhilarating news over the next little while, Libra. Your whole perspective is about to get shaken up.

If you’ve been working hard or are stressed, do yourself a favour, Aquarius. Give yourself a reward. Heck, you deserve this — you’re amazing!

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

You know how they say you have to get involved in life, Cancer?

Well, right now they’re wrong. Be as detached as possible.

Illegitimi non carborundum. Loose translation: don’t let the bastards grind you down. Wise words to live by for the next while, Scorpio.

Feeling cranky? At odds with the world lately, Pisces? It’s time to kick back and say to hell with ‘em all. Right now, do whatever makes you happy.

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

31 Dec 28 – Jan 3 /verbsaskatoon

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