Verb Issue S279 (Feb. 28-Mar. 6, 2014)

Issue #279 – February 28 to march 6

arts

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saskatoon

Gunner & Smith +

less is more Inside the minimalist movement Today we’re believers Q+A with Royal Canoe Non-Stop + sex after kids Films reviewed­

Photo: courtesy of THE ARTIST

contents

this week’s feature:

gunner and smith

On He Once Was a Good Man + more 16/ feature Photo: courtesy of PH

NEWs + Opinion

the seven princes of no more smoke screens Our hell SK-based film reinvents thoughts on e-cigarettes 8 / Editorial

seven deadly sins 4 / Local

less is more

comments

Exploring the finer details of a minimalist lifestyle 6 / Local

Here’s your say on the Immigrant Investor Program. 10 / comments

culture

Q + A with royal canoe Why we’re believers. 12 / Q + A

damage done

a pleasant surprise

Megan Nash digs deep.

We visit City Perks.

14 / Arts

18 / Food + Drink

the scars that never heal How experience

Wake Owl, Clyde + April Wine.

marks the human body.

19 / music

15 / Arts

Music

entertainment

listings Local music listings for February 28 through March 8. 20 / listings

non-stop + sex after kids

on the bus Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 30 / comics

The latest movie reviews. 22 / Film

Nightlife Photos

Games + Horoscopes

We visited The Hose + The Freehouse.

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

24 / Nightlife

HOMES It’s back! Check out Homes for pre-reno tips + more 32 / HOMES

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 Contributing writer / David Baxter

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

ART & Production

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contact advertise / advertise@verbnews.com / 306 979 2253

Design Lead / andrew yanko graphic designer / bryce kirk Contributing Photographers / Patrick Carley + Adam Hawboldt

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local

Photo: Courtesy of Asmodeus Films

The Seven Princes of Hell New local short film Daimons personifies the seven deadly sins by ADAM HAWBOLDT

I

t started with a latenight session of Wikipedia browsing. There Gray Myrfield was, sitting at his computer. Alone. Clicking from link to link to link. Getting pulled deeper and deeper into the Wiki-verse.

Then he saw something that piqued his interest — an article about the seven deadly sins and the seven heavenly virtues. Myrfield stopped and read for a while.

“What I found out, what I didn’t realize before, is that there are seven Princes of Hell, each one of them representing one of the seven deadly sins,” says Myrfield.

There was Lucifer (pride), Mammon (greed), Leviathan (envy), Beelzebub (gluttony), Satan (wrath), Belphegor (sloth), and Asmodeus (lust.)

It was Asmodeus who got him hooked, who planted the seed for the play Myrfield would eventually write.

“There was something about Asmodeus, the demon king of lust,”

explains Myrfield, “something that drew me in immediately. There were a bunch of different descriptions of him, but the one that got me was that of a 40 or 45-year-old man with a limp and a cane who has a dirty sense of humour. When I read that, I said to myself, ‘Oh, that’s just some assh**e at a party.

That’s not an evil person.’”

With that in mind, Myrfield started creating real-life characters based on the seven princes. Going from prince to prince, figuring out what they would be like as a human.

How they would react to the world and interact with each other. He even created his own universe in which these demons existed.

“I ended up creating my own backstories for these characters that nobody would ever see,” says Myrfield. “For example, Lucifer is a she who led the legion against God. She was banished to hell, then she left hell and went to Earth to do her thing … Basically, if someone wanted

to dig, I’d be able to answer all the questions about these characters.”

Once that was finished, Myrfield set to writing out the characters for a theatre piece.

Some scenes, like the ones involving Lucifer and Asmodeus, were banged out first try. Others took a while longer.

“His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of dawn.

Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes…”

That’s part of the description of Leviathan you’ll find in the Bible — Job 41, to be precise. And that’s precisely what Gray Myrfield had in mind when he first created the Leviathan character for his play.

“I really liked the original passage from the Bible,” says Myrfield, “so if we were going to do it in the theatre it was just going to be that passage Continued on next page »

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being told with a big set of large, red, glowing eyes.”

But then a funny thing happened.

What started out as a theatre project morphed into a film project.

“I remember when Gray brought up the idea,” says Erich Jurgens, who directed the film. “As it grew as a play, it became less practical. So we thought about how it would work as a movie. How would these characters work on screen?”

For Leviathan, they thought about using the red eyes and adding a CGI’d mouth, making him an

person. Turned it into a warlord. A person who has lived through the ages and taken on different roles. If you wanted to usurp a king, you’d find Leviathan. Leviathan would give you power. And your hope is you can handle that power.

But when you invariably fail, you fall to Leviathan.”

Once he got that idea nailed down, the character became easier to write for screen. As did the rest of the characters once Myrfield had figured out exactly who they were and where they came from.

I ended up creating my own backstories for these characters that nobody would ever see. For example, Lucifer is a she who led the legion against God. Gray Myrfield

unstoppable power of nature who lures people in with the promise of power. They did some demos for such a character, but it felt out of place. The idea of this giant sea monster (which Leviathan is described as in the Bible) felt out of place in a movie featuring the rest of the demons taking on human forms.

“We had to go back to the drawing board on that one,” says Myrfield. “So I took the original idea — the idea of an entity that grants power — and turned it into a

Then, eventually, it was time to shoot the film.

Have you ever seen the “King of the Hill” episode of The Simpsons?

It’s the one where Homer decides to climb Springfield’s Murderhorn mountain to impress Bart. Near the end of the episode, after Homer ditches his sherpa guide, there’s a scene where he is climbing the mountain alone. He’s out of breath, scaling a rock face to reach the

summit. After a while his hand lands on flat ground. He pulls himself up and says, “I did it! I made it all the way to the —” here Homer looks up and realizes he’s not actually at the top and says, “— crap! It just keeps going.”

Well that’s how director Erich Jurgens and writer/producer Gray Myrfield felt while making their movie, Daimons. Which makes sense, seeing as it was both their first time making a movie.

“Keeping up the energy to finish it was kind of tricky,” says Jurgens.

“It was like, ‘phew, we wrote it! The hard part is over. No wait, we still have to cast it.’ Then it was, ‘phew, we’re satisfied with the casting. The hard part is really over now…’ Then we had to shoot it, that was a big deal.

Then edit it. Then make sure all the visual and sound effects and music all come together, and then you’re done.

But no. Then we had to buy the stuff and do our Kickstarter campaign and promote the film and —” “And make the teaser trailer and the real trailer,” interjects Myrfield.

“It was something we’d never done before.” Jurgens nods in agreement.

“There were times when it seemed like it would never end.”

But the end is finally within reach.

Daimons, which started as a theatre project, is now a short film with a unique format. Instead of lumping it all together and releasing it as a whole, Jurgens and Myrfield have broken their film down into episodes — with each episode having its own

style and featuring one of the seven Princes of Hell.

The first episode, “Lucifer,” will be released on YouTube on March 2nd. Every week after that a new episode will be released.

Then, on April 27th, there will be a premier at the Roxy Theatre in Saskatoon. A premiere that will feature all seven episodes shown together, along with the eighth and final scene which will wrap them all together.

Until then, the Daimons team will be hard at work, putting the finishing touches on an idea that began when Myrfield fell down the rabbit hole known as Wikipedia.

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Less is more

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New minimalist movement spreading in Saskatchewan

by ADAM HAWBOLDT

T

here’s this old stand-up bit that George Carlin does about “stuff.” Up on stage, as a part of the 1968 Comic Relief show, he rants and raves about the things we own.

Spreading his arms out to the side, Carlin says, “That’s the whole meaning of life, isn’t it? Just trying to find a place for your stuff. That’s all your house is. Your house is just a place for your stuff. If you didn’t have so much goddamn stuff, you wouldn’t need a house. You could just walk around all the time.” Later in the bit, Carlin, wearing a light brown sweater, says, “That’s all your house is: it’s a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get some more stuff … sometimes you gotta move, you gotta get a bigger house. Why?” Here he cringes and says, “Too much stuff!”

Carmen Villadar knows exactly what Carlin was talking about, way back in ’68. There was a time when Villadar had a lot of stuff. Too much stuff, in fact. Growing up in Toronto, stuff was everywhere — some of it important, some of it unnecessary.

But when Villadar moved to Texas to be a nurse she couldn’t take all her stuff with her. Then she moved again and took less stuff and less stuff. Every time she relocated, Villadar was forced to let some of her stuff go.

Little did she know it at the time, but Villadar was slowly becoming a minimalist.

The minimalist lifestyle — whether deliberate or by necessity — is nothing new. The Epicureans of ancient Greece were minimalists. The hippy counter-culture of the ‘60s was, too.

Neither group needed nor longed for all the extraneous luxuries or material possessions of life. Instead, they opted to live simple, free, and uncluttered.

That’s what Joshua Fields Millburn had in mind when he started the most recent incarnation of the minimalist movement. See, there was a time when Millburn had it all: a six-figure income, a big house, a new car, his dream job. He was supposed

to be happy, but he wasn’t. There was a lingering discontent in his life. So a few years ago he and his friend, Ryan Nicodemus (who also was living the so-called American Dream) gave it all up to pursue simpler lives. Happier lives. They started a blog and began writing books about minimalism.

A few years later, their actions have spearheaded a cultural phenomenon. A phenomenon that has seen young, urban professionals from America to the UK, from Saskatoon to Regina, turn their back on excess in order to live more meaningful, paired-down lives.

A phenomenon, a movement, that Carmen Villadar has embraced and is now helping grow in Saskatchewan.

“For me, I lived in different cities, was always moving around, so I ended up having to let go of things,” says Villadar, taking a sip of her coffee in a rustic-meets-minimalist coffee shop downtown. “With every subsequent move, I had less and less.

It was tough at times, but it was very freeing, too.”

By the time she moved to Saskatchewan, all the stuff Villadar owned could fit in two suitcases.

That’s when she discovered the minimalist movement set in motion

by Millburn and Nicodemus.

“It’s like everything happened for a reason,” says Villadar. “I was on Twitter at 5am one morning because I couldn’t sleep. One of the people I was following, AJ Leon — this guy who left his job and traveled the world — put up an interesting tweet.” It read: “This is awesome. @ theminimalists are looking for 100 Community Leaders. Sign up now http://bit.ly/JElbCZ.” Villadar clicked on the link, immediately saw she had a lot in common with “The Minimalists,” and decided to become a community leader. And she’s been doing it ever since.

So what, you may be asking, is this minimalist movement? How does one live a minimalist lifestyle?

Basically, it’s about opting to embrace experience over material

goods. It’s about decluttering your life. “Minimalism is a conscious lifestyle choice,” says Villadar. “Some people decide to do it, some people, like me, reach it haphazardly. But it’s a choice. A choice where you either, 1) try to live frugally, 2) decide to get rid of the stuff you don’t need, or 3) just live a simple life which involves looking around at the things you own, the things you have at your house, and figuring out if that object has value to you. In doing that you end up stripping away things that aren’t really important. Things that you never really pay attention to.”

“When you do that,” says Villadar, pausing to find the right word, “it’s very liberating.”

And while some people think minimalism means depriving yourself, that it means living in a hut with no electricity and being an extremist, that just isn’t the case.

Living a minimalist lifestyle simply means decluttering your life, something that Villadar says leads to a less stressful existence.

“I used to always have a fridgeload of stuff. But because I lived alone, two weeks later it was rotting,” she explains. “So one of the things I did was I decided that I didn’t have to choose what I have for breakfast every morning. Now, I’m going to have the same thing every day. Every day I have quinoa and butter. I’ll switch it up with blueberries and cheese or a poached egg every now and then.

But just doing that cuts down the time I used to spend thinking about what I’m going to eat for breakfast.”

Villadar, who dresses mainly in black because it’s practical, does the same thing with clothes. She buys tights and tight black dresses in bunches so that when she goes to the closest she doesn’t have to hem and haw about what she’s going to wear.

“Time-wise and stress-wise, it’s great,” she says. “I don’t have to stress or think about what I’m going to eat or how I’m going to dress. It’s like a default. It’s like a boom in the lower brain stem. Boom! Wake up, water, quinoa, butter. Boom! Take a shower. Boom! Put on a black dress

and a sweater and I’m good to go … it really frees up my energy to think about other things, more important things. When you eliminate the things you don’t really need in life, there’s a lot more time to enjoy your life, to deal with things that really matter.”

Like spreading the word about minimalism here in Saskatchewan,

while turning her back on the extraneous stuff George Carlin mocked back in 1968.

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No more smoke screens Nicotine-loaded e-cigarettes should be legal in Canada

I

t’s no great secret that Health Canada isn’t a fan of e-cigarettes — especially the ones that contain nicotine.

You see, back in 2009 the department issued a warning on its website stating that e-cigarettes fall under the Food and Drugs Act, and therefore must be approved by the government for sale in Canada.

Since then, not only have they not been granted approval, Health Canada has taken it one step further.

They have begun to seriously crack down on the controversial ban on nicotine-loaded e-cigarettes. So much so that they have issued hundreds of cease-and-desist orders to businesses that sell them, have told Internet providers to stop hosting websites that sell e-cigarettes, and have instructed credit card companies (and other companies like PayPal) not to handle transactions involving e-cigarettes that contain nicotine.

All of which stems from divergent opinions about the nature of

these devices: do they encourage smoking, or do they provide an alternative to their traditional counterparts, without the chemicals and side effects.

We think Health Canada is on the wrong end of things here, and we’d like to see that change. Which is why we are advocating for the legalization of nicotine-loaded e-cigarettes, and regulation of the industry.

Why? Well, for starters, the federal government’s stance is hypocritical. Think about it. This is the same government that says selling cigarettes, so long as the industry is regulated, is perfectly okay. The same government that, between 2001 and 2008, has collected $20.4 billion dollars in tobacco taxes even though they know that traditional cigarettes are a public menace. That cigarettes contain harmful chemicals like tar (used in paving roads), formaldehyde (used for embalming corpses) and arsenic (a known poison). And yet, for some reason,

the federal government insists on standing diametrically opposed to e-cigarettes that contain nicotine, because, well, nicotine is addictive — even though nicotine is not a health hazard itself.

This makes no sense to us.

What also makes no sense is that in a country where, according to the Canadian Lung Association, 37,000 Canadians die every year from smoking-related diseases, the government is banning something that could very well provide smokers with a safer alternative. You see, there are cartridges available for e-cigarettes — cartridges with varying levels of nicotine — that can help smokers quit by gradually weaning themselves off nicotine.

And it works. In a study conducted in New Zealand, 657 individuals who wanted to quit smoking were given one of three treatments: e-cigarettes with nicotine, placebo e-cigarettes, and nicotine patches. The results? After Continued on next page »

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half a year, 7.3% of those who had the nicotine e-cigarettes quit, compared to 5.8% (nicotine patch) and 4.1% (placebo). And while those numbers aren’t mind-boggling, it does indicate that nicotine e-cigarettes could be more helpful than, say, nicotine patches — which, as you know, are legal here in Canada.

Heck, even the Canadian Lung Association (which initially was an outspoken opponent of e-cigarettes) has come around and said that they may be good smoking cessation devices.

So it’s time the federal government and public health officials come to their senses. It’s time they start looking at this from a harm-reduction angle. Public health officials condone harm reduction when it comes to addiction to hard drugs, such as the use of supervised injection sites for intravenous drug users.

So why not take the same stance when it comes to e-cigarettes?

What’s more, by banning this less harmful alternative, the federal gov-

ernment is holding Canadian entrepreneurs back from making money in a booming market. A market that is currently worth about $2 billion world wide, and expected to grow to about $10 billion globally by 2017.

So let’s lift the ban on nicotine e-cigarettes and have the federal government regulate the industry here in Canada, like it does traditional cigarettes. It may not be the be-all and end-all when it comes to improving the health of our nation, but it sure as heck is a step in the right direction.

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

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On Topic: Last week we asked what you thought about the Immigrant Investor Program. Here's what you had to say:

Text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

was cut, particularly as it was so successful here in Saskatchewan.

Bringing it back on a provinceby-province basis seems like a relatively straightforward solution to the problem. I imagine this had quite the ripple effect in BC’s lower mainland in particular.

– If the foreign invester program worked here then bring it back. I don’t understand why they would take it away if it was making us money and providing jobs.

– The problem with your suggestion about the program is that it’s difficult to monitor a investor program across Canada in only certain places. It all has to go or it all has to stay. And Quebec operates kind of separate from the rest of us which is why they can still do it.

– This program feels like a way for rich people to buy their way into canada. Is there any guarantee or something in place that shows what the benefits for Canada are?

– Brad Wall agrees: bring the Investor program back to Saskatchewan. He said so to the press.

If Quebec can do it then we can do it too.

– We should absolutely bring back the investor program. This works to attract entrepreneurs and such to Canada, which in turn benefits and helps to develop our thriving economy. It’s a shame it

– Trudeau’s “joke” about Russia intervening in the Ukraine is despicable. I want to like him as a viable alternative to Harper, but crap like this will cost him votes. How incredibly juvenile and insensitive. I am disgusted. His apology wasn’t much better, either. Pretty much just a deflection and then a “look what we think the government should do.” Take ownership!

How sad.

– Nice job Justin. Sure hope you don’t expect Ukrainians from here to vote for you now :|

– Thieves who break and enter need to realize that true happiness will not come from material possessions and money. The best things in life cannot be bought or stolen. They are within each of us and it’s up to us if we want that happiness in our lives. How can someone truly be happy when what they have has been stolen from someone else?

– Saw on facebook one time, sounds very true. “Inside every angry person is someone that passionately cares.” Truth Is Power-Try It

OFF TOPIC – Thankyou Ave for speaking openly about Wicca and witches!

Issue 272 In response to “The truth about witches,”

– DOWNtown ain’t no place fer squares!

Local, #272 (January 10, 2014)

– Didn’t know Brent Butt was still touring around.

In response to “Almost a movie star,” Local,

– The past is a place of reference, not a residence.

#278 (February 21, 2014)

– There is no such thing as too much information. There is bad information, usually lies, there is information you do not want to hear, such as if you made a mistake or a family member got hurt, but there is no such thing as too much information Truth Is Power-Try It

– I also have a crush on Costner.

Don’t feel embarassed! Who can resist his charms?

In response to “For the love of Costner,” Film, #278 (February 21, 2014)

SOUND OFF

– If that other car had a yellow light that turned red, there is no way you had a green light.

– If Trudeau can apologize for his joke shouldnt Atch apologize for supporting the latest CDN joke Robbie Ford?

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– To the txter who complained about getting cut off not sure how you had a green and the other person had a yellow. Nevertheless good reminder to others to be careful before going :)

– I wonder how many of the talking heads who mocked the Occupy Wall Street actions are now solidly in support of those in Kiev protesting against the kleptocracy currently governing the ukraine.

– My thoughts and prayers go out to those in Ukraine and Venezuela. We are so very lucky that we are not dealing with troubles like those right now.

– It is astonishing to think that parts of Kyiv are burning to the ground. A beautiful city and lovely people. So sad that such turmoil is in their lives.

– LONG LIVE UKRAINE!

– Way to go boys bringing Canada home another gold. Great hockey game.

– And that’s how we do that Hockey is our sport

– Instead of growing forward, maybe Saskatoon should look after the roads we already have.

And I’m happy for it. But we’ll see if it turns out for the best. I’m optimistic. Just have to take that leap.

– To my beautifull wonderful wife Crystal, I love you so much, thank you for being a part of my life!-Mike

– I see a lot of texts in the Verb where people express frustration about how certain things are handled by the city, or distress at how the government acts in one way or another. I’d like to remind everyone that YOU have power! You are a voting member of society, you elected certain people, make your voice heard.

Get in touch with your MPs, MLAs, city councilors, anyone you can think of. These people are there to answer to there constituents so ask them questions, express your frustration, voice your queries.

YOU HAVE POWER!

– Spy stuff. Canada’s new coin....

G0T you’re Prints.

– FIGHT for your Believe in Stop 0pprresion

– I love you Kevin! Shavonne B

– So when protestors stand up for themselves overseas we support and congratulate them for trying to free themselves from an oppressive regime. But here we devalue there opinions, we create doubt and skepticism about the validity of their statements and work hard to discredit them as reasonable people.

– It’s important to remember, in this day and age, to take care in the way you speak around others.

You never know who is listening you never know who you might be hurting by being careless We have to take care of each other.

e-cigarettes? Text in your thoughts to 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

– Intimidation won’t work. So you can eff off

– So a couple more put their names in the hat to be mayor of TO but I think we all want to know: what kind of madness are you going to bring? Because Ford was entertaining if nothing else.

– Obligatory “hate winter” text here. Obligatory “you live in Saskatchewan” response here.

–Happy Family Day! – Too bad Sweden you seemed nice and all but we’ll go ahead and take that gold medal kthanksbye

– Didn’t expect such a huge crowd at the bar at 6am but it is hockey after all CANADA GOLD!

– So proud of all our Canadian athletes you did so great at Sochi.

Canada is proud of you! xoxo

– Love living in a country where they change the liquor laws for a hockey game *stolen*

– All you need is love :D

– Interesting socioeconomic experiment: look at what roads are plowed first. If you are on a major thoroughfare or bus route or near a hospital, you’re probably first. Then if you are in a rich neighbourhood. Then if you are in parts of this city where you might fall into a smaller bracket you are ignored. Think about that for a second. Now what are you going to do about it.

– Got in car, saw your hair floating in the breeze coming through the open window. We sit on the porch in the dusk and laugh. EP xo

– Never trust atoms, they make up everything

– DOWNtown guy or gal where you at?

Next week: What do you think about legalizing nicotine-loaded

– I feel like there’s an enormous change brewing on the horizen.

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Sonic Expansion

Photos: courtesy of luca venter

Royal Canoe break all the rules on debut LP Today We’re Believers by Alex J MacPherson

R

oyal Canoe’s debut album Today We’re Believers is one of the most ambitious Canadian records in recent memory. Sprawling over nearly an hour of tape, Today We’re Believers expands on a pair of EPs released by the Winnipegbased band in 2012. By channeling their sonic curiosity through a wide array of musical equipment, from traditional guitars to oneoff effects pedals, the members

“Button Fumbla” its distinctive contours, Today We’re Believers is a bold challenge to the idea that pop music needs to exist within a certain framework. But Royal Canoe’s debut is more than just the product of unrestrained curiosity: it is also a terrific pop record, a cohesive collection of songs that chart the emotional highs and lows of life on the Canadian prairies. From the euphoria of summer to the doldrums of the long, dark

of Royal Canoe created a record that goes a step beyond defying or fusing genres — Today We’re Believers is in its own category, a heady sonic concoction formed from a vast selection of sounds, both familiar and unusual. From the slow-burning funk vibe of the title track and the placid latenight reflection of “Exodus of the Year” to the swampy blues thump of “Nightcrawlin’” and the distorted hip hop influence that gives

winter, Today We’re Believers captures the essence of the cycle that defines life in western Canada — an existence that is both solitary and unifying. Last week I interrupted guitarist Bucky Driedger’s plans to watch Olympic hockey to ask about writing and recording Today We’re Believers, and the band’s plans for 2014.

Alex J MacPherson: You’ve been touring and releasing material for

a couple of years, and aside from the fact that they share a couple of songs, I’m curious how the two EPs influenced and informed Today We’re Believers.

Bucky Driedger: All those things were all recorded along the same process, you know. Some songs got finished sooner than others and those were the ones we used on the Continued on next page »

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EPs. But those are all kind of part of the same kind of writing period or body of work, and I think for us, in some ways, the feeling was: let’s introduce people to what we do with some little bites of music first, and then give them a bigger meal.

AJM: Royal Canoe has always been about exploration and expansion.

Is it difficult to balance that sonic curiosity against the need to release something cohesive?

BD: Yeah, I think that’s something we talk about a lot, whether or not what we do has continuity and making sure that things work with each other. We all like lots of types of music and when we’re working on music we’re never really thinking, like, how does this fit into the Royal Canoe sound, per se? At least not until later on and we’re forming whatever a record or a release will look like. For us, it’s kind of an explo-

really exciting part of the process for us, trying to break down the idea of what instruments can sound like.

AJM: How often does a piece of gear determine the trajectory of a song? Or do you find yourself having ideas and then looking for sounds to match them?

BD: Totally, all the time. For example, all of the low octave vocals on the record, a lot of them were done with this vocal transformer pedal that we found lying around our space at some point, like, three years ago. It hadn’t been used hardly ever; it was left over from some other band that used to jam there. We were working on the song “Nightcrawlin’” and we wanted to have this really distinct character to the voice, and not just be a clean vocal, so we ran it through this thing — and then that octave pedal became a pretty integral part of the vocal sound all over the record and con-

There’s this quest to try and find a new sound or create some sort of atmosphere that we’ve never heard before.

AJM: Do you have any guidelines or ideas to help keep sounds and ideas in check?

BD: When we’re working on the songs we’re trying to make what we have sound different than we’ve ever heard it before. There’s this quest to try and find a new sound or create some sort of atmosphere that we’ve never heard before. When I’m playing guitar I’m often trying to make it sound not like a guitar, with whatever effects pedals or the way it’s played. I think that goes for all of us. We just kind of all get off on finding new sounds, and that’s a

BD: Definitely. I think the space you inhabit while you’re being creative has such an effect on what you do, whether it’s the people that are around you or the parties that you go to or the things you do or the city you live in — the architecture, everything. Winnipeg certainly has extreme shifts and you notice that in the way that you are feeling, in your emotions, in the way that people are interacting with each other, in the spirit of the city — this extreme shift from euphoric bliss in summer to a kind of depressed, what-the-hell-arewe-doing-here-ness in winter. And then also the resilience that comes along with that. In winter, people band together — like, if we’re going to live here we’re going to make this place awesome in winter. I think … in some sense there is that same polarity to the different types of songs that are on the record.

and changed tones and sounds and little parts and things like that. I think that keeps it exciting for us, but as well I think the fact that we wrote songs that were challenging for ourselves to learn how to play keeps it exciting every night.

AJM: And I understand you’re already thinking about another record?

BD: I mean, it’s funny: I think for us, because we’ve been working on this album for so long, we kind of feel like it’s a really old record. I know we were debating whether to do touring at a certain point down the line or stay home and write, and I think our inclination was to stay home and write because we want to have a new record. Then there’s the reality check of, oh, this

one only came out, like, less than six months ago so we should probably be on the road, working it. But we just sat with this record for so long that it feels weathered to us.

But it’s still really exciting to play live, and I think because we put so much time into the record we can stand behind all the songs, and so we don’t really get sick of hearing them or playing them.

Royal Canoe March 8 @ Louis’ Pub $14.75 @ Ticketmaster

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AJM: So the record would have been totally different if you’d made it in Toronto or Texas or some other place?

bucky driedger

ration of different sounds and song ideas and progressions and vibes and things like that — and then we figure out the ones we’re most excited about regardless of where they fall in terms of the sounds being cohesive.

And then, later on, we try and make them work together sonically.

sonically and lyrically. A lot has been made about the extreme weather in Winnipeg, and how that could have affected the sound. What do you think of that idea?

tinues to be a big part of our sound.

Sometimes those pieces of gear can kind of really inspire the way things are going to sound.

AJM: At the same time, it also feels like you’re trying to experiment with more than just guitar and keyboard and vocal tones on this album — it feels like you’re trying to mash up different musical ideas in novel ways, too.

BD: I mean, I do think that we try to combine pieces of different genres, music that we like. For example, a lot of us are big hip hop fans, so in terms of our rhythm section especially we base a lot of our drum and bass ideas on hip hop vibes and then build pop songs on top of those. As well as mining sounds and weird tones, we also try and mine bits of the different types of music that we are drawn to.

AJM: Today We’re Believers feels like a record about extremes, both

BD: I don’t think this record could have been made in any of those places. I don’t think it would have sounded the same. I think it was greatly affected by that.

AJM: The record has been out for about six months. I’m interested in how the curiosity that defines so much of it translates to the live experience.

Do you continue to experiment with songs and sounds onstage?

BD: Yeah, the songs definitely develop live. I mean, there’s a certain amount of calculated-ness to each song, and certain things need to be the way that they are on the record live, but at the same time, there’s the limitations of playing live — the amount of feet and hands available to do things. As you play things over and over you develop little tricks as a band, because you know you’re feeding off of each other, and we’ve added sections to songs

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Damage Done

Photos: courtesy of Ali Lauren Creative Services

Megan Nash digs deep on her latest EP, She Said, She Said

by Alex J MacPherson

M

egan Nash leans back in her chair and laughs at her own joke. Then the Moose Jaw-based singer-songwriter smiles, her face framed by the shock of red hair she can’t stop playing with. Nash is in Saskatoon to perform with her dance-rock duo, PandaCorn, a propulsive groove machine that has transcended its members’ fondness for gimmicky costumes.

PandaCorn has been generating momentum by providing late nights of good music and raucous fun for the college crowd. But making funky dance rock is only half of Nash’s musical identity.

She is a songwriter, and her ability to capture moments of intense vulnerability has endeared her to audiences across the country. But it took years of trauma and heartache for Nash to discover her own incandescent talent.

“I did a little bit of writing when I was twelve, thirteen, fourteen,” she says, “but I feel like I was robbed of a couple of years. I had anorexia in high school and I didn’t touch music at all.

It was a really tough time.” Everything changed when Nash was seventeen.

“My grandpa died, and I had no idea how to deal with that, so instead of feeling out of control and taking it out on my body and measuring every single morsel that I eat, I turned to writing.” Her first album, 2011’s Tough Love, introduced her wrenching,

soaring voice to music fans across Saskatchewan, and she has spent the last several years establishing herself as one of the province’s pre-eminent songwriters and performers.

Nash’s latest release, a three-song EP titled She Said, She Said, is her best collection of songs to date. But she says it was never meant to be released at all. Nash cut the tracks in Saskatoon with Brodie Mohninger, her longtime friend and musical collaborator, with the intention of using them for an upcoming full-length album. But she was struck by the rawness of the sound, the haunting vibe created by two guitars and a single voice, and decided to release them as an EP. “It’s common for singer-songwriters,” she says. “You’re marketed as a solo artist, you tour as a duo, and your album’s almost orchestral. I wanted to have something that was a true representation of what we do. I do tour a lot solo but this is still something that’s more bare bones and raw, and my music is very vocal-based.”

Named for the moment when the bar lights go up and everybody starts thinking about getting down, “Two O’Clock Pig Scramble” is richer and denser than “Damage Done.” It features a chorus of reverb-drenched guitar and a vocal line that conjures up the spirit of Neko Case — buoyant, confident, irrepressible. Like many of Nash’s songs, “Two O’Clock Pig Scramble” finds her observing from afar as lives unfold in front of her. “That

always stuck in my mind, that moment when the bartender turns on the lights and everyone’s like, ‘hey, what are you doing now?’” she says. “You read about women always wanting to settle down quickly but I feel like there’s a stereotype there, a bit of a stigma — women always looking for the ring. I was twenty and I was feeling like, no way, man.”

The songs that make up She Said, She Said were actually written several years ago, but they represent the best expression of Nash’s musical vision to date. And she says her latest songs are even better, even more raw. Which is good, she says, because progress is important and she couldn’t dream of doing anything else. “I’ve been running into people who always talk about quitting music, and I find that such a strange thing because it’s not about that. I understand why people wouldn’t want to perform onstage anymore, but the idea of not writing would just drive me insane.” She pauses to brush her hair behind her ear and stare off into the distance. A moment later she says, “There is no Plan B.” Megan Nash March 8 @ Amigos Cantina $10 at the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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The Scars That Never Heal Time Layered explores the intimate relationship between experience and the human body by Alex J MacPherson

T

ime Layered is a collection of textile works that explores the experiences and memories society does not want to address. In other words, the personal, the private, and the intimate. Gwen Klypak created the delicate textile works under the supervision of June J. Jacobs as part of the Mendel Art Gallery’s Artists by Artists program, which pairs an emerging artist with a more established counterpart. By exposing her innermost secrets in a provocative yet tasteful manner, Klypak created a body of work that explores the scars left by traumatic experiences, addresses the arbitrariness of social norms, and undermines the notion that personal problems are best kept personal.

“I think she’s trying to show her approach to witnessing life’s experiences at different stages,” says Jacobs, who has exhibited her own textile-based works both nationally

and internationally. “Basically what you’re going through, what’s happening, and how your body speaks to you. We all kind of have scars of life, right? Whatever they are — physical, mental — we all carry them and I think she’s just put a few of them out there. It is exposing what women, what girls, and what men go through as you age, as things change, as circumstances veer off in different directions in your life. It’s showing what power you don’t have and what power you do have.”

In the past, Klypak concentrated on making wearable textiles, mostly shawls and scarves, using a variety of techniques, including weaving and embroidery. The works in Time Layered employ similar techniques with very different results. Each work evokes the image of a garment hanging from a hook in the wall, but it is the folds of the fabrics and the careful details that capture attention.

Put simply, each work resembles the female genitals. This similarity is not

Photos: courtesy of the artist

Gwen Klypak, Sh*t Happens, 2013, handwoven wool, felt, silk, stainless steel, cotton, textile medium, linen paper.

accidental; it is a means of placing the twin notions of domestic servitude and social passivity in the past where they belong.

“Women’s lives have always been kind of closeted or secreted, and this is an opportunity,” Jacobs says of the exhibition, which uses a provocative gesture to open up a dialogue about the nature of social roles in the twenty-first century. “You didn’t step [over the boundary], or if you did you paid the price.” In other words, Klypak’s works expose a reality that North American society has spent the last several centuries trying to suppress. “Our society deals with it in terms of what’s pornographic and what’s not, what’s pharmaceutical and a health issue and what’s not,” Jacobs says. “It’s totally arbitrary.”

But Time Layered is more than just social criticism, more than an attempt to dismantle outdated mores. It is also an exploration of the complicated relationship between the human body and the passage of time. The coarse banality of the fabrics suggest aging, resignedness in the face of time’s arrow. The detailed embellishments suggest bleeding and violence. Klypak’s works may resemble vaginas, but they deal in a different sort of exposure, one that is rare in a mediated and hyper-conditioned society — the examination of an open wound or a fading scar. These are memories, devastating experiences, embedded in the flesh and the bone of a human body.

“They leave a different kind of impact,” Jacobs says. “You either pick up and move on from that, or you get stuck in a rut. It’s really about how you embrace it or how you’re not able to embrace it.” Klypak’s works are intensely personal, and according to Jacobs the five months she spent working on them were about introspection and personal growth rather than a need to “over-share.”

Time Layered does not ask the viewer to evaluate the artist’s scars; what matters is that they are exposed. The hope is, Jacobs explains, that visitors to the gallery will appreciate the impulse that drove Klypak to make the work, and the basic correlation between openness and honesty.

Time Layered Through 30 March @ Mendel Art Gallery Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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He Once Was A Good Man Geoff Smith on forming Gunner and Smith, writing and recording the band’s expansive debut by Alex J MacPherson

G

eoff Smith is not particularly worried about the final destination. Like the storytellers, singers, and songwriters he admires, Smith is interested in taking journeys, not ending them. “The enjoyment is in that part in between the beginning and the end.”

He leans forward in his chair, his eyes reflecting shards of late afternoon light. “It’s about realizing that my life isn’t going to turn out like I planned it, but there are a lot of interesting things happening along the way. It is about coming to terms with changes to yourself and your environment that you can’t necessarily control or foresee happening. But that’s as good as getting somewhere.” After a pause he concedes, “Getting there probably isn’t as good.”

Bearded and plaid-shirted, Smith is the central — though no longer sole — figure in Gunner and Smith.

Last week the Saskatoon-based alt-country band released its debut album, He Once Was A Good Man. Almost four years in the making, the record represents the current iteration of Gunner and Smith, a musical project that has been expanding and evolving since it was born. What was once a solo project has grown into a rich and dynamic rock band, a collective of musicians determined to breathe life into Smith’s songs. He Once Was A Good Man is not the first release under the name Gunner and Smith, but it is the most fully realized collection of songs Smith has ever produced. And like all good road stories, it leaves the destination an open question.

The first collection of Gunner and Smith songs was released in 2011.

Although he enlisted the help of several other musicians, including

vocalist Olya Kutsiuruba, who would later join the band in an expanded capacity, Letter of Marque was essentially a solo album. The songs were skeletal, the arrangements spare.

Constructed from simple chord progressions and unflinchingly bleak lyrics about vast expanses of prairie and the lingering warmth of human connection, the songs on Letter of Marque were raw, almost ragged. But they became a foundation on which Smith could build.

By the time Gunner and Smith released Compromise is a Loaded Gun in late 2012, it had grown into a loose collective of like-minded musicians. “I’d always wanted to work with a band, but I hadn’t been able to find the right people,” Smith said last year. “It just snowballed: I started out working with [bassist]

songs Gunner and Smith had ever released — and they set the stage for a full-length record.

Releasing an album is a pivotal moment in any band’s career, a huge investment of time, energy, and money for which the outcome is in no way certain. According to Smith, a spate of lineup changes made organizing the sessions difficult and time-consuming and kept the band’s sound in a near-constant state of flux.

“I think it’s been kind of weird because the band keeps changing and evolving,” he says. “We had a huge shift where we brought [Letkeman] into the band, and now he’s moved up and taken over a lot of space in the overall sound.” Brown has also been absent from recent tours, his guitar parts taken over by Graham Tilsley and Castle River’s Matt Folker-

I’d always wanted to work with a band, but I hadn’t been able to find the right people. geoff smith

Nick [Dueck], and we slowly added pieces until we had the five-piece going on. It wasn’t something I had planned, but everybody filled the need that we had.” When the band elected to record a pair of new songs in early 2013, drummer Tyson Goodyear and keys player Brent Letkeman had joined Smith, Kutsiuruba, Dueck, and guitarist Lance Brown. It was a productive relationship, and the new tracks — country-tinged stories of heartbreak, desolation, and despair — benefited from sweeping yet somehow restrained arrangements. “River of Stone” and “The Road” were the most compelling

son. More recently, Kutsiuruba’s decision to leave the band allowed Smith to recruit vocalist Rachel Malena.

“It makes it a little funny live,” he says. “With recording it’s not so bad because you’re focusing so much on that song right now and you figure it out and you hit it and then it’s done.

Whereas with live performances, it’s always a little different, never quite the same.”

Like Compromise is a Loaded Gun and the two cuts released last year, He Once Was A Good Man was recorded at the now-defunct Avenue Recording Company in Saskatoon.

The opening chords of “The Burning Continued on next page »

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Photos: courtesy of the artist

Days,” however, suggest that the new record marks a quantum leap forward for the band. The arrangements are more expansive, the dynamics more profound, the tones richer and denser. In other words, the production is excellent. After pointing out that neither he nor his bandmates are flush with recording experience, Smith gives most of the credit for the sound of the album — the lush tones, the haunting Wurlitzer lines, the vast expanses of sonic white space — to Ryan Boldt, who is best known for fronting the Deep Dark Woods. “I felt it was time to bring in that extra person, that outside set of ears,” Smith says. “I wanted someone in charge, who would be bringing something to the table and could make those final calls. I knew that by bringing in Ryan he could be one of those voices where if he said, let’s do this, the band would say, yeah, let’s do that.”

In terms of production, He Once Was A Good Man represents a significant advance for Gunner and Smith. But evolution is never a tidy process, and the songs themselves are a patchwork quilt of old and new with some dating ‑back to the band’s

origins. “The Traveler” was first released on Letter of Marque, albeit in a much more primitive form. “River of Stone,” was similarly reworked for the album. Smith was initially reluctant to recycle songs, but once the sessions began he and Boldt decided to scrap some of the newer songs and re-record older material instead. One song, “Ease My Mind,” was written, scrapped, and then resurrected one afternoon after Boldt came up with a different way of playing the riff.

Smith smiles at the memory and says, “He’s one of those guys where if he’s like, ‘I have a good idea,’ you probably want that idea.”

Although they were written over a period of almost four years, the songs on He Once Was A Good Man are linked together by Smith’s fascination with beauty and bleakness. Much like the Coen Brothers, Smith has a talent for conjuring up images of vast, uncaring landscapes and deeply vulnerable people. It is a striking contrast, one reminiscent of the eternal struggle between man and the benign indifference of the universe. “I find that there’s a lot of beauty in bleak things,” Smith

says. “I think that sometimes we get caught up in the idea that things that are beautiful have to be bright and shining and colourful. I don’t think that’s the case. I mean, growing up in Saskatchewan you go outside in the winter and look out at a field, and it’s bleak but it’s beautiful. I think it’s just a different form of beauty.”

Smith’s songs tend to revolve around characters who have reached a crossroads of some sort.

“The Burning Days” is a melancholy reflection on a failed relationship cast against a backdrop of gritty country chords. The title track is a sombre ballad that sprawls across nearly six minutes of tape, a lengthy mediation on one man’s fall into madness, mayhem, and murder.

Drenched in reverb and shot through with the sound of a cold west wind, “Towns” tells the story of a man and the place he can no longer call home. Smith suspects his fondness for writing about people standing on the precipice stems from the situation facing his generation. “The fact is, a lot of people our age don’t feel like they’ve arrived yet,” he says. “They feel like there’s

that constant ‘we’re not there, we’re still trying to get somewhere, and we never really made it.’” Put another way, He Once Was A Good Man captures some of the fears that accompany any journey. But it is much more than just a catalogue of places left and people leaving.

“Drifting,” which begins as a rough acoustic folk song before unfolding into a surprisingly upbeat alt-country stomp, turns the idea of running away on its head.

“Oh I hear my train a-coming / Oh, a-rolling down the line / I have forgotten all my troubles / Like smoke drifting in the sky,” Smith sings as the song fades into silence.

“It’s a story in my head about a guy who came to grips with his mortality and his end,” he says. “I guess there’s always this idea in how we’re brought up that death is bad and death is a terrible end, but I don’t know if that’s necessarily true. So it’s coming to grips with the fact that death is a beautiful end to that story, and that coming to grips with and understanding that I don’t need to be scared that I’m going to die, that accepting of the idea

that I’m coming to my end and that that’s a good thing.”

But He Once Was A Good Man is not the end; it is only the beginning, the debut record from a band that has spent the last four years working hard, touring relentlessly, and expanding its musical horizon. Smith has devoted much of the last year to writing, recording, and organizing a tour in support of the album — and the effort has exhausted him. But he can’t help but be excited by the prospect of starting anew. “It feels like there’s been so much work building to this point, from doing stuff on my own to getting stuff going with the band. It felt like a long process of getting to the place we wanted to be.” After a pause he adds, “This is the start of where I want to be.”

Gunner and Smith March 8 @ Amigos $10 at the door Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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A pleasant surprise Photos: courtesy of Adam Hawboldt

The eggplant sandwich at City Perks is unlike any sandwich you’ve had before by adam hawboldt

T

he chalkboard beside the counter says there are four mains today: Asian Chicken Wrap, Sweet Chipotle Ham Wrap, Parmesan Eggplant Grill and Mexican Sweet Potato Wrap.

All these items sound tempting, even delicious, but I can’t make up

my mind. Unsure of what I’m in the mood for, I reread the menu. Then my phone vibrates. It’s a text from a friend asking, “Are you eating that unbelievable-looking eggplant sandwich yet?”

I’m not, but I soon will be.

Where I am is City Perks, a classic yet funky little café on 7th Av-

enue North. Smooth jazz licks rise above the mid-afternoon chatter as I commit to the eggplant sandwich and take a seat. The place is packed with people.

Behind me chandeliers and hanging lights drop down from the ceiling. A 20-something guy in a brown toque reads a book in front of his MacBook, while a table of elderly women partake in a quiet conversation all their own.

City Perks is a cool little place.

The kind of place that’s ideal to go for a mid-afternoon bite to eat or to meet up with friends and have a chat over coffee.

Or in my case, a latte.

That’s the first thing to arrive at the table. Served in a jade green tea cup, with a steamed milk leaf floating on top, the latte is excellent: smooth, strong and piping hot, just the way every good latte should be.

By the time I’m finished the drink my food arrives and, to be honest,

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide French Connection Coffee

Ingredients

In 1971 Gene Hackman starred in a great movie called The French Connection. And while this drink probably has nothing to do with that film, it does have coffee as its base. Seems fitting, since we went to a coffee shop this week and all.

1 oz cognac 1 oz amaretto black coffee whipped cream shaved almonds for garnish

Directions

Pour the cognac and amaretto into coffee cup. Fill with hot coffee and top with whipped cream. Garnish with shaved almonds and serve.

I’m pleasantly surprised. When my friend mentioned the eggplant sandwich, my first thought was it would feature grilled eggplant served between focaccia or baguette or something.

My first thought was wrong.

Instead of using bread, the good folk at City Perks use two slices of grilled eggplant that’s been encrusted with Parmesan cheese. Hiding inside is goat cheese, slices of tomato, spinach, balsamic, and fresh basil. It comes with soup or salad (I went with the salad — greens with cumin, lentils and orange zest), and do you know what? The sandwich was flat-out amazing.

Kind of like a Caprese salad with fresh eggplant and crunchy Parmesan. It’s definitely the most unique sandwich I’ve had in a long, long time.

The kind of sandwich that is going to make City Perks a lunchtime staple whenever I’m in the area. It’s just that good.

City Perks 801 7th Avenue North | (306) 664 2060 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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music

Next Week

coming up

Wake Owl

Clyde

April Wine

@ Amigos Cantina Thursday, March 6 – Cover TBD

@ Rock Bottom Saturday, March 8 – Cover $10

@ O’Brians Event Centre Thursday, April 17 + saturday april 19 – $39.50+

Back when Colyn Cameron was a student in southern California, he was big into the rap and used to wander the school ground rapping verses to anyone who would listen. Then, a handful of years ago, he picked up a guitar and things changed dramatically. These days he’s living in Vancouver and is the singer/songwriter for Wake Owl. After living abroad in Europe and South America, he settled on Canada’s west coast and started recording songs he’d written during his travels. The result was an infectious, lyrical folk/ alt-pop EP called Wild Country. That was followed up by Wake Owl’s first full-length album, The Private World of Paradise (out early March 2014). This talented singer will be doing his thing at Amigos in early March. Tickets available at the door.

When Clyde was young he discovered something that would forever change his life — electronic music. Fast forward to 2003, and Clyde decided to set up a DJ collective with two local DJs. Since then, the Saskatoon-based mixologist has played alongside some of Canada’s best, such as Luke Fair, Adam K and Sultan. Deeply influenced by DJs like John Digweed, Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren, Clyde plays a brand of music that’s deep and progressive.

The kind of music that takes you on a journey and makes you want to hit the dance floor. You can catch him at the upcoming charity event BENEFIT — a monthly fundraiser to help those in need in our community. This show will benefit the SPCA, so come out and support a great cause!

Things you may not know about Waverley, Nova Scotia: 1) It was named after the Waverley novels by Sir Walter Scott; 2) it was once the sight of two major gold rushes; and 3) it’s where the always-entertaining April Wine formed in 1969. Back then, the band consisted of David, Jim and Ritchie Henman along with Myles Goodwyn on guitar and lead vocals. The Henman boys are gone now, but Goodwyn remains and April Wine keeps chugging along, bringing you a brand of hard rock that has earned them gold and platinum records, as well as adoring fans from coast to coast. And with songs like “Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love” and “Sign of the Gypsy Queen,” how can’t you be a fan?

They’ll be stopping in Saskatoon in April as a part of their most recent tour. Tickets at obrianseventcentre.ca.

– By Adam Hawboldt

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

Saskmusic Preview

Photo: courtesy of artists facebook page

SaskMusic and the Regina Folk Festival are pleased to present a songwriting workshop with Kat Danser on Wednesday, March 5, at 7pm at The Exchange in Regina. Kat Danser is an Edmonton-based award-winning artist, and is regarded as a specialist in roots and blues music by her academic peers. This workshop is free for current SaskMusic members. Non-members are welcome to attend — the cost is $20 per person. All forms of payment will be accepted in advance, otherwise cash and cheques will be accepted at the door. Preregistration is appreciated; call 1-800-347-0676 or email info@saskmusic.org to save your seat.

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february 28 » march 8 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Friends of Foes / Amigos Cantina — With Silent Sea. 10pm / Cover TBD Piano Fridays: Kim Salkeld / The Bassment — Feel like taking in some smooth jazz stylings? The Bassment’s got you covered. 4:30pm / No cover Vocal Jazz Series: Broadway Unplugged / The Bassment — Featuring The Saskatoon Summer Players. 9pm / $15/$20 Flashback Fridays / Béily’s UltraLounge — The best of the ‘80s, ‘90s & top 40 hits of today, all night long. 9pm / $5 cover Riff Raff / Buds on Broadway — Playing 80s big-hair rock anthems all night long.

9pm / Cover TBD

Vinyl Fantasy / Crown and Rok — Old school vinyl DJs. 9pm / $5(advance)/$10(door) BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/ vocal house music. 10pm / $5 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 Saskatoon Blues Festival / O’Brians Event Centre — Featuring the talents of Lucky Peterson and Tommy Castro. 7pm / $30 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 Saskatoon Blues Festival / Park Town Hotel — With Marilyn and Randy. 5pm / Cover TBD Conor Coughlan / Prairie Ink — A British artist playing folk/rock/pop. 8pm / No cover Electric Revival / Rock Bottom — With Kalle Mattson and Little Criminals. 9pm / Cover TBD Jon Kimura Parker / Roxy Theatre — A titan of world music. 7:30pm / $40+ (persephonetheatre.org) Chris Cole and Friends / Spadina Freehouse — Local DJ doing his thing. 9pm / No cover

Idle Rains / Stan’s Place — A rockin’ good way to spend a weekend. 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 VIP Fridays / Tequila Nightclub — Come tear it up on the dance floor. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Nick Ruston / Uncle Barley’s — Come and check him out! 9pm / Cover TBD Sweet and Savoury Soiree / Unitarian Centre — Featuring Paul Gitlitz, Louisa Ferguson, Ryan J. Bradshaw + more. 8pm / $18 Blues Festival Jam Weekend / Vangelis — With Apollo Cruz. 9pm / Cover TBD

Saturday 1

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover Rah Rah / Amigos Cantina — With Foam Lake + Sydney York. 10pm / $10 (ticketedge.com) Piano Series: David Braid’s Octagon Chamber / The Bassment — An all-star octet from Toronto. 8pm / $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 Absofunkinlutely / Bon Temps — Come celebrate Mardi Gras! 8:30 / No cover

Riff Raff / Buds on Broadway — Playing 80s big-hair rock anthems. 9pm / Cover TBD 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 party crew.

9pm / $5 cover Skylab Records Launch Party Launch / Le Relais — Featuring DJ Izn, Danger Bay + more. 9pm / No cover DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music all night. 8pm / $4 cover Saskatoon Blues Festival / O’Brians Event Centre — Featuring The Twisters and Carolyn Wonderland. 7pm / $30 (tickets.obrianseventcentre.ca) Saskatoon Blues Festival / Park Town Hotel — Featuring The Silver Screen Scoundrels and Fruteland Jackson. 7pm / $30 (eventbrite.ca) DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws — There’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Ian Martens / Prairie Ink — Local musician playing acoustic folk/rock. 8pm / No cover Fuse Collective / Spadina Freehouse — Dust off your dancing shoes and join us.

9pm / No cover Idle Rains / Stan’s Place — A rockin’ good way to spend a weekend. 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 Full Circle / Tequila — Featuring AN10NA and Ricky Rock. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ Thorpdeo / Uncle Barley’s — Spinning hot tunes all night. 10pm / Cover TBD Blues Festival Jam Weekend / Vangelis — With Fast Eddie. 10pm / Cover TBD

Sunday 2

Pack A.D / Amigos Cantina — A garage duo w/ Pandas in Japan. 10pm / $10 (ticketedge.ca) Industry Night / Béily’s — 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

dead south / Bon Temps Cafe — Come celebrate Mardi Gras! 8:30 / No cover DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes all night long. Come wind down from the weekend.

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 3

crawdaddios / Bon Temps Cafe — Come celebrate Mardi Gras! 8:30 / No cover DJ Audio / Dublins — Spinning dope beats. 9pm / Cover TBD Tebey / Louis — A solo country artist from Ontario will be killing it on stage. 8pm / $21 (ticketmaster.ca)

Tuesday 4

Old Man Luedecke / The Bassment — A mix of folk, bluegrass and pop form Nova Scotia. 8pm / $17/$23 zyde-Gogo / Bon Temps Cafe — Come celebrate Mardi Gras! 8:30 / No cover The Rockies / Buds on Broadway — Sweet rock and roll all night long. 10pm / 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

Wednesday 5

DJ Modus / 302 Lounge & Discotheque — Spinning all your favourite tracks. 9pm / No cover until 10pm; $3 thereafter Salsa Night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Latin music and salsa dance lessons.

8:30pm / Cover TBD The Rockies / Buds on Broadway — Sweet rock and roll all night long. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ Memo / Dublins — Spinning dope beats. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Night / Flint — Featuring regular and guest DJs playing everything from rap to indie rock. 8:30pm / No cover DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Continued on next page »

20 Feb 28 – Mar 6 entertainment

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Buck Wild Wednesdays / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Come out and ride the mechanical bull! 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff Stephen Maguire / Rock Creek (Willowgrove) — Great tunes in a cozy setting.

8pm / 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

Thursday 6

Wake Owl / Amigos Cantina — A folk/ pop singer songwriter from California.

10pm / Cover TBD Feeding Fiction / Buds on Broadway — Aggressive and progressive heavy rock will blow your hair back. 10pm / Cover TBD Lady Antebellum / Credit Union Centre — A hot, hot, hot country trio. 7pm / $39.75+ (ticketmaster.ca) 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 DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music all night. 8pm / $4 cover Thunder Riot w/Conky Showpony / Rock Bottom — Come dance the night away as this local DJ plays the kind of music that’ll get your feet moving. 9pm / $5 Triple Up Thursdays / Tequila — Featuring DJ Dislexic. 9pm / Cover TBD An Evening for Townes Van Zandt / Vangelis — A tribute to a legend. 8pm / Cover TBD Open Stage / The Woods — Hosted by Steven Maier. 9pm / No cover

Friday 7

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve all night long. 9pm / No cover Basement Paintings / Amigos Cantina — An EP release party also featuring Black Tremor and Mehta. 10pm / Cover TBD Piano Fridays: Ross Nykiforuk / The Bassment — Feel like taking in some smooth jazz stylings? Come check out Nykiforuk tickle the ivories of the Kinsman Yamaha S6 grand piano. 4:30pm / No cover Big Band Series: U of S Jazz Ensemble / The Bassment — Playing jazz standards and originals. 9pm / $10/$15

Flashback Fridays / Béily’s UltraLounge — The best of the 80’s, 90’s & top 40 hits of today. 9pm / $5 cover Nightrain / Buds on Broadway — A Led Zeppelin tribute band. 10pm / Cover TBD BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/ vocal house music. 10pm / $5 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 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 The Mailman’s Children / Prairie Ink — A rock band from Manitoba. 8pm / No cover Disco Ninjas / Spadina Freehouse — Come see your favourite DJs spinning.

9pm / No cover Jett Run / Stan’s Place — A night of rockin’ good run. 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 / $5 VIP Fridays / Tequila — Come tear it up on the dance floor. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Nick Ruston / Uncle Barley’s — Come and check him out! 9pm / Cover TBD Alexis Normand, Raphael Freynet / Village Guitars — Two great acts under one roof. 8pm / Cover TBD

Saturday 8

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm / No cover SIA Choral Choir / Aden Bowman Collegiate Castle Theatre — Multi-national performers singing in their mother tongue to celebrate International Mother Language Day. 3pm / No cover Gunner and Smith / Amigos Cantina — Also featuring the talents of Coldest Night of the Year and Megan Nash. 10pm / Cover TBD Roots Series: The Once / The Bassment — A folk rock trio from Newfoundland will take the stage. 8pm / $17/$23 DJ Aash Money + DJ Sugar Daddy / Béily’s UltraLounge — These two DJs throw down a dance party every Saturday night.

9pm / $5 cover blue mules / Bon Temps Cafe — Come celebrate Mardi Gras! 8:30 / No cover

Men without shame / Buds on Broadway — A Led Zeppelin tribute band. 10pm / Cover TBD 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 party crew.

9pm / $5 cover DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music all night. 8pm / $4 cover Royal Canoe / Louis — A rocking pop band, featuring Friend of Foes. 8pm / $14.75 (ticketmaster.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 No Hurry Trio / Prairie Ink — Acoustic guitars and tight vocal harmonies. 8pm / No cover Music for Mutts / Saskatoon Academy of Music — A diverse set of performances from SAM teachers. 7pm / $20 Funktion / Spadina Freehouse — Come see your favourite DJs spinning. 9pm / No cover Jett Run / Stan’s Place — A night of rockin’ good run. 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 / $5 DJ Anchor / Sutherland Bar — It’s the world famous video mix show! 10pm / Cover TBD Saturday Night Social / Tequila — Electronic Saturdays will have you moving and grooving. 9pm / Cover TBD Gyro Masters Series: Music is Great Britain / TCU Place — A celebration of British composers. 7:30pm / $6+ (tcutickets.ca) DJ Thorpdeo / Uncle Barley’s — Spinning hot tunes all night. 10pm / Cover TBD

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

21 Feb 28 – Mar 6 @verbsaskatoon

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Photo: Courtesy of universal pictures

A high-altitude puzzle

Non-Stop: a generic thriller set in the sky by adam hawboldt

B

ill Marks is angry. Bill Marks is lonely. Bill Marks pours whiskey into a cup, stirs it with a toothbrush and sloshes it back, sitting in his car, before getting on a flight.

That’s the kind of guy Bill Marks is.

Oh, and he’s also an air marshal.

Played by Liam Neeson, Bill Marks is the main character in the new thriller Non-Stop. The kind of grim, hard character with a “very particular set of skills” that Neeson has been prone to playing lately in movies like Taken, Taken 2, Unknown — you get the idea.

But here’s the thing: no matter how good or bad you think those movies are, there’s no denying that Liam Neeson nails his characters.

Inhabits them. Brings them to life.

As he does again with his role in Non-Stop.

a message on his smartphone from a terrorist on his plane demanding $150 million to be transferred to an off-shore bank account or else.

Or else what?

Or else he or she will kill a new passenger every 20 minutes.

Neeson, being an air marshal, knows it’s time to act. Time to catch the bad guy. But there’s a problem: who is the bad guy?

Is it the bearded Muslim? Nah, too obvious. Is it the guy sitting in 6A? The shifty looking character at the back? The beautiful but mysterious woman sitting next to him (Julianne Moore)?

Or is Bill Marks the terrorist, and this is all one big Fight Club-esque trick the writers are trying to pull on the audience?

That’s the premise of the movie, a good, old-fashioned puzzle that

When we first meet Bill Marks, as mentioned before, he’s in his vehicle drinking. Then he’s on a plane with 150 passengers, flying from New York to London on a red-eye

…when you figure out who is responsible for this … scheme, the movie goes flat.

Adam Hawboldt

flight. Ol’ Bill may be a tad tipsy, but he still has his wits about him.

Then, out of nowhere, he receives

unfolds with serious tension — for a while.

See, in “whodunnit” movies like this there’s invariably a third act. An act in which the villain is outed and his (or her?) motives are revealed. And it’s precisely here that Non-Stop loses its steam. Up to that point it’s pressure mounting on pressure, but when you figure out who is responsible for this outlandish scheme, the movie goes flat. All the air is let out with one, audible, I-should’ve-seen-that-coming hiss.

But that doesn’t mean Non-Stop is a bad movie. Nor does it mean it’s a good one. What Non-Stop is, though, is a workmanlike, cookiecutter thriller that is paced well and has a leading man with enough chops to make it enjoyable.

Julianne Moore does her share of heavy lifting here, too, and it’s up to the

non-stop Jaume Collet-Serra Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore + Michelle Dockery Directed by Starring

110 minutes | PG

two old pros to make an otherwise disposable kind of movie very watchable.

So if you like puzzles and decent acting and high-pressure situations in cramped quarters, you should probably go see Non-Stop. It won’t blow your hair back, but it won’t bore the hell out of you, either.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

22 Feb 28 – Mar 6 entertainment

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Do children ruin your sex life?

Sex After Kids a funny, unique montage movie by adam hawboldt

F

unniest line I’ve heard in a while: “I do a great Margaret Atwood.”

Okay, admittedly, taken out of context it’s not that hilarious. But when you consider it’s said while a woman is handcuffed to a bed, just about to get her freak on, well … it takes on a whole new meaning.

That’s just one of a handful of gems strewn throughout the edgy new Canadian sex comedy, Sex After Kids.

Directed by Jeremy Lalonde (The Untitled Work of Paul Shepard), Sex After Kids is one of those ensemble movies with a bunch of different storylines that deal with relationships in this tenuous and at-times tiring day and age. Think Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Love Actually, and you’ll get the idea.

But unlike those movies, in which love is explored against a holiday backdrop, Sex After Kids examines love and sex in an everyday setting.

Or more specifically, what happens to

starved husband Ben (Ennis Esmer), who haven’t been intimate since becoming parents. They struggle to reignite the spark they had before the baby comes along, but it isn’t

…for the most part, the movie does what it’s supposed to do — give you a … humorous glimpse of what your sex life may be like after having kids.

Adam Hawboldt

love and sex when you add kids into the equation. There’s new mom Jules (Shannon Beckner) and her sex-

working. “You want to pleasure me?” asks Jules at one point. “Will you let me sleep in tomorrow.”

Funny stuff, I tell ya. But not funny for Ben, who eventually goes out and gets a sex therapist (Gordon Pinsent), who instructs them to have sex — every day— for the next 100 days.

That’s the first couple. Then there’s an older couple — Horton

(Jay Brazeau) and Dolores (Mimi Kuzyk) — who try to rekindle the romance after their kids are gone.

There’s Larissa (Mary Krohnert) and Jody (Kate Hewlett), a same-sex couple trying to figure out parenting roles after the recent birth of their child.

Then there’s the former model (Amanda Brugel) who has put on a few pounds since childbirth, smells like urine, and wonders if her husband (Peter Keleghan) still finds her attractive.

There’s even a single lady here, Lou (Zoie Palmer), who lives with her odd brother Peyton (Paul Amos) and is in search of nothing more than physical, sexual contact.

Take all these storylines, run them alongside each other, make them rise and converge at some point, and what you get is a singular central thesis of the movie: kids are not good for your sex life.

Lalonde has the sex therapist say this line early in the movie, and he never deviates from his point.

What he ends up with is an original take on the montage romance

sex after kids Jeremy Lalonde Starring Zoie Palmer, Amanda Brugel + Jay Brazeau Directed by

105 minutes | 14A

movie, and an amusing, entertaining take at that.

Yet, Sex After Kids isn’t perfect. Like most of these montage movies, the numerous storylines often come off as jilted and a tad bit jarring. And some of the characters are flat, nothing-new stereotypes. But for the most part, the movie does what it’s supposed to do — give you a raw, at times humorous glimpse of what your sex life may be like after having kids.

Sex After Kids is currently screening at Roxy Theatres.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbSaskatoon ahawboldt@verbnews.com

Photo: Courtesy of Indiecan entertainment

23 Feb 28 – Mar 6 /verbsaskatoon

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saturday, february 22 @

the hose

The Hose & Hydrant 612 11th Street East (306) 477 3473

Photography by Patrick Carley Continued on next page Âť

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Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, March 7. facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

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26 Feb 28 – Mar 6 entertainment

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saturday, february 22 @

the freehouse

The Spadina Freehouse 608 Spadina Crescent East (306) 668 1000

Check out our Facebook page!

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27 Feb 28 – Mar 6 /verbsaskatoon

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29 Feb 28 – Mar 6 @verbsaskatoon

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

30 Feb 28 – Mar 6 entertainment

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timeout

crossword canadian criss-cross

© walter D. Feener 2014

32. Bar of gold 36. Excitement 37. Units of loudness 39. ìDr.î in a 1964 film title 40. Watermelon covering 42. Mauna Loa necklace 43. A statue from the shoulders up 44. Canadian talk show (with ‘The’) 46. Costing nothing 48. Sedimentary rock 49. Playing periods on a golf course 50. Someone who is on your side 51. Counterpart

DOWN 1. Get in the way of 2. Long-legged wading bird 3. Clear as profit 4. Give medical aid to 5. Having many vowel sounds 6. Eggs 7. Be inclined to 8. Repeat performance 9. Jewelled headdress 11. Woodland deity 12. Excess fat 14. Clean and orderly 17. Rules of health 20. Ignores intentionally 21. He played for the Maple Leafs 24. Wood sorrel

26. Brian Mulroney’s son 28. Electric vehicle that runs on tracks 29. Fourth planet from the sun 30. Spanish goodbye 31. External ear 33. Substance in wheat and flour that holds dough together 34. Desert resting place 35. Young children 38. Number of legs a spider has 41. Watch face 43. Island east of Java 45. Entire number of 47. Use oars

sudoku answer key

A

B

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

1. Covert allusion 5. Participate in an election 9. River in Italy 10. Baking chambers 12. Having measurable limits 13. A dance with a lot of high kicking 15. Young men 16. Exclamation of discovery 18. Shower with love 19. Plural of is 20. Mode of living 22. Scandinavian rug 23. Nobleman of the lowest rank 25. Jack Layton’s middle name 27. Skin at the base of a fingernail 29. Gruesome

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

ACROSS

Horoscopes february 28 - march 6 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

Something could happen this week that you won’t be a big fan of, Aries. Try not to let it bother you too much. This too shall pass.

An ethical crisis is coming down the pipeline, Leo. Remember to stay true to yourself and your own moral compass.

If you feel like being alone this week, Sagittarius, you should fight that feeling. Get out and meet people. You never know who you might bump into.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Your friends may seem distant this week, Taurus, which may lead to a brief bout of loneliness. Remember: it’s not personal.

A lack of communication between you and a loved one may lead to tense moments this week. Remember to open up to those around you.

If somebody you know proposes travel this week, jump at it. It’s time for you to make plans to get outside your bubble.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

You’re not always a fan of staying home, Gemini, but this week you should really give it a shot. Recharge your battery.

We all know you’re intuitive, Libra, but this week your channel to that intuition may be blocked. Don’t worry — all will sort itself out in the end.

You know what you should do this week, Aquarius? Pick up a new book and start reading. There is wisdom there you will want to know.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

If you have plans of running errands this week, Cancer, be prepared for some delays. There are going to be a few stumbling blocks along the way.

You’re usually a hard worker, Scorpio. That’s no secret. But this week you may be feeling lazy. Embrace the change.

Feeling stressed lately, Pisces? If so, try to find a way to relax. Laze around on the couch, hit up a spa. Whatever calms you down.

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

31 Feb 28 – Mar 6 /verbsaskatoon

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Making your home your own A rash course in the fundamentals of renovations and design by david baxter

R

enovations can be a daunting task for any homeowner, and many questions are bound to come up. Luckily, there are places rookie do-it-yourselfers can turn to for a seasoned helping hand, be it contractors or designers.

“There are several aspects of things that are really important to consider,” says Happy Grove, owner and sole designer for Happy Living Space Interior Design.

“In my experience, the best projects are projects where people have a solid idea of what their budget needs to be and that they share that information.”

Grove believes that having a strong, realistic financial foundation to a renovation is one of the biggest keys to a successful project. “If you have more money you can do more things. You can consider more options. If you have a smaller amount of money, sharing that up front allows your designer to not go down avenues that can’t ever be considered.”

Once a budget is established then the real fun can begin: figuring out what the money will go toward. Are you going to tear out a wall to open up a living room?

How about scrapping a bathroom vanity and giving the room a new look? No matter what your project is, Grove says, it is important to take a good look at the existing space you plan to give new life to

BEFORE Photos: Courtesy of happy grove

before putting a sledgehammer through the drywall. “Basically, if you’re going to upgrade your space you need to make sure you start with a good quality space as best as you can get,” says Grove.

So now that you have your budget figured out and have familiarized yourself with the existing infrastructure, we’re good to get our hands dirty, right? Not so fast, because there’s still the matter of building materials. For Grove, this has been a challenge he has faced with clients numerous times over the past several years. “For example, the cost of drywall went up 27 per cent last year,” he explains. “That’s just one of the many things that’s going up and up. It is hard if you’re a client asking a designer, ‘I have this much money; what can I do?’ It’s a hard question because it’s a moving target these days. “ It is also important to have the necessary know-how to use those materials to make sure you have a safe, secure structure. If you aren’t a master of DIY, a contractor is something worth looking at.

With some of the core fundamentals out of the way, it’s time to start bringing your ideas to life.

Here in Saskatoon the styles of homes have become quite diverse; with many neighbourhoods having a prevailing architectural style, interiors can be a way for people to really make a living space their own. Whether you go solo or work with a designer, Grove says the most important part of the final project is that it fits you. “I heard this line once and it really spoke to me. The most successful designer is one where you can’t tell that the designer was there … so if your friends were to walk into the house they would say ‘it is so you,’ and not necessarily know that I had been in there.”

“It’s inherent in our nature to manipulate things,” continues Grove. “We’re tool builders, we’re nesters. Psychological space for your body, physical space for your body; humans are just quite sophisticated at doing that. And as you can see, it’s a very sophisticated thing that

we’ve done. Consequently, there’s a very sophisticated set of rules and guidelines for public space and any kind of space that you would build that’s important, and that’s become a very big aspect for people who are renovating. You want to deal with tradespeople who are trusted and know what they’re doing. So I always say ask about the education of the person you’re working with … not that one education’s better than another, but find out what education they have. What their passion is and how engaged are they with the bigger picture, which includes the building codes and all the tricky things that us residential designers don’t really have to know that much about.”

In public buildings everything will always be up to code on the day it is completed, but Grove says that things are a bit looser on the residential side in Saskatoon.

However, residential building codes are tightening up as the city expands.

“The city’s growing up. There’s new inspectors at city hall and people in the planning department. They’re trying to keep up with the need for them to respond to people who are coming here from other places. Saskatoon is being pushed that way. There’s lots of development happening, and yet there’s still the need for ideas on how to keep up and eventually get ahead of that development.”

“I am a designer who has very strong tendencies about how I see and view space. In how I deal with it I have a slightly different attitude than a lot of designers. I want my spaces to fit the client. If you took a survey across the different space I’ve created with my clients you would see they are all quite specific to the client. Where I have strong tendencies across projects is in how I place furniture, hang art, work with special design, design lighting. Thematically, there’s a strong similarity between projects, but again it’s unique to the client’s space. So you can see spaces that I’ve done, but not necessarily pick them out.”

“It’s not my design, per say,” elaborates Grove. “I’m helping the client find Continued on next page »

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their design … They have to live with it.

Everyday they’re looking at it, touching it, they have to live with it. For me, that’s the most important thing. I want them to have that feeling. So I‘m there to help them find it and get it there for them.”

And to help them, there’s no better place for Grove to start than asking clients what they’re after.

“There are all kinds of questions … but there are certainly a few that I gravitate to.

They’re specific to the spaces that we’re working in, so let’s use the kitchen as an example. How do people like to cook?

Some people like a gas stove, some like electric, some like induction, some people don’t care. Some people want their air vented directly outside and some like it recirculated through a charcoal filter. Some people like two bowls in their sink, some people like one. These are all options, so where my questions come from are general, but also with a knowledge of the products the client has to pick from. Just ‘how do you use it’ kind of questions.”

So aside from usability, what exactly makes great design? Well, for Grove, it’s important to consider the energy of it all.

“When I moved here from Calgary I completely quit interior design,” he explains. “I sold my old firm to my partner.

I was never going to do it again … When we moved here I didn’t know what I would do at the time. We lived on some land just north by Shellbrooke, and we were connected to a group of people. We built a straw bale yoga studio we built a little straw bale cottage; all kinds of really sustainable design processes that we could do. Eventually we moved back into

the city and it was time to get something together, and I ran into Yuki Sugimoto.

He’s a shiatsu master here and teaches people shiatsu. I took training from him, and I got certified, and the thing that relates to me is thinking how our physical bodies are impacted by electrical energy first before the actual physical mass of our body.”

“In shiatsu, the theory is that the energy runs first, and form follows it,” Grove continues. “So if your energy is running smoothly your body will be smooth operating, strong, resilient, and healthy. If your energy is not running smoothly, it is eventually going to manifest in the physical body. So what I got from shiatsu is a way at looking at space as being alive … The glass, the metal, the stone, the wood, and all of the things that are in our house; they’re all of the world and they all have some sort of resonating energy … I started seeing space as living, and manipulating it in such a way

of looking for smooth flow regimes. If you have circular flow regimes, like a rounded kitchen island, you’re never dead-ended. You never have to stop and back up. So there’s an ease of movement that comes with a certain layout. “ So if you’re looking to revamp a space in your home, it’s important to consider a designer that’s right for you.

“It’s developing a trust relationship; finding someone that you want to go through the process with,” explains Grove. “One thing I do know about interior design is that it is very straining on personal relationships. You’re changing your personal space. You have to live through it … because of that, you want a designer that you trust … so taking

the time to find someone that you want to work with is important. There’s lots of options out there.”

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AFTER

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Protecting more than just your property

How tenant insurance can help you wherever you go by david baxter

I

don’t own enough things to justify buying tenant insurance.” This is a very common thing insurance agents hear when they talk to potential clients about tenant insurance. However, tenant insurance goes much further than just protecting the value of your belongings.

“There are actually two sides of [tenant] insurance,” says Galon Insurance vice president, Jeff Galon. “The first side is insuring your property … but the second side is actually the more important side, and that’s the liability side. On a tenant policy it gives you a limit of insurance for your stuff, and then typically a base limit of a million dollars in liability insurance.”

Usually this coverage costs about $200 annually, and covers $20,000 worth of personal property and one million in liability insurance. Additional property coverage costs about a 1/100th of the property value, so $200,000 in property coverage will cost $2,000 per year.

Additional liability insurance, on the other hand, is not as expensive, according to Randi Thiessen, Personal Lines Manager at Galon. “These days a million dollars really doesn’t go far, so we recommend people go for two million in [liability insurance]. Really, it’s a $16 difference, so instead of paying $200 you’re paying $216.”

Galon says in the event of something like a fire that damages or de-

stroys the rental property is where the liability insurance most often comes into play. “The owner of the house has insurance, but because you’re liable for it the insurance company is going to go after you for those damages.

Your insurance pays for that. That’s probably the most important [part] of a tenant policy.”

Tenant insurance extends past the walls of your living space as well. If your car is broken into and possessions are stolen, physical damage to the car falls under car insurance, but the stolen property is something covered by tenant insurance.

The liability insurance also extends past the rental property, and can be applied to a wide variety of situations

where you may be at fault if someone or their property being hurt.

While tenant insurance does cover a lot, it will not cover all property damage. When it comes to water damage, claims can become murky. If property is damaged due to flooding from a water main break or sewage backup, it is covered. However, if property is damaged due to a leaky foundation or basement window, this water damage is not covered by any kind of insurance in Saskatchewan.

SGI sees this as an ongoing issue where the occupant should take notice and fix it.

Starting this summer, SGI is expected to embrace a new method of calculating insurance premiums called

black box underwriting (to first be applied to homeowner insurance, with other types of insurance to follow).

Already in place in the UK for several years, and recently introduced in BC, this type of insurance will take factors like age, dwelling type, location, and insurance history to generate a premium with an algorithm.

So no matter if you only have one old futon and a couple chairs to your name, tenant insurance is still a great way to protect yourself.

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