Verb Issue S286 (Apr. 17-24, 2014)

Issue #286 – April 17 to April 24

arts

culture

music

saskatoon

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long way home Fred Sasakamoose on his incredible journey stickybuds Q+A with the Kelowna DJ gloria + tim’s vermeer Films reviewed­

Photo: courtesy of Lisa MacIntosh

NEWs + Opinion

contents

the long way home Fred Sasakamoose’s journey. 4 / Local

an organic solution

On the cover:

Our thoughts on curbside composting.

alysha brilla

8 / Editorial

comments

On embracing freedom. 16 / cover

Here’s your say about extending last call at the bar. 10 / comments

Photo: courtesy of Scott Ferrede

culture

Q + A with stickybuds Kelowna DJ on the industry. 12 / Q + A

contrasting tastes, contrasting textures

everything in everything? Ik Onkar on the modern condition. 14 / Arts

We visit Jasmine. 18 / Food + Drink

quartango

Music

Legendary group brings South American dance music to SK. 15 / Arts

F*uck The Facts, The Good Lovelies + Lisa Marie Presley. 19 / music

entertainment

listings Local music listings for April 17 through April 26. 20 / listings

gloria + tim’s vermeer

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 Colonial + Original Joe’s. 24 / Nightlife

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

vehicles Dodge Dart, cool rims + more.

verbnews.com @verbsaskatoon facebook.com/verbsaskatoon

32 / vehicles

Editorial

ART & Production

Business & Operations

contact

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

Design Lead / andrew yanko graphic designer / bryce kirk Contributing Photographers / Patrick Carley, Adam Hawboldt, jeff davis + ishtiaq opal

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

Comments / feedback@verbnews.com / 306 881 8372 advertise / advertise@verbnews.com / 306 979 2253 design / layout@verbnews.com / 306 979 8474 General / info@verbnews.com /

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The long way home The life and times of Fred Sasakamoose by ADAM HAWBOLDT

T

here is pain in the voice on the other end of the phone. A very real and very raw pain. It’s a voice haunted by the ghosts of youth, and plagued by years of loneliness.

“Why?” asks the voice. “Why was I taken from my family?”

The voice belongs to Fred Sasakamoose — the first Canadian aboriginal player in the NHL, and the first First Nations player with treaty status. But right now Sasakamoose doesn’t feel like talking about his days in the big leagues. Or about the years he spent in the Western Canadian Junior Hockey League with the Moose Jaw Canucks. All that comes later.

Right now, Sasakamoose wants to talk about his childhood. The one that was stolen from him.

“I was six years old when they came and picked us up,” recalls Sasakamoose, who was born on the Ataakahkoop Indian Reserve in 1933. “My brother was eight at the time. Out of nowhere, this truck pulled in. I don’t know how big it was. All I remember is there were white men, and that the sides of the truck were really high — you couldn’t reach the top. They loaded us all up in the box of that truck without even a change of clothes.

There were about 30 of us. Some of the kids were crying.”

He remembers that kids continued to cry as the truck pulled away from the reserve and started on its journey. Over the next few hundred kilometres, they cried and slept and bounced around in the back of the truck. None of the children knew where they were going. How could they? None of them spoke the language.

When the truck came to a stop many hours later, Sasakamoose climbed out of the back, and saw a big building surrounded by an eight-foot high fence. He didn’t know it in that moment, but the

building he was looking at was the St. Michael’s Indian Residential School in Duck Lake. The place where Sasakamoose would be held against his will for the next decade.

“There was a lot of abuse there,” says Sasakamoose, his voice cracking, faltering. “A lot of sexual abuse.

You lived in constant fear.”

In 2012, at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing in Prince Albert, Sasakamoose told a story about being raped by older children at the school, and about the possibility of a priest seeing it happen and doing nothing.

But he doesn’t want to talk about that today. He doesn’t want to discuss the abuse of children he witnessed at St. Michael’s or what happened to his older brother. In this moment, Sasakamoose wants to talk about the time he and a friend escaped from the residential school.

Sasakamoose was nine, maybe ten years old, at the time; his friend was around the same age.

“Every night I could hear them, I could hear the kids crying,” he remembers. “And every night, the sister would come along with a stick.

Punish us for crying. I was so lonely, so scared. I wanted to be home with mom and dad. So did my friend. We decided enough was enough. We decided to escape and go home.”

For two days the young boys walked aimlessly through the bush.

They slept in the bush. They foraged for what little food they could find in the bush. Neither of them knew where they were; all they knew is that they had to stay away from the roads.

“At that time, life wasn’t important. We just wanted to get home,” says Sasakamoose. “So after we left, we stayed away from the roads. You get caught on the damn roads.”

Soon Sasakamoose would learn that you get caught at the damn Carlton Ferry, too. That’s where the

two “escapees” were found. And that’s where the two young boys were forced to walk from, all the way back to Duck Lake on bloodied, blistered feet. “When we got back to the school, they shaved us bald,” says Sasakamoose. “They put us in front of the dining room, took our clothes off. Everybody was watching. They beat us up with the strap in front of all the other kids, then poured coal oil on top of us.”

For the next little while, Sasakamoose and his friend were

team. A team that he would one day lead to dominate at the provincial midget championship.

Little did he know it then, but during that championship run there was a stranger watching him from the bleachers. A stranger who would forever alter the course of Fred Sasakamoose’s life

fed only bread and water, and were forced to eat their food on the cold concrete floor in the centre of the dining room while all the other kids watched.

From then on Sasakamoose endured his time at the residential school, and a few years after the escape attempt he found himself playing on the St. Michael’s hockey

Back before he was scooped up and taken away to residential school, back before all the abuse and the loneliness, Sasakamoose’s deaf, mute grandfather would take him to the lake in winter. He’d lead the toddler down the hill, clear off a path of ice for him, and strap a pair of bobskates to the young Sasakamoose’s feet. Then he’d walk up the

It was Fred Sasakamoose’s grandfather who taught the young boy how to skate.

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shore line, find a willow branch and shave it into a hockey stick for his grandson to use before giving him a lump of frozen horse manure in place of a hockey puck.

That’s how it all began. And by the time he left St. Michael’s in 1950, Sasakamoose had become a fleet-footed left winger with a heavy shot. The kind of left winger who attracted the attention of scouts.

But Sasakamoose wasn’t concerned with the scouts. He didn’t dream of playing in the WHL or the

all Photos: courtesy of facebook

NHL, didn’t think it was possible for a First Nations kid like himself. All he dreamed about was being back home. And in September of 1950, that’s exactly where the teenage Sasakamoose was. Back home with the family he’d been estranged from for nearly a decade.

And that’s when the stranger entered his life.

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One day while he and his family were out stooking in a farmer’s field not too far from their house, a car stopped in the distance. Two men got out. At first they were too far away for Sasakamoose to see their faces, but as they walked closer Sasakamoose recognized one of them.

It was Father Georges Roussel, his hockey coach at St. Michael’s. The other guy was a big man, dressed in a long coat and hat. Sasakamoose didn’t know him, and didn’t want to.

He hated his time in the residential school. There was no way in hell he was going back.

“They were talking to my mom and dad, about 50 feet away from where me and my brother were standing in the field,” says Sasakamoose. “Then my mother waved at me. In Cree she said, “Come here, my son, come here.”

Sasakamoose’s heart sank. He hung his head, and tears fell from his eyes. Even though he liked Father Roussel, he didn’t want to talk to him. He was finally back home, finally happy.

“After all those years in residential school, I now had a mother to hug me,” says Sasakamoose. “Somebody to call me son, somebody —” His voice trails off. The past floods over him like a sad, sour wave.

Sasakamoose inhales and exhales; you can hear him fighting back tears as he struggles to continue his story.

“They’ve come for you,” said Sasakamoose’s mother.

“Where am I going, mom?” Fred asked, his eyes fixed on the ground around his feet.

“Far away.”

Sasakamoose kept staring at the ground. Then his mother said, “They want you to go to Moose Jaw to try out for the junior team.”

This wasn’t what Sasakamoose expected. It wasn’t what he wanted, either. “I’m not leaving you, mom,” he told her. “I left you for nearly 10 years, I’m not leaving you again.” His mother looked at him, and in Cree she said, “Go my son, go. The future is waiting for you.”

So that’s what Sasakamoose did. He went. With a duffle bag of

clothes Father Roussel gave him (he remembers them being the same damn kind of clothes he wore in residential school), the teenage Sasakamoose went to Moose Jaw with the stranger in the long coat and hat.

That stranger was George Vogan — the man who would forever change Fred Sasakamoose’s life.

When you hear Fred Sasakamoose talk about George Vogan, there’s a reverence in his voice. A respect. A deep, underlying love.

“He was a good man,” says Sasakamoose. “He cared for me, looked after me. He was a white man who took a gamble to make my life better. Who took me and made me who I am. He didn’t want money, he didn’t want glory, he didn’t want anything. His first dream was for me to make it to the WHL. His biggest dream was for me to make it to the NHL.” Sasakamoose pauses, and you can almost see him nodding his head as he says, “Yes, George Vogan was a very good man.”

Vogan — who was the general manager of the Moose Jaw Canucks at the time — was the kind of man who invited a poor, young boy to live in his house. The kind of man who saw the pain and loneliness in Sasakamoose’s eyes and wanted to help. The kind of man who, after Sasakamoose left the team just two weeks into training camp, scoured the countryside to find him because he knew Sasakamoose had talent, knew he could go far in hockey.

George Vogan is also the kind of man who grew misty-eyed, and smiled and hugged Sasakamoose in front of a locker room full of guys when the news came that Sasakamoose was going to the NHL. “We were in Moose Jaw. The Regina Pats had just beat us out of playoffs. My years of playing junior hockey were over. It was time to go home again,” remembers Sasakamoose. “We were in the dressing room after the game, taking our gear off.

They told us to stop getting undressed.

There was an announcement to be made. And who walks in? George. He walks in and opens a telegram.”

The Moose Jaw players all looked at each other, wondered what the announcement would be. “Fred Continued on next page »

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Sasakamoose,” read Vogan from the telegram, “please report to the Chicago Blackhawks. You’ll be playing Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada in Toronto.”

The room went silent. Sasakamoose looked up, stared at all the faces in the room. And he wondered, “Why me?

Why not any of these guys?”

On February 27, 1954, Fred Sasakamoose became the first aboriginal hockey player ever to lace up a pair of skates in the NHL. He was 20 years old, fresh off a two-day train ride and ready to start a new life.

“None of it would’ve happened if it wasn’t for George Vogan,” says Sasakamoose. “It was his dream for me to play in the NHL. A dream that eventually became my own.”

And what a splendid dream it was.

Back home in Moose Jaw, Sasakamoose was used to playing in front of 1,000, maybe 1,500 fans, at best. But skating around Maple Leaf Gardens on that cool day in February, with more than 18,000 fans screaming,

Sasakamoose knew he’d finally made it. “Walking into that arena and stepping out on that ice for the first time … what a shock!” says Sasakamoose.

“What an experience. I remember during warm-ups someone said I was wanted over by the penalty box, so I skated over to the box. There was a man standing there. He introduced himself as Foster Hewitt.”

Sasakamoose told the great Hockey Night in Canada announcer he was pleased to meet him, and that he used to listen to him on the radio during his days at St. Michael’s residential school.

Hewitt asked him how he was doing. Then asked, “How in the hell do you pronounce your name?”

“Foster,” responded the young left winger, “my name is Sasakamoose.”

A few seasons later, while playing for a team in Calgary, Sasakamoose was feeling overwhelmed, so he quit hockey and went home.

This time, for good.

And in a way, that’s probably how it was always meant to be.

As a young child, Sasakamoose longed to be back home with his family, away from the horrors of the residential school system. As a teenager trying out for Moose Jaw, he yearned to be home. And as a professional hockey player, he pined to be home with his wife.

Back where everything made sense.

Home is where Sasakamoose is now, and has been for decades.

Over the years he’s learned to live with his demons, deal with his past.

But there’s still pain in the voice on the other end of the phone. A pain that will never go away.

Eleven games after the dream began, it ended. Sasakamoose failed to make the Blackhawks in training camp the next year.

He was sent to the minors. He hit the bottle. He missed his family and missed his wife.

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An organic solution Our city should offer curbside composting

O

ur city has made great strides in the last little while in terms of environmentally friendly practices, and most residents now have curbside recycling. And we think that’s a great thing! But we also think we can do more, do something that’s good for the economy and for Mother Nature.

Enter curbside composting.

It’s a practice that you’ll find in most major cities around this country. Drive down a residential street on pick-up day, and you’ll notice green bins standing next to blue ones at the end of the driveway.

These are for compostable matter. You’ll see them in Vancouver, Halifax, Toronto — the list goes on, and we think Saskatoon should get on board.

Why? Well, because we can always do more. One visit to our city dumps and you’ll see we aren’t doing things right. In Saskatoon the average residential garbage bin weighs roughly 19 kilograms (the national average is about 13 kilograms). Because of this, our landfill is being overrun with waste — more than 117,000 tonnes alone in 2012, most of which came from the city’s curbside pick-up program.

Now, building a new landfill is anything but inexpensive, somewhere in the ballpark of $75

million. And along with the cash we save by making our dumps last longer, implementing a waste management program can also provide a little added bonus through employment creation.

All you have to do is look to the east coast to see how it’ll work, and work well. Nova Scotia’s waste management program, which has been studied by experts from Japan, Hong Kong, the United States and more, offers both curbside recycling and curbside composting. Oh, and did we mention that it manages to save the province about $31 million a year, according to a study by GPI Atlantic?

And the employment creation we mentioned earlier? That is valued at between $2.8 and $3.9 million a year. So if Nova Scotia can do it, and make money at the same time, why can’t we?

Now, we understand the startup costs would be substantial, somewhere in the neighbourhood of $45-million. But if we create a program like the one in Nova Scotia, this will pay for itself and begin to generate revenue over time.

But we’re not championing this cause only because it could be a good thing for the economy. There are also myriad environmental benefits that come from a curbside composting program.

A waste management system that picks up our food scraps and other organic material will save energy by using recycled and composted material as opposed to materials from virgin resources.

What’s more, according to Environment Canada, diverting organic material away from a landfill also reduces methane emissions (a greenhouse gas), and will decrease the risk of groundwater pollution.

And producing valuable compost instead of tossing organic matter in the dump seems like a great way to make a little money as well: after all, we are surrounded by farmers. So why not sell the rich compost to them?

With so many positives attached to a curbside composting program, and very few negatives, it’s time that we as a city embraced this initiative and got on board.

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 extending last call in Saskatoon bars. Here's what you had to say:

– Reading the “last call” article, i agree that bars should have the power to decide when to close (if they want to close, or be a 24 hour bar), as well as be able to tell anyone when they’ve “had enough to drink” Truth Is Power-Try It

to use the money to fix more river banks or actually start repairing roads properly. WH

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

– Of course bars should be open later. It’s ridiculous to assume that because they’re there, people will freak out and get more drunk bars are open during the day but people aren’t ditching work and getting wasted (well maybe some are) I think we need to give people more credit that they can make the right choice and if they want to stay out later they can and if they want to go home they can. Why is this even a problem?

– I agree. Sometimes I would like to stay after 2am. Cheers to longer bar openeing!

– I say who cares about if the bars extend the time. Leave it to the people who already own it. The big concern is, is the mayor going

– I am in support of anything that makes it easier to get a cab when I am ready to go home. If keeping the bars open later does the trick, then I say do it.

hours doesn’t automatically mean exponentially higher problems. I think this seems like a good idea.

We did it during the hockey game just fine :)

– I was surprised at how calm everything was here after the Canada gold medal win, and there were definitely people up partying all night and with a purpose to get extra crazy but it was just fine and so I think there will be no problems

– I don’t support the bars being open later than 2am I think that’s plenty of time to do what you want to do and have fun and still get home. Having the bars open later would keep our already busy police force running all night. This will only cause problems down the road so we should avoid doing it at all costs. Larger cities can support what it takes to do something like this, but Rio or Tokyo or New York we are not. We need to be more realistic.

– I support the idea of keeping the bars open later. I presume this will be a popular opinion among younger university students, but I think it can be a good thing for our city. We know we are attracting more people than ever before to our province, so keeping the bars open later is one small part of indicating that we are a progressive and growing city. I think we need to have amenities that attract people from all age groups. And certainly keeping bars open later doesn’t mean rules and laws still don’t apply. Surely this is a move that makes sense while causing zero harm. I say we do it.

– Providing drunk people with a limitless access to alcohol seems pretty dumb in a province that already has outrageously high rates of drunk and driving. Why on earth we would follow through with something like keeping bars open all night is beyond me. The system works fine as is so why change it? What a dumb idea.

– If bars can stay open all night then I’d like something better then 7 11 to be open late where I can get some food. All night restaurants! I say lets do it.

– If Atchison wants the youth vote then he should definitely run on keeping bars open later. But then all the old people who vote for him would hate it so who knows

– Hey I think bars should bee able to keep open as late as they want to. Just what I think. Thank you!

– Shocking Verb wants bars to stay open and most of their readers go to university way to encourage dangerous behavior. This is shameful!

– I would love to have bars stay open later but I would not want to be the person working there at 5 in the morning. Gross!

OFF TOPIC – I loved watching wrestling when I was a kid I think it’s cool that Mike took a childhood passion and turned it into a career.

In response to “Wrestling life,” Local, #285

– I know naysayers are going to hate on the idea of having bars set their own closing times, and while I can understand how the prospect of all night drinking can seem stupid at first blush but longer

(April 4, 2014)

– Loved the wrestling story! I have so many memories of watching the WWF as a kid with my family and

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my sister and I had our favourite wrestlers and teams. It’s great that there’s something like that right here in Regina.

In response to “Wrestling life,” Local, #285 (April 4, 2014)

sound off – Learning to write computer code is easy. Wankers and lay people think it makes you a genius. Writing “GOOD” code takes smarts most don’t have!

– Worst spring ever I know everyone is sick of complaining about weather but this is ridiculous it’s April

– Happy Easter! Jesus died for our sins and was risen again at this time of year. Peace and good health to everyone.

– Teaser hot sun followed by snow and freezing cold wtf

– Honestly I think people need to chill out when driving on Circle drive this isn’t the autoban be courteous and let people merge and if you drive slow then stay in the right lane

–Super excited for the jazz fest this summer! I <3 Tegan and Sara so much they are going to put on such a great show!

– Verb I have said this before and I stand by it you should make a missed connections section people love those! And it would get read way more by people! I was on campus and there was this cute girl going to the DEP show and I went and couldn’t find her. She is in nursing and has short brown hair Can you help me out?

– If you think that it’s okay to be a jerk to servers then you have

– I think it’s disgusting the Canadian government allowed an antigay speaker into the country. They stopped him at the border, which is a good thing, but then eventually let him in. What kind of message is this sending to our children and community? I am personally disgusted that this is even happening. We should be ashamed of our country!

it was much appreciated! You seemed in a rush but were kind and helpful even though it was late. Thank you!!

a complex. Its a difficult job that people completely take for granted and are total asses to servers not knowing that they don’t always have control of the situation something else could have happened.

Its a thankless job and you should appreciate your servers!!!

– Happy Easter everyone I would like to wish you a good long weekend :)

– JDS u think u know it all but u dont so forget it im done RS

– Hey YOU! You are great and you should know it because I don’t think you realize it enough

– Why are butter knives called butter knives they are used for so much more then butter. Why butter? Why not broccoli knife or potato knife? Stupid and random

– Hangover cure = greasy food and a ceasar everyone knows that

Next week: What do you think about curbside composting?

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

– Sometimes you just have to let people go who take you for granted or don’t appreciate all you do. You deserve better if you’re unhappy.

– Guess I’ll go wander around outside in the snow it’s not so bad for the middle of winter oh wait

–Bend, don’t break. The winds can get rough.

– Jim Flaherty died! I feel oddly sad about this but I don’t know why. Didn’t know him obviously but it seems weird I should be sad.

– ATTENTION PEOPLE you need to educate yourself about the fair elections act!!! Less than half of people know about it but it’s dangerous and exactly something the Harper sham government would try to push through please please read about it and don’t take it sitting down This is our future!

– Support your local animal shelters they do good for the members of the community that cannot speak or protect themselves! Xoxo

– Well I had one beer outside on a patio and it was chilly but doable looks like that will be the only time that happens in the next little while it is so gross and cold and awful outside lol not real problems I know

– I would like to thank the stranger at the Sobeys at Preston Crossing who helped give my car a boost

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Everything In Everything?

French play Ik Onkar uses history, literature to examine the modern condition by Alex J MacPherson

I

k Onkar is a play about what it means to be young and alive in the twentyfirst century, but its title is derived from an ancient concept. “Ik Onkar means everything is in everything,

The characters keep repeating that we’re all connected, we’re all interconnected, and this is mostly what we challenge in the show. We ask the question: what is it to be alone, to think for ourselves, but to [also] be together and help others and be part of a community?”

Ik Onkar, which was written by its creative team and first produced by Théâtre la Catapulte in Ottawa, follows three teenagers as they meet on the roof of their school. Caroline (Caroline Lefebvre), Marie-Eve (Marie-Eve Fortier), and Philip (Louis-Philippe Robillard) have their own beliefs, values, and opinions. But they are also linked together, by circumstance and by the weight of personal history. Their conversation, as it unfolds, is wide-ranging and uninhibited. The three teenagers discuss Rebecca Black and Cyrano de Bergerac; they reflect on humanism and capitalism, astronomy and philosophy. But more than anything else, they talk about what it means to love.

Although Ik Onkar traces the contours of a conversation, the narrative is

and the full creator of the universe is the whole universe,” says Fanny Gilbert-Collet, who will co-direct La Troupe du Jour’s production of the French-language play. “It’s a mantra used in the Sikh philosophy.

Photos: courtesy of Sylvain SabatiÉ

nonlinear. The play is constructed from a series of vignettes, short moments whose meanings only become clear as context emerges from chaos. According to Gilbert-Collet, the unusual structure echoes life in the twenty-first century, which she characterizes as “shattered and divided” by technology and other distractions. In other words, the experience of life is nonlinear, so why should the play be any different?

The show is also peppered with excerpts from and references to classic works of literature. Some, like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, are well-known. Others, such as the poetry of Émile Nelligan and the plays of Edmond Rostand, are popular in Quebec and France, less so in the Englishspeaking world. Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac is particularly important to Ik Onkar. According to Gilbert-Collet, Cyrano de Bergerac, an otherwise gifted man whose enormous nose sows the seeds of self-doubt, experiences a problem similar to the one facing Ik Onkar’s three teenagers. “‘I am independent and I know how to think for myself and I know how to decide what is good and what is bad for myself,” Gilbert-Collet says, paraphrasing de Bergerac. She believes de Bergerac’s complaint reflects the same malaise and alienation that afflicts teenagers today. In other words, the decline of the church as a moral authority and the rise of a culture

dominated by free information has made navigating the social and political landscape extremely difficult for young people. Although the three characters in Ik Onkar find themselves in the classic works of literature — “it’s the essence of the human being,” Gilbert-Collet says — they must learn how to apply those lessons to their own disjointed lives.

In practical terms, this means learning what it is to love. According to Gilbert-Collet, this is especially difficult for teenagers, who are burdened with the pressures of social interaction and the uncertainty of the future. But, she says, “seeing teenagers who are struggling with so many issues in their lives do that, take the time to pause and say to each other, I love you, you’re worth my love and you’re worth my attention, and I really care about something other than myself — that’s very important.” After a pause she adds, “I hope other people will ask themselves questions [and not] take things for granted anymore.”

Ik Onkar April 25-27 (Surtitles on 25, 27) @ Studio 914 $20+ @ latroupedujour.ca, 306 667 1221

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It Takes Four To Tango Photos: courtesy of the artist

“Legendary” group Quartango to bring South American dance music to Saskatoon by Alex J MacPherson

J

onathan Goldman couldn’t have known it at the time, but a single cassette would change the course of his life. In 1998, when he was living in Montreal and studying accordion, a friend’s father lent him a tape of tango music. One side featured the famous Argentinian vocalist Susana Rinaldi, the other recordings by a Montrealbased group called Quartango.

The cassette kindled a love of the iconic South American music; Goldman listened to it time and time again, revelling in the deeply moving arrangements and exquisite musicianship. Today, almost two decades later, when he isn’t working as an associate professor of musicology at the University of Montreal, Goldman is a member of Quartango — the same group that ignited his love of tango music so many years ago.

“When in 2006 I auditioned for Quartango it was a really bizarre experience, because I was playing these arrangements that I had listened to so often,” Goldman says of the group, which was formed in 1984 and has spent the last three decades touring and releasing albums. “I

guess what always appealed to me was the kind of melancholy tone, and its nostalgic feeling. There’s a famous [tango song] about a guy who goes back to his home city, his hometown, decades after having left it, and he doesn’t recognize the streets anymore; he feels this longing for a past that doesn’t exist anymore.

A lot of tango is about that, and that always really appealed to me.”

Like so many important art forms, tango emerged from a period of intense cultural dynamism. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Buenos Aires, Argentina was one of the most prosperous cities in the world. Its teeming port was a major hub for international trade, and the city’s riches attracted immigrants from all of the world. The inevitable collisions of culture and tradition bred innovation — and tango music was born. “It’s a really important part of the heritage and traditions that go into tango,” Goldman says. “Tango was really born of this encounter between all these different traditional musics of these different people.”

Unlike most forms of western classical music, tango is meant for dancing. Songs rarely run longer than three or four minutes, and the

rhythms are passionate yet fundamentally simple. So too is the form’s approach to keeping time, which Goldman characterizes as flexible and “very humane.” At the height of its popularity, South American dance halls were packed with couples dancing to the sound of an orquesta típica. Tango is more than just dance music, however: each song traces a clear emotional arc from beginning to end. “A famous writer once said about tango that it’s like a whole opera, whole drama, takes place in those three minutes,” Goldman says. “There’s something to that: it’s a really short form but there’s a really broad spectrum of emotions in a single tango tune. It’s quite unpredictable, really.”

This unpredictability extends into Quartango’s vast repertoire.

The ensemble’s shifting lineup allows each member to imprint the group with his own stamp. In the case of current violinist Antoine Bareil, this means transforming Frank Zappa’s “Little Umbrellas” into a tango song. For the group’s latest record, Encuentro, pianist Stéphane Aubin composed a song about Mafalda, the famous Argentinian comic strip. Goldman’s con-

tributions to the group stem from his interest in Eastern European music as well as his mastery of the bandoneon, “the instrument” of tango music. Designed in Germany in the late nineteenth century, the bandoneon resembles a stretched accordion. But unlike its more familiar relative, its sound is warm, rich, and plaintive. The instrument eventually found its way to Argentina, where it was embraced by the tango community.

But tango music is still relatively rare in Canada. This is why Quartango, in addition to performing as a quartet, occasionally joins forces with symphony orchestras.

Besides exposing more people to the rich and dynamic South American music, orchestral concerts are exciting for the four members of the ensemble. “We play our normal repertoire, and then we write arrangements that incorporate the instruments from the orchestra,” Goldman says. “The spirit is the same, I would say, but we have a bigger palette. It’s like a painter who’s used to painting miniatures suddenly getting the commission to paint a mural on a the wall of a big downtown building.”

Goldman is a consummate professional, eager to share his love of tango music with a wide audience.

But at the same time, he can’t help but marvel at his own good fortune.

In the late 1990s, he was just a young musician who fell in love with a cassette full of tango music. He could not have imagined that he would wind up playing with the group he characterized as “legendary.”

Today, though, Goldman is one of the country’s pre-eminent tango players, and he has taken the group’s mandate to heart. “It’s concert music that we’re doing, and we want to make something that’s interesting in a concert situation to communicate to audiences,” he says. “There’s music which is more repetitive, more meant for the background; we’re trying to do music that’s meant for the foreground.”

Quartango April 26 @ TCU Place $35+ @ TCUTickets.ca, SSO Box Office

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Stickybuds Photos: courtesy of chris roberge

Kelowna DJ talks fun, funk, and expanding the world of electronic music

by Alex J MacPherson

T

yler Martens, who produces and mixes under the name Stickybuds, has spent the last nine years establishing himself as one of Canada’s pre-eminent party DJs. Drawing on a wide variety of sounds, chief among them glitchy funk and groovy soul, Martens has crafted a sound that he describes as “music for people to party to and have a good time.” A passionate and committed opponent of the commercialization of what he sneeringly refers to as “corporate interests in EDM right now,” Martens has spent the last several years performing on his own terms. Reflecting on his own adolescence, which was spent in the middle of the raucous Kelowna, British Columbia rave scene, Martens says that he enjoys what underground music continues to do — animate rich, vibrant music scenes around the world. More recently, Martens has developed an interest in socially conscious dance music, which is reflected in tracks like “Clean Air,” a collaboration with Melbourne, Australia producer Mista Savona. Perhaps more importantly, Martens is interested in expanding his craft beyond the

turntables and the mixer. By incorporating vocals and other instruments, live or prerecorded, into his performances, Martens thinks he can bridge the gap between two worlds. This is apparent from his distaste for the term “EDM,” which he describes as a brand designed to make money. “I just call it music, you know?” he says with a laugh.

“Just music.”

Alex J MacPherson: What was your introduction to electronic music like?

How did you get swept up in DJing and producing?

Tyler Martens: Well, it started when I was going to high school. I saw some cool flyers going around. They were of course for raves back in the day, so I started going to those. I loved it, loved going and partying, loved hearing all this cool new music that I’d never heard before. When I was twenty, I decided that it was something I liked and something I wanted to investigate a bit more. I bought some gear, bought some crappy turntables and a crappy mixer, and just started playing with records. I figured out Continued on next page »

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really fast that I could do it, or at least understood how it worked. I had a really sweet Cadillac at the time but gas was starting to get pretty expensive, so I sold that and bought really nice gear.

AJM: You make it sound like the music and the broader culture, at least at the time, were indistinguishable.

TM: Absolutely, man. In Kelowna, when I was going to raves, there was this group — this was in the preFacebook days, real pre-social media days — called Liquid Beat. They had a forum on the internet: it was kind of like the Okanagan rave forum. So I started going to these parties, I made a couple friends, I went on this cool website where all these people were talking about music and bullsh**ting with each other. I found this community of really rad people, and I’m still friends with so many of these people. Some are very good friends in my life now. It was a community, and we had all these rad parties — it was definitely both.

has lyrics, so they’re actually songs.

They’re about something, not f**king random noises that repeat for four minutes. There’s a hook and a chorus and a verse. These songs have meaning and when you have vocals and these arrangements, people connect with that for whatever reason — maybe they like the melody or maybe they’re listening to the words and understanding what the song’s about. I think there’s just a lot more meaning that way in the music.

AJM: What’s your creative process like these days?

AJM: What were you mixing and making at the beginning?

TM: It’s definitely about experimenting but usually I’ll have some kind of idea of what I want a track to be, whether I just come up with a melody driving in my car or a find a sample or this or that. These days I’m working with vocalists and making original stuff. Now, with the music I’ll make, I’ll try to figure out what the idea is, what that song’s trying to say. Then I’ll write vocals and hook up with singers and get them performed, or I’ll give them the liberty of seeing what they want to do with it.

TM: When I started it was all newschool breaks and stuff like that, and I was playing a bit of drum and bass and I was starting to hear all this funky

AJM: That seems to reflect the way the electronic music community is changing — more emphasis on live elements, really combining everything.

…there’s like three billion DJs of seven billion people on the planet. It’s pretty cutthroat now. tyler martens

stuff. When I started writing tunes, I was really always going with the midtempo, 110 b.p.m. stuff — that’s what I started with and still write to this day.

I do some drum and bass and a few other things, but it’s kind of always been my love, this mid-tempo funk.

AJM: Speaking broadly, what’s the appeal of funk-based music?

TM: I think the thing that really separates the funk and the soul music is the soul, literally. It’s music that usually

TM: Now, because of EDM and this and that, there’s like three billion DJs of seven billion people on the planet. It’s pretty cutthroat now.

Back in the day when everyone had to buy vinyl and be a good DJ, there were a lot fewer guys doing it. Now anyone can go to Future Shop and a buy a DJ in a box package for $300 and go to a torrent and download the last fifteen years of music and then you can go undercut any DJ, even if you suck. The point is, I think people now are looking for differ-

ent ways to make their shows more interesting, and not just be a DJ. It’s on the live side, with live performers: guitarists or vocalists, things like that. For me personally, if I ever got to the point where I was really big and could afford to bring people on tour — like, if I won the lottery and was throwing my own shows — I’d bring in a bunch of reggae guys to sing on my tunes live.

AJM: One thing that stands out about your music is this idea of social consciousness, or at least making something that’s more than just dance music.

TM: As you get older you’re exposed to more influences and life experiences, which will sculpt what you do. Definitely these days I’m feeling what’s happening with the world: the economy, governments, the nanny state we live in, the corruption — stuff like that. I’ve really been obsessed with those topics for the last couple of years, and now I want to figure out how to make more socially conscious songs. The remix I did for Mister Savona, “Clean Air,” a lot of people really loved that tune. And it’s songs like that: the music is still meeting the same objective — it’s a total party tune, it gets people dancing, and sounds frickin’ fat on a system — but the underlying tone is very conscious. It’s talking about environmental destruction and, like, things that we need to pay attention to. Even if people are partying to it, I think there’s definitely a part in their brain that’s paying attention to it and realizing it. You’re trying to spread conscious messages through the medium of music, which has been done since music was started.

AJM: Has that been a relatively recent development for you?

TM: Yeah, totally. I’m much more established now that I was even three or four years ago. Now I have connections all over the world.

Right now, I have a friend, the guy who originally did “Clean Air, Clean Country,” and he’s in Jamaica and I’m about to go send him some money to pay for some vocalists to

get me two new conscious, totally fresh songs that I can make. He’s in Jamaica, working with vocalists, and we’re hiring musicians and all these guys to make us new songs, to work with. I never would have dreamed of being able to do that two years ago.

Stickybuds April 25 @ Sutherland Hall $10+ @ The Joint, Vinyl Exchange Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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Nobody’s gonna get me Photo: courtesy of the artist

Alysha Brilla embraces freedom on her latest LP by Alex J MacPherson

A

lysha Brilla’s new album is the embodiment of what it means to be free.

After years spent managing complicated relationships, both personal and professional, the Toronto-based singer-songwriter extricated herself from a moribund music deal and ended a collapsing relationship with her boyfriend — and then she made a record about it. Perhaps not surprisingly, In My Head, which was released in July, emerged as a buoyant and irrepressibly optimistic collection of soul-jazz songs.

Recorded and produced independently, In My Head is a refinement the sound Brilla has spent the last several years refining. Deeply influenced by her father’s love of jazz, as well as her own interest in pop, soul, reggae, and R&B, In My Head has earned comparisons to records by Amy Winehouse and Adele. It also earned Brilla a Juno nomination, which she says was surprising given the circumstances under which the album was made. At the same time, In My Head’s combination of cheerful indifference to the past, unabashed openness to the future,

and a rich palette of sounds is difficult to overlook.

Like the years during which they were written, the songs on In My Head reflect a wide range of emotions. “Nobody” and “Lifted,” upbeat anthems that bracket the record, capture Brilla’s inextinguishable hope for the future — a contagious attitude

and the brooding, introspective “L.A. Hotel Room,” are shot through with the sense that change is on the horizon.

In other words, by casting past pain against the promise of the future, Brilla made a record on which every song is tinged with joy — even if the events leading up to the release of In My Head were far from joyous.

When I write songs, even though they’re on just a guitar … I can hear in my head the drums and the horn parts… alysha brilla

that distills unpleasant memories into simple, catchy refrains. The album’s sprawling centerpiece, the guitar- and organ-driven “Never Gonna Get Me Back,” is both a cheeky kiss-off and a unabashed ode to a future that just has to be better than the past. Even the record’s most downtrodden songs, like the devastatingly honest “Ain’t Right”

Musically, In My Head is difficult to pin down. Brilla says she is influenced by a wide range of styles, and it shows. The record contains elements of everything from gloomy cabaret jazz to punchy African music. At the same time, she refuses to conform to a single genre or style; instead, she takes what she likes and then weaves Continued on next page »

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those disparate ideas around a simple, punchy rhythm. And despite her obvious fondness for big, rich arrangements and lavish sonic adornments, the songs on In My Head are deceptively simple. Most are driven by little more than her remarkably malleable voice and her distinctive, reggae-influenced guitar-playing.

The upshot is that these songs benefit from her musical ambition, but they are not beholden to it. This is more than anything a reflection of what In My Head actually is — not so much a collection of sounds or songs, but an expression of something broader, something that matters to people anywhere and everywhere.

Alex J MacPherson: Unlike your last album, you made In My Head independently, after parting ways with your label. What was that like?

Alysha Brilla: I was in Toronto, like, I don’t have a label, what am I doing?

I was singing at a jazz bar — I had a residency there with an amazing band, a six-piece jazz band — and meanwhile I was writing my own songs. So I got the band to learn the songs I was writing and we went into the studio. My budget was smaller, so it was really intense. We cut all the beds in one day and then we did some overdubs, so we had two or three days in the studio. [I] pressed the record only really expecting to have a piece of work that I was really happy with. I really didn’t expect it to get nominated for a Juno.

Photo: courtesy of the artist

AJM: Did working on your own present any unexpected difficulties or problems, or did you enjoy the process? Or maybe both?

AB: As far as knowing what sounds I wanted, that was easy to me.

When I write songs, even though they’re on just a guitar or just a pia-

no, I can hear in my head the drums and the horn parts — what I’ll add to it. But I had no idea how much work it was going to be: figuring out financing, organizing everybody, the practical aspects of producing a record, which beforehand my label would have organized. I was doing everything by myself, and it was definitely a lot more difficult, but in the end worth it because I know I worked really hard on it. And I do actually plan on making another record later this summer, and I’m going to produce it as well.

AJM: Did you begin with a clear idea as to what you wanted the songs on this record to sound like?

AB: I think when I’m writing them it’s unconscious, although admittedly I do listen to a lot of different music. I just like roots music, whether it’s jazz or reggae or soul or old classic pop. I like that acoustic, instrumental feel. I don’t know how to explain it.

AJM: One standout is “Nobody,” which in addition to having a terrific groove also includes a verse in Swahili. What prompted that decision?

AB: Originally, I wrote it as a little a cappella chant: “Oh, nobody’s gonna get me, nobody’s gonna get me, no way.” I’d just sing it when I was annoyed with people. Actually, I had kids in mind, kids in school — thinking about being bullied and things like that. So with the Swahili verse, I wanted that same empowerment to go into a Swahili lyric.

I just feel like in some parts of the world people are not that empowered and that, lyrically, it might be cool.

AJM: That seems to reflect your approach to making music, and one of the big themes of the album, this idea that songs should ultimately bring people together and emphasize connections between people.

AB: I feel like I resonate with that — and it’s true. I mean, it’s definitely something I feel. The only time I feel disconnected is when I’m writing about my exes. But I try to do it in a nice way.

AJM: On the other hand, this album — both the songs and the way it was made — seem to reflect the events of the last several years, and your newfound freedom.

AB: When I was fifteen I started working with a producer, entered a contact with him. It didn’t end up working out. Then, when I was eighteen, I started working with another producer in Toronto — and it didn’t work out. So I’ve always, up until a year and a half ago, been in some kind of restrictive contract, whereby I couldn’t release my own music. When I was released from my label, I had these songs I’d collected over the past six years. There were some of them that I didn’t want to let go of, so I put them on this record. For instance, “Lifted” I wrote when I was eighteen. Most are newer, most are from the past year, but a couple of them are older, and that’s where the little bit of variety comes in.

that song — or when I talk about having been with someone and it not working out and all these painful emotions. It’s funny: I’m pretty close to my parents, but oftentimes they won’t find out about things until I write them in songs. So songwriting-wise, on this last record that was a big jump for me — showing the world how I feel, and also showing my parents. So now that I have that permission — like, they already know I’m not a virgin, I’ve had my heart broken — I feel even freer to say more things, do you know what I mean?

AJM: Do you ever worry about saying too much, about exposing yourself too much?

AB: It’s hard for me. I’ve always been a kind of honest person as far as all that stuff goes, and I think that’s part of what I hope to do through music — show my vulnerabilities and show the weird quirky things I think and feel so it kind of appropriates everyone’s strange and quirky selves. I feel like it’s liberating. I don’t have any problems with sharing that stuff.

Alysha Brilla May 2 @ Village Guitar & Amp $TBA Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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AJM: So how would you characterize the concept of this record?

AB: The arc of the record? Yeah, I feel like it’s interesting. I always feel with business relationships, like with my last label, the emotions that I feel in my stomach are really similar to the emotions I feel when I break up with a boyfriend.

So I guess for me those arcs are really similar. The arc of the record, going from happy to sad to happy again, is the same business-wise as well as with my boyfriend — it started out great, a lot of awful things happened, and now here I am all the wiser. I’ve lived through it and I feel like I’ve learned a lot.

AJM: It certainly seems like this is the most open and honest collection of songs you’ve ever released.

AB: An interesting psychological thing for me as a songwriter is with my parents. When I first started writing songs, they were pretty sweet. I was singing about love even though I hadn’t been in love yet. But as I’ve actually gone through experiences like losing my virginity or on “Ain’t Right” — I’m kind of talking about having sex in

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Contrasting tastes, contrasting textures

Photo: courtesy of adam hawboldt

A variation of hot and sour soup you’ll surely like by adam hawboldt

H

ot and sour soup comes in many forms. In Vietnam it typically consists of fish, shrimp, pineapple, tomatoes, bean sprouts and sometimes veggies. In Cambodia it’s flavoured with lemon, chilies, and shrimp. Sometimes it’s made of fish, fried garlic, tomato, basil, pineapple and papaya.

Then there’s tom yum soup, which falls into the hot and sour category.

broccoli is good, and the curry chicken soup is sweet and delectable. Plus the chicken in it isn’t cubed breast meat like most places — it’s two big chicken legs that are fried separately then added to the curry. Yum. Those are my standard, usual goto’s when I eat at Jasmine. But the other day I was feeling frisky, feeling like stepping outside of my usual menu, so I ordered their hot and sour soup along with a Vietnamese cabbage salad.

As I mentioned before, the hot and sour soup was more of an egg drop soup. Consisting of wispy beat eggs, spicy and sour broth, finely chopped green onions, shrimp, carrots, peppers and tofu, the soup was rich and really quite tasty. Cornstarch (or something of that ilk) was added to give it a thicker, more hearty consistency. Toss in a side of white rice and you have yourself a fine meal.

Add the Vietnamese cabbage salad, and the meal gets even better.

There’s nothing overly fancy about it. It’s just shredded cabbage, chicken and shrimp in a vinegary fish sauce.

But sometimes simple is delicious, and this salad was light and tasty with a good contrasting texture. The cabbage was crispy while the meat was tender.

So do a bunch of Chinese soups and American Chinese soups and … well, you get the idea. There are a host of different hot and sour soups out there.

At the Jasmine Restaurant on Circle Drive East, the hot and sour soup is a variation on egg drop soup.

It’s hot (as in spicy), it’s sour and it’s pretty darn good.

I’d eaten at the Jasmine Restaurant many times before. The spring rolls are tasty, the ginger beef and the beef with

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide THE BAD IDEA

Ingredients

Ever have one of those days?

You know, the kind that really grates on you, gets on your very last nerve? Sure you have. We all have. Well, the next time one of those days rolls around, mix up one of these bad boys and your problems will disappear.

1 lime, quartered 2 tbsp syrup 2 oz tequila 1 oz triple sec 1 bottle of Corona 2 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tbsp coarse salt

Directions

Mix salt and sugar on a plate, then use it to rim a highball glass. Put lime and syrup in cocktail shaker and muddle. Add tequila and triple sec. Shake well.

Strain the mixture into the highball glass. Add some cracked ice and lime wedges. Pour beer in the glass, add lime wedges, serve.

Put them together and it’s like a little party in your mouth.

Just sitting here writing this makes me want to eat at the Jasmine Restaurant again. Maybe order the curry chicken soup. Along with most everything else I’ve had there, it’s really quite good.

Jasmine Restaurant 510 Circle Drive East | (306) 244-9956 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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music

Next Week

coming up

F*ck the facts

the good lovelies

lisa marie presley

@ Vangelis Wednesday, April 30 – $10

@ the bassment sunday, april 27 – $25+

@ O’Brians Event Centre sunday, june 29 – $29.50+

What’s grindcore? Well, it’s a music genre that originated in the early-tomid ‘80s, and drew inspiration from the most abrasive music genres around — industrial, thrash, noise, hardcore punk, etc. Or should I say still draws?

Because that’s what Ottawa’s F*ck the Facts does, and does well. With nine studio albums since forming back in the early ‘90s, this hard-charging five-piece continues to assault ear drums with each new release. F*ck the Facts have songs that vary between deep growls, high-pitched screams and more. Another thing that lets them stand out from the crowd is that almost all their songs are tuned down a fourth.

The result is a hard and heavy sound you just can’t miss, one that blows you hair back while punching you in the gut. Tickets at the door.

Do you know how The Good Lovelies met? No? Don’t worry, neither do they. Sue Passmore thinks they all met at a limbo competition, Caroline Brooks believes it was at a chess tournament, and Kerri Ough, well, she’s certain they all met during a bar fight. No matter, what’s important here is that these three ladies from Ontario eventually got together to form a band. And what a band it is! With catchy songwriting, an upbeat folky sound and a dash of sass, this talented trio have been winning over fans in Canada and beyond. With trips to Australia, the US and the UK, The Good Lovelies have been bringing smiles to peoples’ faces far and wide. Don’t miss them when they roll through town next week.

The only child of the uber famous Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley is no stranger to the limelight herself. The accomplished singer/ songwriter released her debut album, To Whom it May Concern, in 2003, which was subsequently certified gold in the United States. She has since release two more albums — 2005’s Now What and 2012’s Storm & Grace — both of which have received praise from the critics for her blues-edged voice and artistic aspirations. She’s also released a duet with her father, 2007’s “In the Ghetto” and 2012’s “I Love You Because.” Presley continues to garner fans no matter where she goes — but what else do you expect from the scion of The King? Get your tickets at obrianseventcentre.ca.

– By Adam Hawboldt

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

Sask music Preview Public voting is now open for CBC’s Searchlight Contest! You can now vote to determine the top 10 artists from each region, who could then progress to become the winner! Saskatchewan has 25 artists competing, including The Midnight Roses, Misterfire, Poor Nameless Boys and Ursa Maja. The Searchlight Contest is all leading to a grand prize that includes $20,000 worth of music equipment from Yamaha Canada Music, a professional recording with CBC Music, and more. The winner will be announced on May 9; for more information, please see http://music.cbc.ca/#/Searchlight-Radio-Active.

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Black Sabbath / Credit Union Centre — Ozzy and his crew hit Saskatoon. 8pm / $39.25+ (ticketmaster.ca) 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 Beenie Man / O’Brians Event Centre — With Wizdom Family + others. 9pm / $30 (tickets.obrianseventcentre.ca) DJ Big Ayyy & DJ HENCHMAN / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5; ladies in free before 11pm Ninjaspy / Rock Bottom — On their Jump Ya Bones Tour. 9pm / Cover TBD Under Cover Pirates / Somewhere Else Pub — Arrgh, it’s going to be a rockin’ night, matey. 9pm / No cover VIP Fridays / Tequila — Come tear it up on the dance floor. 9pm / Cover TBD Miss Quincy and the Showdown / Vangelis — All-girl gritty blues and rock band from B.C. 10pm. Cover TBD

April 17 » April 26 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

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17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Friday 18 House DJs / 6Twelve — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven it up. 9pm / No cover Sunparlour Players / Amigos Cantina — With Fortunate Ones. 10pm / Cover TBD Flashback Fridays / Béily’s — The best of the ‘80s, ‘90s & more. 9pm / $5 cover Noah Pred / Birth Rhythms — A techno DJ. 9pm / $10+ Penny Reign / Buds — Hard-hitting power pop. 9pm / Cover TBD

Saturday 19 House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes. 9pm / No cover Adolyne / Amigos Cantina — With Anoin and Basement Paintings. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ Aash Money + DJ Sugar Daddy / Béily’s — These two DJs throw down a dance party every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover Johnny Don’t / Buds — A talented local pop-rock band. 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 Dr. J / James Lobby Bar — Spinning funk, soul, latin and jazz. 9pm / No cover Countdown to 420 / Le Relais — With Ed Solo, Kitkat and more. 9pm / $20 DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music all night. 8pm / $4 April Wine / O’Brians Event Centre — Good ol’ Canadian rockers. 7pm / $39.50+ (tickets.obrianseventcentre.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 New Jacobin Club / Rock Bottom — With Violent Betty + more. 9pm / Cover TBD Under Cover Pirates / Somewhere Else Pub — Arrgh, it’s going to be a rockin’ night, matey. 9pm / No cover

DJ Anchor / Sutherland Bar — It’s a video mix show! 10pm / Cover TBD Saturday Night Social / Tequila — You will be grooving! 9pm / Cover TBD

Sunday 20

Industry Night / Béily’s UltraLounge — Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy; this crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres.

9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff Classical Variety Night / Grosvenor Park United Church — Talented local musicians performing music they love. 7:30pm / Admission by donation DJ KADE / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Passa Passa / O’Brians Event Centre — Dancehall reggae with DJ’s Heywood and Scott Turner. 10pm / Cover TBD Sunday Night Jam / Stan’s Place — Bring an instrument and join in the fun. 8:30pm / No cover Blues Jam / Vangelis Tavern — The Vangelis Sunday Jam is an institution, offering great tunes from blues to rock and beyond.

7:30pm / No cover

Monday 21

Somethin’ Else Quintet / Bon Temps — A groovy local five-piece. 7pm / No cover DJ Audio / Dublins — Spinning dope beats.

9pm / Cover TBD Like Animals / Rock Bottom — With Bonfire. 8pm / $8

Tuesday 22

Who Made Who / Buds — An AC/DC tribute band. 9pm / Cover TBD

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DJ SUGAR DADDY / The Double Deuce — Able to rock any party, this crowd favourite has always been known to break the latest and greatest tracks in multiple genres.

9:30pm / $4 cover DJ Nick Ruston / Dublins — Spinning dope beats. 9pm / Cover TBD Verb presents Open Mic / Rock Bottom — Come and rock the stage! 9pm / No cover Open Mic / The Somewhere Else Pub — Come out to show your talent. 7pm / No cover DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Spinning karaoke tunes. 9:30pm / No cover

Wednesday 23

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 Who Made Who / Buds — An AC/DC tribute band. 9pm / Cover TBD DJ Memo / Dublins — Spinning dope beats.

9pm / Cover TBD DJ Kade / The Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No cover Buck Wild Wednesdays / Outlaws Country Rock Bar — Come out and ride the mechanical bull! 9pm / $4; no cover for industry staff The Nobles / Rock Creek Willowgrove) — A father-daughter duo. 8pm / No cover DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Spinning karaoke tunes. 9:30pm / No cover Elvis, Elvis, Elvis / TCU Place — The best Elvis impersonators you’ll ever see. 7:30pm / $49.50 (tcutickets.ca)

The Motorleague / Vangelis — With Me The Guts. 9pm / Cover TBD

Thursday 24

Flat Black Plastic / Amigos Cantina — Featuring DJs Charly Hustle and Gff. 10pm / Cover TBD Jazz Jam / The Bassment — Featuring The David Fong Trio. 8pm / No cover Kacy and Clayton / Bon Temps Cafe — A talented folk duo. 8:30pm / No cover Who Made Who / Buds — An AC/DC tribute band. 9pm / Cover TBD 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 DJ Carlos / Stan’s Place — Spinning karaoke tunes. 9:30pm / No cover Triple Up Thursdays / Tequila — Featuring DJ Dislexic. 9pm / Cover TBD Quinzee Town / Vangelis — With Brass Buttons and DJ Beej. 9pm / Cover TBD Open Stage / The Woods — Hosted by Steven Maier. 9pm / No cover

Friday 25

House DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk, soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmosphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover Ladyhawk / Amigos Cantina — With Shotgun Jimmie. 10pm / $15 (ticketedge.ca) Piano Fridays: Brett Balon / The Bassment — Feel like taking in some smooth jazz stylings? Come check out Balon tickle the ivories of the Kinsman Yamaha S6 grand piano. 4:30pm / No cover

Roots Series: Shane Philips / The Bassment — A one-man band from Vancouver. 9pm / $17/$23 Flashback Fridays / Béily’s UltraLounge — The best of the 80’s, 90’s & top 40 hits of today. 9pm / $5 cover Sean Burns / Bon Temps Cafe — Folk music from Winnipeg. 9pm / No cover Johnny Clegg / Broadway Theatre — A British-born musician from South Africa.

8pm / $40 (informationstation.ca) Seven Strait / Buds — Local hard rock 9pm / Cover TBD BPM / Diva’s — Resident DJs spin electro/ vocal house music. 10pm / $5 kelly read / Finn’s Irish Pub — A talented local musician. 8pm / No cover DJ Eclectic / The Hose — Local turntable whiz pumps snappy beats. 8pm / No cover End of School Bash / Louis’ Pub — Featuring The Rebellion, WIzards, Sunset Kids.

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 Blue Collar / Piggy’s Pub and Grill — A rockin’, down-home good time. 9pm / Cover TBD The Standards Trio / Prairie Ink — A snazzy jazz trio. 8pm / No cover Kelly Read / Somewhere Else Pub — A talented a talented local musician. 9pm / No cover Stickybuds / Sutherland Hall — Dropping dope beats that’ll make you move. 9pm / $25+ VIP Fridays / Tequila — Come tear it up on the dance floor. 9pm / Cover TBD Crestwood / The Underground Cafe — With Eli for short. 8:30pm / Cover TBD

Indigo Joseph / Vangelis — With The Archers and The Northern Light. 10pm.

Cover TBD

Saturday 26

House DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs spin deep and soulful tunes. 9pm / No cover Welcome to Dilllaville Tour / Amigos Cantina — Featuring Bizarre Ride and Slum Village. 10pm / $30 (ticketedge.ca) The Eliana Cuevas Quartet / The Bassment — The reigning queen of Latin jazz in Canada. 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 Seven Strait / Buds — Local hard rock 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 Dr. J / James Lobby Bar — Spinning funk, soul, latin and jazz. 9pm / No cover DJ Goodtimes / Longbranch — Playing the hottest country music all night. 8pm / $4 cover

DJ Big Ayyy & DJ Henchman / Outlaws — Round up your friends ‘cause there’s no better country rock party around. 8pm / $5 Blue Collar / Piggy’s Pub and Grill — A rockin’, down-home good time. 9pm / Cover TBD Wayne Bargen / Prairie Ink — Finger-style acoustic guitar. 8pm / No cover DJ Anchor / Sutherland Bar — It’s the world famous video mix show! 10pm / Cover TBD Conexus POPS Series presents: Quartango / TCU Place — From classic tango to tango nuevo. 7:30pm / $35+ (tcutickets.ca) Saturday Night Social / Tequila — Electronic Saturdays will have you moving and grooving. 9pm / Cover TBD Heartsongs ... He sings, She sings ...

Heartsongs / The Underground Cafe — Featuring Malika Sellami, Brian Di Giuseppe + more. 9pm / $5+ Fern / Vangelis — With Wolfen Rabbits, Booji Bomb, and more. 10pm / Cover TBD

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

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Photo: Courtesy of rialto distribution

Portrait of a lady Paulina Garcia gives stellar performance in Gloria by adam hawboldt

S

ometimes in life you find yourself in a situation that you didn’t expect and never saw coming. The twists and turns of existence pick you up from the path you think you’re supposed to be walking and drop you down, with a thud, on a different path altogether.

That’s where Gloria (Paulina Garcia) finds herself in Sebástien Lelio’s new movie, Gloria.

Wearing over-sized glasses (reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie), Garcia breathes life into her title character in ways that will leave you slack-jawed and impressed. She plays an aging divorcée whose spirit and adventurous streak are nowhere near in sync with her current situation.

See, Gloria’s reality isn’t what she expected or dreamed of in her younger, halcyon years. She’s 58 years old, and works at a dull, wellpaying office job. She has grown

(Sergio Hernández), a former naval officer who, in the beginning, seems ideal for Gloria. They get along well, are sexually compatible, and offer each other some muchneeded company.

children with whom she keeps in contact via the phone. At home in her apartment she’s driven nuts by her noisy, arguing neighbours and a hairless cat that keeps creeping into her place.

…it’s Garcia who deserves all the real credit here.

Adam Hawboldt

But unfortunately for Gloria, Rodolfo has some baggage that soon threatens their relationship.

As a middle-aged woman trying to break free of the boundaries she’s put up around herself, Paulina Garcia completely steals the show.

It’s impossible to look at anyone else. She’s absolutely marvelous in the role of Gloria. She infuses the

Simply put: Gloria is stuck in a midlife rut. It’s a dull, humdrum existence she didn’t sign up for, a life she never wanted.

To combat the boredom, Gloria tries to find excitement in nightclubs and discos, searching for love in all the wrong places.

She eventually finds it in the form of the silver-haired Rodolfo

part with a subtle exuberance, an understated spirt that is crucial to the film.

Why? Well, because on the surface Gloria is a film full of despair, a glimpse of ordinary, everyday moments in a middle-aged woman’s life. A life that has something dark and troubling bubbling just beneath the surface. And if it wasn’t for the vibrance and liveliness that Garcia gives the character, the film would’ve been a bleak and dreary examination of the difficulties of aging.

But since Garcia infuses Gloria with a certain joie de vivre, instead of witnessing a downer of a movie what the audience gets is a smart, intelligent, refreshing look at the trials and tribulations of being over fifty and single in this day and age.

It’s a delicate balancing act the actors and director pull off. Part of the credit must go to Lelio (who both wrote and directed the flick), but as I’ve mentioned and gushed

Gloria Sebastián Lelio Paulina Garcia + Sergio Hernández Directed by Starring

110 minutes | NR

about before, it’s Garcia who deserves all the real credit here.

She paints a portrait of an older, single woman in a way you haven’t seen before. A portrait that walks a fine line, constantly teetering between honest joy and soul-crushing despair.

Gloria will be screened at the Roxy Theatre.

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recreating a masterpiece

Tim’s Vermeer charts one man’s obsessive and fascinating pursuit of Vermeer by adam hawboldt

A

nyone who knows the work of the 17thcentury Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer knows it’s exquisite — the almost photographic attention to detail, the sumptuous use of light that make his paintings glow with an almost inner shine.

One of his most famous works is called “The Music Lesson,” which is currently held in the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II. This painting plays a central role in Penn and Teller’s (yes, those hilarious magician guys) new documentary called Tim’s Vermeer.

Also central to the movie is a man named Tim Jenison, a wealthy tech inventor and one of Penn’s buddies. Jenison is a curious fellow who is absolutely fascinated with

onto his canvases. From there, they posit, he essentially traced the images and brought them to life. This theory fascinates Jenison to no end, so much so that he decides to embark on a journey to build a camera obscura and replicate “The Music Lesson” painting.

It is a journey that takes him to Holland and England, where he talks with British artist David Hockney and a scholar by the name of Philip Steadman. He also pays a visit to the Queen. Well, he never actually meets Queen Elizabeth II, but he is granted a private viewing of the painting he longs to recreate.

From there, things gets interesting. Jenison takes the next 213 days and builds an exact (or as close to exact as he can) replica of the room in which Vermeer painted “The

Tim’s Vermeer is the kind of documentary that informs, entertains and pulls you in…

Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

adam hawboldt

Vermeer. More to the point, with how Vermeer managed to paint with such photo-like realism some 150 years before photography was actually invented.

Recent scholars have claimed that Vermeer may have used a camera obscura (a primitive cameralike mechanism) to project images

Music Lesson.” He also uses two mirrors to make a camera obscura, and spends the remaining 130 days tracing and creating the painting the way some suspect Vermeer himself might have.

On the surface, Tim’s Vermeer is about the big questions surrounding the creation of art. If that

sounds a bit too pedantic and dry for your liking, don’t worry — Tim’s Vermeer is anything but boring.

Sure, it’s a documentary about art history and painting technique and things of that nature, but at the same time it’s also a funny, fascinating story of obsession. A story made all the more entertaining by Jenison, who is an amiable, interesting and good-natured fellow.

His reaction after he recreates “The Music Lesson” is truly nothing short of priceless.

So don’t let the academic-like air of this film fool you. Tim’s Vermeer is the kind of documentary that informs, entertains and pulls you into a world in which passion and fascination reign supreme. A world in which Jenison becomes intimately linked with the past and present, with painting and ancient technology, and, above all else, with Johannes Vermeer.

Tim’s Vermeer will be screening at the Roxy Theatre beginning on April 18th.

tim’s vermeer Raymond Joseph Teller Starring Tim Jenison, David Hockney + Philip Steadman Directed by

80 minutes | PG

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Check out our Facebook page!

These photos will be uploaded to Facebook on Friday, April 25.

saturday, April 12 @

the colonial

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The Colonial Pub & Grill 1301 8th Street East (306) 343 8881

Photography by Patrick Carley Continued on next page Âť

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Photography by Patrick Carley

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Tuesday, April 15 @

Original joe’s

Original Joe’s Restaurant & Bar 1515 8th Street East (306) 979 0718

Photography by opalsnaps.com

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

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crossword canadian criss-cross 32. Half-moon shape 36. Electrically charged atom 37. Throws a party 39. ___ de Janeiro 40. Deadened 42. Papal name 43. Bird with a forked tail 44. Looked at with wide-opened eyes 46. Showy feathers 48. Stir up and feed a fire 49. Ecclesiastical council 50. Pitcher with a wide mouth 51. 365 days

A

1. Green film on bronze 2. October’s birthstone 3. Got together 4. She is one 5. Lobster claw 6. Over there 7. Fill up 8. Unimportant pieces of information 9. First five books of the Old Testament 11. Beverage 12. Furry feet 14. Different 17. Unexplainable urge 20. Below, to a bard 21. Repairs with yarn

24. Sleeping suits, for short 26. Slingshot shape 28. Post-mortem examination 29. Finishes first 30. Overwhelming defeats 31. One serving a sentence 33. Small earthquake B 34. Feeling a need to rest 35. Geologic divisions 38. Like a big sister 41. Forehead 43. Canned fish 45. ___ out (supplement) 47. Potassium hydroxide

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

. Magnificent display 1 5. Abnormal growth 9. Become less thick 10. Stockpile 12. Starchy vegetable 13. Not lacking any of the parts 15. Seed covering 16. Nothing 18. Like Satan 19. Sickly pale 20. Wanderer 22. Ones in office 23. ___ or ship out 25. No longer sleeping 27. First month of the year 29. Kind of shot, in hockey

© walter D. Feener 2014

sudoku answer key

DOWN

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

ACROSS

Horoscopes April 17 – April 24 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

A sudden lack of physical and mental energy could leave you feeling drained this week. Remember: you don’t have to do it all.

There may come a point in the next week when you’re not going to know what to do with yourself. Be patient. It will pass.

Too many things on your plate has you near a state of exhaustion right now, Sagittarius. Take some time to recharge your battery.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Normally you’re a people person, Taurus, but this week you might want to spend some alone time. It’ll be good to get your thoughts in order.

You’ll have an urge to stick close to home in the coming days, Virgo.

Fight that urge with all your being ­— the universe has great things for you out there.

This certainly isn’t a good week for gambling, Capricorn. Best to play it safe in the coming days and stick with a sure thing.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

You might not feel up to a social engagement this week, Gemini, but you should probably suck it up and go. Trust a little.

Depression, frustration, anxiety — they’re all around you in the next little while, Libra. Try not to get too bogged down in what you can’t control.

This threatens to be one of those weeks where you find it hard to get anything done. Focus your energies because a big project is coming your way.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

Your intuition will be spot-on this week, Cancer. This isn’t the time to second guess yourself. Go with your instincts and trust your gut.

If you find boredom knocking at your door this week, don’t fret.

Just be your usual ingenious self and you’ll be okay.

Why do today what you can put off until next week, Pisces? Feel free to procrastinate in the coming days — everything else can wait.

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

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Adrenaline Surge Subaru BRZ roadster built for drivers by jeff davis

all Photos: courtesy of jeff davis Continued on next page Âť

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S

lide behind the wheel of the Subaru BRZ and you’ll find yourself sitting mere inches off the road, with a nervous tension building in your stomach. Kick the clutch, press the push-button start and your pulse quickens like you just stepped into a cage with Wolverine.

Summer is rapidly approaching, and the true driving enthusiasts out there are chomping at the bit to burn some rubber. For those types, there is a new pair of cars on the road that are gobbling up the sports car field.

They are the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S, first released in 2013.

Normally I wouldn’t review two cars at once, but the truth is these are really one car. Despite the different names and badging, under the hood it’s all the same.

Jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, this car is perhaps the best purpose-built sports cars in years.

And with a base price tag of $27,295, it is priced to sell.

It’s sexy, with the sinewy look of a leopard ready to pounce. From the front it looks like a dream, and from the rear it somehow looks even better. The high trunk line and dual exhaust are simply awesome, and the 17 inch stock wheels look great, too.

It’s also fast, easily screaming past 100 km/h in third gear, with three gears left to go. Even cruising along in 5th you still have plenty of power always available for passing.

The engine block is slung as low and far back as possible to help the weight distribution stable, and it’s a rear wheel drive. Good weight distribution and power coming from the back are the true hallmarks of a sports car, allowing the rear to swing out, producing giddy squeals from passengers.

The driving position is so incredibly low to the ground that when

big trucks go by, your head is no higher than the wheel wells. For anyone that has driven an old MGB or similar British roadster, this feeling will be immediately familiar.

The rear wheel setup and low centre of gravity makes the BRZ a sick drifting car, and is sure to catch on big with that set.

I test drove the BRZ in extremely high winds of 70 kilometers per hour, out on the open prairie. This is when I really experienced the

composure of this vehicle. There was no sway and it didn’t get blown around at all by the high winds, as if they slipped neatly over top of it.

The suspension is tuned very tight so you feel every bump in the road, like you should in a car like this. Fortunately, the BRZ is fitted with excellent racing-style seats that support your lower back and kidneys from the shock.

Under the hood is a 2.0 litre four-cylinder boxer engine that de-

livers an even 200 horsepower and 151 torques. Transmission options are a six speed automatic and a six speed manual.

The stick shift has a very short throw, and the gears are easy to find, so you can shift quickly without too much searching. Plus, with six gears you’ll find yourself shifting constantly, which can be a lot of fun.

To keep costs to a minimum, putting it in the realm of reasonable afford Continued on next page »

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ability, the engineers had to make a few tough design decisions. The BRZ is made of steel — with the exception of the aluminum hood — so it’s heavier than a lot of higher end sportsters. It also lacks a turbo. Nonetheless, it uses every single one of those 200 horses to astonishing effect, and never seems heavy or sluggish. Subaru is keeping it simple with only two trim levels, the BRZ and the BRZ Sport Tech.

The basic one is very well equipped, with a nice cloth interior, 17 inch alloy wheels, aluminum driving pedals, a nice stereo, and Bluetooth and touchscreen navigation. The Sport Tech gets the smart key and push-button start, leather, dual climate control, heated seats and a spoiler.

Colour options are limited to blue, white, black and metallic silver.

Unfortunately, the awesome red option based on the red ass of the Japanese macaque monkey (for real) seen on early concepts is not available. The interior, meanwhile, is a brooding black and red, with lots of rear and side visibility through large and well placed windows. The instrumentation is great too, and clearly built with

serious drivers in mind. At center is a big tachometer that also shows speed on digital readout, as well as what gear you are in.

The BRZ has a 2+2 cabin, which means the back seats have very little to no leg room. However, the back seats do fold down, creating decent cargo space that’s large enough to bring luggage on a weekend road trip, even if you have a partner that packs heavy!

Substantively, I can find almost nothing technically wrong with the BRZ, except that the touchscreen console is very small and touchy, an annoying distraction when driving fast. One issue for local drivers is all the potholes on our roads, which could do some serious damage to a car that rides this low.

Both the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S are made at Subaru’s main plant in Japan, and in 2013 international demand was so hot they had to ration them out. That year the United States was given 16,000 to sell, with far fewer coming to Canada.

If you have some fun money to throw around, and are in the market for a performance sports car, this is

2014 subaru BRZ Sports car $27, 295 transmission: 6-speed manual or automatic Fuel Capacity: 50 L Fuel Economy (2.0L Engine): 6.6-9.6 L/100 KM Cargo Volume: 196 litres CLASS:

bass price:

a fantastic option…if you can even get your hands on one, that is. In fact, they sold out so quickly last summer we couldn’t find one to test drive.

If Subaru can keep up with demand, they stand to undercut a segment dominated by wildly expensive cars ranging from $40,000 to $400,000.

The BRZ, meanwhile, can provide some serious thrills for the same price you’d spend on a fully upgraded Hyundai Veloster or Ford Escape.

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YOUR WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED. NOW WHAT? by jeff davis

Y

ou are driving down the highway and a rock falls off the back of a truck and hits your windshield. Depending on the damage, you could be in for a cheap fix or a heavyweight hay-maker straight to your wallet.

If it is just a small chip, you’re in luck. These can generally be filled with a clear resin, leaving your window looking like new. The going rate for chip repair is $60 for the first one, and around $15 for any other chips that get fixed on the same visit.

Cracks on the other hand, even small ones, are generally bad news.

These can only be repaired if they are under six to eight inches long, and then only if they are straight. If the crack extends to the edge of the glass, the chances of a successful repair are very slim and you’re likely out of luck. If the crack can be repaired, you’re probably on the hook for $60 to $100.

In either case, the most important thing is to act quickly. A chip can quickly turn into a crack, and cracks can rapidly grow to unrepairable lengths if left alone.

When going in for repairs, make sure your windshield is as dry as possible. Since residual moisture can cause repairs to fail, don’t wash your car on the way to the shop.

If your crack cannot be filled, you’d better start saving your change.

Prices for replacement windshields vary widely and depend on many factors. For 70 per cent of cars on the road, a new windshield will set you back between $350 and $450.

Replacement glass for very common vehicles like the Ford F-150 truck tends to be the most affordable. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, however, since a replacement windshield for even the ubiquitous Honda Civic can run up to $800 because it is curved and very large.

Windshields that are heated, tinted, have rain sensors or heads-up displays are more expensive to replace. If your ride has these sorts of bells and whistles, replacing the windshield could run you over $1000.

A technician at a local glass repair shop told Verb a horror story about luxury SUV (a late model

Lexus RX to be specific) for which a replacement windshield cost $1,300. Even stranger, he said, a windshield for a Kia Optima — a lower-mid range sedan — can cost a staggering $2,700 If you’ve got a car you suspect might have money pits for windows, you might consider adding a road hazard glass policy to your insurance.

This typically costs between $50 and $70 per year, and though a deductible still needs to be paid for replacement, it could save you from a heavy financial hit.

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The rims, daddy

Step up your summer style with some custom chrome by jeff davis

W

heels have been a fashion statement since the ancient Egyptians first slapped an iron rim on a chariot wheel back in 1,000 BC. Not a whole lot has changed since then, and nothing can make your ride look rad or ratchet faster than the rims and rubber.

There are tons of options out there, and we’ll help you select the rims you need, whether it’s more for show or more for go.

Let’s start with the basics. While some customs rims and tires could improve the performance of your whip, this is mostly about looks. And it can get expensive in a hurry.

The most popular look for cars is very large rims with thin, low profile tires. Increasing the wheel rim size and slapping on extra thin tires is called “plus sizing,” and can increase handling and road-holding.

This comes, however, at the cost of a less comfortable ride, spotty performance on rough roads and increased chance of a blowout.

As a general rule, lightweight wheels perform better.

Steel is commonly used for low-end rims, but gets heavy in sizes larger than 16 inches. More expensive lightweight alloys are

generally used for rims up to 20 inches. Upwards of that size you’ll need some forged rims. These are the premium ones and can be made with relatively little metal, giving it that sweet see-through look while still having the required strength Whether or not a set of custom rims will fit your whip can be a touch-and-go thing. When having new rims and tires installed, it’s critical to check whether the wheels are rubbing on anything before driving off.

And one final caveat. Carmakers spend millions of dollars figuring exactly which wheels are best suited to your vehicle. Adding lots of rotating mass can throw all sorts of things out of alignment and ultimately wear out your ride, or even void the warranty. That said, here are some style options:

smart, since it will help keep your flashy rims shiny and scuff-free for cruising season. These will run you about $60 per rim or about $240 for a full set, plus rubber.

Photos: Courtesy of jeff davis

Standard Stock These are the vanilla rims that came with your car, and are typically nothing to write home about.

Utilitarian and durable by design, they are not terrible looking, but not eye-catching, either.

Entry-Level Flash This is the kind of thing you’ll see on a tricked-out Honda Civic or Subaru Impreza. Generally upsized and made of lightweight alloy, these can be an eye catching and relatively cheap way to set yourself apart from the pack. While chrome is always in style, you can also get rims colour matched to the paint job, or any other colour. Styles range widely, and a full set could be had for around the $1,000 mark if you shop around.

Sub-Par The cheapest rims out there are standard steel rims, but make no mistake, these are no fashion statement. In fact, they’re sort of like an anti-fashion statement, likely to be seen on decommissioned cop cars or other old beaters. Nevertheless, slapping a set of these on your whip during the winter is

Sleek Luxury This is the kind of thing you’d slap on your Maserati, BMW or

tuned Acura. People who buy these are often looking for a performance boost, and rarely opt for larger than 20 inch rims. Designs are quite reserved compared to other categories, and meant to look at home on your $100,000 whip, without stealing all the attention. In terms of price, the sky is the limit for these forged alloy beauties.

The Big Wheel Range Rovers and Cadillac Escalades look super fly and extremely baller when fitted with custom rims.

Since these trucks have very large wheel wells and normally take huge tires anyway, the sky is the limit with how big you can go — even up to the biggest 32” rims.

If you want a hugely jacked-up look for your Ford of Chevy, you’re better off sticking with strong, steel wheels. These are often blacked out and decorated with stars or even skulls. Match with huge, knobby tires for full effect.

Either set up will cost upwards of $3,000, and could go much higher.

Crunkified You’ll have to be driving through Atlanta or Memphis, Tennessee on a Saturday night to see these overthe-top ridiculous rims. The deep south “crunk” scene is mad for custom rims, and down there size matters, so it’s all about the 32s and spinners. Enthusiasts have a habit of jacking cars up — including crappy ones — and even widening the wheel wells to get the biggest, baddest rims possible on the whip.

Easily upwards of $2,000 per wheel, and reaching up to $5,000, this is the apex of rimdom.

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Does the Dart find its mark?

Dodge’s first exciting small sedan in years by jeff davis

Continued on next page all Photos: Courtesy of jeff davis Continued on next page »

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“

are comfortable to boot, and the driver’s seat rolls so far back that even the tallest drivers can fit in easily.

The cabin is surprisingly quiet, which is rare amongst inexpensive cars. Somehow it manages to block out exterior noise while still letting those great engine sounds come through.

One really cool feature is the storage space hidden inside the passenger seat, which opens when you pull a tab. This is great for stashing small valuables like wallets or phones when away from your car. This not only keeps them away from prying eyes, but even if your car did get broken into, thieves wouldn’t think to look in this space.

The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels great in your hands and has stereo controls mounted conveniently behind the wheel, where your fingers naturally rest while driving.

Not equipped on this SXT version is the quite large 8.4 inch touch screen console.

By all accounts this is one of the better ones on the market, with an easy-to-use operating system inspired by the iPad.

“

O

ver the past 20 or so years, Dodge has had a spotty record when it comes to small cars. The Neon and especially its successor, the Caliber, were pretty weak offerings, plus the sliding door of the 1992 Dodge Caravan I drove in high school tended to fall off at the most inopportune and embarrassing moments.

So I have to admit I had pretty low expectations for the 2014 Dodge Dart.

But when I slid behind the wheel, those expectations were promptly shattered.

The Dart is easily the best small car Dodge has built in a long time, and maybe ever. It’s roomy, easy on gas, cheap to buy and lots of fun.

The first thing to struck me was just how great the Dart sounds. It rattles with a deep, scratchy engine note that makes it wildly satisfying and fun to drive. Plus, all the noise makes you feel like you are going much faster than you actually are.

In many ways the Dart is a junior version of the muscle cars Dodge is known for, like the Challenger and the Charger. It stands well apart from the responsible but

The Dart is easily the best small car Dodge has built in a long time, and maybe ever.

It’s roomy, easy on gas, cheap to buy and lots of fun.

boring offerings in this segment, like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

I borrowed the SXT version with the 2.4 litre MultiAir engine from Dodge City, and I must say it looked great sitting in my driveway, especially in that popping Header Orange. It has Dodge’s traditional crosshairs grill, dual exhaust and sweet wraparound taillights that look like they came out of Knight Rider.

In short, it’s an American car that looks and feels like an American car.

And that’s what this is really all about: instead of trying to compete with the imports on their own terms, Dodge dug deep to make a small car with a distinctly North American feel. It’s brash and charismatic, like it has something to prove.

The interior appears to be one of the highest quality interiors in the segment, and has a lot of soft touch elements and a good amount of cubby holes for stashing your things. The seats look really cool and

Dodge claims the Dart is “the most technologically advanced car in its class” and boasts of innovative new safety features. One cool one is the “reactive head restraints,” which move in the event of a rear-end collision to reduce neck and spinal injuries.

As for power, you’ve got a few options.

The 2.4 litre Tigershark engine I drove cranks 184 horses while getting 35 MPG highway. The base model gets the smaller 2.0 litre Tigershark block, which delivers 160 horses for 36 MPG highway.

The most exciting engine is the 1.4 litre MultiAir turbo, which turns 160 horsepower while getting up to 41 MPG highway. This is actually the same engine found in the performance-tuned Fiat 500 Abarth, which has wowed drivers with peppy power and excellent fuel economy.

The Dart comes in five trim levels with prices starting from $15,995 for the base model SE version. The SXT version I drove

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goes for $18,495. The top level Limited version goes for $22,995 and has leather trim, power sunroof, the 8.4 inch touchscreen console and the big engine.

I drove the Dart down to Riversdale boathouse to snap some pictures, and happened across one young lady driving exactly the same Dart in the same popping orange color, so I asked her what she thought. “It’s cool!” she said, “It’s my first car and I’m really happy with it.

Plus I love how it sounds.”

The true quality of the Dart remains a bit of an open question.

It looks and feels great, but time alone will tell how it holds up in terms of reliability.

2014 Dodge dart

A quick look at user reviews on the interwebs revealed a lot of mixed opinions on the Dart, with people tending to give it either five stars or one. All in all this is a fantastic car with lots of character, charisma and a touch of sex appeal the Corolla or Civic are sadly lacking. If you are shopping around for a small, affordable car, this offering in the rapidly improving Dodge lineup shouldn’t be overlooked.

It’s good to keep in mind that Dodges lose value faster than virtually any other brand, so I would advise shoppers only to buy this car if you intend on keeping it.

But, like a rambunctious little puppy, keeping it seems like a fairly easy decision to make.

Compact sedan $15,995 transmission: 6-speed manual or automatic Fuel Capacity: 60 L Fuel Economy (2.0L Engine): 4.8-9.2 L/100 KM Cargo Volume: 371 litres CLASS:

bass price:

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