Verb Issue R130 (May 30-June 5, 2014)

Issue #130 – May 30 to June 5

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helen kashap Chasing her dream to the legendary HB Studio punk rock roots Q+A with Bison maleficent + ida Films reviewed­

Photo: courtesy of Fish Griwkowsky

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On the cover:

the wet secrets

Free Candy + existential dread. 10 / feature

Photo: courtesy of Max Telzerow

culture

NEWs + Opinion

entertainment

Q + A with bison

Live Music listings

Their epic return to punk rock roots.

Local music listings for May 30 through June 7. 14 / listings

8/Q+A

2 Pianos 4 Hands

Nightlife Photos

Chaotic musical comedy delights.

We visit Crave.

9 / Arts

15 / Nightlife

album reviews

malificent + ida

Sharon Van Etten + Chromeo. 9 / reviews

We review the latest movies. 16 / Film

Chasing a dream Helen Kashap’s big break. 3 / Local

Down with the dairy mafia

Muy Buena!

on the bus

We visit La Cucaracha. 12 / Food + Drink

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 18 / comics

Our thoughts on dairy laws. 6 / Editorial

comments

Music

Game + Horoscopes

Here’s your say about implementing the Idaho stop. 7 / comments

3 Doors Down, Library Voices + Sarah McLachlan. 13 / music

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, weekly horoscopes and Sudoku. 19 / timeout

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Business & Operations

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

Office Manager / Stephanie Lipsit account Manager / joshua johnsen Marketing Manager / Vogeson Paley Financial Manager / Cody Lang

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Chasing a dream Saskatchewan’s Helen Kashap trades in one stage for another by ADAM HAWBOLDT

O

ur story begins with a little girl. She’s around nine years old. Olive skin, dark hair, big intelligent eyes.

She’s standing at one end of a big warehouse saying a tongue twister; she’s focusing on her voice, trying to project her words to a theatre director at the opposite end of the room.

By the end of this story this little girl will be a woman, an accomplished classical pianist on her way to New York City to live out a dream. By the end she’ll have struggled financially, experienced crushing loneliness, spent countless hours in jail-like rooms pecking away at a piano.

All that comes later, though. For now she’s still a little girl. Her name is Helen Kashap, and she loves acting, loves rehearsing those tongue twisters as the far end of that warehouse. The rehearsal process at Gateway Theatre is demanding, especially for a nineyear-old. She’s the youngest actor there by a decade, but she’s outspoken

and social, likable and attentive, and so she fits in, growing close to the cast members and the directors.

She’s also driven, this little girl.

After school she comes home, puts in mandatory piano practice times, and then it’s straight to her scripts.

She spends the rest of her evenings memorizing her roles, roping her family into reading lines with her.

She’s a very dramatic little girl, too, with a hyper-expressive face and a high degree of sensitivity. These are the attributes that help her excel in the theatre and to win praise for her performances in the local newspaper.

Her early success fuels her, drives her even deeper into her craft. She becomes consumed; obsessed with the world of theatre.

Eventually, though, she will have to leave it behind.

It’s November 2013. Helen Kashap is seated at a piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Her skin is still

olive, hair still dark, but you can’t see her eyes. She’s looking down on the piano.

Kashap’s arms hang limp by her sides. Silently she lifts them and places her fingers on the piano keys. Her body kind of jumps and shakes when she hits the first note of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8 in C minor. She slowly raises her head, her fingers dancing gracefully over the keys.

Kashap loves this sonata, loves the drama it evokes.

“Beethoven was a totally dramatic, tempestuous character,” she says.

“And his craziness and the spontaneous outbursts of emotion are what made playing this work so compelling to me. One minute it’s a lyrical fluid line, two seconds later, a violent outburst of discordant clusters.”

In a way, the ebb and flow of the sonata mirrors the rhythms of Kashap’s life. One minute everything is running smoothly, the next she’s struggling — struggling with

Photo: Courtesy of facebook

money, with isolation, with her future and her dreams.

The road that led Kashap to that stage at the Cleveland Institute of Music (one of the finest music schools in America) was full of twists and turns, ups and downs.

It’s a road that begins in Saskatchewan, where Kashap grew up in a house with her parents and four siblings. “I come from a family that has always struggled financially,” she says. “My parents are both professional musicians, and they made the great decision to have five children. Having five children on a musician’s salary is an incredible feat and it makes for some very challenging circumstances.”

They’re the kind of circumstances that build character, that teach you perseverance and determination. The kind of determination that helped Kashap excel as a young actress.

But she wasn’t just an actress.

Along with acting lessons, Kashap also took piano and theory lessons as a child. Coming from a musical family meant that playing piano became a very natural extension for her mode of expression. She would go to symphony concerts and just sit there, reveling in the space. She thought it was marvelous — live acoustics, the big open stage. For her, the stage was always a place for magic.

She enjoyed learning about music — enjoyed learning about anything, really. But by the time she was 15, Kashap was convinced she was going to be a professional stage actress.

Then something happened.

“I applied to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy — a prestigious arts academy for talented highschool arts students in Michigan, USA,” says Kashap. “I received a bigger scholarship to study music than I did to study theatre. The fact that I didn’t have the money to pursue [acting] was a big deal. I ended up taking the scholarship to study piano, thinking that I would somehow weasel my way into the theatre classes and productions while I was there.”

Things didn’t play out exactly as she planned. Sure, she took some theatre course, but at Interlochen she was exposed to a level of playing she’d never experienced before.

She met kids from China, South Korea, Russia and Japan that all played so well. Kashap was floored.

She holed herself away in a small practice room with a big piano in the middle, and spent hour after hour practicing Bach preludes and fugues, Argentinian music by Alberto Ginastera, Mozart sonatas, Brahms intermezzi. Slowly she became obsessed with music. And Continued on next page »

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by the end of her days at Interlochen, she was torn. Did she want to be a pianist? An actress? A lawyer?

Something else?

Kashap had no clue. After graduating she went to a small midwestern school called Lawrence University. That experience didn’t last long.Still confused about what to do with her life, Kashap dropped out after her first year, and returned home to Saskatchewan to plan her next move.

Where she ended up was at McGill’s Schulich School of Music in Montreal. She became heavily immersed in music again, practiced piano endlessly and strove to be the best pianist she could be.

“In preparation for the Knigge piano competition in 2010, I went a little overboard,” remembers Kashap. “I would go to school at 7:30am and not leave until 11pm, taking only two or three hours a day for eating and school work.

The rest of the hours were spent practicing [nine to 11 hours a day] … being in a secluded room alone, with nothing but a metronome and

Kashap feels a little insane. She should be back practicing piano, working her way towards her Master of Music diploma.

But here she is in New York City, on her way to Greenwich Village, getting ready to audition for a spot in the esteemed HB Acting Studio.

The same studio where Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Steve McQueen and Anne Bancroft all studied.

She arrives an hour before her audition. Out of the taxi now, Kashap walks around the Village reciting old tongue twisters from her Gateway Theatre days. She does this to massage her tongue and face for vocal rehearsal. At one point she takes out her phone and starts reciting her monologues into dead air. She may feel crazy at the moment, but she doesn’t want to appear crazy to random passersby.

What is she doing? She’s in the middle of her Master’s program and yet she flies to New York (with money she doesn’t have) for a few hours just to audition? What was she thinking?

When she’s ready, Kashap makes her way up a tree-lined street and into the HB Acting Studio. She knows all about this place.

Ever since she’d been told about it back in Banff, she’s been doing research. She knows about the studio’s legacy, knows the history and how high the stakes are. But no amount of research prepares her for the feeling she gets when she first walks through the door.

my music sheets. I went a little crazy during this time.”

These were hard times for Kashap. Later in her McGill years she would call her mother most days, crying, trying to describe the debilitating sadness of sitting in a practice room all day, alone, isolated.

It’s a sadness that followed her around, lingering just over her shoulder like an ever-present shadow. It wasn’t until she went to the Banff Centre in the summer of 2011 that the shadow would disappear.

There, practicing piano in her own private studio overlooking the Rocky Mountains, she was happy.

The music was more satisfying, she finally felt comfortable.

There, she also met the man who would show her a path back to acting.

It’s a cold, wintry Saturday. Helen Kashap has just arrived in New York.

She’s sitting in the back of a taxi with a folded up piece of paper and purse full of bottled water and lemon wedges on the seat next to her.

“There is a certain amount of intangible magic that comes from just walking into a place like that,” she says. “You walk in and it’s kind of dark. It has this beautiful quality to it. And there’s a reverence for the place. The people that are there, you can tell there’s a respect for the

craft and the space. It can’t describe it other than saying it’s just magic.”

The spell is put on hold when a handsome young man from Orange County — a guy who went through the program last year — greets Kashap near the entrance and tells her she’s next in line.

Photo: Courtesy of Yair Haklai

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Photo: Courtesy of eric mull

Kashap goes to the warm-up room and takes out the folded piece of paper she had in the car. On it are hand-written monologues she’s been practicing for weeks now. She unfolds the paper, starts diligently reading and re-reading her lines.

Then her name is called.

“You know, you just don’t understand,” Kashap is saying. “You don’t know what it’s like to walk in that room. You know, there’s always some girl on the other side of the desk and she’s got a stack of pictures…”

This is part of the monologue Kashap is reciting. From the play The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, it’s about a young girl who’s speaking about the harrowing prospect of walking into a room and auditioning.

Kashap is in tune with the character — how couldn’t she be?

She’s in that exact situation at this exact moment.

The room she’s in is a mediumsized studio space. There are five or six actor panelists. Earlier, when she walked in the room wide-eyed and curious, they all shook her hand and introduced themselves.

Now they watch Kashap’s every move, listen to her every word.

Kashap continues with her monologue, line after line. Then she does another monologue. She’s surprised with what’s coming out of her. By the time she’s halfway through her performance she finds her old theatre stride again, and gets to a place of comfort — a place where she begins connecting with the audience.

When she’s finished they give her a small but encouraging round of applause. This is when the interviews begin. “[The interview process is] intense, very epic in scope,” admits Kashap. One of the directors of the program asks what Kashap wants to get out of the program.

She doesn’t know, has no clue what the program really entails, so how is the supposed to know what she wants from it?

Kashap answers anyway, saying something about how she hopes the program will re-immerse her in a world that she loves. A world she left behind for music. Kashap says a lot of things during the interview process, but she doesn’t remember much of it, as most passes in a blur. What she does recall, however, is the feeling she had while being questioned. She felt inspired and excited. She felt like she was finally home.

At the end of the audition, one of the actresses in the room looks at her sincerely, and says, “Helen … this program is very, very demanding. It will question everything you know, and it will make you re-think your identity. You must be comfortable living in the unknown … and comfortable sitting with ambiguity.”

Helen carries those words back with her.

play shows in places like Toronto and Saskatoon. Then it’s off to New York. “This is a bit of an insane project,” says Kashap. “And it’s an incredible pursuit. For a recent graduate who is consumed in debt from previous educational projects and pursuits, and who grew up with no money and has never re-

ally had any money, it’s really going out on a limb and risking a lot.” wwBut deep down inside, Kashap knows the risk is worth the reward. She knows it’s time to throw caution to the wind, to follow her heart and pursue her dreams. It’s a dream that almost slipped away.

A dream she’s had since she was

a little girl standing in that warehouse, her voice echoing strongly through the room.

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A letter from the HB Acting Studio arrives a few weeks later.

Kashap tears it open and quickly scans it. She’s been accepted; the program starts in September.

Between receiving her acceptance letter and September, though, there’s a lot to do. She has to graduate from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and do two recording sessions — one in Montreal, the other in Aspen, Colorado. She also has to

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Down with the dairy mafia Canadian dairy policy hurts everyone, and we should scrap it

H

ave you ever been to the grocery store to pick up a block of cheese or a carton of milk and thought, Egads! This is rather expensive? If so, you’re not alone. The dairy prices in Canada are wildly inflated, especially when you compare them to the prices in, say, America.

These high prices in Canada are a result of our archaic and costly policy of dairy supply management. And we think it needs to change.

Here’s how it works: the price of dairy products (whether it be milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.) is set by the dairy farmers themselves. Or rather, by a pseudo-cartel called the Canadian Dairy Commission. This regulatory body fixes prices based on cost of production plus what they the producers (and not the market) determines is an appropriate profit.

Tariffs are then slapped on top of these fixed prices by the federal government in order to limit competition from other countries. These tariffs

range from, oh, 246 percent for cheese to nearly 300 percent for butter. This keeps American dairy producers out of our market because, well, it’s not cost effective for farmers south of the border to pay these tariffs.

Then, on top of all this, in order to prevent overproduction the government established quotas. By controlling production through these quotas, supply management becomes an attractive enterprise because it is very profitable. Currently, each cow is worth roughly 30,000 dollars, which averages to a little over two million per average farm.

Clearly, the system benefits a few at the top while gouging consumers.

And that’s a problem In a day and age when every cent matters, the average family is paying nearly $300 more a year than they should be for dairy. For low-income, single-parent families with small children, this hits home hard. So much so that many of our more vulnerable consumers will forgo buying milk and instead purchase something more affordable — like pop — which can contribute to things like obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis and a host of other maladies.

But it’s not just consumers the supply management system hurts.

Manufacturers and exporters take it on the chin because Canada’s insistence on protecting a few farmers at the top sets them at a serious disadvantage when it comes to trade negotiation in international markets.

Oh, and don’t forget food processors. Here in Canada, we lose out on potential food processing jobs (cheese,

butter, yogurt makers) because those who want to sell on the international market tend to locate their plants — and their jobs — outside of Canada in order to compete because, simply put, our milk is far too expensive.

Now you may be thinking: this sounds pretty bad, but at least the farmers are benefiting from this policy.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case, because supply management actually harms most of them. Think about it: because of these artificially inflated prices and tariffs, dairy farmers are losing out on exporting their goods to lucrative, international markets. On top of that, they’re also losing sales to less expensive dairy substitutes, like butteroil/sugar blends. These substitutes are not subject to import tariffs and are brought into Canada by producers of ice cream and other products. It’s estimated this alone results in a $70 million loss to farmers every year.

Supply management is a broken system that does more harm than good, and we should scrap it. Check back next week for our thoughts on how we can move past this policy to create a dairy industry that works for producers and consumers.

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 allowing the Idaho stop in Saskatchewan. Here's what you had to say: – Any person or vehicle that just passes through any stop sign is just asking to get hit by another vehicle, especially when you cannot see clearly around the corner Truth Is Power-Try It

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

– If bikes can just role thru a stop sign if no oncoming traffic than why not cars oh because its dangeorus? Right. What a stupid idea.

The rules of the road are the way they are now because they work.

So if they work why change?

to keep things more recent, but you printed a story awhile back about Robbie Waisman, if you remember? Well I just wanted to congratulate your writer on doing such an excellent job. It was very meaningful for me to read about such a horrible experience that poor man endured, and I think it was a story that was respectfully told. I had the pleasure of hearing Mr Waisman speak and it is good for his words to get out. We must not forget what the face of war looked like.

SOUND OFF – Ha! The new stadium is already in money trouble. The promo was trying to butter us up for the bad news. Weasels always use the incremental sell!

– Climate change is happening, caused by fossil fuel. We’re not going to stop using FF til its all gone.

We’ll have just do our best to live in the new climate!

Next week: What do you think about changing dairy laws in Canada? Text in your thoughts to 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.

In response to “Remembrance of things past,” Local #127 (May 9, 2014)

– Yes yes! The Idaho stop makes a lot of sense. As an avid cyclist, I always will roll through the stop.

Of course we need to be attentive for other cyclists who may be speedily rolling through stops too.

Also, drivers should be reminded to treat cyclists at a four-way like a vehicle. It is dangerous and confusing when treated otherwise.

– Bikes going through red lights when safe good idea cars should b able to do same thing

– As a biker, the Idaho stop is extremely practical for the safety of bikers and drivers. If drivers are irked by the fact we can continue through a stop sign, maybe the jealousy will transcend and get them to hop on a bike instead! ;)

– YES! I have been using the Idaho stop for years, and it is a practical, safe thing to do for cyclists. I think it would be great if bikers and drivers alike were given a refresher on rules of the road, too — cyclists are like vehicles!

– I agree with your proposal to bring the Idaho Stop here. If executed properly it is extremely safe. And drivers: please remember to give bikes the benefit of the doubt. We aren’t allowed to ride on sidewalks, we know we can’t pedal as fast as you can drive, but we’re conscious of where you are and will do our best to get out of your way and let you pass us, safely, as soon as we’re able.

OFF TOPIC – Excellent piece on Jae Ford.

What a brave young man to make himself so vulnerable by sharing an experience that is so personal with you. I really enjoyed it; it was a very well written story. Any chance of a follow-up with him, once he’s out of Dube? Would be wonderful to keep up with such an inspiring young man. Anyway thank you again!

In response to “Let’s talk about crazy,” Local #128 (May 16, 2014)

– Hi Verb I’m not sure if you will print this because the story is a little old and it seems like you try

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Coming Home

Photos: courtesy of Bubba Hamilton

Vancouver metal heroes Bison return to punk rock roots on new EP by Alex J MacPherson

F

or most musicians, the prospect of being dropped by a major record label is the stuff of nightmares. For the members of Bison, cutting ties with their label created a new sense of freedom and purpose. Until recently, the Vancouver stoner metal band was signed to Metal Blade Records, a California label known for working with many prominent rock and metal acts. In late 2012, Bison — then known as Bison, B.C. — released its fourth album, a collection of titanic riffs and dismal lyrics titled Lovelessness. Although it was praised by fans and critics alike, Lovelessness could not save the band’s fraught relationship with its label. But according to guitarist and primary songwriter James Farwell, leaving Metal Blade was a blessing. It allowed Farwell and his bandmates — Dan And, Masa Anzai, and Matt Wood — to drop the hated “B.C.” from their name. More importantly, it gave them the freedom to do whatever they wanted musically. This is plain on Bison’s new EP, One Thousand Needles. Like the songs on Lovelessness, the two nineminute tracks that make up the new EP are packed with sludgy riffs, crushing drums, and cryptic yet evocative lyrics. But they also contain something new: a sense of freedom, and of hope. “We now realize that we make music

AJM: Lovelessness was a very dark record. The new tracks aren’t exactly happy, but they feel life-affirming in a way that Lovelessness just didn’t.

for ourselves,” Farwell says of the EP, and the current state of the band. “It’s not going to get any more popularized. It’s not going to become cool. We just do this for ourselves. And that’s a good place to be.”

JF: I think that’s true. Life’s better now. That’s just a basic fact. I think when we wrote Lovelessness we were at the end of our rope with the music world, with Metal Blade.

In retrospect, I like to think that I subconsciously wrote that record for Metal Blade to drop us. I think definitely something needed to change, and it really came to a head: that world was just grotesque to me, the music business and the music world. I kind of wanted to go back to why we do this.

Alex J MacPherson: Was the process of recording One Thousand Needles fundamentally different than the process of making any of your other records?

James Farwell: Yeah. We’re kind of trying to be a punk band again. We’ve got no record label behind us, we’ve got no money behind us. What we did is we went to our jobs and worked like normal people and saved money and booked two days at [engineer Jesse Gander’s] new place, Rain City Recorders. We booked two days and recorded as fast as we could, because we didn’t have any money for longer.

ing around. I was with a nurse that I work with, and after we left I looked at her and said, “There were literally one thousand needles in that apartment.” We looked at each other and we kind of laughed, because it was so over-the-top: like, this is our job.

She looks at me and says, “The next song you write should be called ‘One Thousand Needles.’” I’m like, “Done. I’m going to write the song ‘One Thousand Needles.’”

AJM: Difficult material, yet it doesn’t feel entirely hopeless.

JF: The sort of main idea that runs through the song, to me, is that there’s giving up and there’s not try-

…I do this because it’s fun. It’s the only reason I’m still doing this. james farwell

AJM: Is there a story behind “1000 Needles”?

AJM: A lot of bands might look on the lack of a label as a limitation, but you make it sound freeing.

ing anymore, and being okay with that. You’ve accepted something and you’re just okay with that.

JF: I work in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, with a very marginalized population who face all kinds of struggles: drug abuse, mental health. I was in somebody’s apartment, visiting them, seeing how they were doing. They had been using a lot, and I noticed that there were a lot of used syringes ly-

JF: It was just the most freeing and lovely experience, and it reminded me of the old days. I think it was real great sort of coming back to Vancouver, doing a real punk rock DIY recording with Jesse. It was lovely, it was just lovely.

AJM: On the other hand, “Calm, Friendly, and Euthymic” feels like it’s about the end of a life, but the lyrics are pretty vague.

JF: I like the feeling at the end of that song. There’s some resolve.

It’s melancholic, and it might not

leave you in the best place, but there is some kind of comfort at the end of it. Like the guitar melody: if you asked me four years ago if that guitar melody at the end was something I would ever do, I would say, “well probably not because it’s very melodic.” But it’s still got the melancholic stuff that I love.

AJM: I don’t want to trivialize the depth of the music or the lyrics, but one thing that stands out about these tracks is how accessible they are.

Maybe more than anything, they’re fun to listen to.

JF: But that’s the beauty of it, right?

To me, that doesn’t trivialize it. It enables it to be something more universal. Fun is a weird word to use, but I do this because it’s fun.

It’s the only reason I’m still doing this. You go through all these experiences and at the end of the day, you walk into the jam spot with the guys and you’re like, I still like hanging out in this f**king boys’ club jam spot drinking beers and making music, right?

Bison June 9 @ The Exchange $TBA

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2 Pianos 4 Hands

Chaotic musical comedy explores the lives of classical concert pianists

F

ew Canadian theatre productions have the staying power of 2 Pianos 4 Hands. Since its 1996 premiere, the tumultuous musical comedy has been performed more than four thousand times on five continents. According to Bryce Kulak, who performs opposite Reza Jacobs in the latest version of the show, 2 Pianos 4 Hands is the ideal fulcrum of entertainment and emotion, music and movement.

“It’s an incredible story, and I think the play has universal appeal,” Kulak says of the show, which was written and first performed by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt, who is directing the current cast. “It really does get to people, and not just on a funny-bone level, but also on a deeper emotional level. Besides the comedic gold we get to spin through-

out the show, there are some really impactful moments, some really deep emotions.”

2 Pianos 4 Hands tells the story of two young Canadians studying to become classical concert pianists. Their journey from dingy practice room to massive concert hall is interrupted by all kinds of obstacles: irritable teachers, insufferable parents, impossible pieces of music, and endless hours of mind-numbing repetition.

As the show unfolds, Kulak and Jacobs take on numerous different roles — and perform a wide variety of compositions on a pair of massive grand pianos.

“People have this concept of classical music, that it’s very serious and dour,” says Kulak, who studied classical piano for years before branching out into other musical forms, as well as theatre. “But there’s so much com-

by alex J MacPherson

edy possible with classical music.” 2 Pianos 4 Hands plays on the anxieties of anyone studying anything at a high level, transforming serious work into serious comedy. It also transforms staid concert standards into upbeat set-pieces in much the same way Looney Tunes reinvigorated overtures by Rossini and Wagner.

“A bit part about perceiving music is just how it makes you feel in the moment,” Kulak says of the stigma attached to classical music. “Anybody can be an expert in that, and everybody’s entitled to their own feelings and reactions.” 2 Pianos 4 Hands includes more than just selections from Bach, Liszt, and Chopin, however. The show also features a number of pop songs including, naturally, Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” “You get to hear two guys playing two big, black grand pianos, and

Photos: courtesy of Lucetg.com

creating all this wonderful sound in the theatre,” Kulak says with a laugh. “We smash our fists into the keys and we smack each other on the head and we run around and we’re sweating buckets and yelling at each other all the time.” After a pause he laughs and says, “I can’t

think of the last time I saw a play that runs all the bases of theatre the way this one does.”

of forgettable club tracks. Behind its glossy sheen lurks a collection of strong, smart pop songs.

Chromeo consists of David Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel — Dave 1 and P-Thugg, respectively. They have described their musical collaboration as “the only successful Arab/Jew partnership since the dawn of human culture.” This is an exaggeration, but it captures the mordant humour and earnest self-examination that characterizes so much of their catalogue.

The duo’s ability to write songs that are both immediate and durable is evident on tracks like the anthemic “Jealous (I Ain’t With It)” and the punchy Toro Y Moi collaboration “Come Alive.” Both feature visceral, memorable grooves, and both find the group digging into a few major themes: neuroses, anxiety, and an earnest desire for simple, profound love.

White Women is an upbeat record, defined to no small degree by the duo’s ability to craft exciting grooves.

But even the more subdued tracks have something to offer. “Ezra’s

Interlude,” which features Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, achieves more with five lines than most pop songs ever will. A soaring, soulful vocal from Solange Knowles transforms “Lost On The Way Home” into one of the album’s highlights.

But White Women has problems, too. “Sexy Socialite” is an off-putting ode to wealth and excess that conjures up the spectre of L.M.F.A.O.’s onedimensional bro-rock; “Frequent Flyer” opens with a promising synth groove before lapsing into an unsettled series of pop platitudes. And then White Women is redeemed by “Fall Back 2U,” which is tremendously strange — the coda features a vocodor solo — tremendously entertaining, and captures just how good Chromeo can be.

2 Pianos 4 Hands June 5 - 15 @ Globe Theatre $34+ @ Globe Box Office, tickets.globetheatrelive.com

ALBUM reviews Sharon Van Etten — Are We There Jagjaguwar, May 2014

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

Sharon Van Etten’s remarkable new album, Are We There, explores the slow disintegration of a relationship. It is a catalogue of pain, hurt its creator is determined to document yet unable to escape. “Break my legs so I won’t walk to you / Cut my tongue so I can’t feel you,” Van Etten sings on the sprawling “Your Love Is Killing Me,” before confessing: “All that I can do is what I can / With this pain you’ve given me.”

Are We There is Van Etten’s fourth album, the follow-up to her 2012 breakthrough, Tramp. Like its predecessor, Are We There is deeply personal.

But it is not a breakup record, or an attempt to make sense of the past. On Are We There, Van Etten is not confessing sins, but telling stories as they

unfold around her, inside her. And the album is more powerful for it.

“You say I am genuine / I see your back hand again / I’m a sinner. I have sinned,” she sings on “Our Love,” a profound description of broken love that unfolds to the pulse of a synthesizer and the snap of a snare drum. The acoustic guitar ballad “Tarifa” finds her contemplating a love she can’t quite leave: “Everyone else hasn’t a chance / Don’t fail me now / Open arms rest.”

Van Etten sings most of Are We There with a curious detachment. The forthrightness of her lyrics combined with the soaring, haunting beauty of her alto is intoxicating. This is echoed by the dense arrangements, which she oversaw alongside veteran producer Stewart Lerman.

Are We There was constructed using just a few basic elements — pianos, guitars, synthesizers, muffled drums. Yet it feels heavy, almost claustrophobic. And it is relentless, like the cycle of pain Van Etten can chronicle but never escape. On the closer, a simple rock song titled

“Every Time The Sun Comes Up,” she contemplates a future without the renewal of a new dawn: “Yeah, every time the sun comes up I’m in trouble / Imagine every time the sun comes up I see double.” And then she laughs — a throwaway bit of studio banter spliced into the track injects everything that came before with warmth, and maybe even hope.

Chromeo — White Women Last Gang Records, May 2014

BY ALEX J PACPHERSON

Chromeo’s new album is a lot of fun. From the summery guitars of “Jealous (I Ain’t With It)” to the flamboyant disco madness of “Fall Back 2U,” White Women is infectious and danceable. But the Montreal electrofunk duo’s fourth album is more than just a collection

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Dancing While You Wait Photo: courtesy of Max Telzerow

The Wet Secrets return with Free Candy and a generous helping of existential dread by Alex J MacPherson

R

eports of the Wet Secrets’ demise have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, the uniformed Edmonton garage pop outfit is more alive than ever. But drummer Trevor Anderson won’t blame you for thinking otherwise. After all, it’s been almost seven years since the band released an album. He and his bandmates occasionally donned their marching band jackets and dusted off their shakos for a night of raucous rock and roll, but most of their time was consumed by other projects. He describes the last few years as “an unofficial pseudo-hiatus.” And then everything changed. Last year, after a doughnut-fuelled meeting, Anderson and bassist and lead singer Lyle Bell, who also plays in the electro-pop outfit Shout Out Out Out Out, concocted a plan.

“He had a cherry cheese danish and I had a honey cruller,” Anderson says with a laugh. “It was us literally making a list on a piece of scrap paper: what do we want the next five years to look like? Well, let’s record an album.” Making plans has always been antithetical to the Wet Secrets.

The band was literally formed on a dare, after someone challenged them

to write enough material to play a show in just seven days. Their first two records, 2005’s A Whale Of A Cow and 2007’s Rock Fantasy, were recorded in kitchens and basements.

Both featured urgent, fuzzy pop songs tinged with a sense of impending disaster. Their conception of the future rarely stretched beyond the next few shows.

But instead of attempting to replicate the madness that produced A Whale Of A Cow and Rock Fantasy — Anderson characterizes the latter as “a drunken weekend here, a drunken weekend there” — the Wet Secrets booked time in a professional studio, the Audio Department. Free Candy, which was released in February, reflects the context in which it was created. Whereas A Whale Of A Cow and Rock Fantasy sounded cramped and muffled, Free Candy is expansive and clear. Yet it doesn’t sacrifice the sonic chaos, the gloriously unhinged pop antics, that made the band’s first records so much fun. The guitars are grimy, the synthesizers scraggly, and the horns punchy. The vocal hooks are bigger and more infectious than ever before.

Put simply, Free Candy is a collection of gritty pop songs that juxtapose the Wet Secrets’ natural talent

for dreaming up memorable hooks with their obvious fondness for violently loud chaos. “Sunshine” begins with a driving, overdriven bass line before unfolding into a soaring chorus laced with synthesizers and harmonies. “Get Your Sh*t Together” is a strange pastiche of bass and synth that finds Bell trading lines with the rest of the band. The rippling, psychedelic solo that defines “Floating In The Sky” suggests the Wet Secrets are interested in expanding their sound beyond the confines of a suburban basement.

Despite its upbeat hooks and propulsive grooves, Free Candy is also the darkest album the Wet Secrets have ever made. Virtually all of the songs address death, most of them directly. “I’m out on my own / I’d rather go outside and die alone,” Bell sings on “Sunshine.” He echoes this sentiment on the funky, syncopated “I Don’t Think So”: Disappointment when you’re young / Sets you up for disappointment now that you’re old / Disenchantment all along? / Yeah I think so.” According to Anderson, the dismal subject matter on Free Candy reflects their outlook on life. “If you face the existential dread head-on,” he says, “you can chill out and dance while you wait.”

Continued on next page »

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Alex J MacPherson: Seven years is a long time to be on hiatus. Why did it take so long to make Free Candy?

and a terrific producer and recording engineer, did this very organized, wonderful, pro job.

Trevor Anderson: We were busy with other things, and the band wasn’t our first priority. I was making films with my film company, [Dirt City Films]. Lyle was playing in Shout Out Out Out Out. He still is, but they were quite active and touring around. We would just play shows, for the fun of it. But we weren’t making much of an effort. We had some lineup changes, which kind of slowed us down. And we had some real life to live in the meantime as well. Nothing too heavy, but certainly the band was changing.

AJM: Did you enjoy the more organized, more professional, studio experience?

AJM: Is it true that the record that became Free Candy was actually your second attempt at making a third album?

TA: The goal was to just get ourselves back on the map, to let people know we’re actually here, we’re actually working, we still exist. But we were never officially on hiatus, which is why I describe it the way I do. We would take shows if we felt like it, but we also knew that no one knew what was going on with us.

So we wanted to use this album to put ourselves back on the map, and really set ourselves up for the next album.

TA: Oh yeah, sure it was. We recorded some songs in Paul [Arnusch]’s basement. It went well, but when you’re doing it yourself and there’s no hard deadline you wind up with a million sessions. And then the files just get away from you. Once we decided we were really going to go for it, we figured the only way to actually not get caught up in that again would be to start from scratch.

AJM: Was the experience fundamentally different this time, after all those years?

TA: Yes, definitely. The first album was recorded on the fly. It was like, let’s see if we can put together a band and write a bunch of songs in one week. We started recording them because we were working so quickly we couldn’t remember the songs. And then we realized, we’ve got them recorded so we may as well release them. That’s where the kitchen-recorded, very low-res, DIY Whale Of A Cow came from. Rock Fantasy was more of an attempt to make a properly-recorded album, but we were doing it in Calgary when we could get down there. It stretched out over a period of about two years, really. And Nik Kozub, who’s a wonderful musician in his own right,

more. She’s kind of a secret weapon for us.

AJM: This is also the darkest record you’ve ever made, even though the songs sound upbeat and poppy. Most of the songs seem to be about death, or at least hint at it.

TA: Oh my god. Heaven. Heaven!

It was heaven to walk into Audio Department and have wonderfully talented, organized Nik record us and mix us and send it away for mastering, send it away for manufacturing, and make a strategy to release it, get a team around us, start to build the right village.

AJM: Did you have a pretty clear idea of what you wanted to achieve with Free Candy?

AJM: Aside from the fact that this album sounds much better than Rock Fantasy, it feels like you pushed the boundaries of what this band can be on Free Candy.

TA: These are things we definitely want to start exploring more in the next album. You can hear the beginnings of them now [on Free Candy], but we want to amplify them.

Also, we put Emma Frazier in the band, on trombone, because Donna [Ball], who we love, fell in love with a Scottish bank fraud detective and so she was romantically absconded with to Glasgow. And sort of at the last minute in the recording process we realized, oh wow, Emma can really sing. We only got her really featured on two tracks, almost as a co-lead, on “Maybe We’ll Make A Plan” and “Sunshine.” But those were the only ones left when we made that discovery. In the future, we also want to write to feature her

TA: Yes it is. We say that it’s eleven pop knockouts about death, disappointment, and doing it — that’s the promo line we came up with. But we do certainly want that complex thing, catchy melodies that once you’re singing along to, you realize you’re singing about your own death. Something about Lyle’s and my own personality is that acknowledging it allows us to relax and have a better time.

AJM: One track that stands apart from the rest is “What’s The F**king Point (Zenko’s Theme).” What’s the story behind that one?

TA: It’s a ballad and it’s a very vulnerable admission. It’s sung from the points of view of two different people who are dying: a young person who knows they’re dying, and then an older person who knows they’re dying — the two verses. But then it breaks out into kind of a barroom singalong, with this kind of Monty Python paradesthrough-town celebratory ending.

Which is how we figured we could get out of something so bleak. Do you know the show Jubilee, in Vegas? It’s a topless show, but it’s got this innocence to it. They do themed numbers, like “Samson and Delilah” — classic Vegas showgirl kind of stuff. They did the sinking of the Titanic, right after Titanic had come out and it was a big deal. When the Titanic sank, I was like, how are they going to get out of this? All they did is march out in red, white, and blue with sparklers: “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy!” You know, I admire that! That’s showbiz, kid.

When in doubt, have a parade.

The Wet Secrets June 6 @ The Exchange $10 at the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Photos: courtesy of Marc messett

Muy Buena!

La Cucaracha is dishing up a taste of Mexico by Eilidh Thain

I

magine a quaint seaside village in Mexico —family and friends gather in an open-air restaurant to enjoy good food and good company. This is exactly the kind of community atmosphere that Sarah Diaz and her husband Fabian wanted to create here in the city.

Not quite a restaurant, not quite a food truck/stand, La Cucaracha sits somewhere in between. The colourful window-service kitchen with a small outdoor sitting area faces 13th Ave, and makes a great place to enjoy a good meal with friends and family on a sunny day. “We came across the space in 2011 and it all came together,” explained Fabian. “There really are no other authentic Mexican restaurants in the city.”

“We’re using traditional Mexican recipes with fresh ingredients,” added

Sarah. In the tiny kitchen, shelves are packed with red, ripe tomatoes, green avocados, bunches of chilies, bags of onions, and bundles of fresh herbs. Almost everything is house-made: corn tortillas, chorizo sausage, soups, zippy salsas, guacamole, and more. “We have the smallest kitchen in the city, and customers with the biggest smiles,” said Fabian.

Sitting and chatting with Sarah, Fabian and their daughters, I really got the sense of what they were trying to recreate — community and family.

And the food measured up to the atmosphere! First up, Fabian presented me with his signature made-to-order guacamole served with taco chips.

The guac was creamy and zesty with chunks of ripe avocado, and was a fresh, delicious way to kick things off.

Next came the burrito with a side of salsa roja (red salsa). A grilled tortilla

LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE PINEAPPLE AGUA FRESCA

INGREDIENTS

PARTY PUNCH

4 cups pineapple, diced 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 cup white rum 1/2 cup lime juice, fresh squeezed 6 cups water lime or pineapple wedges

Agua fresca is a popular non-alcoholic fresh fruit drink served in Mexico. Add rum, and you’ve got your summer go-to cocktail!

stuffed with pulled chicken breast and chorizo sausage simmered in a tomatochipotle sauce. The smoky bite from the sauce balanced perfectly against the buttery refried beans and seasoned rice. This was one good burrito! It’s the Oscars of burritos; it’s the Cadillac of burritos; it’s the Sistine Chapel of burritos — well, you get my point. It’s seriously good.

La Cucaracha’s menu also offers tacos and quesadillas with a variety of filling options, including AAA sirloin steak marinated in a house-made chimichurri sauce and fire-roasted poblano peppers with caramelized onions in a cream salsa. There’s certainly something for everyone!

Worth noting are La Cucaracha’s agua frescas made by infusing water with natural fresh fruits. Cool and refreshing, these are a must try on a hot summer day! A selection of appetizers and homemade soups along with daily lunch and dinner specials round out the menu. And with prices ranging up to $12 (cash only, please), everyone can afford to give La Cucaracha a try.

You’ve driven by it, you’ve walked by it, now’s the time to try it. Enjoy the fresh tastes of La Cucaracha with a side of this warm weather we’ve been having, and you can almost pretend you’re in Mexico.

La Cucaracha Cocina Mexicana 2815 13th Ave | (306) 757 6399

DIRECTIONS

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Combine the pineapple, sugar, rum, and lime juice in a blender, and puree until smooth (you may have to do this in two batches). Transfer puree to a large pitcher and add the water. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Serve in tall glasses filled with ice and garnished with a wedge of lime or pineapple.

@VerbRegina ethain@verbnews.com

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Next Week

coming up

3 Doors Down Library Voices

Sarah McLachlan

@ Casino Regina Monday, June 9 – $60+

@ The Exchange Thursday, June 12 – $12.50

@ Conexus Arts Centre Sunday, November 2 – $52+

Unless you’ve been in hiding for, oh, say, the past 15 years, there’s a solid chance you’ve heard 3 Doors Down smash hit single, “Kryptonite.”

You know, that song that talks about walking around the world to ease your troubled mind? What you might not have heard about that song is that, apparently, Brad Arnold — the band’s vocalist/drummer — wrote the song as a teenager while being bored out of his mind in an algebra class. That song launched the band to international fame when it came out in 2000 on their album The Better Life. The band has released four more studio albums since then, many of which eventually went platinum. If you’re a fan, you might want to check their act out when they roll through town. Tickets at www. ticketbreak.com.

A lot of collective bands don’t work well because, to put it plainly, they sound convoluted — too many competing voices and sounds, not enough cohesion. That isn’t the case with Regina’s Library Voices, whose smoothly edited music full of sweeping guitars, upbeat keyboards and catchy melodies is harmonic.

Originally a 10-piece, these days Library Voices have scaled things back a bit. But the longtime prairie-based musicians’ sound hasn’t suffered at all. In fact, some might say these guys are great and getting better all the time. Not to mention that their album, Summer of Lust, has too many good songs to list here. This musical supergroup will be rocking out at the Exchange next week, be sure to check them out.

Did you know that Sarah McLachlan used to be in a rock band? True story. Back when she was a highschool student in Halifax, she fronted a short-lived act called The October Game. Anyway, after playing her last gig with The October Game at Dalhousie University, McLachlan was offered a recording contract in Vancouver, and the rest, as they say, is history. Three Grammys, eight Junos and over 40 million records sold later, and the lady with the unmistakable mezzo-soprano voice is still going strong. Her latest album, Shine On, which was inspired by the death of her father, debuted at #4 on the US Billboard charts. She is about to embark on a North American tour to promote the album, and will roll through Regina in November. Tickets available at conexusartscentre.ca.

– By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: Focka / the artist / simon fraser university

Sask music Preview The Stickman Drum Experience is taking place July 2-6 at Cedar Lodge, Dundurn, Saskatchewan. Stickman provides a one-of-a-kind experience for drummers of a wide range of ages and abilities with educators covering many styles. Players learn, jam, and hang with world-class musicians in a comfortable, non-competitive and creative atmosphere. The Third annual Stickman has confirmed another world-class lineup including Flo Mournier – Montreal (Cryptopsy), Gerald Heyward – New York (Beyonce), Jayson Brinkworth – Regina (Aaron Pritchett), Chis Dimas – Regina (YouTube Sensation), bassist Rob D – Regina (Sound Society) and many more. You will eat, sleep and breathe drums for 3 days and 4 nights! For more information and to register visit www.stickmandrumexperience.com.

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Milkman’s Son / Broadway Lounge (Western Pizza) — Come check out their new Tom Petty set! 9pm / No cover Trace the Sky / The Club — With Old Towns + more. 8pm / $10 DJ Dallas / Eldorado — Regina’s number one party DJ! 9pm / $5 Alex Runions / Eldorado — A local urban country singer-songwriter! 9pm / $5 Danny Oliver / The Exchange — With Nick Faye and Poor Nameless Boy. 7pm / Cover TBD DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night. 9pm / $5 Big Chill Fridays / Lancaster — With DJ Fatbot. 10pm / Cover TBD Adam’s Rib / McNally’s Tavern — An indie rock band you don’t want to miss. 10pm / $5 Marc Labossiere / Pump — Talented singer from Manitoba. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon — One of Regina’s most interactive DJs. 8pm / $5 Steve Gibson / Whiskey Saloon — Country music from Yorkton. 9pm / $5

Saturday 31

Milkman’s Son / Broadway Lounge (Western Pizza) — Come check out their new Tom Petty set! 9pm / No cover Begrime Exemious / The Club — With Lavagoat and Druidus. 8pm / $10 DJ Dallas / Eldorado Country Rock Bar — Regina’s number one party DJ! 9pm / $5 Alex Runions / Eldorado — A local urban country singer-songwriter! 9pm / $5 Grain Report / Lancaster — An awesome alt-country band. 9pm / Cover TBD Adam’s Rib / McNally’s Tavern — An indie rock band you don’t want to miss. 10pm / $5 Marc Labossiere / Pump — Talented singer/songwriter. 9pm / Cover TBD Steve Gibson / Whiskey Saloon — Country music from Yorkton. 9pm / $5

Sunday 1

Cory Edward Band / Whiskey Saloon — Country music out of Manitoba. 9pm / $5

Tuesday 3

DJ Dallas / Eldorado Country Rock Bar — Regina’s number one party DJ! 9pm / $5 Unearth / The Exchange — With Texas in July, Cruel Hand + more. 7:30pm / $20 (ticketedge.ca)

Open Mic Night / The Artful Dodger — Come down and jam! 8pm / No cover

The most complete live music listings for Regina.

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Monday 2

Slumlord / The Club — With Hopeless Youth and Birch Hills. 8pm / $10

Saturday 7

Music Jam / Artful Dodger — Come get down with local musicians. 8pm / No cover Mandy Ebel / Bocados — Performing and hosting the open mic! 8pm / No cover Paul Federici / Creative City Centre — With Roxie Lenton. 7:30pm / $10 DJ night / Q Nightclub + Lounge — With DJs Snakeboots + Code E. 9:30pm / No cover

Real Panchos / Lancaster Taphouse — Music with a deep, soulful groove. 9pm / Cover TBD Tim Vaughn / McNally’s Tavern — Guitarfueled blues from Saskatoon. 10pm / $5 Wildfire / Pump Roadhouse — A femalefronted country band. 9pm / Cover TBD Cory Edward Band / Whiskey Saloon — Country music out of Manitoba. 9pm / $5

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

Wednesday 4

Pop Crimes / The Club — With Delta Throats and Homo Monstrous. 7:30pm / $10 A Wilhelm Scream / The Exchange — With Direct Hit! + more. 7:30pm / $15

Thursday 5

2 Beats & A Hat / Artful Dodger — Presented by DJ Verbal & E-Major. 7pm / $5 Archers / Artful Dodger — C’mon out for a rocking CD release party. 8pm / Cover TBD The Stampeders / Casino Regina — A classic Canadian rock trio. 8pm / $35 Chad VanGaalen / The Exchange — With guests, Viet Cong. 8pm / $18 Decibel Frequency / Gabbo’s Nightclub — A night of electronic fun. 10pm / Cover $5 Open Mic Night / King’s Head — Come show Regina what you got. 8pm / No cover Mop Chop Cabaret / McNally’s — An Alex Young memorial fundraiser. 7pm / $10 Wildfire / Pump Roadhouse — A femalefronted country band. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon — One of Regina’s best DJs. 8pm / Cover TBD

Friday 6

The Stampeders / Casino Regina — A classic Canadian rock trio. 8pm / $35 Elder Abuse / The Club — With Castaway, The Jump Off, Gutless. 8pm / $10 Winter Leaves / Creative City Centre — 3-piece folk act. 7:30pm / $10 DJ Dallas / Eldorado — Regina’s number one party DJ! 9pm / $5 The Gay Nineties / The Exchange — With guests, The Wet Secrets. 8pm / $10 DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night. 9pm / $5 Big Chill Fridays / Lancaster Taphouse — With DJ Fatbot. 10pm / Cover TBD Tim Vaughn / McNally’s Tavern — Guitarfueled blues from Saskatoon. 10pm / $5 Wildfire / Pump Roadhouse — A femalefronted country band. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon — Oneof Regina’s best DJs. 8pm / $5

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saturday, May 24 @

crave

Crave Kitchen + Wine Bar 1925 Victoria Avenue (306) 525 8777

Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, June 6. facebook.com/verbregina

Photography by Marc Messett

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Revising a classic Photo: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Maleficent is a visually arresting, interesting take on Sleeping Beauty by adam hawboldt

W

hat is it with all these revisionist fairy tales? Why is it that people, all of a sudden, want to rehabilitate cartoon villains and update classic stories?

I mean, they did it to Elphaba in the Broadway smash hit Wicked and to the Snow Queen in Frozen. Now Disney has decided to revisit Sleeping Beauty and show the world that Maleficent — the dark, evil, green-faced antagonist of that story — isn’t all bad. She’s just misunderstood, a victim of emotion and circumstance.

That’s the gist of Angelina Jolie’s new movie, Maleficent. And to be honest, it’s a pretty good flick.

Directed by Robert Stromberg, Maleficent begins in a classic way — with a storybook themed narration. A narration that tells the viewer about two realms, two rival kingdoms. There is the realm of the humans, and the realm of the fairies and trolls and wickermen.

Big mistake. Why? Because, without letting the cat out of the bag too much, Stefan ends up betraying Maleficent in a big, bad way! And this stunning betrayal begins to harden Maleficent, turning her into the icyhearted villain we first met in 1959.

Let us stop her for a brief moment so I can point something out. While the opening of the film does a good job at

It’s in the latter realm that we first meet Maleficent. She hasn’t yet become the villain we know (and some of us love).

No, in the beginning she’s a sweet-natured, magnificent-winged fairy child.

She’s so sweet, in fact, that she uses her magical powers to heal a broken twig, and helps keep peace in the land.

Then one day she meets a young man from the human world named

…there is no two ways about it: Jolie carries Maleficent, and does so majestically.

Adam Hawboldt

world building and character construction, to be honest it’s kind of dull and a bit of a let down.

Stefan. The two form an unlikely bond, and eventually Maleficent falls for the young lad.

But once Maleficent become the Maleficent we know (played wonderfully by Angelina Jolie), the movie really gets rolling.

Fueled by bitterness and revenge, the adult Maleficent decides to get her pound of flesh by going after Stefan’s baby daughter, Aurora, and placing that famous curse on her. The one that involves a pricked finger, a spinning wheel, and a whole lot of sleep.

After that, the story takes another turn. In the beginning, as previously mentioned, Maleficent was sweet.

Then she became bitter and vengeful. Then, as she watches the already cursed Aurora grow older, she becomes fascinated by her innocence and her compassion. Maleficent soon begins to think Aurora may be the perfect person to bring the human and fairy worlds together, and is forced to deal with the repercussion of her actions.

Although the film’s momentum lags at times, there is no two ways about

maleficent Robert Stromberg Starring Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning Directed by

97 minutes | PG

it: Jolie carries Maleficent, and does so majestically. In a movie that is so visually compelling, Jolie holds her own, and easily.

Basically, Maleficent peels away the rigid notions of good and evil to show that there’s more to life than just black and white. And it does it in a visually arresting, mostly entertaining style.

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A search for identity

New Polish film, Ida, is stunning and powerful by adam hawboldt

Photo: Courtesy of music box films

E

very now and then a movie comes along that will really blow your hair back. It will stagger you with its beauty, floor you with its gravity, leave you numb with a strange feeling you’re not quite sure how to define.

Ida is one of those movies. At least it was for me. Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, the film begins in a Polish convent. There are Latin chants, statues of Jesus, and snow.

There’s also Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) — a young woman preparing to take her vows to become a nun. Before she does that, though, the Mother Superior suggests Anna go into the city and meet her aunt, her only living relative.

Anna, who was orphaned as a child and raised by the nuns, agrees.

The year is 1962. The place, communist Poland.

When she meets her aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza), Anna is

taken aback. Here is a dark-haired woman clad in a bathrobe. She’s waiting for a man to get dressed in the next room. She drinks (sometimes straight from the bottle), and smokes constantly.

[Ida] is an incredible journey about a young woman’s search for identity.

Adam Hawboldt

Wanda is brusque and worldly.

Still glamorous, she has nevertheless been toughened by war and circumstance. She tells her niece that her real name isn’t Anna, it’s Ida, and she’s Jewish. She also tells Ida that

her parents put her up for adoption before they went into hiding during the War. That both her parents are dead, the whereabouts of their remains unknown.

What follows is an incredible journey about a young woman’s search for identity.

Ida, desperate to find out about her past, sets out (with Wanda in tow) to see the village where her parents lived. And so begins a road trip movie unlike any you’ve ever seen. Along the way a strange and tender bond forms between the two women. Ida meets a handsome saxophone player (Dawid Ogrodnik) who is drawn to her, and she to him. But growing up in a convent, Ida has troubles coming to terms with the whirlwind of emotions she’s experiencing.

Filmed in black and white, and shot with the boxy aspect ratio of an old-time movie, Ida is stunning. It’s spare, haunting, elegant, and uncom-

promising. There’s not too much talking in the film, but in the moments of silence it speaks volumes. Much of the credit for that must go to the lead actresses. As the slightly delusional, hard-drinking aunt, Kulesza absolutely nails it. And as Ida, Trzebuchowska is brilliant. She displays powerful emotion through subtle body language, and hits all the right notes when she delivers her lines.

Never is this more apparent than when she finds out what happened to her parents. Not to spoil the moment (other than saying it’s probably not what you expect), but Trzebuchowska is stunning, and hits a high note of her young acting career.

Ida is a quiet and beautiful and powerful film. It is perhaps not the

IDA Pawel Pawlikowski Agata Trzebuchowska, Agata Kulesza + Dawid Ogrodnik Directed by Starring

80 minutes | PG

feel-good movie of the year, but what a movie it is nonetheless.

Ida will be screening at Regina Public Library beginning June 5.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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

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© walter D. Feener 2014

28. Moving part in a loom 30. Town on Newfoundland 33. Two-master 37. Baseball stat.

38. Capital of Switzerland 40. Four-legged female 41. New Testament book 43. Without any changes 45. Even the score 46. One who makes and alters clothing 48. Filled with joy 50. Set out 51. Cringe in fear 52. Use acid to make a picture 53. Wide-mouthed pitcher

22. Kimono fabric

1. Family who rents an apartment 2. Once owned 3. Historical periods 4. German industrial city 5. Transported goods 6. Computer-sharing setup 7. Muslim ruler 8. Think over so as to understand 9. Hazardous gas 11. Computer messages 12. One of the Three Bears 14. East end of a church 17. Is important 20. Main point

25. Fish of the carp family 27. Appear to be 29. Dig up 30. Achievement 31. Killer whales 32. Any bird with a flat breastbone B 34. Turn into a rag 35. Town employee of yore 36. Pay attention to 39. Daughter of one’s brother 42. Crate component 44. Not happening in a short time 47. Sea monster

A

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

1. Pronoun in a wedding pledge 5. Escaped from 9. Brings up 10. Fibre similar to flax 12. Animals with eye patches 13. Mystery 15. A programming language 16. Big rig 18. Strip the fields 19. Early video game 21. Reminds constantly 23. Bro’s sibling 24. Playful prank 26. One of the floral emblems on the flag of Montreal

sudoku answer key

DOWN

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

crossword canadian criss-cross

ACROSS

Horoscopes may 30 - June 5 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

You spend a lot of your time thinking and analyzing things, Aries.

But this week, why not just go with the flow? It could surprise you.

More discipline is necessary if you want to get projects completed, dear Leo, and you do want to get them finished. More focus is needed right now.

This may be one of those weeks that seems like it will never end, Sagittarius. Don’t worry, though, it will — eventually.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

You’ll sail through this week with relative ease, Taurus, so enjoy it while it lasts. There could be some hard winds on the horizon.

You may be about to enter a phase of psychological transformation, Virgo. This week is going to be topsy-turvy, to say the least.

Don’t let a misunderstanding ruin an outing or a friendship, Capricorn. Take a beat and listen to what’s really being said. It could be valuable.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

You’ll experience an unanticipated stroke of luck this week, Gemini. It’s not win-the-lottery luck, but it’ll still be good.

Feeling a tad worn out this week, Libra? That’s okay — there will soon be demands on your time, so take a breather while you can.

If you’ve been lacking energy lately, Aquarius, maybe this week is a good time to examine your diet.

Freshening things up will be good for you.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

You’ll be filled with vitality and self-assuredness in the coming days, Cancer, and that’s a good thing. Just don’t get too carried away.

Don’t be afraid to be spontaneous this week, Scorpio. A leap of blind faith will take you places that you have only dreamed were possible.

Spend some time this week engaged in a discussion about philosophies and ideas. Open your mind, and you never know where it may take you.

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

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