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Issue #86 – July 12 to July 18
Elliott Brood ten years on
regarding henry Henry Woolf talks plays, pals + Pinter please stare Video installation billboards challenge perception pacific rim + the sapphires Films reviewedÂ
Photo: courtesy of vanessa heins
contents
NEWs + Opinion
jockeying for first The dangers and delight of professional horse racing. 3 / Local
regarding henry The legendary Henry Woolf. 4 / Local
On the cover:
elliott brood
Reflects on the past decade. 10 / cover
a bright idea Our thoughts on smart meters. 6 / Editorial
comments Here’s what you had to say about vaccinating children. 7 / comments
Photo: courtesy of Vanessa Heins
culture
Q + A with jordie lane Oz singer heads to America. 8 / Q + A
please stare
italy in the city
Billboard video installations question purpose of art. 9 / Arts
We visit Taste of Tuscony. 12 / Food + Drink
west of hell
Music
NZ metal band finds their footing in Canada. 9 / Arts
Megadeth, Jenny Berkel + Young Galaxy. 13 / music
entertainment
listings Local music listings for July 12 through July 20. 14 / listings
pacific rim + the sapphires The latest movie reviews. 16-17 / Film
verbnews.com @verbregina facebook.com/verbregina
on the bus Weekly original comic illustrations by Elaine M. Will. 18 / comics
Nightlife Photos
Games + Horoscopes
We visited Pure. 15 / Nightlife
Canadian criss-cross puzzle, horoscopes, and Sudoku. 19 / timeout
Editorial
ART & Production
Business & Operations
contact
Publisher / Parity Publishing Editor in Chief / Ryan Allan Managing Editor / Jessica Patrucco staff Writers / Adam Hawboldt + Alex J MacPherson contributing writer / victoria abraham
Design Lead / andrew yanko Designer / Brantin fix Contributing Photographers / baily eberle, Adam Hawboldt, maxton priebe + alex j macpherson
Office Manager / Stephanie Lipsit account Manager / kerri senkow sales Manager / Vogeson Paley Financial Manager / Cody Lang
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local
Jockeying for position
Photos: courtesy of Krista carignan
Saskatchewan jockey Krista Carignan is no stranger to injury ... or winning by ADAM HAWBOLDT
M
arquis Downs is quiet. It’s race day morning, 9:30 a.m. The stands are empty. No screaming gamblers, no last minute bets. Just the sound of horses neighing and a warm breeze wafting through the air. Over by the stalls, the odd trainer or handler mills around. Horses walk around in circles tied to a yellow merry-goround contraption, what people in the business call a hot walker. It’s been around five hours since the horses have been fed, three and a half since the first jockeys arrived. Well, most jockeys. Unlike the others, Krista Carignan shows up late on race days. Her daughter goes to day care, so instead of showing up at 6 a.m. she arrives at the track around 8 a.m, then goes through her routine. She checks on the people she’s riding for, tries to organize things so she ends up with the horses best suited for her and the races they’re running. When this is settled, Carignan familiarizes herself with the horses she’ll be riding — she jogs some, gallops others. Just to get a feel. In less than 12 hours time, this will come in handy.
The gates crack open and the horses take off like a shot. Hooves pound the ground, wet dirt spits up from under their weight. Any jockey worth their salt will tell you this is one of the most important parts of the race. Beforehand, before you even get on the
horse, you have to look at the racing form to check out the competition, horses and jockeys. “Then, when the gate opens, you’re using your peripheral vision,” says Carignan. “You want to know who is going where. You’re thinking: should I be in front of this horse? How’s my horse running? Can I get up to that spot fast enough to get in a good position?” In Carignan’s first race of the night, the horse she’s riding — a filly out of Kentucky by the name of Northern Brandy — comes out of the gates strong. She’s running second. But it’s only a matter of seconds before she pulls away and starts setting the pace. Around the turn they go. Northern Brandy is running smooth and fast, Carignan is crouched in a squat above the horse’s withers, up on the balls of her feet, her weight balanced on her inside three toes. At the halfway point she’s ahead by two lengths. She maintains her lead down the straight and finishes well clear of the rest of the pack — fourand-a-half lengths ahead of the field. It’s Carignan’s fourth win of the season, which puts her fourth on the Marquis Downs’ money list to date. But make no mistakes about it. Even though Carignan makes it look easy on this given evening, getting to the winner’s circle is no easy task.
In horse racing, getting injured is an inevitability. “In 2010 I got on a real good injury streak,” says Carignan,
who was racing in Ontario at the time. “I broke my foot, sprained my ankle real, real bad. But I rode with it. If you’re injured and you can keep riding, you do it.” That same year, Carignan broke her nose and snapped her collarbone. “The collarbone happened in Toronto,” she says, the scar from the accident still visible near her right shoulder. “A lot of times older horses will pull up if they hurt themselves in a race because they can feel it, whereas younger horses have more adrenaline, they’re more inexperienced, so they just keep running. The two-year-old I was riding was running so hard her leg literally flew off.” Back then, back before Carginan took a break from racing to give birth to her daughter, injuries weren’t the only thing she had to contend with. “I used to have to worry about my weight, too,” says Carignan. “I was a good five to 10 pounds heavier than I am now, so I’d have to cut. On some days I’d only have a half a cup of black coffee in the morning. If I didn’t have to lose too much, maybe I’d have a bit of oatmeal or a hard-boiled egg.” Then Carignan would bundle up and get on the horses — she could sweat out about two-and-a-half pounds that way. Then she’d go for a run to get the rest of it off before her first weigh-in. If that didn’t work she’d sit in a sauna for 20 minutes to lose the last little bit. These days she doesn’t have to worry about that, though. Since having her daughter she runs, she skips, she
goes through routines she learned from a personal trainer. Some days, she does a CrossFit workout. “A lot of the guys don’t have to do that. They just have to run to maintain their weight and leg strength,” says Carignan. “But as a girl you sort of have to work harder to be as strong as the other riders. If your legs and core aren’t strong enough you’re going to look sloppy and that will affect how your horse runs.” Yet for all the hard work Carignan does to compete with the rest of the field, she can’t win every race. And as the racing at Marquis Downs comes to
a close, she finishes fourth in the last race of the evening atop a horse named Money Baron. No matter, though. By the time next weekend rolls around, Carignan will have put this race out of her mind and be ready to go again. Racing towards the winner’s circle.
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Photo: courtesy of Adam Hawboldt / verb magazine
Regarding Henry
Henry Woolf talks about his famous friends, the theatre and the Second World War by adam hawboldt
A
sk Henry Woolf about when his interest in the theatre began, and chances are he’ll tell you it all started when he left his native England in 1956 to be an exchange student in America. He’ll tell you about American hospitality and about how the phone was always ringing, invitations to social events always being extended his way. “I was never alone,” he’ll say. “Then I discovered that on the stage the phone can’t ring, people can’t ask you to go places. It’s the most marvelous thing. It’s like being a secret agent in your own life.
You’re in the bubble. It was wonderful.” But talk to Henry Woolf long enough, let his mind sift back through the ever-shifting sands of his life, and a new starting point eventually emerges. He’ll jump through space and time, to back before he became an icon of avant-garde theatre in Britain, back before he meet his wife or his dear friend Harold Pinter (the Nobel Prize-winning playwright) to a cold evening in February of 1945. It was the twilight of the Second World War. The Nazi army, in its death throes, were hammering English cities with V-1 flying bombs. “I was 15 years old,”
remembers Woolf, “and I went to the theatre during a heavy air raid with my parents to see a performance of Arms and the Man. These 2,000-pound bombs were exploding outside and the theatre was shaking. Plaster was falling from the walls.” Woolf pauses for a moment, sways his arms languidly in front of him, and says, “There was a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling and it was swinging, back and forth. Back and forth.” Whenever a bomb would explode, rattling the theatre, the chandelier would swing and the great Sir Laurence Olivier — who Continued on next page »
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was on stage playing the part of Sergius Saranoff — would pause and wait for the explosions to subside. Then Olivier, in his unmistakable voice, would reiterate one of Sergius’ famous lines — “I never apologize” — before picking up where the play had left off. “Maybe it’s because of Olivier I went into the theatre,” admits Woolf. “It was so much more exciting and magical than real life. It was all the good bits. It really stayed with me. Coriolanus got it right: the world is elsewhere.” The world is elsewhere. A profound concept and, whether intentional or not, a motif that has governed most of Woolf’s professional life.
what I knew about him: he was born in England but now lives in Saskatoon; he taught drama at the University of Saskatchewan; he was the artistic director of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan; he was the childhood friend and longtime collaborator of Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter; he directed Pinter’s first play, The Room; and he has appeared in movies and on stage alongside the likes of Peter O’Toole, Richard Pryor, Susan Sarandon, Anthony Hopkins, Katharine Hepburn,
surveillance and Franz Kafka. He recites poems he wrote years ago verbatim, and slips into and out of accents with ease when discussing different British vernaculars. Woolf also talks about the famous people he’s worked with. On Peter O’Toole: “I was cast in The Lion in Winter because I knew Peter. He used to invent these jobs for his friends. I was only there to keep him company.” On Orson Welles, with whom he acted in the Chimes at Midnight:
I’m 83…but that doesn’t slow you down … as long as you can remember your lines. henry woolf
“Would you like a wine gummy?” asks Woolf as I sit down at a table in his living room. Behind him, on the windowsill, miniature tea cups are arranged in orderly fashion. The walls of the room are lined with paintings of landscapes and nature. On the mantle to his left a small clock is ticking. Outside the sun is shining, and a lady is walking her dog down the street past Woolf’s quaint Saskatchewan abode. Reaching across the table, Woolf hands me a shot glass filled with wine gummies and asks, “So what do you want to know?” Excellent question. Before I sat down to chat with Woolf, here’s
Orson Welles and, yes, even Sir Laurence Olivier. That was it. When chatting with a man who has seen and done so much, and rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous actors and writers of the 20th century, the tendency is to want to know everything. So I ask broad, unpointed questions. Woolf responds with long, articulate, stimulating stories. Stories about America’s pre-civil war cotton industry, about the Education Act of 1944 and the ensuing shift in British culture, about Big Brother, modern-day government
“He was a real genius. He said to me one day, ‘If all the theatres in the world closed tomorrow, Henry, not only would nobody care, but nobody would notice.’ He was a brilliant, brilliant fellow.” And then there are the stories about Harold Pinter. The two met as students while attending the Hackney Downs School. They became fast friends and ended up collaborating on Pinter’s plays for the next 60 years or so. “When Pinter’s first full-length play came out the critics tore it apart,” remembers Woolf. “They
wanted to destroy him because he introduced a new theatrical language. A language that didn’t bother to explain itself. One person called it ‘comedy of menace.’ And they’re right. Harold’s plays were funny and menacing. They were all set indoors and you’re always wondering: who is on the other side of that wall? Who is going to knock on the door.” As if on cue, footsteps come from somewhere behind me. Woolf’s kitchen maybe. I’m assuming it’s his wife, Susan, but I can’t be sure. “People really had it out for Harold,” Woolf continues, “and he said ‘f**k them’ and kept writing his plays.” And while Woolf doesn’t mind talking about his famous friends and colleagues, his real interest lies in discussing the theatre — its essence and its ethos.
Now an octogenarian, Henry Woolf is still active in the Saskatchewan theatre scene. Earlier this year, in fact, he starred as Davies in Pinter’s play The Caretaker, which was staged at Persephone Theatre. “I’m 83 years old, but that doesn’t slow you down … as long as you can remember your lines” jokes Woolf. “You’re much more employable at 83. At 23, there are thousands of people out for your job. By the time you’re my age, most of your competition is dead.”
Woolf’s voice boils over with passion when he mentions the stage. When he talks about cutting his acting chops in the avant-garde theatre of the ‘60s, performing shows everywhere from attics to basements to theatres, a sparkle dances in Woolf’s eye. “I was terribly lucky to be involved in that type of theatre, in new theatre,” he beams. “We weren’t afraid to experiment, to illuminate old text. When we did Shakespeare we attempted to rediscover him or reinterpret or refresh his works. It’s no good doing it the way it’s always been done.” From behind me, the footsteps approach the living room again before moving back through the hallway towards the kitchen, and Woolf is saying, “The world actors live in isn’t necessarily the literal world. That’s one of the issues for people who inhabit both worlds. The theatre differentiates you, sets you apart.” This is the way Woolf has lived most of his life. One foot in the real world, the other in the world of the stage. For a large part of his existence his life truly has been elsewhere.
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A bright idea Switching to smart meters makes environmental and economical sense
G
o outside and take a look at the electrical meter on the side of your house. Chances are it’ll be one of the old-fashioned analog meters found on most residences in these parts. But it looks like all that’s soon going to change. You see, SaskPower and SaskEnergy are looking to replace approximately 500,000 of these devices around the province with new smart meters. The Advanced Metering Infrastructure project is moving ahead in Regina and there’s been talk about the same happening in Saskatoon. And while opponents of smart meters have been pretty vocal recently about alleged health and safety issues associated with the devices, we believe that a usage-based system of monitoring energy consumption is a great idea that offers both economic and environmental benefits. What’s a smart meter, you ask? Well, it’s a device that records, in numerous intervals throughout the day, your consumption of electricity. This information is then sent back to the utility company, where it’s monitored and billed. Instead of having your meters read every three months, thus having most of your bills be guesses at your usage (with the occasional ‘correction’ for better or worse), smart meters provide an accurate reading of the amount of power you’ve actually used, allowing for equally accurate utility bills. And while we think paying for the energy you actually use is a great thing, not everyone agrees. In fact, many people in British Columbia and Quebec (two of the provinces that use smart meters) are unhappy with these new devices. So what are some of their primary concerns? Well, in both places resi-
of them starting fires, though that theory was also debunked. Len Garis, fire chief of Surrey, BC, and Joseph Clare, an analyst for the Surrey Fire Service, compared the number of fires in the year before smart meters were installed, and the two years after, and found that there was no increase at all. Smart meters are safe, and thanks to their more accurate readings, these devices have the potential to be both economically and environmentally beneficial. Smart meters can allow you to use your power resources more efficiently by adjusting your power-usage habits to lower your electrical bills as you see fit. With the old metering system, you really have no way of knowing whether that new air conditioner you just bought is a real energy hog, for example. With the new devices, you can actually pay attention
dents claim that the new meters are a serious health risk because they emit a dangerous radio frequency, which detractors claim have been making people sick. But you know what? Those fears are unfounded. Health Canada even conducted a study and found that: “The amount of energy absorbed depends largely on how close your body is to a smart meter. Unlike cellular phones, where the transmitter is held close to the head … RF energy from smart meters is typically transmitted at a much greater distance from the human body. This results in very low RF exposure levels across the entire body, much like exposure to AM or FM radio broadcast signals.” And just in case that wasn’t clear enough, Rob Stirling, an engineer in B.C., conducted an experiment to see if Health Canada was telling the truth.
Smart meters can allow you to use your power resources more efficiently… verb magazine
to the numbers and use them to make reality-based decisions about your own power use. And this can have real-world economic benefits: specifically, savings for you, the consumer. You see, one of the first smart meter rollouts occurred between 2001 and 2006 in Italy, resulting in an estimated 40 million smart meters being put into use in the country. Enel, an Italian utility company, estimates that customers with smart meters are saving up to 50% on their energy bills, for a combined annual savings of $750 million.
At the request of the CBC, he went to a busy street in downtown Vancouver to test the levels of RF emissions, which he compared to a bank of smart meters on full blast. The results: the smart meters gave off no more RF emissions than what a person would be exposed to walking down the street. Though the imagined health effects of radio frequency emissions seem to be the main concern opponents of smart meters have, it isn’t the only one. Some are also opposed to installing the devices over concerns
Consumers can also save a little cash by working their energy usage around peak use times. You see, power companies can charge less for using power when it’s not in high demand (like overnight). So by modifying a few habits — like running your dishwasher or dryer overnight rather than during the day — consumers can save money without even changing the total amount of power they use or making any huge sacrifices in lifestyle. And using less energy offers a green bonus as well. In fact, in 2009 a Minnesota cooperative utility, Connexus Energy, used information from smart meters to provide its customers with monthly data on how much energy they used in comparison to their neighbours. The result: over the
course of a year consumers reduced their overall energy consumption by 2%, an annual savings to the consumer of around $30. Whatever your motivation, smart meters provide you with the tools to be more in control of the energy you use, and are the way to a greener, and more cost-effective, future. These editorials are left unsigned because they represent the opinions of Verb magazine, not those of the individual writers. Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
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On Topic: Last week we asked what you thought about immunizing children. Here's what you had to say:
– Conspiracy theorists have been blindly ignoring the information you provided about vaccines for years and doubt you’l change their mind but good point.
text yo thoughtsur to 881 vE R b 8372
Powered by the crew at moga mobile
one it would freak me out so much. But maybe that would pass – Exactly: vaccinations don’t just protect the kids that get them but the other people they’re around. Why this is something that even needs to be said in 2013 is beyond me. Ignorance and jenny mccarthy are to blame i guess. Wake up people!
– How dare you suggest that a parent’s personal choice for their children’s health be up to you/any one else to decide. We have no idea of all the ingredients in a vaccine nor their long term effects. You should not be promoting such a position unless you are a doctor and know what your talking about.
– Excellent point on vaccination. These have been proven, time and again, to be an effective and safe method of protection. It’s disgusting that there are instances of these diseases that we can actually control, popping up again. Irresponsible people!
– Vaccines for kids is a good and responsible thing to do, that the medical community strongly strongly recommends. Shouldn’t even be a question at this point.
– Vaccine your kids it’s stupid and irresponsible not to.
In response to “Passing into nothingness,” Local, #85 (July 5, 2013)
sound off – When you willfully harm another human do you know what this makes you? Do you know what you lose? Payback starts long before you go to hell!
– Reach out and touch a hand. Make a friend if you can.
– A bad shoemaker’s assistant was given the boot.
– The grass is greener right where you are. You just have to take care of it.
– If i hear one more person complain about the hot weather/rainy weather/mosquitos/bad drivers etc I’m gona lose my mind its Saskatchewan deal
– People! DO NOT leave your animals in your cars in this hot weather! Even 20 minutes can be too much. If you see an animal in a locked car call the SPCA or animal control asap you could save a life
OFF TOPIC – Those float tanks sound terrifying I don’t know if I could get in
– What do you think happens to us when we die? Stardust? Kind of cool.
– With all the grabass in the Rider locker room you’d think they’d Catch a football
– Climbing up out of the most difficult thing I’ve ever been through and achieving amazing new goals. Life is good :) Hope you’re having an amazing day!
– Nothin better than hanging out in a park with the family on a hot summer’s day, and a group of wasted teens sits right beside you, smoking weed and being obnoxious and then you realize you were them at one point and you feel old and lame.
– CRAVEN WOOOOT WOOOOT! Can’t wait to see y’all there and to see the dixie Chicks eeeeee! Lol
– Craven is going to be amazing this year so many great shows to see. Love goin country!
– JayZ’s new album is AMAZING he is a true genius best guy in the game these days
– LETS GO RIDERS BLEEDIN GREEN YAH :D:D:D
– To everyone impacted by the rail accident in Lac-Megantic our thoughts and prayers are with you. What an absolute devastation
– Maybe if we stopped relying so much on oil then they wouldn’t be carting it across this freaking country by train.
– Praying for those in Quebec affected by the train blast. What a horrible, senseless accident. Shouldn’t be focussing on big oil, etc at a time like this: let’s look to the victims and their families before we start screaming about Big Oil have some respect.
– I HATE the sound of air conditioners running so annoying.
Next week: What do you think of installing smart meters in Saskatchewan? Pick up 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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Photos: courtesy of the artist
Jordie Lane on his new live album and moving to North America by Alex J MacPherson
W
hen Jordie Lane moved from Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles, one of the first things he did was spend a night in Room 8 at the Joshua Tree Motel — the room where Gram Parsons died in 1973. Hugely influenced by Parsons, as well as a raft of other American songwriters, Lane has been writing songs and performing for years. His move to North America was an attempt to broaden his horizons, as well as commune with his heroes. It worked. Lane’s last studio album, Blood Thinner, was released in 2011, and he is currently touring Canada in support of a live record. Stripped-down and raw, Live At The Wheaty demonstrates the power of Lane’s songs, each one a compelling mix of fingerpicked guitar hooks and his Springsteen-esque voice, as well as his ability to forge deep connections with audiences around the world. I caught up with Lane in Los Angeles to learn more about Live At The Wheaty. Alex J MacPherson: What prompted you to record a live album, and why did you choose to do it at a small hotel in Adelaide? Jordie Lane: It was just a spur of the moment thing. The lady doing the sound at our show requested
mances, is how much you engage with the crowd, telling stories and jokes, and talking with them. It feels very raw.
that she could record it, just for the hotel’s archives. It had been a really good tour, and weird, crazy things were starting to happen at shows — a lot of interaction with the audience. When we got the tape back, we were surprised — it sounded really good, and this whole weird scenario of these characters building throughout the show, we wanted to share that with people. It’s a real representation of what I do live. AJM: Did that take some of the pressure off, not knowing it was going to be a record?
JL: That’s all we wanted. There was probably a very small amount of me rambling on talking that we edited out, but that’s the whole show live basically, and that’s what we wanted. This is fun, and it was easy because I was happy with the performance and we had all the stories there, too. I love telling stories. It was all there and we mixed it and said, yeah, let’s put it out in Canada.
JL: The beauty of this really was that it wasn’t set up. If I’d known we were making a live record, I would
AJM: Your music has been deeply influenced by a generation of American songwriters. What do
It had been a really good tour, and weird, crazy things were starting to happen… jordie lane
you as an Australian songwriter bring to the culture of songwriters in North America?
have put a big amount of pressure on myself, and I probably would have performed really tentatively. There’s a couple of wrong guitar chords, but they become part of the joke with the audience and all that stuff. It’s a really free expression of what I am and my songs, and it really needs to be that: that’s how they were originally written.
JL: Well, a good song seems to get across any cultural or lingual boundary. Music is universal. Definitely growing up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne has shaped the way I am and the way I think and the way I write songs. Definitely the sound of what I do has been heavily influenced by North
AJM: One thing that stands out, besides the solid songs and perfor-
American blues and country music, but the way I think about the world is still very much from my home. There is that fear that everything’s starting to get homogenized, but I hope that moving to the U.S. helps strengthen my knowing where I came from. AJM: Will the experience of having done Live At The Wheaty change the way you approach the follow-up to Blood Thinner, when it comes out? JL: To be honest, I didn’t think about it all going into making these two mini-albums that I’ve produced. One over in Nashville, which is a bit more of a traditional live band with barely any overdubs.
I guess in a sense it is more like that, but maybe it was a subconscious thing that that record was made like that, but I wasn’t really thinking about it at all. The second one is completely different. It’s very textured and layered-up — the opposite end of the spectrum to the live record as well. Jordie Lane July 20 @ Artful Dodger $TBD
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please stare
Video installations on billboards question the meaning and purpose of art
I
n 2007, the Washington Post asked Joshua Bell, one of the finest violinists in the world, to busk in a subway station. The newspaper wondered whether passersby could separate the extraordinary from the ordinary. A disguised Bell made just $32; most people didn’t spare a second glance for the man playing Bach’s “Chaconne.” This idea forms the heart of Please Stare, an exhibition of video art across Saskatoon and Regina. John G. Hampton, an artist and curator from Regina, has been thinking about subversive public art since display monitors appeared on the University of Regina campus. “I remember a lot of people I know being pretty upset with that,” he recalls. “At some time, just as an offhand comment, I said, ‘Why not put video art up on those and take advantage of them?’” Please Stare features video installations by seven Canadian artists,
including Jon Sasaki, Lee Henderson, and Dana Claxton. Displayed on video billboards across Regina and Saskatoon, the works are interspersed with advertisements. And because they are removed from the context of a gallery, the relationships between artist, viewer, the space, and the work itself are unclear. “The idea is to hopefully alter the billboard space, to give a different outlook on the ads that are surrounding these pieces,” explains Hampton, who organized the exhibition with Regina’s Neutral Ground and Saskatoon’s AKA Gallery. “Because they’re not identified as artworks, the people who aren’t aware that Please Stare is even going on see these pieces amongst the general rotation. It maybe doesn’t register for awhile — and then they start to wonder what’s going on, why it’s there.” Please Stare raises important questions about the capitalist system
by alex J MacPherson
Photo: courtesy of John G. Hampton
1. Hadley + Maxwell, Please Stare.
in which most art is created and displayed. But it is also an examination of the way we see the world. By inserting unusual works of art into the normal cycle of advertisements, Hampton hopes to disrupt routine. Please Stare is meant to subvert our ambivalence to advertisements, and create a moment of consciousness in a stream of passivity. Please Stare Through Aug 9 @ various locations More info @ neutralground.sk.ca
From Auckland To Vancouver, And Beyond
New Zealand metal band West of Hell find their groove in Canada
M
oving across the world, from New Zealand to North America, is never easy. There are a thousand considerations, from finding a place to live to learning how to drive on the right side of the road. But for the members of West of Hell, a heavy metal band from Auckland, the decision to move to Vancouver was the right one — and it unfolded exactly as they expected. “It’s not easy to uproot your life and move away from your family just to play metal,” Sean Parkinson, who plays guitar in the group, admits in an e-mail. “We left NZ as an instrumental four-piece with the intention of finding a vocalist. To be honest, it was a little unnerv-
ing playing our first few shows in Vancouver. There are a lot of good bands on the scene. We knew we had to stand out if we were going to find the right frontman.” After settling in Vancouver, the band, which also includes Ivan Vrdoljak, Andrew Hulme, and Jordan Kemp, crossed paths with Chris Valagao, formerly of the band Zimmers Hole. The connection was immediate. Within a year, West of Hell had recorded an album and taken their show on the road. Canadian metal fans were quick to embrace the fusion of new and old that defines Spiral Empire, as well as the band’s enthusiastic live performances. According to Parkinson, the group’s sound is a reflection of
by alex J MacPherson
their influences. The band members grew up listening to seminal metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Megadeth and Pantera, but the harder edge of modern metal has also worked its way into their sound. Spiral Empire feels like an attempt to capture the history of metal music on one album. But Parkinson is reluctant to make any such sweeping statements. “We definitely fit into a new category,” he writes, “but it’s too soon to label it. Sometimes you need a bit of time to reflect upon something before you can see what it is.” What doesn’t require reflection, on the other hand, is the staggering power of the band’s live show. Featuring heavy doses
Photo: courtesy oF schovanekphotography.com
of pyrotechnical guitar playing, dramatic vocals from Valagao, and the omnipresent thunder of Hulme’s drumming, the band’s live show is a spectacle — and proof that their decision to move across the world and land in Canada was the right one.
West of Hell July 22 @ The Exchange $TBD Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com
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ten years of elliott brood
Toronto alt-country heroes reissue their first album, hit the road a
I
n early 2004, an unknown band from Toronto called Elliott Brood released a six-song EP titled Tin Type. Drawing on elements of folk, country, and early rock and roll, the album emerged as a twentyminute blast of raucous acoustic guitars, rollicking banjos, and whiskey-soaked vocals. Because it was recorded in just two days, and because the band were on fire after a string of rowdy shows in small bars, Tin Type sounded fractious and raw — a reflection of the band’s boisterous live performances rather than a polished studio album. None of the members of Elliott Brood — Mark Sasso, Stephen Pitkin, and Casey Laforet — expected much from the record; they certainly didn’t think it would change the course of their lives. But today, almost ten years later, they are preparing to reissue Tin Type, along with several new recordings of songs from the same period. Over the last decade, Elliott Brood has played hundreds of shows, toured the country more than thirty times, earned a place on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist, and won a Juno Award — all because of Tin Type. “It was such a special record for us because we kind of did it as a demo,” explains Casey Laforet, who plays guitar and trades vocal duties
with Sasso. “The original purpose was to try and get shows. We sent them out initially just to get shows around Toronto, to get a bit of work and to develop our sound.” After releasing Tin Type, each copy of which was packaged in a handmade paper
band packed their gear and drove straight through. The show sparked a glut of touring, hundreds of long days on the road and late nights in cramped bars, which has lasted for almost ten years. “It was the start, it was the first-born,” Laforet says of
In the early days, we had a lot of fun. We had a lot of whiskey and we played to our friends. Casey Laforet
bag, luck intervened. Phil Klygo, cofounder of the independent folk label Weewerk, heard the record. “He was the first guy to jump on board and really send it out to people,” Laforet recalls, “and it got us on tour. ‘Oh, Alberta’ is on that record, and that was definitely the first song that put us on the map with people.” Perhaps because “Oh, Alberta” figured prominently into the arc of the album, but more likely because Tin Type was an extremely strong debut, the band started finding venues in the west. The first club to book them was in Lethbridge, a daunting two thousand mile drive from Toronto. But instead of complaining or finding a venue closer to home, the
Tin Type. “It got us on the road and we never looked back.” Since releasing Tin Type, Elliott Brood has become an integral part of the Canadian music scene. Fans across the country count on them to release engaging albums and deliver enthusiastic live performances. In 2011, the band released their fourth studio record, Days Into Years. Inspired by a trip to the Étaples Military Cemetery, the record addressed the prospect of growing old, and the inevitable changes that come with the growth of a family. (All three band members have kids). Unlike its predecessors, which relied on acoustic instruments, Days Into Years was shaped by the thick Continued on next page »
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Photo: courtesy of vanessa heins
again
by Alex J MacPherson
sound of Laforet’s Fender Telecaster Deluxe. The electric guitar added a new dimension to the band, imbuing the most personal songs the group had ever written with additional depth and weight. Earlier this year, the record won the Juno Award for
Photo: courtesy of vanessa heins
best roots and traditional album. But the band wasn’t in Regina to accept the trophy. “It was our third nomination, so we didn’t really expect anything,” Laforet says with a laugh. “The first two times I think we were kind of excited. And then it didn’t happen — no big deal. Then we were actually playing a show in Quebec City when we found out.” Laforet is quick to point out that he sees the award as a tribute to everybody who has helped the band, from their earliest supporters to the people who continue to buy tickets today. “The word independent is used a lot, but obviously there’s a lot of people that help a band like
ourselves get where we’re going,” he says. Listening to Days Into Years, which includes the Crazy Horseesque anthem “If I Get Old” and the gentle country weeper “Northern Air,” demonstrates how far the band has come since they recorded Tin Type. “You learn all these things over recording and playing all these different places, and I think the recordings reflect that as well,” Laforet muses. “There’s a little bit more knowledge, and probably a little bit more money, involved. I mean, we did the first record for something like $700.” But Days Into Years is also a reminder that some things never change. The songs on Tin Type sound jagged and raw, but they remain a vital part of the band’s repertoire — mostly because tracks like the fractious “Oh, Alberta” and the menacing “Edge Of Town” are as good as anything the group has ever written. This is important, because Elliott Brood are at their best on stage, under the lights. In the beginning, before Tin Type was recorded, nobody in the band expected to play to more than a few dozen people. Laforet realized the band was gathering momentum when strangers started showing up. “In the early days, we had a lot of fun,” he laughs. “We had a lot of whiskey and we played to our friends. Our
friends just kept coming back, and then they brought other people. I don’t remember the exact moment, but I felt like, ‘wow, people are really into what we’re doing and they’re coming to see us over and over again.’” People were drawn to the band’s earliest shows for the same reason they keep coming back today: the members of Elliott Brood understand that making music is about more than just playing the notes. Because Laforet is notorious for breaking guitar strings, and because Sasso’s first banjo refused to stay in tune for more than a few minutes, the band was often confronted by dead air. They dealt with it by engaging with the crowd. From the very beginning, Elliott Brood shows have been characterized by a barrage of stories, jokes, and anecdotes coming from the stage. When they weren’t beating on their instruments and howling into their microphones, they did their best to break down the barrier between the stage and the crowd. “We definitely focused on the fact that we want people to have an awesome time at our shows, and if that involves talking to them or whatever, that’s what we do,” Laforet laughs. “It might have come out of necessity in the early years of just having to fill in time for
dead air — but it’s something we’ve crafted pretty well, I think.” This summer, the band will embark on yet another tour of the country. Laforet has lost count of just how many times he and his bandmates have driven from one end of Canada to the other, but estimates that the total number is close to forty. This time, they will take the opportunity to play some of the clubs they played on their first tour. “We’ve played a lot of these places many times,” he says, “but there are a few smaller ones we’ve obviously grown out of that we get to go back to this time. Those are the most fun shows.” And while fans of the band have never yearned to hear the songs
on Tin Type, mostly because they get played every single night, this tour promises to sum up a decade of music from one of Canada’s hardest-working bands — and point inexorably toward another ten years on the road.
Elliott Brood July 24 @ Artful Dodger $TBD
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Photos courtesy of Maxton Priebe
Italy in the heart of the city
Taste of Tuscany serves the kind of Italian you’d normally need a plane ticket to experience by victoria Abraham
I
could talk about the gnocchi for days. A piping hot plateful of savoury potato dumplings I could actually taste the potato in, smothered with a perfect ratio of thick, distinctly spicy rosé sauce with thinlysliced mushrooms … mamma mia! The first forkful was so sinfully delicious it instantly made me forget about all the other gnocchi I’ve ever had.
practical simplicity is quickly made inconsequential by a single cursory glance at the menu. Beautiful Italian words and a nicely sized wine list dance on the
Judging by its appearance, Taste of Tuscany gives no indication of the incredible, authentic Italian dishes waiting to be devoured on the inside. It is inconspicuous from the outside, located in a renovated two-storey house with a tiny porch and an awning proclaiming its name. The inside is decidedly humble, with plastic covered chairs, white tablecloths, a small bar, and fake flowers. However, this
Her passion is evident not only in the food, but in her growing customer base and the fact that eight months ago, Singh and her husband opened Trattoria Italiana, a downtown spot
And that’s just a tiny snippet of a menu full of made-from-scratch [items].
cheese and a non-complicated flavour. I then eyed the basket full of homemade crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside salty and buttery bread, willing my stomach to have the space for one more roll. It was to no avail; I was too full and too satisfied, which are both excellent feelings to have after a meal. Taste of Tuscany 2167 Hamilton St | 306 205 8401
VIctoria abraham
pages, igniting the hungry imagination: pollo pizzaiola (a chicken dish with Parmesan, capers, tomato sauce and vegetables), spaghetti bolognese, insalata caprese (a salad with lettuce, tomato, bocconcini mozzarella, olive oil and oregano) and calzone Tuscany stuffed with mozzarella, tomato sauce, mushrooms and ham. And that’s just a tiny snippet of a menu full of made-from-scratch ravioli, pizza, tortellini, and fettuccine with ingredients imported from Italy. Even the tomato sauce is made in-house from Italian tomatoes. “Otherwise it would taste just like food here,” said chef and coowner Harpreet Singh. Originally from the Punjab region of Pakistan, Singh and her husband Nachhattar spent 25 years in the Tuscan region where they trained as chefs before moving to Regina and opening Taste of Tuscany two years ago. “I love Italian food,” exclaimed Singh, becoming much more animated over discussions of rosé sauce.
with an Italian lunch buffet that’s quickly becoming a local favourite. After my gnocchi I tried the Italian Fresh Lasagna, a sprawling, meaty affair with fresh-tasting tomato sauce, thick mozzarella
Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina vabraham@verbnews.com
let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide red wine sangria
Ingredients
Nothing says summer quite like sangria, and nothing pairs quite so well as wine with scrumptious Italian dishes.
1 bottle of red wine 1 lemon, orange & lime, cut into wedges 2 tbsp of sugar splash of orange juice 2 shots of gin or triple sec 1 cup raspberries or strawberries 1 small can pineapple (with juice) 4 cups ginger ale
directions
Pour wine in pitcher; squeeze in lemon, orange and lime juice, then add the fruit wedges and pineapple. Add sugar, orange juice and gin or triple sec; chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. Enjoy!
12 July 12 – July 18 culture
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Next Week
coming up
Megadeth
Jenny Berkel
Young Galaxy
@ Brandt Centre Tuesday, July 23 – $48+
@ Creative City Centre Wednesday, July 24 – $10
@ The Exchange Thursday, September 19 – $12
Dave Mustaine, one of Megadeth’s founding members, is no stranger to controversy. Over the years he’s feuded with Metallica (since resolved), he once unknowingly dedicated “Anarchy in the U.K.” to the IRA in Northern Ireland, and has been sued by and counter-sued fellow Megadeth founding member, Dave Ellefson. Yet for all that, one thing remained stable with Megadeth — the kickass thrash mental sound they helped pioneer in the 1980s. Along with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, these guys were considered one of the “Big Four of Trash,” stomping the metal terra like veritable giants. Active since 1983, the band has sold over 50 million records worldwide, pumped out six consecutive platinum albums and garnered 11 Grammy nominations. Tickets through Ticketmaster.
Stark, haunting, sad and oh-sogood. That’s the best way to describe Jenny Berkel’s debut album, Here on a Wire. Consisting of emotion-fueled songs, the record traverses terrain that touches on everything from love to loss, wanderlust to heartbreak, and so much more. Accompanied by an arrangement of upright bass, french horn, cello, organ, slide guitar and percussion, this Ontario songstress’s voice, smokey and seductive, pushes the record deeper and deeper in your conscience with each passing song. When listened to it as a whole, Berkel’s album (produced by Matt Peters — Royal Canoe, The Waking Eyes) evokes dream-like images and the feel of a warm rainy day. She’ll be in Regina next week, sharing the stage with Belle Plaine and Robyn Koester.
It helps to know successful people. Back in the day, Stephen Ramsay was a touring guitarist with Canadian indie pop band, Stars. Fast forward a few years, and when Ramsay and his girlfriend Catherine McCandless created an indie-pop/dream-pop band called Young Galaxy, it wasn’t long before they were brought aboard Stars’ label, Arts & Crafts. But it wasn’t just an act of one group of friends helping out another. With a space-like, ethereal sound and soaring vocals from both McCandless and Ramsay, Young Galaxy have the goods to go a long way in the music industry. The kind of goods that makes the likes of The Besnard Lakes and Patrick Watson what to contribute to their albums. Don’t miss ‘em when they come here in the fall. Tickets at ticketedge.ca – By Adam Hawboldt
Photos courtesy of: the artist / the artist / the artist
Sask music Preview SaskMusic is launching an exciting new program: Music2Media. It will help artists and those in the industry distribute new music releases to media and industry personnel across Saskatchewan and beyond for review, airplay, licensing opportunities and more. For more information, call 1-800-347-0676 or visit www. saskmusic2media.com
Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org
13 July 12 – July 18 @verbregina
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interactive DJs as he drops some of the best country beats around. 8pm / Cover TBD
July 12 » July 20 M
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Friday 12
Kiss / Brandt Centre — Iconic rockers descend on the Queen City. 7:30pm / $95.25+ (ticketmaster.ca) Fringe Fest Fundraiser / Artesian on Nazareth / Casino Regina — Love 13th — Reggae-inspired guitar hurts, but seeing these rockers licks, followed by slam live doesn’t. 8pm / $35+ poet Rob Gee. 8pm (casinoregina.com) / $20 Kacy and ClayCravin’ Art ton / Creative Festival City Centre / Artful — A folk duo Dodger — A you gotta music and see. 7:30pm arts fest. / $10 Time and Holy Grail, tickets TBD Into EnterDJ Juan nity, SevLopez / Envy ered Legion kiss COURTESY OF aresauburn Nightclub — / The Exchange This DJ loves — A night of metal requests. 10pm / $5 madness. 8pm / $13 Absofunkinlutely / Mc(ticketedge.ca) Nally’s Tavern — Stubble funk, prairie Kiss concert after party / The disco and reggae rock all in one. Pump — Come on down and check it 10pm / $5 out after the show! 9pm / No cover with concert ticket
Saturday 13
The most complete live music listings for Regina. S
Tuesday 16
Cravin’ Art Festival / Artful Dodger — A music and arts fest. Time and tickets TBD DJ Juan Lopez / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s — 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 Absofunkinlutely / McNally’s Tavern — Stubble funk, prairie disco and reggae rock all in one. 10pm / $5 DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most
Monday 15
Wednesday 17
Open Mic Night / The Artful Dodger — Come down and jam! 8pm / No cover Monday Night Jazz & Blues / Bushwakker — Featuring The Jeff Mertick Blues Duo serving up spicy, Latintinged acoustic blues. 9pm / No cover
Wednesday Night Folk / Bushwakker Brewpub — Featuring The Rust Augers, some badass country rockers from Moose Jaw that will rock your socks off. 9pm / No cover
Pat Benetar / Casino Regina — A Grammy-winning rock songstress. 8pm / $60+ (casinoregina.com) Jam Night and Open Stage / McNally’s Tavern — Come on down and enjoy some local talent. 9pm / No cover
Thursday 18
doing his spinning thing every Friday night. 10pm / Cover TBD Sean Burns Band / McNally’s Tavern — A talented singer/songwriter from Ontario.10pm / $5 Diana Desjardins / Pump Roadhouse — This country songstress can really belt ‘em out. 9pm / Cover TBD Sonic Orchid / The Sip Nightclub — A hard-rocking local four-piece. 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 Chris Henderson / Whiskey Saloon — Doing country the way it’s meant to be done. 10pm / $10
Dafro / Casino Regina Summer Stage — Rock out at the F.W. Hill Mall on your lunch break. 12pm / No cover 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 Jordie Lane / some tunes, Artful Dodger sing some — Folk music songs, from Down and show Under. 8pm / Regina Cover TBD what you Reba McEngot. 8pm / tire / Brandt No cover Centre — One Smoke of the most sucJordie Lane Break / Mccessful female COURTESY OF the artist Nally’s Tavern recording artists — Come out and will be rolling through support local talent. Regina! 7:30pm / $49.50+ 8:30pm / $5 Kroovy Rockers, Zero Cool, Diana Desjardins / Pump Roadhouse Soiled Doves / The Club — Punk rock — This country songstress can really from Edmonton and here. 7:30pm / $10 belt ‘em out. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Juan Lopez / Envy Nightclub — DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off Come check out one of Regina’s most limits. 10pm / $5 interactive DJs as he drops some of the Sean Burns Band / McNally’s Tavern best country beats around. 8pm / — A talented singer/songwriter from Cover TBD Ontario.10pm / $5 Chris Henderson / Whiskey Saloon Diana Desjardins / Pump Roadhouse — Doing country the way it’s meant to — This country songstress can really be done. 10pm / $5 belt ‘em out. 9pm / Cover TBD Sonic Orchid / The Sip Nightclub — A hard-rocking local four-piece. 9pm / DJ Juan Lopez / Envy Nightclub — Cover TBD This DJ loves requests, nothing is off Chris Henderson / Whiskey Saloon limits. 10pm / $5 — Doing country the way it’s meant to DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s Martini & be done. 10pm / $10 Cocktail Club — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night that are sure to get you on the dance floor. 9pm / Get listed $5 cover Have a live show you'd like Big Chill Fridays / Lancaster Tapto promote? Let us know! house — Come out and get your weeklayout@verbnews.com end started with DJ Fatbot, who’ll be
Saturday 20
Friday 19
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saturday, july 6 @
pure
Pure Ultra Lounge 2044 Dewdney Avenue (306) 596 3633 Music vibe / Hip hop, techno &
dance music Featured deals / Select bottles
$99 in VIP cabanas Drink of Choice / Vodka specials
and Grey Goose
Check out our Facebook page! These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, July 19. facebook.com/verbregina
Photography by Bebzphoto
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Photo: Courtesy of warner bros. pictures
A classic summer blockbuster?
Pacific Rim a big summer movie with style by adam hawboldt
E
ver wonder when the concept of summer blockbusters began? You know, all those movies that Hollywood rolls out in the summer months full of eye-catching explosions, cool special effects and mindless entertainment.
making (arguably the best era in history), but it also kicked off the genre of movie we now know as the summer blockbuster. Thanks a lot, Star Wars! But really, though, it hasn’t been all bad. There have been some excellent summer blockbusters over the
Pacific Rim Guillermo del Toro Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day + Rinko Kikuchi Directed by
131 minutes | PG
But rest easy, movie fan. Guillermo del Toro’s new flick, Pacific Rim, isn’t one of the bad ones. In fact, it’s rather good. Sure, it’s mindless entertainment, sure, it borrows unabashedly from classic Japanese monster films of yore, and sure, all the archetypes from that genre are rehashed (nerdy scientist, unflinching leader, troubled hero, etc), but in del Toro’s capable hands, Pacific Rim is instilled with a certain panache, a certain style and humanity, that allows it to rise above the diurnal scum of your everyday summer blockbuster. The movie begins with a rumble between Kaiju (alien monsters that
…in del Toro’s capable hands, Pacific Rim is instilled with a certain panache… Adam Hawboldt
Well, I’m no authority on the subject, but to the best of my knowledge it all began in 1977 with this little movie called Star Wars. Yes, that Star Wars. Not only did this spectacular, new, effects-laden movie land the first death blow to ‘70s movie-
years: Jaws, The Dark Knight, Inception — all terrific films. But for every one of those, there have been dozens of terrible summer blockbusters: Battlefield Earth (arguably the worst movie of all time), Godzilla, Batman & Robin, Catwoman, Speed 2, Stealth … the list goes on.
come to Earth via a portal at the bottom of the ocean) and Jaegers (huge robots operated by human warriors who are telepathically linked to the machines). At the forefront of this battle are brothers Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam of Sons of Anarchy fame) and Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff.) Raleigh survives the battle, Yancy does not. Things happen, the Jaeger program is scrapped, and the Kaiju are free to stomp our earthly terra. Fast forward five years. The Jaeger program has gone underground and the leader of the project, Stacker Pentecost (The Wire’s Idris Elba) recruits Raleigh to come back and fight the Kaiju one last time. A final battle for Mother Earth, if you will. Raleigh agrees, but under one condition. His partner has to be a pretty young lady named Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). This is when the movie really starts to rock and roll.
Without giving too much away, let’s just say that several major coastal cities are decimated, monsters are flung through buildings, boats are used as weapons, and battles rage on land, sky and sea. And while Pacific Rim may not be for everybody (artsy, sophisticated movie-goers beware), there is enough eye-popping action, good acting, stylish set pieces, and interesting characters you will end up caring for to make this movie one of the better blockbusters you’ll see this year. So take a seat, grab a bag of popcorn, and enjoy.
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Photo: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Racism, the Vietnam War, and witty one-liners
The Sapphires may not be original, but it has great music, good acting and enough chuckles to keep you watching by adam hawboldt
O
ur story begins in the Australian Outback. The Cummeragunja Mission to be precise. The year is 1958, and a quartet of young Aboriginal girls are standing side by side on a makeshift stage, singing songs for their family. This is how The Sapphires begins, and the beginning is important, so don’t forget it.
There, while covering a Merle Haggard song, they meet a drunken Irish musician named Dave (Chris O’Dowd of Bridesmaids). The ladies don’t win the competition (the white townsfolk are way too racist for that to happen), but Dave sees potential in them. And when Cynthia shows him a newspaper ad calling for bands to audition for a touring gig in war-torn Vietnam, Dave decides to be
It isn’t the most original story [but] there’s enough warmth and honesty in the movie to make it good. Adam Hawboldt
The story then switches to the late 1960s. Three of the girls — sisters Gail (Deborah Mailman), Julie (Jessica Mauboy) and Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) — are all grown up and still living in Cummeragunja Mission. One day, they venture into town for a talent contest.
their manager and help the women get to where they want to go. But there’s a catch: if the sisters want Dave’s help, they have to stop singing country and western music (Dave loathes it) and start singing soul. The girls agree, and just before auditioning in Melbourne they reunite
The Sapphires Wayne Blair Starring Chris O’Dowd, Jessica Mauboy, Miranda Tapsell, Deborah Mailman + Shari Sebbens Directed by
99 minutes | PG
with their cousin, Kay (Shari Sebbens) to form a quartet. Remember when I told you not to forget the beginning of this movie? Well, here’s why. Kay was the fourth young girl on that makeshift stage. The light-skinned one. And back when the girls were younger, prior to Australia’s 1967 referendum, Aboriginals had zero civil rights. It was so bad that authorities were ordered to go into Aboriginal communities and take light-skinned children away from their families and place them in white foster homes to be raised “right.” Not long after we are introduced to the young girls, that’s exactly what happens. The authorities raid the family concert and take Kay away. In the years that pass she adapts to “white” life, and when the sisters come knocking on her door to see if
she wants to join them in Vietnam she refuses. Eventually she agrees, the four ladies audition, and they are asked to sing in Vietnam. Up to this point, the movie is a pretty good comedy, full of witty comebacks and zinging one-liners. But when the group touches down in Vietnam, all that changes. The film snaps, quick as a hiccup, from comedy to drama as the foursome witness the ravages of war firsthand. And that’s all I will say about the plot of the film. It isn’t the most original story you’ll ever see, nor is it overly inspiring. But there’s enough warmth and honesty in the movie to make it good. Oh, and unlike other dramedies, The Sapphires has a way of balancing
the comedy with tragedy that many movies don’t. Ostensibly, it’s a movie about racism and the Vietnam War, but underneath it all there’s a sense of hope and humour too large and good to be ignored. You don’t have to believe me, though. Go watch The Sapphires at the Regina Public Library and see for yourself. The Sapphires opens on July 18; see reginalibrary.ca for more info.
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Š Elaine M. Will | blog.E2W-Illustration.com | Check onthebus.webcomic.ws/ for previous editions!
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crossword canadian criss-cross
sudoku answer key
1. Scandinavian rugs 5. One’s own person 9. Velvety leather 10. States to be true 12. As a whole 13. One who makes an inappropriate display of learning 15. Cry out in pain 16. At most 18. Teen’s wish 19. Stretch, with ‘out’ 20. Covered with frost 21. Be fearless 22. Legislative meeting 24. Airplane seat choice
25. Units of a baseball game 27. Burn with hot water 30. Tall hairdo 34. Duck’s place 35. Piece of chewing tobacco 36. Extinct bird 37. Bristle-like appendage 38. Boot out 39. Roasting rod 40. Place to hide an ace 42. Monopoly purchases 44. Pitching stats 45. Don’t answer directly 46. Gave for a while 47. Still red, as a steak
. Red corundums 1 2. Loud communication 3. Bustle 4. Part of a newspaper 5. Overly sentimental 6. Former premier of Ontario 7. Called the shots 8. Noisy disturbance 9. Legless reptile 11. Angry growl 12. Rams’ mates 14. Arboreal animal’s home 17. Anthology 20. Orange cover
21. Antenna type 23. Young herring 24. Old-looking 26. Not any one 27. Health resorts 28. Hooded robes 29. Toughen glass 31. Interfere with 32. Curtain material 33. Snack food 35. Adventurous journey 38. Kitchen appliance 39. Part of a constellation 41. Adam’s wife 43. Eggs
A
B
2 6 8 7 1 3 9 5 4 7 9 1 4 6 5 8 2 3 5 3 4 2 9 8 1 7 6 1 5 2 3 4 9 6 8 7 3 8 6 1 5 7 4 9 2 9 4 7 8 2 6 5 3 1 6 7 9 5 3 1 2 4 8 8 2 5 6 7 4 3 1 9 4 1 3 9 8 2 7 6 5
DOWN
6 2 7 9 5 1 4 3 8 9 8 5 4 3 2 6 1 7 4 1 3 8 6 7 2 9 5 5 3 8 6 1 9 7 2 4 7 9 6 2 4 5 1 8 3 2 4 1 7 8 3 5 6 9 1 7 9 3 2 4 8 5 6 8 5 4 1 9 6 3 7 2 3 6 2 5 7 8 9 4 1
ACROSS
© walter D. Feener 2013
Horoscopes July 12 – July 18 Aries March 21–April 19
Leo July 23–August 22
Sagittarius November 23–December 21
Tensions may be running high this week, Aries. Don’t get caught up in the noise. It’ll only bring you down.
We know you love the spotlight, Leo. But for the next few days let other people stand in the limelight.
Put your reservations in your pocket, throw caution to the wind … all that kind of stuff, Sagittarius. The payback will be worth it.
Taurus April 20–May 20
Virgo August 23–September 22
Capricorn December 22–January 19
Take action! It’s as simple as that, Taurus. Don’t sit around being idle this week. It will come back to haunt you.
Oh, buddy! Someone close to you may try to pick a fight, Virgo. Try not to jump to conclusions. You may be at fault, so keep an open mind.
Changes are a’ comin’, Capricorn! Don’t fear them, though. By embracing change you’ll set yourself up for something swell.
Gemini May 21–June 20
Libra September 23–October 23
Aquarius January 20–February 19
Get out and be seen this week, Gemini. Don’t hide away in your house and let some excellent opportunities slip away.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, Libra. Tread carefully in the days ahead. Who knows what could happen!
Some bold and mighty forces may come to your aid this week, Aquarius. Even if this isn’t your nature, you’ll benefit from it.
Cancer June 21–July 22
Scorpio October 24–November 22
Pisces February 20–March 20
The fire within you has been simmering, Cancer. This week, though, it will burn white-hot. Make the most of it.
Some weeks are all about you, Scorpio. This isn’t one of them, though. Encourage others to do their best in the coming days.
Sometimes love is all you need, Pisces. This week is one of those times. Seek love in family, friends and “special” friends.
sudoku 6 2 1 4 3 9 5 4 6 8 6 9 3 8 1 7 2 9 1 3 4 7 8 3 1 2 5 8 5 4 6 7 2 5 7 9
crossword answer key
A
6 7 1 9 9 1 8 2 5 2 9 7 1 5 4 6 8 7 3 1 7 2 4 6 6 5 3 8 8 4 3 9 4 3 2 5
B
19 July 12 – July 18 /verbregina
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