Verb Issue S256 (Sept. 6-12, 2013)

Issue #256 – September 6 to September 12

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a tip a day Catching poachers in Saskatchewan limitless creation Q+A with Braids riddick + the way way back Film reviews

Photo: courtesy of the artist Photo: courtesy of Ph

NEWs + Opinion

contents

a tip a day Catching poachers in SK. 4-6 / Local

the art of magic On being a magician. 7-9 / Local

You’ve got mail Our thoughts on privatizing Canada Post. 10 / Editorial

On the cover:

widowspeak

On their latest EP. 18 / cover

comments Here’s what you had to say about red light cameras. 13 / comments

Photo: courtesy of the artist

culture

Q + A with braids Art rockers talk limitless creation.

16 / Q + A

art at the mercy of light

sand traps and snacks We visit Saskatoon

Eli Bornstein’s vision. 17 / Arts

Golf + Country Club. 20 / Food + Drink

an evening at the opera

Music

Opera’s universal appeal. 17 / Arts entertainment

Human Human, The Eagles + Chris Cornell. 21 / music

listings Local music listings for September 6 through September 14. 22 / listings

riddick + the way way back The latest movie reviews. 26+27 / Film

on the bus Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 34 / comics

Nightlife Photos

Games + Horoscopes

We visited The Sutherland + Louis’.

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, horoscopes, and Sudoku. 35 / timeout

28-33 / Nightlife

verbnews.com @verbsaskatoon facebook.com/verbsaskatoon Please recycle after reading & sharing

Editorial

Business & Operations

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

Office Manager / Stephanie Lipsit account Manager / nathan holowaty sales Manager / Vogeson Paley Financial Manager / Cody Lang

ART & Production

Comments / feedback@verbnews.com / 306 881 8372

contact Design Lead / andrew yanko Contributing Photographers / Patrick Carley, Adam Hawboldt + Taylor Thomson

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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A tip a day keeps the poachers away Cutting down on wildlife, forestry, fishing and environmental violations

by ADAM HAWBOLDT

T

he call came on October 6th, 2012.

A dispatcher at the Turn in Poachers (TIP) toll-free hotline answered the phone and listened closely as the voice on the other end of the line told a story about unlawful moose hunting that had been happening near St. Louis, Saskatchewan.

Like they’re trained to do, the dispatcher collected as much information as possible from the anonymous caller about the alleged violations. Then, once the caller had hung up, the dispatcher relayed the information to a conservation officer.

In this case, the officer’s name was Casey Howey.

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“In a lot of cases, we tell the public that getting a plate number of a vehicle is crucial,” says Howey, “In this case there was no plate number, but we had something better. We had the individual’s name and where they were staying.”

Armed with the man’s identity and his whereabouts, Officer Howey sprang into action.

“We responded immediately to that location and when we got

that roll through their mind,” says Howey. “You just have to quiet that and focus on the process. You want to take it step by step, work with the information that’s in front of you.”

“You don’t want to cloud your mind with assumptions,” he continues. “You have to view everybody as being innocent at first, then go from there. After all, we’ve all experienced times when informa-

And when the public gets involved, the TIP line has been very successful.

It’s all about public involvement. casey howey

there we saw a vehicle parked in the suspect’s yard,” he says. “There was a large amount of fresh blood and moose hair on the flat deck of the truck, in plain view.”

What happened next had to be by the book. When confronting a suspect — one who, because of the nature of their alleged crime, most assuredly has a gun — you don’t want to break protocol. You don’t want to come across as too aggressive or spook the individual. No, you want to make sure you remain cool, calm, and collected.

“When you’re in a situation like that, approaching a suspect to talk to them, everyone has things

tion that’s been relayed to us was not true.”

So with an open mind and years of experience at his disposal, Officer Howey slowly approached the location of the alleged moose poacher.

He knocked and waited. No one was home.

But where could the suspect have gone? After all, the truck was there, the blood and hair were still fresh. Practicing the patience he picked up after years on the job, Howey did what any good conservation officer would do — he set up surveillance and waited some more.

Eventually, the suspect would have to return.

Or would he?

Founded in 1986 by the Ministry of Environment, the TIP program allows the public to report fishing, wildlife, forestry and environmental violations simply by calling a toll-free line (1-800-667-7561). The way it works is simple. The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you see a violation occurring or know of a past violation that has occurred, all you do is call the line (you can remain anonymous if you like) and report the incident.

Calls concerning violations that are in process are forwarded immediately to the conservation officers closest to the scene.

But does the program actually work? Does SaskTip lead to cases being solved?

“There have been several [solved cases],” says Richard Hildebrand, a conservation officer and team leader for the compliance education and training unit, “but the one that became very popular was a case related to the very unethical hunting of ducks that had been video recorded and posted on YouTube. This generated hundreds of calls to the TIP line, which in turn resulted in the identification of those individuals who were charged and found guilty.”

And while receiving “hundreds of calls” for one specific case is by no means the norm, the people

working the TIP line remain busy on a daily basis. For instance, in 2012 there were 945 TIP calls.

Eighty-one percent of those were tips about wildlife violations, nine percent concerned fishing violations, and eight percent were environmental infractions.

That works out to about twoand-a-half calls every day. And the calls aren’t limited to straightforward illegal hunting viola-

tions, either. There are calls about wildlife tracking, over limit fishing, wasting fish, trafficking fish, the illegal dumping of chemicals, garbage, and tires, and so much more. “There are a variety of things people call in for, that’s what the TIP line is all about,” says Officer Howey. “And when the public gets involved, the TIP line has been very successful. It’s all about public involvement.”

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And lucky for Howey, the public got involved again just when his illegal moose hunting case seemed to be at a standstill.

After they set up surveillance, Howey monitored activity around the locale where the moose hunting suspect was supposed to be.

Nothing happened. But the next day a second call came into the TIP line. This time the caller, who remained anonymous, told the dispatcher the suspect had been nervous. He knew the authorities were on to him, and had relocated the moose to a different hiding area.

Working off of that tip, Howey went to a new site where the hunter was supposed to be. And, lo and behold, there he was.

“When we confront a suspect, everyone takes it differently,” says Howey. “Some people say, ‘It wasn’t me.’ That happens a lot, and more digging is involved. Other people, for lack of a better term, say ‘uncle.’”

In the end, the suspect was charged with two counts of unlawful hunting under the Wildlife Act. He was found guilty, the moose and firearms were seized and turned over to the Crown, he was suspend-

Dressed in his conservation uniform, Howey approached the suspect, identified himself, and told the person why he was there.

“You have to be upfront and honest with them. That way it

Some people, when they’re caught, have a conscience. casey howey

ed from hunting for five years, and was fined $2,500.

“With every call that comes there’s certain a ‘wow’ factor,” says Howey, “but when we got that second call on this case, it was just fantastic. Just another sign that this program is working.”

lays things out on the table,” says Howey. “We’re truth seekers. We don’t aim to hide anything or trick anybody. That gives people we deal with a better feeling about it. If you’re honest they tend to be honest as well.”

Which is exactly what the illegal moose hunting suspect was when Officer Howey asked about his recent actions. “When we arrived at the site and confronted him, he was fully cooperative,” says the officer. “Some people, when they’re caught, have a conscience.”

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the art of magic Anthony Hanson on performances, magic, and what it takes to be a magician by ADAM HAWBOLDT

I

t begins with a question.

A simple question — “How old are you?”

The person asking it is Anthony Hanson. A tall man with friendly eyes and a big smile, Hanson is a professional magician and hypnotist from here in Saskatchewan.

And the reason he’s asking our age is because he’s about to perform a magic trick. Only it’s not called a

“trick” in the industry. For those not in the know, it’s called an “effect.”

“I’m 27,” answers my friend who’s come with me.

“And I’m 34 … no, 35,” I tell him.

Hanson thinks for a moment, says something about the numbers between 27 and 35 being too random, then asks me to think about a number between 35 and 100. Looking at the ground, I focus on the number 99.

“Okay,” says Hanson, holding a stack of yellow Post-it notes. “I think I have it. I could be wrong, but what number are you thinking about.”

I tell him 99.

Hanson looks to my friend and asks him what number he was thinking about. “I wasn’t thinking about a number at all,” is his reply.

This is what people in the industry call a misdirection, a form Continued on next page »

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of deception in which the attention of the audience is focused on one thing in order to distract them from another. Or at least I think it’s a misdirection, so instead of looking over at my buddy, my eyes stay

pencil. “That’s sick,” says my friend, completely astonished.

fixed on Hanson’s hand. The one holding the yellow Post-its.

No movement.

Then slowly, Hanson hands me a piece of paper with the number 99 written near the middle in black

Ask people who know Anthony Hanson when he became interested

in magic, and they’ll probably tell you he was into it from a very young age. But ask him the same question and he’ll give you a different answer.

“I don’t count all that early stuff,” he says, “I don’t count [anything] until seven years ago. I went to a birthday party and there was a magician there. He blew my mind.”

Up to that point, the magic Hanson had seen was limited to whatever he viewed on television, and he was certain there were camera tricks involved. But that day at the party, watching that magician work the crowd, Hanson couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He couldn’t believe someone could do that kind of stuff in person.

And from that point on, Hanson was hooked.

“I hounded [that magician] all night,” says Hanson. “Finally, he told me one thing, he told me about this website. When I got home I went to the site and started indulging in magic.”

Within six months, Hanson had his first show.

“I was sweating bullets,” recalls Hanson. “At that first show, I was just so nervous. I didn’t know what to do next. There were a lot of pauses.” Hanson pauses and chuckles, then says, “A whole lot of pauses!”

But that’s the thing about magic: no one is awesome in the beginning. To become a magician takes a lot of hard work — a lot of hard work, patience, and practice.

“To learn a new effect, on average, it takes about two weeks,” explains Hanson. “That involves coming up with your own patter — the story you tell while you’re doing the effect — and learning the mechanics of the effect itself.

You’re looking at six to eight hours of practice every day to learn it.”

And the work doesn’t stop there.

Once you figure you have a good handle on the effect, it’s time to take it to your family and friends, show them what you’ve been working on for the past few weeks and see if they catch on to what you’re doing or if you expose the secret of the effect by accident. If so, it’s back to the drawing board in an attempt to fine-tune.

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Once you have a bunch of effects mastered, though, it’s time to put them together in a show. A show that, much like a comedian’s stand-up routine, is ever changing and evolving.

“You have to make sure you tape your show and watch it afterwards,” says Hanson. “When you do that you can see things that don’t work. It’s like, ‘okay, that effect didn’t work too well in that spot, so let’s try it in a different spot next time. Maybe give it a twist.’

You want to rework your show until it runs smoothly.”

And when that happens, when you iron out all the kinks and piece together a mind-blowing show, then your work is finished, right? That’s the show you’ll perform for every audience.

“Not really,” says Hanson. “You have to think about how many people is the show going to be good for — is it going to be good for 50 or 100 or 200 people? You have to tailor your show to the size of the audience. Oh, and there are times when I’ll find some gold in a magic book and I’ll try it in my next show.

If it works well, it stays in and something else gets kicked out.”

Photo: Courtesy of adam hawboldt

Back in the Verb office, Anthony Hanson is shuffling a deck of cards, saying, “I’d prefer not to know how things work, but being in the indus-

tells us to sign our names or initials on the face of the card. We do as we’re told, then, keeping the card

To learn a new effect, on average, it takes about two weeks. That involves coming up with your own patter… anthony hanson

try, I know how most things work.”

He asks for a Sharpie and says, “But when I see an effect and I have no idea how the person does it, that’s the best. It’s awesome.”

Fanning the cards out in front of us, Hanson tells us to pick a card and keep it against our chests so he can’t see them. Mine is the six of diamonds. My friend’s is the three of diamonds. Turning to face the wall so he can’t watch us, Hanson

face down, he slides our cards into the deck.

“At this point a lot of magicians will be doing secret moves,” says Hanson, pushing the cards back into their box. “So I’m going to do this nice and slow. That way you can see every single moment. A lot of people accuse me of slight of hand, but that’s not the case.”

Hanson closes the box and snaps his fingers. The box opens,

he snaps his fingers again and a card begins to magically rise from the box. My signed card, the six of diamonds.

From there Hanson proceeds to fan the cards out in an arc on the floor in front of us. He waves his hand over the deck to show there’s no strings attached and snaps his fingers again. Again, a card begins to magically pull away from the deck.

And yes, you guessed it — it’s my friend’s card, the three of diamonds.

Standing there scratching my head, trying to figure out how in the hell he did that effect, one thing becomes abundantly clear: Anthony Hanson is one heckuva magician. And a testament to the old adage that practice does indeed make perfect.

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You’ve got mail

It’s time to privatize Canada Post

A

fter nearly five centuries with ties to the state, the United Kingdom’s Royal Mail postal service is closer than ever to becoming privatized. What the U.K. government plans to do is sell a majority stake to investors (a public offering expected to raise about $3 billion), while giving roughly 150,000 Royal Mail employees free shares.

Privatizing the Royal Mail is a good move, and we think it’s one we should emulate here with Canada Post as a means of solving the myriad and grave problems our postal service is currently facing.

Like what? Well, for starters, due to the rise of online communication domestic mail is forecast to decline by 27 percent by the year 2020. Regular absenteeism has been a serious issue.

Then there’s the pension solvency deficit that currently sits at $5.9 billion (which means that if Canada Post

ceased business today and had to meet all its obligations to all current pension plan holders, the organization would be short by nearly six billion). Oh, and let’s not forget the recent think-tank report from the Conference Board of Canada, which forecasts the corporation will incur losses of around $1 billion per year until at least the end of the decade.

Yes, you read that right. Canada Post could lose $1 billion every year for the next seven years. Toss in there Canada Post’s history of troubled labour relations with its trade unions (which led to 19 different strikes, lockouts and walkouts between 1965 and 1997, and then another one just a couple of years ago), and it becomes clear that the way things are is not the way things should remain.

And we think following in the footsteps of the UK, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, who have all privatized partly or fully, is the way to

go. Doing so would allow our postal service to be run more like a business and less like a dysfunctional governmental department. It would also open the market to competition, since under the current system it is illegal for anybody but Canada Post to deliver letters weighing less than 500 grams in Canada. The problem with monopolies, of course, is that they’re generally bad for the consumer. There are a good many reasons for this, but the general idea is that if you’re the only one in the race, you’re just not going to run as fast. And that’s how we’ve gone from “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” to “your front step is two inches too high, we’re not gonna deliver to your house any more” (yes, Canada Post actually told that to a Winnipeg man earlier this year, who had to relocate his mailbox to start getting mail again). In Continued on next page »

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general allowing competitors to enter a market forces companies to become more efficient and more innovative, which is a good thing for consumers.

It would also mean that service would improve while prices (as dictated by the market) would no doubt remain reasonable.

And we’re not just spouting off here — privatization works. In fact, according to a study by the University of Toronto on the aforementioned countries’ postal reform efforts, simply exposing their national mail services to competition led to myriad improvements. These improvements included increased service quality, the ability to adapt products and services to demand, the introduction of mail-related innovations, and improved labour performance. Oh, and according to a report from the Montreal Economic Institute, the cost of stamps also dropped in Austria, the

Netherlands and Germany following deregulation.

So the question isn’t should we privatize (clearly we should). It’s how should we privatize?

For the answer to this we should look no further than the U.K. example, and begin implementing incremental reforms. We could gradually eliminate government control by auctioning off contracts or outsourcing certain parts of Canada Post’s service to private companies — services like, say, the delivery and pick up of mail. Then, when the time is right, we could sell off the entire thing and give some shares to Canada Post employees so that everybody benefits.

The bottom line is, the current state of affairs is not sustainable.

Not only would selling Canada Post put a substantial amount of lucre in the government coffers, it would also help us, the consumer.

No longer would our tax dollars be

tossed into a money-losing vortex of inefficiency. No longer would we be subjected to Canada Post’s underperformance and rising prices (prices that, given the state of the industry, will probably continue to increase).

Instead, with the injection of competition in the market, we would stop lagging behind major countries and finally get the postal service we deserve. It only makes sense — for the government, businesses and citizens alike.

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

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comments

On Topic: Last week we asked what you thought about scrapping red light cameras. Here's what you had to say:

everyone see more “accidents”?

I rarely see any “accidents” anywhere, let alone at recorded intersections

text yo thoughtsur to 881 vE R b 8372

– It would be interesting to find out how much the City has collected off these cameras. I doubt they would give up the info. I don’t think they own them but get a “commission” on what is collected.

Wonder who owns them? Safety has nothing to do with red light cameras. It’s all about CASH

instead of new tech crap that’s wasting money and our brains.

Like really - they cause MORE crashes. Pffffft. I should run for council - show them what the hell they should b doing!

– Red light cameras are garbage!

A creepy waste of money that’s killing our brains. Just try to focus around those specific intersections and you will see! They’re not safe, they’re a bad idea, and wasting OUR money! This city needs to learn to be SUSTAINABLE!! We don’t need technology. We NEED clean air, food and water! The city better start caring about the city

– Re: red light cams…I do not know where you got that information, but if it was true, wouldn’t

– Red light cameras are such a cash grab that’s been known for ages it’s great the city wants to “make

safety important” but we should do it in ways that are iffective

– Red light cameras catch criminals who run through intersections when they should stop. Period.

Why in the world would we want to take something like that away?

It’s beyond ridiculous to propose that. Think things through before you say them. If we help save a life and prevent people from slamming into traffic in an intersection than good

– I wonder how much cashola the city reaps from these stupid things. Red light cameras just make me either zoom through a yellow to get past the camera or slam on my breaks.

– The radar speed signs totally work I always feel guilty when my speed is flashing :D

– Oh god those red light cameras have been shown over and over to not work at all and only pull in money which is fine But I agree if safety is what we want then do something else.

off topic – Just want to throw in my two cents about legalizing marijuana. I smoke, and agree with the premise of legalization (ease of access to product, etc, though it’s not really hard to get now). My concern is a decline in quality.

In response to “Marijuana should be legalized,” Editorial, #253 (August 16, 2013)

– Love to see everyone come out in support of legalizing weed. Times are changing n so excited for this to come through can’t wait until we can all be open about this! Just the old people think it’s dumb.

In response to “Marijuana should be legalized,” Editorial, #253 (August 16, 2013)

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– I don’t understand why the penalty for shoplifting and child sex offences are the same. Finally Harper is proposing harsher penalties for these sick people!

will win a huge new house.

These lotteries are organized daylight robbery!

– What’s with all the god texts being printed? People need to wake up and realize it’s a story much like the tooth fairy and Santa Claus.

(Only they are better tales) – I doubt the Libs will get in even though the majority of Canadians think marijuana should be legalized. But the old guard and the Cons will spend a sh*t ton of $$ to make sure this never happens, and their voting base tends to come out to the polls more so than younger people.

In response to “Marijuana should be legal-

mention that the commission that permits UFC to come here also will allow prize fight boxing and other events. This is a great thing for Saskatchewan!

– People talking about jesus keep it amongst yourselves. Some others do not want to hear about it/ have their own opinions of jesus

In response to “Finally,” Local, #255 (August 30, 2013)

– Its really bad what happend 2 thoz people! My heart goez out 2 the families! Although it iz nice see in whales up close an performin, but no they dont belong in captivity, how wud we like being held in captivity in there world =AIRIN=

sound off

ized,” Editorial, #253 (August 16, 2013)

– Can’t wait for the UFC to get here I will be at any event hosted in Sask. It is about time. Also should

– I don’t know why we need all of these home lotteries. People should donate freely to the hospitals if they so choose. Everyone gets duped into thinking they

– All vehicles are a responsibility.

Have fun by all means as long as you drive responsibly.

– Send all of the dangerous criminals to Mars and that will free up the prisons on Earth.

– Back at school glad to be back in the city but great summer everyone. Have a great year!!! xoxoxo

– Jaywalkers are still getting hit by cars. I have no sympathy at all pedestrians should not be jaywalking

– Mornings were my fave. First light check em over fire em up.

We parked in a line side by side 20 buggies 2 graders last. Launch a minute apart for interval buggies first. Took 20 min for our turn.

It was like tanks or a flight deck going off to war. Only we weren’t destroying, we were building. Big push Cats waiting in the borrow pit to help the buggies cut. I love the smell of diesel in the morning! It smells like Victory! A service guy with an old Esso tanker tandem truck ran hard all day fuelling us.

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– I bike almost 365 days per year, and agree that cyclists need to be more conscious of what they are doing. On a regular basis I see other bikers approach intersections like they are a car (in the lane), then zip over and cross on a crosswalk without dismounting. This is so dangerous! Cars are expecting you to act like a vehicle switching back and forth puts you in danger. Please, everyone, be aware of the rules of the road, give each other a bit of space.

– About road rage text: agree!

Everyone needs to exercise a little more patience and compassion. Be safe out there and watch out for bikes.

– Keep the age to by cigs where it is raising it doesnt solve things kids still get them younger like they do no. Education is the name of the game. Or let me choose for me.

– If your cell phone gets wet.

Immediately pull the battery out.

Open everything you can and use paper twls tissue to get it as dry as you can. Heat 2 cups of rice to 250F in the oven. Let cool til warm.

Put rice and “opened” phone in Zip plastic bag. Leave for 24 or more hrs. Dry battery with PT or T leave out of bag. Works for anything electronic. My phone was totally immersed ystrdy. OK today.

– It’s time we started caring more about what we are doing ot our planet. We need to be more proactive in making sure that we find sustainable and reusable sources of energy, that we take the time to recycle and compost, that we don’t take more than we need. This is important people it’s time we all WAKE UP!

– Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle, too. You don’t know their stories or their problems or their struggles. Have compassion.

God bless.

– Doing laundry is way beter then washing dishes. #justsayin

– Parking like a dick makes you a dick #justsayin

– Tryin to start a group of #justsayin for Saskatchewan hit me up with your suggestions!

– When u treat a lady right then u will finally know true happiness.

And if u treat her wrong then she’ll leave ur sorry ass and find someone to respect her. Remember that next time you want to cheat

– Shoutout to Ashleigh for making my birthday so amazing I love you baby so much! xoxox P

– LETS GO RIDERS LET’S GO! U GOT WHAT IT TAKES AND WE ALL BELIEVE IN YOU SO DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO AND WIIIIIIIIIIN!

– Hey anyone out there want to start a band with me? I play the drums looking for some peopleto jam

– Hmm I keep hearing about how great Saskatchewna is unless of course you are trying to find a reasonable place to rent without spending hundreds of dollars.

- Summer’s almost over, leaves are starting to fall, it is getting dark earlier...oh, and there are still tons of pothols around the city. Guess we’ll just watch for the snow to cover them and deal with it next year.

– Smile as though no one is watching, dance like no one is watching, live like no one is watching. Ever wonder why everyone is staring at you? Probably because your dancing and laughin like a crazy person!

– Now is the time to partay!

– Do you ever think about how you can press a button and your words get transmitted magically to another place? Technology is fascinating and terrifying.

– Cheese strings should be 4 times bigger then they are

– Now the tails are getting LOOOOONGER!

– It’s important to be involved in your community! There’s often complaints voiced on the Texts pages but without community involvement nothing will get done.

If you don’t like how something is going, come to city council and voice your opinion. You are not powerless!

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

– Why don’t u tell me what’s really goin on here

– Love bein back on campus beer gardens music start of school is always a good time. Before the crushing stress comes crashing down on me lol have a good year y’all :D

– What is all this white fluff floating in the air

– Do you guys print anything that people send you in the comments section?

– Detroit text hard to follow, but great doc Detropia check it out wicked and awe inspiring look at something crazy

– This situation in Syria sure is heating up. Kind of like a highstakes game of poker, hey John McCain? What a DB who the hell would have voted that guy in can’t believe he almost ran the country.

15 sept 6 – sept 12 /verbsaskatoon

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limitless creation

Photos: courtesy of Victoria Masters

Art rockers Braids embrace electronic sounds on Flourish/Perish

by Alex J MacPherson

I

t has been a year of change for Braids, an avant-garde pop band now based out of Montreal. After releasing Native Speaker to international acclaim in 2011, the band spent almost two years on the road before recording their second album. I recently spoke with drummer Austin Tufts about Flourish / Perish and the band’s dramatic tonal shift.

Alex J MacPherson: Flourish / Perish uses a lot of electronic sounds and textures. Why go in that direction?

Austin Tufts: It was one hundred percent conscious, just because that was the music we were actually hearing in our heads. We went from listening to a lot more sort of guitar-based experimental indie projects, such as oldschool Animal Collective and Battles and Grizzly Bear, to getting really into Kid A and the latest Radiohead record, The King of Limbs, and we started listening to a lot more Björk — a lot more electronic music. This is touching on a whole different emotional palette we’ve never tapped into before.

AJM: It really feels like Flourish / Perish is about experimenting.

AT: The process for Flourish / Perish was basically a year long experiment.

It was just us saying, ‘Look, let’s go into the studio and let’s not worry about creating a follow-up to Native Speaker — let’s just remove ourselves from ev-

that we all lived. So the whole body of work very much informs where we’re going next. More than anything, going through and doing it all ourselves has really changed the way our next record is going to turn out.

erything that we’ve ever done and be honest about where we are in our lives with the skills that we have now. So we stripped all of the pressures and expectations from what people wanted us to put out, and were just like, ‘Okay, let’s just f**k around for awhile and see what we come up with.’

AJM: What about touring? Is it going to be a change doing that as a three-piece?

This is touching on a whole different emotional palette… austin tufts

AT: I think it’s a very different experience now live. We’re still trying to get our bearings. Things are very new and very fresh. Challenging, but also very exciting. We’re able to do things we never could have dreamed of doing before. We’re still trying to get our bearings on how to inject life juice into these songs that were created on the computer in a studio with no windows. After the departure of Katie and everything, [Native Speaker] is not something we really want to go and try to recreate. We are looking forward more than ever.

AJM: When did you realize that Flourish / Perish is very much a record in two sides?

AT: It totally happened by chance.

We were looking at the body of work one day. Taylor [Smith] was listening to, at that time, a lot of electronic EPs. He was like, ‘Man, 25 minutes is the perfect listening time; anything longer than that is a little bit long-winded.’

So he’s like, ‘These songs are more like this and these are like this, why don’t we put it out with two arcs? Have it be two very distinct separate sides that work together.’

Braids September 16 @ Amigos $10 (ticketedge.ca)

AJM: After having taken the band in these two different directions while experimenting, is the future any clearer?

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

AT: I don’t think it can be said that we’re going in either one of those two directions, but definitely the body of work as a whole was an experience

@VerbSaskatoon amacpherson@verbnews.com

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art at the mercy of light

Eli Bornstein’s structurist sculptures reveal a new way of seeing the world

M

any artists make works that play with the light. Eli Bornstein makes works that depend on it. An Art At The Mercy Of Light is an exhibition of elaborate sculptures and reliefs. And just like the vast expanses of nature that cover the planet, they change as the sun arcs across the sky.

“When I say daylight, what does that mean?” Bornstein says. “Daylight occurs from sunrise to sunset. It doesn’t mean one specific kind of light is the right light, but that it’s exposed to a variety of light.”

Bornstein was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and studied art in Chicago and Paris. He moved to Saskatoon in

by alex J MacPherson

1950 and set about establishing himself as one of the most innovative artists in North America. The works in An Art At The Mercy Of Light are among the best he has ever made. “I think one can’t help but respond to the place … where one is living,” he says. “When I first came here I was overwhelmed by the … light.”

Bornstein’s works are inspired by the way light touches the things he sees every day. And the fact that light is always in motion means his art takes time to absorb and understand. “The idea of something taking time … in our age? That’s not attractive,” he says.

“There are famous stories about Mondrian,” he continues. “He was

asked, ‘Why do you always paint in squares?’ He said, ‘Squares? I don’t see any squares. I just see relationships.’”

This is the essence of what Bornstein does: the shape and the colour and the light, playing together.

An Art at the Mercy of Light Until September 15 @ Mendel Art Gallery

an evening at the opera

Victor Sawa on the universal appeal of the greatest operas ever composed

W

hat’s Opera, Doc?” ranks among the greatest cartoons ever made. The classic Looney Tunes short, which parodied operas by Richard Wagner, is a romp through the stereotypes surrounding opera music. But according to Victor Sawa, maestro of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, “What’s Opera, Doc?” is more than just a funny cartoon: it illustrates the degree to which opera is woven into the fabric of modern society.

“We could easily call it Looney Tunes At The Opera,” Sawa says of the orchestra’s first concert of the season, which includes several selections that can be found in Looney Tunes cartoons. “Opera has been part of the movies and cartoons for years. “That’s the one thing people have to realize.”

The concert features selections drawn from several popular operas.

Many of the melodies will be familiar to audiences, even if the source material isn’t. Sawa sees the concert as a

by alex J MacPherson

chance to refresh memories. But he can’t do it alone.

Besides the full SSO, Evening at the Opera also features performances by a pair of talented singers: baritone John Brancy and mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta. Brancy has performed around the world, including a stint with the Dresden Semperoper; Giunta, who is from Ottawa, recently made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Sawa is thrilled to have the singers, but admits that the format can

be challenging. “The story of opera is that it’s all rubato, which means that they take the tempo and turn it any which way,” he says. “And usually you don’t know which way [it’s going to go].

You’ve got to follow that soloist.”

More importantly, Sawa says, Evening At The Opera represents a chance for the audience to revisit pieces of music they didn’t know they knew.

Ultimately, Evening At The Opera is both a celebration of timeless classics and a reminder that compositions

by Mozart and others live on inside everybody who watched Saturday morning cartoons.

Evening at the Opera September 14 @ TCU Place $18+ @ tcutickets.ca Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Feature

true believers

Brooklyn’s Widowspeak on touring, their origins, and their la

S

ome bands wear their musical influences on their sleeves. The minute you hear them it’s like, “oh, they sound like this band,” or “hey, they sure do remind me a lot of that band.”

The same can’t be said for Brooklyn-based Widowspeak.

Vocalist/guitarist Molly Hamilton grew up in the American northwest listening to folk, alternative and ‘40s country. Conversely, guitarist Rob Earl Thomas is a huge psychedelic rock fan who’s also pretty deep into Brazilian Tropicália, Saharan desert rock and Afro-pop.

But listen to their music, and you’d be hard pressed to figure that out. I caught up with Widowspeak while they were on tour in Europe. Here’s what they had to say.

out of the blue, he approached me about playing guitar in a band he was trying to get together. We had our first practice in Molly’s living room, playing through the stereo. We eventually moved to the roof and then rented a rehearsal space. The rest is sort of history…

Adam Hawboldt: Let’s go back to the beginning, How’d you meet and how did the band come into being?

RET: Molly had the name “Widow’s Peak” in mind for awhile. I think she originally intended for the project to be a lot darker and creepier, but Michael and I advocated making the name one word and favoured our more rock and roll backgrounds. The compromise is where the band’s sound grew from.

Rob Earl Thomas: The band formed when our first drummer, Michael, invited Molly to start a new project. They had collaborated once before in their native Tacoma, Washington, and in the intervening years had moved to Brooklyn independently. I worked with Michael at an archive in the library of New York University and one day, rather

you talk about the making of The October Tape?”

RET: We made The October Tape just for the hell of it on Michael’s laptop. We’d turn GarageBand on and record the band straight into the computer’s microphone. Then

Molly and I, though pretty different as people, have a good common ground in terms of our musical tastes. rob earl thomas

AH: How did you come up with the name Widowspeak?

AH: Your first studio album was Widowspeak, but you self-released a six-track cassette called The October Tape before that, right? Can

Molly would sing by herself in one room while Michael and I smoked cigarettes in the next. The results had their own eerie charm. Captured Tracks actually re-released the tape to sell at its five-year anniversary festival.

AH: Your self-titled debut won critical acclaim and fans all around.

What do you think made it such a hit?

RET: I think it’s an earnest record. It’s a snap-shot of a band in the midst of inventing an album. The record wasn’t overContinued on next page »

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Photo: courtesy of the artist

atest EP by Adam hawboldt thought or over-produced and the resulting sparseness allowed each member to do what he/she does best.

AH: Your second album, Almanac, was recorded in a 100-year-old barn in the Hudson River Valley —

Photo: courtesy of the artist

very cool. Can you talk about the experience?

RET: Michael had just left the band and Molly and I knew we were going to have to make a studio record of sorts. Thematically, we wanted to be in a secluded, natural setting, and after a couple dead ends we found Kevin McMahon’s studio in New Paltz, New York. It turned out to be the perfect place and we basically moved in for a month at the beginning of autumn. As a result the album has a really inviting feeling, I think, really representative of the Hudson River Valley.

AH: Instead of going back into the studio and pumping out a third album, you opted to release your upcoming EP The Swamps. Why an EP this time around?

RET: The reason was twofold. We’d known about this tour for some time and really wanted a new batch of songs to play, simply so we wouldn’t get bored. We weren’t ready to make a full length album, however, and the themes and songs from The Swamps seemed well suited to a more concise, transitionary release.

AH: And speaking of this EP, why is it called The Swamps?

RET: Like the band name, The Swamps was an idea Molly had been kicking around for a while.

We did a short tour of the southeastern United States and I think that really brought the imagery to the front of our minds.

AH: The first release from the EP, “True Believer” is a haunting, beautiful song. Can you tell me a bit about the creative process involved in making it?

RET: The song was actually recorded before the rest of the EP and kind of set the precedent for the

following recording sessions. “True Believer” is based around homemade drum loops I constructed before we left for that southeastern tour. We just kept layering instruments and vocals on top until we got the final product. It definitely harkens back to the October Tape in terms of low-fi GarageBand recordings, but at the same time it’s the least “live” recording we’ve ever done.

AH: Listening to you play, it’s easy to tell you have amazing musical chemistry. Where does that come from?

RET: Molly and I, though pretty different as people, have a good common ground in terms of our musical tastes. We’ve had the opportunity to explore and expand on this territory with all the time we’ve spent touring, writing and recording. The more we invest into this musical relationship, the better it gets.

AH: You are currently on tour in Europe. Where have you been and how has the experience been?

RET: We are in the UK right now on a rather atypical tour. We flew over to play a handful of festivals in Portugal, France and the UK intermingled with club dates. Due

to logistical concerns, we ended up traveling by train and doing the shows as a duo supported by drum/ bass tracks I made at home and loaded into a looping pedal. We definitely miss the dynamics of performing with a full band, but I think we both wanted to tour like this for the adventure of it.

AH: Any interesting stories you’d like to share with our readers?

RET: Well, the festivals in Portugal and France [Paredes de Coura and La Route du Rock] have been in spectacularly beautiful settings, which has made the trip feel like a vacation at times. In terms of

quirky anecdotes, we never got to play our set in Bournemouth, England because a gas leak in the basement unexpectedly closed the venue. We ended up sitting on the patio with the sound guy drinking bourbon and discussing bad tattoos and tornadoes.

Widowspeak (w/ Iron + Wine) September 20 @ The Odeon $36.75+ @ Ticketmaster

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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sand traps & snacks Photos courtesy of Adam Hawboldt

Dining at the Saskatoon Golf & Country Club by adam hawboldt

A

middle-aged man in a white golf shirt and blue-checkered shorts is standing in a sand bunker on the 18th hole of the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club, surveying his approach shot.

He looks at the pin, down at his ball, then back to the pin. He steps to the ball, gets comfortable and takes

and omelette in favour of the sliders and skins. Placing my order, I looked back out the restaurant window in time to see the golfer with the white shirt and blue shorts drain a 10-foot putt, replace the pin, and walk off the 18th green.

By the time the next group of golfers were making their approach shots, food was served and it was time to eat.

Now I’m not saying I’m happy I didn’t get the omelette or meat pie (I’m sure both are tasty), but I am happy I ordered what I did.

The potato skins were a bit of a twist on an old classic. Sure, they were topped with heaping mounds of cheese and bacon and green onions, but what really made them stand out was the salsa lining and the fact that they were dipped with garlic butter. Mmm, garlic — it makes nearly everything better.

The pulled pork sliders were pretty darn good, too. The meat was juicy and delicious, the buns were lightly toasted, and the coleslaw — well, the coleslaw was made in-house and its crispness offered a nice, fresh contrast to the moist meat. Oh, and instead of getting standard fries or a salad, I ordered larger fries as a side. These cactus-cut morsels were spicy (but not too spicy!), delicious, and came with a cup of sweet onion dressing.

By the time I was finished eating, the second group had already

It’s mid-afternoon, and more than a few things on the menu have caught my eye: the Par 3 omelette (served with your choice of onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, jalapeños and cheese), the Guinness Irish meat pie (Chef Pat’s old-country special), the potato skins and the pulled pork sliders (which I’ve been told are the best pork sliders I’ll ever have).

… the coleslaw … offered a nice, fresh contrast to the moist meat. adam hawboldt

a swing. Sand blasts into air and just as the ball is about to land on the green the waitress at the club’s restaurant asks me if I’m ready to order.

Since I’d already eaten breakfast in the morning and a big meal didn’t really seem right so early in the day, I skipped the meat pie

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide the sand trap

Ingredients

Anyone who golfs knows there’s nothing quite like grabbing a drink after hitting the links. So why not try The Sand Trap before heading home.

1 ounce cherry liqueur 1/2 ounce lemon juice 2 ounce scotch 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

Directions

Fill a shaker to the half-way point with ice cubes. Add the cherry liqueur, lemon juice, scotch and sweet vermouth. Shake well, until outside of shaker is frosty.

Pour into a highball glass filled with ice, garnish with a lemon slice, serve.

finished their round and the golf course looked empty.

My stomach, on the other hand, was not.

Saskatoon Golf + Country Club 865 Cartwright St. W | (306) 931 0022

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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Next Week

coming up

human human the eagles

chris cornell

@ amigos cantina friday, september 20 – $10

@ credit union centre saturday, september 14 – $64.50+

@ TCU Place sunday, october 27 – $26+

Remember during high school, when they’d have those Battle of the Bands competitions? A bunch of friends would get together, practice, play some music for their classmates, and then a winner would be announced. Well, it was at one of these shows that the Montreal-based group Human Human got its start. It wasn’t the very first time Félix Roy, Olivier Larouche, Maxime St-Jean and Louis Lupien performed together, but it was one of the first times — and they’ve been playing together ever since. With a sound reminiscent of ‘80s synthesized pop, and fused with real rock and roll energy, Human Human are an upand-coming band to keep your eye on.

They’ll be in Saskatoon later this month.

You should probably check them out.

Tickets through ticketedge.ca.

There aren’t many bands like the Eagles. Think about. These guys know how to “Take It Easy” while living “Life in the Fast Lane.” What’s more, there’s a “Peaceful Easy Feeling” to their music that’ll make you think you’re a “Desperado” hanging out at the “Hotel California.” All horrible wordplay aside, though, this band from Los Angeles is the fifth highest-selling musical act and highest-selling American band in history. From 1972-1980 they pumped out hit after hit before taking “a 14-year vacation” from performing and each other. In ‘94 they got back together and released a live album called Hell Freezes Over (a reference to Don Henley’s quip that the band would get back together when hell freezes over).

But together they are, and still rocking.

Tickets through Ticketmaster.

Chris Cornell is one helluva vocalist. With a four-octave vocal range and a belting technique that makes him stand out from the crowd, this hardrock/alt frontman was named the #4 best heavy metal vocalist of all-time

by Hit Parader, and came in at the #9 spot on Rolling Stone’s all-time best vocalist reader poll — just behind John Lennon and Eddie Vedder. So it’s no real surprise he is an in-demand frontman. From Soundgarden to Audioslave to his own solo projects, Cornell has been wowing audiences with his vocal stylings since the 1980s. A constant innovator, Cornell refuses to be pigeonholed by genre, playing everything from hard-charging rock to pareddown acoustic. He’ll be in Saskatoon, performing his solo show, in October.

Tickets at www.tcutickets.ca.

– By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: the artist / the artist / F de falso

Sask music Preview SaskMusic has the most comprehensive guide to live music in the province. Want to check out a show? Head over to “events” at www.saskmusic.org for concerts, festivals, gigs and live performances throughout Saskatchewan. And for all you artists, concert promoters and venue managers out there, let us know about your events! Email info@saskmusic.org to get your shows listed.

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

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listings

september 6 » september 14 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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Friday 6

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Whiskey Songs / Amigos — With Mark Ejack and Paul Kuzbik. Also appearing will be Blackwater. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ Aash Money / Béily’s — DJ Aash Money throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party every Friday night. 9pm / $5 The Gong Show / Béily’s UltraLounge— It’s time to celebrate going back to school with Saskatoon’s favourite party band.9pm Riff Raff / Buds on Broadway — A local band playing 80s rock anthems. 9pm / Cover TBD BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/ vocal house music. 10pm / $5 DJ Eclectic / The Hose — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover

DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Kick off your weekend with all your favourite party hits.. 9pm / $5 cover Funk Hunters / Le Relais — A duo that’s ready to destroy the dance floor. 9pm / Cover TBD 911 Turbo / Louis’ — Zany german techno music will pummel your ears. 9pm / Cover TBD Classified / Odeon Events Centre — One of Canada’s finest rappers.

8pm / $25 (theodeon. ca) DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm Keiffer and the Curiosity Club / Prairie Ink — Alternative folk music from right here on the prairies. 8pm / No cover Bastard Poetry / Rock Bottom — A debut album release party! Also appearing

will be The Triplophonics, The Department Heads and Myles and the Blanks. 10pm / $10 cover Kelly Read, We’re Thorry / Somewhere Else — Come start your weekend off right.

9pm / Cover TBD Darwin and the Boys / Stan’s Place — Come on down for a rockin’ good night.

9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano classified Lounge COURTESY OF artists facebook — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests,from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. 10pm / $5 Party Rock Fridays / Tequila — Featuring DJ Anchor. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Nick Ruston / Uncle Barley’s — Come and check him out! 9pm / Cover TBD Unsatisfied Poets / Vangelis — Also appearing will be Kay the Aquanaut and more! 9pm / $8 cover

Saturday 7

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover Powder Blue / Amigos Cantina — An all lady four-piece playing shoegaze/psyche.

10pm / Cover TBD DJ Aash Money + DJ Sugar Daddy / Béily’s UltraLounge — These two DJs throw down a dance party every Saturday night.

9pm / $5 cover Fear of Knowing / Buds on Broadway — Four dudes from Saskatoon playing hard rock. 9pm / Cover TBD Ryan and Brian / Bugsy’s — An intimate acoustic set. 9pm / Cover TBD SaturGAY Night / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin exclusive dance remixes every Saturday. Come on down and get the party started! 10pm / $5

DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Ladies night with DJ Stikman and the Jax party crew.

9pm / $5 cover Hangover Patio Brunch / Louis’ — Shake off your partying from the night before with the sweet tunes of Young Benjamins, Phoneix Lauren, Pistolwhips and DJ Milton Hamfat. 10:30am Misterfire / Louis’ Pub — A CD release party for Darling, This is War. 8:30pm / $8(advance), $10(door) Classified / Odeon Events Centre — It’s the Back to School Bash with guests Hustle & Thrive, DJ Scott Turner and DJ Heywood DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5

Continued on next page »

22 sept 6 – sept 12 entertainment

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The Nobles / Prairie Ink — Playing classic rock to country from the father daughter team of Madison and Lorry Noble. 8pm / No cover Kelly Read, We’re Thorry / Somewhere Else — Come start your weekend off right.

9pm / Cover TBD Darwin and the Boys / Stan’s Place — Come on down for a rockin’ good night.

9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — With Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King. 10pm / $5 DJ Anchor / Sutherland Bar — It’s the world famous video mix show! 10pm / Cover TBD Sexy Saturdays / Tequila — A night of hot tunes. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Thorpdeo / Uncle Barley’s — Spinning hot tunes all night. 10pm / Cover TBD Alanadale, Felipe Gomez / Vangelis — A wicked five-piece experimental folk group, and the incredible talents of bassist Gomez. 10pm / Cover TBD Fabian Minnema / The Woods — Some laid-back, acoustic tunes. 9pm / No cover

Sunday 8

Industry Night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy; this crowd

favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff Better Block Party / Drinkle Building (outside) — Come celebrate 100 years of the Drinkle Building with The Young Benjamins and more. 4pm / Free DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Blues Jam / Vangelis Tavern — The Vangelis Sunday Jam is an institution, offering great tunes from blues to rock and beyond.

7:30pm / No cover

Monday 9

Soul Picnic / Buds on Broadway — Serving up an eclectic mix of rock, pop and soul. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Audio / Dublins — Spinning dope beats. 9pm / Cover TBD Royal Canoe / Louis’ — A talented Winnipeg six-piece. Also appearing: We Were Lovers. 9pm/ $15(advance), $18(door)

Tuesday 10

The Seahags / Amigos Cantina — Come out and rock it at the NDP meet and greet!

8pm / Cover TBD

Soul Picnic / Buds on Broadway — Serving up an eclectic mix of rock, pop and soul. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce — Able to rock any party, this crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres. 9:30pm / $4 cover DJ Nick Ruston / Dublins — Spinning dope beats. 9pm / Cover TBD House Party 4 / Louis’ — With The Moas, Slow down, Molasses, Powder Blue, DJ Charly Hustle, DJ Dr. J + the Gaff. 8pm / Tix at the door Verb presents Open Mic / Rock Bottom — Come and rock the stage! 9pm / No cover Open Mic / The Somewhere Else Pub — Come out to show your talent. 7pm / No cover

Wednesday 11

HUMP WEDNESDAYS / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Resident DJ Chris Knorr will be spinning all of your favourite songs and requests. 9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter DJ Aash Money / Béily’s UltraLounge — Spinning dope beats all night. 9pm / Cover TBD

Michael Wood Band / Buds on Broadway — Indie rock from Victoria. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Memo / Dublins — Spinning dope beats. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover

House Party Four / Louis’ — A bunch of bands and three levels of dollar draft. 9pm / Cover TBD Buck Wild Wednesdays / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Come out and ride the mechanical bull every Wednesday night! 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff

23 sept 6 – sept 12 /verbsaskatoon

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entertainment

CJWW Karaoke / Stan’s Place — Your talent, aired on the radio! 9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. 10pm / No cover

DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the best country

night away as this local DJ rocks it.

9pm / $5 Triple Up Thursdays / Tequila — Featuring DJ Dislexic. 9pm / Cover TBD Gunner + Smith / Vangelis — Harmonyladen folk music for you.

9pm / $8 Open Stage / The the funk hunters Woods COURTESY OF tom hamilton — Hosted

by Steven Maier. 9pm / No cover

Thursday 12

Bleached, Slow Down Molasss / Amigos Cantina — A night of kick-ass rock and post punk. 10pm / $15 (ticketedge.ca) Michael Wood Band / Buds on Broadway — Indie rock from Victoria. 9pm / Cover TBD Wanted Man / Dakota Dunes — A tribute to the late, great Johnny Cash. 8pm / SOLD OUT Throwback Thursdays / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock provided

by Dr. J. 8pm / No cover DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes.

8pm / No cover

Friday 13

music all night.

8pm / Cover TBD Thunder Riot w/Conky Showpony / Rock Bottom — Come dance the

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven it up.

9pm / No cover

CFCR FM-Phasis ’13 / Amigos Cantina — Featuring Shoeless Joes, Black Hell Oil and Make Liars. 10pm / Cover TBD Piano Fridays: Adrean Farrugia / The Bassment — Feel like taking in some smooth jazz stylings? Come check out Farrugia tickle the ivories of the Kinsman Yamaha S6 grand piano.

4:30pm / No cover Roots Series: Zachary Lucky / The Bassment — One of Saskatchewan’s hardest working singer/songwriters.

Also appearing will be Little Criminals and the Karpinka Brothers. 9pm / $15/20 DJ Aash Money / Béily’s UltraLounge — DJ Aash Money throws down a high-energy top 40 dance party every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover Men Without Shame / Buds on Broadway — A glamified classic rock party band. 9pm / Cover TBD BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/vocal house music. 10pm / $5 Harvest Dance / German Club — Featuring Snake River, Black Drink Crier and more. 9pm / $12(advance), $15(door) DJ Eclectic / The Hose & Hydrant — Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic

pumps snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Kick off your weekend with all your favourite party hits.. 9pm / $5 cover The Nightrain / Louis’ — A Guns N’ Roses tribute band. 9pm / Cover TBD Rated R presents: Friday the 13th / Odeon Events Centre — Featuring J.A. DJ, D-Monic and more. 10pm / $20(advance), $30(door) DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm Two man group / Piggy’s — A night of sweet rock! 9pm / Cover TBD Two Tall Dudes / Prairie Ink — A pop/acoustic duo. 8pm / No cover Pocket Aces / Stan’s Place — Come on down for a rockin’ good night. 9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests,from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. 10pm / $5 Party Rock Fridays / Tequila — Featuring DJ Anchor. 9pm / Cover TBD

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DJ Nick Ruston / Uncle Barley’s — Come and check him out! 9pm / Cover TBD

Saturday 14

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover CFCR FM-Phasis ’13 / Amigos Cantina — Featuring Pandas in Japan, Cousins and Haunted Souls. It’s gonna rock! 10pm / Cover TBD Jazz Diva Series: Sophia Perlman Quartet / The Bassment — A talented vocalist with an allstar band. 9pm / $20/25 DJ Aash Money + DJ Sugar Daddy / Béily’s UltraLounge — These two DJs throw down a dance party every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover Men Without Shame / Buds on Broadway — A glamified classic rock party band. 9pm / Cover TBD kelly read / Bugsy’s — An intimate acoustic set. 9pm / Cover TBD The Eagles / Credit Union Centre — Legendary rockers from Los Angeles.

8pm / $64.50+ (ticketmaster.ca) SaturGAY Night / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin exclusive dance remixes every Saturday. 10pm / $5

DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Ladies night with DJ Stikman and the Jax

Two man group / Piggy’s — A night of sweet rock! 9pm / Cover TBD Whiskey on a Sunday / Prairie Ink — A folk/pop/country/Irish trio. 8pm / No cover Black Hell Oil, Black Thunder, The Browns / Rock Bottom — Come out for a night of hard rock and old style metal. 9pm / Cover TBD Pocket Aces / Stan’s Place — Come on down for a rockin’ good night. 9pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. 10pm / $5 DJ Anchor / Sutherland Bar — It’s the world famous video mix show!

10pm / Cover TBD Sexy Saturdays / Tequila the eagles — A night of hot tunes. 9pm / COURTESY OF artists website Cover TBD DJ Thorpdeo / Uncle Barley’s — Spinning hot tunes all night. 10pm / Cover TBD party Ride til Dawn, Eternal Husbands, crew. 9pm / Dumb Angel, The Stolen Organ $5 cover Family / Vangelis — Four hot acts, Bitchface, Oakatron (Breakone venue, good times! 10pm / aways), Conky Showpony, Ze VonCover TBD hattie Rap Show / Louis’ Pub— It’s a one of a kind show that’s got something for everyone! 9pm / $10 Get listed DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / OutHave a live show you'd like laws Country Rock Bar — Round up to promote? Let us know! your friends ‘cause there’s no better layout@verbnews.com country rock party around. 8pm / $5

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He’s baaaaack!

Photo: Courtesy of Universal pictures + entertainment one

Riddick marks the triumphant return of Richard B. Riddick to the silver screen by adam hawboldt

D

on’t call it a comeback, Richard B. Riddick’s been here for years.

Wait. Nope. That’s wrong. You should definitely call this a comeback. Sure, David Twohy and Vin Diesel’s original Riddick film, Pitch Black, was a good, gritty, genre flick that pleased both the critics and fanboys alike.

But the second installment of the series, 2004‘s The Chronicles of Riddick, was so bad, so misguided, so riddickulous (sorry, couldn’t help myself) and so full of plot holes that by the time a lot of people left the theatre they had a sneaking suspicion it was the last they were going to be seeing of the Riddick sci-fi franchise.

Of course, as it turns out, those suspicions were wrong.

Fast forward nearly a decade, and thanks to Vin Diesel (who leveraged his house to help finance the movie), the most wanted man in the universe is back in a self-titled movie simply called Riddick.

Not only is it a return to the silver screen for the Furyan warrior, but it’s also a return to fine, Pitch Black form for the entire series. Picking up where The Chronicles of Riddick left off, we find our anti-hero (Vin Diesel) has been double crossed by Vaako (Karl Urban) and left for dead on a savage and inhospitable planet.

Death? For Riddick? That’s

laughable. Instead of succumbing to this hostile land — where he’s attacked by hyena-like creatures, giant scorpions, and man-eating amphibians — Riddick opens a can of whoop-ass, takes one of the hyenabeasts as a pet, and heads for higher ground. This act lasts for about 30 minutes, and by the end of it you

riddick David Twohy Vin Diesel, Jordi Mollà, Katee Sackhoff + Karl Urban Directed by Starring

119 minutes | 18A

Why? Because before things get too serious, the movie moves into its third act and, well, let’s just say if you’ve ever seen Pitch Black you’ll be having some serious deja vu as the film winds to an end.

And while the three acts don’t exactly flow smoothly into one another, Riddick still manages to entertain throughout. There’s enough gore and action to please even the most blood-thirsty fans.

There’s salty, hard-bitten dialogue.

Heck, there’s even a bit of nudity that helped garner the movie an 18A rating. Put that all together and what you get is a proper sci-fi B-movie that has returned to its roots and, in doing so, may very well have saved a franchise that looked to be on its last legs.

There’s enough gore and action to please even the most bloodthirsty fans.

Adam Hawboldt

just might find yourself thinking: “Yep, he’s definitely back … maybe even better than ever.”

Cue the second act, which involves two teams of bounty hunters who come to the planet in search of Riddick’s scalp. Or head. Or whatever. The first to arrive are Santana (Jordi Mollà) and his gang of thugs, followed closely by Boss Johns (Matt Nable) and the badass Dahl (Katee Sackhoff). Action ensues as the mercenaries try to hunt down and kill our anti-hero.

Doesn’t happen.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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Play it again, sam

The Way Way Back has indie vibe and loads of heart by adam hawboldt

D

on’t you just love Sam Rockwell?

Seriously. The guy is one of the best supporting actors working today. From Confessions of a Dangerous Mind to Matchstick Men to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Seven Psychopaths, Rockwell has shown the uncanny ability, time and time again, to inhabit his characters and give them a life all their own.

And in The Way Way Back, he’s at it again, this time as a zany manchild named Owen who manages the Water Wizz Park. But we’ll come back to Owen in a minute.

Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (two of the three guys responsible for The Descendants screenplay), The Way Way Back is a coming-of-age tale about a troubled teenager named Duncan (Liam James). Much to his chagrin, Duncan is forced to go on summer holidays with his mom,

Photo: Courtesy of fox searchlight pictures

“summer friends” (Allison Janney, Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet) — party like there’s no tomorrow: Bloody Mary’s for breakfast, wine for lunch, beer around the clock and even a little reefer for good measure.

This debauchery wears thin on Duncan, who starts hanging out at a 1980’s themed water park.

Enter Sam Rockwell.

But it isn’t just Rockwell who shines … [t]he script is so good that every character becomes fully realized.

Adam Hawboldt

Pam (Toni Collette), her douchebag boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent’s daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin).

The vacation is intended to bring the families closer together, but from the start it’s hard to see this happening.

In the car ride to the resort Trent asks Duncan, “On a scale of one to ten, what are you?”

“A six,” Duncan replies.

To which Trent says, “I think you are a three.”

Yep. It’s going to be that kind of vacation. And to make matters worse, once they get to the resort, Pam and Trent — along with Trent’s

From the moment he shows up the movie goes from “Hmm, this is kind of interesting … I guess” to “Holy crap! This is fantastic.” As Owen, he strikes up a friendship with Duncan and slowly begins to bring the taciturn, detached teen out of his shell. He instills the kid with confidence, helps him out with a girl he’s interested in (Anna Sophia Robb), and eventually takes on a father figure role. Oh, and while he’s doing all this, Owen will make you laugh. Like, really laugh.

There’s a scene where two kids are caught in a waterslide and, to

the way way back Nate Faxon + Jim Rash Starring Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Liam James + Sam Rockwell Directed by

104 minutes | PG

the crowd, Owen turns and says “I need a hero.” No response. So Owen — in pitch perfect deadpan that’ll remind you of Bill Murray in Meatballs — rattles off more Bonnie Tyler lyrics by saying, “I’m holding out for a hero till the end of the night.”

Pure gold. But it isn’t just Rockwell who shines in this movie. The script is so good that every character becomes fully realized. No matter what their angle, you can’t help but care about what happens to them. Which is a really rare thing in cinema these days.

The end result is a charming, nostalgic, and touching indie flick that has the feel of a Little Miss Sunshine or 500 Days of Summer — crossed with a healthy portion of Meatballs.

I wonder if they’ll do a sequel?

The Way Way Back is currently being screened at Roxy Theatre.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

27 sept 6 – sept 12 /verbsaskatoon

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saturday, august 31 @

The sutherland Bar

The Sutherland Bar 810 Central Avenue (306) 374 8873

Continued on next page Âť

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Photography by Patrick Carley

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Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, September 13. facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Photography by Patrick Carley

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nightlife

wednesday, september 4 @

Louis’

Louis’ Pub 1 Campus Drive (306) 966 7000

Photography by Taylor Thomson

31 sept 6 – sept 12 /verbsaskatoon

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Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, September 13. facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

Photography by Taylor Thomson

33 sept 6 – sept 12 @verbsaskatoon

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

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timeout

crossword canadian criss-cross 30. Memory loss 33. Necklace fastener 37. Bird that resembled an ostrich 38. Bacon’s partner 40. Code word for E 41. Basic knitting stitch 43. Follow the advice of 45. Three prefix 46. Expecting rules to be followed 48. Result of a bad bite 50. Of an hour 51. Overwhelming number 52. On guard 53. Communicate non-verbally

. Touch affectionately 1 2. Amorous embrace 3. Confess 4. Continue a subscription 5. Spendthrift 6. ___ Baba 7. Christmas 8. Serving dish 9. Excessive enthusiasm 11. Male duck 12. Saint ___, New Brunswick 14. Did a take-off on 17. Leaves 20. Herb of the mint family 22. Face powder ingredient 25. Be unable to find 27. Sound heard through a

stethoscope 29. With good reason 30. Concert gear 31. Opening for food 32. Small in breadth 34. Movie director’s cry 35. Make confetti 36. Pea in French 39. Agricultural labourers 42. Maltese monetary unit 44. ‘The Burning Giraffe’ painter 47. Airport rental 49. Swamp

A

B

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

1. Blacken on the grill 5. Have an inclination toward 9. Light purple colour 10. For everyone to hear 12. Words often difficult for outsiders to understand 13. Rugged range of mountains 15. Early afternoon hour 16. Threads running from side to side across a fabric 18. Move off the ground 19. Cat’s warning 21. St. John’s ___ 23. Barely get by, with ‘out’ 24. Relating to the nose 26. Erudite 28. Biggest ape

© walter D. Feener 2013

sudoku answer key

DOWN

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

ACROSS

Horoscopes september 6-september 12 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

If you’re feeling down this week, Aries, don’t despair. Watch a funny movie or go out with friends. That’ll do the trick.

A short trip should be in the cards for you this week, Leo. Get out of town, recharge your batteries. New territories could bring serious inspiration.

Express yourself! Those are some words of wisdom you should most certainly heed this week, Sagittarius.

Speak your mind, and enjoy some peace.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Do not overindulge this week, Taurus. Moderation is the name of this game. There really can be too much of a good thing. Trust us.

This is going to be one of those weeks where everything you touch turns to gold, Virgo. So be as touchy-feely as the law permits.

Don’t sweat the small stuff in the days and weeks ahead, Capricorn.

It could be your undoing. Rather, try to go with the flow and sort things out later.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

Ever get the feeling that someone is avoiding you, Gemini? Well, chances are that’s precisely the case this week.

A celebration may be in order this week, Libra. For what? Who cares.

Just get out there and have a good time.

It’s important to blow off some steam.

Avoid all drama this week, if you can help it. There’s no sense in making a mountain out of a mole hill. Pick your battles.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

Unspoken tension between you and a loved one can explode into words that shouldn’t be spoken. Don’t let that happen this week.

Responsibilities. Don’t you just hate ‘em, Scorpio? Too bad they’ll acquire most of your attention this week.

Keep your head down and get ‘er done.

Something may have been worrying you lately, Pisces. Good news: those worries will pass. All you have to do is listen to what the universe is telling you.

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

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