Verb Issue R82 (June 14-20, 2013)

Issue #82 – June 14 to June 20

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THE

Herbaliser

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dressed to kill Cosplay contest at Saskatchewan comic con wake owl Q+A with Colyn Cameron This is the end + kon-tiki Films reviewed­

Photo: courtesy of matt humphrey

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On the cover:

the herbaliser

They’re back! 10 / feature

Photo: courtesy of matt humphrey

culture

NEWs + Opinion

entertainment

Q + A with colyn cameron On the evolution of Wake Owl. 8 / Q + A

Live Music listings Local music listings for June 14 through June 22. 14 / listings

almost famous

special k

Nightlife Photos

The making of a Saskatchewan musician. 3 / Local

The Ketamines bring a fresh perspective. 9 / Arts

We visit Birmingham’s.

landscape of emotion

Kon-tiki + this is the end

Patrick Close’s inspiring work. 9 / Arts

We review the latest movies. 16 / Film

15 / Nightlife

Dressed to kill Cosplay contest at Saskatchewan comic con. 4 / Local

A time to heal We should have a safe injection facility in Saskatchewan. 6 / Editorial

kneaded food therapy

on the bus

We visit Kneaded. 12 / Food + Drink

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 18 / comics

comments

Music

Game + Horoscopes

Here’s what you had to say about curbside composting. 7 / comments

We Were Lovers, Melechesh + Feist

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

13 / music

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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 / Victoria Abraham

Office Manager / Stephanie Lipsit account Manager / Kerri Senkow Marketing Manager / Vogeson Paley Financial Manager / Cody Lang

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Almost famous

Photo: Courtesy of jennifer g. photography

The making of Jeans Boots by alex j macpherson

T

he clock is sweeping toward midnight as Jeanette Stewart leans against the brick wall outside Amigos, a Saskatoon music venue famous for hosting some of the best bands in the country. She is working on a cigarette and gazing into the middle distance. In less than an hour she will debut songs from her new record, the incongruously titled Z0RG C1TY. A collection of four blistering rock anthems that cast her haunting voice against a roiling backdrop of crashing drums and distorted guitars, Z0RG C1TY is her first release in almost two years. The record had a difficult birth, its arrival complicated by personnel changes and procrastination. Tonight is supposed to be the release party, but printed copies of the record are nowhere in sight.

Stewart spent last night frantically making substitutes: burned CDs in slim paper cases adorned with hand-drawn logos, gold duct tape, and rhinestones.

Stewart, who is normally a bundle of nervous energy, seems curiously withdrawn. This is the first show in a tour that will carry her to Ontario and Quebec, but she does not appear to be suffering from nerves. “I stayed up all night making merch,” she says after a

drag on her cigarette, referring to the handmade CDs and t-shirts for sale at the back of the venue. “At eight last night there was no merch.” Stewart thrives on the pressure of a looming deadline, and the mammoth task of releasing an album and orchestrating a

and Purity Ring. This is a source of confusion, because Stewart has used the moniker Jeans Boots throughout.

“Some people still think Jeanette Stewart is a solo acoustic musician and Jeans Boots is a different person,” she said over a steaming cup of coffee several weeks before Z0RG C1TY was completed. “Some people who know my Jeanette Stewart music think that’s what I still make. And I think that’s really funny.”

Many people who follow Stewart’s music are baffled by the name, which can be the name of a rock band or a mysterious alter ego depending on the context. On the other hand, few question her ability to write engaging songs and deliver performances that are as chaotic as they are entertaining.

Stewart has been writing good songs for years, and her ethereal voice has become indistinguishable from the edgier side of the Saskatchewan music scene. She has performed at bars and festivals across the province, and her music has been heard by thousands.

The release of Z0RG C1TY, which coincided with her decision to leave the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, where she worked as a reporter, and devote all of her energies to making music feels like a turning point — the end of one chapter and the beginning of another

It was like, ‘I’m having my Cameron Crowe moment.’ jeanette stewart

tour does not appear to have changed her modus operandi. Z0RG C1TY was finished on time, but only just. As the sound of the opening act, an edgy rock trio called Pandas In Japan, wafts into the night, she flicks her cigarette into the street and turns to walk inside. Her metallic gold leggings sparkle as she disappears into the gloomy bar.

Stewart has spent the last five years carving out a music career. What began as a singer-songwriter project, something she did when she wasn’t working as a journalist, eventually grew into a rock band. Over the last several weeks her career has taken another sharp turn – toward the electronic sounds popularized by artists like Grimes

in a story that began a few days before Christmas, 26 years ago.

Stewart was born in Regina in 1986. She grew up in Rockglen, a small town nestled between Moose Jaw and the American border. She grew up surrounded by music. Her father often played records, and her earliest memories unfold to the sound of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Music was her constant companion, but living in a small town has drawbacks: Stewart knew nothing of indie rock. It never crossed her mind that ordinary people could write songs, play shows, and maybe even make some money. “I wasn’t old enough to go to the bar, I didn’t know

about all-ages shows, I’d never been to the Exchange in Regina,” she said.

“I didn’t understand what avenues there are for you. I listened to Broken Social Scene, but I didn’t know they were an independent band that created their own record label; they were just a band I liked.”

Learning to play guitar opened up the world of songwriting, which Stewart embraced enthusiastically, if not successfully. “I should probably revive them,” she said with a laugh. “They’d be huge hits on the internet because they’re so hilarious. Little kid problems in song form.” Stewart spent her high school years playing bass in a garage band, but it was not until 2004, when she moved to Regina to study poetry and journalism at the University of Regina, that creative freedom became a reality. “I actually really wanted to be a musician,” she said, “and I think I thought journalism would be the safety. Like, I could go into journalism to write about bands and that would be a sure way of succeeding.”

Stewart spent her years in Regina writing songs and busking whenever she wasn’t attending class. Then life intervened. A complicated relationship forced her to set aside her nascent music career for the best part of two years. It was not until 2007, when she accepted an internship at the StarPhoenix, that she was able to resurrect her dream. “I was living in Saskatoon for eight months and going to a million shows,” she recalled. “I started talking to the musicians and I think the turning point was seeing Slow Down, Molasses open for Julie Doiron. There was something about watching her [play].

I was like, I could play this — that’s what my songs sound like.” Stewart spent the summer writing about music and maintaining a blog documenting

the shows she attended. Eventually, she asked Slow Down, Molasses if she could go on tour with them.

“It was like, ‘I’m having my Cameron Crowe moment,’” she said with a laugh. “I’m going to be sitting in the bathtub with my sticky notes trying to get this figured out.” The tour carried the band from Saskatoon to Vancouver and back. Stewart began the trip as a watchful journalist, but by the time the band reached the west coast she was on stage every night, playing keyboards. “I couldn’t hold it in anymore,” she said with a laugh. “Like, I actually can play music and this is attainable at whatever level it needs to be. I may never do this for an actual real living, and who knows what it’ll become, but you can play music if you want to.”

This experience was the catalyst for the project that became Jeans Boots — and irrefutable proof that making music was possible.

As Stewart walks into Amigos, the sound of the opening band fades to a dull roar. Z0RG C1TY is just an EP, a collection of four searing rock songs.

But it is also an expression of the idea that took hold so long ago. She seems unconcerned, but the decision to leave her job and focus on music could catapult her to fame — or ruin her completely. For most people in the audience, this is just another Jeans Boots show. For Stewart, Z0RG C1TY is a leap of faith. And it is already out of date.

This is part one of a two-part series.

Find the conclusion in next week’s issue of Verb.

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@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Dressed to kill ... or save the universe Photo: courtesy of adam hawboldt / verb magazine

Saskatoon Blitz draws cosplayers from Regina to B.C. by adam hawboldt

I

n the Marvel universe Thor’s hammer stands as one of the most aweinspiring of all the superhero weapons. Known as Mjölnir, it has the power to destroy mountains, create and control the base elements of a storm, and generate thermoblasts.

Absolutely awe-inspiring, right?

But have you ever stopped and wondered what Mjölnir is made of?

Well, in the Marvel universe, as the story goes, Mjölnir was forged primarily from an Asgardian metal known as “uru” by Dwarven blacksmiths. Here in Saskatchewan, however, the giant hammer Thor is lugging around the Saskatoon Inn was forged of something entirely different.

“I used one-inch siding foam,” explains Thor (who is known in the Sask comic community as SaskaDoom.) “I layered it all together. Then I put ABS

piping inside to keep the head of the hammer from spinning.”

Standing on the hotel mezzanine next to a vendor’s booth, the man dressed as Thor explains how nearly all of his costume — which took a month and a half to put together — was handmade. And while that might seem like a long time to work on a costume to most, to people who take cosplay seriously that type of time investment is to be expected.

Why? Because soon Thor will be stepping on stage and vying for the title of Best Dressed in the Saskatoon Blitz cosplay contest.

The term “cosplay” is Japanese in origin. Coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi in 1984, it’s a portmanteau of the English words “costume” and “play,” and generally refers to a type of perfor-

mance art in which people dress up as their favourite characters from fiction — whether it be manga, anime, comic books, video games, etc. — and attend fan conventions and comic cons. Initially an esoteric pastime amongst the otaku (obsessive fan culture) of Japan, by the late 1990s cosplay had begun taking a foothold in North America.

These days, as more anime conventions and comic cons are becoming established in cities from Saskatoon to San Diego, cosplay (along with geek culture in general) is becoming more popular and more mainstream.

Case in point: this year’s Saskatoon Blitz. When it began four years ago, the Blitz was a smallish, modestly attended anime event. This year, though, so many people showed up that organizer Laura Petrishen-Ha thinks next time around they may have to search for a larger venue to hold the Blitz.

Everywhere you look people are parading around in costumes. In the tropical gardens down below the mezzanine, a girl dressed up as Amy Rose from Sonic the Hedgehog is holding a large yellow hammer posing for photos. A lady in a skin-tight Catwoman costume slinks from one end of the mezzanine to the other alongside three large guys dressed in black and night goggles. In Room A, a host of cosplayers sit and listen to John DiMaggio — a voice actor on the show Futurama — talk about how “Bender is a little bastard! I can say whatever I want … I love it. There’s a lot of fun in voicing a character like that.”

Everywhere you go, a sense of fun and freedom follows. Here in the cosplay community there’s a certain inclusiveness that’s often lacking in day-to-day society. On stairs, people sit and chat about anime and manga, and ask their favourite dressed cosplayers to pose for photos. Then, at 5pm, they all make their way to Room A for the cosplay competition.

Inside the room, next to the stage, the man dressed as Thor stands with his left arm resting atop his giant hammer.

He’s a big lad this guy, with a shock of long-flowing blonde hair that rests on his shoulders. As the announcer lines the cosplayers up along the far wall according to what category they’ll be participating in, Thor chats with Tryndamere, the barbarian king from League of Legends. When a young boy, maybe five or six, dressed as Green

Lantern sits in the front row, Thor points at him. The young man smiles.

“For me, that’s what it’s all about,” Thor told me earlier. “There’s nothing quite like watching a kid’s face light up when they see you dressed like this.”

When the competition starts, Thor climbs the stairs and takes centre stage. He strikes a pose, mugs for the camera. Flash bulbs pop. The click, click, click of shutters fills the room.

Then he holds his hammer aloft as though to threaten the crowd. More pictures, a loud round of applause, and he walks off stage. He’s followed

by Tryndamere, then Link from Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, and more.

This is the Best Dressed segment of the cosplay competition. Next up is the Best Dressed Group category.

Then comes the skit segment, featuring musical interludes, sword fights, scenes from famous anime movies, and even a lip sync/dance from two women dressed up as Men in Black agents.

And all the while cosplayers from Regina to B.C. — little children, teenagers, 20-somethings and middleaged folk — smile and whistle, applaud and laugh. Embracing what comic cons and cosplay competitions are all about — good, wholesome, fiction-based fun.

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A time to heal It’s time to bring a supervised safe injection facility to Saskatchewan

S

askatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, has recently reaffirmed that safe injection sites are not something the province is interested in developing.

And that’s unfortunate, because we believe that our province would benefit greatly from harm reduction strategies like safe injection sites. And while the province may not think we need them, it seems pretty clear to us that we do. You see, in per-capita terms, Saskatchewan is the HIV capital of Canada.

According to the Ministry of Health, our province reported 186 cases of HIV in 2011. Doing the math, that works out to 19.6 HIV cases per 100,000 adults in Saskatchewan.

The national average? 7.6 cases per 100,000 Canadians. To put those numbers into perspective, the second highest provincial rate of HIV is in Ontario, at 8.4 HIV cases per 100,000 people.

Yep, we’re more than double the next highest rate, and more than five times as much as all the Atlantic provinces combined (3.7).

And do you know how the majority of HIV is being transmitted? You guessed it — through needles. In fact, nearly 75% of all reported HIV cases in Saskatchewan are due to injection drug use, which means people who have the virus are sharing dirty needles with people who don’t have it yet.

drugs in public and a decrease in publicly discarded syringes, to name just a few. And that seems like something residents of Saskatchewan would love.

Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve advocated for bringing such facilities to the province. In fact, just over a year ago we wrote about the benefits of Insite, Vancouver’s safe injection site, and why such a program would be good for Saskatchewan. As we wrote in May 2012, since opening its doors a decade ago, this “supervised injection site has improved public order … while helping countless addicts access and enrol in detoxification and addiction treatment programs.”

And not only does Insite provide a much-needed service, it also makes financial sense. For an annual operating cost of $3 million, that same study published in CMAJ notes that “Insite was found to decrease needle sharing, which alone saves $14 million and 920 life years over 10 years,” as well as lessening the burden on our healthcare system by $18 million per decade.

In fact, as we previously discussed, Insite prevents, on average, 35 new cases of HIV and three deaths a year. According to another study out of Simon Fraser University, even after you take program costs into account, Insite generates “a societal benefit in excess of $6 million per year and is an effective and efficient use of public health-care resources.”

At the moment, Saskatchewan’s HIV Strategy 2010-2014 rests on four pillars: 1) community engagement and education; 2) prevention and harm reduction; 3) clinical management; and 4) surveillance and research. And while Dr. Shahab also went on record recently saying he’s happy with how our province’s HIV Strategy is proceeding, we’re not, because it’s missing a big piece of the puzzle in safe injection sites.

Safe injection sites are a way to abate the HIV issue… verb magazine

And while we understand why the provincial government might not want to walk down the road that winds up at a supervised injection facility in Saskatchewan — finding a place to put one that wouldn’t aggravate their voter-base would be a challenging task — we think that’s not a justifiable excuse. Actually, a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (Canada’s largest and most prestigious medical journal) found that Insite benefits Vancouver in a myriad of ways, such as fewer people injecting

We made the argument then, and we stand by it now. Safe injection sites are a way to abate the HIV issue in this province while helping drug users and even saving taxpayers money. It’s time for Saskatchewan to take another look at safe injection sites.

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 curbside composting. Here's what you had to say:

– Definitely like the idea of curbside composting, I work for an erosion control company that also builds environmentally friendly landfills, and it is crazy of how fast the landfills fill up, there is so much organics that could be used for other economic purposes.

However way too often it gets thrown in with all the other “trash” taking up unnecessary waste.

– U want composting but where’s the money comin for this I don’t want my taxes higher. If something composts it’ll do that in the dump doesn’t matter we don’t need to pick it up separately seriously u sound stupid

text yo thoughtsur to 881 vE R B 8372

Powered by the crew at moga mobile

OFF TOPIC – Saying all “dangerous” dogs are a result of bad owners is like saying all drunk drivers rapists and murderers are a result of broken homes. No. Sometimes sh!t just happens and people only hear of the few bad apples. Dog training for ALL dogs should be mandatory.

In response to “Puppy Love,” Editorial, #80 (May 31, 2013)

sound off

– Curbside composting is the next natural step they should bring this in for sure. I can’t believe the amount of waste that goes into a dump that could be diverted.

– Abolishing the Senate is a dream of the power mad. They wish to concentrate power in the hands of a few with no checks. Senate needs to make itself relevant.

– Curbside anything in a place like Sask is inane seasonal stupidity. In a place where it gets -30C with 3ft of snow asking our seniors to rollout is abuse.

– Oh! Yeah! Been meaning to sign the DOWNtown series for awhile. I guess Verb allows this.

DOWNtown written by Charlie Belhumeur, Regina. Created with the help of family and friends.

Acknowledgements (LOL) to the two unknown peeps who wrote independent DOWNtowns. Glad peeps get and like DT stuff! Not sure how much is left to mine on the theme. Thus the signing now.

DOWNtown its a place on a map and in your head! The lights are so much brighter…. Y’all be cool, think about what the series really sez. Its OK for everyone to get a little DOWNtown now and then.

– Definitely on board with curbside composting it’s ridiculous we aren’t doing it yet but Sask is a little behind the times. We’re catching up though and things like this make this province a great place to live.

– Composting is something we should be taking very seriously.

It’s time we made it easier for our citizens to encourage this green practice. It saves us $$ and benefits us all so why not?

– I had my first CS class in 1981.

Been working with IT ever since.

Trust me when I say absolutely

nothing is secure on the internet.

In the past 2 yrs hackers have developed new methods for cracking encryption. Anyone can be hacked now email Facebook Twitter etc.

For God’s sake don’t do online banking or use credit cards online!

You have been warned. No one to blame but you when it happens.

Also over half the home PCs are infected with malware of some kind.

I blame web app developers who have catered to marketing forces and in the process created too many holes in the system. Keep all your mission critical data and apps offline on stand alone boxes!

– The Law is for keeping the animals under control. Ethics guides the higher beings.

Shocked by how many people are shocked the government is keeping tabs on us all. Of course they are! And this isn’t some slag against Harper, any sitting government body does the same thing.

– Hello and God bless you! For the good story in Verb newspaper.It is good if you share more testimony each weeks.From differnt people also who is free and delivered by Jesus blood at the cross Amen.Jesus is lord and he is coming again.

– Wallin and Duffy. Fat Boy and Fat Girl got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Classic!

– What did one plate say to the other plate? Dinner is on me.

– PRISM in US of course Can gov’t doing the same thing here.

– Labor leaders of my generation satisifed their middle class aspirations nice cars big mortgages and pensions. Labor lost ground big time from this mass sellout!

– I can’t believe Quebec is banning tubans in soccer games! That totally goes against the Charter of Rights and puts a black eye on Canada!

Next week: What do you think of bringing a safe injection facility to Saskatchewan? Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation: We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories and content, or anything else on your mind.

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Wake Owl

Photos: courtesy of Madison Rowley

New music from world traveler Colyn Cameron by Alex J MacPherson

W

ake Owl is the musical project of Colyn Cameron, a singer and songwriter who was born in California and splits his time between Vancouver and Portland. Before emerging as the face of Wake Owl, Cameron studied organic agriculture at Emerson College in England and worked on farms around the world. He mined these experiences and more for Wild Country, his debut EP. But Wild Country, which pushes the boundaries of what a singer-songwriter can be by adding drums and other instruments, is only the beginning.

Cameron is already planning a fulllength follow-up. I caught up with him shortly after his performance at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in Washington State to talk about the evolution of Wake Owl. Alex J MacPherson: You spent some time in England studying organic agriculture. Was there a moment when you realized songwriting and performing

was going to become a full-time thing, or was this always on your radar?

without any sort of percussion or anything like that.

Colyn Cameron: No, it kind of happened more organically, I think. I didn’t really plan on it necessarily. When I finished the EP there were some people wanting to hear it live, and I started playing some shows. It just kind of developed since then.

AJM: Was choosing a name other than your own an important part of the process? It certainly seems to keep people guessing rather than making assumptions.

mystery there as to what it is. And it’s become more and more of a band over time, with the people I’m playing with.

AJM: I think the standout track is “Gold,” which, unlike most of the tracks, is not about time and distance. I was hoping you could tell me a bit about that song.

…with that EP it’s just mainly me on my own, just seeing what I could do.

AJM: The record feels like a bit of an experiment, pushing the boundaries of what you can achieve as a songwriter and as a recording artist.

colyn cameron

CC: That’s true, for sure. I definitely hear other things when I’m writing songs, and I think with that EP it’s just mainly me on my own, just seeing what I could do. Anything I heard I was trying out. When I recorded it I made a very conscious decision to have a drummer play on it, because I thought the songs could be supported that way. And

CC: If that’s really what you’re going for, and you’ve been writing songs and been doing it a long time and know that that’s what it’s always going to be, I think there’s nothing wrong with it. But at the time I was still exploring what else I might do with that in the future, and I didn’t want to put my name on it and turn people away. Leave some

CC: It’s just kind of about a personal journey. I think it’s written about someone I know who’s certainly had some struggles and things like that, and it’s kind of looking at life and death and joy and pain — those two realities coexisting. I was just feeling both ends of that spectrum.

AJM: Looking forward, you’re in demand as a live performer. Is changing the sound of the group for big performances going to affect the work you do in the future?

CC: Definitely. I think people should come to the show and we’ll play some new material. I think they’ll get a taste for how we’re weaving things together, and the full-length album that we’re recording this summer is definitely going to be another direction and musical interest that I have — still songs I’ve written, but kind of a different challenge. And for us, it’s very exciting. I think people should check it out.

Wake Owl June 23 @ Artesian on 13 $13.34 @ Picatic (advance); $15 door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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Special K

The Ketamines offer a new perspective on a boring world

I

have never taken ketamine, an anaesthetic used in veterinary medicine and for recreational purposes. But if ketamine produces an effect similar to You Can’t Serve Two Masters, the sophomore LP from Lethbridge- and Torontobased band the Ketamines, I should probably find a dealer and get down to business.

You Can’t Serve Two Masters is a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of lo-fi garage rock, sunny pop, and fractious noise anthems held together by the versatile voices of Paul Lawton and James Leroy.

“As an ideology of making music, we’re genre agnostic,” says Lawton, who founded the band before transforming it into a live project several years ago, “so there’s nothing off the table. Whatever we release is basically just our good songs.”

Lawton and Leroy rarely worry about the tyranny of genre and style; instead, they worry about writing good songs. And while their cata-

by alex J MacPherson

logue, which includes two LPs and a handful of shorter releases, proves that good songs come in many forms.

You Can’t Serve Two Masters includes everything from edgy rock to dissonant pop, and even a shouted argument, but its songs are consistently thoughtful and entertaining.

The band’s coherence and focus is a surprise considering that Lawton lives in Toronto while Leroy still works out of Lethbridge. New technology allows the pair to maintain contact, share their demos, and thrash out ideas just like they would at home. And those ideas are coming faster than every before.

You Can’t Serve Two Masters, which was released in April, will be followed by a series of four 7-inch singles.

The first of these, “All The Colours Of Your Heart,” which Lawton describes as a “weird white dude grimy funk song with a garage punk aesthetic,” was released in May. One of the subsequent singles will be issued on Saskatoon’s Leaning Trees Records.

The reason for this series is simple. Lawton and Leroy write songs faster than they can release them, and the collection of 7-inch singles is a novel way to get new music into the world. But it is also a reflection of changes in the music industry. “There are no surprises anymore,” Lawton says. “A lot of bands will just work hard and they’ll be slaves to a genre, and they’ll get success in those terms — but it will be limited because nothing they do is ever surprising to anybody. They key to success, on top of working, is putting things up that are a little bit different.”

People take drugs for a variety of reasons, one of the most important being a fresh perspective on a boring world. And now people who crave new and exciting music can look to the Ketamines for their fix.

The Ketamines June 23 @ Artful Dodger $TBA

Landscape of emotion

Patrick Close looks beyond tradition and convention

by alex J MacPherson

Photo: courtesy oF patrick close

1. Patrick Close, Blue. 2012. Acrylic on canvas.

p

atrick Close has been taking photographs for decades.

His interest in the form developed when he began developing negatives shot by his father during the Second World War. By the 1970s he was exhibiting original works, many of which have since been shown around the world. Close’s interest in painting, however, is a relatively recent development.

“I came to painting to follow my heart,” he explains. “It followed after the death of my mother, and it just seemed that it was the time to begin painting. I can’t explain it any further than that.” Unlike photography, which Close sees as a search for technical perfection, painting is visceral and intuitive — an expression of physicality and emotion from within. This rawness is captured in now-then, a collection of paintings and photographs on display at Mysteria Gallery.

The paintings in the exhibition represent several phases in Close’s short career as a painter. Most are landscapes, but Close does not seem particularly interested in adhering to tradition. Although two of the paintings are quite conventional, most attempt to reframe the way we see the world through art. The most abstract offer only tantalizing hints about the source material: landscape without location.

“It can be the inner landscape of your emotions and feelings, or it can be the outer landscape of what you see in the countryside,” he says. “Some of the large canvases have to do with my emotional response to the landscape.”

Close’s emotional landscapes, exemplified by “blue” and “darkening sky,” are striking and immersive. But his latest works move in a new direc-

tion, back toward his roots in philosophy. These vertical pieces are painted in a loose, open style and have titles like “the transcendent melancholy of in/attention” and “the essential futility of (non) action.” These titles’ words are actually hidden in the painting, and raise questions about duality — in art and in life.

“They’re meant to talk about the process of coming to a conclusion, and to question whether or not the conclusion matters,” he says, suggesting that meaning and purpose are derived not from the destination, but from the journey itself. “Action or nonaction will be of little consequence to the actual process you’re involved with.”

Ultimately, the paintings in now-then provide a partial answer.

Unlike technical perfection, which is Close’s goal when positioned behind the camera, emotion cannot be measured and capturing it is not an exact science; painting is a form of expression without a fixed end.

It is a journey.

Patrick Close Through June 29 @ Mysteria Gallery Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372 @VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com

9 May 31 – June 6 @verbregina

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Feature

And Then There Were Seven

The Herbaliser make a comeback with their seventh record by Alex J M

I

t has been a difficult decade for the Herbaliser, the English musical duo whose signature blend of funk grooves, jazz flourishes, and hip hop grit has spawned seven studio albums and hundreds of major performances. The group’s plans were shattered in 2004 when Jake Wherry’s wife was killed in an accident. Although Wherry’s musical partner, Ollie Teeba, continued to make beats and experiment with samples, Wherry was devastated and deeply uninspired.

He struggled to imagine himself making music again. In 2009, after the pair released their comeback album, ‘08’s Same As It Never Was, Wherry was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the white blood cells. His treatment and recovery wreaked havoc on the group’s recording schedule.

The cancer returned two years later, once again forcing Wherry to sideline his musical commitments. Today, though, Wherry is healthy and happy — and the Herbaliser are touring in support of their seventh record, the hugely ambitious There Were Seven.

“There’s been a lot going on in my personal life which has completely interfered with our ability to release a record every 24 months,” Wherry muses. “It’s hard to impress how much we feel that we’ve been

forgotten about. Our profile has taken a complete bashing.” Wherry is obviously concerned about the group’s future, but he is also happy to be alive and recording music. The titanic arrangements and sweeping sounds that make up There Were Seven are an expression of these mixed emotions. The record is both a culmination of everything the Herbaliser has achieved to date and a new beginning for one of England’s

What? What?, and Bahamadia.

There Were Seven, which was released in September and is riddled with references to the number seven, many drawn from the film canon that inspires so much of the group’s work, is in some respects a reaction to its predecessor. Same As It Never Was relied heavily on Jessica Darling’s sultry voice, and pushed the group into the realm of pop music. “After we’d made it and done some shows, I

We didn’t disappear. We didn’t just make s**t records and no one was interested in us. jake wherry

most innovative and dynamic musical projects.

The Herbaliser was created when Wherry and Teeba discovered a shared love of infectious grooves, dense film soundtracks, and old vinyl. Their first record, Remedies, was released in 1995, and consisted of what Wherry calls “instrumental hip hop” purely because neither he nor Teeba knew any rappers. Their subsequent releases featured contributions by singers and, more frequently, rappers — artists like MF Doom,

think we kind of gathered that some promoters and some of our fans, who were used to the older stuff, thought it was a bit too much of a step in more of a poppy, soul direction,” Wherry muses. “We got some new audiences and stuff, did some really big shows, but I think we realized it was time to put it to bed. We really wanted to make a darker, moodier album this time around.”

There Were Seven is a return to classic Herbaliser territory. Drawing its inspiration from the golden Continued on next page »

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Photo: courtesy of matt humphrey

MacPherson age of film noir, the record uses a diverse array of sounds and samples to conjure up images of smokewreathed jazz clubs, seedy flophouses, and mafia gambling dens.

Wherry and Teeba have always been drawn to soundtrack music, and their elaborate compositions tend to evoke images rather than emotions.

There Were Seven is particularly good at this, largely because Wherry and Teeba were able to take advantage of

Photo: courtesy of matt humphrey

technology that was not available in the early 1990s.

“We are better producers now than we were when we made Very Mercenary and Blow Your Headphones,” Wherry says, referring to the pair’s third and second records.

“We’ve learned how to integrate live recordings with samples, which is something we couldn’t really do back in those days because we didn’t have the recording equipment to make it sound good.” Today, Wherry and Teeba have at their disposal an arsenal

of high-quality valve microphones, compressors, and preamps — gear that allows them to create the flourishes that adorn every track on There Were Seven. But advances in technology can only achieve so much; the core of the Herbaliser’s sound always has been the way Wherry and Teeba manipulate samples.

Sampling is the process by which a sound or piece of music is extracted from one recording and recycled, along with other samples, into something new. These samples can come from anywhere, and Wherry says the best sounds often stem from the most unlikely sources. “Take a piece of music, like a piece of Hungarian folk music,” he explains. “You put a great big heavy drumbeat behind it, and it instantly takes it in a different direction. The music itself doesn’t necessarily have to be funky; it’s all about the quality of the sounds.” There Were Seven sounds edgy and raw because its creators were careful to choose samples that sounded edgy and raw.

“It’s good to have a bit of grit, a bit of dirt,” Wherry says. “Nothing too clean or clinically recorded.”

Finding useable sounds is only the beginning. Herbaliser tracks are born in the studio, where complex arrangements are painstakingly pieced together from a huge array of samples and live recordings. This process has become more complicated with each record the duo have produced.

Wherry and Teeba mixed Blow Your Headphones, which was released in 1997, in four days; in contrast, each track on There Were Seven took several days to mix. “We’ve become fans of big sounds,” Wherry explains, citing work by Lalo Schifrin and Johnny Pate as examples of the group’s inspiration, “so very often some of our tracks will have 40 to 70 different elements — not all necessarily playing at the same time, but there’s quite a lot of arrangement going on, and we spend a lot of time mixing them.”

What separates Wherry and Teeba from other groups that work with samples is their commitment to avoiding repetition. “It sounds a bit arty,” Wherry says, “but I think without even realizing it back in the early days we were composing with samples, and making this heavilylayered music where you could drop the styles at various points on the record and you wouldn’t hear the same old sample repeated over and over again.” Instead of sampling an entire track, or looping a shorter sample into a repetitive groove, Wherry and Teeba delight in constructing tracks that grow and evolve — music with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Expansive instrumental tracks form the heart of There Were Seven, but in classic Herbaliser style the record also includes collaborations with several rappers and one singer.

Hannah Clive, a British singer and

songwriter, transforms “The Lost Boy” into one of the most menacing tracks the group has ever created, while Ghettosocks, Muneshine, and Timbuktu — all of whom are Canadian — add a hip hop edge to the group’s otherwise jazz- and funk-inspired sound. (The group is also working on a collaboration with Teenburger, the pairing of Ghettosocks and Timbuktu, which Wherry says will be released in the next 12 months).

Ultimately, There Were Seven is a return to form for the Herbaliser — and an astonishing achievement given the turbulence of the last decade. Wherry thinks the record is evidence that the group is still relevant. “We didn’t disappear,” he says. “We didn’t just make s**t

records and no one was interested in us. There’s just been a hell of a lot in my personal life that’s got in the way.

I’m just glad to be alive and to be able to perform the music, to play shows.”

And There Were Seven is an expression of this joy — as well as definitive proof that the Herbaliser are neither gone nor forgotten.

The Herbaliser (only shows in Saskatchewan) June 30: 6:00pm @ Bessborough Gardens + 10:30pm @ The Odeon Events Centre Ticket info: saskjazz.com

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Kneaded Food Therapy PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAXTON PRIEBE

Kneaded brings gluten-free baked goods to Regina by victoria Abraham

A

lthough my unparalleled ability to devour banana bread is the stuff legends are made of, and despite feeling guilty about enriched wheat consumption, I’ve never tried gluten-free.

Enter Kneaded: a celiac’s paradise and a way for people like me to consume baked goods guiltfree. Kneaded is Regina’s only 100 per cent gluten-free bakery and espresso bar, and has been filling the gluten-free void since June 29, 2012. Owner and baker extraordinaire Sarah Clemens even replaced the duct work and furnace when she bought the venue to ensure zero cross-contamination.

Clemens was diagnosed as a celiac five years ago, after a 12-year ordeal of medical confusion and treatments that made her feel worse.

After realizing she had to drastically change her eating habits, she noticed there weren’t very many options for people like her.

Fortunately for all of us, she saw that as an opportunity to change the “gluten-free is gross” mindset.

Not only was there enough delicious variety to please even the pickiest of dessert lovers, there was also white bread. I was as surprised by the existence of white bread in a gluten-free bakery as I was by it spongy denseness. The secret? The bread is made from Kneaded’s signature white rice, tapioca and potato

Now, Clemens acts as a kind of food therapist for customers who’ve been newly diagnosed as celiac and are overwhelmed by the required diet change.

“We bake how you would bake at home. I strive to give a lot of options.

I try to give people so many decisions to make, they don’t even know

iced coffee and finishing up the carrot cupcake with fluffy maple cream cheese icing, I watched the endless stream of people coming in to buy Clemens’ goods.

Judging by the happy customers with bags full of goodies, Kneaded is a much needed addition to Regina’s bakery landscape.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina vabraham@verbnews.com

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide

[There was] enough delicious variety to please even the pickiest of dessert lovers… victoria abraham

flour, which serves as the base for everything and can be purchased from the bakery.

After all the indulging, my runaway favourites were the melt-inyour-mouth asparagus and sun-dried tomato quiche, (which deserved some kind of quiche award), and the blueberry streusel scone, which transcended the flaky dryness that so often beleaguers scones.

As I sat at the bar sipping on an

what to do with themselves,” she said laughing.

That’s my kind of food philosophy. Lucky for me I was unconstrained by the pick-just-one limitation, so I tried as much as possible. Everything from the Nanaimo bar and the flatbread pizza with salami and white cheddar to the raisin butter tart and frosted banana cake tasted just as they are meant to taste.

Kneaded 100-3725 Pasqua St. | (306) 585 0593

Pumpkin Spice Margarita

Ingredients

A margarita that can’t decide if it’s a dessert or a cocktail is suffering from the best kind of identity crisis. YUM! Give this little number a try — you won’t be disappointed.

¼ c. Sauza Blue Silver Tequila ½ c. cream 2 tbsp. pumpkin spice syrup 2 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice 1½ c. hot coffee Garnish: whipped cream and cinnamon

Directions:

Combine the cream, pumpkin spice syrup, sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice in a cup and stir. Pour into coffee and add tequila. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon, and enjoy.

12 May 24 31 – May June306 culture

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Next Week

coming up

We Were Lovers

Melechesh

Feist

@ The Exchange friday, June 21 – Cover TBD

@ The Exchange saturday, June 22 – $18

@ Regina Folk Festival (Victoria Park) friday, August 9 – $53+

With their whirling guitars, explosive synth, beats that will make you shake your rump, and soaring vocals singing about love and loss, it’s no real surprise this duo from Saskatoon have been making noise on the Canadian music scene. We Were Lovers — Elsa Gebremichael (vocals, synth, percussion) and Ash Lamothe (guitar, synth, backup vocals) — combine catchy pop melodies with a sharp rock and roll edge to create a sound that’s simply infectious. As for their live show, well, it’s laden with so much energy and chemistry it will pull you straight out of your seat. From coast to coast and throughout the U.S. (NYC to Vegas to LA), they’ve rocked countless crowds all the while developing an infectious sound you can’t help but like. They’ll be in Regina next week.

There aren’t many black metal bands out there that sound like Melechesh. Formed in Jerusalem back in the ‘90s, this group’s music is full of Middle Eastern influences (mainly Assyrian) and occult themes. So occult that, at one point in 1995, they were accused of “dark cult activities” by law enforcement authorities in Jerusalem.

Nothing came of the accusation, but a few years later the band decided to leave Israel to set up shop in France and the Netherlands. To date Melechesh — whose band name is made up of two words, “melech” (meaning king) and “esh” (meaning fire) — have released five studio albums, their latest the crisp and hard-hitting The Epigenesis. Come check out this unique band when they roll through Regina; tickets available through ticketedge.ca

This Nova Scotia-born singer/ songwriter has made quite a name for herself on the Canadian music circuit and beyond. Not only is she a member of the Juno Award-winning band Broken Social Scene, but her indie-pop/folk solo career isn’t too shabby, either. With 11 Juno Awards and four Grammy nominations, Feist has been sizzling hot since her album Let It Die dropped in 2004, and she is only getting hotter by the day. With catchy songs that speak of deep personal truths and lyrics as honest as they are awesome, Feist has rightfully found a place as a chart-topping, iPod-filling, uber-talented musician. She’ll be performing at Victoria Park during the Regina Folk Festival. Don’t miss it.

– By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: the artist/ the artist/ the artist

Sask music Preview The live final showdown of the Next Big Thing will take place on June 20 at the Whiskey Saloon. Finalists include Alex Runions, JJ Voss, Samara Yung and Tenille Arts, so come on down and see who will land the $15,000+ grand prize.

The show kicks off at 8pm, and tickets are $5 at the door. For more information, check out www.thenextbigthing2013.ca

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

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June 14 » june 22 The most complete live music listings for Regina.

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14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Friday 14

Ghost Keeper, Paper Beat Scissors, Gianna Lauren / Artful Dodger — A night of laid back folk and alt-rock tunes for your listening pleasure. 8pm / Cover TBD Braindead Romeo, Electric Mother, Mejia / The Club — Also featuring Die While We’re Young and Port Noise.

6:30pm / $5 DJ Juan Lopez / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 UBT / The Exchange — Psychedelic garage pop music from Montreal. 7:30pm / Cover TBD DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s Martini & Cocktail Club — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover Big Chill Fridays / Lancaster Taphouse — Come out and get your weekend

Wonderland / Pump Roadhouse — A one-hit wonder tribute band. 9pm / Cover TBD Parlor Trixx / The Sip Nightclub — A hard rockin’ local band for your listening pleasure. 9pm / Cover TBD Amy Nelson / Whiskey Saloon - A local country songstress. 10pm / $10

started with DJ Fatbot, every Friday night. 10pm / Cover TBD Tim McCashin / Lancaster — Folk and rocking roots. 9pm / Cover TBD Darcy Playground / McNally’s Tavern — Classic rock and pop covers all night long. 10pm / $5 Wonderland / Pump Roadhouse — A one-hit wonder tribute band. 9pm / Cover TBD Parlor Trixx / The Sip Nightclub — A hard rockin’ local band for your listening pleasure. 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, all night long. 8pm / Cover TBD Amy Nelson / Whiskey Saloon - A local country songstress. 10pm / $10

Monday 17

Open Mic Night / The Artful Dodger — Come down and jam! 8pm / No cover Monday Night Jazz / Bushwakker — Featuring ‘round midnight. 8pm / No cover Golers, Bleak Machine, Fight to Swill / The Club — A thrash and punk show. 7:30pm / Cover TBD

Tuesday 18

Toboggan Island Show / The Club — Featuring Lords Kitchner, Bermuda Love, Rehashed and many more.

8:30pm / Cover TBD Toboggan Island Show / The Exchange — Featuring Pandas in Japan, Weak Ends, Burning Love and many more. 9pm / Cover TBD

Saturday 15

The Steadies / Artful Dodger — Dance, rock, reggae all rolled up into one. 8pm / Cover TBD DJ Juan Lopez / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 Bloodline, Magnetic, League of One / The Exchange — A CD release party for Regina’s own Bloodline. 7:30pm / Cover TBD Alley 14 / McNally’s Tavern — A fivepiece classic rock and blues party band.

10pm / $5

Wednesday 19

We Are The City, The Archers, Indigo Joseph / Artful Dodger — Three great acts, one low price. 8pm / $10/15 Wednesday Night Folk / Bushwakker Brewpub — Featuring The Black Lung Brigade. 9pm / No cover

Dave Lang and the Twin Otters / The Club — A throwback western/folk sound. 8pm / $15 Old Man Markley / The Exchange — Punk bluegrass from Los Angeles.

7:30pm / $10 (ticketedge.ca) Jam Night and Open Stage / McNally’s Tavern — Come on down and enjoy some local talent, or get on stage and show off what you got. 9pm / No cover Neal McCoy / Pump Roadhouse — Put your beer goggles on and come see what this country act is all about. 9pm / $35 (ticketedge.ca)

Thursday 20

Decibel Frequency / Gabbo’s Nightclub — A night of electronic fun. 10pm / Cover $5 PS Fresh / The Hookah Lounge — DJ Ageless started spinning in Montreal, DJ Drewski started in Saskatoon. They both landed in Regina and have come together to sling some bomb beats. 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 Fly Points / McNally’s Tavern — A local indie rock band that’ll knock your socks off. 8:30pm / $5 Third Degree Birnz / Pump Roadhouse — Saskatchewan’s ultimate party band. 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

Friday 21

Party4Pasture Benefit Concert / Artesian on 13th — Featuring The Midnight Roses, Glenn Sutter, Black Drink Crier and Down Home Boys. 7:45pm / $25/30 Summer Solstice / Artful Dodger — Featuring live music and art making.

8pm / Cover TBD DJ Juan Lopez / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 We Were Lovers / The Exchange — An electro-pop duo from Saskatoon that will mesmerize you. 7:30pm / Cover TBD 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. Come down and check it out9pm / $5 cover

Big Chill Fridays / Lancaster Taphouse — Featuring DJ Limbot and Guidewire.

9:30pm / Cover TBD Wonderland / McNally’s Tavern — One hit wonders and classic rock for your listening pleasure. 10pm / $5 Third Degree Birnz / Pump Roadhouse — Saskatchewan’s ultimate party band. 9pm / Cover TBD The Milkman’s Sons / Royal Regina Golf Club — Local band playing classic and modern rock — come see what they’re all about. 8:30pm / No 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 Sarah Beth Keeley / Whiskey Saloon — A country songstress from Calgary with a pure voice. 10pm / $10

Saturday 22

Burns and Maciag / Artesian on 13th — A CD release party for this folk duo.

8pm / $10 Summer Solstice / Artful Dodger — Featuring live music and art making.

8pm / Cover TBD Big Country Talent Revue / Casino Regina — Featuring the winners of the CKRM Country Talent Search Contest.

8pm / $10 DJ Juan Lopez / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. As long as you’re dancing, he’s happy 10pm / $5 Melechesh, Vreid, Lighting Swords of Death, Reign of Lies / The Exchange — A night of black metal — take this opportunity to hear some amazing international artists. 7:30pm / $18 (ticketedge.ca) Sean Burns / Lancaster Taphouse — A singer/songwriter from Ontario. 9pm / Cover TBD Wonderland / McNally’s Tavern — One hit wonders and classic rock, all night long. 10pm / $5 Third Degree Birnz / Pump Roadhouse — Saskatchewan’s ultimate party band. 9pm / Cover TBD Sarah Beth Keeley / Whiskey Saloon — A country songstress from Calgary.

10pm / $10

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

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friday, june 7 @

birmingham’s

Birmingham’s Vodka and Ale House 2635 East Starlite Street (306) 546 3647 Music vibe / Country, hip hop and top 40 Featured deals / Fresh Fish Fridays — halibut for $16.95 Drink of Choice / Dill pickle Caesar, Keith’s, and Bulldogs top eats / Taro cupcakes, buffalo chicken burgers, and v-chips

Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, June 21. facebook.com/verbregina

Photography by Bebzphoto

/verbregina

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Photo: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Man Vs. Nature

Kon-Tiki tells the wild tale of a Norwegian man and his adventure by adam hawboldt

D

o you know where South America is?

Stupid question. Of course you do!

How about the Tuamotu Archipelago? Do you know where or what that is? Chances are, unless you’re big into geography, you have no idea. So I’ll tell you: it’s a chain of islands and atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. French Polynesia, to be precise.

The only reason I mention these two places and the distance between them (8,000 km) is because just after the Second World War, in 1947, a Norwegian man named Thor Heyerdahl sailed from Peru to the Tuamotus.

Now you may be thinking, “So what? People sail that far all the time.

No big deal.”

But it is a big deal, and here’s why: he did it on a raft made of balsawood (a craft that couldn’t be steered), with a crew of five other guys (a couple of experienced sailors, an engineer, a

Hagen) hanging out with the love of his life, Liv (Agnes Kittelsen) in Polynesia. He’s there working on a thesis about how, contrary to popular belief, the islanders of Polynesia did not descend from people from Asia, but instead from Peru.

scientist, someone handy with a radio) and, oh, Heyerdahl couldn’t swim.

Crazy, right?

I know. But to understand just how wild his adventure was you should probably check out the movie, Kon-Tiki.

…the crew experiences … storms, sharks and cabin fever.

Adam Hawboldt

Ten years later he finishes the thesis and tries to get it published.

No luck: his theory is too incredible for people to believe. So to prove them wrong he decides to sail from Peru to Polynesia to show that, 1,500 years earlier, it would have been possible for Peruvian natives

Based loosely on an Oscar-winning documentary of the same name, Kon-Tiki begins with Heyerdahl as a young boy in Norway falling through the ice on a frozen lake. You know, to let the audience know he can’t swim.

Fast forward many years, and we find Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Valheim

to make the same trip. And once Heyerdahl and his crew set sail, the movie really begins to pick up steam.

Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, Kon-Tiki has an epic man-versus-nature quality to it. At sea for more than 100 days, the crew experiences nearly everything you’d imagine a bunch of guys on a raft in the middle of the Pacific would experience: storms, sharks and cabin fever.

Not only are there tense moments, but there is also an emotional core to the film which comes courtesy of the men and their struggles with being stuck on a raft with their futures up in the air.

Oh, and Kon-Tiki is a beautifully shot movie, too. There’s this one scene where the guys are adrift at sea. The camera pans upwards into the sky, making the raft — named the Kon-Tiki — smaller and smaller until it’s but a speck in the mighty Pacific. The shot continues up into the clouds where

Kon-Tiki Joachim Rønning + Espen Sandberg Starring Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Gustaf Skarsgård, Odd Magnus Williamson + Tobias Santelmann Directed by

118 minutes | PG

it stops, pauses, and pans back down to the men on the raft. Words don’t do justice to how gorgeous this shot is.

If you want to find out what happens to Heyerdahl and his crew, stop

by Regina Public Library; the film opens on June 20.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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Apocalyptically Funny

This Is The End is a refreshing, crude, hilarious, intelligent new comedy by adam hawboldt

W

hat was your first thought when you found out that Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Jay Baruchel were all acting in the same apocalypse movie? All playing themselves?

If you’re anything like me, it was something like: “Hotdamn skippy! This is some Rat Pack stuff they got going on here — only hilarious. Wait … it better be hilarious. If not, this may very well be the death of funny.”

Not to worry. This Is The End isn’t just hilarious: so far it’s the funniest movie of 2013, and it’s smart, too. But more on that in a minute.

Written and directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the same writing team that brought you Superbad and Pineapple Express), This Is The End draws inspiration from a nine-minute

Photo: Courtesy of columbia pictures

See, there’s a party at Franco’s mansion and the who’s who of young, funny Hollywood is going to be there.

This isn’t Baruchel’s scene. Not one bit. But after much cajoling Rogen convinces him to go to the party.

There we meet Franco, McBride, Hill, Robinson and a host of other

[This Is The End] isn’t just another …stoner movie…It’s also a satirical skewering of our fame-obsessed culture…

Adam Hawboldt

short film the pair shot with Baruchel a few years ago called Jay and Seth Vs. The Apocalypse.

The premise of the movie — This Is The End, not the nine-minute film — is, on the surface, a simple one.

Jay Baruchel travels from Montreal to Hollywood to visit his old pal Seth Rogen. And from the get-go, Baruchel shows his intense dislike for Tinsel Town, going off on Woody Allen-like diatribes about the place.

All he wants to do is hang out with Rogen, smoke some week, eat fast food and shoot the breeze. But Rogen has other plans.

famous faces you’ll know. Like Michael Cera, as you’ve never seen him before.

At one point during the night Baruchel and Rogen leave the party to make a quick trip to the store, and all hell breaks loose. Literally: cars explode, flaming sinkholes open up, and mayhem reigns supreme as the apocalypse is ushered in all around them.

Not knowing what else to do, they return to Franco’s mansion where they — along with Franco, McBride, Hill, and Robinson — barricade the place with Franco’s art and try to ride out the apocalypse.

this is the end Seth Rogen + Evan Goldberg Starring Seth Rogen , James Franco, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson + Jay Baruchel Directed by

119 minutes | 18A

Raunchy, R-rated hilarity ensues.

And while This Is The End will have you doubled over in laughter more than once during its 119-minute lifespan, it isn’t just another sophomoric stoner movie. Far from it! It’s also a satirical skewering of our fameobsessed culture, and an examination of self-entitlement, neuroses and the bond between close friends during hard times. And with each character playing a slightly bent version of themselves, it’s almost as though This Is The End is one giant, crude, inside joke amongst these guys. But the way the movie is put together, it’s a joke that the audience is in on from the start.

Thankfully. Because what a unique, refreshing, gut-busting joke it is.

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crossword canadian criss-cross

27. Internal organs 29. Replace with another program 32. Shipping container 36. Liquid fat 37. Dry out 39. Be out having fun 40. Flattened circle 42. Common drink 43. Group grazing together 44. Expand a waistband 46. Explanation based on thought 48. Verb form 49. Like a pig’s tail 50. Animal with antlers 51. Pay attention to advice

DOWN 1. Things one after another 2. Greedy 3. Old Testament book: abbr.

4. Aquarium problem 5. Medicine container 6. The whole lot 7. Rack up higher cell phone charges 8. Audience’s demand 9. Male lover 11. Bestowed as a gift 12. Cry loudly 14. Money owing 17. Ghost 20. Groom in a fussy way 21. Sit rather high 24. Adam’s wife

26. Spoil the beauty of 28. Fly in drops 29. Collective resource 30. Girder fastener 31. Overjoyed 33. Ancient 34. Delay leaving 35. Small whirlpool 38. Simple ball game 41. Being the only one 43. This place 45. Take l 47. Colour

sudoku answer key

A

B

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

ACROSS 1. Narrative of heroic exploits 5. Serious attention 9. Indulge in boisterous festivities 10. From one end to the other 12. Uninteresting 13. Easy-going 15. Surrounded by 16. Stubborn animal 18. Change the position of 19. Tiny 20. Put new life into 22. Mister in Yiddish 23. One who draws the short straw 25. Electric heater part

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

timeout

© walter D. Feener 2013

Horoscopes June 14 – June 20 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

You may experience a setback or two this week, Aries. Don’t let them get you down, though. Instead, use them as motivation.

Remember the myth of Sisyphus?

About the man doomed to forever push a boulder up a hill? It’s gonna feel like one of those weeks.

Some good news is coming down the pipeline, Sagittarius. You may not expect it, but embrace it with open arms.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Ever get that feeling you’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto? If so, you know the fish-out-of-water vibe you may experience later this week.

Start a creative project this week, Virgo. It doesn’t matter what, just start it and stick with it through to the end.

You’ll be rewarded for your hard work.

Don’t let frustration get the better of you, especially in the week ahead. Just take a deep breath and let cooler heads prevail.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

You will be governed by passion this week, Gemini. Deep-rooted desires and urges will rise to the fore, so get ready to go with the flow.

It would be best to expect the unexpected this week, Libra. That way, you won’t be caught of guard when the strangeness starts.

When’s the last time you went out and got wild, Aquarius?

This week is as good as any for some fun. It’s time to cut loose.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

A friend with problems may confide in you this week, Cancer. Do whatever you can to help them, but try to keep your opinions to yourself.

Expect delays this week, Scorpio.

Like, everywhere. In traffic, at work, in your private life. It’s time to learn the art of patience.

Feeling rejected lately, Pisces?

No worries — this could lead to greater things. Remember: rejection from society is what created the X-Men.

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

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