Verb Issue R80 (May 31-June 6, 2013)

ISSUE #80 – MAY 31 TO JUNE 6

ARTS

CULTURE

MUSIC

REGINA

ASTRONAUTALIS WHATEVER THE HELL HE WANTS

DOES

FREE!

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LONG LIVE AVACAL! The SCA makes history come alive SILVERSTEIN Post-hardcore from Ontario AFTER EARTH + 56 UP Films reviewed­

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MEGAN THOMPSON

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER:

ASTRONAUTALIS

Breaking all the rules. 10 / FEATURE

PHOTO: COURTESY OF COURTNEY DUDLEY

CULTURE

NEWS + OPINION

ENTERTAINMENT

Q + A WITH BINDER TWINE & THE BALERS Regina bluegrass rockers. 8 / Q + A

LIVE MUSIC LISTINGS Local music listings for May 31 through June 8. 14 / LISTINGS

LONG LIVE AVACAL!

BAND IN MOTION

NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS

Bringing history to life with the SCA.

Port Noise on making progress.

We visit La Bodega.

3 / LOCAL

9 / ARTS

15 / NIGHTLIFE

THIS IS HOW THE WIND SHIFTS

We review the latest movies. 16 / FILM

AFTER EARTH + 56 UP

Silverstein’s new chapter. 9 / ARTS

LIKE NO OTHER RACE Scott Campbell, and the karting world championships. 4 / LOCAL

PUPPY LOVE

PUB FARE WITH FLARE

ON THE BUS

Our thoughts on mandatory dog training for dangerous breeds. 6 / EDITORIAL

This week we visit Leopold’s Tavern.

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 18 / COMICS

12 / FOOD + DRINK

COMMENTS

MUSIC

GAME + HOROSCOPES

Here’s what you had to say about abolishing tenure. 7 / COMMENTS

Poor Young Things, Ana Egge + Brad Paisley. 13 / MUSIC

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

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EDITORIAL

BUSINESS & OPERATIONS

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OFFICE MANAGER / STEPHANIE LIPSIT ACCOUNT MANAGER / BRODIE HALLETT ACCOUNT MANAGER / KERRI SENKOW MARKETING MANAGER / VOGESON PALEY FINANCIAL MANAGER / CODY LANG

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2 MAY 31 – JUNE 6 VERB MAGAZINE

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LOCAL

LONG LIVE AVACAL! PHOTO: COURTESY OF ADAM HAWBOLDT / VERB MAGAZINE

The Society for Creative Anachronism brings history to life

BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

T

wo Viking warriors stand on a grassy knoll, poised for combat.

Dressed in gambesons and tunics, wearing metal Viking helmets and leather armour, they hold their swords and shields at the ready.

Behind them the sun is setting. A heavy silence hangs in the air.

The shorter of the two, Eirikr of the Wood, grips his shield tight, and assumes his fighting stance. At first, he moves stealthily towards his opponent. Feints. Withdraws. And then, bang! The silence is broken when Eirikr brings his sword crashing down onto his opponent’s shield. It’s not a real sword, mind you. It’s made from a bamboo-like stick called rattan that’s splinter-resistant. But when it hits the shield with ungodly, violent force, the unnatural sounds of war echo down the grassy knoll into the field below.

But this isn’t real war.

It’s not even real combat, for that matter. It’s heavy weapon practice for the Viking warriors of the Barony of Myrgan Woods. And Eirikr of the Wood? He’s not a real Viking. No, for most of the week he’s a student and caring father named Chris Scheirer.

But for a few hours every Wednesday evening, either in the gym at St. Martin’s Church or in the field next to it, Scheirer meets up with his Society for Creative Anachronism pals, dons his Viking garb and sharpens his fighting skills, honing them for battle.

Founded in 1966 in Berkeley, California, the Society for Creative Anachronism is a living history group dedicated

to studying and recreating life in the Medieval Ages — the operative word here being history.

“When you look at something like LARP [live action role playing], it can be history-based,” explains Scheirer, “But there’s also fantasy and crime and drama and stuff they do. At SCA, it’s strictly history-based. We don’t recreate specific battles of instances from history, but we recreate the way life was back then.”

The way SCA works is this: the entire realm is known as the “Knowne World,” which consists of 19 kingdoms and more than 30,000 members worldwide. These kingdoms (ruled by kings, naturally) are broken up into principalities which, in turn, are divided into baronies and shires. Here in Saskatchewan we have the Barony of Mygran Wood (Saskatoon), the Shire of Sigelhundas (Regina) and the Shire of Valley Wold (Moose Jaw), all of which are in the Principality of Avacal, which is part of the Kingdom of An Tir, ruled

by King UlfR and Queen Caoimhe.

Every year, warriors from the baronies and shires of Avacal (which spans from Saskatchewan to B.C.) meet at Quad War to engage in field battles and castle sieges, as well as heavy weapon, rapier and archery tournaments.

But don’t be mistaken. The SCA isn’t just a bunch of macho history buffs getting together to clobber each other with rattan weapons.

“Yeah, you have all the weapons tournaments and battles,” says Scheirer, “but it’s not just about fighting. It’s about recreating history. There are arts and science tournaments.

We’re recreating the coin-making of the day, the sewing, the candle making, the calligraphy, banner making, heraldry, the music. There’s also a feast and court — where the nobility will conduct court business.”

Lasting four or five days, Quad War (and other events of its nature) allows participants to wade back through the sands of time and get a serious sense of what life in the Medieval Ages was like. A life full of honour and integrity and courage. A life of arts, sciences, feasts and war.

Back on the grassy knoll in Mygran Wood, Eirikr of the Wood (aka Chris Scheirer) circles his practice partner.

He uses his shield to parry his opponent’s attack, slides to the side and swings his sword, hard and fast, at his opponent’s shield arm.

“It’s all about angles,” says Grimolfr Grjotgardsson, Baron of Mygran Wood, who is watching the evening’s action. “You always keep your eyes front to the target.”

Eyes fixed on his opponent, not where he’s aiming, Eirikr’s blow lands flush on the other person’s arm. And instinctively, nay, honourably, his opponent puts his arm behind his back and continues the fight one-handed.

And that’s how SCA fighting works. It’s not just pummel or be pummeled into bloodied submission. There are rules and honour governing combat. If you’re hit on the arm, you tuck it behind your back and fight on. If you’re struck a blow to the leg, you drop to your knee and continue the battle until a

“fatal” blow to the head or torso puts an end to matters.

Nothing in SCA combat is choreographed, though. Everything is done with speed and force, precision and instinct. Which, like every other fullcontact sport out there, can lead naturally to injuries, like broken hands or split fingers. But for the most part, SCA weapons warfare is regulated for safety and fair play. “It’s also a good way to let off some steam,” mentions Scheirer, after his sparring session.

What he doesn’t mention is that SCA fighting, nay, the entire SCA expe-

rience, is also a good way to escape the hubbub of everyday life, to embrace the idealism — the sense of honour, integrity and courtesy inherent in the Medieval Ages— that has a hard time existing in the modern condition. Chris Scheirer doesn’t mention any of this — but he knows.

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3 MAY 31 – JUNE 6 /VERBREGINA

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COMMENTS

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ARTS

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FOOD + DRINK

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LISTINGS

NIGHTLIFE

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TIMEOUT

NEWS + OPINION

LOCAL

LIKE NO OTHER RACE PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CODY SCHINDEL

Scott Campbell’s journey to the karting world championships

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

M

y breath comes in short, ragged gasps.

The muscles in my arms are on fire. My hands ache from grasping the wheel. I can feel sweat running down my back. The air rushing past my helmet is a muffled counterpoint to the roar of the engine. I clench my teeth and turn into the next corner.

As I sweep past the apex, my wheels running up onto the red and white striped kerb, I loosen my grip and allow the kart to move across the track. Then I press my foot down on the throttle. The kart, which consists of little more than a seat and an engine welded to a tubular frame, hurtles down the straight, the asphalt less than an inch beneath me. I glance at the timer mounted on the steering wheel: one minute and three seconds — almost ten seconds off the pace at the Martensville Speedway. The sweet surge of acceleration reminds me to think about the next corner, a difficult 180-degree bend known as a hairpin.

I brake hard and turn in. Every fibre of my being is screaming that I’ve left it too late, that I’m going too fast, that I’m going to crash. I turn hard and hold on, hoping the little slick tires can find some grip. Driving a racing kart is an astonishing experience — exhilaration and terror bound up with a shot of adrenaline that left me shaky for an hour afterward. It is a feeling Scott Campbell knows well.

Campbell, who is 34, has been racing karts for more than two decades.

His father was a successful kart driver, and Campbell’s switch from racing BMX bikes to racing karts was inevitable. Then he started to win. “I was kind of at the front of the racing right here in the club right away,” he recalls. “I would even be fast against some of the

he was forced to seek out competition elsewhere. In 2003, he qualified for the Rotax Max Grand Final, the world championships for karts carrying Rotax Max engines — two-stroke motors capable of carrying the fragile contraptions well past 120 km/h.

Because all karts in the Rotax Max Grand Final use the same chassis and

…I’d never had that emotion, the feeling of winning something like it.

SCOTT CAMPBELL

senior guys when I was a junior. Then we started doing some of the regional races and I was still winning.”

The best racing drivers are united by their desire to win at all costs, a combination of innate ability and utter ruthlessness that manifests every time they get behind the wheel.

Campbell is at a loss to explain where his competitive impulse comes from.

“I think it’s really an extension of you,” he says. “You want to strive to be the best at all times. My wife doesn’t like playing board games with me, because I’m so competitive.

It’s just this thing inside me.” This tendency emerged early. Campbell was at or near the front during his first races; he soon became so good that

engine, raw ability is the only thing that matters. More than 15,000 racers around the world attempt to qualify; fewer than 300 make the cut. “It was a little hectic,” Campbell says of his first attempt at qualifying, in 2002. His dreams were shattered when a racing incident left him struggling for pace near the back of the pack. He never had a chance, and left dejected — but determined to improve. In 2003, the qualifying sessions started badly and got worse. In the pre-final, which determines the starting grid for the final, Campbell was leading when his kart made contact with debris from an accident. “I hit it and spun out, off the track. The second-place guy hit the same thing, and he spun out and hit CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

4 MAY 31 – JUNE 6 NEWS + OPINION

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me. It blew my chain off, bent my rad, and I was done. I was just crushed.”

This incident forced Campbell to start from the back row of the grid.

When the green flag dropped there were more than 30 karts arrayed in front of him, all piloted by drivers hungry for success. He put his head down and drove the race of a lifetime.

“I drove all the way up to second place,” he says, a smile crossing his face. But his ordeal was far from over. A controversial penalty, for an incident behind him, cost Campbell a spot. He finished third, just outside the qualifying line. Once again, he drove back to Saskatchewan brimming with frustration and disappointment. “But then,” he says, “a month and a half later, the guy who ended up winning withdrew his spot because he couldn’t get a passport. And I was able to go to the world championships.”

Campbell’s first trip to the Grand Final, held at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, was an eye-opening experience. Karting has for years been dominated by Europeans. They start driving early, and the best drivers go on to race in Formula One. “When you’re here and you’re the best in your country you think you’re going to be really fast,” Campbell says. “I went there and learned so much, even after I’d raced for so long.” Campbell qualified forty-first.

Between 2003 and 2009, Scott Campbell raced at the Grand Final, which is held in a different country each year. In 2010, at Muro Leccese in Italy, something astonishing hap-

pened. “I qualified on pole, I knew I was going to be quick,” Campbell recalls. “It was close. I had two guys right on my butt in that final, and it was all about protection — try not to let them pass me, don’t let them pass me.” As the karts screamed into the final corner Campbell knew he was going to win. The surge of emotion that accompanied the chequered flag was overwhelming. “When you come across that line, the emotion — I’d never had that emotion, the feeling of winning something like it.”

To experience the sensation of driving at high speed around a racing circuit, I borrowed a kart from Ty Campbell, who last year won the Briggs and Stratton Senior Four-Stroke Division. He was just 16 years old.

After a short briefing, I struggled into a borrowed racing suit, strapped on a helmet, and followed Ty out of the pits. The kart made a big impression, and so did the young driver in front of me. I drove as hard as I felt I could — and couldn’t keep up. But the thrill was immeasurable.

“If you’re not having fun, it’s not really worth it,” Scott Campbell told me when I drove back into the pits after what felt like several hours of pushing my body and mind to the absolute limit. “That’s one of the things about racing go-karts: you want to make sure you’re having fun at all times.” He ought to know. In a career spanning many hundreds of races, at his home track in Martensville and abroad, Scott Campbell has reached the pinnacle of the sport. In Martens-

ville, home of the Saskatoon Kart Racers Association, he is something of a hero. Children entering the sport, many of whom are still in elementary school, admire him. Campbell, who will make what he expects to be his last appearance at the Grand Final later this year, is happy to help.

“I try to now help out anybody that needs it, because I’ve experi-

enced it all around the world,” he says, pointing out that karting is a relatively inexpensive communitybased sport, where teams often include members of several generations. “Now, I just want to help out, do as much as I can to try and give someone else that opportunity. One of my ultimate goals would be if we had someone else on our team to go

[to the world championships], just to have that experience. It’s like no other race you’ve ever been in.”

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5 MAY 31 – JUNE 6 @VERBREGINA

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EDITORIAL

PUPPY LOVE PHOTO: COURTESY OF NICOLE HOLLENSTEIN

Owners of statistically more dangerous dogs should take mandatory training courses

N

ot so very long ago, while getting out of a taxi late one evening, one of our staffers saw a Rottweiler roaming the street near his house.

When it saw our staff member exit the cab the dog lowered its head, began salivating, and charged.

After a short run and some quick intervention by the cabbie our employee escaped unscathed, but the incident inspired heated debate around our non-existent water cooler. And the verdict we came to was that something should probably be done about socalled “dangerous dogs” — or rather, with their owners. You see, currently in Saskatchewan nearly all municipalities have the ability to pass bylaws to regulate or prohibit certain classes of animals within the municipality. But we feel laws like this are ineffective, impinge upon our freedom, and don’t address the root of the problem: irresponsible dog owners.

Our spooked staffer aside, dogs can cause real trauma. In March, an eight-year-old child was attacked on a property near Indian Head. In 2012, two children were attacked at a park in Regina. And two years ago, a threeyear-old girl was killed during a dog attack south of the Battlefords.

So let’s approach the situation from a sensible angle. Dogs who attack cannot be solely blamed for their behaviour, even if they belong to a breed that many deem “dangerous.” There are simply too many factors that impact these incidents, everything from

heredity, early experience, socialization, and victim behaviour, that need to also be considered. After all, for every animal you hear labelled “dangerous,” there are countless loving and wellbehaved members of the same breed.

So instead of supporting a knee-jerk “ban all dogs” approach, we propose a plan that focuses on education.

If you consider the stats for dog attacks in the U.S. and Canada between 1982 and 2012, you’ll notice something obvious: the top two breeds on the list represent substantially more incidents than the rest. According to the editor of Animal People, the top two types of purebred dogs responsible for the most deaths and/or maimings during those two decades were Pit Bull Terrier (1,306 incidents: 204 deaths, 1,102 maimings) and Rottweiler (346 incidents: 78, 268).

Given that the next six dogs on the top

take a course in basic dog rearing and safety, and then be able to pass a test on responsible dog ownership before being allowed to adopt a new companion. After all, in the wrong hands some dogs have a much higher potential to become dangerous weapons.

Society already regulates other potential dangerous weapons in the same fashion, based upon the likelihood that people may be hurt. For example, if you want to purchase a gun, you must first pass a course in basic training and safety. And if it’s a type of gun that statistically causes more deaths or could more easily lead to greater mayhem if used improperly (think easily concealable handguns), there are additional regulations with which you must comply.

If guns are too sinister a comparison for you, think about motor vehicles.

And that’s the important thing to remember: the onus is on the owner.

VERB MAGAZINE

ten list are only responsible for 329 incidents combined, and that all other breeds caused deaths in the low single digits, it’s clear that better educating owners of Pit Bull Terriers and Rottweilers would have by far the largest impact on public safety.

So we suggest that prospective owners of those breeds be required to

No one would argue that vehicles are inherently “bad” or destructive, but to suggest that we should then allow anyone to operate a motor vehicle without any sort of training or certification is ludicrous. And again in the case of vehicles, if you want to operate one that could cause more problems in the hands of the inexperienced, such

as a big rig, you need to take additional training courses and achieve extra certification, at your own expense.

Now this may sound like we’re in favour of eventually requiring training and licensing for owners of all dog breeds, but since our chief concern here is safety, we’re not advocating that. After all, it’s hard to argue that owning a small, animal like a Chihuahua is as dangerous as driving a small car without doing driver’s ed or using a long gun without having taken a basic firearms safety course. So generally we think the system of dog ownership is fine as it is. It’s only owners of the dog equivalents of handguns and big rigs that we’re concerned with.

And that’s the important thing to remember: the onus is on the owner.

If you want to own a type of animal that has been known to hurt and kill people, then you must be able to prove that you can do so responsibly — anything less could lead to trouble and is a grave disservice to the dog.

Owning a dog is a privilege, not a right. It’s time we started treating it as such.

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

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6 MAY 31 – JUNE 6 NEWS + OPINION

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COMMENTS

ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about abolishing tenure. Here's what you had to say:

– Tenure is a contractual agreement between the university and professors. You cannot just arbitrarily get rid of it. Would you support firing senior union members because they are no longer as productive? And junior academics are more likely to go for jobs at universities with tenure than without. You also ignored research, which is a significant part of getting tenured. Professors do a lot more than teach.

– It would be a good idea to abolish tenure(lifetime appointments) for university professors. No job is safe these days & theirs shouldn’t be any different. They would be kept on their toes more & perhaps they wouldn’t slack off & be complacent as much. :0

– Agree to an extent about swapping out tenure with a shorter term, performance based contract.

A nurse wouldn’t allowed to keep treating patients if they aren’t doing there job properly just because they have a contract for job security, etc.

Text yo thoughtsur to 881 VE R B 8372

from tenure which simply means a permanent job. Your proposal for renewable contracts would make it much more difficult for universities to attract and retain high quality professors. Your proposal would therefore jeopardize, not improve, the quality of education.

Tim Quigley Professor Emeritus of Law University of Saskatchewan

– Interesting argument for absolving tenure though not revolutionary; it has been discussed quite a bit in the past. Bet you’ll get hate mail! If I was a prof I wouldn’t like it.

OFF TOPIC – Just read your story on sex addiction. Its good to see tough subjects out there and it most likely will help someone else with this addiction. The person was very courageous to let his story out and I pray he keeps on the healthy path.

In response to “Might as well face it, you’re addicted to sex,” Local #78 (May 17, 2013)

– Just like any political party/ belief system/ way of thinking, there’s many factions within an umbrella group. Not what I was expecting when reading about anarchy, and was pleasantly surprised.

In response to “Anarchy in the SK,” Local

– Your article is ill-informed journalism. Tenure for academics is the same as a permanent job for any other worker. Thus, an academic may be dismissed for cause or laid off because of redundancy. Academics have very long probation, usually around 6 years, unlike the few months probation for other workers, and performance is assessed regularly for promotion and merit. You are conflating tenure and academic freedom, which allows academics to challenge the orthodoxy of their disciplines and university administration. That is different

– Really enjoyed stephanie poolers ideas and outlook on anarchism. we need more people like HER in this world.

#79 (May 24, 2013)

– Stephanie Pooler is a thoughtful, well spoken woman and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her interpretation of anarchy. Really opened my eyes up to something I didn’t know about before good job Stephanie!

– I used to believe different but 55 yrs on this planet has shown that except for rare exceptions most humans are stupid dark selfish little things, barely more than animals. And its not a lack of capacity to be something more. Its a choice people make because rising above the animal takes effort!

In response to “Anarchy in the SK,” Local

– History tells us that we have always killed each other. Zombie

#79 (May 24, 2013)

POWERED BY THE CREW AT MOGA MOBILE

– Booze allowed in theaters?

Might cause troubles with drunks but at $23 a ticket might attract a higher class of drinkers only time will tell.

– The guy who perdicted that the Blades wouldn’t make the playoff got it right go cry somewhere else you bunch of sissy choke artists!

– BOOZE AT THE THEATER? WOOHOO

NEXT WEEK: What do you think of mandatory training for dangerous dogs? Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation:

SOUND OFF

In response to “Anarchy in the SK,” Local #79 (May 24, 2013)

cults recreate the very real fear that millions of us have experienced and continue to experience.

– WTF? No more contests in the Verb? That’s what made it differant from the Metro I think I’ll be reading Metro now it has new papers every day.

– A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.

We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories and content, or anything else on your mind.

7 MAY 31 – JUNE 6 /VERBREGINA

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Q+A

BINDER TWINE & THE BALERS PHOTO: COURTESY OF BIRDSONG COMMUNICATIONS

Regina bluegrass group on the culture of Kentucky bluegrass and the joy of learning BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

B

luegrass music is unusual because it developed not as a source of mass entertainment, but as a means for friends to entertain themselves. Created in kitchens and barns across Appalachia, bluegrass has remained more or less unchanged for the last century, despite the ways in which recording has broadened the horizons. Binder Twine and the Balers is a group of guys from Regina who share not only a love of the traditional tunes that make up the bluegrass canon, but also a desire to play music that pushes tradition into the modern era. They have been entertaining crowds across Saskatchewan with rapid-fire flatpicking and manic clawhammer — the grist of Kentucky bluegrass — for several years. I caught up with guitarist Anthony Bzdell to talk about playing bluegrass in 2013.

and they found me through one of the music stores. I moved to Regina from a small town, and was teaching in town, and just through word of mouth they got in touch with me. I was holding out for a bluegrass band!

the thing that really stands out is the students and the teachers, they hang out with each other, and the real basis of that is we’re all students — it’s just that some of us have been doing it for longer.

AJM: You have played a ton of different styles, from rock and blues to jazz and pop. What’s the appeal of playing bluegrass?

AJM: What’s it like playing with the other guys?

AB: Everyone’s such a great player in this band, and has extensive experience in all kinds of different styles of music. We’re all pretty busy people, and when it comes time to rehearse the big thing is you’ve got to have your part down. We push one another.

It’s a fun experience. And as musi-

AB: From a guitar perspective? To tell you the truth, it all started when I was just starting guitar. I grew up in the ‘80s; that’s when I was really learning how to play, and there was a lot of big hair bands and lots of

But what really got me was that pure, acoustic, no-frills playing…

ANTHONY BZDELL

Alex J MacPherson: You guys come from different backgrounds. How did you get involved in Binder Twine and the Balers?

Anthony Bzdell: I’m one of the new members. Our banjo player, Jack [Dublanica], Sean Farr, our mandolin player, and Trevor Bennett — they all played in a group called the Barn Cats for years. That’s the root of the group.

They wanted to play more traditional bluegrass, so they made some changes,

flash. But what really got me was that pure, acoustic, no-frills playing, and the only thing that you really need is that skill and dedication. That’s what really drew me to it.

cians, that’s how we get better. Playing with better players is the key to that.

But you’re part of a team, and you don’t want to let the team down.

AJM: What about picking tunes? There are some like “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” most people will know, but there are so many songs that are known only to veterans. What’s your process like?

AJM: The other aspect has to be the culture surrounding bluegrass music, too.

AB: Exactly. It’s all inclusive. It was pretty apparent to me. I’ve taught at this music camp at Kenosee Lake, Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party, and

fans. And, of course, Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt. We look at tunes that do touch on the traditional, because that’s what we set out to be — a traditional bluegrass group. And then we look at some of the people that have evolved that style of music, right from when Bill Monroe started, and we look at how they hang onto that tradition but take it a little step further.

Binder Twine and The Balers June 8 @ The Exchange $15 (advance) @ Vintage Vinyl, Bach and Beyond, Buy the Book; $20 (door)

AB: We look a lot at what Bill Monroe has done. We’re big Ralph Stanley

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ARTS

BAND IN MOTION

Port Noise are making progress

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

P

ort Noise is a band in motion. Born from a pair of Regina high schools and raised in the heady days of confusion and possibility that follow graduation, the four-piece rock band is still trying to nail down a definitive sound. But their sonic experiments are a revealing portrait of a band poised on the edge of something bigger.

The band’s debut album, As Lies Bind, is an exploration of sounds and textures. “Needle,” which opens as a gentle acoustic ballad before surging into a distortionladen chorus, follows the trajectory established by numerous radiofriendly hard rock bands. “Apathy” fuses a thunderous metal riff to bass player Angus Livingstone’s wavering vocal line. “Walls Collide” feels a bit like an oldschool punk song before a towering wall of noise smashes into the mix.

“It was very much a natural thing,” Livingstone says of the band’s experiments, adding that each of the members — guitarists Chris Johnston and Andrew

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ERIK SIRKE

Strilchuk, and drummer Matthew Garthson — contribute a variety of influences to the band. “We were never really intending to go into any sort of classified genre. It was just sort of natural.”

Livingstone says the band is working on a follow-up to As Lies Bind. But, he adds, their status as an independent band means making records is never assured. Working outside the record label umbrella has advantages, but it is a perilous course for an untested group.

According to Livingstone, simply finding venues is a struggle.

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult,” he says. “Here in Regina, we lost the Distrikt. The scene is on its last legs here, and we really need

to do something to keep it going.”

These problems are compounded when it comes time to tour. Booking a national tour is a major headache under the best of circumstances; for a band like Port Noise, it is unfathomably difficult.

But Livingstone plans to soldier on, to continue writing and recording and developing a more concise sound. “We love the music, first and foremost,” he says. “And we’ve grown so much in the last two years that looking back now, it’s a totally different world we’re in musically. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Port Noise June 7 @ The Exchange $TBA

THIS IS HOW THE WIND SHIFTS A new chapter in the history of Ontario post-hardcore outfit Silverstein

PHOTO: COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA

A

lbum sales have been decimated by the rise of the single, but Silverstein, a post-hardcore band from Ontario, have built their career on the depth of albums — and according to drummer Paul Koehler, that isn’t going to change.

“At least for us, the important thing is making records, not making singles,” he says. “If we were a band that was successful making singles … it would probably be different for us. But we’ve always made records. People who are into our band are buying the record, and that’s what they’re invested in.”

This is apparent on This Is How The Wind Shifts, the group’s sixth full-length studio album. A concept album, This Is How The Wind Shifts is framed as two sides of the same coin. Each song on the front side of the record is paired with one on the back; their titles run together, creating

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

a longer phrase, but the perspectives are noticeably different.

The titles tracks, “This Is How” and “The Wind Shifts,” can be played simultaneously, creating a song that captures the essence of the record — the contrast between escapism and acceptance. But This Is How The Wind Shifts contains more than mere sonic trickery. It also captures the scope of the band’s career. “Hide Your Secrets” references Silverstein’s early years with its pop influences. “Stand Amid The Roar,” on the other hand, is edgy — and it was written by the new guy, guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau.

Following the departure of longtime lead guitarist Neil Boshart, the band called Rousseau, who hurled himself into the fray. “It can definitely be worrisome, especially at the beginning of the creative process,” Koehler says. “Anybody can learn the songs, perform them live. But when it’s the creative process, it’s a scary time for any band. But the nice thing is he jumped in, and had written a song.

That broke the ice immediately.”

More importantly, Rousseau’s contribution rejuvenated the band; the group came closer together and made

the best album of their career. This Is How The Wind Shifts is exactly what an album should be: a look back at previous experiments with broad concepts and engaging sounds, as well as a hint at how much more can be achieved.

Silverstein June 9 @ Exchange $25 @ Vintage Vinyl, Ticketedge Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com

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WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT No rules, no boundaries for genre-bending rapper Astronautalis

BY ALEX J MACPHERSON

A

ndy Bothwell is a genuine innovator in an industry saturated with forgettable clichés and tired banalities. But Bothwell, who performs as Astronautalis, does not seem particularly inserted in progress for the sake of progress.

He just wants to make music that thrills and inspires him — and in a career spanning more than a decade, that is exactly what he has done.

“I make whatever the hell I want,” Bothwell says from a tour stop in Germany, his languid drawl cutting through a bad Skype connection.

“That’s sort of an oversimplification.

But when you feel your inspiration pull you one way, you go that way.

You make a record that inspires you, a record that thrills you. When you have an idea, you chase it down.

That’s all there is to it.”

Bothwell, who is 31, has been on the cutting edge of rap music since

the early part of the last decade.

After emerging from Jacksonville, Florida, he set about impressing fans and critics with his distinctive brand of genre-bending rap.

His first album,You and Yer Good Ideas, was released in 2003; each

ing them with his own distinctive stamp. And his entrance into the world of rap music could not have come at a better time. Unlike rock and pop, the structures of which were established in the 1960s, rap has not yet been hardened by time

I think that the wave of exciting … creativity that’s going on in rap music is not exclusive to rap music at all.

ANDY BOTHWELL

of his subsequent records, including 2011’s This Is Our Science, has upped the ante significantly.

Because Bothwell was trained in theatre, and not in music, he subscribes to few rules or conventions.

Instead, he operates like a sponge, soaking up ideas and imprint-

and experience. When Bothwell started making music, white performers like the Beastie Boys were a novelty, and the idea of making a career out of music “seemed audacious and impossible.” Today, rap offers something for everybody.

The tension created by outsiders CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF CABOTHWELL

has given way to a sense of limitless possibility, a tantalizing idea that the absence of rules will keep the music flowing. “I think rap music is at one of its most thrilling points right now,” he says. “It’s really just becoming excitingly stratified, and there’s some rap music for everybody.”

This Is Our Science, his latest record, captures the spirit of this

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MICHAEL SPEAR HAWKINS

evolution. Bothwell considers himself a rapper, and most of the songs on the record are anchored by his glassy delivery and penchant for percussive phrases. But his choice of unconventional musical backdrops shows that his vision is broader than any one genre or

style. “Contrails,” a collaboration with Tegan Quin of the rock band Tegan and Sara, hints at the spiky architecture of electronic music in the 1990s before settling into a comfortable groove — a pair of arpeggiated guitar licks cast against an airy synthesizer line. (Bothwell’s collaborations, like his albums, transcend genre; he says he wants to cut a track with Dr. John.)

In some respects, “Contrails” is closer to indie rock than rap.

Bothwell’s dense verses are punctuated by a simple chorus, repeated several times, which accentuates the tension between his drawl and Quin’s airy alto. It’s the same story on “Thomas Jefferson,” which juxtaposes sparse verses with a half-sung shoegaze chorus that soars higher than anything he has ever released.

“The River, the Woods,” sounds like a straightforward rap song — until Bothwell’s perspective, which feels like an ode to Fitzgerald’s “fresh, green breast of the new world,” reveals a depth absent from most contemporary rap.

Many artists claim to bend genres and fuse styles. More often than not, this is what happens when a pair of similar ideas run together. Bothwell’s music is much more sophisticated. By exploring the tension between poles, he paves the way for a musical vision that transcends the borders of genre, style, and form. This Is Our Science is music in motion, the manifestation of raw creativity in a world without rules.

This freedom is the essence of Bothwell’s project. “I think that the wave of exciting innovation and creativity that’s going on in rap music is not exclusive to rap music at all,” he explains, pointing to the revolution in technology that has made the tools of creation accessible to anybody with a few hundred dollars and a good idea. “I think it’s happening in all music, in all creative mediums. If you have an idea that’s good enough and a work ethic that’s hard enough to support it, then you’ll be able to do something exciting — something that is unique and targets an audience you wouldn’t normally be able to target [like] ten years ago.”

Innovation is often misunderstood. Artists who break new

ground are seen as outsiders, doomed to exist on the fringes until the rest of society catches up.

Bothwell has skirted this trap by writing lyrics that are accessible and relatable. Many of his songs address the problems of modernity in terms that appeal to our most basic impulses — greed and empathy, self-preservation and compassion, equality and progress. His lyrics frequently explore the moments of rupture, the seconds before and after tranquility is shattered by violence and chaos — and the seconds when decisions have to be made.

Bothwell takes time to write about people dangling from the fraying thread of existence, people on the edges of oblivion, but he does not see himself as a political agent.

“I don’t know if I really feel myself taking on that sort of responsibility,” he says after a pause. “I don’t see myself as a voice for the voiceless. I see myself as a voice for my voice, and my interests tend to cover a pretty wide berth and go in all different directions, and a lot of times I pick up some hitchhikers along the way. But I don’t see myself as a Woody Guthrie.”

Instead, Bothwell writes about things that interest him: travel, art, politics, history, science, and above all, change. His relentless tour schedule opens him up to countless new experiences, and he enjoys his status as an observer. “I write about what’s exciting,” he says. “Sometimes that excitement comes from other people’s lives, sometimes it comes from my life, sometimes it comes from history, sometimes it comes from other science, other art. It’s more or less just writing the songs that thrill me, that inspire me, and that’s the only way I know.”

Bothwell’s reluctance to be identified as a political actor, despite the fact that his songs are laden with political and social commentary, stems from his aversion to telling people what to do. This Is Our Science is appealing because it leaves the difficult decisions to the listener; Bothwell merely lays out the facts. “I really try to avoid writing songs that tell people what to do,” he says. “I find most of those songs stupid. I think that they’re very naïve and I think that they’re

very arrogant. I’d rather just show people a picture and let them decide what they should do with it.”

This Is Our Science is two years old. Bothwell says a follow-up is in production, but he won’t give too much away. “I’m writing not necessarily a strictly journalistic approach, but thinking more like a reporter from the front lines of the rest of the world,” he says. “I’m particularly fascinated with places that are sort of in transition, places that are teetering on the edge of success or failure. It’s an interesting time to be alive and it’s an interesting time to see these parts of the world, and I get a lot of inspiration from these places — and that’s what I’m generally writing about.”

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what he writes about. Bothwell will continue to do whatever the hell he wants. Music will change and evolve. And so will Astronautalis.

Astronautalis @ MoSoFest Only show in Saskatchewan June 15 @ Amigos Cantina (Saskatoon) $15 (door) or free with MoSoFest Priority Pass

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com

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PUB FARE WITH FLARE

Photos courtesy of Maxton Priebe

Leopold’s Tavern provides delicious food in a homey atmosphere BY VICTORIA ABRAHAM

L

eopold’s Tavern, which is named for the Duke of Albany, isn’t just providing a different take on pub fare; they are taking it to a whole other level.

It was a food dream come true.

First came the pulled pork, which had

been slow roasting all night, generously heaped in between two homemade buns, and crowned with fresh, tangy, homemade coleslaw. A pile of skinny double-fried Yukon gold fries graced its fragrant side. Next up was the arugula beet salad, with red beets, walnuts

and goat cheese. Shortly after came the bucket o’ bacon; literally, a cute tin bucket full of thick-cut Canadian bacon, paired with a much smaller bucket of real maple syrup.

As if this feast was not enough, a mushroom poutine, with huge pieces of melted cheese, button mushrooms and homemade vegetarian mushroom gravy, and a veggie burger with Leopold’s signature Caesar salad on the side completed the food party.

“Everything we do is made inhouse. We try to have a very high standard of food,” said head chef Matt Hovind (formerly of Table 10 and Bushwakkers).

Shedding all reviewer pretensions, I dove into the food like I’d been starving for days, “trying” each dish again and again. The arugula salad surprised me with its unique and refreshing mint flavour, and the mushroom gravy on the poutine blew me away. But it was the veggie burger that took the top spot and made me invite Hovind to live in my kitchen. Although he declined, it was still undoubtedly the best veggie burger I have ever had … and I’ve had my share of delicious veggie burgers. It was a well-balanced, perfectly sized, savoury taste bud party of spice, cilantro, and black beans, all topped with a mix of Monterey Jack, mozzarella and cheddar cheese

between two crispy-on-the-outsidefluffy-on-the-inside buns.

After all that came the dessert: a chocolate and vanilla ice cream sundae topped with a mixed berry raspberry vodka compote, Guinness chocolate sauce, and butterscotch made with real butter and scotch (you guessed it: in-house).

But Leopold’s is more than amazing food. Their beer menu is varied, and you have the option of drinking from a Das Boot, which is way more fun than drinking from a pitcher. The intimate space inside is inviting, while the patio out back, with its twinkling lights and fence, makes the experience feel like a backyard party.

“What we are doing is making it so you can come at any time, enjoy some good, inexpensive food and have a few beverages. We want people to feel the inviting atmosphere at 11 a.m. and again at one a.m. on the same day,” said owner/operator Greg Hooker. “We are working on becoming the neighbourhood tavern.”

Leopold’s Tavern 2330 Albert Street | (306) 525 5367 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina vabraham@verbnews.com

LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE BACON CHOCOLATE VODKA

INGREDIENTS

You’re probably thinking: chocolate and bacon … umm.

But trust me, the smoky flavour of the bacon makes chocolate do things it never knew it could.

2oz Bakon Vodka 2oz chocolate liqueur 1oz Irish cream A splash of cream

DIRECTIONS

Combine in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain and pour into a sugar-rimmed martini or rocks glass.

12 MAY 24 31 – MAY JUNE306 CULTURE

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NEXT WEEK

COMING UP

POOR YOUNG THINGS

ANA EGGE

BRAD PAISLEY

@ THE EXCHANGE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12 – $TBD

@ ARTFUL DODGER SATURDAY, JUNE 8 – $TBD

@ BRANDT CENTRE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 – $63+

You like straightforward, no frills rock music? Then you’re going to dig Poor Young Things. A pop-rock quintet out of Toronto by way of Thunder Bay, Poor Young Things is a hard-working, raw rock band that came out swinging with their debut album, The Heart. The Head. The End. Since then, they haven’t let up one bit. Touring the country from coast to coast, Poor Young Things have honed a brand of no-gimmick music that’s reminiscent of Canadian rockers like Joel Plaskett, Matt Mays or The Dudes. It’s the kind of music that wins awards (Sirius XM Emerging Artist of the Year) and a fan base that continues to grow with each passing sweat-filled show. Don’t miss them when they swing through Regina next week.

Ana Egge may be considered an American singer/songwriter, but she was born right here in Saskatchewan. In Estevan, to be precise. Not long after being born, though, she moved to North Dakota with her family, then New Mexico.

But regardless of where she was born or grew up, Egge has proven over the years to be one heckuva songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Playing the guitar, mandolin, bottleneck slide guitar and piano, Egge puts on a folk show that’s laid-back and thought-provoking.

Her latest album, Bad Blood, was produced by Steve Earle and is full of intimate, engaging songs about pain and hardship, The songs from this album strike a chord with anyone who has a heart.

If you’re a fan of country music, how can’t you be a fan of Brad Paisley?

He’s easily one of the biggest, brightest and most successful country acts working today, and his 18 #1 singles, roomful of awards, and the fact that all of his albums have gone at least gold surely attests to that. Known for playing infectious songs laced with humour, pop culture references and unforgettable choruses, Paisley’s latest album, Wheelhouse, is a departure of sorts for this laid-back musician. Full of difficult and uncomfortable songs like “Accidental Racist,” “Southern Comfort Zone” and “Those Crazy Christians,” Wheelhouse takes Paisley’s trademark wit and thoughtful lyrics, and uses them to examine what it is to be a Southerner in this day and age. Tickets through Ticketmaster.

– By Adam Hawboldt

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

SASK MUSIC PREVIEW It’s time to register for the Stickman Drum Experience, happening June 27July 1 at the Cedar Lodge on Black Strap Lake! Stickman is a multi-day drum camp that provides an immersive experience for a wide range of ages and abilities. 2013 artists include Scott Pellegrom, Matt Halpern, and more. See www.stickmandrumexperience.com to register and for more information.

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

13 MAY 31 – JUNE 6 @VERBREGINA

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MAY 31 » JUNE 8 The most complete live music listings for Regina.

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FRIDAY 31 THE GREAT FOLK NIGHT / Artesian on 13th — Featuring Hello Lady, The Dead South, Kory Istace vs. The Time Pirates and The Empire Associates. 8pm / $20 COAL CREEK BOYS / Artful Dodger — Gritty alt-country from Alberta. 8pm / Cover TBD GUIDEWIRE / The Club — Local EDM artist who’ll make you move. 7:30pm / Cover TBD DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits.

10pm / $5 ONE BAD SON / The Exchange — With Val Halla, Automatic and The Snake Oil Salesmen. 7pm / $25(advance), $30(door) DJ PAT & DJ KIM / Habano’s Martini & Cocktail Club — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night that are sure to get you on the dance floor. 9pm / $5 cover

BIG CHILL FRIDAYS / Lancaster Taphouse — Come out and get your weekend started with DJ Fatbot. 10pm / Cover TBD ADAM’S RIB / McNally’s Tavern — Rock n’ reggae jam band. 10pm / $5 DIANA DESJARDINS / The Pump Roadhouse — A sassy country songstress. 9pm / Cover TBD BILLY GRIND / The Sip Nightclub - Altcountry from right here in Regina. 9pm / Cover TBD CHRIS HENDERSON / Whiskey Saloon — A country act that’s big on talent. 8pm / $10 DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs. 8pm / Cover TBD

BILLY GRIND / The Sip Nightclub - Altcountry from right here in Regina. 9pm / Cover TBD JAM SESSIONS / Smokin’ Okies BBQ — Promoting blues and country blues, come in and play or listen and be entertained. 2pm / No cover CHRIS HENDERSON / Whiskey Saloon — A country act that’s big on talent. 8pm / $10

SUNDAY 2

CRAIG CARDIFF / The Club — This softvoiced singer/songwriter is from Ontario.

8pm / Cover TBD NORTHCOTE / The Exchange — A singer/ songwriter from BC. Featuring Matinee and The Crackling. 7pm / $13 (ticketedge.ca)

SATURDAY 1

MONDAY 3

DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 KYLESA, BLOOD CEREMONIAL, WHITE HILLS, LAZER/WULF / The Exchange — A metal marathon in Queen City. 7:30pm / $20 (ticketedge.ca) PRETTY ARCHIE / Lancaster Taphouse — Folk, bluegrass and country from Cape Breton. 9pm / No cover ADAM’S RIB / McNally’s Tavern — Rock n’ reggae jam band. Also appearing: the Ross Neilsen Band. 10pm / $5 DIANA DESJARDINS / The Pump Roadhouse — A sassy country songstress. 9pm / Cover TBD

OPEN MIC NIGHT / The Artful Dodger — Come down and jam! 8pm / No cover MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ / Bushwakker Brewpub — Featuring the Ministry of Groove.

8pm / No cover THE SUPERSUCKERS, LYDIA LOVELESS, BLACK THUNDER / The Exchange — Punk, alt-country, stoner rock ... it’s all here. 8pm / $20 (ticketedge.ca)

TUESDAY 4

TROUBADOUR TUESDAYS / Bocados — Come check out some live tunes from local talents every week, then bring an instru-

ment and partake in the open mic/jam night. 8pm / No cover

WEDNESDAY 5

WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOLK / Bushwakker Brewpub — Featuring Luke Blu Guthrie.

9pm / No cover JEFFERY STRAKER / Casino Regina — Opening for Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander. 8pm / $60+ (casinoregina.com) AUTARIC, DESECRATE SCRIPTURE, XUL / The Club — Hard-driving metal, all night.

9pm / $10 MATT EPP AND THE AMORIAN ASSEMBLY / Lancaster Taphouse — The Learning to Lose Control album release. 9pm / Cover TBD JAM NIGHT AND OPEN STAGE / McNally’s Tavern — Come on down and enjoy some local talent. 9pm / No cover

THURSDAY 6

2 BEATS & A HAT / Artful Dodger — Presented by DJ Verbal & E-Major, come enjoy two DJs with guest performances the first Thursday of every month. 7pm / $5 in advance or at the door STRIKER / The Club — Heavy metal out of Edmonton. 7:30pm / Cover TBD DECIBEL FREQUENCY / Gabbo’s Nightclub — A night of electronic fun. 10pm / Cover $5 PS FRESH / The Hookah Lounge — With DJ Ageless and DJ Drewski. 7pm / No cover OPEN MIC NIGHT / King’s Head Tavern — Come out, play some tunes, sing some songs, and show Regina what you got. 8pm / No cover BLACK DRINK CRIER / McNally’s Tavern — A local original. 8:30pm / $5 THE SERVICE / Pump Roadhouse — A rockin’ four-piece from Winnipeg. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs as he drops some of the best country beats around. 8pm / Cover TBD TIM ROMANSON / Whiskey Saloon — Country done right. 10pm / $5

FRIDAY 7

LA HORA LOCA WITH DR. BIRD AND BLUE BEAT / Artful Dodger — Come check it out!

8pm / Cover TBD CRAWLING FROM THE ASHES, VIRID / The Club — Local alt-rock groups. 7:30pm / Cover TBD YES WE MYSTIC, DANNY GOERTZ / Creative City Centre — Indie folk from Winnipeg and Regina. 7pm / $10 DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits.

10pm / $5

PORT NOISE, BRAINDEAD ROMEO, MAJETIK / The Exchange — A trio of Regina rockers.

8pm / $5 from band members DJ PAT & DJ KIM / Habano’s Martini & Cocktail Club — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night that are sure to get you on the dance floor. 9pm / $5 cover BIG CHILL FRIDAYS / Lancaster Taphouse — Come out and get your weekend started with DJ Fatbot, who’ll be doing his spinning thing every Friday night. 10pm / Cover TBD SEAN BURNS BAND / McNally’s Tavern — A talented singer/songwriter from Ontario.

10pm / $5 THE SERVICE / Pump Roadhouse — A rockin’ four-piece from Winnipeg. 9pm / Cover TBD ALBERT / Pure Ultra Lounge — Appearing every Friday night, come listen to Albert as he does his spinning thing. 10pm / $5 cover DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs as he drops some of the best country beats around. 8pm / Cover TBD TIM ROMANSON / Whiskey Saloon — Country done right. 10pm / $5

SATURDAY 8

ANA EGGE, DON AMERO / Artful Dodger — Two creative and innovative musicians.

8pm / Cover TBD MANDY EBEL, SEAN FOLK / The Club — An award-winning singer-songwriter will be performing her soulful, edgy vocals.

8:30pm / $5+ DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 BINDER TWINE AND THE BALERS, GRAIN REPORT, THE RUSTY AUGERS / The Exchange — Badass bluegrass. 7:30pm / $15 (advance), $20 (door) SEAN BURNS BAND / McNally’s Tavern — A talented singer/songwriter from Ontario.

10pm / $5 THE SERVICE / Pump Roadhouse — A rockin’ four-piece from Winnipeg. 9pm / Cover TBD DREWSKI / Pure Ultra Lounge — Doing what he does best, every Saturday night.

Come on down and dance the night away with this local DJ. 10pm / $5 cover TIM ROMANSON / Whiskey Saloon — Country done right. 10pm / $5

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

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NIGHTLIFE

FRIDAY, MAY 24 @

LA BODEGA

La Bodega Tapas Bar & Grill 2228 Albert Street (306) 546 3660 MUSIC VIBE / An eclectic mix of

electronic, Mexican, and more — changes nightly DRINK OF CHOICE / Martinis and wine TOP EATS / Steamed mussels and pollo pizza SOMETHING NEW / Monday nights tasting feature: $35/person, and you can sample many items from La Bodega’s menu

CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, June 7. facebook.com/verbregina

Photography by Bebzphoto

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ABORT MISSION PHOTO: COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

Summer sci-fi blockbuster, After Earth, fails to deliver

BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

A

new sci-fi action movie starring Will Smith and directed by M. Night Shyamalan? It’s gotta be good, right?

I mean, most of Smith’s sci-fi films have been pretty darn good so far.

Think about: I Am Legend, Independence Day and the Men In Black franchise are both entertaining as all get out of here. Even I, Robot wasn’t too shabby.

And M. Night Shyamalan … sure his movies have been, ahem, less than stellar lately, but any time a guy directs a movie like The Sixth Sense (or even Signs, for that matter), you have to hold out hope that he has the ability to pump out a good film from time to time.

But here’s the thing about hope: sometimes what it leads to is misery.

Take Smith and Shyamalan’s new flick, After Earth, for instance. If you sit through all one hour and 40 minutes of this new Sony “franchise,” there’s a solid chance you’re going to be miserable by the time the final credits roll.

Why? Well, let’s get into that in a minute. First, let me tell you what the movie is about. Actually, let me begin

by telling you about the backstory — it’s by far the best part of the movie.

Okay, so here’s the deal. Once upon a long time ago, Earth was evacuated after an environmental catastrophe. But don’t worry, the human race has survived and is currently living on a new planet called Nova Prime. Thing is, a race of vicious aliens known as Ursas consider Nova Prime their home and birthright and,

AFTER EARTH M. Night Shyamalan STARRING Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Sophie Okonedo + Zoë Kravitz DIRECTED BY

115 MINUTES | PG

and their spaceship crashes to Earth.

The ship is torn apart, Cypher’s leg is broken, and his son (who, unlike his general dad before him, is having a

…After Earth spends the next hour or so talking your ear off…

ADAM HAWBOLDT

for the past thousand years or so, have been trying to kill us in order to get the planet back. This is important because, before the movie begins, an Ursa has killed Cypher Raige’s (Will Smith) daughter. This has brought tension to the Raige household because the son, Kitai (played by Smith’s real son Jaden) thinks his dad blames him for the incident.

Anyway. When we first meet these characters they are on a mission

tough time as a cadet in the United Ranger Corps) is sent on a mission to retrieve a rescue beacon from a part of their ship that has broken off, so they can beam out a distress signal.

Eyebrow-raising sci-fi action then ensues.

Wait a second, no it doesn’t. Instead of amping up the man-againsthostile-environment tension, After Earth spends the next hour or so talking your ear off with father-son

dialogue. Seriously. There are only two action sequence that deserve note in the whole movie — one with deranged apes and a final battle that doesn’t live up to the hype.

To make matters worse, it’s almost as though Smith (whose charisma and talent is undeniable) was sleepwalking through the entire movie.

So much so that his name, Cypher, is more fitting than you can imagine.

Now, I’m not a seer or anything, but something tells me Sony’s After Earth “franchise” is not destined to be.

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56 AND COUNTING Latest installment of the Up series a testament to time and human nature BY ADAM HAWBOLDT

W

illiam Shakespeare once remarked that “We are all time’s subject.”

And when it comes to the people involved in the Up film series, never have truer words been spoken.

In 1964, the series began with 7 Up — a documentary about 14 seven-year-olds from all over England. Rich, poor. Urban, rural. Athletic, artistic. The aim was to find schoolchildren from all walks of life to represent (some say critique) the post-war class system. Since then, filmmaker Michael Apted has gone back every seven years to meet up with the 14 subjects and make another documentary about their lives.

Well, not all 14. After 21 Up, filmed in 1977, Charles dropped out of the series. And Peter, John and Symon have all missed installments. But for the most part, all the people in the original documentary have participated in the series every part of the way.

And what a series it is!

Not only is it one of the boldest, most ambitious documentary projects ever to be filmed, but the Up series is arguably one of the best,

PHOTO: COURTESY OF FIRST RUN FEATURES

quainted with old friends or going to a family reunion. If not, don’t worry. 56 Up — which runs a rather long 144 minutes — will catch you up to speed on the lives of all these people through pictures and quick back stories.

When we meet these people this time around, at the ripe old age of

[56 Up] lacks a lot of the oomph and brashness of earlier installments, but it’s still a fascinating watch…

ADAM HAWBOLDT

too. Simply put, it is an epic piece of filmmaking that captures and chronicles the human condition.

Now, five decades after the first film, Apted is back with the eighth installment of the series, 56 Up. And if you’ve followed the series from the beginning, watching this film is almost like getting reac-

56, things have changed a lot since the last film.

How? Well, if you remember, in 49 Up all of them just seemed so miserable. Like life was weighing uberheavy on their shoulders. They dreaded turning 50, many of their lives were in flux.

56 UP DIRECTED BY

Michael Apted George Jesse

CINEMATOGRAPHY BY

Turner 144 MINUTES | NR

But now all that’s changed. Now, the participants seem somewhat content. At ease with life and their places in it. Okay, not everybody.

Jackie has fallen on economic hard times and ill health. And Neil — the guy who spent earlier episodes homeless and jobless — always seems to be walking the razor’s edge. Yet for the most part, things seem good in the Up universe.

Though, at one point or another during the film, the idea of “what could have been” seeps in and remains until well after the final credits roll. It’s as though these are people who have played their hands, taken their paths and know it’s impossible to go back and change what’s been done.

But they are at peace with this idea. So much so, it’s almost as

though a sense of content melancholy governs the entire movie. It lacks a lot of the oomph and brashness of earlier installments, but it’s still a fascinating watch and a darn good documentary.

56 Up will open at Regina Public Library on June 6; for show times and more information, please visit www.reginalibrary.ca.

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CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS 26. Calm excited feelings 28. Supply used as it is needed 31. Grown with natural fertilizers 35. T, on some tests 36. On the contrary 37. Cooked thoroughly 38. Take in food 39. Assume as a fact 41. Place for a hospital patient 42. Strong supporter 44. Gloomy 46. Lacking experience 47. One who lives outside the parental home 48. Lawn intruder 49. Protuberance

DOWN 1. Place for a wine collection 2. Movable cover 3. Full of excitement 4. An opponent that cannot be beaten 5. Come clean 6. Bridle strap 7. Cause damage to 8. Address part 9. Favourite at the ball 11. Be suspended 12. Put through a sieve 14. Be dependent on 17. Flimsy 20. Prayer of thanks said at a meal

2. Work dough with 2 SUDOKU ANSWER KEY the hands A 24. Invite 25. Humpty Dumpty is one 27. Skilled worker 28. Put your foot down 29. Wedding dress part 30. Make illegal 32. Drug a racehorse to prevent it from winning B 33. Chemically unreactive 34. Surrender 36. Uninterested 39. Macadamize 40. Kind of list 43. Be recumbent 45. Strong coffee

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

ACROSS 1. Large group of relatives 5. Coat of ___ 9. Pale sandy colour 10. The end of life 12. Once in a while 13. Medicine chest door, usually 15. Out of sorts 16. Welcome words to a hitchhiker 18. Adam’s wife 19. Symbol of a country 21. Group of games in tennis 22. It goes from stem to stern 23. Physical features of a piece of land 25. Vestibule

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

TIMEOUT

© WALTER D. FEENER 2013

HOROSCOPES MAY 31 – JUNE 6 ARIES March 21–April 19

LEO July 23–August 22

SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21

Feeling tense lately, Aries? It’s time to get rid of the stress, so do what needs doing, whether it be jogging, hitting a punching bag, meditating, whatever.

This may not be your forte, Leo, but at some time this week some self-sacrifice is going to be needed.

Don’t hesitate.

Discouraging things could start happening to you soon, Sagittarius. Keep your head up, stay strong, and you’ll be able to weather the storm.

TAURUS April 20–May 20

VIRGO August 23–September 22

CAPRICORN December 22–January 19

You have a certain natural charm that causes people to gravitate to you, Taurus. You know you do. It’s best to put it to good use this week.

You may be tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t do this week, Virgo. Though it may be hard to resist, try to tread carefully.

Be tolerant of other people’s opinions and social and political positions this week, Capricorn. You may find a kindred spirit where you least expect to.

GEMINI May 21–June 20

LIBRA September 23–October 23

AQUARIUS January 20–February 19

Someone may jump down your throat this week, metaphorically speaking. Don’t get too defensive — they may have a point.

Humility: that’s the key word for you over the course of the next week, Libra. You are awesome, but please try to keep this in mind.

Doubt may come to plague you soon, Aquarius. And while it may be disheartening, you’ll learn a lot about yourself if you pay close attention.

CANCER June 21–July 22

SCORPIO October 24–November 22

PISCES February 20–March 20

You could be feeling emotional from time to time this week, Cancer. Don’t let it get the better of you, or you’ll become an emotional wreck.

You’re known for your strong willpower, Scorpio. In the days ahead, you’re going need every ounce of it. Temptation will be lurking everywhere.

Good things come to those who wait. You know that, Pisces, so why have you been so dang impatient lately? Ease up, and all will come to be.

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

CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY

A

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

B

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