Verb Issue S267 (Nov. 22-28, 2013)

Issue #267 – November 22 to November 28

arts

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saskatoon

Meaghan Smith

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bad seed New doc explores medicinal marijuana two sides Q+A with David Myles catching fire + muscle shoals Films reviewed­

Photo: courtesy of Carlyle Routh

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On the cover:

meaghan smith

Restless ambition. 16 / feature Photo: courtesy of Carlyle Routh

NEWs + Opinion

culture

entertainment

q+A with David myles Exploring both sides of bad seed Local filmmaker explores medicinal marijuana in new doc. 4-5 / Local

Live Music listings

this Nova Scotia singer. 12 / Q + A

Local music listings for November 22 through November 30. 20-21 / listings

burlesque on broadway

catching fire + muscle shoals

Paying tribute to the greats. 14 / Arts

We review the latest movies. 22-23 / Film

a saskatchewan institution

We visit the Shark Club + Beily’s.

Sundog’s enters its 39th year. 15 / Arts

24-28 / Nightlife

Nightlife Photos

a life in pictures New photovoice book examines gang culture in Saskatchewan. 6-7 / Local

jailhouse rock

late-night eats

on the bus

Our thoughts on revamping our prison system. 8-9 / Editorial

This week we visit Chef Express.

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 30 / comics

18 / Food + Drink

comments

Music

Game + Horoscopes

Here’s your say about changing liquor laws in SK. 10-11 / comments

The Steadies, Shaggy + Dean Brody.

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, weekly horoscopes and Sudoku. 31 / timeout

19 / music

verbnews.com @verbsaskatoon facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

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 Marketing Manager / Vogeson Paley Financial Manager / Cody Lang

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ART & Production design Lead / andrew yanko Graphic designer / bryce kirk Contributing Photographers / patrick carley, ishtiaq opal + Adam Hawboldt

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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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Bad Seed, Good Documentary

local

A local filmmaker tackles the medicinal marijuana issue

by ADAM HAWBOLDT

S

ometimes when you step outside of your comfort zone, a whole new world opens up before you.

Just ask Shayne Metcalfe.

A few years ago, Metcalfe was a filmmaker who specialized in industrial films. Then one day, out of the blue, he got a call to make some training videos. Figuring the gig to be well within his wheelhouse, Metcalfe accepted. But the videos he signed on to make were different than any other subject matter he’d ever dealt with.

They were instructional videos training people to grow marijuana.

Uninitiated in the world of weed, Metcalfe was skeptical. He didn’t know about the legality of what he was doing, and wasn’t sure what to expect.

That skepticism soon vanished when he met Jason Hiltz of Jake’s Fertilizer — the company that had hired him to do the videos.

“Jason was suffering from chronic pain after he got in a really bad car accident,” explains Metcalfe. “He’d hurt vertebrae in his neck and shoulder, was constantly in pain.”

Looking to ease his suffering, Hiltz went to see a doctor, who prescribed him a “witches’ brew of drugs” that left him zombified. The drugs did little to relieve his discomfort, though they did mess with his sleep patterns.

“He hadn’t really slept properly in something like 18 months,” says Metcalfe. “Then one day one of his friends jokingly suggested he should try smoking pot, see if that helps.”

Hiltz did. And it worked.

The next challenge was to find a doctor to prescribe him medicinal marijuana. It wasn’t easy. When he asked healthcare practitioners, Hiltz was told there was no way he was getting the marijuana prescription. But he was welcome to more pharmaceuticals. “The more I talked to Jason,

Photo: Courtesy of isee motion picture company

the more his story made me think,” says Metcalfe. “When I first started, I had this perception, this stereotype of marijuana smokers. Kind of that they were a bunch of drug smoking hippies. But the more I found out about [Hiltz], the more I realized that’s not the case. There was something there, a real good story to tell. So I started shooting a short film about him.”

A short film that would eventually morph into a feature-length documentary called Bad Seed.

Bad Seed is a movie about marijuana.

It is also a movie about Jason Hiltz — a man who has grown weed legally, given expert witness testimony about marijuana in court and been thrown in jail for growing recreationally. It is a documentary about the ethical, political and spiritual aspects of the plant.

Mackenzie King traveled to Vancouver to investigate the causes of the Asiatic Exclusion League riot. King came away from Vancouver with the impression that opium should be suppressed because it was beginning to filter into white Canada. The result was the Opium Act of 1908 His recommendations were the basis for the first Opium Act, which made the drug illegal for anything other than medicinal use.

Three years later the Opium and Drug Act of 1911 outlawed the sale and possession of not only opium, but morphine and cocaine as well.

It was only a matter of time before marijuana came under fire.

In 1923, cannabis found itself added to the Confidential Restricted list. Ask most historians and they’ll tell you that it was Emily Murphy who inspired this addition. See, Murphy was a suffragist

When I first started … I expected there to be a black and white answer. shayne metcalfe

But at the very heart of the whole thing, Bad Seed is a film that asks one simple question: why is weed illegal?

The answer, well, it’s not so simple.

“When I first started doing research I expected there to be a black and white answer,” says Metcalfe. “But there wasn’t. It’s a complex issue full of different reasons and angles. If you go back to the very beginning, here in Canada, there were really strange reasons. It started as sort of an attack on Chinese opium dens.”

What Metcalfe is talking about is drug prohibition in Canada. In 1907, then-Deputy Minister of Labour

and a police magistrate who wrote a series of articles for Maclean’s magazine using the alias Janey Canuck. “She wrote about the menace of drugs in society,” says Metcalfe, who researched the history of weed’s vilification for his film. “She drew strong links between drugs and race, in particular the white Anglo-Saxon women and how they were being lured into opium dens.

People got all panicked over this and they decided to just kinda tack marijuana on to the list of drugs — that was basically the beginning of prohibition in Canada.”

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The first seizure of marijuana in Canada didn’t happen until 1937.

More than seven decades later, in 2010, Shayne Metcalfe began shooting Bad Seed to try and figure out why people are still being arrested. Why weed is still illegal. Why a plant with so many health and economic benefits is still not allowed in our society.

“When we began, I didn’t really know what I was doing,” says Metcalfe.

“At that time, it was just me following Jason around, telling his story.”

But as he did this, a new story began to emerge. Because cannabis was so central to Hiltz’s life, Metcalfe started to see a side narrative forming.

A narrative that would explore the ethical, political and spiritual aspects of marijuana.

“Through Jason I met a lot of advocates and activists,” says Metcalfe.

“I learned about the whole cannabis scene. We started in B.C. Went to Nelson, then to Vancouver. We talked to Dana Larsen at Sensible B.C., we talked to Jodie Emery, we talked to people at the Vancouver Seed Bank.”

Metcalfe and the Bad Seed crew also visited Alberta, made a stop at home in Saskatchewan, and ventured east to Toronto. Along they way they spoke with a vast array of people, from doctors, marijuana activists and lawyers to teachers and a woman with terminal cancer who is breaking the law to ease her pain. But it wasn’t easy getting all these people to open up.

“When we were tracking people down to talk to, some of them were really eager to do it. The activists in the scene were all more than happy to talk

with us,” says Metcalfe. “But it was a little trickier finding people who aren’t part of that scene. Lawyers, doctors, police officers. When we first wanted to talk to these people, a lot of people we found shut down. They didn’t want to put their necks out there, have their opinions known.”

Eventually they did, though, and the result is an engrossing “tale of mischief, magic and medicinal marijuana” called Bad Seed.

A documentary that, five years ago, Shayne Metcalfe wouldn’t have dreamed of making.

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Photo: Courtesy of isee motion picture company

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A life in pictures

New photovoice book, Brighter Days Ahead, takes a look at gang life in Saskatchewan by ADAM HAWBOLDT

T

he photo on the cover of the book features a gang member from Regina. In it, the young man is standing with a bit of a lilt. Right arm bent at almost a ninety-degree angle, right hand flashing a gang sign. His other hand is pressed to the front of his jeans. His head is tilted down, face hidden by the flat brim of a baseball hat.

In white lettering, near the bottom of the cover, are the words Brighter Days Ahead by Robert Henry.

The picture, once in color but now in black and white, isn’t just some generic, oh-that-looks-cool photo-op.

No, this photo has a story.

“Dave and I were driving to Regina, that’s where he participated in the [gang] lifestyle,” explains Robert Henry. He’s standing in the D-wing of the Health Sciences Building at the University of Saskatchewan, addressing a crowd of people. To his left photos flash on a projection screen.

The images are of a needle being stuck into a tattooed arm, of Stony Mountain Institution, of a gang member with a shaved head leaning back

in a plaid chair, smoking a cigarette and flashing a gang sign.

And Henry says, “As we were driving down there, Dave asked me, ‘As you were doing research for this book, have you ever been jumped, beat up, stabbed or anything?’”

Henry told him he hadn’t. Dave, who was only identified by his first name, nodded, then told Henry that when they got to Regina he didn’t

put out on him. Dave had to move out of Regina.

Back there again, on that sunny Saturday with Henry, Dave tried to take pictures from the car but couldn’t get many of merit. So Henry suggested they get out of the car.

It was 10 o’clock in the morning, nobody was around. Why not?

Dave said okay. “We got out of the vehicle and the first thing Dave said,

The goal was to understand masculinity and identity. robert henry

want to stop. Just wanted to drive around the neighbourhood and take pictures from the car. Something didn’t feel right.

Which is understandable. Years ago, back when Dave was in a gang, a backpack with $1200 worth of drugs in it had been stolen from his car. He tried to make the money back but couldn’t, so a hit had been

and this will always stay in my head, he looked down and said, ‘Don’t worry about me. If anything happens, you run as fast as you can. Anything is a weapon. Get into a business or a building as fast as you can and I’ll find you later,’” remembers Henry.

“That was his warning to me.”

Dave’s warning wasn’t unjustified.

Not even a minute into their walk, Continued on next page »

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Photo: Courtesy of Robert Henry

Dave and Henry turned a corner and out popped three gang members from behind a tree. Dave looked down, realized he was wearing all black. This wasn’t a good thing. That’s Native Syndicate colours. They were in the Native Syndicate Killers’ hood.

They wear red.

“They started coming across the road after us,” says Henry, who chuckles and admits at this point he’d taken off about a half a block out of harm’s way. “And what really showed the connection to street socialization and street mentality is, Dave has been out of that lifestyle for a long time, but as soon as they challenged him, he was right there in the middle of the street, up in their faces.”

Gang signs were flashed, tension mounted. Eventually Henry doubled back and they all started to chat.

Cooler heads prevailed, they shook hands, and Henry explained to the gang members what they were doing there. He explained about the book and asked if they were interested in contributing. “Two of them told us to piss off,” says Henry. “But the other guy said, ‘Fine. You can take my picture, but I have to be on the cover of the book.’”

So that’s what Henry did. He put him on the cover of his book.

When Robert Henry began doing his research for Brighter Days Ahead,

he wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to do it. He knew he wanted to focus on indigenous gangs, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it.

Then he found a book called It’s Alright buried somewhere in the university’s law library, and a light went on.

“It’s Alright was a ethnographic study of individuals living in the Bronx, New York,” says Henry. “The people in the book went out and took pictures of what was going on in their community, then [the author] did an ethnographic study with them and displayed it all. I thought that was really interesting how it worked. The images that were taken were very powerful, very emotionally connecting for the reader.”

Henry took the idea to Father Andre Poilievre and Stan Tu’Inukuafe at Str8 Up, an organization that helps ex-gang members leave the lifestyle.

They thought it was a great idea and rounded up 10 guys to help Henry work on the project.

“The trickster called Life caught up with some of those guys,” says Henry. “Out of the 10 individuals we started with, only three of them actually finished the project.”

Not to worry, though. Through Str8 Up Henry was put in contact with three more ex-gang members, who went back to their old neighbourhoods, took pictures of their

old lives, revisited old demons, and sat down to interviews with Henry.

The result was a black-and-white photovoice book full of powerful images and heart-wrenching stories about child abuse, drug abuse, violence, death, gang life and so, so much more.

“The goal was to understand masculinity and identity. How does an individual’s idea or construction of masculinity change or shape them?

How does a gang help support that from an indigenous perspective?” says Henry.

For the next few minutes Henry talks about the process of making the book. About writing the stories from the interviews he conducted and about how the guys featured in the book — like Dave, Emil and Bonks — had so much control over what made the book and what was cut.

Henry talks about a lot of things.

And as he does, the images on the projection screen keep flashing.

Shoes dangling from a telephone wire, blood splattered on a sidewalk, a gang member wearing a Black Sox hat pointing a gun directly at the camera.

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It’s our get out of jail free card We need to fix the serious problems with our prison system

I

t’s no secret that prisons in Saskatchewan are crowded. Space is at a premium, with classrooms being converted into dorms and cells packed to overflowing. Money that was once spent on rehabilitative programs is now being used to hire more guards to take care of more inmates.

It’s a hellish circle for all involved, and something clearly needs to be done. Which is why we propose giving our current system a shake-up. We need to revisit the way correctional facilities operate, bring the focus back to rehabilitation and reintegration, and stop stuffing our prisons with people who don’t really need to be there.

And our jails could certainly use the help. According to Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan has the second highest number of adults in correctional services out of all

provinces in the entire country (195.2 per 100,000 people), behind only Manitoba. And, as mentioned earlier, our facilities are crammed, with some prisons that were built to hold 800 inmates housing almost double that.

So let’s turn our attention to Scandinavia, where Sweden is currently in the process of shutting down four prisons and a remand centre, thanks to a sharp decline in inmate population. Since 2004, the number of prisoners in Sweden has been decreasing by about 1% per annum. Between 2011 and 2012, they dropped by 6%.

And according to Nils Ŏberg, Sweden’s head of prison and probation services, part of the reason why this is happening is because of that country’s more progressive approach to incarceration. See, in many Scandinavian countries the system focuses on rehabilitation,

not punishment. Prison officials’ goals are to build their prisoners up to decrease the instance of recidivism, a move that we think Saskatchewan — with its bursting jails — could benefit from.

One such innovative prison is Sollentuna Prison in Sweden, where inmates are housed in cells with comfortable mattresses and private bathrooms, and have access to a kitchen and gym, all of which works to humanize the individual. In fact, according to the International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation, Sweden’s philosophy when it comes to prisons is one that is characterized by a humane attitude and good care of the prisoner, all of which works towards influencing the inmate not to commit further acts.

Halden prison in Norway operates with a similar premise. There, prisoners are encouraged to go to work and participate in educa-

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tional and self-betterment activities every day, from music programs to cooking classes. Officers who work at Halden frequently eat and play sports with the inmates, fostering a greater sense of community. And prisoners are asked for feedback on what would make their jail experience better — sounds a little touchy-feely, yes. But it works: although calculating a country’s the recidivism rate is notoriously difficult, according to Public Safety Canada, around 60% of released prisoners released from our jails will reoffend; estimates peg the percentage at 35% in Sweden.

And yet implementing a new prison system is only the first step.

What would go a long way towards getting reducing our inmate population would be doing away with mandatory minimum sentencing, and adopting Sweden’s model: embracing probationary sanctions instead of short prison sentences for theft and drug offenses.

Now we know what you may be thinking: but that’s impossible!

The omnibus bill that the Harper government enacted makes mandatory minimums, well, mandatory.

Which is true. Under the the bill, which is part of the Conservatives law-and-order agenda, the mandatory minimum sentence for gun possession is three years. Grow six plants of marijuana (without a license), and you get minimum six months. Produce oil or resin from said marijuana and you’re looking at a year — minimum.

This, like the very nature of our prisons, has to change. Now, everyone can agree that certain criminals need to be punished, but no sensible person can argue that passing a sentence without first considering the crime is just.

In fact, last week Ontario’s top court took it one step farther and struck down the federal government’s mandatory minimum laws for gun possession, declaring them unconstitutional and “cruel and unusual punishment.”

It’s time we did the same here in Saskatchewan. We need to shift

our focus from simply punishment to rehabilitation. We need to change how prisons operate, and work with inmates to reintegrate into the general population. We need to lower our rates of recidivism, which would take some of the strain off our bloated correctional facilities, and doing away with mandatory minimum sentences would go a long way to helping that.

It’s time we become proactive instead of being knee-jerk reactive. Do that, and maybe we’ll be able to solve the problem with our overcrowded prisons.

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

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Photo: Courtesy of www.dailymail.co.uk

Halden prison cell in Norway.

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On Topic: Last week we asked what you thought about changing Saskatchewan’s liquor laws, and making alcohol available in grocery and convenience stores. Here's what you had to say:

– Buy some jug wine at the supermarket while getting the fixings for some homemade lasagna - an idea whose time has come..Pick up a 2x4 at the gas station for the road trip tot he Rider game in Regina..

DUMB idea

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

– I agree with bringing alcohol into supermarkets and other places.

Many other countries do this. Having an open and honest relationship with alcohol is just responsible and progressive. Hiding it away and pretending it’s shameful doesn’t do anyone any favours.

– There is no reason to put booze in grocery stores where kids can see it and normalize it. Your to lazy to drive five minutes to a liquor store? What a stupid idea.

– The US has had liquor in grocery stores for years. How are they more progressive than us when it comes to something like this? Oh right they don’t think of alcohol as a drug.

– Yes! Every time my wife and I are travelling in the States, we marvel at the convenience of being in Safeway, grabbing what we need for dinner and then picking up some wine at the same time.

Good luck getting this to ever happen, though.

– Saskatchewan has the highest rate of .08s in the land. Suds and bingo juice at the gas station?

Why not who wants to drop in the standings

– I disagree on selling booze in supermakets it’ll be like selling firearms at toy stores. Having booze only sold where you need ID prevents underage drinking.

OFF TOPIC – Gordon Wilson is a treasure, and we can never adequately repay him for what he did for our country. What an amazing man.

In response to “A Day of Remembrance,” Local #266 (November 15, 2013)

– Before we go so far with making alcohol so available we should talk with ireland and italy who have had problems with this before Truth Is Power-Try It

– It was touching to read about Wilson and his rememberances of the war. Thank you for featuring him. It’s important to listen while we still have these survivers around. To remember there stories is to never let that happen again.

– Changing liquor laws in Saskatchewan is a must. Vote SDAP in 2015 to remove all sin taxes from Alcohol & help create a fairer tax code. SDAP.CA

In response to “A Day of Remembrance,”

– We definitely need to adress our laws when it comes to alcohol in Saskatchewan. We are behind the times in so many ways. Greater access doesn’t mean greater abuse of alcohol. People are still responsible for their actions and what they do.

Local #266 (November 15, 2013)

sound off – Winter tires should be mandatory. All season tires give people a false sense of security. Having winter tires might help reduce the accidents people keep having.

– What would happen if your kid’s teacher got up at a school meeting and admitted to smoking crack, buy-

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ing drugs, driving drunk and stated he had enough to eat at home?

How about the td manager, the Air Canada pilot, the CPR engineer, the church minister.. OR you….

– What’s happening in TO is not a circus; Rob Ford’s addiction might be worthy of your empathy if it were not overshadowed by his hypocrisy and sense of entitlement..

– Rob Ford is walking talking proof that coke is not cool.

– Ford needs to step aside, as much for himself as for the city.

He is supposed to be a representative of Toronto, leading the city, and he is doing anything but. He’s so desparate to hold on to his power, but he needs to go. Good first step having council severely restrict his power.

– Watched the Argonauts play TiCats thought I saw Rob Ford ib the stands - waving an 40 pounder

... Now isn’t that a surprise - I’ll be so happy checking out the new art gallery ...

– GO RIDERS! We’re going to bleed green this weekend LET’S GO RIDERS LETS GOOOO!

– I know there are several ashtrays in downtown and at most malls but what about other public places? Truth Is Power-Try It

– Go Riders! Let’s bring home that Grey Cup!

– Get a grip people. Its just a game.

Fans are just a minority in the prov.

Man peeps here are so desperate for any kind of cred rep etc. Small sad!

– The Riders are gonna play The Grey Cup in Regina. Way too much pressure to win! Can you say “Choke!”? (or rigged game if they do win)

– Green is the colour. Football is the game.

– The Best Halloweens ever Lumsden and Craven in the 1960s.

People baked treats Halloween eve!

Fudge popcorn balls candy apples cookies cake.... Warm treat bag!

– You can’t break your habits until you’re ready to give them up.

– Thanks to all the volunteers who helped put on the Santa Claus parade! Your efforts are very much appreciated!

– Don’t let what happened to you become an excuse for you to stay that way.

– Hunger Games this weekend can’t wait!!!!

– Anger is one letter away from danger.

– When you know, YOU eat your shorts. I eat my hat

– How can there still be climate change deniers out there? It’s mind boggling. The science doesn’t lie, seriously people. We need to take care of this planet. Tornados and hurricanes are byproducts of this.

– Cue the groaning about cold winter weather. Were you really surprised? IT’S SASKATCHEWAN!

Next week: What do you think about changing SK’s prison system? 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

- Between the Senate scandal and Ford’s antics, I’m just waiting for Real Politicans of Canada reality show to take off. I would watch that for real.

– 7 .26 per cent tax increase so that roads can be cleared twice a year

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Photos: courtesy of Hiep Vu

Two sides of David Myles

Nova Scotia singer explores traditional roots music and modern pop on his new album In The Nighttime

by Alex J MacPherson

avid Myles’s new double album In The Nighttime shows off its creator’s split personality.

The front side is classic Myles, a charming fusion of straightforward pop and more complicated jazz and blues influences.

Myles has always loved the tonally complicated yet eminently danceable pop music of the 1950s, and In The Nighttime captures the essence of his musical vision: he yearns for the stark simplicity of a great pop song while pushing his songwriting and vocal performances deep into the 21st century. It is an invigorating collection of songs, smooth and luxurious yet always engaging and innovative. But this is only half the story. The back side of In The Nighttime is a short EP of adrenaline-boosted pop songs. It features electric guitars, punchy horns, and grinding drum tracks, which resulted from Myles’s longtime collaboration with Classified, one of the most prominent rappers and producers in the country. But these are not two independent albums jammed together. Both sides include a version of the song “What Would I Have To Do” (jazzy on the front, punchy and horn-driven on the back), and Myles’s elliptical songwriting is embedded in the D.N.A. of both records. Working on In The Nighttime imbued Myles with a sense of artistic freedom he hadn’t felt before, and the project feels like a new beginning in a career already studded with highlights. A few weeks ago I caught up with Myles to learn more about the duality of In The Nighttime.

Alex J MacPherson: In The Nighttime is a double record. Did you set out to release two very different sides of music, or did that come later?

David Myles: The way the album turned out wasn’t exactly how I planned. When I first went into it, I didn’t think I was doing a double record. That was where the curveball happened. What I had planned to do was make disc one, disc one was the plan. I felt like I wanted to make a record that had a really nice kind of nighttime vibe — great-sounding, great players, a Norah Jones or James Taylor vibe. I didn’t want to get involved in over-producing it; I just wanted to make a really strong roots record. Things deviated because I kept on working with Luke every time I was home, and the collaboration was just so awesome, so fun, that I decided that rather than separate them I’d put them out together, because I was too into it, basically.

AJM: Let’s talk about the first side.

You mentioned wanting to avoid any sort of over-production. What was recording it like?

DM: Basically what I did is I wrote all these songs and then I made sure I could play them live. I toured them for like two months before I even went into the studio. That way you get a sense of the song: you get a sense of how to sing it and you get a sense of what’s working with the song, what’s not working with the song. So I really worked through all those details during these tours, which was really rewarding and a nice way to do it. It was kind of something I hadn’t done before. Over making enough records I’ve learned that’s a great way to preproduce a record, that the time you spend before you go into the studio is actually just as valuable as the time you spend in it.

AJM: Side one is interesting. On the one hand most of the songs are about the doubt that accompanies love and longing. On the other hand, it feels like the most self-assured record you’ve made.

DM: I can never tell because I’m so close to it. I mean, you get so close Continued on next page »

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to it that you don’t even realize that it is kind of a record of longing. It’s a romantic record. I go through these phases where I make one record that’s not really about love, and then another one that’s basically entirely love songs, and that’s this record. I don’t really shy away from it, I’ve never felt like you can write too many love songs. It’s a complicated affair, and there’s lots to write about. There’s a reason why everyone writes about it. But I think one thing, just musically, about this that I enjoyed — and hopefully that’s where some of the assuredness comes from — is I tried to write stuff that was a little more challenging to sing and a little more involved melodically. It demanded more of me as a singer, and I really got into that, I really got into the singing on this record, much more than I ever hard.

AJM: That definitely comes through on the album. The songs work in the tradition of simple pop songs, but there are some complex musical ideas at work underneath — things that keep you really engaged.

DM: I really hope that that came out. It’s one of those things where you sometimes think you’re being more subtle than you are, and you’re always worried that those references are being lost. But then you realize it doesn’t take much for those references to come through, for people to hear them. It’s in the songs, you know, and as soon as you have certain melodic moves

DM: It was probably four or five years ago that we met at a Music Nova Scotia conference. We met, two touring musicians, and started to chat just about work and life. I liked his work — I’m a big hip hop fan — so we started talking about his stuff. He’s really open-minded and a really great guy and he said, why don’t you come by the studio sometime and we’ll do some-

The one thing [Classified and I] share is that we both love making music. david myles

it doesn’t matter how you present them, they take people to that place without being heavy-handed. It worked out well for sure.

AJM: And then there’s side two. You and Classified have been working together for awhile. How did it start?

thing together? He knew I played trumpet so I came out and played trumpet on a couple things and we got on really well. He said, come out again sometime. So I came out and had a chorus idea that I hadn’t done anything with, and it became this song called “The Day Doesn’t

Die” on his record, which was a really cool experience for us — it totally was the first time I’d done that, collaborated in that way of basically letting go of a song of mine, letting it take on a completely different existence. And as soon as it happened I kind of went, whoa. It was magical for me.

AJM: Which is interesting, because on paper at least you’re so different.

DM: The one thing we share is that we both love making music. We have the same approach in the studio, which is relatively reckless, joyful creativity.

We’re just throwing every idea at the wall and we’re loose and having a lot of fun, and that’s what we share. And musically we share so little in terms of experience. I make roots music and I grew up doing Royal Conservatory, playing trumpet. He’s been making beats his whole life and doesn’t know musical theory or chords. So we speak pretty different languages, and we came at it differently, but we share the enthusiasm, the real joy of seeing

something come together. And a willingness to just try whatever, and that’s what happened.

AJM: Which brings us back to the concept of the double album. What compelled you to release these two different sides of music together?

DM: It was totally Luke that suggested that, like you should put them both out, they’re both cool and they’re both you, you should just put them both out. It was a good suggestion. You want to find people who are interested in what you do. If you go searching for what people are going to want from you, it gets messy.

David Myles November 30 @ The Bassment $23+ @ showclix.com, or the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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Burlesque on Broadway

Photos: courtesy of Marcia Provenzano

Rosebud Burlesque Club pays tribute to the greats in a stunning new show by Alex J MacPherson

T

he contemporary burlesque movement is governed by few rules or conventions. Burlesque has always been about maximizing expression, and artists are free to weave dance, drama, comedy, and elaborate costumes into novel performances that entertain and titillate in equal measure. But while neo-burlesque has become extremely diverse, it is still grounded in tradition.

Nearly all of the artists involved

in the movement are inspired by the rich history of burlesque in North America — a history that began in the late 1860s, when Lydia Thompson and the British Blondes arrived in New York and shocked the nation with their scanty costumes and racy performances.

“Personally, I’ve always been a bit of a dance history nerd, so I’ve always loved the classic forms,” says Jackie Latendresse, a fixture of the Saskatoon dance scene and founder

of the Rosebud Burlesque Club.

“When we first started our troupe, we tended to be highly influenced by the classics. We’ve done tribute shows before, tributes to the greats, and we wanted to revisit that because it’s just such an amazing way to pay homage to the past — all of the great, glamorous acts of the past.

And also bring it into a more relevant context for people who maybe aren’t that familiar with burlesque.

A lot of people still don’t know what burlesque is.”

Burlesque On Broadway is one of the most ambitious shows the Rosebud Burlesque Club has ever staged. In addition to a number of local artists performing new and old routines, the show features a pair of guest artists from Ottawa — Jolie Stripes and Helvetica Bold — as well as a jazz trio known as the Canoodlers and, naturally, a pair of butlers. (Nearly all burlesque artists adopt cheeky pseudonyms. Latendresse, for example, performs under the name Headmistress Cheripop Purr.) And the styles of burlesque on display are as diverse as the artists. Some acts are inspired by iconic Las Vegas showgirls, others by the uninhibited mayhem of the roaring twenties. There will also be fan dancing, German cabaret, and a tribute to Sally Rand, who was immortalized by Tom Wolfe in The Right Stuff.

But Latendresse says paying tribute involves more than simply replicating the past. Burlesque is art, and art is always in motion. “We take standout elements from the past, elements people will recognize, and we modernize them,” she says. “Sometimes with music, sometimes with choreography, sometimes with costuming.” This is important because simply reenacting the past would make it difficult for the performers to express themselves as artists. “I’m a great believer that you

can pay tribute to someone without copying them,” Latendresse continues.

“You should bring what you as an individual performer have in your tribute. Honour the past, but also honour yourself. And look to the present and the future with the work.”

Burlesque on Broadway is also intended to introduce a new generation to the joys of burlesque. Latendresse thinks burlesque offers something a television screen can never deliver: engagement. “People are looking for something a bit more meaningful and a bit more personal,” she says. “The slow burn as opposed to the instantaneous gratification. I think people are interested in real live human beings, and bringing it back to that base element — people want to be entertained by live human beings.” And while burlesque can be sexy and funny and charming, the feelings it conjures up will always be secondary to the feeling of experiencing something real.

Burlesque on Broadway November 29 @ Broadway Theatre $27+ @ Broadway Theatre box office Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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A Saskatchewan Institution The Sundog Arts and Entertainment Faire enters its 39th year

by Alex J MacPherson

Photos: courtesy of sundog arts and entertainment faire website

O

n a winter weekend in 1974, a small group of artists and artisans met in the basement of Saskatoon’s Centennial Auditorium. They set up tables and chairs before unpacking box after box of handmade goods.

Some people brought wood carvings, others iron tools forged in old-fashioned blacksmith shops.

A few brought handmade clothing, decorative ornaments and

the first weekend in December.

“The concept of Sundog was born thirty-nine years ago, and it remains very much the same today,” says Diane Boyko, who has been involved with the show for almost two decades and is currently its coordinator. “It’s that faire concept that allows people to come and be entertained for the whole day. The marketers and the vendors that are part of Sundog must be the original maker of their work. They come

They come together and bring their original handmade unique items…

Diane Boyko

jewellery. The Sundog Handcraft Faire, as it was then known, was conceived by a group of craftspeople who wanted a public market for their products. It was a celebration of the province’s strong crafting tradition. And it was an overwhelming success.

Since its creation 39 years ago, the Sundog Arts and Entertainment Faire has blossomed into a provincial institution. It is one of the largest markets for handmade goods anywhere in the country, attracting around 14,000 people over

together and bring their original handmade unique items, and we provide a market for patrons who come through our doors.”

Although the basic idea behind the Sundog has remained unchanged, the show has grown dramatically since 1974. It took just nine years for the event to outgrow its first home in Centennial Auditorium. After a few years in the much larger Saskatoon Field House, it moved again in 1994 — this time to Saskatchewan Place, now known as Credit Union Centre. This year, the

Sundog will play host to almost 200 independent artists and artisans, as well as a number of specialty food makers and entertainers.

“We have people that work with clay and we have people that work with wood,” Boyko says. “There are painters and photographers, iron workers, people who make jewellery, people who are masters of glass. Some of these people make their living doing this, others consider it something they do in their spare time.” A glance at the list of artisans scheduled to appear at the 2013 event reveals some other interesting facts. In addition to countless jewellers, painters, and sculptors, the show will include two leatherworkers, two knifemakers, two toy makers, a luthier, a wood burner, and a soapstone carver. The variety is endless.

And according to Boyko, the quality of the products on display is steadily improving. “Did the show evolve?” she muses. “Possibly in terms of how unique it is, but definitely in terms of what people in Saskatoon and area come to expect. The success, I think, has been the quality that has come to the show for the last 39 years. I would venture to say that if it wasn’t good quality, the show by now would have gradually disappeared from the scene.” But the Sundog hasn’t disappeared. After thirty-nine years, Saskatchewan’s largest handcraft exhibition is bigger and better than ever.

Sundog Arts and Entertainment Faire Nov 29-Dec 1 @ CUC $8+ @ the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Restless Ambition Meaghan Smith made a new record, wrote a book about it, and can’t stop touring by Alex J MacPherson

V

incent van Gogh sold exactly one painting in his lifetime. Today the Dutch post-impressionist is regarded as one of the most brilliant and innovative painters ever to have lived, his genius confirmed by generations of critics and scholars. But when he shot himself in northern France, van Gogh was convinced that he was a failure.

He had created almost a thousand paintings, yet managed to sell only one, a stunning oil known as “The

all. Van Gogh was as driven to create at the end of his life as he was at the beginning. His body of work — worthless at the time, invaluable today — is a testament to the idea that success cannot be measured or quantified. This is exactly what Meaghan Smith needed to hear after a songwriting session in Amsterdam went sideways, leading to a heated argument and what she describes as “a meltdown.”

Smith was in Amsterdam to write songs for her forthcoming album. Her

…I still have a vintage vibe, and it’s still very true to me. But [the album] is much more ambitious… meaghan smith

Photo: courtesy of Carlyle Routh

Red Vineyard.” In the end, the remarkable thing about van Gogh’s life is not that he forever changed the way people see the world, but how critical and commercial failure blunted his creative impulses not at

record company had enlisted a pair of Dutch producers to help guide her between the imposing pillars of modern pop music and the warmth of her beloved vintage jazz and soul. When the sessions fell apart — an experience

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Smith chronicled in excruciating detail in a series of posts to her website — she and her husband walked to the nearby Van Gogh museum. It was there that her husband asked the fateful question, which Smith describes as “one of the most important questions I had been asked on my artistic journey.” The question was simple: “Do you think [van Gogh] was a failure?”

That question changed everything.

The realization that success and failure are not dependent on album sales, or any other measurable quantity, was a revelation. It gave Smith the strength and the courage to finish her album, a project she came perilously close to abandoning that very afternoon. And then she decided to write a book about making the record, an even more ambitious undertaking for the young singer and songwriter from London, Ontario.

“I’m not sitting comfortably at the end of my career, having won a bunch of awards and able to say, ‘this worked out for me and now I’m going to tell the story,’” Smith says of her decision

Photo: courtesy of Carlyle Routh

to write and publish a book about writing, recording, and completing her forthcoming album, the title of which have not been announced. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the middle of climbing this huge hill, which is essentially just life, and going like, I want to hear from someone who is also on the side of their own mountain. For me to write this book about how I made these songs and to put it out before the record comes out, before I know how it’s going to do, I’m hoping that’ll also kind of connect with people. Give them a bit of courage in their own lives to tackle things that might seem insurmountable.”

Smith has been extremely candid about the difficulties she faced while making her new album, the follow-up her critically acclaimed 2010 debut The Cricket’s Orchestra and her 2011

Christmas album It Snowed. That was why she wanted to write about it: “That’s how people live their lives, they go through all these crazy experiences.

And I’m lucky enough that I have a platform where I can share those experiences with my listeners — and they can listen to the music and put it in context, like, now I know how she made this.” But while Smith’s career has been nothing short of luminous, she is exceedingly modest about her accomplishments, which include winning the 2011 Juno Award for best new artist and having her synth-driven cover of the Pixies’ 1989 song “Here Comes Your Man” included in the film (500) Days Of Summer. But perhaps the most interesting thing about Smith’s music career is that she didn’t plan on having one.

Smith grew up surrounded by musicians and immersed in music. Her mother was a piano teacher, her father a bassist in several different bands. Her three sisters were also accomplished piano players. In fact, Smith is the only member of her family who cannot read music. Growing up, she was interested in Broadway musicals and animation.

After finishing high school she went to Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario to study the art of animation. But music soon caught up with her, and her career was born in the back stairwell of the college’s animation building.

Within a few years Smith had overcome her healthy fear of the stage and started playing shows in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she had moved to find work as an animator. Then, suddenly, it was time to make a record.

The Cricket’s Orchestra was released in 2009 and re-released by Warner a year later. Featuring lush jazz arrangements that evoke Smith’s beloved musicals and airy vocal performances that capture the spirit of Broadway in the 1920s, The Cricket’s Orchestra is a charming hybrid of classic sounds and modern sensibilities. There are saucy piano lines and punchy horns, sombre clarinets and soaring flutes. On the other end of the spectrum, the record benefits from blistering guitar licks, the spacey sound of a mellotron, and some turntable flourishes from Kid Koala, whose fascination with music from the early part of the last century parallels Smith’s. But the heart of the record will always be Smith’s voice. Sometimes anxious and sometimes languorous,

her voice is steeped in regret and garnished with longing. She can derive as much power from how she sings a word as she can from the word itself.

Smith’s interest in bridging the divide between vintage and modern continued on It Snowed, which pairs straightforward jazzy versions of “Silver Bells” and “Silent Night” with a groovy, bass-heavy “Little Drummer Boy” and a collaboration with Buck 65 on “Baby It’s Cold Outside” that ranks among the best songs Smith has ever recorded. (“Think about my lifelong sorrow,” she sings, her breathy alto a pleasing counterpoint to Buck 65‘s measured baritone, “if you got pneumonia and died.”) But all of that is about to change. “It’s totally different,” Smith says of her forthcoming record.

“I went though so much in the songwriting process, I changed how I write songs. I changed how I think of songs, what makes a good song. Everything’s different. The new material is very pop-oriented. I wanted to write bigger choruses, I’m tackling similar subject matter, it’s all relationship based, but the production’s really different ­— there’s a lot more modern elements.

But I still have a vintage vibe, and it’s still very true to me. But it’s much more ambitious, it’s much huger, it’s kind of a totally different beast.”

Since her new record and book won’t be released for some months, fans hungry for material from The Cricket’s Orchestra and It Snowed will have one more chance to hear the songs that made Smith into the artist she is today — confident, eager to experiment, and determined to push herself and her songwriting into new territory. “This is kind of my last time,” she says of her current tour, a quick jaunt across western Canada. “The new year’s all about the new record, so these shows are going to be my last times playing in my older music world. It’s going to be really special for me, and I hope for the audience.” And while Smith is excited about returning to some of her favourite venues this winter — she only booked shows she really wanted to play — she can’t help but look ahead, past the difficulties inherent to making a new record, past the challenges of writing a book, and past the fear and anxiety that accompany every new phase of a career. And she will do it

while remembering her epiphany in the Van Gogh museum.

“It’s exciting to put something out,” she says. “And it’s really risky.

I mean, I could look like a total idiot because my album could go either way. People could be like, ‘she was really successful’ or ‘it wasn’t really successful.’ But regardless, the point of the book is to talk about how I learned or am learning to — and this sounds really cheesy — believe in myself and go for what I want. I look up to a lot of people and I’m always encouraged by other people’s stories, so I just thought I’d share mine, too.”

In other words, Smith has built her

career on openness and honesty, both with her fans and with herself.

And regardless of how her forthcoming projects fare, she’ll never think of them as failures.

Meaghan Smith December 8 @ The Bassment $20/25 @ Showclix.com, the Bassment

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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Late-night eats Photos courtesy of Adam Hawboldt

Chef Express serves good food into the wee hours of the morn by adam hawboldt

P

icture this: it’s just after three in the morning on a Saturday.

Earlier in the evening you and your friends were chest deep in spirits at a bar downtown. Good times and laughs were had by all. But now the bars are closed.

Nearly all of the restaurants, too. You and your friends are starving, and some late night

munchies are definitely in order.

Problem is, everyone one wants something different. One of your friends is craving pizza, another wants curry, another wants some good ol’ fashioned lasagna. You, for some reason, have a hankering for some egg foo yung and wonton soup.

Stuck in a situation like this, what would you do?

If you’re smart about it, you’d head to Chef Express on 3rd Avenue north. This new restaurant — located next to Royal Thai — is open until 6 a.m. on weekends (4 a.m. on weekdays) and serves up a smorgasbord of Canadian and Asian cuisine.

If you want to eat in, you better get there before the after-bar rush. With only a few tables and a handful of seats, Chef Express is more of a takeout/delivery joint. But the place is new and clean and spacious, and has a buffet station and racks of chips imported from Asia: tempura chips, prawn crackers, Cheeze-Its — you name it.

Sitting in Chef Express the other day, scanning the menu, more than a few things caught my eye.

The Honey Garlic Chicken pizza (chicken, pineapple, cheese, honey garlic sauce) looked interesting. So too did the Thai Curried Coconut Chicken pizza (chicken sautéed with coconut curry sauce, green peppers, jalapeños, basil leaves, onions, ranch and mozza).

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide Mango Margarita

Ingredients

Want to put some zip in these cold winter days? Try taking a classic Mexican drink and giving it an Asian twist. Enter the mango margarita, an easy-tomake drink that’s sure to please.

1 1/2 oz tequila 1 oz mango liqueur 1/2 oz lime juice

Directions

Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until frosty. Strain the concoction into a chilled margarita glass. Serve.

Not feeling overly adventurous, I went with a couple of staples of my late-night eating routine: all-dressed pizza, ginger beef and chicken balls.

The pizza, loaded with everything from pepperoni and onions to green peppers and more, was thick and gooey and quite tasty.

As for the ginger beef (which you can order mild, medium or hot), it wasn’t that ginger beef that’s tough and stringy and over-cooked. No, these strips were big and succulent.

Topped in a tasty ginger sauce (I went mild), onion, celery and carrots, the ginger beef at Chef Express is not to be missed.

Neither are the chicken balls.

Or should I say pineapple chicken

balls. Think of your standard chicken balls, pour some sweet and sour sauce on them, then top the whole thing with juicy pieces of pineapple and you’ll get the idea.

Better yet, instead of picturing all these, why don’t you head to Chef Express, or call up and place an order next time you’re up late and looking for food? It’s worth it.

Chef Express Restaurant 329 3rd Avenue North | (306) 244 8884 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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music

Next Week

coming up

The Steadies

Shaggy

Dean Brody

@ Amigos Cantina friday, November 29 – Cover TBD

@ O’Brians Event Centre sunday, December 1 – $25+

@ TCU Place Thursday, February 13 – $29.50+

Take one dash of dance, a tablespoon of rock, a smattering of reggae, and mix them together in one funky blend. Now to top everything off, add a liberal dose of three-time Juno nominee Earl Pereira (formerly of Wide Mouth Mason), and what do you get? One of the funkiest bands in Saskatoon.

Formerly known as Mobadass, The Steadies have a sound they’ve dubbed island rock. It’s like Top-40 meets reggae, with a little bit of extra goodness tossed in. Since forming in 2010, The Steadies have become a seriously in-demand band, playing alongside the likes of The Roots, k-os, Bedouin Sound Clash and more. These guys will be playing Amigos next week with Tasman Jude.

Shaggy’s biggest hit, “It Wasn’t Me,” wasn’t initially intended to be released as a single. True story. Back in 2000, just before his studio album Hot Shot was released, Shaggy had no plans of releasing the song as a single. But when Hawaiian DJ Pablo Sato put it on the radio, the phones lit up and the rest, as they say, is history.

“It Wasn’t Me” went on to top the charts in Australia, Austria, France, Ireland, the U.S., the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The song was the reggae-fusion musician’s breakthrough into the pop market.

Seven albums later and Shaggy is still going hard, making infectious reggae tunes that make you want to hit the dance floor. He’s on tour with his latest record, Out Of Many, One Music.

Tickets at www.theodeon.com

You’ve got to hand it to Dean Brody, his songs have the kind of lyrics that really hit home. From “Canadian Girls” to “Dirt Road Scholar” and “Bob Marley,” this British Columbia born-and-bred country artist pumps out the kind of music that resonates with people and sticks with you long after the last chords have been played. His songs are so good and so respected they have earned Brody a couple of Canadian Country Music Awards — from Album of the Year (for Dirt), to Male Artist of the Year. He’s just released his fourth album, Crop Circles. He’s taking his talents on the road in 2013, playing concert after concert from B.C. back to the Bluenose province. Tickets to see Brody are available at tcutickets.ca – By Adam Hawboldt

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

Sask music Preview The North by Northeast Festival and Conference (NXNE) is turning 20 in 2014, and they want you there! Seen as the most anticipated summer music event in Canada, NXNE Music, NXNE Film, NXNE Comedy, NXNE Art, and NXNE Interactive are essential gatherings for artists, industry professionals, and fans.

Early-bird deadline for the music category is December 1, and the regular deadline to submit is January 31, 2014. Please see http://nxne.com/submit/ for more details.

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november 22 » november 30 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Friday 22

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven it up. 9pm / No cover Carbon Dating Service / Amigos — With Maybe Smith, Golden Smoke, Junior Pantherz, The Fjords. 10pm / $15 Sheldon Corbett / The Bassment — It’s Piano Fridays. 4:30pm / No cover The SJS Jazz Education Workshop / The Bassment — Evening performances with Wycliffe Gordon and Rodney Whitaker. 8pm / $10/$15 DJ Aash Money / Béily’s — DJ Aash Money throws it down every Friday night.

9pm / $5 cover Screamer / Buds on Broadway — Highenergy classic rock. 9pm / Cover TBD BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/ vocal house music. 10pm / $5 DJ Eclectic / The Hose — Local turntable whiz pumps snappy beats. 8pm / No cover

DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Kick off your weekend with all your favourite party hits..

9pm / $5 cover DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — Round up your friends. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm Straight / Piggy’s — Come get your rock on. 9pm / No cover The Standards Trio / Prairie Ink — A jazz trio playing jazz standards. 8pm / No cover The Gaff / Spadina Freehouse — Local DJ spinning fresh beats. 9pm / No cover Red Blaze / Stan’s Place — A rockin’, feet-tapping good time at Stan’s. 9:30pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto — With Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie + Brad King. 10pm / $5 Party Rock Fridays / Tequila — Come tear it up. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Nick Ruston / Uncle Barley’s — Come and check him out! 9pm / Cover TBD Evil Ebenezer / Vangelis — With Factor, Kay the Aquanaut and more. 10pm / $10

DJ Aash Money + DJ Sugar Daddy / Béily’s — These two DJs throw it down a dance party every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover Screamer / Buds on Broadway — Highenergy classic rock. 9pm / Cover TBD SaturGAY Night / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin exclusive dance remixes. 10pm / $5 DJ Kade / The Hose — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Ladies night with the Jax party crew. 9pm / $5 cover Lifesaver / Lasa — A benefit for the Philippines featuring Kidalgo, Jono Cruz, Chan L and Mr. Fudge. 9pm / $20 DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music. 8pm / $4 cover DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Straight / Piggy’s — Come get your rock on. 9pm / No cover Ben Schenstead Duo / Prairie Ink — Classical/Latin guitar and piano. 8pm / No cover Chris Cole, The Take Over / Spadina Freehouse — Two great acts, one non-existent price. 9pm / No cover Red Blaze / Stan’s Place — A rockin’, feet-tapping good time at Stan’s. 9:30pm / 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

Saturday 23

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes. 9pm / No cover Shad / Amigos Cantina — With We Are The City. 10pm / $15 (ticketedge.com) The SJS Jazz Education Workshop / The Bassment — With Wycliffe Gordon and Rodney Whitaker. 8pm / $10/$15 Big Shiny Tunes 4 / Broadway Theatre — Local musicians performing the best of Big Shiny Tunes 4. 8pm / $20

SSO Presents: Cue the Candelabra / TCU Place — A night of music by Liberace. $18.50+ Saturday Night Social / Tequila — Electronic Saturdays will have you moving and grooving. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Thorpdeo / Uncle Barley’s — Spinning hot tunes all night. 10pm / Cover TBD Powder Blue / Vangelis — With Devonian Gardens and Talkonaut. 10pm / Cover tBD

Sunday 24

Industry Night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Stan’s Place Jam / Stan’s Place — Bring your instrument, all music types welcome.

8:30pm / 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 25

Brendan Canning / Amigos — With Dinosaur Bones and Rosie June.10pm / $15 (ticketedge.ca) DJ Audio / Dublins — Spinning dope beats.

9pm / Cover TBD

Tuesday 26

Apollo Cruz / Buds — High-octane blues.

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 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 DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Playing your favorite songs to lighten the work week.

9:30pm / No cover

Wednesday 27

DJ Modus / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Spinning all your favourite tracks. 9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter DJ Aash Money / Béily’s UltraLounge — Spinning dope beats all night. 9pm / Cover TBD Said the Whale / Broadway Theatre — With Escondido. 8pm / $28 Apollo Cruz / Buds — High-octane blues.

9pm / Cover TBD Souled Out / Diva’s Annex — Featuring the spinning talents of Dr. J 9pm / $2 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 Buck Wild Wednesdays / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Come out and ride the mechanical bull! 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Playing your favorite songs to lighten the work week.

9:30pm / 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

Continued on next page »

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Thursday 28

Friday 29

Jazz Jam / The Bassment — Featuring the David Fong Trio. 8pm / No cover CurvedWorth / Buds — Get your weekend started early. 9pm / Cover TBD Throwback Thursdays / Earls — Come experience the best in retro funk, soul, reggae and rock. 8pm / No cover DJ Kade / The Hose — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music. 8pm / $4 cover Catherine Lewans / Rock Creek (Willowgrove) — A country songstress with chops.

8pm / No cover DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Playing your favorite songs. 9:30pm / No cover Johnny Reid / TCU Place — A Juno-winning country singer. 7:30pm / $42.50 Triple Up Thursdays / Tequila — Featuring DJ Dislexic. 9pm / Cover TBD The Shoes, Apollo Cruz / Vangelis — A night of blues. 9pm / Cover TBD Open Stage / The Woods — Hosted by Steven Maier. 9pm / No cover

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover The Steadies / Amigos Cantina — With Tasman Jude. 10pm / Cover TBD Ross Nykiforuk / The Bassment — It’s Piano Fridays at the Bassment! 4:30pm / No cover Nuela Charles / The Bassment — The future queen of Canadian soul. 9pm / $17/$23 DJ Aash Money / Béily’s — DJ Aash Money throws it down. 9pm / $5 cover Ripper Train / Buds — Local rock/altmetal. 9pm / Cover TBD BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/ vocal house music. 10pm / $5 DJ Eclectic / The Hose — Local turntable whiz pumps snappy beats. 8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — It’s all your favourite party hits.. 9pm / $5 cover 911 Turbo / Louis’ — Fun times and German techno all night long. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws — There’s no better country rock party around.

8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm

Process/Failure / Paved — A collaboration between Paved Arts and Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. 7:30pm / $15 Banjo Van / Piggy’s — Come get your rock on. 9pm / No cover Two Tall Dudes / Prairie Ink — Playing acoustic covers. 8pm / No cover Mitchy the Kid / Spadina Freehouse — Local DJ spinning fresh beats. 9pm / No cover Dirt Road Maniacs / Stan’s Place — A rockin’ good time. 9:30pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto — With Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie + Brad King. 10pm / $5 Johnny Reid / TCU Place — A Juno-winning country singer. 7:30pm / $42.50 Party Rock Fridays / Tequila — Come tear it up. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Nick Ruston / Uncle Barley’s — Come and check him out! 9pm / Cover TBD Spoils / Vangelis — With Snake River and Jeans Boots. 10pm / Cover TBD

Saturday 30

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes. 9pm / No cover Riff Raff / Adobe Inn (Martensville) — A local classic/hard-rock band. 9pm / No cover

Phoenix Lauren and the Strength / Amigos — With Terrain. 10pm / Cover TBD David Myles / The Bassment — An unforgettable roots magician. 9pm / $23/$28 DJs Aash Money + Sugar Daddy / Béily’s — These two DJs throw it down. 9pm / $5 Denzal Sinclaire / Broadway — With the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra. 8pm / $30 Ripper Train / Buds — Local rock/altmetal. 9pm / Cover TBD SaturGAY Night / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin exclusive dance remixes. 10pm / $5 DJ Kade / The Hose — Saskatoon’s own DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover DJ Stikman / Jax Niteclub — Ladies night with the Jax party crew. 9pm / $5 cover DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music. 8pm / $4 cover DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws — Round up your friends. 8pm / $5 Process/Failure / Paved — With Paved Arts and the SSO. 7:30pm / $15 Banjo Van / Piggy’s — Come get your rock on. 9pm / No cover

No Hurry Trio / Prairie Ink — Easy listening/classic rock. 8pm / No cover Dr J / Spadina Freehouse — Spinning music that’ll make you move. 9pm / No cover Dirt Road Maniacs / Stan’s — A rockin’ good time at Stan’s. 9:30pm / No cover Dueling Pianos / Staqatto — Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie + Brad King. 10pm / $5 DJ Anchor / Sutherland Bar — It’s a video mix show! 10pm / Cover TBD Saturday Night Social / Tequila — You’ll be moving and grooving. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Thorpdeo / Uncle Barley’s — Spinning hot tunes all night. 10pm / Cover TBD The Faps / Vangelis — With The Man and His Machine + A Ghost in Drag. 10pm / Cover TBD

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

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Catching Fire, again

Photo: Courtesy of lionsgate

Second installment of The Hunger Games lives up to, and surpasses, expectations. by adam hawboldt

I

t’s really hard not to love Jennifer Lawrence.

She’s beautiful, goofy, funny, and, in a day and age when most movie stars seem manufactured, she seems down-to-earth and real.

Oh, and did I mention she’s uber-talented? True story. Not only can Ms. Lawrence take on serious, demanding roles, like in Winter’s Bone and Silver Linings Playbook (for which she won an Oscar), she also takes parts in franchise flicks like X-Men and Hunger Games, and brings some real weight to these roles, no less. Case in point: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Picking up where the first movie left off, we see Lawrence as the reluctant hero Katniss Everdeen.

She and her co-survivor of the 74th Hunger Games, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) have returned to District 12 before embarking on a victory tour of the other districts. All around them a rebellion has been slowly gathering steam against the dictatorship of President Snow (Donald Sutherland.)

Needless to say, Snow isn’t a fan of this revolution that’s brewing.

And because Katniss has become a beacon of hope for the rebellion, he’s looking for a way to get rid of

her, without making her a martyr.

Enter Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the new commissioner of the Hunger Games and the man who comes up with a plan to take care of Katniss.

His idea?

A special, champions-only edition for the 75th anniversary of the games. They draft former winners (against their will) and pit them in a fight to the finish against one another.

Surely with past-winners like Finick Odair (Sam Claflin), Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) and Johanna Ma-

the hunger games: catching fire Directed by Francis Lawrence Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson + Philip Seymour Hoffman 146 minutes | PG

acters, takes up the first hour or so of the movie. Oh, and let’s not forget the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth.)

And while this portion of the movie is necessary for developing the plot, at times it would’ve seemed a bit too much if not for Lawrence. The subtle nuances she brings to the role add a new dimension to the character of Katniss, and helps the viewer become more invested in the story.

Then the tournament begins, and holy hell does the adrenaline ever flow. Because all the competitors are seasoned killers who have survived previous games the stakes are higher, the situation more dangerous, and the killing more sophisticated and tricky.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire brings you right to the brink, sitting up straight on the edge of your seat, and then … it ends. It ends on a cliffhanger that will leave you saying

The subtle nuances [Lawrence] brings to the role add a new dimension…

Adam Hawboldt

son (Jena Malone) involved in this next competition Katniss and Peeta are doomed, right?

All this, the setting of the stage and the introduction of new char-

simultaneously “Yes!” (as in, “Yes! I can’t wait until the next installment to see what happens”), and “No!” (as in, “No! I cant’ believe the bastards would end it there and make me wait until next year for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1.”)

If you were a fan of the first Hunger Games (and Jennifer Lawrence), you’re gonna love this installment.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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That sweet southern sound

Muscle Shoals takes you back to a time and place where great music was being made by adam hawboldt

muscle shoals Greg “Freddy” Camalier Starring Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Bono + Aretha Franklin Directed by

Photo: Courtesy of muscle shoals documentary official website

T

here’s a verse in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” that goes: “Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers / And they’ve been known to pick a song or two / Lord they get me off so much / They pick me up when I’m feeling blue / Now how about you?”

Yeah, that verse. Remember it?

Chances are most of you have heard it before. But do you know who the Swampers were?

Well, they were a funky-as-hell bunch of white boys who were the house band at FAME Studios in the early 1960s. They’re the guys who

The Swampers also played a big part in Greg “Freddy” Camalier’s new documentary, Muscle Shoals.

But they don’t play the biggest part in the film. That spot is reserved for Rick Hall.

A dirt-poor resident of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, who, back in the late ‘50s opened FAME Studios, Hall lived a pretty tough life. He grew up with dirt floors in his house, his brother died in an accident in that house at age three, his mom bailed on the family to be a prostitute and his first wife was killed in a car accident. But Hall rose above it all and created one of the most iconic music studios of the 1960s.

Muscle Shoals is a fine documentary about a special place at a special time in history…

Adam Hawboldt

played with Percy Sledge when he recorded “When a Man Loves a Woman” at FAME. With Aretha Franklin when she laid down “I Never Loved a Man,” with Wilson Pickett when he made “Mustang Sally.”

Not only was FAME Studios a hotbed of music, it was also a place — during a time of great racial tension in the States — where black and white musicians could play and exist in perfect harmony.

111 minutes | NR

Then in the late ‘60s a funny thing happened. After a falling out, the Swampers left FAME and set up another studio across town called the Muscle Sound Studios. Between the two studios they recorded the who’s who of musicians, including the Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jimmy Cliff, Etta James, Little Richard — the list goes on.

As a documentary, Muscle Shoals isn’t fancy. It basically takes a two pronged approach. The first is a bunch of talking head interviews from a bunch of huge music stars, like Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, who tell interesting and amusing stories about their recording sessions at the studios.

The second prong evokes a deep sense of place. Cinematographer Anthony Arendt beautifully captures the snaking Tennessee River nearby, the lush cotton fields, the byways and small-town atmosphere. You can see the documentary trying to tell you that the sound created in these studios was as much due to the surrounding environment as it was the musicians.

Notice I said “trying.” That’s the operative word here. Though the documentary reaches for the stars — heck, even Bono (who has never recorded there) comes on waxing

philosophically about the connection between the lay of the land and the music — ultimately that connection falls a bit short.

No matter, though. Muscle Shoals is a fine documentary about a special place at a special time in history, where a bunch of really special songs were made. Anyone who has in interest in music will dig it.

Muscle Shoals is currently being screened at Broadway Theatre.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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sunday, november 17 @

shark club

Shark Club Saskatoon 310 Circle Drive (306) 477 4771

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Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, November 29.

Photography by Patrick Carley

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saturday, november 16 @

bÉily’s

Béily’s UltraLounge 2404 8th Street East (306) 374 3344

Photography by opalsnaps.com

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These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, November 29. facebook.com/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 28. Copy of a magazine 31. Satellite of Saturn 35. They are used in pairs, shaken, and thrown 36. He once played for the Maple Leafs 37. Sub ___ (in confidence) 38. Miscalculate 39. Operatic singer 41. Move from side to side 42. Leaked slowly 44. Island northeast of Trinidad 46. Relating to the nose 47. Sky-blue colour 48. Voice amplifier 49. Tear away

A

1. Slept outdoors 2. Apply liniment 3. Cuckoopint, for one 4. Imaginary source of fear 5. Specialized vocabulary 6. Just about 7. Country stopover 8. Photoelectric cell 9. Spirit inhabiting a place 11. Fences placed in streams to catch fish 12. Maori war dance 14. Family diagram 17. Female donkeys 20. Feeling of wounded pride 22. Circus employee 24. Feel badly about

25. Food for infants 27. The sun 28. Day in the ancient Roman calendar 29. Dangerously seductive woman 30. Cry uttered in fear 32. In the direction of B 33. Accepted practice 34. Pudding thickener 36. Soup scoop 39. Turtle feature 40. Move like molasses 43. Letter preceding omega 45. Bread roll

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

1. Flat crustacean 5. Black cuckoos 9. It was formerly called Pleasant Island 10. Continue a subscription 12. Peppermint-flavoured candy 13. Fish-eating seabird 15. Piece of concert equipment 16. Very important 18. Word used when speaking to a customer 19. Hang onto 21. Put money on 22. Ripped 23. Holder for fireplace logs 25. Describe grammatically 26. That once was

© walter D. Feener 2013

sudoku answer key

DOWN

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

ACROSS

Horoscopes November 22 – november 28 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

Don’t be selfish this week, Aries.

Instead, try to go out of your way to help others. Magnanimity is the key in the next few days.

Communication with friends and romantic partners will be more physical than verbal this week, Leo. Try to keep a cool head on your shoulders.

Chances are, Sagittarius, that if you go out this week you’re going to meet someone who could change your life. Things are about to get exciting!

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try, but never have Taurus? If so, this is the week to give it a go.

A problem will present itself this week, Virgo. At first you might be at a loss for a solution, but stick to it. You’ll get it.

At some point this week you will receive some advice from someone close to you, Capricorn. It’s best you heed what they say.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

Your head and your heart, mind and emotion, will be in sync this week. Doesn’t happen often, so make the most of it.

A deep conversation this week could lead to a deeper strengthening of an already strong relationship, Libra. Your hard work is paying off.

Interesting news will come your way this week, Aquarius. It may not seem so good at first, but that’ll change. Give it time.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

You might find insight and inspiration in the strangest of places this week, Cancer. You never know when it will present itself, so be on the lookout.

You’re going to need a break from the diurnal this week, Scorpio. It’s time to get out there and do something exciting.

Your head is going to be in the clouds at times this week, Pisces.

But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Dream big!

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

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