ISSUE #89 – AUGUST 2 TO AUGUST 8
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THE POET’S DEAD
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WANTING TO BE HEARD Talking with A Voice for Men BLACKLANDS Castle blurs punk and rock 2 GUNS + BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO Film reviews PHOTO: COURTESY PHOTO:OFCOURTESY CHRIS GRAHAM OF PH
CONTENTS
ON THE COVER:
RAH RAH
and The Poet’s Dead. 10 / FEATURE PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHRIS GRAHAM
CULTURE
NEWS + OPINION
ENTERTAINMENT
Q + A WITH THE BACKHOMES Kees Dekker + Aimée van Drimmelen.
LIVE MUSIC LISTINGS Local music listings for August 2 through August 10. 14 / LISTINGS
8/Q+A
WANTING TO BE HEARD
BLACKLANDS
NIGHTLIFE PHOTOS
Talking with A Voice for Men. 3 / LOCAL
Castle blurs punk and rock on their latest album. 9 / ARTS
We visit The Press Box.
IT TAKES ALL KINDS
2 GUNS + BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO
Don Brownrigg talks his sophomore album. 9 / ARTS
15 / NIGHTLIFE
We review the latest movies. 16 / FILM
PARKS AND REC Michael Clancy and the parks of Saskatchewan. 4 / LOCAL
ONLINE FREEDOM
MEATS AND MAN-EATS
ON THE BUS
Our thoughts on Internet censorship.
This week we visit Jack Keaton’s BBQ & Grill. 12 / FOOD + DRINK
Weekly original comic illustrations by Elaine M. Will. 18 / COMICS
6 / EDITORIAL
VERBNEWS.COM @VERBREGINA FACEBOOK.COM/VERBREGINA
COMMENTS
MUSIC
GAME + HOROSCOPES
Here’s what you had to say about cameras for cops. 7 / COMMENTS
Matt Good, Kalle Mattson + Misery Signals. 13 / MUSIC
Canadian criss-cross puzzle, weekly 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 WRITERS / VICTORIA ABRAHAM, R.A. PARKER + JEFF WILSON
DESIGN LEAD / ANDREW YANKO GRAPHIC DESIGNER / BRANTIN FIX CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS / BAILY EBERLE, MAXTON PRIEBE, ADAM HAWBOLDT + ALEX J MACPHERSON
OFFICE MANAGER / STEPHANIE LIPSIT ACCOUNT MANAGER / KERRI SENKOW MARKETING MANAGER / VOGESON PALEY FINANCIAL MANAGER / CODY LANG
COMMENTS / FEEDBACK@VERBNEWS.COM / 306 881 8372 ADVERTISE / ADVERTISE@VERBNEWS.COM / 306 979 2253 DESIGN / LAYOUT@VERBNEWS.COM / 306 979 8474 GENERAL / INFO@VERBNEWS.COM / 306 979 2253
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2 AUG 2 – AUG 8 VERB MAGAZINE
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WANTING TO BE HEARD Speaking with A Voice for Men BY ADAM HAWBOLDT
H
ave you heard the parable about the blind men and the elephant? It goes something like this: once upon a time, six blind men were brought into a room where an elephant was standing. Each man is asked to feel a different part of the animal and determine what it looks like. The one who gets the trunk says it’s like a tree branch, the one who gets the leg says it’s like a pillar, the one who gets the tail says it’s like a rope — and so on. Eventually a conflict arises between the men because each is certain their perspective is right. “Their solution to [figure out] what the elephant looks like is to shout everyone else down,” says Alison Tieman. “To say, ‘No! Your experience is invalid. You have to agree with me.’” Sitting in the upper level of a book store, perched on the edge of her chair, Tieman’s hands flit this way and that as she talks about the elephant parable. Her voice is steady and assured. The reason she’s discussing the parable? To explain the backlash at something she did not so long ago. See, Tieman is part of A Voice for Men, a group “dedicated to addressing social, legal and cultural norms that negatively impact the lives of men and boys” — and a few weeks back, she put up some of the group’s posters in downtown Saskatoon. Posters that said things like: “Canada is the most frightening place to be a man” and “Feminism = Male Disposability.”
Public reaction was swift. People began tearing the posters down, and national media ran stories calling the posters anti-feminist. “I read a bit of the media attention,” says Tieman. “[A certain news agency] concluded this is the resurgence of machoism. But to that I say men actually expressing their vulnerabilities and owning them is the opposite of the macho persona of strength.” Tieman shifts in her seat and says, “In the traditional attitude towards manliness, you don’t talk about the problems you have. You just shut up about them. That’s what this movement’s all about — bringing those problems, those things men can’t talk about, to the table and saying that they are just as valid as women’s concerns.” Hands still flitting about, Tieman goes on to talk about how men experience discrimination when it comes to the criminal justice system, how they are more likely to get longer sentences. About how men have fewer resources than women when it comes to rape and domestic violence. When the topic of the posters in Saskatoon comes up (specifically the Feminism = Male Disposability one) she says, “It’s gotten to the point where feminism just isn’t listening to the male point of view anymore. It’s actively making it unacceptable. It’s like “shut up, don’t speak.’ I understand, in part, why … people are upset about this. You get attached to your solution. And, especially if you’re a woman, you don’t want to
hear … how women affect men in negative ways.” If this is so hard for people to swallow, then why, pray tell, would A Voice for Men put up posters that were so intentionally provocative? Wouldn’t taking a softer line be more beneficial? After all, the plethora of YouTube videos of feminists protesting men’s rights groups around the country prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is contentious subject.
Alison Tieman wasn’t always so involved in men’s rights. No, there was a time, a couple of decades ago, when she was an ardent feminist. “In my teens I was a feminist and I was becoming very radicalized,” she says. “My mother was concerned with the way I was going. She had been a feminist herself, [but] had distanced herself from the movement later in life. [When I was 16] she took me aside and gave me a book called The Princess at the Window.” The book served as her introduction to feminist critical literature. From there she gradually began formulating her own theories on gender and created a blog at genderratic.com. “I focus more on men because I think their vulnerabilities aren’t being heard right now,” says Tieman of her blog. That focus soon attracted the attention of Paul Elam, the founder of A Voice for Men, who asked her to write some stuff for his group. At first the information was mostly online, with articles, forums,
discussions and such. But eventually, perhaps inevitably, the group wanted to spread their message to a larger audience. Hence the posters. And it wasn’t just in Saskatoon the posters were put up, either. There were also A Voice for Men posters in Regina, ones that didn’t raise any red flags. Why? Because their messages weren’t as provocative. “The posters are intended to raise awareness and get attention,” says Tieman. “I don’t think it’s our preference [to use provocative posters] … but the reality is this is what got attention.” And what does Tieman hope all this attention accomplishes? “What should be happening
is that both experiences, men’s experiences of powerlessness and disenfranchisement and women’s experiences should be heard on equal footing,” explains Tieman. “Then we will have a better understanding of the problem. Then we can create a solution and an intervention that works.”
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3 AUG 2 – AUG 8 /VERBREGINA
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LOCAL
PARKS AND RECREATION
Michael Clancy, his family, and the parks of Saskatchewan BY ADAM HAWBOLDT
M
ichael Clancy loves the outdoors. Growing up as a kid in Pinehouse, Saskatchewan, the woods, water and wilderness were his refuge. A place for him to get away from everyday life and be at one with nature. A place of personal comfort. When Clancy moved south in 1974 to attend the University of Saskatchewan, this love of the outdoors remained steadfast. When he got married, it was still there. When his children came along, it never wavered. “My family and I would, since the kids were little, go on these voyages of discovery — if you want to call them that,” says Clancy. “We would travel all over the province, camp, explore. We started off in tents, then bought a claptrap old tent trailer. And as we were driving around, we saw all these regional park signs and realized we didn’t know anything about them.” This didn’t sit well with Michael or the rest of the Clancy clan. Being the kind of family that doesn’t want to waste their vacation on the unknown, the kind of family that likes to have information about where they’re going to camp before-
hand, they decided to do something about it. “Back then, the Internet wasn’t what it is now,” says Clancy. “We couldn’t really find any information So, by guess and by golly, we went to a couple of these regional parks and liked what we saw. And we thought, if no one else is going to put the info out there, why don’t we?” That was 1997. In the summer of 1998, the Clancys set out to visit all 107 regional summer parks in Saskatchewan. Their goal? To collect information about the regional parks in the province, take pictures, and turn their love of nature into a published book. A book that came to be known as A User’s Guide to Saskatchewan Parks.
“If I’d known what I was getting myself into with that book, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into it,” says Clancy. Not because he didn’t enjoy traveling nearly 15,000 kilometres and visiting more than 100 parks in the summer of ’98. Nah, that wasn’t it. Michael enjoyed the heck out of traveling with his wife, Anna, and their three kids (two of whom were
teenagers at the time.) Before hitting the road, he knew that part of the project would be fun. What Michael didn’t know, however, was how hard it would be to write a book after, compiling notes on park after park, from one end of the province to the other. “I’d done some technical writing at work,” Clancy explains, who worked for the government for 34 years as a microbiologist, “but I’d never done anything like write a book before. You look at how many regional parks are in Saskatchewan, you look at about a three to fourpage writeup of each park. Plus an intro, a table of contents … it comes out to something like 400-420 pages. Pretty daunting.” Daunting, perhaps. But definitely not impossible. So after the summer of ’98 ended and the research was done, Michael sat down, with reams and reams of research in front of him, and started writing A User’s Guide to Saskatchewan Parks. It wasn’t as easy as you may think. “After I started writing, I came to the realization that [writing the book] was kind of like eating an elephant,” says Clancy. “You have to do it one bit at a time. You start writing CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »
4 AUG 2 – AUG 8 NEWS + OPINION
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VERBNEWS.COM
a piece, you finish it, get it behind you, move on to the next one. You can’t look at the project as a whole. Keep your eyes off the horizon.” Month after month, that’s precisely what Clancy did. While his wife took care of the kids and kept the house running, he stowed away in isolation and wrote for a few hours every day after work. Then one day he looked up from the computer, stared at the horizon and said to himself, “Holy smokes! I have quite a manuscript here and it’s almost done.”
with through the years isn’t putting out trade books anymore, so we’re going to have to shop it around.”
With two guidebooks published and one in a publishing queue, the question remains: what drives a guy like Michael Clancy to visit all these parks and keep writing about them? Well, in the beginning, it was a need to inform people and to spend time with his family. “When we did the first one, everyone thought we were crazy,”
And we thought, if no one else is going to put the info out there, why don’t we? MICHAEL CLANCY
A User’s Guide to Saskatchewan Parks was published in 1999. In 2006 they published an updated version which included federal and provincial parks. Then, just last year, Clancy decided to revisit the User’s Guide series and add historical parks to the mix. “In ’06, the book we published featured around 10,800 campsites. The new one now covers about 14,000,” says Michael. “But, regrettably, the publisher we’ve worked
says Clancy with a chuckle. “We had two teenage boys … and people were convinced we’d be leaving a litany of shallow, unmarked graves in our wake.” Nothing of the sort happened. Instead of simply hauling his kids around the province while he and his wife amassed information about Saskatchewan parks, Clancy asked his children to contribute. “My eldest, who was 15 at the time, became quite a beach expert,” says Clancy. “He’d go out, explore,
come back and report on the quality of the sand for sand castle building, beach volleyball, how big the beaches were. Our middle guy is a fitness nut, always will be. So we’d have him attack the playground equipment and report back to us.” And the youngest of the Clancy brood? “He was always hitting me up for two dollars for onion rings at all these concessions around the province,” says Clancy. “So I said, ‘Why don’t you report on all the best concessions?’” The result was an onion-ring index, found in all the books, that reports on
the best cuisine in the regional system. “It was a real family affair, that first book,” says Clancy, “but the other projects [the second and third books], we didn’t do those for ourselves. We did them from three different audiences.” The first was the people of Saskatchewan. “Everywhere we went in this province the people were wonderful,” says Michael. “Everyone was delighted that we wanted to talk about their community, their parks. They’d invite us in for coffee and pie and we’d just chat. They were so affable that we were kind of doing it for them.”
They were also doing it to help attract interest in the smaller parks of the province. And the third reason? “Of course, we wanted to help the people who use these books, who want to take their families out and go camping. You can’t get Internet everywhere and these books are designed to fit in your glove box.” Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
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5 AUG 2 – AUG 8 @VERBREGINA
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EDITORIAL
ONLINE FREEDOM
We should never condone any form of Internet censorship
I
n case you missed it, the Calgary Herald ran an editorial last week in support of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal to impose a country-wide Internet filter that would block access to pornographic websites. This, according to the Herald’s editorial board, is a noble idea we should replicate here in Canada, and one which they claim will help children grow into “healthy, well-adjusted adults” that have a “healthy concept of sexuality.” The British Prime Minister is counting on the public and commentators to be so distracted by the porn aspect of his proposal that they fail to notice its true terrifying nature, and for the most part it seems to be working. So far, the debate has centred almost exclusively around whether people should be able to watch porn online without first having to request access from his or her Internet service provider — as people would have to under Cameron’s proposal — or on the potentially awkward conversation between partners as one admits that he or she would like to lift the filter to watch sexually explicit content online. But all of this porn talk is obscuring the real issue. The suggestion that banning access to sexually explicit content online in order to protect children is merely a smoke-
screen; in actuality, the filter is a brazen attempt to implement widespread, high level censorship of the Internet in a modern, developed country. That should scare the crap out of everybody — it certainly does out of us — and we think it should never, ever be allowed to happen. See, what Cameron is actually proposing is far more extensive than simply filtering out porn. The British government is trying to do something more dire, under the pretence of protecting the innocence of children. To get a sense of where Cameron is trying to go, we can look to an existing filter program called HomeSafe, which the British PM himself praised while rolling out his own proposal. In addition to pornography, HomeSafe blocks a variety of other web content including sites about dating, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, file sharing, gambling, weapons and violence, games, social networking, and suicide and self harm. When it comes to the availability of content on the Internet, we think the default should be the complete Internet, not only the sites the government decides we’re allowed to see. Because at the end of the day, state-sponsored censorship is a very dangerous thing. All you have to do is look at China, a country where access to the Internet is controlled by the
State, where any dissident information spread online could result in jail time, where websites that are politically unpalatable are forbidden. BBC News and other foreign media websites are also occasionally blocked there, depending on the topics they’re writing about, and according to Amnesty International China has the largest recorded number of imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world.
on these issues, like independent newspapers offering political satire. Worryingly, many of these countries filtering systems were originally implemented and continue to be supported under the same ‘save the children’ justification currently being paraded in Britain. If you think comparing Britain to China is a stretch, we should point out that the company behind
…at the end of the day, state-sponsored censorship is a very dangerous thing. VERB MAGAZINE
Besides China, what other countries currently filter the Internet, and what do they do with that ability? Well the list includes such friendly places as Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Syria, and the governments of those countries generally tend to block anything that might threaten their rule or societal stability. In addition to the list of topics blocked by programs like Homesafe, opposition political parties’ sites are frequent targets, as are sites that are critical of ruling monarchies, majority religions or ethnic groups, sites that expose governmental abuses such as Wikileaks and any sites that report
the HomeSafe program Cameron thinks so highly of is China-based Huawei, whose close ties to the Chinese army and that country’s communist government have made most countries wary of doing business with them. Huawei pulled out of the United States entirely after facing congressional scrutiny, and even the UK government’s own Intelligence and Security Committee recently warned of Huawei’s spying potential (Cameron must not have read that particular report). This is not where we want to end up. It is naive to believe that Cameron’s proposal to filter out porn is anything other than the
latest skirmish in the war to allow central control over the Internet. It’s simple: governments want a way to restrict the kinds of ideas its citizens can access, and right now, at least in the developed world, they can’t. Cameron’s filter, under the ruse of protecting children, would give Britain this power, and once implemented it would be trivially easy to start adding sites to the blacklist. True Internet freedom is essential to maintaining and protecting democratic values. In fact, we believe that a centrally censored Internet, especially when the censor is the government, is ultimately incompatible with a free and democratic society, so the long-term stakes in this fight couldn’t be higher. So no to Cameron, and no to the Calgary Herald’s idea of having government censored Internet here in Canada. Implementing such a filter — for any reason — is simply the first step down a long, dark road.
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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6 AUG 2 – AUG 8 NEWS + OPINION
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COMMENTS
ON TOPIC: Last week we asked what you thought about outfitting police officers with video cameras. Here's what you had to say:
– I think police everywhere should wear cameras. As you said they help everyone
– Cameras on Police Officers helps provide clear records of arrests and other use of state force and helps verify police accounts of arrest procedures followed.
– What’s the point of outfitting police with cameras when the only footage would be of them sitting at Tim Horton’s with their thumbs up their arses?
– Cameras on police officers is a great idea, and one we should absolutley follow. It makes sense to have a visual recording rather than relying on what they are saying and what the other person is saying. Protects everyone, makes sense, let’s do it.
Text yo thoughtsur to 881 VE R B 8372
embarassing that we are keeping them around. It’s just old people who like it, but it’s time the youth vote takes over!
– This sounds like it’s worked good for that cop force in California let’s bring it here god knows our cops here are pretty quick to rough people up.
OFF TOPIC – To those who want to get rid of the queen, which would mean spending millions of tax paying dollars on opening the constitution and everyone fighting with each other to and we know how our politicians do things to change something that’s working and change to what exactly we see how good things are going in America right now which some think we should join and if we not careful will be. No thanks leave it or go down south if u want. In response to “Independent Day,” Opinion, #87 (July 19, 2013)
– I thought we already did sever our ties with the monarchy. – Would be great if those cops that shot that kid on the bus in TO had been wearing cameras, we’d have a better idea of what went on. The videos from civilians are too obscured and hard to see what’s happening. This could prevent needless injury or death and protect society better. And protect police to .
– Having cameras on police officers is a huge invasion of privacy. I wouldn’t want that at all and it’s dangerous to suggest.
– If this increases police accountability and reduces needless violence by police officers on the public then I’m all for it.
POWERED BY THE CREW AT MOGA MOBILE
In response to “Independent Day,” Opinion, #87 (July 19, 2013)
– I don’t have any strong feelings about the queen and I do get the appeal of Kate and Will, trying to make the royal family seem more relateable, but there is no good reason why we should be keeping them around. Yes, at one point being under their wing was important, but that time is no longer. It’s time we rolled with the punches. In response to “Independent Day,” Opinion, #87 (July 19, 2013)
– Yes! To everyone saying it’s tradition so we should stick with the monarchy, look at all the bloody stupid traditions we’ve gotten rid of. This should be one of them. It’s
In response to “Independent Day,” Opinion, #87 (July 19, 2013)
– While STARS is certainly a worthy and interesting program, it’s not the first air ambulance in Saskatchewan like your subtitle says :). In response to “Shooting for the Stars,” Local, #88 (July 26, 2013)
SOUND OFF – It’s a shame that 6 teenagers tragically lost their lives. Teenagers these days think they are invincible and can do whatever they want except act responsibly. Because of the actions of the driver, 6 people full of life lost their lives. Teach your children to act responsibly so tragedies like this don’t happen again.
– Hawaii has a problem. Some U.S. welfare dpmts give their homeless 1 way tickets to Hawaii. I suspect the offer is anywhere in the U.S. with H being popular.
– This econ boom isn’t so good socially. There’s the smell of money in the water! Seems to be making a good fraction of the population a little frantic manic crazy in the head. Resembles a crack epidemic.
– Verb texters have the best comments ever!
– You know your DOWNtown when a car passes you with a takeout cup chasing it
– It’s not about having what you want it’s about wanting what you have.
– The best time to take care of any problem is when it’s a little problem.
– RIP to that young man who was shot by police. A sad and tragic loss, and I hope the police actually do cooperate with the investigation instead of covering up and making it difficult. That family deserves closure.
– A relentless thirst for the truth is the most important thing to have
NEXT WEEK: What do you think of censoring the Internet? 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
– Summer is almost overrr :(
7 AUG 2 – AUG 8 /VERBREGINA
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
THE BACKHOMES
Victoria psych rock duo on their new album, and life on the road BY ALEX J MACPHERSON
W
hen Aimée van Drimmelen and Kees Dekker left Montreal for an isolated cabin in southern Saskatchewan, they knew they wanted to make a record together. They just didn’t know what it was going to sound like. After moving to Victoria, the couple recorded and released Only Friend, a swollen river of fuzzy guitars and luscious textures that is as warm and raw as it is powerful. Pushing the boundaries of psychedelic rock with flashes of pop brilliance, hints of alt-country twang, and a dash of shoegaze droning, the record transforms a handful of simple songs into a vast ocean of consciousnessexpanding sound. Dekker and van Drimmelen have not been making music together for very long, but Only Friend is a solid foundation on which the pair can build and prove that psychedelia is as relevant today as it was in the lysergic sixties.
Kees Dekker: I think what happened was when we moved to Saskatchewan for the winter, we just tried a lot of different things. It slowly unveiled itself. It just became apparent what we both enjoyed playing
Alex J MacPherson: When you left Montreal to make a record, did you know more or less what you wanted it to be, or did it surprise you?
AJM: Obviously being a couple in a rock and roll band is something that could create difficulties. What has that experience been like for you?
Aimée van Drimmelen: I think that question was answered when we left Montreal together, and moved into the cabin in Saskatchewan to work on music. We didn’t know if it would work,
I think we both trusted in the fact that we’re making music that we would want to hear, and that’s what guides it. KEES DEKKER
and what was working the best for our voices. When we got to Victoria, when we started trying a little harder to record the songs, a sound kind of developed, mainly just from our situation of not having access to so many people.
or if it would be the end, but we had a feeling about it — and it worked out really well. I feel like that experience, being isolated together and working on something creative, showed us that we can — and need, in fact — to have this creative project together. AJM: Only Friend is basically a psych rock record, which sort of surprised me. What led you in this direction?
KD: I think we both trusted in the fact that we’re making music that we would want to hear, and that’s what guides it. You just kind of assume that if you like this kind of music, and we’ve had a decent response so far. AVD: I feel like there is definitely a poppy side to our record that we didn’t actually plan overtly, except that we wanted to make songs that people don’t have to work too hard to enjoy. They can be a bit heavy at times, but they’re still fun. I just wanted to do songs we are enjoying and that we feel like an audience who hasn’t heard us at all before might respond to. AJM: But there’s also a lot of depth here. I like the album at a party or wherever, but I think it shines through headphones. KD: A lot of the record was made on headphones out of necessity. We live in a pretty quiet neighbourhood, so a lot of times we’d have to do stuff a little bit quieter. Even though it doesn’t sound quiet — there’s a lot of fuzz and things like that — we mixed it in a big living room and a lot of it was made in headphones. It makes sense that you’d
hear more of the depth: that’s how I was recording it. AJM: And thematically, it feels like a record about the ocean, which sort of jives with your trip from Quebec to Saskatchewan, and then to Victoria. KD: We definitely weren’t intending to write songs about leaving or the changes you go through, but that’s just what was resonating emotionally or whatever. It’s always been important to me, but I’ve never thought about it too much in relation to our music. AVD: Being from a landlocked province, I don’t necessarily crave the ocean. But I crave space and being able to see really far, onto the horizon. That would be my equivalent of an ocean, metaphorically. The Backhomes August 15 @ O’Hanlon’s Free Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
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BLACKLANDS
San Francisco band Castle blurs the line between rock and metal on their latest album
C
astle, a band from San Francisco, began life as a solo project. Guitarist Mat Davis spent almost six years writing the songs that became the group’s first album, In Witch Order. Then he asked his wife, Elizabeth Blackwell, to play bass and contribute her edgy voice to the mix. Their latest release, a tightly focused blast of propulsive guitar riffs and menacing soundscapes called Blacklands, positions Castle on the leading edge of modern rock and metal. “The rock element has been there since the beginning,” Davis says of the group’s sound, which fuses
chunky guitar riffs with elements of doom metal. This is an advantage. By moving beyond one of the narrowly defined metal genres, Castle’s music is more accessible — and acceptable — to a mainstream audience. “People that don’t necessarily listen to really heavy music can appreciate it,” Davis muses, “or even come to become fans of the band, because they’re finding something else in there.” But drawing on the long history of rock and roll is not what separates Castle from most other bands. Davis is a meticulous writer, and his songs feel more like songs than random collections of guitar licks played
BY ALEX J MACPHERSON
at top speed. Most of the tracks on Blacklands are based on a simple riff; each song has a clear structure, a beginning, a middle, and an end. From the gritty “Ever Hunter” to the grinding “Storm Below The Mountain,” the record unfolds into an exploration of what a modern rock song can be. At the same time, the album doesn’t stray too far from its metallic roots. At its core, Blacklands is a portrait of a world in crisis, a place where darkness and tyranny have conquered the forces of good. Images of sinister forces seizing the reins of power and a growing sense of disbelief are animated by Blackwell’s
smoky voice and punctuated by Davis’ guitars. “It sums up the world gone to hell, the new world order, and what really is true evil,” he says of the album’s vaguely apocalyptic aesthetic. “Really, the evil is everpresent in our world — and it’s not coming from monsters. It’s coming from governments.” Ultimately, Blacklands is a challenge to the status quo — both in terms of how people think about music and how they think about the world today. And attempting to subvert the status quo, from within or without, is the foundation on which all rock and metal stand. “For us it’s a bit of a double-edged sword, that we’re not
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ERIC HAINES
easily definable,” Davis concedes. But that may not be a bad thing. Castle August 12 @ The Exchange $23 @ Unionevents.com
IT TAKES ALL KINDS
Don Brownrigg draws on experience for his sophomore album
I
t has been six long years since Don Brownrigg released an album. After recording Wander Songs in 2007, the singer and songwriter from Newfoundland hit the road, playing his simple songs about love and leaving for anybody who would listen. When he finally returned to his home base in Halifax, Brownrigg found himself struggling to write, to find meaningful words within himself. “I got into the land of sort of resting on my first record,” he says of Wander Songs, which blurred the line between straightforward folk and ornamented pop, each song shot
through with his rich voice. “I didn’t expect it to be as successful as it was. Not that it was a massive success, but I think it was a pretty successful first record, and I got caught up in it and shunted my creative side a little bit too much. For a couple of years I wasn’t really writing anything. It was a hard time to go through.” But Brownrigg wasn’t sitting around doing nothing. When he wasn’t agonizing over a blank page in his notebook, he was making music with friends. He contributed to almost twenty different albums, which made him more anxious to cut his own record. Finally, he started writing again.
BY ALEX J MACPHERSON
It Takes All Kinds (To Make This World, I Find), which will be released in October, feels like a change of direction. Unlike Wander Songs, which had an air of raggedness about it, It Takes All Kinds is smooth and polished. From the liquid piano chords that open “When the Heart Resigns,” it is clear that the record is more complete, more fully-formed than its predecessor — an exploration of how luscious and thick a pop song can be. More importantly, the songs are more mature. But that, Brownrigg says, is to be expected. “When you’re 19, you have like one experience to look back on, or
you have an idea of sort of who you are,” he laughs. “Whereas at 25, 26, 27, 28, you have a good handful of years of being an adult — contributing to society and figuring out what you’re adding. I have a bit of life experience now and I feel confident that I’m not just a wanderer, taking it all in but a little unsure of everything.” The songs on It Takes All Kinds are more diverse than those on Wander Songs, which were about trying to make sense of growing up and the mysteries of love. Musically and lyrically, It Takes All Kinds is a dramatic step away from the raw simplicity of Wander Songs. With each instru-
ment in its proper place and each line meaningful, a meditation on how a single person fits into the world, Brownrigg has made a record worth six years of waiting. And he’s already itching to spend the next year on the road, more confident and assured with each passing day. Don Brownrigg August 10 @ Regina Folk Fest $55.65+ (reginafolkfestival.com) Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com
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RAH RAH
Regina rock and roll band finds success with The Poet’s Dead
R
ah Rah, a rock and roll band from Regina, recently made the best album of their career. But they couldn’t do it alone. They needed somebody to push them. To challenge them. To tell them they could be better. “It’s hard when you have someone come in and tell you that you aren’t that good,” Marshall Burns says with a laugh. “It was a pretty steep learning curve for the band.” Burns helped found Rah Rah in 2005. The band has spent the last several years touring relentlessly, building a strong following across Canada. Critical and commercial success, however, proved elusive. In October, the band released their full-length album, The Poet’s Dead. Brimming with infectious melodies and disarmingly earnest songs about growing up and growing old, The Poet’s Dead became a critical darling. It was nominated for a pair of Western Canadian Music Awards, longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and positioned its creators as one of the most exciting bands in the country. Burns attributes the record’s success to a fundamental change in the way he and his bandmates approached the recording process — asking a pair of strangers to push them beyond what they thought possible.
“The thing about this record that stuck out to me was that we took a lot longer in terms of recording, just making sure we got the sound we really wanted to get on for each track,” he says, pointing to the influence of producers Gus Van Go and Werner F, who rose to prominence after producing albums by the Stills, Priestess, and Hollerado — records
a song and that was the song,” he says. “There was no going back and saying, ‘Was this really the best way to do it?’” Gus Van Go and Werner F are famous for producing records that sound edgy and raw. Burns wanted to make a record that showed off Rah Rah’s natural scrappiness without sacrificing sound quality.
We put in the work and practiced a lot … because we knew these guys were like, ‘You can be better than you are.’ MARSHALL BURNS
that combined strong songwriting and the frantic sounds of garage rock. “We had producers that had a real vision for the album and for the band. They were there in the preproduction and the earliest stages of the writing process right through until the end. They gave us the guidance that we needed.” In the past, Burns explains, Rah Rah tended to work quickly; songs were recorded as soon as they were written and there was little thought given to how each part contributed to the whole. “We wrote
The Poet’s Dead lands somewhere between tattered alt-country and pop-influenced rock and roll. Unlike the band’s earlier works, 2008’s Going Steady and 2010’s Breaking Hearts, The Poet’s Dead sounds ragged without ever quite crossing into the realm of lo-fi aesthetics or fractious garage rock. Perhaps more importantly, the producers were instrumental in pushing the band to their limit and beyond, forcing Burns and his compatriots to consider every chord change, every CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHRIS GRAHAM
d BY ALEX J MACPHERSON keyboard note, and every lyric. The results are obvious. Each song on the record, from the rollicking “Art and a Wife” to the gently swelling “Saint,” demonstrates a sense of pacing and dynamics absent from the band’s other albums, which tended to favour instrumental pyrotechnics over cagey songwriting. “We put in the work and practiced
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHRIS GRAHAM
a lot to get ready to record, because we knew these guys were like, ‘You can be better than you are,’” Burns recalls. “You can always bet better at anything, I guess, but sometimes that’s what you need — someone to come in and kick you in the butt, give you a bit of a challenge.” The songs that make up The Poet’s Dead are among the most sonically diverse the band has ever recorded. The most straightforward are sung by Burns, whose thin, nasal voice conjures up images of his musical
hero, Neil Young. “Art and a Wife” is a simple and effective rocker driven by a chunky guitar riff; it features one of the strongest vocal performances Burns has ever delivered. It also lays out one of the album’s prominent themes. “I used to want to make out / make out with every girl,” he howls, “but now I just want a life / full of art and a wife.” The album’s title track, which delves into country matters, also addresses the disconnect between youthful idealism and the dark shadow of reality. “Like all of us socialists / born to hope raised to fail,” Burns wails in the second verse before conceding a moment later, “Though the poet’s dead / the poetry’s in your head.” (These lines are deeply political and probably representative of the band’s broad ideological outlook, but they can also be interpreted as an example of how idealism stands opposed to cynicism, innocence to experience.) These ideas surface again and again as the album unfolds. On “20s,” Kristina Hedlund delivers an epitaph on the simple pleasures of playing rock and roll at an age where responsibility is just a speck on the horizon: “I spent my twenties on rock and roll / I’ll spend my thirties feeling old.” These lines are profoundly depressing, yet “20s” is one of the most energetic and upbeat rock songs on
the album; as the winding guitar introduction fades into a sustained blast of high octane rock and roll, it is clear that Rah Rah are still a long way from burning out or fading away. Erin Passmore, the band’s third lead vocalist, addresses a similar idea on “Prairie Girl,” as she ruminates on the notion of home and the cruel relationship between time and distance: “I am a prairie girl / straight to the bone / I’ll cut you off on the drive back home / I spend my winters alone.” This strain of sombre reflection also emerges on “I’m A Killer,” a brittle rock anthem that casts Passmore in the role of unrepentant lover. “I’m a killer / but you can always make it up to me,” she sings again and again, as if repeating the phrase will change the unchangeable. Burns says he and his bandmates didn’t plan on writing a record about the gulf between the unalloyed pleasure of being young and the inevitable fear of growing old. But he wasn’t surprised when the songs began to emerge. “The first few years of the band, we were super young,” he says, referring to himself, Passmore, and Hedlund, who are younger and less experienced than their bandmates Joel Passmore, Leif Thorseth, and Jeff Romanyk. “We were playing for almost nobody most of the time, but it didn’t matter: we were just out
there and it was exciting. As you get older, other considerations come into your life and you re-evaluate everything. I think it’s an interesting point in a person’s life.” And while The Poet’s Dead dwells on the concerns of all rock and roll bands faced with an uncertain future, its dour musings have been eclipsed by a year of massive success for the band. “We’ve just been lucky that the shows are going better, the tours have gotten a bit better – it’s been this progression,” Burns says of the band’s trajectory. “If we were still playing those same shows it would be difficult, but the fact that we’ve been on some pretty good tours and played for some bigger audiences, that’s been exciting. As long
as it keeps going like that, that’ll be enough.” Ultimately, The Poet’s Dead answers the very question it poses. By taking on responsibility for making the best album possible, and by choosing to push themselves harder than ever before, the members of Rah Rah launched themselves into a future that is becoming more certain with each passing day. Rah Rah August 10 @ Regina Folk Festival $55.65+ @ reginafolkfestival.com Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina ahawboldt@verbnews.com
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Photos courtesy of Maxton Priebe
MEATS AND MAN-EATS Fill up on Southern-style comfort food at Jack Keaton’s BBQ & Grill
Y
ou have to be prepared to get messy. After diving into the saucy, flavourful baby back ribs, your hands,
your face, and maybe even your forearms will be covered in Jack Keaton’s signature homemade BBQ sauce. And while you will come to
resemble an over-zealous, foodhappy toddler, it will be worth it. Brett Huber, who is trained as a Red Seal chef and worked for Gordon Ramsay in London, and his wife Kristi opened Jack Keaton’s BBQ & Grill a year and a half ago. A real family affair, the restaurant is named after their sons Jack and Keaton. It is the only place in Regina that serves up a menu full of authentic Southern-style dishes with a distinct prairie influence. Ninetyfive per cent of the dishes are made from scratch, and their beef brisket alone is dry-rubbed for 24 hours and smoked with applewood for 12 hours. The menu offers highprotein, gluten-free and dairy-free options. The restaurant has a casual vibe with a “slow food done quickly” philosophy, beef rib challenge Mondays, all-you-can-eat pulled pork slider Tuesdays and Sunday brunch. The food ordering process takes its inspiration from fast food
LET’S GO DRINKIN’ VERB’S MIXOLOGY GUIDE TEXAS HURRICANE
The morning after a night of drinking these, cure your Texas-sized hangover with Jack Keaton’s yummy fried chicken. INGREDIENTS
1 cup crushed ice 1 fluid ounce rum 1 fluid ounce coconut flavored rum 1 fluid ounce vodka
1 fluid ounce gin 1 fluid ounce triple sec (orange- flavored liqueur) 2 fluid ounces orange juice 1 fluid ounce pineapple juice 1 fluid ounce grenadine syrup 1 fluid ounce 151 proof rum 1 orange slice (optional) 1 lime slice (optional) 1 maraschino cherry
DIRECTIONS:
Fill a hurricane glass with ice. Pour in the rum, coconut rum, vodka, gin, triple sec, orange juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine. Stir well with a bar spoon, then pour the 151 rum over the back of the spoon to float the liquor on top of the drink. Garnish the glass with orange, lime, and a cherry. Sip with a straw from the bottom for a ‘sneak up on you’ punch or sip from the top for a ‘knock you down’ twister.
BY VICTORIA ABRAHAM
restaurants. Restaurant-goers order their meals at the counter, take a number and have their massive plates delivered to them minutes after sitting down. And really, you wouldn’t want to wait any longer to start your Southern BBQ experience. I had the juicy, tender prime rib burger with all the usual fixings, signature BBQ sauce and remoulade: a mayo-based, tangy, creamy sauce that Jack’s puts on all their sandwiches and that I want to put on everything from now on. Next, I tried the fried chicken with the prairie-inspired “cow chips” (thickcut potato chips) and coleslaw. The crispy on the outside, sinfully greasy fried chicken was balanced well by the creamy, crispy and delicately flavoured coleslaw. Up next was the ever-popular baby back ribs, fresh-baked cornbread and corn on the cob. The cornbread immediately overthrew the other contenders. Smothered in butter, it was sweet, salty and fluffy,
and featured big pieces of corn: a veritable food triumvirate. I tore myself away from it long enough to try the intimidating three-inch wide and about 10-inch long BBQ beef ribs, with housecut fries and mac and cheese with homemade sauce. The BBQ beef ribs were incredibly flavourful and saucy, coming in as a close second. For dessert, I had the seasonal peach cobbler, with a thick crust and ice cream. If you’re not afraid to get messy and sport a serious food belly for the next day or so, and happen to have a hankering for some delicious Southern-style food, then Jack Keaton’s is the place to go. Jack Keaton’s BBQ & Grill 5650 Rochdale Blvd. | (306) 522 7227
Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372
@VerbRegina vabraham@verbnews.com
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MUSIC
NEXT WEEK
COMING UP
MISERY SIGNALS
KALLE MATTSON
MATT GOOD
@ THE EXCHANGE SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 – $20
@ CREATIVE CITY CENTRE TUESDAY, AUGUST 13 – $12
@ PURE ULTRALOUNGE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 – $TBD
It’s been five long years since the members of this metalcore group had cut a record. Now freed from the limitations of answering to a label, the band — made up of members from Regina and Milwaukee — have turned to crowd funding to get their next album off the ground. Featuring Karl Schubach (vocals), Ryan Morgan (guitar), Greg Thomas (guitar), Kent Wren (bass) and Branden Morgan (drums), this five-piece has an intense, hard as nails live show that you don’t want to miss. Come check ‘em out next week — they’ll be rolling through the Queen City to rock the stage at the Exchange, and if you like what you hear maybe send a little cash their way. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
Kalle Mattson has already produced two full lengths and an EP, had two videos go viral, and has a forthcoming LP in the pipes — and he’s only been writing songs for four years. No stranger to working with some of the biggest names in music — The Rural Alberta Advantage, Blue Rodeo and Cuff the Duke — this young musician’s star is certainly on the rise. His upcoming LP — produced by The Wooden Sky’s Gavin Gardiner, and recorded in 2012 at Toronto’s Lincoln County Social Club — is highly anticipated. Come check him and his band out when they swing through the Queen City mid-August. They’ll be rocking the stage at the Creative City Centre; tickets will be available at the door.
The leader of former Canadian alt rock group, the Matthew Good Band, Matt Good has worn many hats in the years since that popular group ate up the charts. He has worked as both an activist and a blogger, as well as keeping his hands in the music business with a solo career. And while Good has rocked out well enough to have won a handful of Juno Awards over the years — including Rock Album of the Year and Best Group of the Year — both on his own and as part of a group, he has refused to accept any of them. He’ll be hitting the road again this year in support of his latest album, 2013’s Arrows of Desire. Check him out when he rolls through the Queen City to play Pure in November. – By Jeff Wilson
PHOTOS COURTESY OF: THE ARTIST, THE ARTIST, THE ARTIST
SASK MUSIC PREVIEW “An Idea, a Song and a Story!” is a songwriting workshop presented by SaskMusic and the Regina Folk Festival. Featuring Marshall Burns, Andy Shauf and Reuben Bullock, the workshop will provide an opportunity to hear from these talented musicians about what inspires them, how they go about creating new material, and more. The seminar takes place August 8 at 7pm at the Artful Dodger; admission is free for SaskMusic members and $20 for everyone else. To pre-register call 1-800-347-0676 or email info@saskmusic.org Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org
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LISTINGS
AUGUST 2 » AUGUST 10 The most complete live music listings for Regina. S
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WEDNESDAY 7
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
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WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOLK / Bushwakker Brewpub — Featuring James Gates, offering smooth vocals and amazing guitar in the style of Mayer and Matthews. 9pm / No cover JAM NIGHT AND OPEN STAGE / McNally’s Tavern — Come on down and enjoy some local talent. 9pm / No cover
SATURDAY 3
OPEN MIC NIGHT / King’s REUBEN AND THE DARK Head Tavern — / Victoria Park — Hit Come out, play up the Sunlit some tunes, sing Stage 3 to check some songs, out Calgary’s and show Reuben BullRegina what ock and his you got. 8pm ensemble. / No cover 12pm / Free THE GRIP FEIST, SLIPS / NOMADIC McNally’s MASSIVE, Tavern — Also MAN MAN + DELHI 2 DUBLIN COURTESY OF THE ARTIST appearing will MORE / Victoria be the Dustin Ritter Park — Come on Band. 9pm / Cover TBD down for Regina’s Folk DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Fest! 7pm / $55.65+ Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s DJ LONGHORN / Whiskey Saloon — Come most interactive DJs as he drops some check out one of Regina’s most interactive of the best country beats around. 8pm / DJs as he drops some of the best country Cover TBD beats around. 8pm / Cover TBD TIM ROMANSON / Whiskey Saloon — TIM ROMANSON / Whiskey Saloon — Some toe-tapping country tunes to get Some toe-tapping country tunes to get you moving. 9pm / $5 you moving. 9pm / $10
DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off THE DEAD SOUTH / Casino Regina Sumlimits. mer Stage — Rocking out at the F.W. Hill 10pm / $5 Mall on your lunch break. 12pm / Free BREAK DOWN STAND YOUR GROUND, BEHOLD THE CITY, SIMPLE PLAN PARTY BAND / COURTESY OF THE ARTIST ONCE IN A LIFETIME / The Club — HardMcNally’s Tavern core and metalcore all night. 7:30pm / — Classic rock ‘n roll Cover TBD favourites.10pm / $5 DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This D’PLAYGROUND / Pump RoadDJ loves requests, nothing is off house — Playing rock and classic rock 2 BEATS & A HAT / Artful Dodger — limits. 10pm / $5 covers. 9pm / Cover TBD Presented by DJ Verbal & E-Major, come SIMPLE PLAN / Queen City enjoy two DJs with guest performances Ex — French-Canadian the first Thursday of every month. 7pm / BUNCHOF***INGOOFS / The Club — Topop punk rockers. $5 in advance or at the door ronto hardcore group will be stirring Free with QEX gate ALEXIS NORMAND / Casino Regina Sumup trouble at the Exchange. Also appearadmission mer Stage — Rocking out at the F.W. Hill ing Regina punk band Bats Out. 8pm / Mall on your lunch break. 12pm / Free $10 cover BREATHE KNIVES / The Club — Grimy DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This Calgary metal. Also appearing is Adolyne, DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. Dystopian Wasteland and Zombie Sex 10pm / $5 Cult. 8pm / $10 cover DJ PAT & DJ KIM / Habano’s Martini & DECIBEL FREQUENCY / Gabbo’s Nightclub Cocktail Club — Local DJs spin top 40 hits THE MAV— A night of electronic every Friday night that are sure to get ERICKS / fun. 10pm / you on the dance floor. 9pm / Casino Regina Cover $5 $5 cover — A countryBIG CHILL FRIDAYS THE DEAD SOUTH steeped garage / Lancaster TapCOURTESY OF THE ARTIST DJ band that’s been house — Come PAT wowing audiences out and get & for for over twenty years. your weekDJ KIM / 8pm / $40+ end started Habano’s — Local DELHI 2 DUBLIN / Conexus Arts with DJ FatDJs spin top 40 hits every Centre — The Main Stage show of India in bot, who’ll Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover the Park day. 6:30pm / $25 be doing his BIG CHILL FRIDAYS / Lancaster Taphouse SEXY RETRO DANCE PARTY / McNally’s spinning — Come out and get your weekend Tavern — With DJ Baby Daddy. 10pm thing every started with DJ Fatbot, who’ll be doing his Friday night. spinning thing every Friday night. 10pm 10pm / Cover / Cover TBD OPEN MIC NIGHT / The Artful Dodger — TBD TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD / McNally’s Come down and jam! 8pm / No cover PS METHOD 2 MADSTAND YOUR GROUND COURTESY OF THE ARTIST Tavern — Classic rock covers and party FRESH NESS / McNally’s tunes.10pm / $5 / The HooTavern — Great rock ‘n D’PLAYGROUND / Pump Roadhouse — TROUBADOUR TUESDAYS / Bocados — kah Lounge roll classics all night long. Playing rock and classic rock covers. 9pm Come check out some live tunes from — DJ Ageless 10pm / $5 / Cover TBD local talents every week, then bring an started spinning in Montreal, DJ ALBERT / Pure Ultra Lounge — Appearing LOVERBOY / Queen City Ex — Multi-platinstrument and partake in the open mic/ Drewski started in Saskatoon. They both every Friday night, come listen to Albert inum selling rockers from Calgary. Free jam night. 8pm / No cover landed in Regina and have come together as he does his spinning thing. 10pm / with QEX gate admission to sling some bomb beats. 7pm / No cover $5 cover
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FRIDAY 2
THURSDAY 8
FRIDAY 9
SUNDAY 4
MONDAY 5
SATURDAY 10
NONE SHALL SLEEP TONIGHT / The Club — Regina’s industrial hip hop crew. Also appearing will be Dystopian Wasteland, Tyler Gilbert, The Jump Off and The Screaming Daisies. It’s NSST’s Thunderhawk’s CD release show! 7pm DJ JUAN LOPEZ / Envy Nightclub — This DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits. 10pm / $5 METHOD 2 MADNESS / McNally’s Tavern — Great rock ‘n roll classics all night long. 10pm / $5 DREWSKI / Pure Ultra Lounge — Doing what he does best, every Saturday night. Come on down and dance the night away with this local DJ. 10pm / $5 cover TIM ROMANSON / Whiskey Saloon — Some toe-tapping country tunes to get you moving. 9pm / $10 CLOSE TALKER, AMELIA CURRAN + MORE / Victoria Park — Check out the Sunlit Stage 1 for some sweet tunes. 11:30am onwards / Free LOREENA MCKENNITT, BAHAMAS, CALYPSO ROSE + MORE / Victoria Park — Come on down for Regina’s Folk Fest! 6pm onwards / $55.65+
TUESDAY 6
GET LISTED Have a live show you'd like to promote? Let us know! layout@verbnews.com
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SATURDAY, JULY 27 @
THE PRESS BOX
The Press Box Sports Bar 909 Albert Street (306) 924 0111 ON THE SCREEN / All sports, all
the time DRINK OF CHOICE / Draft beer TOP EATS / Any burger, which
CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, August 9.
comes with your choice of soup, salad, rice, fries or Box chips COMING UP / Come down to catch all your Rider away games: against Calgary on Aug 9, Edmonton Aug 24, Winnipeg Sept 8, Montreal Sept 29, BC Oct 4 and Calgary Oct 26
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
2 GUNS AN EXCITING ROMP
Wahlberg and Washington a potent combination for onscreen action BY R.A. PARKER
L
ast year, the Iceland filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur made Contraband, which featured Mark Wahlberg, a slew of dramatic action sequences, and an extraordinarily convoluted plot. Kormákur’s latest offering is called 2 Guns. It also features Mark Wahlberg in bad boy action hero mode, armed to the teeth and enmeshed in a fantastically complicated story. This time, however, he is paired with Denzel Washington, one of the best actors working today. Sounds promising. 2 Guns, which is based on the BOOM! Studios’ comic series by Steven Grant and Mateus Santolouco, follows Bobby Trench (Washington) and the splendidly named Marcus “Stig” Stigman (Wahlberg) as they conspire to rob a New Mexico bank of three million dollars. The catch? The money belongs to an irritable Mexican drug lord called Greco (expertly played by Edward James Olmos). Unfortunately for
Stig and Trench, Greco employs a large number of henchmen (led by a villainous Bill Paxton), who have no qualms about shooting people. The other catch? Stig and Trench may be partners, fond of bantering and trading jokes, but they aren’t entirely honest with each other. There is never a good time to discover that your partner in crime is actually a double agent. But it emerges
2 GUNS Baltasar Kormákur Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, James Marsden + Paula Patton DIRECTED BY STARRING
109 MINUTES | 14A
are forced to work together when Stigman’s ruthless boss (James Marsden) sends his own thugs after the money.
2 Guns doesn’t lack intensity, but Kormákur is adept at balancing raw action with legitimate plot development. R.A. PARKER
that Trench works for the DEA while Stigman is employed by the U.S. Navy Intelligence — and that both men have different plans for the money. After an unfortunate incident involving a gun and a misunderstanding, the two men
Stigman and Trench are, naturally, forced to work together to stave off the forces of evil. Which is when it starts to get really entertaining. Kormákur is a man of many talents. Although he rose to
prominence making Icelandic art films, including the 2012 Oscarnominated The Deep, he is equally comfortable shooting a couple of guys with guns engaged in a furious car chase. The action feels real because it is real. There is very little CGI, and the film profits from the great clouds of dust generated by desert fighting. 2 Guns doesn’t lack intensity, but Kormákur is adept at balancing raw action with legitimate plot development. It doesn’t feel awkward or forced or lame — just fun and engaging. The biggest problem with 2 Guns isn’t really anyone’s fault. Wahlberg and Washington play morally ambiguous characters with
a lot of spunk and verve, and their dialogue is witty and amusing and entertaining. But after watching The Fighter and Training Day, it’s difficult to conceive of either man in a tightly focused action role. It’s important to think of films for what they are, rather than what they could be, and while 2 Guns doesn’t squander its talent, it doesn’t make the best use of it, either.
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THE SOUND OF FEAR
The Berberian Sound Studio, a metaphysical mind mess BY ADAM HAWBOLDT
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ARTIFICIAL EYE
W
hen you leave the theatre after watching The Berberian Sound Studio, don’t be surprised if you catch yourself scratching your head and thinking “Umm … what the hell just happened there? What did I just watch?” It’s that kind of movie. And don’t be surprised if the movie stays with you, lingers in your head and, later that night, it hits you like a swift slap in the face — the true meaning of it all creeps beautiful into your mind and you sit up in bed and say, “Hotdamn! That’s brilliant!” It’s also that kind of movie. Written and directed by Peter Strickland, The Berberian Sound Studio is, ostensibly, about sound. More specifically, the making of sound. Set, for the most part, in an Italian postproduction studio — circa 1976 — the movie features Toby Jones (best known for playing Truman Capote perfectly in Infamous) as a timid British sound engineer named Gilderoy.
Gilderoy finds himself in Italy creating the sound mix for a film by an Italian horror director named Santini (Antonio Mancino.) Hired under dubious circumstances, Gilderoy leaves home to work on a movie called The Equestrian Vortex. And from the get-go, he’s uncomfortable and doesn’t feel at ease in the sound studio. The giallo film he’s working on (giallo being a genre of Italian film that blends
BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO Peter Strickland STARRING Toby Jones, Susanna Cappellaro + Antonio Mancino DIRECTED BY
92 MINUTES | 14A
I say “apparently” because we never see a glimpse of the actual movie. Instead of showing us the film as it’s being made, Strickland opts
…you have no idea how scary movie sounds can be until you see this film. ADAM HAWBOLDT
crime and mystery) is a tad too troubling for the mousy sound mixer because apparently it involves rape, human sacrifice, inquisitors and Satanic rituals.
to give us a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to make movie sounds back before they had access to advanced computers and every sound imaginable. Back when you
had to smash a watermelon with a sledgehammer to make the sound for a head smashing into concrete or tear apart radish stalks to simulate the sound of a priest yanking out a clump of a witch’s hair. Without giving too much more away, all these little horrors (though unseen) begin to take a toll on Gilderoy. And the deeper he gets into the movie, the looser his grip on reality becomes. As much as this is a film about sound, it’s also about one man’s descent into madness. Is what we’re seeing on screen real? Is it all just a figment of Gilderoy’s terrified imagination? Is there something you missed that will help everything make sense?
Regardless of what you ultimately conclude about The Berberian Sound Studio, a couple of things hold true about the movie: 1) it’s an excellent homage to 1970s giallo films, 2) it’s creepy as hell, and 3) you have no idea how scary movie sounds can be until you see this film. Sounds and … err … silence. The Berberian Sound Studio will begin playing at the Regina Public Library on August 8.
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18 AUG 2 – AUG 8 ENTERTAINMENT
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CROSSWORD CANADIAN CRISS-CROSS DOWN 1. An infant wears one 2. Angry outburst 3. Curved shape 4. Exclamation of excitement 5. Square-rigged ship 6. Sheltered side 7. Chinese gelatin 8. Give some of to each 9. Worthless stuff 11. Photograph with a brownish tone 12. Very dry, as champagne 14. Plant starter 17. Innocent young woman 20. Religious doctrine 21. Creamy salad dressing
24. Consume 26. Cut and dried grass SUDOKU ANSWER KEY 28. Wheeled table A 29. Bygone days 30. Hawaiian greeting 31. Plant with a bitter milky juice 33. Exclamation of surprise 34. Arm of the sea 35. Gives permission to 38. Tropical fruit B 41. Cooking fat 43. Spiked wheel attached to a rider’s heel 45. Took by the hand 47. Cat’s foot
5 2 1 4 3 9 8 6 7 8 3 4 6 7 2 5 1 9 6 9 7 8 5 1 2 3 4 1 4 8 9 6 3 7 5 2 3 5 9 2 4 7 1 8 6 7 6 2 1 8 5 9 4 3 9 7 3 5 1 4 6 2 8 4 8 5 7 2 6 3 9 1 2 1 6 3 9 8 4 7 5
32. Knowlton Nash’s first real name 36. High mountain 37. Hard to chew 39. Nautical heading 40. Immaterial part of a person 42. Romanian monetary unit 43. It’s used on sidewalks to melt ice 44. One in bondage 46. Orchard fruit 48. Come to an understanding 49. Arched ceiling 50. Canadian match maker 51. Crooked
2 4 1 6 8 5 7 9 3 3 9 8 4 1 7 6 5 2 6 5 7 3 9 2 4 1 8 8 2 6 9 5 3 1 4 7 1 3 5 8 7 4 9 2 6 9 7 4 1 2 6 8 3 5 7 6 9 5 3 1 2 8 4 5 8 2 7 4 9 3 6 1 4 1 3 2 6 8 5 7 9
ACROSS 1. Cart without sides 5. Delighted 9. Pope’s crown 10. Sponsorship 12. Tree limb 13. Foliage 15. Completely interested 16. Lubricant 18. Ready to eat 19. Work with 20. Laser printer ink 22. Pass away 23. Afternoon hour 25. Proceed at once 27. It receives information through the air 29. Part of a horse’s foot © WALTER D. FEENER 2013
HOROSCOPES AUGUST 2 – AUGUST 8 ARIES March 21–April 19
LEO July 23–August 22
SAGITTARIUS November 23–December 21
You’ve been feeling overly frustrated lately, Aries, but cut yourself some slack. Not everything is in your control, so let it go and breathe.
Don’t forget to stand up for yourself too, Leo. You’re always busy taking care of others, but you deserve the same love and attention.
All of your wildest dreams could be realized this week, Sagittarius. All you need to do is fit in that last piece of the puzzle.
TAURUS April 20–May 20
VIRGO August 23–September 22
CAPRICORN December 22–January 19
It’s time to give in to that sense of adventure that’s been occupying your thoughts lately, Taurus. New horizons await, so get to it!
An obligation you see through could turn out to be more exciting than you could have imagined. Ain’t it grand when things turn out that way?
Your sense of humour might take a bit of a blow this week, but don’t worry. Things will soon right themselves and you’ll be back to your old ways in no time.
GEMINI May 21–June 20
LIBRA September 23–October 23
AQUARIUS January 20–February 19
You’ve been privy to some secret information, Gemini. Though it may be tempting to share, the ramifications could be greater than you’ve ever imagined.
Be wary of those who tend to take advantage, Libra. You don’t need people in your life that take, take, take without giving anything back.
Put your mind to anything, Aquarius, and it’s yours. But ask yourself: what is it you really want? The answer could surprise you.
CANCER June 21–July 22
SCORPIO October 24–November 22
PISCES February 20–March 20
A chance meeting could set you on an entirely new path this week, Cancer. Try not to resist the little pushes the universe is giving you.
It’s time for you to cut loose, ditch responsibilities and have some fun, Scorpio. Life is short, and etc. So get out there and embrace it!
A long-lost friend could wander back into your life this week, Pisces. Hear them out. What they have to say could shock you.
SUDOKU 4 8 5 7 8 1 2 6 5 3 4 8 8 6 9 3 7 1 9 2 9 2 6 5 1 2 5 7 4 9 3 6 4 1 3 7
CROSSWORD ANSWER KEY
A
2 9 8 6 2 9 6 9 7 8 5 4 1 4 6 2 5 2 7 1 6 5 4 3 3 5 1 8 4 8 7 3 9 1 3 7
B
19 AUG 2 – AUG 8 /VERBREGINA
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