Verb Issue S230 (Mar. 8-14, 2013)

ISSUE #230 – MARCH 8 TO MARCH 14

ARTS

CULTURE

MUSIC

SASKATOON

GETTING FUNKY ELECTRIC SIX

WITH

FREE!

READ & SHARE

SMALL DEAD ANIMALS Kate McMillan talks blogging LOUD + PROUD Q+A with Pandas in Japan OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL + SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK Films reviewed­

PHOTO: COURTESY OF EE BERGER

CONTENTS

NEWS + OPINION

ENTERTAINMENT

CULTURE

Q + A WITH PANDAS IN JAPAN

LISTINGS Local music listings for March 8 through March 16. 18 / LISTINGS

On exploring new sounds. 12 / Q + A

THE GREAT CANADIAN CAPER

SLEEPING BEAUTY

Sask doc gains traction. 4 / LOCAL

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet bring this classic to life. 13 / ARTS

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL + SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK The latest movie reviews. 20 / FILM

UP TO A POINT

NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS

Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker. 13 / ARTS

We visit Lydia’s Pub and Fox & Hounds. 22-25 / 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

SMALL DEAD ANIMALS

DESIGN LEAD / ROBERTA BARRINGTON DESIGN & PRODUCTION / BRITTNEY GRAHAM CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS / PATRICK CARLEY, ADAM HAWBOLDT + ISHTIAQ OPAL

Kate McMillan talks Canada’s political blogosphere. 6 / LOCAL

BUSINESS & OPERATIONS

NOT THE ANSWER

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

Our thoughts on the Office of Religious Freedom. 8 / EDITORIAL

ON THE COVER:

ELECTRIC SIX

Detroit’s weirdest normal band.

ON THE BUS

We visit Kelly’s Kafe. 16 / FOOD + DRINK

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 26 / COMICS

COMMENTS

MUSIC

GAMES + HOROSCOPES

Here’s your say on SGI’s proposed motorcycle insurance hike. 10 / COMMENTS

Doc Walker, The Matinée + The Men.

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

17 / MUSIC

14 / COVER

OFFICE MANAGER / STEPHANIE LIPSIT ACCOUNT MANAGER / NATHAN HOLOWATY SALES MANAGER / VOGESON PALEY FINANCIAL MANAGER / CODY LANG

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PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING & SHARING PHOTO: COURTESY OF RREICHLE

2 MAR 8 – MAR 14 VERB MAGAZINE

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LOCAL

ESCAPE FROM IRAN Documentary by Sask film crew finds second life with the release of Argo BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

I

t’s November 4th, 1979. The American Embassy in Iran has just been overrun by Islamic students and militants. Fifty-two American diplomats are captured and held hostage. Six escape. They are aided and hidden by Canadian diplomats, and wait impatiently to be saved.

At first, the situation looked hopeless. For Americans, Iran isn’t exactly Disneyland. It’s one of the most hostile, inhospitable places on earth, but along came ace CIA agent Tony Mendez with a plan. At first glance, it seemed preposterous. Mendez and his team proposed to pose as a film crew from Hollywood, travel to Iran, tell Iranian officials they are there to scout locations for a blockbuster sci-fi movie, then rescue the stranded diplomats and bring them to safety. Simple.

In the beginning, the plan was met with resistance from both the CIA and the stranded diplomats. But, remarkably, the scheme worked, and Mendez’s team ushered all six diplomats out of Iran to safety.

Anyone who knows anything about movies knows this is the plot for

Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning film, Argo.

What you might not know, however, is this incident — as portrayed in the film — isn’t the whole story. Argo is more of a Hollywoodized version of events than a true-to-life record of what really happened. But if you want a peek at a more accurate portrayal of events, one of the best places to start is a documentary called Escape from Iran: The

Hollywood Option — made by a team of Saskatchewan filmmakers.

Making a documentary is no easy task.

It requires months, sometimes even years of hard work. Hours and hours of footage must be shot, a storyline must be concocted, endless hours are spent in editing. But before all that happens, you have to start with an idea. The idea for Chris Triffo’s Escape from Iran came from a book.

“We do a lot of work with History Television,” says Triffo, who not only directed the film but is president of Partners in Motion — the production company that shot the doc. “And back in, I think 2003 or 2004, we were brainstorming with the folks at History Television trying to find a

good dramatic story when we came across this book called Master of Disguise, by Antonio Mendez.”

The book, which was released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the CIA, was meant to celebrate the agency and the clandestine work it had done over the years. “Tony told me the CIA was looking for a good news story,” explains Triffo, “something other than overthrowing foreign governments or black ops, so they declassified the story about the rescue mission so Tony could write about it in his book.”

And what a story it was. A real caper, with intrigue, suspense, drama and, best of all for Triffo’s film crew, a serious dose of Canadiana. “It was such an obvious choice to make into a documentary,” says Triffo. “I’d say this incident [which came to be known as the Canadian Caper] is probably, in the history of Canada and the U.S., the most captivating cloak and dagger story that occurred between Ottawa, Washington, and the CIA.” So the decision was made to put the story to celluloid. Before that happened, though, research had to be done. So Casey Markus, one of the CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

4 MAR 8 – MAR 14 NEWS + OPINION

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CHRIS TRIFFO

members of the PoM documentary team, went to work, found all the major players in the operation and interviews were set up. That’s when the real fun began. “We interviewed nearly everyone involved,” says Triffo. “We had all the hostages, we got the CIA, all the Canadians who helped out, the top players in Ottawa including Joe Clark, who was Prime Minister at the time. The only person we didn’t get was [U.S. President] Jimmy Carter because he was busy.”

And while the PoM documentary crew had done as much research about the Canadian Caper as they could, no amount of preparation could have readied them for the insights and information they received during the interview process.

“Constantly throughout the story, along the way there’d be something else we’d find out about the story that would be absolutely amazing,” says Triffo. “You have to realize that when we were interviewing these people, we were finding things out for the first time. A lot of research hadn’t been done on this event.”

What were some of the strange or interesting things they learned? “Once

Mendez and his team set up their fake studio in Hollywood, they put ads in the Hollywood Reporter to give it some legitimacy,” says Triffo. “Soon as they did that scripts starting piling in.

Antonio Mendez told me they even got a script from Steven Spielberg at the time.”

That would fall under the aegis of ‘interesting.’ Their interview with the Shah of Iran’s wife was more of the strange variety. “We had to go to this fortification in the middle of a residential area, just like any other residential area,” says Triffo. “And I remember driving in and there were people at the gates. It was very cloak and dagger to get into what seemed like this regular house in the suburbs, but which was, in fact, almost like a really nice bunker for the Princess of Iran.”

Once all the interviews were finished, Triffo’s team set to work writing and editing the script. Just over a year after the story was first brought to their attention, the PoM crew had finished their documentary.

sion about a decade ago. These days it has found a second wind when it was included on the Argo blu-ray disc. And while many people — most prominently former president Jimmy Carter and Ken Taylor, the Canadian ambassador in Iran at the time — have questioned Affleck’s neglect of the Canadian contribution in his film,Triffo doesn’t see it as being as big an issue as some critics are making it.

“I don’t think he was trying to hide anything or purposely leave somebody out or anything like that. He wasn’t purposely trying to change history,” says Triffo. “If they wanted to tell the entire story it’d be a four-hour movie. Sacrifices had to be made. What was put on the sacrificial table was a lot of the Canadian content. So that’s probably why Ben Affleck and his team wanted our documentary in the blu-ray release of Argo.”

Triffo is probably right.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

Escape from Iran: The Hollywood Option first aired on History Televi-

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

5 MAR 8 – MAR 14 @VERBSASKATOON

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LOCAL

WELCOME TO THE BLOGOSPHERE

PHOTO: COURTESY OF KATE MCMILLAN

Kate McMillan, creator of the Small Dead Animals blog, is looking for balance BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

I

n a way, it all started with a gun shot.

One day, years before Kate McMillan became one of Canada’s top bloggers, she was out shooting gophers on her family farm near Arcola, Saskatchewan. McMillan spotted one of the vermin, leveled her gun, trained her sights and bang! The gopher fell dead on its back, hind legs stretched out, front paws pointing to the sky. A friend of McMillan’s snapped a photo of the fallen gopher.

“I used that picture on my website where I had a little bit of quirky humour and whatnot,” says McMillan. “And I called the page Small Dead Animals because it was just a take off the photograph.”

Eventually, McMillan waded into the blogosphere and, like many new to that world, began reading blogs and followed links. One of those blogs was the Wall Street Journal,

which brought McMillan into the best of the web, and which in turn led her to a host of American conservative blogs. These gave her an idea.

In 2004, McMillan launched her award-winning blog. And instead

been a great name because people remember it. It catches their attention. They have no idea what it’s about. It’s not bland or generic. It kind of stands out, you know?”

Indeed it does.

I’m not a journalist, I’m just somebody who got tired of being fed stuff that I knew wasn’t true.

KATE MCMILLAN

of looking for something new, she used the name of her former website and that picture of the gopher to help attract an audience.

“That picture is kind of catchy,” explains McMillan. “And, in retrospect, Small Dead Animals has

When there’s no election cycle, the Small Dead Animal blog gets, on average, around 12,000 visits a day. It has already topped three million visits, won four Weblog Awards for Best Canadian Blog (it’s nominated for the honour CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

6 MAR 8 – MAR 14 NEWS + OPINION

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF ADAM HAWBOLDT / VERB MAGAZINE

again this year) and, in 2008, narrowly defeated Ace of Spades HQ for the Best Conservative Blog in North America.

And during elections, McMillan’s readership jumps dramatically.

In the left-hand margin of the Small Dead Animals blog there’s the following message: Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me “what Canadians think.” In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio — “You don’t speak for me.”

And this, in a nutshell, is why McMillan started blogging. “I’m a dissatisfied consumer customer,” she says. “I’m not a journalist, I’m just somebody who got tired of being fed stuff that I knew wasn’t true.”

And while there’s no single, exact moment when McMillan said enough is enough, she admits the Iraq War played a big role in propelling her into the blogosphere.

“I was reading news of the Iraq War from one perspective, then comparing it with what I was hearing on the CBC,” says McMillan. “CBC radio used to play 24/7 in my house. And I just couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t take the disconnect

of what I was reading on one side of the debate and the fact I was hearing nothing about this from my own state broadcaster.”

So McMillan did something about it. She started a blog. And not just any old blog, either — a blog she hoped would help balance news coverage in this country.

“The conservative side of the debate is severely under-represented in Canada,” says McMillan.

“It’s almost non-existent if you confine yourself to major networks and broadcasters,” she continues. “Think about it. Let’s say, for example, you’re driving down the road listening to news on the radio, the information you’re getting is basically filtered through CNN or CBC. There’s nowhere to find [the conservative angle] unless you seek it out and know where to look. It won’t just come to you during the normal course of a day.”

Enter Small Dead Animals.

As a cyber sherpa, McMillan posts links on her blog that help guide viewers along the mountainside of conservative news. “It’s about helping my readers,” she says.

“I know where to go when there’s something in the news. I know who may have a fuller understanding of that issue, so I link to those places.

It’s more like a short-cut connection service to people who don’t trust what they’re hearing entirely. Or

want to make sure they can trust what they’re hearing.”

Some see this — the polarizing of political ideologies, the growing chasm between left and right — as being harmful and unhealthy. But not McMillan.

“If you say it isn’t healthy, you have to choose which viewpoint will remain and is allowed to continue and which side isn’t,” explains McMillan.

“There is no healthy or unhealthy; it’s permitted and not permitted.

As for people in the middle, well, in many cases there is no middle. There’s only decided and undecided. So for the people who are undecided, at least they get to hear the arguments for both sides and then they get to choose.”

Needless to say, McMillan’s website and her urge to bring the conservative view in focus in Canada doesn’t sit well with everyone. Critics on the other side of the fence have railed against her and her blog, and have called McMillan everything from an outspoken blowhard to an extreme right-wing thinker to an “anti-native bigot who makes Ann Coulter look like a member of the NDP Waffle.”

But none of this bothers her.

“You should be allowed to have and express opinions that other people don’t like,” McMillan says simply. “And

if you can’t take the criticism, you might want to find a different hobby.”

Which McMillan has no plans of doing anytime soon.

She’s too busy trying to balance the news in our country.

Feedback? Text Text it! it! ((306 306)) 881 881 8372 8372 Feedback?

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7 MAR 8 – MAR 14 /VERBSASKATOON

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ARTS

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FOOD + DRINK

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LISTINGS

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EDITORIAL

NOT THE ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS

Canada’s new Office of Religious Freedom will provide anything but

H

ave you heard about Canada’s new Office of Religious Freedom that Stephen Harper’s federal government recently created?

If not, here’s a quick rundown.

The office was made to “promote freedom of religion and belief, consistent with core Canadian values such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”

It will operate within the Department of Foreign Affairs with a full-time staff and a budget of five million dollars.

The mandate of the office is to focus not on our own country, but on other countries around the world, and will be in charge of protecting religious minorities under threat, oppose religious hatred and intolerance, and to promote Canadian values of pluralism and tolerance abroad.

Okay, can you pin down exactly what this new office will be doing?

Sure, there are some vague notions being stretched out here that sound

— well, if not good or realistic, at least well-intentioned. But seriously, what is the concrete role of the office and how in the name of all things sacred are they going to carry it out?

aren’t Canada, should be one of the tasks under the Department of Foreign Affairs’ umbrella. Well, look at that — we’ve already got one of those. How convenient! Yep, there’s no need to make a new

…what you have is a new office that … already discriminates against those who are not of faith…

VERB MAGAZINE

Give up? We do, too. But regardless of whether or not the Office has a clearly stated series of objectives and a means of achieving them, we still think creating the position is ridiculous and a gross misuse of taxpayers’ money.

You see, the basic right to religious freedom should fall under the aegis of human rights which, if we’re talking about countries that

office. Just let the good folks at Foreign Affairs keep an eye on the politics of other countries. Makes sense, right? Right.

Now, moving on to things that don’t make sense. Does the government actually believe this new office will be able to stop religious persecution on foreign soil? Are they going to step in and tell Muslims in the East to stop persecuting

8 MAR 8 – MAR 14 NEWS + OPINION

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the Christian minority or tell Christian countries in the West to stop persecuting the Islamic minority, or, for that matter, tell pretty much any religion anywhere to stop persecuting others, and — just like that — succeed where organizations like Amnesty International and the United Nations have all failed?

We think not.

What’s more, is the Office of Religious Freedoms (which was created by Harper) going to stand up to China for persecuting certain religions practiced within its borders while the same Mr. Harper is busy brokering trade deals with that country’s government?

Oh, no? Well, alright then.

And the questions and problems don’t stop there. You see, on top of all that, Canada’s new religious freedom ambassador, Andrew Bennett, is a Catholic scholar. And while we’re sure Mr. Bennett is more than capable of dividing his attention between all religions, historically the church of Rome has oppressed

its fair share of people. Think the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition. Or, say, their official stance on homosexuality.

Hey, here’s one for you: religious freedom, as a broad, overarching idea, should include the principle of freedom from religion, right?

So, secularists, agnostics, and atheists would obviously have been consulted in the creation of the Office — well, except they weren’t.

Ok, so it’s already discriminating against one group’s beliefs. That’s an encouraging start.

Oh, and then there’s the uncomfortable fact that the U.S. is the only other country on Earth with a similar office, which, since being created in the ‘90s, has come under fire for being anti-Muslim and Christian-centric.

Put all that together and what you have is a new office that won’t make a lick of difference overseas, already discriminates against those who are not of faith (so much for

religious freedom) and, in a worst case scenario, could actually commit — or at least condone through inaction — acts it was created to prevent.

Oh, and did we mention it’s going to cost us $5 million a year? I think we

did. But it’s certainly worth mentioning again. Lord help us.

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

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9 MAR 8 – MAR 14 /VERBSASKATOON

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COMMENTS

ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about SGI’s proposed increase to motorcycle insurance.

Here's what you had to say: – Mandatory driver training programs for all new drivers, no matter if they’re on a bike or in a car, should absolutely happen.

Surprised Sask doesn’t have something like that yet (but not really)

– Way to sympathize with the bikers Verb. They should pay and you know it. But ur point that kids need to learn to drive right is good

– Some 16 year old punk thinks its funny to see how close he can get his bumper to my back tire and I’M the one that needs stricter training? You get a learners licence to drive a car at 15 with nothing but a written test. Get your head outta your ass and do some research before writing editorials Verb.

– Editorial on SGI and motorcycle insurance increase cuts through the emotion of the issue and presents a working solution for all parties involved.

– I don’t understand the biker backlash against the SGI increase.

I get a huge increase like they are facing is difficult pill to swallow and maybe smaller increases would be better, but the data is there: they cost SGI so much and have been getting a good ride so far and it’s time they pay for the damages they cause. Im not saying their dangerous drivers, just that riding and insuring a bike is a cost, and one they ought to pay.

– so u buy a new truck for $70000...wud u b upset when lic issuer wants $35000 for plates!.. for ONE year!?ratio i face cant ride forced2sell

Text yo thoughtsur to 881 VE R B 8372

– It’s about time motorcyclists started paying more to plate their bikes. They have caused their share of accidents and when you see how many of them drive, it’s no surprise. There are however some good drivers out there and i don’t include you. For too long, motorcyclists have enjoyed a low rate but really they need to pay their fair share. There should have been increases all along but now SGI is playing catchup and it will hurt the pocketbook. With any luck, this SGI announcement will help fewer motorcycles to be on the road. So many think that they own the road and take so many chances.

– I think some of the motorcycle riders were facing even bigger increases then has been mentioned in the media. This is beyond outrageous for SGI to presume that these riders are just going to dish that out in one go. Some may feel like having a bike is a choice or a hobby but its a primary mode of transportation for many of us. Car drivers wouldn’t sit back and take it if they had to shell out thousands more a year.

OFF TOPIC – Yes I Agree taxi issue is not a big issue like people leaving because they can’t find work and governments spending millions to get workers over here to fill jobs instead of spending money on training people already here, or spending millions on a new stadium in Regina instead of putting money towards our hospitals and fixing our highways and the Saskatoon mayor spending money on lights to a traffic bridge that never worked to only find out the bridge CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

10 MAR 8 – MAR 14 NEWS + OPINION

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is no good and now we need a new one, and now city council wonders why we have no money for things like getting more taxis on street or snow removel for residential areas which have big ruts now.

In response to “All Hail...” Editorial page, #228 (February 22, 2013

SOUND OFF – Mr. Solo is 100% correct in his human rights complaints (as trivial as some may appear). The principle of freedom of religion includes freedom from religion. The state (our city) has the responsibility to remain completely neutral in matters of religion. If you don’t understand this you probably don’t understand much in regards to freedom and equality. The public backlash against Mr. Solo (who is a canadian forces veteran) only reaffirms that our city is full of xenophobes and country bumpkins.

– http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/ canada/scouts-canada-reaffirmsgay-members-welcome-invites-jepsen-to-their-jamboree-1.1184446; re. Scouts Canada reaffirming gay members are welcome(unlike their counterparts in USA who banned them) & inviting pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen to perform at their Canadian jamboree. :-)

– To txtr who complained about celeb gossip: you opened the verb to get text #. Didn’t notice there’s no celeb gossip? Read better

– Hello my name is sean smith and i feel that the media should be held accountable for putting forth the real reason idle no more started,because people have spun the real reason this all began thanks for you time

– A message to the people & Gov’t of Canada: please urge the Senate NOT to pass the private member’s bill to repeal Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act

which bans internet hate speech!!

That would open up the floodgates to cyber-bullying!!! It’s good the Supreme Court of Canada recently upheld a key part of Saskatchewan’s anti-hate law in the Sask Human Rights Code & by implication also upheld Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act in its ruling against Saskatchewan antigay activist Bill Whatcott. :0

– Maybe if the mayor or city councillers lived in my poor hood there would be better care taken of the roads as it is the ruts are so bad cars get spit out u can’t park on the side of the road because of snow/ ice piles Many old people live here are stranded in their houses because taxis refuse to come down the road its so bad. It’s not like winter is a surprise fix the system.

– They should pick the new Pope by having the cardinals play holy snakes and ladders falls from grace and miracles. Use pope-amatic dice. (look up popamatic)

– Perhaps those who started RAGE could branch out a bit and start RAPE…Riders Against Petroleum Exploitation. A few weeks ago gas 95 cents a litre today the price is moving to 1.25 a litre. The grand a year extra for a bike license might be outrageous to riders, but beaters and Benleys are getting hosed at the pumps…everyday.. every month of the year. Do the math..how many ams at an extra 30 cents litre until you reach one thousand dollars..

– Fleetwood Mac at the rink in May...yay...BUT the radio ads use tunes with vocal stylings of Christine McVie who no longer tours with FM.. Deceptive ad???

– DOWNtown tacos are made with slices of bread rolled thin canned tomatoes and cheez whiz.

– Diff tween young guys n old is after one night of good sex all a young guy thinks about is more.

Old guys are more likely to be thinking about pork roasts.

– Happy to see the blue boxes rolling out around the city. Way to go!!

NEXT WEEK: What do you think about Canada’s new Office of Religious Freedom? Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation: We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories and content, or anything else on your mind.

11 MAR 8 – MAR 14 /VERBSASKATOON

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Q+A

PANDAS IN JAPAN PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SCOTT WALKER

Saskatoon’s loudest power trio BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

B

y blending lo-fi rock and roll with elements of pop, punk, and surf, Pandas In Japan — a Saskatoon trio whose appreciation for stompbox wizardry knows no bounds — have created a sound that is as compelling as it is violently loud. Founded by a pair of friends whose mutual love of rock and roll made long shifts at Starbucks tolerable, Pandas In Japan has evolved into a band to watch — a group whose debut EP promises countless beer-drenched nights of tightly-coiled rock and roll. I caught up with bassist Dylan Cardenas and drummer Maxwell Warner to talk about the evolution of Saskatoon’s loudest power trio.

Alex J MacPherson: Tell me a bit about your background. How did the band come together?

Dylan Cardenas: Well, John and I, we worked together. We were both talking about starting a project and eventually we actually got together and started jamming, started renting a space. Our original drummer was with us for about four or five months, then he quit, and after that Maxwell joined.

AJM: Maxwell, what was it like joining the band, which was already a work in progress?

Maxwell Warner: I was introduced to what John and Dylan had already wrote in

AJM: You mentioned writing collectively. Does that mean you bring half-finished songs to the band, or is it more of a jam mentality?

the first couple months. When I first joined it was interesting to learn the songs right away but then also maybe realize that we wanted to start writing collectively, the three of us. That’s where “Witch Hunt” came from. It’s completely different than the EP.

MW: Kind of a mixture of both, I’d say. There are some jam ideas and some that were a little more thought out. I think a lot of what happens is we get together and drink a lot

AJM: What direction do you see the band moving in?

We’re definitely exploring a psychedelic kind of punk, surfy pop.

MAXWELL WARNER

MW: We’re definitely exploring a psychedelic kind of punk, surfy pop.

We try and add lots of elements we grew up on, as most people do. I just listened to what they were doing and it felt normal and good. We’re getting tighter and tighter, I feel like, and we’re writing more complex songs.

It’s just been a complete joyride.

of beer and then we just make up something on the spot.

AJM: And speaking of writing, are you thinking about a full-length record at some point?

MW: Oh, absolutely.

DC: It’s definitely going to be cleaner, but then at the same time some songs are going to come out of nowhere: dark, noise samples, crazy stuff. Poppier yet darker at the same time.

AJM: Playing as a trio is obviously a difficult thing to do well. What sort of opportunities does it give you in terms of writing and performing?

DC: Actually, surprisingly, I’ve played in bands with more members and my favourite is the trio. It’s a super clear sound. So far I haven’t found it limiting us at all. Eventually we’re thinking of another member to switch off between instruments, maybe synthesizer, but for now I find it easier to write songs.

Less schedules to get together!

Pandas in Japan (Presented by Grilled Cheeseapolooza) March 16 @ Amigos Cantina Tickets at the door!

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ARTS

SLEEPING BEAUTY

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet revives a classic

T

wo years ago, a dancer named Amanda Green astonished audiences across western Canada with her mesmeric portrayal of Trilby, the vulnerable heroine of Mark Godden’s Svengali. Green enjoyed dancing the part because it aligned with her preference for organic and relatively informal contemporary ballets. Her latest role is proving much more difficult.

“This has been an extremely challenging role for me,” Green says of dancing Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. Classical ballets demand a degree of precision and formality unknown in contemporary pieces.

Green, whose sultry performances lend themselves to pieces like Svengali, has spent countless hours in front of the mirror, perfecting every arm movement and every tilt of the head. “It’s a very stylistic ballet, so every port de bras is very specific,” she says. “It’s not my style.”

But it is appealing. Composed

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Marius Petipa, The Sleeping Beauty premiered in 1890.

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

It remains one of the most important pieces of classical repertoire; its masterful combination of timeless storytelling and sheer spectacle is as compelling now as it was in the late nineteenth century.

“I think it’s extremely important to keep the classical ballet,” Green muses after explaining that many older pieces are longer and more convoluted than their modern counterparts. “Classical ballet is not totally in my comfort zone, but I think it’s important for the general public to recognize true classical ballet. And because our company is so old, I think it’s important we keep the classics around, keep them alive.”

Featuring opulent costumes, richly detailed sets, and exquisite choreography, The Sleeping Beauty animates a timeless story, rekindling the magic of youth and sealing with a kiss the enduring power of dreams.

According to Green, dancing Aurora requires a balance between conforming to the basic structure and creating a believable character. “I think a lot of our natural mannerism will come out,” she says. “There’s the

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVID COOPER

basic structure [but] it’s up to you to take it as far as you want.”

Dancing at this level is extraordinarily difficult, a feat of not only artistry but pure athleticism. To offset the physical demands, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is fielding two casts, but the ballet is still demanding. Nevertheless, Green is looking forward to the challenge. “As an artist, my job — and what I love most about it — is to tell the story, to keep people intrigued,” she says. “If people aren’t sleeping by the end of the ballet I’ve done my job.”

Sleeping Beauty March 16-17 @ TCU Place $25+ @ TCU Box Office, TCUTickets.ca

UP TO A POINT

Pinter’s The Caretaker and the tragedy of existence

D

uring the first run of The Caretaker, Harold Pinter published a letter in The Sunday Times of London. “As far as I’m concerned ‘The Caretaker’ is funny up to a point,” he wrote.

“Beyond that it ceases to be funny, and it was because of that point that I wrote it.”

This sentiment captures the essence of Pinter’s first masterpiece. Like Beckett’s Waiting For Godot, The Caretaker is seemingly a play about nothing.

Attempting to extract meaning from its sparse dialogue and perplexing characters is futile. The genius of Pinter’s play is that its vast tracts of blankness signify both nothing and everything.

Amusement fades to horror as the

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

curtain rises on a world devoid of meaning and purpose.

“It starts off as a comedy of awkwardness, and the audience gets really ticklish and antsy because the situations are very awkward but very funny,” says Chip Chuipka, who plays Aston, a young Londoner whose inability to communicate and trusting nature make him an easy target for unscrupulous outsiders. “And then as the play goes on, the awkwardness starts to become kind of menacing.”

The Caretaker traces Aston’s relationship with Davies, a pathologically dishonest tramp, and Mick, his violent and ambitious brother. Although the magnificent set-piece which, in a series of brilliantly-timed salvoes, reveals a

history of mental illness — and, given the current move toward de-stigmatizing diseases of the mind, Pinter’s prescience — the action is limited to stilted speech and miscommunication.

“No car chases,” Chiupka laughs. “No girls in tube tops. No gun battles.”

What The Caretaker’s lack of action provides is a means of exploiting the audience’s collective desire to find meaning in the act of living. This fundamental desire is the primary tool of the absurdists, who think life is a Sisyphean ordeal interrupted only by death. The looming shadow of this realization is what carries the play.

“If you lay down the maze,” Chiupka laughs, “they will run it. Pinter has given us just enough to compel us to go

forward, while being slightly confused about the moments that have just passed and hoping they’ll be resolved.”

The absence of resolution creates a paradox: by writing a play about nothing, Pinter created a truly compelling portrait of human existence, as powerful as it is horrifying.

The Caretaker March 6-24 @ Remai Arts Centre $31+ Persephone Box Office, persephonetheatre.org, 384 7727

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ELECTRIC SIX

PHOTO: COURTESY OF E.E. BERGER

Inside and out with Detroit’s weirdest normal band BY ALEX J MACPHER etroit has a reputation for turning musical oddballs into sensations. Consider the White Stripes, a band whose entire premise consists of two candy canes who lied about their relationship and made blistering garage rock without a bass player. Kid Rock, a skinny white guy with long stringy hair, emerged as some kind of hillbilly Jesus, complete with gold records and a limitless supply of cheap beer.

The success of Insane Clown Posse, a pair of dudes who make snarling rap-rock while wearing clown masks, is equally inexplicable.

Eminem is probably the weirdest of them all: a geek from the ghetto, Marshall Bruce Mathers went on to become one of the most popular rappers on the planet. And then there’s Electric Six. Unlike their admittedly more famous contemporaries, Electric Six are weird only because they do things the normal way. They play high-octane rock music, write irreverent songs with titles like “I Buy The Drugs” and “Gay Bar,” and spend most of their time on the road, playing an endless series of steamy shows in beerdrenched clubs. “It’s our job,” says Dick Valentine, the group’s plainspoken frontman, when I ask about their gruelling schedule. “This is how we make our money. The more shows we play, the more money we make.” (The band’s main concession to weirdness involves pseudonyms; Valentine’s real name is Tyler Spencer.)

Since 2003, Electric Six have released nine studio records and averaged somewhere between 150 and 200 shows each year. Their drive, it appears, stems from their obsession with

proving critics wrong. “There’s a lot of people back home in Detroit who said [we] couldn’t do this,” Valentine says, “and now we’re doing this. It’s a base instinct to rub it in those people’s faces.

And that’s what keeps us going.”

This raises an interesting question.

If thumbing their nose at Detroit is so important, why did the band record Absolute Pleasure, their first live record and a sizzling portrait of a band at its best, at rock clubs in Minneapolis and Chicago? Wouldn’t it make more sense to flaunt their success at home in Detroit? Valentine’s answer is surprising. “We’ve been pariahs in Detroit for a long time,” he says. “Detroit is filled with small, petty people. It’s a city of backstabbers.”

This raises another interesting question. If Detroit is really that bad, why

their name and released Fire, which spawned the singles “Danger! High Voltage” and “Gay Bar.” Their sound feels like a combination of Kiss and Talking Heads and Captain Beefheart: a cacophony of furious guitar riffs, machine-gun drums, soaring keyboard parts, and inscrutable lyrics. In fact, Valentine insists most of the band’s songs are about nothing. “I’m a firm believer in separating your wheat from your chaff,” he says, “or your personal life from what your writing about or what you’re portraying in art.” This means that parsing the lyrics to “She’s White” and “Down at McDonnelzzz” is futile, and that Electric Six are the vanguard of the revolution against reflexive art pop. Valentine’s assessment is even simpler. “I really haven’t paid attention to other people’s music

We’ve been pariahs in Detroit for a long time. Detroit is filled with small, petty people. It’s a city of backstabbers.

DICK VALENTINE

would they shoot their forthcoming concert film, Absolute Treasure, at St. Andrew’s Hall, one of the most important venues in Motor City? The same reason, according to Valentine. “We’re doing the live DVD in Detroit because we know that if we get stabbed in the back, and if it gets caught on film, then people are going to want to buy that.”

Electric Six began life in 1999 as the Wildbunch. In 2003 they changed

in a long time,” he says. “We have a style that works for us. We don’t overthink it.”

At this point in the interview, I pose a complicated question about the implications of writing songs about nothing, and how it alters the way people experience music. Valentine, who is busy ordering chicken tacos, seems distracted. “You think about that more than I do,” he replies. “I know you just put a lot of time into that question, but I don’t have an answer CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

14 MAR 8 – MAR 14 CULTURE

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

RSON for you.” It didn’t occur to me at the time, but it would have been weird for him to say anything else. The thing that best captures the spirit of Electric Six is their uncomplicated approach to making rock music. “We love touring,” Valentine says, “we love making music, and we love making money. And we’re doing that.”

The stark simplicity of this statement makes it clear Electric Six have discovered a viable formula for longterm musical success But Valentine, ever the entrepreneur, is eager to explore new ways of making money.

Instead of paying for the forthcoming concert film themselves, the band decided to try crowd-funding with a website called Kickstarter, which lets people donate money to causes they deem worthy. The money is

PHOTO: COURTESY OF RREICHLE

held in escrow until a predetermined fundraising goal is reached; only then is it released and the project funded.

Many online entrepreneurs encourage donations with incentives. Electric Six have promised to anyone willing to donate $300 a pair of pants worn onstage “during too many gigs to count” by drummer Mike “Percussion World” Alonso. Giving $1,000 or more nets the donor an “Eternal Guest List Lanyard,” which entitles him to attend Electric Six shows for free. At press time, the

band had eclipsed its $25,000 fundraising goal by $13,197. Percussion World’s pants were still up for grabs.

“I mean, we’ve been doing this since the past, and we’ve seen the past morph into what it is now, and during that time there have been many changes,” Valentine says of exploring new business models in a changing industry. “One of the reasons we’re still going is we’ve been able to roll with the changes and adapt. We didn’t invent Kickstarter. We’re not claiming that; that would be absurd. But we saw other people using Kickstarter, so we decided we’ll do that — so now we get the credit. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh yeah, you guys invented Kickstarter.’ I’m not going to deny that.”

That Electric Six have managed to sustain a career in a fickle and unforgiving industry should not be a surprise. Musicians are forever insisting that “it’s all about the music,” and in this case the sentiment doesn’t feel like an outright lie. Electric Six may write songs about nothing, but their songs about nothing are terrific. Valentine’s dangerously catchy choruses (“This job is taking its toll / Sometime it be so droll / You gotta jam it baby / Go on and jam it in the hole” from the deeply suggestive “Jam It In The Hole”), belted out in his sonorous baritone, surf on a tidal wave of expertly-played classic rock riffs.

“It’s a combination,” he says, “of these guys being good musicians and the songs being pretty simple. “ The musicians are so good, in fact, that Valentine has compared fronting the band to singing karaoke — a vote of confidence for guitarists Da Ve and Johnny Na$hinal, bassist Smorgasbord, Tait Nucleus?

on the keyboards and, perhaps most important of all, Mike “Percussion World” Alonso. “We’ve got a great drummer. It starts with him,” he says.

Absolute Pleasure may not have the transcendent power of Love You Live, but it captures the raw energy of an Electric Six show — the manic feel of rock songs about to run off the rails.

It is also a document of everything the band has achieved to date, and a promise of more to come.

“I’ve always said we definitely seem to have a market cornered,” Valentine muses, alluding to the fact that Electric Six consists of normal guys making more-or-less normal rock music who are merely perceived as outsiders. “In the twelve years we’ve sort of been like a professional band, I’ve never seen anyone want to be like us. Nobody says, ‘I want to be like Electric Six.’ Obviously, to all the people who are looking for music like we’re making

have to come to us. It’s a good position to be in.”

Electric Six March 17 @ Amigos Cantina $15 @ Ticketedge.ca Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

Photos courtesy of Adam Hawboldt.

Kelly’s Kafe knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so they make sure to do it right BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

T

o people of a certain bent, the greasy spoon breakfast is an institution. A staple of their diet.

A way of life.

If you’re one of these people, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

You wake up on weekday mornings craving eggs over-easy with hash browns, toast, and your choice of ham, bacon or sausage. You crave it at 2am when you’re stumbling home the pub.

And the next morning, when you wake up with a hangover from West Hell, a greasy spoon breakfast is the only thing that can set you straight.

Yesiree, the greasy spoon is tried, tested and true. A suitable meal for any time of the day — especially if you’re talking about the breakfast served at Kelly’s Kafe. Sure, Kelly’s breakfast

menu (which is served all day) features omelettes, steak & eggs, eggs benny, French toast and something called the Brek-Er-Burger. But when I went there the other day, with a mid-afternoon

The moment you walk in there’s a certain vibe in the air. If it’s not too busy, the wait staff will be milling about, humming music, chatting amongst themselves or with the

[Kelly’s] makes you feel at home because it aims to be homey.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

hangover beginning to ebb, I only had three things on my mind — eggs, sausage and hash browns.

And boy, was it good! But we’ll return to that in a minute. Right now, let’s talk about the restaurant itself.

customers. Kelly’s is comfortable in a way that lets you know, should the urge strike, you could walk in there wearing pajamas and nobody would bat an eyelash. The kind of easy, laid-back feel certain restaurants get when they’ve been open long enough to develop a wide and fiercely loyal customer base.

Kelly’s Kafe (which has been around for 27 years) is one of those restaurants. With its eclectic mix of mismatched tablecloths, tea spoon collections on the wall, bookshelf of novels at the entrance, bronzed pictures of leprechauns on the walls and a wide array of funky, vintage mugs, Kelly’s is retro cool without ever trying to be cool. It makes you feel at home because it aims to be homey.

As for the breakfast, anyone familiar with the greasy spoon knows it all comes down to four things: portion, quality of hash browns, choice of breads, and the ability of the chef

LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE IRISH ALE

INGREDIENTS

With St. Paddy’s day just around the corner, it’s time to start dabbling with cocktails to make for the festivities, so here’s an oldie but a goodie. You simply can’t go wrong with an Irish Ale cocktail. It’s fresh, refreshing, and will have you dancing a jig in no time.

2 oz whiskey 3 lime wedges 3 oz ginger beer

DIRECTIONS

Fill a highball glass with ice, crushed or cubed. Add the whiskey. Squeeze two of the lime wedges into the whiskey. Top with ginger beer, stir, garnish with remaining lime wedge, and serve.

to cook your eggs properly. And on all four fronts, Kelly’s is winning. The portions are big, the eggs were cooked to perfection, the hash browns were incredible and you can choose from white, brown, rye, marbled rye, sourdough, pumpernickel, raisin and a few types of gluten-free bread.

So the next time you have the Irish flu, or if you’re just in the mood for a

darn good breakfast, swing by Kelly’s Kafe. You’ll be glad you did.

Kelly’s Kafe 2520 Jasper Ave | 306 374 7525 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

16 MAR 8 – MAR 14 CULTURE

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MUSIC

NEXT WEEK

COMING UP

DOC WALKER

THE MATINÉE

THE MEN

@ THE ODEON EVENTS CENTRE SUNDAY, MARCH 17 – $39.50+

@ AMIGOS CANTINA SUNDAY, MARCH 17 – $15

@ AMIGOS CANTINA MONDAY, APRIL 15 – $15

Hailing from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, these country musicians are no strangers to success. In their more than a decade together, they’ve not only earned the reputation as one of the hardest working acts in Canadian country music, but they’ve also recorded a host of country favourites like “Rocket Girl,” “She Hasn’t Always Been This Way,” and “Beautiful Life.”

Earlier this year the band — made up of Chris Thorsteinson, Dave Wasyliw and Murray Pulver (along with guitarist Brent Pearen and drummer Steve Broadhurst when they’re on the road) were nominated for Country Artist of the Year for the 2013 Sirius XM Indie Awards. Doc Walker will be playing the Odeon with Emerson Drive and Aaron Pritchett; tickets available at www.theodeon.ca.

First time I heard “Young & Lazy” the new single from Vancouver’s The Matinée, I thought they sounded a little like Tom Petty. Then when I heard their song “Let Her Go,” I said to myself, “Geez, that’s very Ryan Adamesque.” Needless to say, The Matinée are one of those bands who will remind you of a lot of people, but somehow manage to sound distinctly like themselves. Their new album, We Swore We’d See the Sunrise, came out last month, and it’s all kinds of good. This band — consisting of Matt Rose, Matt Layzell, Pete Lemon, Geoff Petrie and Mike Young — have honed their considerable talents on the wild and woolly Canadian club circuit.

Come see them when they open for Electric Six at Amigos. Tickets available at www.ticketedge.ca.

Hard-working. That’s one way to describe these Brooklyn-based rockers. Since coming together five years ago, The Men have worked hard to do things their way. Starting out as a hardcore/punk act, The Men self-released a bunch of selfrecorded albums before dropping their first LP, Leave Home, in 2011.

Since then, The Men — Rich Samis (drums), Mark Perro (guitar/vocals), Nick Chiericozzi (guitar/vocals), Kevin Faulkner (lap steel), and Ben Greenberg (bass) — have added a bit more rock to their sound. Don’t be mistaken, though — there’s still the hard-driving guitars, feedback and snarling lyrics. It’s just a little more rock n’ roll, that’s all. Check ‘em out when they roll through Saskatoon; tickets available at ticketedge.ca.

– By Adam Hawboldt

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

SASK MUSIC PREVIEW SaskMusic will be presenting “Hidden Money for Performers: Royalties You Might Be Missing” at the Two Twenty on March 25, at 7pm. Hosted by Jodie Ferneyhough (from CSS Rights Management), this workshop will explain the process of registering with one of the Re:Sounds Member organizations to make sure you and/or your record label are getting the royalties that are owed to you!

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

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LISTINGS

MARCH 8 » MARCH 16 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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W

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8

9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

FRIDAY 8

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve — Lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere. 9pm / No cover SLOW DOWN, MOLASSES / Amigos — Folk/dream pop with a side of Little Criminals + Wasted Cathedral. 10pm / Tickets at the door

PIANO FRIDAYS: BRETT BALON / The Bassment — Smooth jazz stylings on the Kinsman Yamaha S6 grand piano. 4:30pm / No cover UOFS JAZZ ENSEMBLE / The Bassment — Classic jazz standards and original compositions. 9pm / $7/10 ADOLYNE W/DEAD RANCH AND SOUL MATES / Beaumont Film and Record — Three musical acts you don’t want to miss.

9pm / Cover TBD DJ AASH MONEY / Béily’s — Featuring DJ Aash Money. 9pm / $5 cover FEAR OF KNOWING / Buds On Broadway — A local hard rock band. 10pm / $6 WHISKEY SONGS / The Fez on Broadway — The talented duo of Paul Kuzbik and Mark Ejack. 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. . 9pm / $5 cover DIAMOND RINGS / Louis’ — An indie-rock/ electronica-synthpop act from Toronto.

8pm / $17.50 (ticketmaster.ca) THE MUDMEN / Lydia’s Pub — A celtic rock outfit from Toronto. 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; ladies in free before 11pm F.E.R.N. / Prairie Ink — Folk/acoustic music for the mind and soul. 8pm / No cover SYLVIA CHAVE, WILMA GROENEN, BONNIE LOGAN / The Refinery — Songs and stories, guitar and banjo. What more could you want? 7:30pm / $12(advance), $15(door) FUSE COLLECTIVE / Rocksugar — A collection of local artists doing their thing.

10pm / $5 DR. J / Spadina Freehouse — A local DJ spinning sweet music. 9pm / Cover TBD LAST CALL / 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, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. 10pm / $5 THE WIZARDS, BODY LVL, STEPHEN COOLEY AND KIERAN BLAKE / Vangelis Tavern — With a line-up like this, how can you resist? 10pm / $8

SATURDAY 9

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

9pm / No cover NEW COUNTRY REHAB / Amigos Cantina — An awesome alt-country band from the Big Smoke. Also appearing will be Massey and the Fergusons. 10pm / Tickets at the door GUITAR SERIES: JACK SEMPLE / The Bassment — An incendiary guitar player from Regina. 9pm / $15/20 ADOLYNE W/DEAD RANCH AND SOUL MATES / Beaumont Film and Record — A night of oh so good music. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ CTRL + AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — DJ CTRL throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with Austen Roadz every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover FEAR OF KNOWING / Buds On Broadway — A local hard rock band. 10pm / $6 DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — Able to rock any party, this local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. He is sure to have you on the dance floor in no time. 9pm / $5 cover KELLY READ BAND / Lydia’s Pub — Rockin’ blues for the soul. 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 ONE MORE TROUBADOUR / Prairie Ink — A massively talented fingerstyle guitarist.

8pm / No cover FUNKTION SATURDAY / Spadina Freehouse — Featuring Chris Astro and Conrad Devine. 9pm / No cover LAST CALL / 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, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

10pm / $5 GYRO MASTERS SERIES: RANA & THE RUSSIANS / TCU Place — Playing music from Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. 7:30pm / $11.50-53.50 (www.tcutickets.ca) CRICKET / Vangelis — Dust off your dancing shoes and come on down to check out this wicked Regina punk outfit. 10pm / $5

SUNDAY 10

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DJ / Béily’s UltraLounge — Come out and test your skillz.

8pm / No cover.

DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover SUNDAY JAM / Vangelis Tavern — The Vangelis Sunday Jam is an institution, offering great tunes from blues to rock and beyond. 7:30pm / No cover

18 MAR 8 – MAR 14 ENTERTAINMENT

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MONDAY 11 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 HIDDEN TOWER, VULTURE CULT, BLACK OIL HELL / Vangelis — Things are gonna get heavy up in here. 10pm / $5

TUESDAY 12

ROOTS SERIES: ALEX CUBA / The Bassment — A Juno-winning musician playing a fusion of Latin, African, funk, jazz and pop.

8pm / $29/34 DAYBREAK / Buds On Broadway — Alt rock all the way from Ontario. 9pm / $6 DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce — This crowd favourite rocks. 9:30pm / $4 cover VERB PRESENTS OPEN STAGE / Lydia’s Pub — The open stage at Lydia’s is a chance for bands, solo artists and even comedians to showcase original material. 9pm / No cover OPEN MIC / The Somewhere Else Pub — Come out to show your talent. 7pm / No cover

WEDNESDAY 13

HUMP WEDNESDAYS / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Resident DJ Chris Knorr will be spinning all of your favourite songs. 9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter OLDBURY / Buds On Broadway — Punk rock party music. 9pm / $6 THE AVENUE RECORDING COMPANY PRESENTS OPEN MIC / The Fez — Hosted by Chad Reynolds. . 10pm / No cover DJ KADE / The Hose — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DR. J ‘SOULED OUT’ / Lydia’s Pub — Dr. J spins hot funk and soul. 9pm / No cover HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD / The Odeon Events Centre — Rap meets rock in this group from Cali. 7pm / $25 (tickets.theodeoneventscentre.ca) WILD WEST WEDNESDAY / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Come ride the mechanical bull! 9pm 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 14

WHITNEY ROSE / Amigos Cantina — A talented singer/songwriter from Toronto. Also appearing will be Jim Cuddy’s progeny, Devin Cuddy. 10pm / Cover TBD ROOTS SERIES: THE WAYMORES / The Bassment — Three of Nashville’s fines singer/songwriters. 8pm / $15/20

OLDBURY / Buds On Broadway — Punk rock party music. 9pm / $6 THROWBACK THURSDAYS / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover ROCKETS AND DINOSAURS, JENNY, THREE SIMPLE WORDS, NODDING DONKEY, THE FAPS / The Fez on Broadway — A music line-up too good to miss. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — Local DJ Sugar Daddy will be rocking the turntables to get you dancing on the dance floor! Every Thursday night will be filled with passion parties, pole dancing, shadow dancers and much more! 8pm / $5; free cover with student ID before 11pm HEART / TCU Place — An iconic, hardrocking lady duo. 7:30pm / $72.50-85 (tcutickets.ca) DEAR ROUGE / Vangelis — An alt-electrodance-rock duo.10pm / $5

FRIDAY 15

HOUSE DJS / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover UNTIMELY DEMISE REHASHED, SHOOTING GUNS, VULTURE KULT / Amigos — It’s going to get loud in here. 10pm / Cover TBD PIANO FRIDAYS: SHELDON CORBETT / The Bassment — Take in some smooth jazz stylings on the Kinsman Yamaha S6 grand piano. 4:30pm / No cover JAZZ JAM: BRETT BALON TRIO / The Bassment — If you sing or play an instrument, come on down! 9pm / $5 (jammers get in for free) DJ AASH MONEY / Béily’s — Featuring DJ Aash Money. 9pm / $5 cover RIFF RAFF / Buds On Broadway — Hardhitting power pop music. 9pm / $6 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 rocks. 9pm / $5 cover DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — There’s no better country rock party around.

8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm THE DAVE NELSON TRIO / Prairie Ink — Light jazz and Latin standards. 8pm / No cover MITCHY THE KID / Spadina Freehouse — This local DJ drops sick beats. 9pm / 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,from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. 10pm / $5 PANDACORN, TECHNOLOGY / Vangelis — Two rockin’ bands, one great price.

10pm / $5

SATURDAY 16

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

9pm / No cover BLACKWATER, PANDAS IN JAPAN, BASEMENT PAINTINGS / Amigos Cantina — A night full of sweet music and good times.

10pm / Cover TBD HORNBY/SIKALA/LEMANCZYK TRIO / The Bassment — A fusion of European and North American jazz. 9pm / $15/20 DJ CTRL + AUSTEN ROADZ / Béily’s UltraLounge — DJ CTRL throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party along with Austen Roadz every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover RIFF RAFF / Buds on Broadway — Hardhitting power pop music. 9pm / $6 NATURE OF / Fez on Broadway — A talented five-piece from Alberta. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ SUGAR DADDY / Jax Niteclub — Able to rock any party, this local crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. 9pm / $5 cover END OF THE RAINBOW DRINKING PARTY / Louis’ — Featuring The Pistolwhips, The Grove, Riclu Rock, JH43 and Milton Hamfat. 7pm / Cover TBD BASS INVADERS / Lydia’s Pub — Bass for your face on a fine Saturday night.

10pm / $5 DJ BIG AYYY & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 DOUG BOOMHOWER TRIO / Prairie Ink — A local jazz trio. 8pm / No cover COLLECTED BY FUSE COLLECTIVE / Spadina Freehouse — A group of local musicians doing their thing. 9pm / 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 MISCHA DANIELS / Tequila Nightclub — Come celebrate St. Patty’s Day a day early.

9pm / $5

MYSTERY SQUAD, FILTHY SENORITAS, GOOD ENOUGH / Vangelis — Come listen to this trifecta of sweet bands. 10pm / $5

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

19 MAR 8 – MAR 14 /VERBSASKATOON

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WE’RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD PHOTO: COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful is good, but not as good as it could be BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

W

hen Disney first announced it was making Oz the Great and Powerful — a prequel to the MGM classic The Wizard of Oz — two names were attached to the film: Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-Man) and Robert Downey, Jr. Being an enormous fan of damn near everything RDJ does, I could hardly contain myself.

The Wizard of Oz being played by the magnetic, charming, uber-talented Downey, Jr? What’s not to love?

But it wasn’t long before RDJ’s name fell to the wayside and rumours of Johnny Depp stepping

“screwball” factor Depp would lend to the film. But alas, that wasn’t meant to be, either. Depp’s name

…overall, the film is a fun, slightly nostalgic romp.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

in emerged. Again I was excited.

Maybe even moreso, because of the

was erased from the rumour mill and Disney went with James Franco.

Now, Franco is no Depp or RDJ — I think that is something we can all agree on. But one thing is undeniable: the guy can act. Think Milk.

Think Howl. Think 127 Hours.

So maybe he could bring something special to the wizard role, right?

Think again.

And it’s not that Franco does a terrible job, it’s more a case of terrible casting. You see, when we first meet the wizard (known in the real world as Oscar Diggs), he’s a magician/conman working in Dust Bowl-era Kansas. He is a silvertongued devil who parts rubes from their money, woos women, and charms the pants off pretty much anyone he meets.

This isn’t Franco’s strong suit.

He’s better suited for more natural, serious-minded roles, and it was distracting in the film. But enough of the Franco-whipping. I genuinely like the guy, so let’s talk about the movie.

Like I mentioned, Oz the Great and Powerful begins in Kansas. Shot in black and white (an homage to the original), the film shows Diggs getting fresh with the lady friend of a circus strong man. The strong man finds out, so Oscar hightails it out of there in a hot air balloon.

What follows is a tornado and, like Dorothy after him, Oscar is transported to the wonderful land of Oz. Cue the Technicolor (again, yes, just like the original.)

In Oz, Oscar encounters three beautiful witches, played by Mila

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL Sam Raimi STARRING James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz + Mila Kunis DIRECTED BY

130 MINUTES | PG

Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams, one of whom turns out to be wicked. Oscar is tasked with the job of killing the bad witch, and sets out on a journey to get to her with the help of a flying monkey named Finley (voiced by Zach Braff) and a miniature China doll (Joey King.)

The rest of the movie plays out pretty much as you’d expect — thanks to an unremarkable script.

That’s not to say Oz the Great and Powerful was a bad movie, because it wasn’t. It was visually stunning (with a $200-million budget, it better be), the three lovely ladies playing the witches do good jobs (in particular, Weisz and Williams) and, overall, the film is a fun, slightly nostalgic romp.

It’s just that it was a romp that would’ve been markedly better if Robert Downey Jr. or Johnny Depp had been the force driving the narrative.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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SILVER LININGS AND GOLDEN STATUES

Silver Linings Playbook, hands down, is one of the year’s best

BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

E

very good movie has a scene that hooks you. That draws you into its world and lets you know that you’re watching something special.

For me, that scene in Silver Linings Playbook came near the beginning. In it, Bradley Cooper’s character (Pat Solitano Jr.) is sitting in his bedroom, reading a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

It’s four o’clock in the morning.

When Pat Jr. gets to the end, he closes the book and, in absolute disgust, yells “What the f**k?” before throwing the book through his window. He then proceeds to storm into his parents’ room (yes, he lives with his parents) and goes on a rant about how stupid the book is, and why it’s wrong for his ex-wife to be teaching it at school.

Why did this scene, of all the terrific scenes in this movie, hook me? Well, for starters, it’s hilarious. Like, spit-your-soda-outyour-nose-all-over-the-personseated-in-front-of-you hilarious.

But it’s more than just funny.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

you get a glimpse of his bi-polar mood swings, not to mention the anger and frustration that bubbles at his core.

And to think, Silver Linings Playbook shows you all that,

[The movie] is intelligent, edgy, dark, romantic, heart-warming, heart-breaking and life-affirming, all at the same time.

ADAM HAWBOLDT

In the time it takes for this scene to unfold you get keen insight into the mind, life and motivation of Pat Jr. You see his relationship with his parents, you understand the extent to which he’ll go in order to win back his ex-wife, and

cutting to the very core of the main character, in just over one minute.

Very impressive.

Much like the rest of the movie.

Directed by the incomparable David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook is easily one of the

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK David O. Russell STARRING Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro + Jacki Weaver DIRECTED BY

123 MINUTES | 14A

best films of the year. So good, in fact, I don’t want to spoil it for you, so just let me paint a quick, scant picture.

It’s a story about a guy named Pat (Bradley Cooper) who is bipolar. After being released from a mental institution, he goes home to live with his parents (rendered perfectly by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver). There, he tries to reconcile with his ex-wife (who has filed a restraining order against him) and, in the process, meets an equally disturbed young woman named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who convinces him to be her partner in a dance competition.

If that doesn’t sound like much of a plot to you, maybe you’re right.

But you know what? It’s not the plot that garnered Silver Linings Playbook eight Oscar nominations.

It was the acting.

Bradley Cooper was absolutely sensational, De Niro was better than we’ve seen him in a very long time, and Weaver was undeniably excellent. Then there’s Jennifer Lawrence, who was so good she took home the Oscar this year for Best Actress.

And speaking of the Oscars, Silver Linings Playbook was the first film in more than three decades to be nominated in all four acting categories.

The result of all these fine performances (along with an excellent script and terrific direction) is a movie that is intelligent, edgy, dark, romantic, heartwarming, heart-breaking and life-affirming, all at the same time.

If you haven’t seen Silver Linings Playbook yet, run — do not walk — to the Roxy.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@AdamHawboldt ahawboldt@verbnews.com

21 MAR 8 – MAR 14 @VERBSASKATOON

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MONDAY, MARCH 4 @

FOX & HOUNDS

Fox & Hounds Pub & Brewery 7 Assiniboine Drive (306) 664 2233 MUSIC VIBE / Alternative FEATURED DEALS / Wings (10 for

$3.50), ribs for $7, and paralyzers for $5 DRINK OF CHOICE / Pints of Great Western’s Original 16 TOP EATS / Wings SOMETHING NEW / New TVs, and Grolsch is now on tap

22 MAR 8 – MAR 14 ENTERTAINMENT

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CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, March 15. facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Photography by Patrick Carley

23 MAR 8 – MAR 14 /VERBSASKATOON

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SATURDAY, MARCH 2 @

LYDIA’S PUB

Lydia’s Pub 650 Broadway Avenue (306) 652 8595

MUSIC VIBE / Eclectic, depending

on the live act or DJ that night FEATURED DEALS / Pints of Original 16 and Trad for $5.25, and 2 appies for $12 DRINK OF CHOICE / Beer TOP EATS / Burgers

24 MAR 8 – MAR 14 ENTERTAINMENT

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CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, March 15. facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Photography by Ishtiaq Opal

25 MAR 8 – MAR 14 @VERBSASKATOON

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

26 MAR 8 – MAR 14 ENTERTAINMENT

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TIMEOUT

CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS DOWN 1. Psychological injury 2. Excellent 3. Hallucinogenic drug 4. Rub sore 5. Decorative grooves 6. Electrically charged atom 7. Halloween decorations 8. Run naked in public 9. Contrapuntal composition 11. Animal with a long head 12. Like some lingerie 14. Curler from Nipigon, Ontario 17. Possessive pronoun 20. Damage a screw thread

21. Loop at the end of a rope SUDOKU ANSWER KEY 24. Plant pouch A 26. Turn informer 28. Without doubt 30. Close forcefully 31. Sits for a portrait 32. Second book of the Old Testament 33. Title of honour 35. Brought under control B 36. Involuntary impulses 37. Fermented honey drink 40. Moribund 43. Electrical circuit breaker 45. Compass card 47. That woman 49. Fish eggs

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

29. Tibetan gazelle 30. Taxonomic group 34. Play a guitar 38. Smoked salmon 39. Group of lions 41. Before 42. Beginning on 44. Have a go 45. Capital of Latvia 46. Jellyfish 48. Did a laundry chore 50. Japanese food 51. Inquires meddlesomely 52. Called on 53. Turned to the right

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

ACROSS 1. Soft hydrated mineral 5. White lies 9. First-year student (informal) 10. Reluctant 12. Capital of Angola 13. Lacking pathways 15. Feverish condition 16. In shape 18. Antitoxins 19. Summa ___ laude 20. Become established 22. Volcanic dust 23. Bread ingredient 25. Some swimmers use one 27. Part of a circle © WALTER D. FEENER 2012

HOROSCOPES MARCH 8 – MARCH 14 ARIES March 21–April 19

LEO July 23–August 22

SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21

Intuition is defined as the thing one knows or considers based on an instinctive feeling rather than reason. Be wary: your intuition will be crap this week.

Are you satisfied with your life, Leo? If not, things will change.

You just have to set the ball in motion and watch that sucker roll.

If you can master patience this week, Sagittarius, it will allow you to master anything you set your sights on, so why not give it a try?

TAURUS April 20–May 20

VIRGO August 23–September 22

CAPRICORN December 22–January 19

It’s not how fast you’re running the race this week, Taurus. The only thing that matters is in which direction you are heading.

If you find yourself feeling irritated this week, dear Virgo, stop and look at yourself in a mirror. Maybe the problem lies within.

As the incomparable Steve Martin once said, “A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.” Deep thoughts, Capricorn.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

LIBRA September 23–October 23

AQUARIUS January 20–February 19

Expand your horizons by any means necessary this week, Gemini. If you don’t, the decisions you make will come back to haunt you.

Feeling jealous or envious lately, Libra? If so, don’t waste your time.

Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. Just focus on you.

Don’t dwell on all the things you’ve done wrong during the past few weeks, Aquarius. Put that stuff down like a bag of bricks, and watch how light you feel.

CANCER June 21–July 22

SCORPIO October 24–November 22

PISCES February 20–March 20

Feel like you’re stuck in a rut lately, Cancer? If so, all you have to do is step out of it and change your routine. It’s as simple as that.

James Dean once said, “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” These are some wise words to live by this week, Scorpio.

If there’s someone you want to desperately meet this week, Pisces, it might not happen. But that’s okay. Other adventures will appear on the horizon.

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

CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY

A

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

B

27 MAR 8 – MAR 14 /VERBSASKATOON

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