FREE (IDEAS)
#1068 / APR 14, 2016 – APR 20, 2016 VUEWEEKLY.COM
HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES [18]
CAYLEY THOMAS RELEASES WEIRD LOVE [29]
ISSUE: 1068 APR 14 – APR 20, 2016 COVER ILLUSTRATION: CURTIS HAUSER
LISTINGS
ARTS / 14 MUSIC / 32 EVENTS / 34 CLASSIFIED / 34 ADULT / 36
FRONT
4
An upcoming U of A panel addresses our attitude adjusments to oil // 5
DISH
7
EďŹƒng Seafoods brings the BC coast to Edmonton // 7
ARTS
9
Edmonton Poetry Festival guest Vivek Shrayna explores racism & lived experiences in even this page is white // 9
win a pair of tickets to
POP
15
MAY 8
AT THE NEEDLE VINYL TAVERN
Ruins' arresting artwork floats its uneven telling of a relationship in decline // 15
Text
FILM
TAG/TWEET: @ VUEWEEKLY @ THENEEDLEYEG @ A FRIEND @ A BAND YOUĂ D LIKE TO SEE VUE PRESENT NEXT AT THE NEEDLE VINYL TAVERN MORE INFO AT:
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16
Past and present meld together in the visionary Cemetery of Splendour // 16
MUSIC
27
A Night of Hip Hop and RnB oers stage time to a variety of voices // 27
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UP FRONT 3
FRONT POLITICALINTERFERENCE
NEWS EDITOR: mel priestley MEL@vueweekly.com
Ricardo Acuña // ricardo@vueweekly.com
Interference or governance?
Kaminski's resignation is proof of NDP accountability to the taxpayer Last week, CBC released the November 2015 resignation letter from Vickie Kaminski, former CEO of Alberta Health Services. In the letter, Kaminski said that she was resigning from her $540 000-a-year job because of undue influence and meddling from Alberta's NDP government. "More recently however, many [examples of political interference] are simply rooted in an ideology of the new government that does not allow AHS to do what needs to be, and should be done," Kaminski said in her letter. She supported that statement with examples of how the government had limited the amount of what AHS could offer to AUPE in salary negotiations, and also that the government had put a stop to AHS's plans to take over ambulance dispatch services in Calgary. It's worth noting that on the latter, both Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi and former health minister Stephen Mandel had expressed concerns about the move, and Mandel had actually ordered that it be put on hold. The problem, as health minister Sarah
Hoffman herself pointed out, is that what Kaminski calls interference many Albertans would simply call governing. Alberta Health Services receives some $14 billion a year from the government's coffers to run our health system—almost 40 percent of the provincial budget—and it would be irresponsible for any government to simply hand over that amount of money every year without a say or a hand in how those dollars are spent, what priorities they are used for, and how the services they fund are provided and delivered. We elect governments to steward our resources and use them to provide the services and infrastructure we collectively need and want, and we expect accountability from government about how that is done. Just handing over those funds to a huge unelected bureaucracy to use in any way it determines would be a fundamental betrayal of that notion of democratic accountability. Conservative
VUEPOINT
DARCY ROpchan darcy@vueweekly.com
Anonymous source With the mountain of information online that is presented as news, strong ethics are at the heart of responsible journalism. It is every reporter's duty to maintain integrity and protect anonymous sources in the wake of contentious material being published. Unfortunately, the Canada Revenue Agency is formally requesting and putting pressure on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to hand over crucial data from the Panama Papers leak—data that was obtained through a collaboration of anonymous sources. The papers contain a wealth of data related to an extensive global network of offshore banking and tax sheltering involving high-profile politicians, athletes and entertainers. The information was brought about through a global effort of anonymous investigative journalists working with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The ICIJ has said it plans to publish an online database of all the leaked info in May; however, CRA commissioner Andrew Treusch stated that he did not want to wait until then to begin the investigation into the Canadian citizens implicated in the papers. There is no denying that Canadian security is important, and anyone implicated in the papers should face the consequences of their actions—but not at the expense of a journalist's integrity. Anonymity may be the only thing allowing someone to come forward with sensitive information. It allows journalists to research and report on a story without fear of retaliation from people in prominent positions. Sacrificing this, just for the sake of beginning a standard bureaucratic investigation a few weeks early, is an insult to everything that journalists work for and the strict ethics they maintain. Anonymity of sources is crucial for a free press and a democratic society. It's not worth giving up so the CRA can get a head start on paperwork.V
4 up front
governments
spent
decades using various agencies and boards to provide cover for their own ideological imperatives. They would create "arm's length" agencies like Alberta Health Services, hire like-minded individuals to run them, and then claim that the decisions being made were not about ideology but rather about evidence-based decision making. The problem with this is that it wrongly pretends the people put in place to run these organizations are somehow devoid of ideology. That belief is naive and dangerous. As such, every AHS CEO hired since its inception has come into the job with a strong tendency towards corporatization and privatization of our health system—a tendency that, for the last two decades, closely mirrored the government's own ideological vision for the system. Last May, Albertans elected a party whose vision for health care in the province was the fundamental opposite of that—a vision that included focusing on public delivery, expansion of services and reversing much of the privatization
DYERSTRAIGHT
that has already taken place. That mandate carried with it a responsibility to ensure that AHS was making decisions based on that vision and those principles. So when Kaminski insisted on continuing to move forward with her goals of further corporatization and privatization, the government had no choice but to step in and try to push her in a different direction. To do otherwise would have been an affront to democracy, and to the wishes of Albertans as expressed through the May election. Given how effective the Conservatives were at implementing their ideology through the appointment of like-minded chairs to arm's-length agencies and boards, it is safe to say that this will not be the last time this kind of conflict comes up. We have already seen it with the disbandment of the Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency (AEMERA) headed by former climate-change-denying PC environment minister Lorne Taylor, and we have also seen it with the chairs of
some of the province's post-secondary institutions. Alberta is still a democracy, and the New Democrats have earned the right to implement their platform and vision for the province. Doing so will mean pushing senior bureaucrats throughout government in a different direction than the one they have been on for the past 20 years or so. They should be applauded for doing so. Ultimately, it is our elected representatives that need to be accountable to us for how our government operates, and if that means exerting "political influence" over unelected bureaucrats to ensure they are all moving in the same direction, then so be it. Albertans deserve nothing less.V Ricardo Acuña is the executive director of the Parkland Institute, a non-partisan, public policy research institute housed at the University of Alberta. The views and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute.
GWYNNE DYER // GWYNNE@vueweekly.com
The European Union is at risk Migrants, the euro and Brexit provide three unique problems A recent headline on the leading French newspaper Le Monde said it all: "Migrants, the Euro, Brexit: The European Union is mortal." And it's true, the EU could actually collapse, given one or two more years of really bad decisions by the 28 national governments that make up the membership. The most immediate threat is Brexit (British+exit), the possible result of the Yes/ No referendum on British membership in the EU that is scheduled for June 23. Prime Minister David Cameron promised this referendum three years ago to placate an anti-EU faction in his own Conservative Party (Cameron himself wants to stay in the EU), but it is coming at a particularly bad time. Cameron doubtless calculated that the referendum would produce a large majority for staying in, and force the nationalist "Little Englanders" in his own party to shut up for a while. But the vote is actually being held at a time when many English people are upset by the large flow of immigrants into the United Kingdom and blame it on the policy of free movement for EU citizens. That is only half-true: only half the foreignborn people settling in Britain are EU citizens who come by right. The rest are legal immigrants from other parts of the world, also attracted by the relatively prosperous British economy, and if the locals don't like it they are free to change Britain's own laws. But the half-truth that it's all the EU's fault has been vigorously promoted by the right-wing papers that dominate the British media scene. The million-plus wave of refugees and economic migrants that has surged into the EU in the past year feeds the British panic even more, although Britain still controls its own borders and none of those migrants can en-
ter the UK without London's permission. The result is that the polls now show the "Leave" and "Remain" votes almost neck-and-neck. The refugees and illegal economic migrants really are a problem for most other EU countries. The vast majority of them enter the EU through Greece and Italy, but they almost all want to travel on to the richer EU countries—which, with the admirable exceptions of Germany and Sweden, want nothing to do with them. This is rapidly leading to a breakdown of the "Schengen" agreement, by which all the EU members except the United Kingdom and Ireland abolished their border controls with other Schengen countries. New border fences are springing up everywhere as EU members try to keep the migrants out. Dissent with EU policies is growing as some Eastern European countries refuse to accept any refugees at all, and ultra-nationalist parties are growing in strength almost everywhere. In Hungary, and now in Poland, they have even come to power. Then there is the euro, the common currency shared by 19 EU countries, including all the big ones except the United Kingdom. It was a bad idea from the start, because a single currency without a single government behind it cannot deal effectively with big issues like debt and inflation. It was bound to end up in crisis as the economies of the member states diverged—and they have. The EU was transfixed all last year by the threat that Greece would crash out of the euro. The Greek crisis has been put on hold for the moment, but it is clear by now that Italy, Spain and Portugal, at least, would also benefit from leaving the euro zone. This is a
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
currency that has no future, although its demise is not necessarily imminent. So: three separate problems, none of them likely to be fatal to the EU on its own. The EU survived with separate national currencies for four decades before it adopted the euro; it could do so again, although the transition back would be painful and probably chaotic. The Schengen treaty was a nice idea, but not essential to the Union's smooth functioning. And Britain's departure could be nothing more than a spectacular act of self-mutilation. It's the fact that all these crises are hitting together that endangers the EU's very existence. The only immediate and certain consequence of Brexit would be Scotland's secession from the United Kingdom (so that it could stay in the EU), and nobody would have much sympathy for England's postBrexit difficulties. But the walk-out of the country with the EU's second-biggest economy would trigger a political earthquake. The various populations of the EU are seething with dissatisfaction about immigration and refugees, about the euro, about all the compromises and bureaucracy that must be tolerated to keep a 28-country "community" going. Mini-Trumps are cropping up everywhere, offering radical solutions that usually include an explicit or implicit commitment to leave the Union. It could snowball. Where Britain (or rather, England) breaks trail, others might follow. We could end up with a severely shrunken EU, back down to the original six members plus a few others, while the countries of Eastern Europe try to get used to being once more the buffer between Russia and the West. V Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.
PREVUE // ENERGY
Imre Szeman // Supplied
A
lot of lip service has been given to diversifying Alberta's economy away from its heavy skew towards fossil fuels. But the greater issue at stake is modern society's dependancy on fossil-fuel energy, which will require a radical shift—and not just in Alberta or Canada—towards alternative energy sources. The University of Alberta is hosting a panel discussion—What's Fuelling Our Future? on April 18—to address the personal attitude adjustments we'll all have to make to achieve this goal. Vue spoke with Imre Szeman, one of the panelists, research chair in Cultural Studies and co-director of the Petrocultures Research Group at the U of A, for some insight into the discussion.
VUE WEEKLY: So, how about the big question: what attitude adjustments do North Americans need to make about fossil fuels? IMRE SZEMAN: Just as a smoker can't imagine living without nicotine, we often think of fossil fuels as something that society can't do without. The first thing to do is to get over our fear of change. We want to change, but we'd rather stick with the fossil-fuel society we already know—mainly because we know it! VW: What are the alternatives to fossil fuels that would be most suitable to North America? IS: Every form of alternative energy can find a home in North America: wind, solar, nuclear and new forms of hydroelectric energy. We need to be ready to use a range of alternative forms as part of our transition from oil and coal. VW: North America, and especially Al-
berta, will have to make a radical shift in its economic structure before it's no longer dependent on fossil fuels. Do you think we're likely to take a proactive approach to this transition, or will it be reactive? IS: My fear is that it will be reactive—and that the reactions will be belated. There are signs, however, that Alberta is taking a more proactive approach. Energy Futures Lab— an Albertan think-tank involving government, industry and academia—is developing ways for Alberta to transition to a new energy future. I expect we'll be hearing a great deal from this lab in coming years. VW: What are the steps to this transition? What can we expect in Canada over the next few years? IS: We can expect to use an ever-greater mix of renewable energies in addition to fossil fuels. Hopefully, we will also start to have an ever-greater public discussion about the place of energy in our lives, so that we might be able to take on the real difficult work of transition: reshaping our physical infrastructures and our everyday social and cultural practices. We won't get to where we need to be if we use electric cars to commute to work on highways—our transportation and labour structures will have to change, too. VW: What are the biggest barriers preventing this transition? IS: Modern society developed in conjunction with the use of fossil fuels, and so all of our established practices and habits reinforce the status-quo use of energy. To me this constitutes a bigger barrier than, say, the economic power of fossil-fuel companies and their influence on government
policy. Another barrier comes from inequalities in energy use around the world. The average North American uses 100 times the energy of a citizen of Haiti. Much of the world wants to have the conveniences and capacities of a developed, modernized society, and much of this will come from an increase in energy use—right now, primarily fossil fuels. VW: What are some of the drawbacks of alternative energy sources? IS: Dependability, difficulties with storage and challenges (in the case
of nuclear energy) with processing waste are problems. But consider the drawbacks of fossil-fuel use: flooded cities, unbreathable air and species loss. We can manage the challenges of alternative energy. VW: Is ther anything else you want to add? IS: Scientific and technological innovations won't provide the miracle solution to energy transition. Technology will help move us away from our petroculture, but only in conjunction with other social and cultural shifts—everyday changes of habit and outlook that
Mon, Apr 18 (9:30 am – 12:30 pm) TELUS Centre (111 St & 87 Ave) To register: uab.ca/mindshare can be harder to name and describe, and which we've only taken the first steps in identifying. Energy transition is a major, planet-wide social transformation, and one without precedent. It's not just an opportunity to get our use of energy right, but to get the societies we live in right, too.
MEL PRIESTLEY
MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
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UP FRONT 5
FRONT PREVUE // PUBLIC OPINION
Where is the NDP headed? A sneak peek at this year's Public Interest Alberta Conference
A
lberta is at an unprecedented time politically, and the discourse across all levels of government reflects that. There's no shortage of fodder for this year's Public Interest Alberta (PIA) Conference, an annual gathering hosted by PIA— a non-profit, non-partisan, provincewide organization focused on education and advocacy on public-interest issues. Vue spoke with one of the keynote speakers—Larry Brown, president of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives—to get an inside look
at some of the things that will be discussed at this year's conference. VUE WEEKLY: What is the focus of your presentation? LARRY BROWN: I'll be talking about the ways that progressive organizations can think about interacting with a more progressive government than Alberta has seen in decades, if not forever. While Alberta has had a unique record of uninterrupted Conservative Party rule [for decades], we have had progressive governments elected in several other prov-
inces, so one hopes we have learned some lessons along that way about what kinds of interactions are useful and which are either not useful, or actually damaging, to both the government and progressive goals. VW: What do you think some of the next few major changes will be for our province, other than what we've seen already? LB: It's rare to come out of an election campaign with a fully mappedout, four-year program. That's where the interaction with civil society be-
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comes crucial. If progressive movements leave it to the government to come up with new ideas and programs, we have to know that other forces will be actively and strongly pressuring for the measures they want. VW: Will these changes be permanent, especially given the significant backlash we've already seen to some of them—Bill 6, for example? LB: Again, I think the role of progressive organizations is part of the answer to that question. If all of the pressure and activity and momentum is coming from more right-wing organizations, then the danger is that the government will start to put water in its wine, weaken its forward movement and start to become nervous about the only reaction it is seeing, ie, a critical response from the right. VW: You're from Saskatchewan and spent a lot of your working life there, in a province that experienced pretty much the inverse of what happened in Alberta: it had an NDP government for several decades that was routed by a right-wing party. Rachel Notley named Roy Romanow, former Saskatchewn NDP premier, as one of her advisors, and many have been quick to compare the two province's political situations. What should Alberta take from what happened in Saskatchewan? LB: The Romanow government became excessively cautious about offending any of the right-wing forces; they seemed to be desperately trying to ensure that they could never be seen as really left wing or even
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
Thu, Apr 14 & Fri, Apr 15 Chateau Louis Conference Centre pialberta.org
very progressive at all. So they stopped doing things that would be of benefit to the workers of the province—things that would deal with growing income inequality, things that would help lift people out of poverty, and so on. They became an administrative government and not a really progressive government. And they paid the price. Romanow has much to offer in terms of good administration, effective and scandal-free government, but the government of Alberta should be very careful about following his policy advice. VW: What's your primary hope for Alberta's future? LB: Forty-five years of uninterrupted rule by a truly progressive government that always governs for the people of Alberta and not for those with wealth, and the power that comes with wealth. VW: What about your main fear? LB: That the government becomes intimidated by the attacks from the right and ceases to move forward—at which point one possibility is what happened in Nova Scotia, where people lost their enthusiasm for an overly cautious, incremental government, leading to that government's defeat after just one term.
MEL PRIESTLEY
MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
PREVUE // OYSTERS
DISH
DISH EDITOR: MEL PRIESTLEY MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Fresh fish in the land of beef Effing Seafoods brings the BC coast to Edmonton
A
n oyster bar on every corner? OK, that's probably a bit of a stretch for Edmonton. But given how quickly Rob Tryon has found a welcome reception for his seafood business here, there is obviously an underserved local market for the fruits of the sea. You may very well have heard about him already, or seen his cheeky hashtag (#geteffed) floating around social media, for his is not a schedule of leisure. Since launching Effing Seafoods last November, Tryon has done dozens of pop-up events, cooking classes, impromptu oyster bars and private events around town. His products are being served at two dozen restaurants, and he'll be a regular presence at a handful of farmers' markets this season—French Quarter on Sunday, Southwest on Wednesday night, St Albert on Saturday, the Grand Market on 124th Thursday nights (once a month). All this is in-between his weekly schedule of ordering, receiving and delivering seafood, which hails from the BC coast—except for his sturgeon, which comes from New Brunswick—where he grew up in a commercial-fishing family. He studied fisheries and aquaculture and farmed oysters (in Effingham Inlet, hence his company's name) before heading west to work in Alberta's oil industry for a couple of years prior to launching this business. Ask Tryon for the name of the company behind that piece of salmon or bag of oysters, and he'll do
you one better: he'll give you the name of the boat on which they were caught. "My coastal relationships are awesome," Tryon says, sitting at a table in Credo Cafe, fresh off his most recent round of deliveries. "They're huge companies, and for them to be dealing with me is unheard of. But they're dealing with me because they know me, they know the family name, and they're excited for what I'm doing. All I've asked throughout Edmonton is an opportunity: an opportunity to prove myself, to prove my products, and a foot in the door." The farm-to-fork movement—or, as Tryon dubs it in his case, sea to spoon—has undoubtedly helped him build those relationships here: with the ocean being so far away, Albertans are used to generic seafood (with a few exceptions). But the freshness Tryon can offer is equally, if not more, important. "Restaurants have my shellfish in hand before they've been out of the water for 48 hours," Tryon says. "So, very fresh: I make the claim that they're the freshest shellfish in Alberta." While his fish products are mostly frozen, he explains that this doesn't mean they aren't fresh: after being caught and cleaned, the fish are flash frozen right on the boat, sealing in the flavour.
evenings. Given the success other locals have found transitioning from sold-out pop-ups to long lines at a brick-and-mortar shop (I'm looking at you, Prairie Noodle House), that might just be in the cards. But for the next few months, he's concentrating on the customer base he's built in town and will continue to offer education—whether at formal classes or just the farmers' market—to dispel the myths and
intimidation factor around cooking seafood at home. "A lot of it has to do with presentation and terminology," he explains. "People think of [oysters] as slimy— well no, they're slippery. "I love telling the story," he continues. "I'm already starting to get booked for weddings this summer to come and do oyster bars. ... I want to see oysters in Edmonton like they are in Vancouver: every-
Effing Seafoods 250.668.0356 facebook.com/effingseafoods
where. I'm seeing more places carrying oysters, and I think we'll see a lot more this summer." MEL PRIESTLEY
MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
HAPPY HOUR
EVERYDAY
2PM–7PM WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Tryon's ultimate vision is a storefront of his own, part retail market and part café, with a regular schedule of educational classes in the VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
DISH 7
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SPIRITED AWAY
MEL PRIESTLEY // MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
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Northern whisky coming south
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Alberta's recent tax hike on imported and out-of-province beers, while an unfortunate hit to the sales of small out-of-province breweries, also prompted at least one unintended positive outcome: the advent of new craft spirits. "Because of the loss in volume in Alberta—we were going to have a big upgrade to the plant, we were going to put in some new fermentation tanks and that, but we've cancelled that; it stopped a huge renovation at the brewery," Dave Gardner says. Gardner is referring to Yukon Brewing, a craft brewery in Whitehorse for which he's a sales person and partner. Yukon Brewing certainly wasn't the only small Canadian brewery negatively impacted under a law that was intended to boost Alberta's local craft-beer industry ("We live in a foreign country," Gardner quips), but luckily for him, the brewery team had already been at work on a second project: Two Brewers Whisky.
Back in 2009, Yukon Brewing's owners, Bob Baxter and Alan Hansen, bought a small, 400-litre still (rather than the waterfront property in Chile they had initially joked about buying). Hansen, a chemical engineer, began experimenting with various spirits and they've since come out with a few small runs of a few different items, from beer schnapps to gin. "The beer paid for everything," Gardner says. "If it wasn't for the beer, we wouldn't have been in the same boat. ... We have these 500mL bell-shaped bottles. We call them concepts. We tell people they're an idea in a bottle, just kind of having some fun with the still." While the Yukon Brewing team was playing around with those smallbatch spirits—which Alberta didn't get, unfortunately—they were working on the main prize: single malt whisky. Alberta is getting some of that; the first batch of 1600 bottles just recently arrived.
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Taking an Edmonton Dining Experience to a whole new level! 8 DISH
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
It's often called a natural progression, when a brewery transitions from brewing beer to distilling whisky. After all, whisky essentially starts with beer—a fermented mash of barley that's distilled into a base spirit, which is then aged in oak for a certain numbers of years before being bottled and sold. (The legal minimum in Canada is three years, but many producers hold it for longer.) Gardner notes that the reception for Yukon Brewing's whisky has already been very positive, and that having a craft single malt whisky for sale has gotten the company into places that it didn't have relationships with previously. Canada's craft-beer market is far from saturated, but there's also far more options available than there are in our craft-spirits industry. Combined with that tax change on out-of-province beers, Yukon may be the first in a sea change of breweries seeking to diversify their portfolio—or just play around with something new. "We're scheduled to have a peated whisky come out in July," Gardner says. "That's the top right now. Then there may be another one coming in November. ... Everything that we've put away starting in 2009, 2010 is all starting to come of age. ... We'll take some of the whisky out of the early batches and make it into a whisky for sale, and some of that liquid will be kept behind, aging it further. ... In theory, we'll have 10-yearold, 15-year-old [whisky], somewhere down the road." V SS Manhattan recipe c/o Tarquin Melnyk, justcocktails.org 2 oz Two Brewers single malt whisky 1 oz Odd Society bittersweet vermouth 2 dashes Ms Better's orange bitters 2 dashes Ms Better's chocolate bitters Add spirits to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir, then strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with brandied cherries and an orange peel.
ARTS
ARTS EDITOR : PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
PREVUE // POETRY
Edmonton Poetry Festival guest Vivek Shraya explores racism & lived experiences in even this page is white
W
hen she first started working on the book that eventually became even this page is white, Vivek Shraya planned for it to be an allegorical novel. But as she struggled with writer's block, her friend and fellow writer Amber Dawn suggested that she approach her project along a different avenue: poetry. "I found that there was something about the prose that was holding back the narrative," Shraya says. "I felt like allegory was limiting and maybe not what we need in terms of having conversations about racism. By getting rid of it and condensing it into the necessary words and the necessary sentences, I felt like it was far more effective than the prose." Shraya went through her manuscript, highlighting all the passages that really stood out, burning off all the excess words until she had the pure, crystallized heart of her story. Distilling down the prose into poetry presented her with new opportunities, but the new medium was also daunting to the writer/filmmaker/ singer-songwriter/performance artist.
"There was something about poetry that felt kind of insular," Shraya says. "And so I think for me, the way that I navigated poetry, at least in this project, was exploring and using different formats: sound poems, and short poems, and more narrative poems and pulling from pop culture. Talking about contemporary things but also talking about my own experiences. And part of that was hoping that there would be multiple entry points—not only into this book, but also multiple entry points into a conversation about racism." The result is a poetry collection that includes a condensed allegorical novel, extravagant lists of famous writers and Kanye-bashing tweets, conversations with white people, references to Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus and #oscarssowhite, as well as autobiographical elements. Shraya's memories are interwoven throughout the book, tying all the colourful threads together. It was important for her to make her own lived experiences central in the text, so that she wouldn't overstep her bounds.
"I felt nervous about making generalizations or speaking on behalf of other people, or writing a project that was supposed to address too many things," she says. "The challenge of this project was grappling with my position and also my complicity. What are ways that I, as a non-black, nonindigenous person, still benefit from white supremacy? How are ways that I feed into white supremacy? I think that those are always the most complicated questions too, thinking about the ways that we are active in the systems that we say are against us or we feel oppressed by." Shraya admits that confronting racism head-on is always uncomfortable, for her as a writer and especially for white readers who may be quick to dismiss the text. "Even the title, even this page is white, it immediately sets up that the book is going to be a kind of work," Shraya says. "And so having all of those different approaches to the poetry was my attempt to try to bring in the reader in a variety of different ways.
"One of the hardest things about this book is that it doesn't feel finished," Shraya continues. "And I think that that's, in some ways, one of the things that I had to reconcile with. That's the nature of a book about racism—is that as long as racism continues, a project about racism can't be exhaustive in nature. And so consequently [I'm] wanting it to be more of a dialogue starter, or to engage people to talk to each other, to have difficult conversations ... I guess my hope is that [a] reader will pick up this book and be inspired to have conversations with themselves, with people around them." Shraya herself will be igniting a conversation with readers next week, partnering with Edmonton's Brown, Black, and Fierce Collective to perform from her book at the Edmonton Poetry Festival. The Toronto-based artist was born in Edmonton, and her homecoming has given her the opportunity to reflect on her childhood, growing up "brown and queer in a dirt city."
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
Sat, Apr 23 (5 pm) even this page is white book launch Latitude 53, Free Part of the Edmonton Poetry Festival Sun, Apr 17 – Sun, Apr 24 Various locations Full schedule at edmontonpoetryfestival.com "The thing about Edmonton that I love is that when I was growing up there was a lot of these cultural activities that didn't exist," she says. "I wonder sometimes if I would've left if I'd had these kinds of things growing up. But at the same time it's been a really wonderful way to reimagine Edmonton for myself. As someone who grew up feeling very isolated in Edmonton, it's exciting to revisit Edmonton and have these wonderful festivals like the Edmonton Poetry Festival exist, and be welcomed into them."
BRUCE CINNAMON
BRUCE@VUEWEEKLY.COM
ARTS 9
ARTS PREVUE // DANCE Fri, Apr 15 – Sun, Apr 17; Fri, Apr 22 – Sun, Apr 24 (8 pm Fri and Sat; 2 pm Sun) Spazio Performativo (10816 - 95 St), $20 – $25
Archival BAM
I
ronically, there's little room for movement in the studio at Spazio Performativo, Mile Zero Dance's new home in the heart of Little Italy. The former yoga classroom has been co-opted by MZD and its cohort of collaborators since last spring, and of late they've turned it into a compulsive hoarder's dreamscape for the upcoming show, Archival BAM (Beings & Matter). The studio walls are lined by metres on metres of VHS tapes, the back flank covered by 300 kilo-
grams of old issues of National Geographic. Flats of kitschy saltand-pepper sets are stacked on top of tables overflowing with doo-dads and whatchamacallits—all reminiscent of the crowded attics of so many relatives and grandparents who survived the '30s. As MZD's artistic director Gerry Morita leads us through the meandering path they're starting to carve out in the cluttered space, a quiet "ow, ow, ow," comes from performer Amber Borotsik in one corner.
"Just a bit of broken glass," Borotsik says to fellow dancers Pamela Tzeng and Richard Lee, kneeling to remove it from the ultra shaggy carpet it was found in. "Could be a [wear your] shoes piece," laughs Morita, who adds that the paths snaking through the mess today aren't necessarily going to be the same ones used in the performance. For the first time, MZD is able to mount its mainstage show in the company's actual home and rehearsal space, which offers the cast a great
PREVUE // THEATRE
Other Desert Cities
F
rom Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to August: Osage County, from A Raisin in the Sun to Death of a Salesman, there's no greater narrative engine
10 ARTS
than taking a dysfunctional family, bouncing its characters with long histories off each other, and watching everything fall apart at the seams.
// Ian Jackson, EPIC Photography
Other Desert Cities carries on the traditions of the popular familydrama genre, telling the story of the Wyeth family and their 2004
deal of time to "sit with" the objects they've collected—largely from reuse centres—and discover the meaning and emotion behind the objects. "Sometimes there's such a sadness or heaviness to seeing all this stuff. And other times it seems quite joyful and funny, like finding a box full of chickens," Morita says. "Do these items still have joy in them to share with people that we can bring out in dance? Or do they need to be exercised through a dance ritual and released?"
Christmas reunion in Palm Springs. Brooke Wyeth returns to her parents' home after six years of estrangement, bringing along a manuscript she's written that brings to light a terrible family tragedy. "It's an argument of art versus life," director Brenda Bazinet says. "Do you have the right to write about it because you're a writer, even if it hurts other people in your family and exposes things about them they may not want exposed? You sort of go back and forth between whose side are you on. ... That's why I think that this family drama is really interesting, is that [question]: do you have the right to expose all that?" Bazinet herself goes back and forth between Brooke and her parents, and she's sure there will be a lot of debate as audience members leave the theatre. Even in her own work on this play, she's struggled with the question of how fair it is to air your family's dirty laundry. "I'm not a writer," Bazinet says, "but as an actor, as a director, as even a
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
Audiences attending Archival BAM can expect a series of "goodbye dances" for a selection of objects, of which there are literally hundreds to be excised (Morita also hinted that there may be gifts or souvenirs—after all, this stuff can't stay at Spazio forever). Of the inspirations Morita and her team—including "professional hoarder" of film and lighting accoutrements Patrick Arès-Pilon—have consulted, there's the widely read minimalist treatise Spark Joy by Marie Kondo, and the series of decluttering stories penned by Fish Griwkowsky for the Edmonton Journal last year. Morita also nods to the public fascination with reality shows on hoarders, and that the "buy low/ sell high/crush dreams mentality" therein is ruthless, even hurtful. "I go back and forth: sometimes [Kondo] seems really mean. It just seems so harsh and complete and idealized," Morita explains, noting that Kondo's spiritualist bent implies that people who hold on to things are somehow inferior. "People keep things to make themselves feel safe, it doesn't necessarily give them joy. There's a fear of emptiness, which is death and the great unknown. It's the fear of an empty future." So what does it mean for contemporary generations who have never collected cassette tapes or records or magazines, who store their clippings and files in digital realms (and on a device which usually is replaced every two years)? "Where's the pleasure?" Morita grins. Minimalism be-damned, indeed. FAWNDA MITHRUSH
FAWNDA@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Until Sun, May 1 (7:30 pm; 1:30 pm Sun matinees) Directed by Brenda Bazinet Citadel Theatre, $25 – $100 teacher, I always use my own personal experiences when I'm trying to explain something to my actors to try and make them understand a situation. And I even feel guilty about that sometimes. But I always feel, as an artist, that's what you have to draw from: your own life." Aside from this question of family privacy, Other Desert Cities digs into countless familiar themes—generational differences, power imbalances, old resentments—that people will no doubt recognize from their own lives. "I find family, anything to do with family and that kind of thing, [is] endlessly fascinating," Bazinet says. "Because there isn't a person in the world that can't relate to it on some level."
BRUCE CINNAMON
BRUCE@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Photo credit: Ryan Wayne
PREVUE // OPERA
Making Space
From Pacific Opera Victoria production of Maria Stuarda (2012), also directed by Maria Lamont // David Cooper
Mary Stuart
A
lthough Queen Elizabeth I feared and reviled her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots— eventually having her imprisoned for 20 years, then beheaded out of fear Stuart would usurp the throne—the two never actually met. Their relationship played out solely through letters written back and forth, though Donizetti's 1835 opera, Mary Stuarda—its title modernized in the Edmonton Opera season to Mary Stuart—imagines the meeting that never was: two queens, face to face, taking aim at each other. After an acclaimed take on Carmen earlier this season, director Maria Lamont returns to Edmonton Opera to direct Mary Stuart in its Alberta première. Lamont's framing of the show updates its perspective: set in a museum, it finds the two queens emerging from their exhibit to have their battle of wits and words—Lamont's way of finding modern ties to the material without losing its era-apparel. "The opera is an undeniable period piece, but I wanted to see the lives of these characters through the lens of history and modern contemporary life," Lamont explains, via email. "It doesn't affect the staging of the characters at all in terms of storytelling, but I hope it allows the audience a kind of historical perspective in a very simple way. This period in history is completely fascinating—and the two women led extraordinary lives.
AN EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY STUDENTS Sat, April 16 (8 pm); Tue, Apr 19 (7:30 pm); Thu, Apr 21 (7:30 pm) Directed by Maria Lamont Jubilee Auditorium, $40 – $175
They both made choices and sacrifices that had a dramatic impact on their countries. Their story is inspiring, even though Donizetti took a lot of dramatic license with details (the two queens never met in real life, and there was no love triangle), the characters complexities still shine through." Which isn't easy to pull off; Mary Stuart is a bel canto opera—"beautiful singing" in Italian—requiring high levels of articulation, phrasing and delivery throughout. Its central monarchs are battling as much in vocal prowess as anything else. Which marks a challenge for its principal singers—Kathryn Lewek and Keri Alkema as Mary and Elizabeth, respectively—but one that Lamont notes they're rising to meet. "Bel canto is a very distinctive style of opera, and the challenge is to motivate all the repeated music and ornamentation is a way that propels the action forward," Lamont says. "When it works, it really works, and it is thrilling."
University of Alberta’s Department of Art and Design Curated by Sean Caulfield and Royden Mills
APRIL 15 TO MAY 17 Monday - Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Presented by
GRAND LOBBY | 10423 101 STREET
PAUL BLINOV
PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
ARTS 11
ARTS REVUE // VISUAL ARTS
Don't Breathe, Don't Drink D
on't breathe, don't drink. This command is the title of Ruth Cuthand's exhibition, currently on display at dc3 Art Projects. As gallery patrons, we know not to touch any of the art we see. But Cuthand's title goes beyond the "no touching" rule. The title puts visitors on their guard, as if something sinister is lurking in the space. Everything in Cuthand's exhibition is still and quiet. On the table and shelves are baby bottles and drinking glasses of many shapes and sizes filled with water. A beaded object floats in each bottle and drinking glass; the beads are lit from the glare of the ceiling spotlights, which casts colourful shadows onto the table and shelves. The water in the glasses seems static, as if it defies the impact of movement as you walk around the room. The sense of danger from Cuthand's title comes from the beaded objects; they are formed into the shape of illness-causing human pathogens, including smallpox, influenza and tuberculosis. When these pathogens attack our bodies, we slowly lose agency to take care of ourselves. The illnesses cripple our minds and bodies, causing us to rely on the kindness
Until Sat, Apr 16 Works by Ruth Cuthand dc3 Art Projects of others to help us fight off the aggressive sicknesses. Cuthand draws a similarity between illness and colonialism through these beaded pathogens. Both illness and colonialism silently assault our sense of being and their aggressive disruption leaves a lasting impact on our bodies and minds. Like an incurable disease, colonialism has decimated individuals, communities and entire cultures. And similar to being ill, colonialism attempts to destroy a person's agency. Cuthand's work particularly speaks about the colonization and genocide of indigenous people in North America. We can now prevent and treat some of the illnesses represented by Cuthand's beaded pathogens. These diseases are no longer a threat to us, like they once were in generations past. But can we say the same for colonialism? JULIE-ANN MERCER
JULIE-ANN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
// Courtesy of the artist and dc3 Art Projects
ARTIFACTS
DONIZETTI
MARIA STUARDA
Evolution / Fri, Apr 15 – Sun, Apr 17 (7:30 pm; 2:30 pm Sunday matinee) The final production of Citie Ballet's season collects three new works created by the company: Lydia Redpath's Ouvrir traces a young woman's attempts to remain vulnerable as she transitions into adulthood; Shaun Gheyssen's Harekat—the Farsi word for "movement"—pairs Persian music with dance about challenge and change; and artistic director Jorden Morris caps it off with Tierra, exploring the relationship between humans and the planet we call home. (Timms Centre for the Arts, $22 – $43)
PAUL BLINOV
// PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Rosemary theatre, Three on a Seesaw marks out an absurdist comedy centred around three men—a businessman, a professor and an army captain—who find themselves trapped in a room together as increasingly bizarre events unfold all around them. Written by Milan-based playwright Luigi Lunari, the show's director, Giorgia Severini, helped translate the script from its original Italian. (Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Lower Hall, $12 – $18) V
Love Fail / Fri, Apr 15 (7:30 pm); Sat, Apr 16 (2:30 pm & 7:30 pm); Sun, Apr 17 (2:30 pm) A modern retelling of legendary medieval love poem "Tristan and Isolde," Love Fail brings together Good Women Dance Collective, Pro Coro Canada and New Music Edmonton. Vocalists, musicians and dancers will share the stage to perform the work—Good Women with original choreography and Pro Coro with Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lang's score, backed by minimal instrumentation. (Studio 96, $16.75 – $27) Three on a Seesaw / Fri, Apr 15 – Sun, Apr 17 (7:30 pm; 2 pm Saturday matinee) The debut production by Ginger and
12 ARTS
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
Love Fail // Marc J Chalifoux
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4/11/16
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a blistering witty, play .”
“…
PREVUE // THEATRE
THE INDEPENDENT, UK
“…
juicy and surprising…” NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
A sizzling comedy of family secrets The Supine Cobbler
A
bortion was first legalized in Canada in 1969, under heavy stipulation, with the Criminal Law Amendment Act 68 – 69. A 1988 Supreme Court ruling declared that those laws still violated a woman's rights and struck them down. When the then-Conservative government failed to pass a new law, nothing took its place. Since then, abortion's been a decision made by a woman with her doctor, without government interference or criminalization. (Even PEI, the lone provincial holdout regarding having in-province services available, recently announced the establishment of a new reproductive clinic). In other words, it's lawless territory; kind of like a western, which is the style in which playwright Jill Connell's set The Supine Cobbler. The script finds its titular outlaw arriving at a doctor's office for a procedure (at high noon, of course); she's accompanied by her turncoat apprentice, estranged sister and former best friend, as they collectively try to navigate the idea of rectitude within the world. "A lot of the play is about The Cobbler's relationship to her own identity," Connell begins, hovering over a coffee in a Whyte Avenue café. "Westerns classically are concerned with how to be a good man: how to be a man of integrity. And then we get all the revisionist westerns with anti-heroes, which I'm far more interested in. The Cobbler is an anti-hero and an outsider, but this is another style of revisionist western, because it's all women, and it concerns an action only women take, physically. "I think abortion can be a difficult topic to address, and I was just so disinterested in all the sentimentality and morality," she continues. "So making it a western, I felt, released me to be direct, and funny, and irreverent and passionate." The script began after Connell graduated from the playwriting program at Montréal's National Theatre School. "Right after graduating, I'd arranged this writing retreat in Iceland," she recalls. "I had had an abortion the day I left for Iceland. It was the one thing— not writing about the abortion, per se, but the idea of a hero myth for girls, was the one thing I had in me to write."
Until Sat, Apr 23 (7:30 pm; 2 pm Saturday matinees) Directed by Vanessa Sabourin Backstage Theatre, $20 – $25 It took shape slowly over the next four years: there was a workshop in Fredericton, New Brunswick with her former thesis supervisor; later, when Connell moved to Toronto, she furthered it along with a collective of actors, bit by bit, until its Toronto première in September 2015. "In so many moments I felt like I had no idea how to wrangle the play. It was such a beast," she recalls. "I did so much research and work—which is what I'm accustomed to doing—but then what would come out was very intuitive. I wanted to present onstage, to the public, the experience of a clinical abortion procedure. Not to teach anything about it, but the actual experience." Connell's work is no stranger to Edmonton stages: she's been produced by The Maggie Tree a few times before this—she wrote a contribution to their tripartite monologue show Monstrosities, and saw a staging of her own Hroses: An Affront to Reason—as well as Azimuth, which presented The Tall Building, her comedy of urban ennui, in 2009. "I find the more I work in this industry, the more I get specific about who I want to work with," she says. "Finding your collaborators and your language, and then really going in deeply to what you do. You can be more specific, bold. More vulnerable, basically, and you have more trust." As for the western elements: the style was one Connell had grown up loving. Her intuitive knowledge of its pulp-conceits proved an ideal framework for the script's more personal ideas. "A western is a classic storytelling genre for the male hero myth," she says. "I wanted to turn that on its head and write a hero myth for girls. I wanted to give voice to only women, and see what that was."
April 9 – May 1/16 NOMINATED FOR 5 TONY AWARDS FINALIST FOR PULITZER PRIZE FOR DRAMA BY
JON ROBIN BAITZ DIRECTED BY BRENDA BAZINET
Polly and Lyman Wyeth, wealthy and politically connected Republicans, are hosting their family for Christmas at their Palm Springs home. Estranged daughter Brooke rejoins the family after a six year absence to announce she’s about to publish a memoir that will reveal a dark family secret. Let the battle begin. AGES 15+
Get your tickets now! 780.425.1820 citadeltheatre.com TICKETS START AT JUST
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ARTS 13
ARTS WEEKLY
EMAIL YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO: LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM FAX: 780.426.2889 DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 3PM
Dance Archival BAM (Beings & Matter) • Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St • mzdsociety@ gmail.com • Featuring choreography by Gerry Morita in collaboration with sound artist Parker Thiessen and scenographer Patrick Arès-Pilon, exploring notions of hoarding and immediacy • Apr 15-17, Apr 22-24; 8pm (Fri-Sat), 2pm (Sun) • $25 (public), $20 (MZD members)
Contemporary Technique Dance Classes • GWDC Studio Space, 11205-107 Ave • 780.802.6867 • info@goodwomendance.ca • goodwomen.ca/classes • Contemporary technique dance instruction • Every Tue, Thu-Fri in Apr, 1011:30am • $100 (10 class pack), $65 (5 class pack), $15 (drop-in)
Evolution • Timms Centre for the Arts - Main Stage, 112 St, University of Alberta • citieballet.ca • Presented by Citie Ballet. Featuring Tierra and brand new performances by two emerging young Canadian choreographers • Apr 15-17 • $20-$40
Flamenco Dance Classes (Beginner or Advanced) • Dance Code Studio, 10575-115 St NW #204 • 780.349.4843 • judithgarcia07@gmail. com • Every Sun, 11:30am-12:30pm
Love fail • Studio 96, 10909-96 St • 780.802.6867 • goodwomen.ca • Presented by Good Women Dance Collective. A co-production with Pro Coro Canada and New Music Edmonton • Apr 15-17, 7:30pm; Apr 16, 2:30pm (matinee)
MZD Mainstage: Bam (beings and Matter) • Mile Zero Dance Company, Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St • 780.424.1573 • milezerodance.com • Exploring notions of hoarding and immediacy • Apr 15-17, Apr 22-24, 8pm • $15 (MZD members), $20 (non-members)
Nova Blues - Fusion night • Shanti Yoga Studio, 10026-102 St • novablues.com • Move to the Blues and other musical styles. A social dance. Shoes not permitted (guest must bring socks) • Apr 22, 9:15pm (beginner lesson), 10pm (dance) • $8-$12 (sliding scale)
Sacred Circle Dance • Riverdale Hall, 9231-100 Ave • Dances are taught to a variety of songs and music. No partner required • Every Wed, 7-9pm • $10
Sugar Foot Ballroom • 10545-81 Ave • 587.786.6554 • sugarswing.com • Friday Night Stomp!: Swing and party music dance social every Fri; beginner lesson starts at 8pm. All ages and levels welcome. Occasional live music–check web; $10, $2 (lesson with entry) • Swing Dance Social every Sat; beginner lesson starts at 8pm. All ages and levels welcome. Occasional live music–check the Sugar Swing website for info • $10, $2 lesson with entry
What's cooking • PCL Theatre, Art Barns • 780.802.6867 • goodwomen.ca • Presented by Good Women Dance Collective • Apr 24, 12-9pm
FILM Ancient Greece at the Movies Film Series • Tory Breezeway 1, University of Alberta • kelly.macfarlane@ualberta.ca • Featuring the film Black Orpheus in Portugese with English subtitles and a pre-show talk by university staff • Apr 3-17, 2-5pm
Cinema at the Centre • Stanley Milner Library Theatre, bsmt, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.496.7070 • Film screening every Wed, 6:30pm • Free • Schedule: Meet the Patels (Apr 20), Turbo Kid (Apr 27) fava film fest • 9722-102 St • 780.429.3636 • fava.ca • A week-long celebration of our members work. The Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta celebrates the 5th annual FAVA FEST with screenings by local and international filmmakers • Apr 11-16
From Books to Film • Stanley A. Milner, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.496.7000 • epl.ca • Films adapted from books every Fri afternoon at 2pm • Schedule: Slender Thread (Apr 15), To Sir, With Love (Apr 22), In the Heat of the Night (Apr 29)
metro • Metro at the Garneau Theatre, 8712-109 St • 780.425.9212 • Quentinssential: The Hateful Eight (Apr 14) • Reel Family Cinema: Best of NY International Children’s Film Festival – Kids Flix 1 (Apr 16), Stuart Little (Apr 23) • Turkey Shoot: Victor Frankenstein (Apr 21, 9:30pm)
14 ARTS
Saturday Documentary Screenings •
15
Earth's General Store Downtown, 10150-104 St • michael@egs.ca • earthsgeneralstore.eventbrite.com • Screenings of documentaries with subjects such as: climate change, animal welfare, plant based diets, and much more. Attendees will then discuss the film • Every Sat, 7-9pm • Free (register at EventBrite)
Literary
Jake's Gallery and Framing • 10441-123
10th ANNUAL EVENING OF POETRY •
galLeries + Museums ACUA Gallery & Artisan Boutique • 9534-87 St • 780.488.8558 • info@acuarts.ca • acuarts.ca • Youth Night Out; Apr 9-23, 6-8pm; $40
A.J. Ottewell Community Centre • 590 Broadmoor Blvd • 780.449.4443 • artstrathcona. com • Art Society Spring Show & Sale; Apr 15-17; Opening reception: Apr 15, 7-9pm
St • 780.426.4649 • jake@jakesframing.ca • The Great Outdoors Indoors: artwork by Jason Blower; Apr 11-Apr 30
Jeff Allen Art Gallery (JAAG) • Strathcona Place Senior Centre, 10831 University Ave, 109 St, 78 Ave • 780.433.5807 • seniorcentre.org • A Fiesta of Colour: artwork by Maura McGarrigle and Joyce Bjerke; Mar 31-Apr 27 Lando Gallery • 103, 10310-124 St • 780.990.1161 • landogallery.com • Lando Gallery April Group Selling Exhibition; until Apr 29 • Spring Gallery Walk: various artists; Apr 16-17
Latitude 53 • 10242-106 St • 780.423.5353 •
ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY • 10186-106 St • 780.488.6611 • albertacraft.ab.ca • Discovery Gallery: Inventing Narratives: artwork by Corinne Cowell; Mar 26-Apr 30 • Discovery Gallery: Get a Handle on It: artwork by Mynthia McDaniel; Mar 26-Apr 30 • Feature Gallery: #ABCRAFT: artists using digital technologies; Apr 2-Jul 2
Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) • 2 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.422.6223 • youraga.ca • The Blur in Between: artwork by an international roster of artists from Chile, the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, as well as Canada; Jan 23-May 8 • The Flood: artwork by Sean Caulfield; Feb 6-Aug 14 • Out of the Woods: artwork by Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven; Feb 13-Apr 17 • 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc; Mar 5-Jul 3 • Little Cree Women (Sisters, Secrets & Stories): artwork by Brittney Bear Hat & Richelle Bear Hat; Mar 5-Jul 3 • A Parallel Excavation: artwork by Duane Linklater & Tanya Lukin Linklater; Apr 30-Sep 18 • The Unvarnished Truth: Exploring the Material History of Painting; Apr 30-Sep 18 • Curator’s Walkthrough: The Blur In Between (Apr 20, 7pm) • Open Studio Adult Drop-In: Wed, 7-9pm; $18/$16 (AGA member) • All Day Sundays: Art activities for all ages; Activities, 12-4pm; Tour; 2pm • Late Night Wednesdays: Every Wed, 6-9pm • Art for Lunch: 3rd Thu of the month, 12:10-12:50pm; Schedule: 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc (Apr 21) • VIBE: The gallery is transformed into a laid-back lounge with Vibe, a pop-up live music showcase; Apr 15, May 6, Jun 17, Jul 15, Aug 19; 5-9pm
latitude53.org • War. 11: portraits by Taras Polataiko; Mar 24-Apr 30 • The Reflex: artwork by Paul Bernhardt, Mar 24-Apr 30
MacEwan University City Centre Campus • Room 7-266 • amatejko@telusplanet. net • Pre-Suburbia, Utopian Desires: Photography by Jason Symington; Mar 30-Jun 24
Perron St, St Albert • 780.460.4310 • artgalleryofstalbert.ca • Overburden: artwork by Jessica Plattner; Mar 3-Apr 30 • Art Ventures: Wonderful Weaving (Apr 16), 1-4pm; drop-in art program for children ages 6-12; $6/$5.40 (Arts & Heritage member) • Ageless Art: Encaustic painting (Apr 21), 1-3pm; for mature adults; $15/$13.50 (Arts & Heritage member) • Preschool Picasso: Whimsical weaving (Apr 16); for 3-5 yrs; pre-register; $10/$9 (Arts & Heritage member)
Bear Claw Gallery • 10403-124 St • 780.482.1204 • info@bearclawgallery.com • bearclawgallery.com • Artwork by Maxine Noel; Apr 16-28
Bleeding Heart Art Space • 9132-118 Ave • dave@bleedingheartartspace.com • Sweet Jesus: artwork by Borys Tarasenko; Mar 19-Apr 30 BUGERA MATHESON GALLERY • 10345-124 St • bugeramathesongallery.com • Revelations: artwork by Jim Visser; Apr 8-21
Cafe Blackbird • 9640-142 St • 780.451.8890 • cafeblackbird.ca • Artwork by Odette Lackey; Through Apr Creative Practices Institute • 10149122 St, 780.863.4040 • creativepracticesinstitute. com • A House is a Home: Artwork by Emily Geen; Mar 9-Apr 16
dc3 Art Projects • 10567-111 St • 780.686.4211 • dc3artprojects.com • Three Minute Miracle: artwork by Amalie Atkins Mar 10-Apr 16 • All Things to All Men (and Women): artwork by Cindy Baker; Mar 10-Apr 16 • Don’t Breathe, Don’t Drink: artwork by Ruth Cuthand; Mar 17-Apr 16
Drawing Room • 10253-97 St • 780.760.7284 • admin@drawingroomedmonton.com • Photography Workshop With David Hernandez; Apr 16-17; $40 (one day), $80 (both days)
front gallery • 12323-104 Ave •
Gallery at Milner • Stanley A. Milner Library Main Fl, Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.944.5383 • epl.ca/art-gallery • Marks of Meaning: artworks by Bonnie Patton; Through Apr • Display cases and cubes: Quiet Moments: Wood carvings by Crystal Dreidger; through Apr
Edmonton Poetry Festival • Various
5 St Anne Street, St Albert • MuseeHeritage.ca • 780.459.1528 • museum@artsandheritage.ca • The True Cost of Oil: Canada’s Oil Sands and the Last Great Forest: A photographic exhibition by Garth Lenz; Feb 4-Apr 17
Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts • 9225-118 Ave • 780.474.7611 • volunteer@thenina. ca • Centre for Autism Services Alberta - Art Show & Sale; Apr 4-14
Paint Spot • 10032-81 Ave • 780.432.0240 • paintspot.ca • Naess Gallery: Mountain walks, paintings by Marla Schole • Artisan Nook: Finding frames & framing finds, upcycled artworks by Gail Rydman • Both exhibitions run Apr 7-May 19
Peter Robertson Gallery • 12304 Jasper Ave • 780.455.7479 • probertsongallery.com • The point is...: artwork by Alice Teichert; Apr 15-May 1 Roper Road • PAA@gov.ab.ca • 780.427.1750 • culture.alberta.ca/paa/eventsandexhibits/default.aspx • Marlena Wyman: Illuminating the Diary of Alda Dale Randall; Feb 2-Aug 20
Royal Alexandra Hospital Gallery • 10240 Kingsway Ave • Community: artwork by various artists; Mar 28-May 9
sNAP Gallery • Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists, 10123-121 St • 780.423.1492 • snapartists.com • Ingrid Ledent; Feb 3-Apr 14
SPRUCE GROVE ART GALLERY • 35-5 Ave, Spruce Grove • 780.962.0664 • alliedartscouncil. com • Featured Gallery: At Water’s Edge: artwork by Joyce Boyer; Mar 22-Apr 16 Strathcona County Museum & Archives • 913 Ash St, Sherwood Park • strathconacountymuseum.ca • Making Their Mark: the Land Surveyor's Role in the Peaceful and Orderly Development of Alberta; Jan 4-Apr 30
Telus World of Science • 11211-142 St • telusworldofscienceedmonton.com • Free-$117.95 • The International Exhibition Of Sherlock Holmes; Mar 25-Sep 5 U of A Museums Galleries at Enterprise square • Main floor, 10230 Jasper Ave • Open: Thu-Fri, 12-6pm, Sat 12-4pm • China through the Lens of John Thomson (1868-1872): photos by John Thomson; Mar 18-Jul 31 • The Mactaggart Art Collection: Beyond the Lens: artwork by John Thomson; Mar 18-Jul 31 • Show Me Something I Don't Know: images, photographs and travelogues created by John Thomson; Mar 18-Jul 31
VAA Gallery • 3rd Fl, 10215-112 St • visualartsalberta.com • Draw More Income: A mail-art exhibition by snail mail, email and fax where artists complete a drawing or artwork on a template that include an ornate frame and the words "draw more income"; Mar 3-May 28
West End Gallery • 10337-124 St • 780.488.4892 • westendgalleryltd.com • This Urban Life: artwork by Fraser Brinsmead; Apr 9-21 • Joanne Gauthier; Apr 23-May 5 Women's Art Museum of Canada • La
Harcourt House Gallery • 3 Fl, 10215-112 St • 780.426.4180 • harcourthouse.ab.ca • Dead Record Office: artwork by Audint; Mar 10-Apr 15 • Bed Linens: artwork by Sara Mckarney; Mar 10-Apr
Creative Connections • Strathcona County
Musée Héritage Museum • St Albert Place,
St Albert • 780.460.5990 • vasa-art.com • Femme Noir: by Larissa Hauk and Marina Alekseeva; Mar 22-Apr 29
Gallery@501 • 501 Festival Ave, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8585 • strathcona.ca/artgallery • Members Show & Sale; Apr 1-May 1
780.423.3487 • audreys.ca • Karen Bass "The Hill" Book Launch; Apr 14, 7pm • Emma Pivato "Murder On Highway 2" Book Launch; Apr 15, 7pm • Anniversary Event at Edmonton Poetry Festival 2016; Apr 17, 4pm • Lorna Schultz Nicholson "Born With: Erika and Gianni" Book Launch; Apr 18, 7pm • Glass Buffalo: That Becomes You - Edmonton Poetry Festival; Apr 21, 5:30pm • The Café Readings Edmonton Poetry Festival; Apr 24, 1:30-4:30pm • Walter Hildebrandt "Documentaries" Book Launch; Apr 28, 7pm
Stony Plain • multicentre.org • hiraeth: artwork by Gillian Willans; Apr 3-29
VASA Gallery • 25 Sir Winston Churchill Ave,
thefrontgallery.com • Inner Perceptions, Outer Reflections: artwork by Blake Ward; Apr 2-19
Audreys Books • 10702 Jasper Ave •
Library, 401 Festival Lane, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8600 • sclibrary.ca • Writer in Residence Marty Chan to learn all about the perks and pitfalls of indie publishing • Apr 14, 7-9pm • Free (register online sclibrary.ca, or 780.410.8600)
Multicultural Centre Public Art Gallery (MCPAG)–Stony Plain • 5411-51 St,
Provincial Archives of Alberta • 8555
Art Gallery Of St Albert (AGSA) • 19
Strathcona County Library, 401 Festival Lane, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8600 • sclibrary.ca • Metro Federation Writer in Residence Marty Chan will join a host of Alberta poets for an evening celebration, including an open mic session for those who want to share their own works. Wine & cheese will be served • Apr 23, 7-9pm • $5 (pre-register online or by phone; pick tickets up at the door) • 18+ only
Cité Francophone 2nd Pavillon, #200, 8627 Rue Marie-Anne-Gaboury (91 St) • 780.803.2016 • info@wamsoc.ca • wamsoc.ca • Bookmarks: variety show; Apr 2-May 14
venues, varying prices (many free events) • edmontonpoetryfestival.com • Celebrating poetry in all its forms and showcasing local, national and international poets • Apr 17-24 • Sponsored by Vue Weekly
Edmonton Resilience Festival • Boyle Street Plaza, 9538-103A Ave • edmontonresiliencefestival.com • Consisting of hands-on practical workshops, guided conversation cafés and a fair showcasing the work of community organizations called the Community Connections Fair. Also featuring family friendly activities indoors and outdoors and film screenings • Apr 29-May 1 • Tickets available at edmontonresiliencefestival.com
Edmonton Story Slam • Mercury Room,10575-114 St • edmontonstoryslam.com • facebook.com/mercuryroomyeg • Great stories, interesting company, fabulous atmosphere • 3rd Wed each month • 7pm (sign-up); 7:30pm • $5 Donation to winner FAITH ERIN HICKS In-Store Signing • Happy Harbor Comics, 10729-104 Ave • happyharborcomics.com • Canadian comics creator Faith Erin Hicks will be showing off her new graphic novel, The Nameless City: Book 1, and signing copies • Apr 20, 11:30am-2pm
Presentation Skills Workshop • Strathcona County Library, 401 Festival Lane, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8600 • sclibrary.ca • Metro Federation Writer in Residence Marty Chan as he spills his secret techniques for turning a book reading into a lively performance. Guests must bring a five minute excerpt to work on • Apr 18, 7-8:30pm • Free (register online at sclibrary.ca, or phone 780.410.8600) Rouge Lounge • 10111-117 St • 780.902.5900 • Spoken Word Tuesdays: Weekly spoken word night presented by the Breath In Poetry Collective (BIP); info: E: breathinpoetry@gmail.com
Scrambled YEG • Brittany's Lounge, 10225-97 St • 780.497.0011 • Open Genre Variety Stage: artists from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue-Fri, 5-8pm THIS IS YEG: New Plays for a Changing City • La Cite Francophone, 8627-91 St • workshopwest.org • Writers will share works based on their connecting guests to personal stories with real people, and exploring YEG in ways they've never experienced before • Apr 22-24
Upper Crust Café • 10909-86 Ave • 780.422.8174 • strollofpoets.com • The Poets’ Haven Reading Series: Most Mon (except holidays), 7pm, Sep-Mar; presented by the Stroll of Poets Society • $5 (door)
Theatre 11 O'Clock Number • The Backstage Theatre, 10330-84 Ave (North Side of the ATB Financial Arts Barns) • grindstonetheatre.ca • 90 minutes of improvised entertainment that unveils scenes, songs and choreographed numbers completely off the cuff based on audience suggestions • Every Fri, starting Sep 25-Jun 25, 11pm • $15 (online, at the door)
Chimprov • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828-101A Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Rapid Fire Theatre’s longform comedy show: improv formats, intricate narratives, and one-act plays • Every Sat, 10pm • $12 (door or buy in adv at TIX on the Square) • Until Jun
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) • Basement Theatre at Holy Trinity, 10037-83 Ave • Actors
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
attempt to perform all 37 of William Shakespeare's plays in 90 minutes • Apr 19-23
Die-Nasty • The Backstage Theatre at the ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330-83 Ave • communications@varsconatheatre.com • die-nasty.com • Live improvised soap opera • Runs every Mon, 7:30-9:30pm • Until May 30 • $14 or $9 with a $30 membership; at the door (cash) or at tixonthesquare. com glengarry glen ross • Walterdale Theatre, 10322-83 Ave • 780.439.3058 • walterdaletheatre. com • Glengarry Glen Ross is David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about desperate men in a real-estate office. Using unethical and illegal acts to sell bad properties to unsuspecting buyers, the men compete to be top salesman or risk losing their jobs. Unfortunately, much of the play resonates today as it did in the early '80s. Desperation and the hunt for the mighty dollar keep this play relevant in the most uncomfortable ways • Apr 6-16 • Sponsored by Vue Weekly
Gordon • C103, 8529 Gateway Blvd • theatrenetwork.ca • A scheming delinquent breaks into the home of his father. Gordon has dreams of a building a criminal empire, but Gord is determined to set his son on the right path at last • Apr 26-May 15 hair • Mayfield Dinner Theatre, 16615-109 Ave • 780.483.4051 • mayfieldtheatre.ca • Set in an East Village park in the age of Aquarius, when sex and drugs were used as vehicles to evade reality, Hair is the musical story of a group of hippies who celebrate peace and love—and their long-hair—in the shadow of the Vietnam War • Apr 12-Jun 12 Hey, Pretty Woman! • Phase II West Edmonton Mall, 8882-170 St • jubilations.ca • A spoof on the hugely popular movie released in 1990 • Apr 15-Jun 12 Mary Stuart • Jubilee Auditorium, 11455-87 Ave • 780.429.1000 • edmontonopera.com • Sparks fly in this historical fiction set in the Tudor era as Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, face off in a desperate love triangle • Apr 16, Apr 19, Apr 21; 10pm • Tickets start at $40 Murder at the Howard Johnson's • St. Albert Theatre Troupe, 47 Riel Drive, St. Albert • 780.222.0102 • stalberttheatre.com • All is fair in love....and murder, in this dark-ish comedy by Sam Bobrick and Ron Clark. It's two against one, three different ways, and nobody's very good at it • Apr 28-May 14 • Dinner theatre: $55 (adult), $50 (senior)
Other Desert Cities • Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Ave • 780.425.1820 • citadeltheatre.com • A searing comedy drama about the reunion of an elite Republican family in California. All unravels over the daughter's determination to publish a memoir of family secrets. Nominated for five Tony Awards and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize • Apr 9-May 1
Rent • ATB Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave • The telling of a group of struggling artists trying to survive and create in New York’s gritty Alphabet City in 19891990 • Apr 18-23
Supine Cobbler • The Backstage Theatre, 10330-84 Ave • The Cobbler is an outlaw. A genius, but an outlaw just the same. She meets the Doctor for a procedure at high noon, accompanied by her apprentice (a turncoat), her estranged sister (dead by hanging), and her former best friend (missing, presumed dead). Together they negotiate integrity in a lawless world • Apr 14-23 • $20-$35
TheatreSports • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828-101A Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Improv • Every Fri, 7:30pm and 10pm • Sep-Jun • $12/$10 (member) at TIX on the Square Three on a Seesaw • Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Lower Hall 10037-84 Ave • Three very different men arrive in the same room, all for very different reasons. They find themselves trapped together for the night with bizarre, irrational, almost miraculous incidents happening all around them. As the night wears on, they find themselves confronted with questions about mortality, God, and the meaning of life • Apr 13, Apr 15-17, 7:30pm (second performance on Apr 16, 2pm) • $12-$18 (at the door and Tix on the Square)
Under Cover • La Cité francophone, 8627 Rue Marie-Anne Gaboury (91 St) • On the surface, Ella is just like any other girl wandering the halls of a Canadian High School. Although she has immigrant parents, she was raised to embrace western values. But when Ella makes the decision to wear a hijab after a life changing summer with her grandmother overseas, suddenly her religion is front and centre • Apr 29-Apr 30, 7:30pm (1pm on Apr 29, 2pm on Apr 30) • $19 (adults), $16 (seniors/students) & paywhat-you-can (Apr 30, 2pm performance) • Available at Tix on the Square or by cash at the door
West Side Story • Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Ave • 780.425.1820 • citadeltheatre.com • Inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is one of the greatest musicals of the 20th century—a love story set on opposite sides of a turf war between rival street gangs • Apr 23-May 22
REVUE // GRAPHIC NOVELS
POP
POP EDITOR : PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
O
ur tour guide through Ruins is a monarch butterfly, fluttering its orange-winged way from Eastern Canada in the species' autumnal odyssey to Mexico. And the relationship of New Yorkers Samantha and George, bound for Oaxaca on her sabbatical year, seems stuck in a larval stage—or anti-larval stage, since George is unwilling to have a child. But Peter Kuper's book, while often arresting artistically (especially those butterfly interludes, its dream sequences and its lettering), doesn't quite soar as story. Both Samantha and George are hung up in their own cocoons: the tragedy of a past relationship that she's trying to write a memoir about; his recent loss of his job as an insect-illustrator. Amid the barricades of a present-day teachers' strike and the historic ruins of the Zapotec civilization, their own relationship crumbles more and more. But Kuper cuts against that sense of decline with his crayon-like colours and distinctive dialogue balloons: bluish and fluffy for the dreamier, cigarette-puffing Samantha; blockish and black-and-white for the hard-headed George; jagged and in an inline-style font for George's pal Al, a former photojournalist; sheafs of paper and a tidy little serif font for an English bookstore owner. The opening flits through a dream drenched with struggle and trepidation; a foldout reveals
POPCULTURE HAPPENINGS Faith Erin Hicks In-Store Signing / Wed, Apr 20 (11:30 am – 2 pm) She’s an acclaimed comics creator, best known for her web comics and graphic novels such as Friends with Boys. She’s won multiple awards for her works and has several new comics on the horizon. Did I mention she’s Canadian? She is, and she’s visiting Edmonton to show off her brand-new graphic novel, The Nameless City: Book 1. Guests will be able to meet Hicks and get a copy of the book signed. (Happy Harbor)
Now available Ruins By Peter Kuper SelfMadeHero, 328 pp, $35.95 the glory of a butterfly reserve, its trees dripping with Danaus plexippus; how the final, wordless pages wend their way eloquently through characters' lives. Samantha's memoir, though, can be cringingly bald and earnest in its prose ("The girl you were in your 20s when you arrived in Mexico had a spirit you'd almost forgotten ever existed"). Even the butterfly episodes can be remarkably unsubtle—the monarch alights on a Florida fruitworker, whose cap reads "Monsanto" and who's instantly berated by a cigarchomping, fedora-wearing, biggutted boss. The couple's relationship is too defined by cold remove; there's a sketching, stand-offish feel to the story, too. Kuper (bestknown for doing MAD Magazine's Spy vs Spy since 1997) does net much of the colour, riotousness and raggedness of everyday Mexican life, though. It's not the visiting gringos here but Oaxaca's native inhabitants—insect or human— that capture the imagination. BRIAN GIBSON
BRIAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
HEATHER SKINNER SKINNER@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Spring Community Clothing Swap / Sat, Apr 23 (Noon – 5 pm) It’s officially springtime, which means going through the closet and deciding which pieces of clothing need to go. Closets will be decluttered thanks to the return of Variant Edition’s community clothing swap, where attendees can bring items they no longer want—or need—and help others who want to nab something awesome. If you can’t get rid of some of your items, Variant will be donating all leftover clothing to Inclusion Alberta. (Variant Edition, free)
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
POP 15
REVUE // DRAMA
FILM
FILM EDITOR : PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Fri, Apr 15 – Tue, Apr 19 Cemetery of Splendour Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul Metro Cinema at the Garneau
Past and present meld together in the visionary Cemetery of Splendour
I
n the village of Khon Kaen there is a school that was once a cemetery and has recently been converted into a makeshift military hospital. In this hospital are rows of beds occupied by dormant soldiers, all of them afflicted with a mysterious sleeping sickness. Looming over these soldiers are strange devices shaped like canes or modern streetlamps that glow in a range of otherworldly colours. These
ASPECTRATIO
devices are said to have been used by the US military in Afghanistan to aid in the cultivation of happy dreams to offset the traumas of combat. The spectral luminosity of these devices will come to permeate the palate of the otherwise earthy tranquility and natural light of Cemetery of Splendour. A film of characteristic gentleness, inspired mischief and fecund imagination, the exquisite Cemetery
is the most overtly political film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the writer-director behind Tropical Malady and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. The film's implicit commentary on Thailand's brutal oppressive regimes both past and present might be lost, at least in part, on Western audiences, yet its elegant manner of collapsing of time and space and its many scenes of curious
JOSEF BRAUN // JOSEF@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Woefully unknown
Losing Ground a charming and complex film about adult relationships As we navigate this period of renewed conversation concerning diversity in movies, we would do well to educate ourselves about a woefully littleknown figure named Kathleen Collins. Collins was a playwright, professor
and filmmaker whose remarkable Losing Ground (1982) was the first feature helmed by an African-American woman and a touchstone in the independent movement of the 1980s. The significance of Collins' achievement is
tremendous, not to mention tragic: Collins died at age 46 in 1988, abbreviating what would surely have been a marvelous career. But I hesitate to recommend Losing Ground on account of the precedents it set, because this is
human connection easily transcend the limits of our knowledge of Thai history or politics. Jen (Jenjira Pongpas Widner), an older woman who once attended the school where the hospital is now operating, volunteers to tend to Itt (Banlop Lomnoi), one of the sleeping soldiers who has no one to visit him. Jen befriends Keng (Jarinpattra Rueangram), a young psychic whose services are solicited by the families of the soldiers searching
as immensely charming and complex a film about adult relationships as you're likely to find in any category. The film was never given a proper theatrical release and was in danger of being forgotten. Happily, it's been given its DVD and blu-ray world première thanks to the laudable efforts of Milestone Films Both a breezy dialectic inquiry into conflicting values and a doubleportrait of a middle-aged Manhattan couple at a crossroads, Losing Ground introduces us to Sara (Seret Scott), an academic with a gift for stimulating the minds—and arousing the libidos—of her students, and Sara's husband Victor (Bill Gunn), a painter. Victor makes a sale to a major museum, an event that prompts him to secure a summer home in upstate New York and shift from abstract to figurative painting. Wandering the town near his luxurious rental, Victor finds himself rejuvenated by the discoveries he makes, chief among them an irresistible young Puerto Rican named Celia (Maritza Rivera), who becomes the subject of both his painterly gaze and carnal desires. Sara, meanwhile, wants to focus on an ambitious research project on ecstasy. Yet as Sara comes to feel increasingly distant from Victor, she finds herself drawn into an endearingly goofy experimental student film project inspired by the folktale of Frankie and Johnny, in which Sara plays alongside the ruggedly flamboyant Duke (Duane Jones, best remembered for his lead role in Night of the Living Dead). Collins realizes her smart, resonant material with the lightest of touches,
16 FILM
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
for solace. Eventually, perhaps due to the application of the eerie dream devices, some of the soldiers wake up, and Jen is able to communicate directly with Itt, who seems able to travel in sleep to the distant past. In Cemetery's most wondrous sequence, however, Itt speaks to Jen indirectly, through Keng, taking Jen on a tour of what was once a regal palace but is now simply an overgrown ruin. Itt is now a kind of captive in this palace, unable to escape the sleeping sickness and thus trapped in a dream-state where past and present form a palimpsest. (Though during one of his wakeful spells, he and Jen go to a movie.) At the climax of this sequence Keng administers an act of kindness to Jen, who has a painful physical disability. This act of kindness is rather peculiar to describe in words, and I would rather you see it for yourself, but I want to tell you that it is one of the most moving gestures I've seen in any film in quite some time. A haunting, visionary work, balancing tremendous tenderness with quiet rage at governing powers seeking to silence dissent and bury great swathes of history, I urge you to pay a visit to this Cemetery.
JOSEF BRAUN
JOSEF@VUEWEEKLY.COM
her camera highly responsive to subtleties of behaviour and sun-dappled environments. Though Sara relies heavily on her intellect to contend with her marital dilemma, body language is crucial to Collins' understanding of character, most obviously in the playful use of dance in the film-within-the-film. Living spaces are richly indicative of relationship dynamics, particularly in the couple's Manhattan apartment, overwhelmed by Victor's paintings, a place to which Sara seems forced to conform. Clothes also offer fascinating contrast: Sara's buttonedup, almost Victorian work attire versus Victor's sexy-lazy shagginess, or the diaphanous scanty costumes Sara will adopt for her acting gig. All these elements speak to Collins' rigorous conception of the ways her characters assume roles dictated by gender, race and class. Sara, for one, seems to epitomize confidence as a respected black female professional, yet her status is complicated by Victor's sense of sexual and creative entitlement as a successful black male artist. I can think of very few films that take on the more problematic side of black masculinity with the level of sensitivity that Collins displays here. (Though watching this aspect of Losing Ground at play makes me want to revisit John Singleton's Baby Boy.) Losing Ground is so easy to watch you could nearly forget how brilliantly layered it is. Thankfully, Milestone's bounty of supplemental interviews, commentary and other extras serve as excellent, informative reminders. See this movie. V
PREVUE // BALLOONS
OUTDOORS
Floating among the clouds Hot air balloons are the oldest form of aviation and a bucket-list staple
H
umans have been floating around in balloons for a really long time. Hot air balloons were the first form of human aviation, actually: the first manned flight was in France back in 1783. In the 20th century, RE/MAX balloons became a ubiquitous sight dotting the skylines of cities across North America. Indeed, RE/MAX contracts are a major source of work for many balloon pilots and ground crews (colloquially known in the business as balloon chasers).
INFORMATION/REGISTRATION, VISIT KIDNEY.AB.CA | FIND US ON FACEBOOK 18 GREAT OUTDOORS
That's how pilot Gary Fehr spent his early career: he started on a ground crew in Calgary in 1995, got his pilot licence in 1997 and worked in Saskatchewan and Manitoba for a few years before returning home to Red Deer, buying his own balloon, and starting his own company: Airristocrat Balloon Rides. "From my perspective, it's been fairly steady as far as passenger rides go," Fehr says, noting that he averages between 60 and 70 per year. "What has been in a decline, though, is the number of people who are actually operating balloons. The regulations have changed; they've gotten a lot more stringent, so as with any type of thing where the government gets more and more involved, it becomes more costly. A lot of the people who started out in the '70s and '80s, they're starting to lose their medical [insurance coverage] now, and there's not as many people picking up the sport." A lot of his passengers are there to check an item off their bucket list,
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
Air-ristocrat Balloon Rides 403.302.7167 gary@air-ristocrat.com air-ristocrat.com Fehr explains, often in conjunction with celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions. He's also had 34 marriage proposals in his basket over the years—plus another one directed at himself from a fellow on the ground when he was flying in a competition a few years ago—and all of them have said yes. (Except his own proposal, which he declined.) "Generally the guy will talk to me ahead of time and say, 'OK this is what I'm planning.' I tell him, 'Well buddy, make sure she's going to say yes before you do this, because if she says no, there's no place to go,'" he says with a chuckle. Hot air balloons are very safe for one major reason: they only fly in good weather. CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 >>
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VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
GREAT OUTDOORS 19
FLOATING AMONG THE CLOUDS
OUTDOORS
<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18
"If it's not good, we go back to bed," Fehr says, explaining that he's flown thousands of passengers and has never injured anyone. "As an aircraft, we're federally regulated, and we have to be inspected and [have] all the same type of process that jumbo jets have to go through. We're obviously not the same scale, but we have to follow the same rules." Balloons can also fly year-round, even in winter. Fehr notes that winter flying is actually quite nice: most flights are just after sunrise as the air mass is most stable then, so you don't have to get up nearly as early in the winter as you do in the summer—the air mass is generally more stable in winter anyway. Sometimes there are also temperature inversions in which the air at 1000 feet (the average height Fehr tends to fly at) can be quite a bit warmer than on the surface. Vertical control is very fine in a balloon: Fehr can control his balloon's height within inches, and often takes passengers close enough to the tops of trees to "bushwhack" and pluck some leaves as they pass by. You are at the mercy of the winds as far as horizontal direction goes, hence the need for a ground crew to follow along underneath to the eventual landing site—which can't be fully determined before going up, but can be predicted by sending up a small helium balloon to check the upper winds prior to taking flight. Balloon rides aren't cheap: Fehr
20 GREAT OUTDOORS
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
charges $250 per person, and notes that he's on the lower end of the average pricing scale. But it's expensive to operate a balloon, plus it's not something that most people are likely doing very often, if ever more than once. There's really no true comparison, though, Fehr explains. He likens the experience to being somewhat like a boat on on a lake, where you can see and hear for miles in any direction—only, you know, way up in the sky. And for those who say they are too afraid of heights to ride in a hot air balloon? "If you can fly in a plane then you're not afraid of heights—you're afraid of falling," Fehr says. "There's a big difference between the two. I hate going up on step ladders, but I have no problem at all being in a balloon at 11 000 feet. There's no sensation of looking over the side of a building; there's no vertigo; we don't go through any turbulence, so we're not bouncing around up and down up there or anything like that. It's very stable. "A lot of people will say that it feels like you're sitting still and the world is turning underneath you, because when you're going with the wind, it doesn't matter how fast you're going, you don't feel a breeze," he continues. "So there's really very little sensation of moving."
MEL PRIESTLEY
MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
Let nature take its course.
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GREAT OUTDOORS 21
OUTDOORS PREVUE // AXE THROWING
Go huck a hatchet
Axe Hole offers a unique outdoor opportunity within the city limits
R
ochelle King had never thrown an axe before November. Now it's quite literally her job. King's an assistant manager at Axe Hole, which offers a different sort of night out to anyone interested in outdoor activities, but less interested having to leave the city limits. Located west of Kingsway Mall, it's a place to learn how to throw a variety of axes in a variety of ways, basically taking one of outdoor camping's most sacred rites and placing it in an indoor (and, uh, much safer) facility. King was hunting for jobs, and she found herself intrigued at the opportunity: "I always look for jobs that are out
of the ordinary," she notes. "Axe Hole definitely fit into one of those types of positions. I've found a good fit here." Open since September, the bulk of Axe Hole's clientele, she notes, is split between the curious, couples on date nights, and parties—bachelor/bachelorette parties and birthdays. There's even the occasional team-building outing— though Axe Hole has a mobile unit, too, which King notes is available to be rented out for barbecues and family gatherings. The appeal, as King sees it, is at least partially in the rarity of the opportunity. "I think people come in just because it is one of those unique activities, some-
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Axe Hole 11614 - 119 St 780.982.6500 axehole.ca thing they haven't done before," she says. "So to get that new experience. And we definitely have people come in [because] it's a stress release: if you've had a bad day at work, they would come in to get a little bit of that stress out, and they go home and they're relaxed. There's multiple purposes." One of those purposes is friendly competition: Axe Hole facilitates a league of its own, an eight-week cycle for those who have already honed their axetossing skills to test 'em out in friendly ranking. "There's people that have never thrown axes before, to people who have been doing it for years," she says of the league. "It's an awesome group of people. It's not one of those things where people get hyper-competitive and get angry. They're all really encouraging and just generally really nice people who are doing it. "There's more than I'd think you'd expect that do have some experience," she continues, of the people showing up at Axe Hole. "That have been doing it for years, whether it's in their backyard, or when they're out doing other recreational activities. The most common thing that we hear is that people have done it when they're out camping; it's a little bit different when it's a competitive sport. There aren't too many ... but they seem to be coming out of the woodwork as they find out about us." PAUL BLINOV
PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
22 GREAT OUTDOORS
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OUTDOOR INSIDER
STAY TUNED FOR THE RESULTS COMING OUT ON MAY 5
JASMINE SALAZAR // JASMINE@VUEWEEKLY.COM
A NEW WAY TO CLIMB
Take hiking to a new level—700 meters above the town of Banff—with Mount Norquay's Via Ferrata (Italian for "iron road"). The attraction, the first and only one of its kind in a Canadian national park, uses an anchoring system of cables, ladders and a suspension bridge to get you to the top of the mountain. The climb isn't as bad as it sounds—the Banff website says no experience is needed and compares it to climbing a series of ladder steps—and various routes are available with different time lengths. Prices start at $199 a person. All routes are led by a ACMG Certified Guide. Visit summer.banffnorquay.com/climbing-routes/ to learn more.
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REVELSTOKE UNVEILS PIPE MOUNTAIN COASTER
Revelstoke Mountain Resort is taking advantage of the early summer season with the grand opening of the Pipe Mountain Coaster on May 21. The new attraction will take you on a scenic, single-track roller-coaster ride of the Columbia Valley with 1.4 kilometres of twists and turns and a 279-metre vertical drop. You can control the speed, meaning it can be either a leisurely cruise or a fast rip through the mountains. The ride will be open on the weekends only from May 21 until June 25, when it switches to a daily operating schedule until September 5. Individual or tandem rides with small children are available. A single ride will cost you $19, or you can do an unlimited single-day ride pass for $50. Visit revelstokemountainresort. com for more information.
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Want to fly like an eagle? Well, you can experience flying like a bird with the help of the instructors at Muller Windsports. Muller Windsports, located in Cochrane, AB, offers lessons in paragliding, hang gliding and kite handling. All the equipment you need is provided during the lessons. Introductory classes have already begun for the season, so visit mullerwindsports.com to get gliding.
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HEAD TO THE CAVES
If you're feeling adventurous, try caving. Canmore Caverns offers two introductory cave tours near Canmore: the Adventure Cave Tour ($155) is the longest trek the company offers (six hours) by having cavers rappel 18 metres inside the cave. The Explorer Tour ($125) is shorter in comparison (four-and-a-half hours) and without the 18-metre drop. Visit canmorecavetours.com for more information.
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ADVENTURE IN THE CITY
Want to start an outdoor adventure, but don't know where to start? Try joining the Edmonton Outdoor Club. The group organizes monthly outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, biking, caving and canoeing at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Oh, and it's free to join. Learn more at edmontonoutdoorclub.com EARLY TENNIS SEASON
Due to the warm weather conditions and lack of snow, the City of Edmonton has opened four tennis courts available for use with a reservation. Tennis courts at Coronation Park, Forest Heights Park, Rundle Park and Strathcona (Southside Athletic Grounds) are all functional, with remaining courts opening throughout the month as they get cleaned. Tennis court rates are $8.45 for adults per hour. Visit edmonton.ca for more information and to book your court online. V
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GREAT OUTDOORS 23
I s ssue p i r T d a The Ro s on May 12th o n new
d n a t s s
HOT SUMMER 24 GREAT OUTDOORS
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
!
FILM an Al-Shabaab member, in the crosshairs. And when a mini-drone whirs stealthily into the compound to reveal bomb-jackets being donned for a suicide-mission, the "kill-chain" grinds into motion. In a red-carpeted chamber in London, Lt General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman, in his penultimate role) presses his political overseers—ministers and the attorney general—for the go-ahead; Nevada-based pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul), looking down on the Kenyan compound via a drone armed with two Hellfires, awaits the order.
REVUE // DRAMA
Eye in the Sky "The other said, 'Indeed, I have seen myself carrying upon my head [some] bread, from which the birds were eating. Inform us of [this dream's] interpretation; indeed, we see you to be [one] of those who do good.'" — The Quran, 12:36
Now playing Directed by Gavin Hood
E
ye in the Sky begins with bread, but it doesn't come like manna from heaven. Heaven will bring Hellfire, a missile targeting Al-Shabaab terrorists gathered in a Nairobi compound. Next door lives Alia (Aisha Takow), a young Muslim girl who sells
Director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition) eerily surveils and sharply crosscuts us into a state of sheer dread-and-suspense, while writer Guy Hibbert (Omagh) wends us through a maze of risk-assessment (Collateral Damage Estimates, offering percentage-chances of civilian fatalities), political buckpassing, legal hand-wringing and
moral trepidation. (It's hard to show you're moved when you can't move much, but Paul expertly channels his experience as Jesse, so wracked with concern for young Brock in Breaking Bad.) There are blips: two stereotypically gung-ho American officials; Watts and Gershon losing their coldly professional detachment too easily; a preciously ironic parallel (Benson's purchasing a doll for his granddaughter). And there's the incense-whiff of democracy being romanticized as a system so nobly soul-searching and conscience-scouring in its concern for the fate of one innocent child. But still, Eye in the Sky, air plotting, street sweeping, and home invading, chillingly and intricately maps the murky terrain of today's remotewarfare, where lives become data points and video images, edited out of existence on-screen.
BRIAN GIBSON
BRIAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
bread from a street-corner table on the other side of the compound wall. Steely, hard-nosed Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren), heading a UK-based operation with US cooperation, finally has her target, an English national radicalized into
REVUE // COMEDY
The Boss
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME FRI, MON–THUR 7:00PM & 9:15PM SAT–SUN 1:15PM, 3:30PM, 7:00PM & 9:15PM RATED: 14A, CL, SEXUAL CONTENT, SUBSTANCE ABUSE
FRI, APR. 15–THUR, APR. 21
EYE IN THE SKY FRI, MON–THUR 6:45PM & 9:00PM SAT–SUN 6:45PM, 9:00PM RATED: CL, V, NRFYC
THE LADY IN THE VAN SAT–SUN 1:00PM RATED: P.G., NRFYC
APR 14 - APR 21
PRESENTS
W
ith its "here's-how-you-makemoney!" mogul acting like a redheaded tri-corp merger of Robbins, Stewart and Trump, The Boss swaggers and bulls through a few pratfalls and chuckles, slips in its childish efforts at crass comedy, slumps in its let's-be-a-family sentiment and market-crashes with its moronic capitalist message for grrrl$. Chicago's Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) grew up in an orphanage because she was rejected by foster homes—leading her to be assholy in her self-reliance and spurn any sense of family. A hugely popular financial guru and business titan, she's locked up six months for insider trading, thanks to jilted ex-lover and rival Renault (Peter Dinklage). When Michelle gets out, she has only former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell) to turn to. But soon,
sniffing success with Claire's brownies—selling them through a Girl Guides-like organization—she starts to rebuild her empire. Not nearly as unfunny and slumming as McCarthy and husband Ben Falcone's previous collaboration, Tammy (2014), The Boss has its moments—usually of potential wasted or stretched beyond their breaking-point: tumbles are less amusing the third time around, a bra-wearing talk involves too much cupping and clucking and there's a swordfight that becomes tedious. There's some stupid crassness, too: tween girls crotch-punching or swearing (this is the kind of comedy where kids are cheaply used, either for shock-value or sentimental cuteness); repeating "bitch" or "suck his dick" as if that will suddenly perk up the comedy's adult-ness.
Now playing Directed by Ben Falcone The real immaturity here, though, lies in the caricature of Miss Capitalism herself. Unable to script-doctor Darnell into an even remotely nuanced figure (predictable plot-turn after predictable plot-turn leaves her a self-interested jerk; only the brash boss-lady's outfits are subtly comical), The Boss doesn't just endorse Michelle's rejection of the Dandelions as a community girls' organization plagued by well-meaning milquetoasts, it promotes her selfish, profiteering brownies-selling scheme as female empowerment, simply because it will generate money for girls' college funds. It's happy ever after™, American Dream-Queen-style.
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BRIAN GIBSON
BRIAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
FILM 25
FILM PREVUE // FILM FEST Tue, Apr 19 & Fri, Apr 22 Full schedule at fava.ca
FAVA Fest
'E
arlier in the summer, there was a short film where they needed a car rollover from inside the car, with the camera inside the car and manned," Larry Kelly recalls. Figuring out how, exactly, one does that is Kelly's stock in trade. In that case, it was with a custom camerarig that not only simulated the rollover, but allowed for resets: "I think we got six takes out of it that night," he says. Kelly's a grip in the film industry, which is one of those job titles you probably recognize from ending credits but find the actual job description unfamiliar. Grips are among the unsung on set: making sure the gear's all set in its proper place, that lights are adjusted, that shots, like the aforementioned rollover, are planned and executed as envisioned. It's a job Kelly effectively fell into— back in 2007, he was coaching archery, and volunteered to make an instructional video; along the way to that, he took some FAVA classes, and just kept going. Now he's started his own business, Transform Grip Gear Ltd, developing new products for the film industry, and has been expanding his skill set along the way. "I really like now to not only do the grip work, but start specializing in some of the in-camera special effects," he says. "Some of the in-camera effects like rain and wind and some of the stonework, that type of thing. Building custom rigs for cameras. I do a lot of different things now."
Kelly's one of two recipients of an Outstanding Achievement Awards at this year's FAVA Fest. The festival—the Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta's fifthannual celebration of northern Alberta's film community—offers a chance to take in some acclaimed locally made filmwork. Tuesday sees a toast to the Outstanding Achievement winners, as well as a burgers and beer mixer. Friday brings the gala: screenings of collected shorts, a filmmaking challenge (being presented in conjunction with Northwestfest) and a series of cash awards, presented at a red-carpet-style event, with a fest-capping performance by local roots-eclectics the Hearts. FAVA usually awards a lone Outstanding Achievement per year, but in addition to Kelly, filmmaker Eva Colmers is a 2016 recipient. Just back from New Mexico, where her 2.57k was screening at the Taos Shortz Film Fest—"They were a little bit surprised that a Canadian filmmaker had a sand film," she laughs—she notes her gratitude for the acknowledgment. "It's an incredible affirmation," she recalls. "[The awards] hopefully set a tone, or an example, to others, to people who might be at a beginning stage of that journey into film. It shows that, if you just walk forward, you can arrive somewhere. Larry and I have arrived somewhere within our community. Only when you stop and look back, you realize, 'Oh, wow, I've done 15 short films [and] three documentaries. It's adding up."
PAUL BLINOV
// Aaron Pedersen
PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
REVUE // DRAMA
Rams
T
he rural Iceland setting of this alluring import is vast and otherworldly, while its story is stark and intimate. Gummi (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) and Kiddi (Theodór Júlíusson) are elderly brothers and neighbours who have not spoken to each other in some four decades. Their bilious animosity is regularly stoked by their participation in their
26 FILM
Fri, Apr 15 – Mon, Apr 18 Directed by Grímur Hákonarson Metro Cinema at the Garneau
community's annual sheep show. Disconsolate and feeling vengeful after having lost the top prize to Kiddi, Gummi starts a rumour of cataclysmic consequence that just happens to be true: Kiddi's triumphant sheep has scrapie, a highly contagious, degenerative, ultimately fatal disease. So as to prevent an epidemic, the local authorities demand that every
sheep in the valley be slaughtered. This spells disaster for every sheep farmer in the region, most especially Gummi and Kiddi, bachelors whose every exchange of love and affection seems limited to what they share with their beloved herds. Yet it's the brothers' mutual resistance to the decree that may finally call a truce to their longstanding feud.
Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes last year, writer-director Grímur Hákonarson's absorbing, frequently very funny second feature feels at once extracted from myth and anchored in the everyday. Rams is highlighted by its sense of place, irreverent humour and affinity for human-animal relations; by its refreshing dearth of dialogue and ex-
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
position, its trust in inventive visual storytelling to relay all essential information; by its spare but evocative use of light and terrain; by its beautifully measured doling out of plot; and, above all, by the superb leads. Veteran actors Sigurjónsson and Júlíusson deliver comically vulnerable, fully lived-in performances, conveying a persuasive sense of shared history and longstanding fraternal enmity—it is Rams' two-legged antagonists, to be sure, that are locking horns here. Theirs is a primal struggle, wisely left unspecified—all the better to activate our imaginations. Metro Cinema is only screening Rams for a few days. I don't mean to suggest that you're sheep-like in your moviegoing choices, but I would very much like to herd you toward the Garneau for this limited run.
JOSEF BRAUN
JOSEF@VUEWEEKLY.COM
PREVUE // HIP HOP
MUSIC
VUEWEEKLY.com/music MUSIC EDITOR: MEAGHAN BAXTER MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: BROOKE WATSON RELEASES DEBUT EP AND JAMES HOFER DISCUSSES HIS LATEST PROJECT, VIVA NON
A Night of Hip Hop and RnB offers stage time to a variety of voices keep going. It's about every time you fall down, you pick yourself up and support people." It's through her work there that Not Enough Fest reached out, and A Night of Hip Hop and RnB came to be. "I had this idea: I wanted to not be a performer, but be a supporter, and kind of a producer," Tzadeka says, noting that Not Enough Fest helped her touch base with a diverse mix of artists, as well as find practical details like firming up a venue. "I'm really happy to have the partnership help with those logistical pieces. ... I certainly don't know all of the female artists in the city, but we reached out, and together we have a really good mix."
Angel, one of the MCs performing in A Night of Hip Hop and RnB // Amber Bracken
'I
've been on the hip-hop scene for about 10 years in this city— I always want to see where all the ladies are at," Tzadeka, an MC, says, sitting in Churchill Square. "People ask me, 'Where are all the ladies in hip hop?' It's a question I've been asking myself." Sure enough: if you scan through
most rap shows around town, the female representation is decidedly lacking—and definitely not in keeping with the number of female MCs present in town. And in response to that, Tzadeka's made her own attempts to create spaces and opportunities: she's run showcases in the past, and runs a femcypher through
iHuman, where female and femaleidentified youth can have a space to learn and practice their skills. "We put on instrumentals and just pass [the mic] around," she says. "The idea is whoever wants to takes the mic; you go for as long as you can or want. Sometimes you're on fire, and sometimes you suck so hard, and you
And so A Night of Hip Hop and RnB is just that: a mix of eight new and seasoned performers, sharing a stage that flows between its title-styles as well as some spoken word. The bill includes Angel, a young MC who attends the femcypher, and who's noticed many of the same things Tzadeka has. She's also seen how thrilling it can be when genre shows achieve more of a gender balance. "When women come up to the mic, rarely is it your typical hip-hop rap—It's hip hop with a message," Angel says, sitting beside Tzadeka, who nods her agreement. "When you have that female safe-space, you're
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getting women that would sometimes never speak up, that would never say anything. Whether it's in the femcypher, or the show that's coming up, you're getting women that now have that confidence to go in front of a group of people, and say some things that maybe no one else has heard before." They both acknowledge that a shift is starting to take place: more and more women are picking up mics and finding opportunities to showcase their talents, something they're hoping to continue to cultivate and participate in, offering more opportunites to a greater mix of voices on bills like this one. "Think there's more awareness around including women," Tzadeka says. "What I want to really help to develop is the sense of community: when there's only a couple ladies on the scene, you can fall into this competitive cycle. And I really want to encourage collaboration, and building each other up, and creating this really safe, supportive space." PAUL BLINOV
PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
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Horizon Stage Up Close & Personal: David Myles Apr 15
2016 Edmonton Poetry Festival Apr 17−24
Arden Theatre Professional Series: Matthew & Jill Barber The Family Album Apr 16
Northern Light Theatre presents: Wish By Humphrey Bower Apr 29–May 7
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
MUSIC 27
MUSIC PREVUE // FOLK
Matthew Barber & Jill Barber S
iblings Matthew and Jill Barber have carved out professional musical careers for themselves despite not growing up in a particularly musical family (neither of their parents play instruments). In fact, their respective careers almost ended in their infancy at the hands of a 90-year-old piano teacher. Jill recalls taking piano lessons with Matthew from an "ancient" music teacher while growing up in Port Credit, ON. Bogged down by the scales and theory, they both quit. But their interest in music was re-invigorated when Matthew got a guitar for Christmas one year in his late teens. Jill, who "worshipped" her older brother, had him teach her a couple chords. Soon after, Matthew encouraged her to get into songwriting. Fast forward 20 years, and the two share a combined 14 albums and three Juno nominations between each of their solo careers. On April 1, Jill and Matthew added a 15th record to the mix—aptly named The Family Album, their first joint record. After being formative in each other's musical careers, Matthew says that working on a fulllength album together at some point was inevitable. "We were each other's first audience for our new songs when we were teenagers," Jill adds. "This project has been
Fri, Apr 15 & Sat, Apr 16 (7:30 pm) Arden Theatre, $40
such a nice return to that." The album allows the two to return to their singer-songwriter folk roots— a shift that's especially pronounced for Jill, who has established a jazz persuasion in her most recent releases. The Family Album, Matthew says, characterizes the Barber family's photo album, both in content and esthetic. Not only do some of the songs reflect the literal story of the Barber clan ("Grandpa Joe" speaks of their paternal grandfather, and "Big Picture Window" narrates settling down and starting a family), but the album also seeks to embody the warm, nostalgic feeling of flipping through a photo album. The 11-song record includes six cover tracks such as Leonard Cohen's version of "The Partisan" and Neil Young's "Comes a Time," bathed in delicate acoustics and sepia-toned harmonies from the siblings. Making an album and embarking on a cross-country tour affords Jill and Matthew an opportunity most adult siblings don't get, especially when they live on opposite sides of the country (Jill in Vancouver and Matthew in Toronto). But despite the physical distance between them, The Family Album illustrates that—all clichés aside—some familial bonds are indeed unbreakable.
"My hope that this record captures some of the warmth and the complexity that comes with family," Jill says. "Maybe it'll inspire people to pick up the phone and call their brothers and sisters."
KATE BLACK
KATE@VUEWEEKLY.COM
PREVUE // DAD PUNK
The Fuzz Kings
'I
guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna to love it." So says Back to the Future's Marty McFly, after launching into some pseudo-Halen guitar licks at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance and kicking over his amplifier. It's a scene that sent a wave of kids rushing to the guitar store, but it means something a little different to Dave "Fat
28 MUSIC
Dave" Johnston, vocalist/guitarist of the Fuzz Kings. "We play a lot of funny rooms," Johnston explains. "The rock 'n' roll rooms but also the small-town neighbourhood bars with the regulars just kind of staring at you, and sometimes they don't know how to deal with live music. They don't really clap between songs, so you'll finish a song feeling great and look around the room and
you're just being stared at. So our drummer would always quietly say, 'Well, your kids are gonna love it.'" For its new album, Your Kids Are Gonna Love It, the band turned up the amps and reconnected with their punk-rock roots. It wasn't anything deliberate, Johnston explains—things just kind of went that way. "We didn't even really set out to make a record," Johnston says. "For a
couple years we would do this thing where we would play as many instore shows as we could on Record Store Day. It's a good time to break in new songs and kind of get road-tight all in one day. The next day we'd setup and then record everything, and that's kind of how this collection of eight songs happened." The artwork for Your Kids Are Gonna Love It will be familiar to anyone with knowledge of Western Canada's punk scene over the years, as the Fuzz Kings were able to wrangle the talents of Tom Bagley to custom-illustrate a portrait of the band on stage. "I was always a huge fan of his band [Forbidden Dimension] and a huge fan of the artwork—Chixdiggit, Huevos Rancheros, Forbidden Dimension, obviously—all these bands that kind of embodied what Canadian punk rock can be, and is," Johnston says. "And I'd love to be associated with that in any way possible, so we became Internet pals after we'd played together, and I pitched it to him and he was like, 'Sure, I'll draw a cover for you.' And I had the best day ever after that." Edmonton is home for the Fuzz Kings, and the city provides the setting for many of the band's lyrics. It's name-checked in the first few lines of
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
Fri, Apr 15 (8 pm) With Kimberley MacGregor & Her Handsome Band, Debutant Bellevue Community League, $10
the opener "Never Too Late (To Be Too Late)" ("My heart's at home in Edmonton"), and tracks like "The Black Dog Bathroom Wall" serve to drive the point home. "I've always really liked songs where names and places are dropped in—it personalizes it a little bit," Johnston explains. "You hear something like '53rd & 3rd' [by the Ramones] or '9th and Hennepin' [by Tom Waits] and it sets a time and a place. You're telling a story, essentially, so it's cool to be able to do that with Edmonton. The flipside is that for a while it seemed like a lot of bands and a lot of musicians were doing everything they possibly could do to leave. I spent some time trying to get out of here too, but then I became a dad and I had to decide to love this town. And I'm proud of the fact I live here. Proud of the fact that I was born here, I'm still here, and I make music here with some world-class players. And it's awesome."
JAMES STEWART
JAMES@VUEWEEKLY.COM
PREVUE // SINGER-SONGWRITER
Sat, Apr 16 (8 pm) With the Archaics, Bud Frasier and the Electric Razors The Needle, $15 in advance, $20 at the door this one allude to how my family has coped since then," she says. "But [it's] all the different, strange variations on the vast concept that is love." This sense of adoration is particularly prevalent in the video for the first single from the album, "What If/I Wish," which captures a collection of Thomas's friends engaged in various pursuits, whether it be dance, music, makeup artistry, visual art, yoga or fixing motorcycles. "Having kicked around Edmonton for 25 years, it's cool to me how I'm constantly influenced by friends or artists in the community who encourage or inspire me directly or indirectly," she explains of the concept. "The sentiment behind the song is more or less just that feeling of fuelling people forward with their life's work, so the universal desire to commit to something greater before time runs out."
Cayley Thomas
'I
t's not really deep-fried in any particular style," says Cayley Thomas with a soft laugh. The local singer-songwriter, who released her striking debut EP, Ash Mountains, back in 2013, is discussing her upcoming full-length record, Weird Love. The album, which sees its official release this weekend, has been several years in the making, its genesis forming through a multitude of voice memos Thomas collected on her phone. Some of these were recorded closer to home—driving down the QEII, for example—while others were captured during the six months she spent travelling around Southeast Asia.
"This new album is a big, vast treasurehunt of experiences: the things I saw, the music I heard, the people I got to know, it's all in there," she says. "Going on tour and seeing different places [is] also super cool, but it was really neat to kind of just cut loose for a little bit and just go and experience some different cultures and meet people from all over. I was super inspired the whole time." Thomas acknowledges that a shorter writing process likely would have narrowed the scope of the record, but there's a noticeable old-school vibe that permeates throughout—she describes it as "vintage pop for modern
audiences." There's nods to venerable jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald, a dash of Blondie and even some psychedelic '60s pop, influences that stem as much from Thomas's own music tastes as they do the use of vintage equipment during the recording process. "I think for me, growing up listening to show tunes and a lot of jazz-standard-y stuff, truly I think that's kind of melodically been engrained in my mind," she explains. "If the songs come out that way I can honestly say that's not really so much of a choice as it is what I hear, and what my ear naturally goes to. But I also think certain songs kind
of survive the test of time for a reason, and I guess I can only hope for the same for the stuff that I do. But I make music because I enjoy it, and if people like it that's definitely a bonus." And while Weird Love is a sonically varied collection of tunes, Thomas realized, after listening back, that most of her lyrics focused on love—but not necessarily the romantic kind so ubiquitous in music. In her case, the focus of the song could be a friend or a sibling. "For people that know me it's pretty common knowledge at this point that several of the songs on [Ash Mountains] were written after my brother passed away, and definitely songs off
To that end, Thomas's creative pursuits extend beyond music as well. She graduated with a BFA in acting from the University of Alberta in 2013 and will be taking on the iconic role of Juliet in Freewill Shakespeare's production of Romeo and Juliet this summer. Music is her primary focus, but she notes that it's important to keep her acting chops up to par, and the benefits of performing in each environment are not mutually exclusive. "It's all kind of storytelling: when I'm acting I'm generally telling someone else's story, and when I'm singing my tunes I'm telling my own story," she says. "But performing, generally speaking, I think the more tools you have in the tool kit the better, because you need a bit more to draw on when you're standing in front of a large group of people."
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MUSIC PREVUE // ROOTS-POP
Sweet Alibi C
hoosing to embark on a career as a touring musician can no doubt lead to exciting opportunities, but it also means having to leave behind loved ones and the prospect of a "normal" life—which makes it all the more important to have a positive support system along for the ride. Winnipeg-based roots-pop trio Sweet Alibi has worked to cultivate that since the band began touring together in 2009. "You learn a lot about each other's personal lives and how we grow," says vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Amber Rose during a tour stop in Beaverlodge, BC. "Jessica [Rae Ayre]'s been sober for four years, I've gone through a big death in my life and a lot of personal changes, and Michelle [Anderson] I think has just had some struggles on the road in the earlier years, just being away from family." She laughs that spending an inordinate amount of time with your bandmates quickly teaches you which buttons not to push—or to push, if the person needs it in order to get back on track. Communication is key, she
says, as well as remaining cognizant of each other's needs and being able to openly discuss anything that needs to be addressed. With that in mind, the trio wanted to capture a sense of caring on its new album, Walking In the Dark, released late last year. The introspective, thoughtful album encompasses themes of love, loss and maintaining important relationships even when time and distance doesn't make it easy to keep in touch. "We really wanted to make the theme of [this album] just a caring theme: that we really care about our friends and family and that we're doing this to spread a message about happiness and change," says Rose, who wrote the title track following the death of her mother. "Change can be really good and scary, and life and death is just a part of our lives. There's things you're going to go through that are really hard, but as long as you stick together you can get through it." Missing out on birthdays and wed-
Sat, Apr 16 (8:30 pm) Blue Chair Cafe
dings is admittedly hard—on both sides of the equation—but Rose notes that the band's friends and families remain supportive and recognize how important this is to them, particularly as the group gains momentum. The harmony-filled single, "Middle Ground" is currently on CBC Radio 2's Top 20 countdown, for example, and Sweet Alibi is playing to larger and larger audiences. "'Middle Ground' is a song Jessica wrote about trying to find the balance in life with touring and family," Rose says. "And I guess coming from her heavy drinking before and being sober for four years she's starting to learn, finding that middle ground. She's always saying stuff like, 'If you can find that balance, then the lows aren't so low and the highs aren't too high.'" MEAGHAN BAXTER
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t's nearly impossible to be in a bad mood while listening to Vancouver's Bear Mountain. Charming swirls of electronica, samba, R&B and pop brightly ensure there will be no stillness to be had while listening, which is just what the band intended when it set out to create its debut album, XO, in 2013. "During the making of the first album, I was just finished university, I was working a job I hated and living with my parents," vocalist and bassist Ian Bevis recalls. "I always looked forward to going home and spending hours working on music just for fun. It came from a place of pure enjoyment without a lot of overthinking. It went a lot further than we expected it to." In the three years since Bear Mountain's inaugural release, the band's stepped back to rework its creation
process in order to simplify and stop overthinking This was an important step for Bear Mountain; being a new group and seeing success came as a bit of a shock. Working on the new record, which is due out sometime this summer, was a chance for the band to learn how to let go of expectations. "We realized we didn't need to repeat what we did," Bevis explains. "We don't need to write songs for the radio. This doesn't need to be anything. It just needs to be what we want to make. It just needs to be real and come from us. It was a huge relief once we just let go of any expectations. We were just like, 'Fuck it.'" Bear Mountain was originally a solo project, but what Bevis was doing caught the ear of fellow student Kyle Statham, who added a guitar to the
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
// Beau Partlow
Fri, Apr 15 (8 pm) With Viking Fell Starlite Room, $20 lineup. Bevis' twin brother, Greg, then followed with live drums and Kenji Rodriguez joined as their creative director. Unwinding from their time at SXSW, the group tries to keep it light on the road, visiting hot springs and doing some sightseeing whenever possible. At home in Vancouver, Bevis loves to begin his day with yoga. "I practice at One Yoga, but I do ashtanga mostly," he says. "At least half of the primary series every morning. It's super important. You just take that hour and prime yourself to feel good for the rest of the day."
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The Decoys
"We're a little older, kind of wiser," he laughs. "I think our vision is becoming a bit more clear: we added in some influences that maybe weren't as obvious before. We love folk music and we love old country music, and psychedelic music, and I feel we put a lot of that together on this album. It's definitely the clearest shot of our music at this point, and I imagine as we go we'll kind of get more and more focused."
'A
s a musician especially, you should never feel like you're at some sort of peak," says Matt Stanley, vocalist and guitarist for Kamloops-based rock group the Decoys. "I think Eric Clapton is probably still learning things about the guitar that he didn't know or playing in new ways." Indeed, artistic or technical growth is a requirement to make headway in creative endeavours, and the band doesn't appear to shy away from
that prospect—particularly in light of shuffling lineups transformed the Decoys from a four-piece to a trio and landed Stanley on double duty as rhythm and lead guitarist. "I used to have a band a long time ago when I was in high school, and we were a trio, so when I was learning how to play I had to do the same thing," he says. "It meant changing the way I envisioned the group originally, as far as my position in it as a singer, songwriter, rhythm guitarist,
because sometimes back in the old days I would just sing and not play guitar at all on certain songs." The Decoys—which formed in 2008 as support for Stanley's solo EP—has embraced the idea of growth on its new album In Our Blood, the follow-up to the band's 2011 debut, Stripped, Bare, And On Display. The recording process took place during a state of flux in the band's membership, with only Stanley and drummer Sean Poissant
present on the recording—session musicians were brought in to cover bass and lead guitar at the time, and Stanley notes the band works with different bassists while on tour, though he'd like to see the position permanently filled at some point. Despite this lack of consistency in the band, Stanley feels In Our Blood is a record that showcases an improvement in the Decoys' songwriting, as well as finding its own style within a breadth of sonic influences.
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It's an eclectic mix, but a listener certainly wouldn't be able to accuse the Decoys of being repetitive. In Our Blood opens with the rock stomper "Don't Hesitate" before switching gears to some folk-roots twang on the title track, for example. But while there's an often-juxtaposed melodic quality to the album, the songs are tied together through lyrics reflecting on relatable topics about everyday life. "I feel like the themes are fairly universal, but it's definitely pretty personal to us, and kind of for Sean and I especially as far as what our lives are like right now—which is in sort of disarray at times, just being a musician in the 21st century or trying to make it your career," Stanley explains. "If you take the step to wanting to make it your career there's a lot of sacrifice that comes with that, and trying to live a normal life can be quite the task. You've got to kind of keep tough, but it's about going out there and trying to get it. 'Don't Hesitate' on the album is basically about that: it's about not waiting around for luck to walk through the door. It's about going out there and getting it, or trying to get it, so taking a chance and a leap of faith."
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32 MUSIC
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Open Mic Night hosted by Adam Holm; Every Mon SIDELINERS PUB Singer/
Songwriter Monday Night Open Stage; Hosted by Celeigh Cardinal; Every Mon (except long weekends), 8:30-11:30pm; Free
No cover L.B.'S PUB Tue Variety Night
FILTHY MCNASTY'S Mother Cluckin’ Wednesdays GAS PUMP Karaoke;
Open stage with Darrell Barr; 7-11pm; No charge
9:30pm
NEEDLE VINYL TAVERN
KRUSH ULTRALOUNGE
Early: Happy Hour featuring HighFields; 5:30pm • Later: Big Dreamer Jam featuring Sean Brewerand Mariel Buckley; 8pm
Karaoke Kraziness with host Ryan Kasteel; 8pm-2am
NEW WEST HOTEL Silverado;
9pm O’BYRNE’S Guinness Celtic
jam every Tue; 9:30pm SHAKERS ROADHOUSE
NEEDLE VINYL TAVERN
Happy Hour featuring Matthew Hornell; 5:30pm NEW WEST HOTEL Silverado;
9pm PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic Bluegrass
STARLITE ROOM Kalmah with Vesperia & Trollband & Mongol; 7pm (door); $24; 18+ only
jam presented by the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society; Guests and newcomers always welcome; every Wed, 7pm; $2 (donation, per person), free coffee available
YARDBIRD SUITE Tuesday
THE PROVINCIAL PUB
Crazy Dave's Rock & Roll Renegade Jam; 7:30pm
Session: The Fusionauts; 7:30pm (door)/8pm (show); $5
Classical JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Maria
Classical
Stuarda; 7:30pm Runs Apr 16, 19, 21
CONCORDIA–ROBERT TEGLER STUDENT CENTRE
DJs
Karaoke Wednesday RED PIANO BAR Wed Night
REXALL PLACE Rihanna: Anti World Tour 2016; 7:30pm; $30-$430 ROSSDALE HALL Little
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE
Flower Open Stage since 1998; 8-11pm (door); no cover/donations
Main Floor: Eddie Lunchpail
SHAKERS ROADHOUSE
Classical
Swing Dance Party: Sugar Swing Dance Club every Sat, 8-12; no experience or partner needed, beginner lesson followed by social dance; sugarswing.com
OLD STRATHCONA PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
DJs
Cosmopolitan Music Society with Tuesday Band and Jazz Big Band; 2:30pm; $25 (adv)
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main
with DJ Blue Jay - mod, brit pop, new wave, British rock
ON THE ROCKS Turn't Up
Wailin' Wednesday Jam with hosts Wang Dang Doodle (variety); Every Wed, 7:3011:30pm; All ages
Tuesday
TAVERN ON WHYTE Karaoke;
TAVERN ON WHYTE Soul,
DJs
TAVERN ON WHYTE Classic
WED APR 20
TILTED KILT PUB AND EATERY
THE ALMANAC Jonathan
Live music Wednesday's; Every Wed
Motown, Funk, R&B and more with DJs Ben and Mitch; every Sat; 9pm-2am Y AFTERHOURS Release
Saturdays
SUN APR 17 BLUE CHAIR CAFE Brunch
- Jim Findlay trio; 9am2:30pm; Cover by donation BLUES ON WHYTE Ann
Vriend; 9pm BRIXX BAR Make Them Suf-
fer with guests Submerge, Stranger Danger, Bomb Squad Rookie; 8pm (door), 9pm (show); $15 (contact Starlite Room) DANCE CODE STUDIO
Flamenco Guitar Classes; Every Sun, 11:30am12:30pm
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Soul Sundays with DJ
Floor: Blue Jay’s Messy Nest
Hip hop with DJ Creeazn every Mon; 9pm-2am
Zyppy ~ A fantastic voyage through 60’s and 70’s funk, soul & R&B; Every Sun
TUE APR 19
MON APR 18
BRITTANY'S LOUNGE
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Wooftop: Metal Mondays
with Metal Phil from CJSR's Heavy Metal Lunchbox BLUES ON WHYTE Troy
Turner; 9pm THE BUCKINGHAM Rockin' 4 Dollars (alternative/folk/ other/pop/rock); 9pm; $3 (door) FIDDLER'S ROOST Open
Stage; 7-11pm FILTHY MCNASTY'S Classic
BLUES ON WHYTE Troy
Turner; 9pm Scrambled YEG: Open Genre Variety Stage: artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every TueFri, 5-8pm FIDDLER'S ROOST Fiddle
Jam Circle; 7:30-11:30pm FILTHY MCNASTY'S Filthy
Bingo! Tuesdays GAS PUMP Karaoke;
9:30pm KELLY'S PUB Open Stage:
Rock Monday
featuring host Naomi Carmack and guest; 9pm;
CAFÉ HAVEN 9 Sioux Rd, Sherwood Park, 780.417.5523, cafehaven.ca CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK 99, 23349 Wye Rd, Sherwood Park CARROT COFFEEHOUSE 9351118 Ave, 780.471.1580 CASINO EDMONTON 7055 Argylll Rd, 780.463.9467 CASINO YELLOWHEAD 12464153 St, 780.424 9467 CASK AND BARREL 10041104 St; 780.498.1224, thecaskandbarrel.ca CENTRAL SENIOR LIONS CENTRE 11113-113 St CENTURY CASINO 13103 Fort Rd, 780.643.4000 CHA ISLAND TEA CO 10332-81 Ave, 780.757.2482 CHVRCH OF JOHN 10260-103 St, 780.884.8994, thechvrchofjohn. com COMMON 9910-109 St CONVOCATION HALL Old Arts Building, University of Alberta, music.ualberta.ca DENIZEN HALL 10311-103 Ave, 780.424.8215, thedenizenhall. com DRAFT COUNTRY NIGHT CLUB 12912-50 St NW, 780.371.7272, draftbargrill.com DRUID 11606 Jasper Ave, 780.454.9928 DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY 9013-88 Ave, 780.465.4834 DV8 8130 Gateway Blvd EL CORTEZ 10322-83 Ave NW, elcortezcantina.com EVOLUTION WONDERLOUNGE 10220-103 St NW, 780. 424.0077, yourgaybar.com FESTIVAL PLACE 100 Festival Way, Sherwood Park, 780.449.3378 FIDDLER'S ROOST 7308-76 Ave, 780.439.9788, fiddlersroost.ca
FILTHY MCNASTY’S 10511-82 Ave, 780.916.1557 FIONN MACCOOL'S–DOWNTOWN 10200-102 Ave NW GERMAN CANADIAN CULTURAL CENTRE 8310 Roper Rd NW HILLTOP PUB 8220 106 Ave HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH 10037-84 Ave NW, 780.433.5530, holytrinity.ab.ca HORIZON STAGE 1001 Calahoo Rd, Spruce Grove, 780.962.8995, horizonstage.com HUMMINGBIRD BISTRO CAFE 8336-160 Ave, 780.401.3313, hummingbirdbistro.ca IRISH SPORTS CLUB 12546-126 St, 780.453.2249 J AND R 4003-106 St, 780.436.4403 JUBILEE AUDITORIUM 1145587 Ave NW, 780.427.2760, jubileeauditorium.com KELLY'S PUB 10156-104 St NW, 780.451.8825, kellyspubedmonton.com L.B.’S PUB 23 Akins Dr, St Albert, 780.460.9100 LEAF BAR AND GRILL 9016-132 Ave, 780.757.2121 LIZARD LOUNGE 11827 St. Albert Tr, 780.451.9180, facebook.com/ The-Lizard-Lounge MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH 10086 MacDonald Dr NW, mcdougallunited.com MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET 8101 Gateway Blvd, 780.439.2337 MERCER TAVERN 10363 104 St, 587.521.1911 MERCURY ROOM 10575-114 St MUTTART HALL 10050 Macdonald Dr, 780.633.3725 NAKED CYBERCAFÉ 10303-108 St, 780.425.9730 NEEDLE VINYL TAVERN 10524 Jasper Ave, 780.756.9045,
spins alternative retro and not-so-retro, electronic & euro; Every Tue
Byrd (country/folk) and Corin Raymond; 7pm; $12 (adv), $14 (door) BLUES ON WHYTE Alex
Zayas; 9pm BOHEMIA Hey! listen!, The
Good Goodbyes, and Katie Laine BRITTANY'S LOUNGE
Scrambled YEG: Open Genre Variety Stage: artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every TueFri, 5-8pm DRUID IRISH PUB Karaoke
9pm
MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH UPYC South African
Youth Choir in Concert; 7:30-9:30pm; $25
DJs
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE
DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Wed
Every Wed
theneedle.ca NEWCASTLE PUB 8170-50 St, 780.490.1999 NEW WEST HOTEL 15025-111 Ave NORTH GLENORA HALL 13535109A Ave O’BYRNE’S 10616-82 Ave, 780.414.6766 OLD STRATHCONA PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE 8426 Gateway Boulevard NW O'MAILLES IRISH PUB 104, 398 St Albert Rd, St Albert ON THE ROCKS 11730 Jasper Ave, 780.482.4767 PALACE CASINO 8882-170 St NW, 780.444.2112, palacecasino. com PARKVIEW COMMUNITY HALL 9135-146 St NW PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL 10860-57 Ave THE PROVINCIAL PUB 160, 4211-106 St RED PIANO BAR 1638 Bourbon St, WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.486.7722 RENDEZVOUS 10108-149 St RICHARD'S PUB 12150-161 Ave, 780.457.3118 ROBERTSON-WESLEY UNITED CHURCH 10209-123 St NW ROBERT TEGLER CENTRE Concordia Campus 73 St & 112 Ave ROSEBOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE 10111-117 St, 780.482.5253 ROSE AND CROWN 10235-101 St SANDS INN & SUITES 12340 Fort Rd, sandshoteledmonton.com SHAKERS ROADHOUSE Yellowhead Inn, 15004 Yellowhead Trail SHERLOCK HOLMES–DOWNTOWN 10012-101 A Ave, 780.426.7784, sherlockshospitality.com SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A 8519-112 St, 780.431.0091, sherlockshospitality.com
CONCERTWORKS.CA PRESENTS
KALMAH
APR/23
UBK PRESENTS THE FIRST ANNUAL FULLY FADED
APR/29
UNIONEVENTS.COM PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH
APR/30
STARLITE ROOM PROUDLY PRESENTS
SOLD OUT
ROCKWELL // TRUTH // SKIITOUR SAID THE WHALE SHORT OF ABLE W/ CADENCE & NATHAN
MAY/1
LIVENATION.COM PRESENTS
MAGIC MAN & THE GRISWOLDS W/ GUESTS
MAY/4
THE STARLITE ROOM PROUDLY PRESENTS
ANTI-FLAG W/ GUESTS
THE STARLITE ROOM IS A PRIVATE VENUE FOR OUR MEMBERS AND THEIR GUESTS. IF YOU REQUIRE A MEMBERSHIP YOU CAN PURCHASE ONE AT THE VENUE PRIOR TO / OR AFTER THE DOOR TIMES FOR EACH SHOW.
BILLIARD CLUB Why wait Wednesdays: Wed night party with DJ Alize every Wed; no cover Main Floor: DJ Kevin Martin;
APR/15
VENUEGUIDE 9910 9910B-109 St NW, 780.709.4734, 99ten.ca ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE 8223-104 St, 780.431.0179 THE ALMANAC 10351-82 Ave, 780.760.4567, almanaconwhyte. com ARCADIA BAR 10988-124 St, 780.916.1842, arcadiayeg.com ARDEN THEATRE 5 St Anne St, St Albert, 780.459.1542, stalbert.ca/ experience/arden-theatre ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL 7704 Calgary Trail South, 780.432.4611, atlantictrapandgill.com THE AVIARY 9314-111 Ave, 780.233.3635, facebook.com/ arteryyeg BAILEY THEATRE 5041-50 St, Camrose, 780. 672.5510, baileytheatre.com BELLEVUE COMMUNITY HALL 7308-112 Ave NW BEVERLY HEIGHTS HALL 4209111 Ave NW BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE 1042582 Ave, 780.439.1082 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ 9624-76 Ave, 780.989.2861 BLUES ON WHYTE 10329-82 Ave, 780.439.3981 BOHEMIA 10217-97 St BORDERLINE SPORTS PUB 322682 St, 780.462.1888 BOURBON ROOM 205 Carnegie Dr, St Albert THE BOWER 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.423.425; info@thebower.ca BRITTANY'S LOUNGE 10225-97 St, 780.497.0011 BRIXX BAR 10030-102 St (downstairs), 780.428.1099 THE BUCKINGHAM 10439 82 Ave, 780.761.1002, thebuckingham.ca CAFE BLACKBIRD 9640-142 St NW, 780.451.8890, cafeblackbird.ca
THE STORY SO FAR W/ VESPERIA, TROLLBAND, & MONGOL
Classical
Wednesdays open mic with host Duff Robison; 8pm
APR/19
UNION HALL Yelawolf with
Fefe Dobson: Slumadian Tour; 8pm; $39.50
CONCERTWORKS.CA PRESENTS
W/ COMEBACK KID, & CULTURE ABUSE
Live: hosted by dueling piano players
Choral Mosaic Community Chorus; 7pm
SUGAR FOOT BALLROOM
APR/16
SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM 8882-170 St, 780.444.1752, sherlockshospitality.com SIDELINERS PUB 11018-127 St SMOKEHOUSE BBQ 10810-124 St, 587.521.6328 SNEAKY PETE'S 12315-118 Ave ST. BASIL'S CULTURAL CENTRE 10819-71 Ave NW, 780.434.4288, stbasilschurch. com STUDIO 96 10909-96 St NW SOU KAWAII ZEN LOUNGE 1292397 St, 780.758.5924 STARLITE ROOM 10030-102 St, 780.428.1099 SUGAR FOOT BALLROOM 10545-81 Ave TAVERN ON WHYTE 10507-82 Ave, 780.521.4404 TILTED KILT PUB AND EATERY 17118-90 Ave TIRAMISU 10750-124 St TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 10014-81 Ave NW, 780.433.1604, trinity-lutheran. ab.ca TWIST ULTRA LOUNGE 10324-82 Whyte Ave UNION HALL 6240-99 St NW, 780.702-2582, unionhall.ca UPTOWN FOLK CLUB 7308-76 Ave, 780.436.1554 VEE LOUNGE, APEX CASINO–St Albert 24 Boudreau Rd, St Albert, 780.460.8092, 780.590.1128 VIDA LATIN NIGHT CLUB 10746 Jasper Ave, 780.951.2705 WILD EARTH BAKERY– MILLCREEK 8902-99 St, wildearthbakery.com WINSPEAR CENTRE 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square; 780.28.1414 Y AFTERHOURS 10028-102 St, 780.994.3256, yafterhours.com YARDBIRD SUITE 11 Tommy Banks Way, 780.432.0428 YEG DANCE CLUB 11845 Wayne Gretzky Dr
STARLITE ROOM PRESENTS
BEAR MOUNTAIN W/ GUESTS
PURE ALT 90’S APR/21 REND APR/16
STARLITE ROOM IS PROUD TO PRESENT
W/ ROCOCODE
APR/22
THE FORGE PROUDLY BRINGS TO YOU
MSA’S 7” VINYL SPLIT RELEASE PARTY! W/ PERVCORE, ABUSE OF SUBSTANCE, THE DIRTBAGS
APR/23
STARLITE ROOM IS PROUD TO PRESENT
WHALE AND THE WOLF W/ MAGIK SPELLS, SAVAGE PLAYGROUND
APR/27
THE STARLITE ROOM IS PROUD TO PRESENT
JPNSGRLS W/FINE TIMES & MORE
APR/28
THE FORGE PRESENTS
APR/29
STARLITE ROOM IS PROUD TO PRESENT
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
BENDER
W/ ULTRA MAGNUS & DJ SLAM, DJ WEEZL, ROYCEBIRTH, TOUCH CONFIRMED, J-REDS & WEEZL, BOOSH & THE DIP, FATTY JONES, NIXON DA CROOK, DIRTNAP
JFK’S BIRTHDAY & CHARITY SHOW FUNDRAISER FOR CHILDREN’S TUMOR FOUNDATION UNANNOUNCED SURPRISE LINE UP
MUSIC 33
EVENTS WEEKLY EMAIL YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO: LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM FAX: 780.426.2889 DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 3PM
COMEDY BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE • 10425-82 Ave • Underdog Comedy Show • Every Thu
Chuck Prins on Les Paul Standard guitars; Pink Floydish originals plus great Covers of Classics: some FREE; Twilight Zone Lively Up Yourself Tour (with DJ Cool Breeze); all ages
8135-102 St • nianow.cm/lightwalker • 780.850.2757 • Combo of dance, yoga, martial arts • Every Mon until May 23, 6-7pm • Contact 780.850.2757 for cost and details
DROP-IN D&D • Hexagon Board Game Café,
NORTHERN ALBERTA WOOD CARVERS ASSOCIATION • Duggan Community Hall,
10123 Whyte Ave • 780.757.3105 • info@ thehexcafe.com • thehexcafe.com • An epic adventure featuring a variety of pre-made characters, characters that guests can make on their own, or one that has already been started. Each night will be a single campaign that fits in a larger story arc. For all levels of gamers and those brand new or experienced to D&D • Every Tue, 7pm • $5
EC (INFANT POTTYING) AND POTTY TRAINING SUPPORT MEETING • Lendrum
ment Centre, 34 Ave, Calgary Tr • Fri-Sat: 8:30pm • Bob Beddow; Apr 14-16
Community League Hall, 11335-57 Ave • danielle@godiaperfree.com • facebook.com/ groups/gdfedmonton • For anyone doing EC (elimination communication or infant pottying) or hoping to, or those looking for potty training support • 3rd Wed of every month, 10-11am • Free
COMIC STRIP • Bourbon St, WEM •
EDMONTON OUTDOOR CLUB (EOC)
CENTURY CASINO • 13103 Fort Rd • 780.481.9857 • Open Mic Night: Every Thu; 7:30-9pm
COMEDY FACTORY • Gateway Entertain-
780.483.5999 • Wed-Fri, Sun 7:30pm; Fri-Sat 9:45pm • Battle to the Funny Bone; every Mon at 7:30pm • Triple Threat Tuesday; every Tue at 7:30pm • Ms.Pat; Apr 13-17 • Dustin Ybarra; Apr 20-24
DRUID • 11606 Jasper Ave • 780.710.2119 • Comedy night open stage hosted by Lars Callieou. DJ to follow • Every Sun, 9pm
EMPRESS ALE HOUSE • 9912-82 Ave • Empress Comedy Night: Highlighting the best stand-up Edmonton has to offer. New headliner every week • Every Sun, 9pm • Free
ROUGE LOUNGE • 10111-117 St • Comedy Groove every Wed; 9pm
GROUPS/CLUBS/MEETINGS AIKIKAI AIKIDO CLUB • 10139-87 Ave, Old Strathcona Community League • Japanese Martial Art of Aikido • Every Tue, Thu; 7-9pm
ARGENTINE TANGO DANCE AT FOOT NOTES STUDIO • Foot Notes Dance Studio
• edmontonoutdoorclub.com • Offering a variety of fun activities in and around Edmonton • Free to join; info at info@ edmontonoutdoorclub.com
OPEN DOOR COMIC CREATOR MEETINGS • Happy Harbor Comics, 10729-104 Ave • 780.452.8211 • happyharborcomics.com • Open to any skill level. Meet other artists and writers, glean tricks of the trade and gain tips to help your own work, or share what you've already done • 2nd and 4th Thu of every month, 7pm
THE EFFICACIOUS HABIT OF SAGES-AN EXPLORATION OF THE CHINESE CHARACTER WU • Roots on Whyte # 305- 8135-
10135-96 Ave • poorvoteturnout.ca • Public meetings: promoting voting by the poor • Every Wed, 7-8pm
102 St • Learning how to effectively move the energy in your body and express the vital energy within • Apr 21, 7-9pm • Free
SCHIZOPHRENIA SOCIETY FAMILY SUPPORT DROP-IN GROUP •
EDMONTON PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORIAL SOCIETY • Highlands Library • 780.436.3878 • All interested in sharing the joys of film photography, such as experiences or favourite equipment • 3rd Wed each month, 7:30pm
EDMONTON UKULELE CIRCLE • Bogani Café, 2023-111 St • 780.440.3528 • edmontonuke.wordpress.com • 3rd Sun each month; 2:30-4pm • $5
FOOD ADDICTS • Alano Club (& Simply Done Cafe), 17028-124 St • 780.718.7133 (or 403.506.4695 after 7pm) • Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA), free 12-Step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, under-eating, and bulimia • Meetings every Thu, 7pm
Gallery & Artisan Boutique, 9534-87 St • 780.488.8558 • info@acuarts.ca • acuarts. ca • The topic of the film is the period of collectivization in Ukraine at the end of the 1920s • Apr 22, 6-8:30pm • $10 (member), $15 (non-member)
WE CAN DO IT WORKSHOPS • Grow Cen-
SCRAMBLED YEG • Brittany's Lounge, 10225-97 St • 780.497.0011 • Open Genre Variety Stage: artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue-Fri, 5-8pm
tre, 10516-82 Ave • contactseeds@shaw.ca • fertilityawarenesschartingcircle.org • Part of a series on Women's Health. Schedule: How to Personalized PMS Survival Strategies (Apr 21), Preparing for Pregnancy (May 26) • Apr 21, May 26; 6:30-8:30pm • Suggested donation $10 (can be waived in case of financial necessity); Pre-register at contactseeds@shaw.ca
SEVENTIES FOREVER MUSIC SOCIETY • Call 587.520.3833 for location • deepsoul. ca • Combining music, garage sales, nature, common sense, and kindred karma to revitalize the inward persona • Every Wed, 7-8:30pm
WRITE A SONG • Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, 9225-118 Ave • jocelyn@thenina. ca • thenina.ca • A workshop for anyone who loves songs and wants some skill and practice in making them • Apr 14, 6-8pm • Free (limited space); tickets at Eventbrite
TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY (TOPS) • Grace United Church annex, 6215-104 Ave •
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY VOLUNTEER INFORMATION NIGHT • Habitat for
TOASTMASTERS
Humanity Prefab Shop, 14135-128 Ave • 780.451.3416 ext. 236 • vbatten@hfh.org • hfh.org/volunteer/vin • Learn about taking the next steps and what opportunities are available at Habitat for Humanity • Every 3rd Thu of the month, excluding Dec; 6-7pm • Free
LOTUS QIGONG • 780.695.4588 • Downtown • Attendees can raise their vital energy with a weekly Yixue practice • Every Thu MONDAY MINGLE • Hexagon Board Game Cafe, 10123 Whyte Ave • 780.757.3105 • info@thehexcafe.com • thehexcafe.com • Meet new gamers. Go to the event solo or with a group • Every Mon, 5-11pm • $5 (one drink per person)
NIA DANCE • Roots on Whyte, #305
UKRAINIAN CINEMATOGRAPHY, DOVZHENKO'S "ZEMLIA" • ACUA Art
Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, 5215-87 St • 780.452.4661 • schizophrenia.ab.ca • The Schizophrenia Society of Alberta offers a variety of services and support programs for those who are living with the illness, family members, caregivers, and friends • 1st and 3rd Thu each month, 7-9pm • Free
BABES IN ARMS • The Carrot, 9351-118
DEEPSOUL.CA • 780.217.2464; call or text for Sunday jam locations • Every Sun: Sunday Jams with no Stan (CCR to Metallica), starring
Alberta • Panel discussion on messaging and proportional representation voting systems. Moderated by Kim Trynacity of CBC • Apr 20, 7pm • Free
POOR VOTE TURNOUT • Rossdale Hall,
780.479-8667 (Bob) • bobmurra@telus.net • Low-cost, fun and friendly weight loss group • Every Mon, 6:30pm
COMMUNITY DRUM CIRCLE • Roots on Whyte, #305 8135-102 St • soundpeace@ outlook.com • No experience required. Everyone is welcome, all ages, all experience. Drum provided • Apr 21, 7-9pm • $15 (door), $5 (if guests bring their own drum)
FAIR VOTE: ONE DEMOCRACY, MANY VOICES • Tory Breezeway 1, University of
Nuns Hospital, Rm 0651, obad@shaw.ca; Group meets every Thu, 7-9pm • Free
Fort Saskatchewan • 780.907.0201 (Brenda) • A mixed group, all for conversation and friendship • Every Sun, 2pm
• Mount Zion Lutheran Church, 11533-135 St NW • braintumour.ca • 1.800.265.5106 • Support group for brain tumour survivors and their families and caregivers. Must be 18 or over • 3rd Mon every month; 7-9pm (no meetings in Jul or Aug) • Free (pre-registration not required)
LECTURES/PRESENTATIONS
ORGANIZATION FOR BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE DISORDER (OBAD) • Grey
FORT SASKATCHEWAN 45+ SINGLES COFFEE GROUP • A&W, 10101-88 Ave,
BRAIN TUMOUR PEER SUPPORT GROUP
WOMEN IN BLACK • In Front of the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market • womeninblackedmonton.org • Silent vigil the 1st and 3rd Sat, 10-11am, each month, stand in silence for a world without violence
3728-106 St • nawca.ca • Meet every Wed, 6:30pm
(South side), 9708-45 Ave • 780.438.3207 • virenzi@shaw.ca • Argentine Tango with Tango Divino: beginners: 7-8pm; intermediate: 8-9pm; Tango Social Dance (Milonga): 9pm-12 • Every Fri, 7pm-midnight • $15 Ave • A casual parent group • Every Fri, 10am-12pm
toastmastersclubs.org; reader1@shaw.ca • Y Toastmasters Club: Queen Alexandra Community League, 10425 University Ave (N door, stairs to the left); Meet every Tue, 7-9pm except last Tue ea month; Contact: Antonio Balce, 780.463.5331
QUEER EVOLUTION WONDERLOUNGE • 10220103 St • 780.424.0077 • yourgaybar.com • Mon: Drag Race in the White Room; 7pm • Wed: Monthly games night/trivia • Thu: Happy hour, 6-8pm; Karaoke, 7-12:30am • Fri: Flashback Friday with your favourite hits of the 80s/90s/2000s; rotating drag and burlesque events • Sat: Rotating DJs Velix and Suco • Sun: Weekly drag show, 10:30pm
• Chamber Toastmasters Club: 6th
floor, World Trade Centre, 9990 Jasper Ave; Contact: 780.462.1878/RonChapman@shaw.ca (Ron Chapman); 780.424.6364/dkorpany@ telusplanet.net (Darryl Korpany); Meet every Thu from Sep-Jun, 6-7:45pm • Club Bilingue Toastmasters Meetings: Campus St. Jean: Pavillion McMahon; 780.667.6105 (Willard); clubbilingue.toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 7pm
G.L.B.T.Q SENIORS GROUP • S.A.G.E Bldg, main floor Cafe, Or in confidence oneon-one in the Craft Room • 780.474.8240 • Meeting for gay seniors, and for any seniors who have gay family members and would like some guidance. One-on-one meetings are also available in the craft room • Every Thu, 1-4pm • Info: E: Tuff69@telus.net
• Fabulous Facilitators Toastmasters Club:
2nd Fl, Canada Place Rm 217, 9700 Jasper Ave; Carisa: divdgov2014_15@outlook. com, 780.439.3852; fabulousfacilitators. toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 12:05-1pm • N'Orators Toastmasters Club: Lower Level, McClure United Church, 13708-74 St: meet every Thu, 6:45-8:30pm; contact vpm@ norators.com, 780.807.4696, norators.com • Terrified of Public Speaking: Norwood Legion Edmonton, 11150-82 St NW; Every Thu until 7:30-9:30pm; Free; contact jnwafula@yahoo. com; norwoodtoastmasters.org • Upward Bound Toastmaster Club: Rm 7, 6 Fl, Edmonton Public Library–DT: Meets every Wed, 7-8:45pm; Sep-May; upward.
PRIDE CENTRE OF EDMONTON • Pride Centre of Edmonton, 10608-105 Ave • 780.488.3234 • Drop in hours: Mon, Wed 4-7pm; Fri 6-9pm; Closed Sat-Sun and Holidays • Trans* Youth Group: Support, discussion, and networking group for trans* and questioning youth; 3rd Mon each month, 7-9pm • JamOUT: Music mentorship and instruction for youth aged 12-24; Every other Tue, 7-9pm •
CLASSIFIEDS
130.
Coming Events
Date n’ Dance Salsa and Speed Dating Event April 23 Footnotes Studio - 7pm
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/date-ndance-salsa-tickets-21292538556
130.
Coming Events
www.downtownerstoastmasters.com
34 AT THE BACK
TEAM EDMONTON • Various sports and recreation activities • teamedmonton.ca • Bootcamp: Garneau School, 10925-87 Ave; Most Mon, 7-8pm • Swimming: NAIT Swimming Pool, 11665-109 St; Every Tue, 7:30-8:30pm and every Thu, 7-8pm • Water Polo: NAIT Swimming Pool, 11665-109 St; Every Tue, 8:30-9:30pm • Yoga: New Lion's Breath Yoga Studio, #301,10534-124 St; Every Wed, 7:30-9pm • Taekwondo: near the Royal Gardens Community Centre, 4030-117 St; Contact for specific times • Abs: Parkallen Community League Hall, 6510-111 St; Every Tue, 6-7pm and Thu, 7:158:15pm • Dodgeball: Royal Alexandra Hospital Gymnasium; Every Sun, 5-7pm • Running: meet at Kinsmen main entrance; Every Sun, 10am • Spin: Blitz Conditioning, 10575-115 St; Every Tue, 7-8pm• Volleyball: Stratford Elementary School, 8715-153 St; Every Fri, 7-9 • Meditation: Edmonton Pride Centre, 10608-105 Ave; 3rd Thu of every month, 5:30-6:15pm • Board Games: Underground Tap & Grill, 10004 Jasper Ave; One Sun per month, 3-7pm • All Bodies Swim: Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre, 8468-81 St; One Sat per month 4:30-5:30pm WOODYS VIDEO BAR • 11723 Jasper Ave
• 780.488.6557 • Mon: Massive Mondays features talented comedians • Tue: Domestic bottle beer special only $3.75 all night long • Wed: Jugs of Canadian and Kokanee for $13; Karaoke with Shirley from 7pm-12:30am • Thu: Highballs on special only $3.75 all night long; Karaoke with Bubbles 7pm-12:30am • Fri: Comming soon: DJ Arrow Chaser's new TGIF Party • Sat: Pool Tournement, 4pm; Jager shots on special only $4; Coming soon, DJ Jazzy
SPECIAL EVENTS
2005.
Artist to Artist ENJOY ART ALWAYZ www.bdcdrawz.com Check the site every two weeks for new work!
Volunteers Wanted Can You Read This?
Is communicating a challenge? Toastmasters is the Answer! Downtowners Toastmasters meets regularly every Wednesday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm in Room 18L (18th floor) in Commerce Place (10155 – 102 Street). For more information visit
ST PAUL'S UNITED CHURCH • 11526-76 Ave • 780.436.1555 • People of all sexual orientations are welcome • Every Sun (10am worship)
To place an ad PHONE: 780.426.1996 / FAX: 780.426.2889 EMAIL: classifieds@vueweekly.com
Mixer - April 22 Meet, Mix, and Mingle Singles Mixer at The Druid 5:30 to 8:30pm. $5 admission and free drink per single. 11606 Jasper Avenue
1600.
Equal Fierce Fit & Fabulous: recreational fitness program, ages 12-24; every other Tue, 6-8pm, every other Tue • Queer Lens: weekly education and discussion group open to everyone; every Wed, 7-8:30pm • Mindfulness Meditation: open to everyone; every Thu, 6-6:50pm • Men's Social Circle: A social support group for all male-identified persons over 18 years of age in the LGBT*Q community; 1st and 3rd Thu each month; 7-9pm • WoSC (Women's Social Circle): A social support group for all female-identified persons over 18 years of age in the GLBT community; 2nd and 4th Thu of the month; 7-9pm • Art & Identity: exploring identity through the arts, a wellness initiative; Every other Fri, 6-9pm • Movies & Games Night: Every other Fri, 6-9pm • ALL Bodies Swim: Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre, 8648-81 St; An opportunity for people to swim in a safe space whether trans, non-binary, scarred, differently abled, or any body that finds regular swimming space uncomfortable. Note: change rooms and bathrooms will be gender neutral; 3rd Sat of the month, 9:30-10:30pm; $5 (suggested donation) • Thought OUT: Altview’s all-ages discussion group; every Sat, 7-9pm • Polyamory Edmonton: Community social group; 3rd Sat of the month, 1-3pm • Seahorse Support Circle: facilitated meet up for families with trans and gender creative kids aged 5-14; 2nd Sun of the month, 3-5pm • ReachOUT: Just For Men: peer facilitated wellness support group for GBT (male identified) people; 3rd Sun of the month, 3-5pm • Men Talking with Pride: Social discussion group for gay and bisexual men; Every Sun, 7-9pm
Help Someone Who Can’t! Volunteer 2 hours a week and help someone improve their Reading, Writing, Math or English Speaking Skills. Call Valerie at P.A.L.S. 780-424-5514 or email palsvol@shaw.ca
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
The Big, Big Portrait Show Calling all artists! We’re filling our Naess Gallery walls, floor to ceiling, with portraits. Our goal is 100+ paintings. The exhibition will be promoted as an event during the famous Whyte Avenue Art Walk. Process couldn’t be easier: Get a 12x12” canvas here, paint any portrait you want on it, bring it into The Paint Spot
2005.
Artist to Artist
before Canada Day! Further information at The Paint Spot, 10032 81 Avenue, Edmonton, or e. accounts@paintspot.ca or p. 780.432.0240. Show runs July 7 – August 23. Please join us!
3100. Appliances/Furniture Old Appliance Removal Removal of unwanted appliances. Must be outside or in your garage. Rates start as low as $30. Call James @780.231.7511 for details
MORE ONLINE AT VUEWEEKLY.COM/ CLASSIFIED/
2016 EDMONTON VOLUNTEER FAIR • West Edmonton Mall Level 1 Phase 1, Centre Stage by the The Bay, 8882-170 St NW • Guests will connect with non-profit charities looking for a people to share their time, talent and enthusiasm • Apr 16, 10am-2pm • Free MZD FUNDRAISER: ANYTHING BUT CLOTHES PARTY & SILENT AUCTION (OPENING NIGHT OF ARCHIVAL BAM) • Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St • mzdsociety@gmail.com • milezerodance. com • A fundraiser afterparty. Includes a silent auction of “mini storage units” and Anything But Clothes (ABC) party. Wear a costume to get a free drink ticket • Apr 15, 10pm • Free
SPRING EDMONTON WOMAN’S SHOW • Edmonton EXPO Centre, 7515-118 Ave • womanshow.com • Featuring special guests, lectures, vendors and much more • Apr 1617, 9am-5pm (Sat), 11am-5pm (Sun) • $13 (general, 13+), $11 (student/senior), free (kids 12 and under)
ST. ALBERT LIFESTYLE EXPO & SALE • Servus Credit Union Place, 400 Campbell Rd, St Albert • 780.458.2833 • david@ stalbertchamber.com • stalbertchamber.com/ pages/lifestyle-expo • Exhibitors, local and national, display products from a wide array of backgrounds, from landscaping, to interior design, to handcrafted products • Apr 15-17 • $3 (single day), $5 (weekend)
FREEWILLASTROLOGY ARIES (MAR 21 – APR 19): "When I discover who I am, I'll be free," said novelist Ralph Ellison. Would you consider making that a paramount theme in the coming weeks? Will you keep it in the forefront of your mind, and be vigilant for juicy clues that might show up in the experiences headed your way? In suggesting that you do, I'm not guaranteeing that you will gather numerous extravagant insights about your true identity and thereby achieve a blissful eruption of total liberation. But I suspect that at the very least you will understand previously hidden mysteries about your primal nature. And as they come into focus, you will indeed be led in the direction of cathartic emancipation. TAURUS (APR 20 – MAY 20): "We never know the wine we are becoming while we are being crushed like grapes," said author Henri Nouwen. I don't think that's true in your case, Taurus. Any minute now, you could get a clear intuition about what wine you will ultimately turn into once the grape-crushing stage ends. So my advice is to expect that clear intuition. Once you're in possession of it, I bet the crushing will begin to feel more like a massage—maybe even a series of strong but tender caresses. GEMINI (MAY 21 – JUN 20): Your sustaining mantra for the coming weeks comes from Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer: "I am not empty; I am open." Say that aloud whenever you're inclined to feel lonely or lost. "I am not empty; I am open." Whisper it to yourself as you wonder about the things that used to be important but no longer are. "I am not empty; I am open." Allow it to loop through your imagination like a catchy song lyric whenever you're tempted to feel melancholy about vanished certainties or unavailable stabilizers or missing fillers. "I am not empty; I am open." CANCER (JUN 21 – JUL 22): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are close to tapping into hidden powers, dormant talents and future knowledge. Truths that have been offlimits are on the verge of catching your attention and revealing themselves. Secrets you have been concealing from yourself are ready to be plucked and transformed. And now I will tell you a trick you can use that will enable you to fully cash in on these pregnant possibilities: don't adopt a passive wait-andsee attitude. Don't expect everything to happen on its own. Instead, be a willful magician who aggressively collects and activates the potential gifts. LEO (JUL 23 – AUG 22): This would be a perfect moment to give yourself a new nickname like "Sugar Pepper" or "Honey Chili" or "Itchy Sweet." It's also
SUSTAINABLE FOOD EDMONTON 23RD ANNUAL COMMUNITY GARDEN POTLUCK • Boyle Street Plaza, 9538103A Ave • 780.488.2500 • cgfacilitator@ sustainablefoodedmonton.org • Apr 16, 11am1pm • Free (pre-register at bit.ly/1pqouTW) • Bring your own cutlery, late or bowl as well as a dish to share with 6-8 other people) • Donations to the Edmonton Food Bank will be accepted
JONESIN' CROSSWORD
MATT JONES JONESINCROSSWORDS@VUEWEEKLY.COM
"Game On"—get that money ready.
UKRAINIAN WEDDING FAIR • St. Andrews Ukrainian Orthodox Cultural Centre, 9831-75 St • 780.488.8558 • info@acuarts.ca • acuarts.ca • Featuring workshops, lectures, vendor marketplace and food • Apr 15-22 ROB BREZSNY FREEWILL@VUEWEEKLY.COM
a favourable time to explore the joys of running in slow motion or getting a tattoo of a fierce howling bunny or having gentle sex standing up. This phase of your cycle is most likely to unfold with maximum effectiveness if you play along with its complicated, sometimes paradoxical twists and turns. The more willing you are to celebrate life's riddles as blessings in disguise, the more likely you'll be to use the riddles to your advantage. VIRGO (AUG 23 – SEP 22): Right about now you might be feeling a bit extreme, maybe even zealous or melodramatic. I wouldn't be surprised if you were tempted to make outlandish expostulations similar to those that the poet Arthur Rimbaud articulated in one of his histrionic poems: "What beast must I worship? What sacred images should I destroy? What hearts shall I break? What lies am I supposed to believe?" I encourage you to articulate salty sentiments like these in the coming days— with the understanding that by venting your intensity you won't need to actually act it all out in real life. In other words, allow your fantasy life and creative artistry to be boisterous outlets for emotions that shouldn't necessarily get translated into literal behavior. LIBRA (SEP 23 – OCT 22): Adyashanti is my favourite mind-scrambling philosopher. One of his doses of crazy wisdom is just what you need to hear right now. "Whatever you resist you become," he says. "If you resist anger, you are always angry. If you resist sadness, you are always sad. If you resist suffering, you are always suffering. If you resist confusion, you are always confused. We think that we resist certain states because they are there, but actually they are there because we resist them." Can you wrap your imagination around Adyashanti's counsel, Libra? I hope so, because the key to dissipating at least some of the dicey stuff that has been tweaking you lately is to STOP RESISTING IT! SCORPIO (OCT 23 – NOV 21): During every election season, media pundits exult in criticizing candidates who have altered their opinions about important issues. This puzzles me. In my understanding, an intelligent human is always learning new information about how the world works, and is therefore constantly evolving his or her beliefs and ideas. I don't trust people who stubbornly cling to all of their musty dogmas. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because the coming weeks will be an especially ripe time for you to change your mind about a few things, some of them rather important. Be alert for the cues and clues that will activate dormant aspects of your wisdom. Be eager to see further and deeper.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 – DEC 21): Friedrich Nietzsche published his first book, The Birth of Tragedy, in 1872, when he was 28 years old. In 1886, he put out a revised edition that included a preface titled "An Attempt at Self-Criticism." In this unprecedented essay, he said that he now found his text "clumsy and embarrassing, its images frenzied and confused, sentimental, uneven in pace, so sure of its convictions that it is above any need for proof." And yet he also glorified The Birth of Tragedy, praising it for its powerful impact on the world, for its "strange knack of seeking out its fellow-revelers and enticing them on to new secret paths and dancingplaces." In accordance with the astrological omens, Sagittarius, I invite you to engage in an equally brave and celebratory re-evaluation of some of your earlier life and work. CAPRICORN (DEC 22 – JAN 19): "Go back to where you started and learn to love it more." So advised Thaddeus Golas in his book The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment. I think that's exactly what you should do right now, Capricorn. To undertake such a quest would reap long-lasting benefits. Here's what I propose: First, identify three dreams that are important for your future. Next, brainstorm about how you could return to the roots of your relationships with them. Finally, reinvigorate your love for those dreams. Supercharge your excitement about them. AQUARIUS (JAN 20 – FEB 18): "What am I doing here in mid-air?" asks Ted Hughes in his poem "Wodwo." Right about now you might have an urge to wonder that yourself. The challenging part of your situation is that you're unanchored, unable to find a firm footing. The fun part is that you have an unusual amount of leeway to improvise and experiment. Here's a suggestion: why not focus on the fun part for now? You just may find that doing so will minimize the unsettled feelings. I suspect that as a result you will also be able to accomplish some interesting and unexpected work. PISCES (FEB 19 – MAR 20): How many fireflies would you have to gather together in order to create a light as bright as the sun? Entomologist Cole Gilbert estimates the number to be 14 286 000 000. That's probably beyond your ability to accomplish, Pisces, so I don't recommend you attempt it. But I bet you could pull off a more modest feat with a similar theme: accumulating a lot of small influences that add up to a big effect. Now is an excellent time to capitalize on the power of gradual, incremental progress.V
Across
1 Dizzy Gillespie's genre 6 Many August babies, astrologically 10 At a great distance 14 “Captain Blood” star Flynn 15 Prefix for pus 16 Solitary 17 1912 Nobel Peace Prize winner Root 18 What the three circled areas represent 20 ___ Aviv, Israel 21 Submits, as a sweepstakes entry 23 Illuminated 24 Auto mechanic's service 26 “___ Wiedersehen!” 28 Tiny drink [Miss class] 30 “A Boy Named ___” [Confident] 34 Taverns [Loses one's lunch] 38 Spigot [Links hazard] 39 Slip-___ [Burden] 40 Baseball card info [Set in motion] 41 Hosp. workers [Howard and Jeremy, for two] 42 History [“Blue Ribbon” name] 44 Deep-___ [Slugfest] 45 “Yes ___!” [Andes native] 47 Casserole bit [“Guilty,” e.g.] 48 Riddle-me-___ [Belgian painter Magritte] 49 Brazilian soccer legend [Key's comedy partner] 50 Blasting stuff [Campsite shelter] 51 Curvy letter [PC bailout keys] 52 “Mustache Hat” artist Jean 54 Lend a larcenous hand 56 Go back, like the tide 59 Bill killers 63 “As I suspected!” 66 Person who's ready when an insertion is made 68 Blend completely 70 Not contaminated 71 “CHiPs” star Estrada 72 Hip-hop artist Jermaine 73 Transmitted 74 Bumps on the back, maybe 75 Short-lived Ford
5 Eve of “The Brady Bunch” 6 Centers of focus 7 “Green” sci. 8 Soul singer Redding 9 Braga of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” 10 Every bit 11 Ignoramus 12 “Freeze” tag? 13 Time off 19 Cold-shoulders 22 “The Fox and the Crow” author 25 Swedish home of Scandinavia's oldest university 27 Label for the diet-conscious 28 Remove, as paint 29 31 Ill-suited 32 33 Dusseldorf neighbor 35 Philatelists' prized possessions, perhaps 36 37 Eye afflictions 43 Mongolian invader 46 Derring-do 53 Actress Rosie 55 Flip of a hit single 56 Mike of “Fifty Shades of Black” 57 In a glum mood 58 Hoedown site 60 “To Venus and Back” singer Amos 61 “I'm ___, boss!” 62 Alarmed squeals 64 Put on the payroll 65 Angle of a branch 67 As of now 69 Water + dirt ©2016 Jonesin' Crosswords
Down
1 Salad bar veggie 2 Detective novelist ___ Stanley Gardner 3 Vividness 4 Outburst with a wince
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
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To Book Your Adult Classifieds, Contact James at 780.426.1996 or at adultclassifieds@vueweekly.com
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36 AT THE BACK
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ALBERTA-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS •• AUCTIONS •• UNRESERVED FARM AUCTION. Saturday, April 23, 10 a.m. Tractors, trailers, equipment, antiques & more! East of Bonnyville, Alberta. Scribner Auction 780-842-5666. Pictures & listing: www.scribnernet.com.
business. In the heart of Radium Hot Springs. Would consider diesel pusher on trade. Call Bill 403-947-2427. GET FREE vending machines. Can earn $100,000 + per year. All cash-locations provided. Protected territories. Interest free financing. Full details. Call now 1-866-668-6629. Website WWW.TCVEND.COM.
ANNUAL SPRING Equipment Consignment. Saturday, April 23, 9 a.m. MAS Sales Centre, Blackfalds, Alberta. Selling acreage & farm dispersals, vehicles, ATV’s, RV’s, trailers, sea-cans, storage tarp buildings & party tents, livestock equipment, lumber & trusses, lawn & garden equipment & supplies, trees, tools & misc.; www.montgomeryauctions.com. 1-800-371-6963.
•• CAREER TRAINING ••
MEIER 2 DAY Classic Car & Truck Auction. Saturday & Sunday, May 7 & 8, 11 a.m. both days. 6016 - 72A Ave., Edmonton. Consign today, call 780-440-1860.
HEALTHCARE DOCUMENTATION Specialists are in huge demand. Employers want CanScribe graduates. A great work-from-home career! Train with Canada’s best-rated program. Enroll today; www. canscribe.com. 1-800-4661535; info@canscribe.com.
•• BUSINESS •• OPPORTUNITIES HIP OR KNEE Replacement? Restrictions in walking/dressing? $2,500 yearly tax credit. $20,000 lump sum cheque. Disability Tax Credit. Expert Help: 1-844-453-5372. 20 UNIT MOTEL $750,000. More than just a retirement
MEDICAL TRAINEES needed now! Hospitals & doctor’s offices need certified medical office & administrative staff! No experience needed! We can get you trained! Local job placement assistance available when training is completed. Call for program details! 1-888627-0297.
•• COMING EVENTS •• ANTIQUE SHOW - Edmonton - Western Canada’s longest running collectors show - antiques, collectibles, and pop culture. 41st Annual Wild Rose Antique Collectors Show & Sale. Sellers from across
Canada. Special collectors displays. Antique evaluations by Canadian Antiques Roadshow appraiser Gale Pirie - $15 per item. Saturday, Apr. 16, 9 - 5 p.m.; Sunday, Apr. 17, 10 - 4 p.m. Edmonton Expo Centre. 780-437-9722; www.wildroseantiquecollectors.ca BEGINNER DRIVING Horse Clinic Series. April 29-May 1; May 14-15; May 28-29. Instructor: Dennis Mitzel. Contact the Lloydminster Exhibition Office: 306-825-5571 or lloyexh.com.
•• EMPLOYMENT •• OPPORTUNITIES HARDISTY HOME HARDWARE Store Manager needed. See details at albertacareers.net. Send resume to: resumes@ hardistyhomehardware.ca or fax to 780-888-2100. AGGREGATE COMPANY requires Crushing Personnel and Truck Drivers in Wainwright area for April to December work. Email resume to: fitzagg@gmail.com or fax 780-842-5245. MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! In-demand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get online training you need from an employertrusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-855-768-3362 to start training for your workat-home career today!
INTERESTED IN the Community Newspaper business? Alberta’s weekly newspapers are looking for people like you. Post your resume online. FREE. Visit: awna.com/forjob-seekers.
•• EMPLOYMENT •• WANTED FARMERS NEED HELP? Operating equipment? Farmed many years, retired 2 years. Looking for something to do. Very good with equipment, clean, careful, responsible. Live in Rocky. Area no problem. Have own MH for accommodations. 403-845-0616.
•• EQUIPMENT •• FOR SALE A-STEEL SHIPPING CONTAINERS. 20’, 40’ & 53’. 40’ insulated reefers/freezers. Modifications possible windows, doors, walls, as office, living work-shop, etc., 40’ flatrack/bridge. 1-866-528-7108; www.rtccontainer.com. TOPSOIL, rock, sand soil. Portable vibratory screeners. Prices range from $4,295 to $14,500. Reduced freight for a limited time. Toll free 1-877-254-7903; www.idmcabc.com.
C LASSIFIEDS GO ARE
SEE THE REST OF THE AWNA CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE AT VUEWEEKLY.COM/ CLASSIFIED/
VUEWEEKLY.com | APR 14 – APR 20, 2016
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LUSTFORLIFE
BRENDA KERBER BRENDA@vueweekly.com
Breaking BDSM stereotypes It's a lot more common than you might think Until quite recently, it was a pretty commonly held belief that anyone who is into BDSM must be psychologically damaged. The most popular erotic-fiction series of our time capitalized on this trope, featuring a hero who gets off on dominating and beating women because he is "50 shades of fucked up." People who practice BDSM in real life have been fighting this stereotype for decades. They argue that there are far more of them than the general public might think, and they are no more "fucked up" than anyone else—and research is finally starting to back them up. Last month, the Journal of Sex Research published the results of a survey of Quebecers regarding their experience with paraphilias. A paraphilia is attraction to or love of
something unusual or different. The newest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which defines and categorizes mental health disorders, defines eight specific sexual activities as paraphilias and includes things like fetishism, masochism, sadism and exhibitionism. The respondents to the survey were asked if they had ever thought about or done any of these things. Fortyfour-point-five percent said they were interested in fetishism—sexual arousal for an inanimate object (for example, shoes); 22.8 percent said they practice fetishism sometimes or often; 23.8 percent said they were interested in masochism—being dominated, humiliated or having pain inflicted on them, and 13.7 percent said they participated in masochistic
activities sometimes or often. In their conclusion, the study's authors question the appropriateness and usefulness of classifying these behaviours as "anomalous" when a significant percentage of people are doing them—and an even greater percentage is interested in trying them. The researchers also wanted to test the assumption that a desire to participate in paraphilias results from a history of childhood sexual abuse. They asked respondents if they had had any sexual contact with an adult before they were 12. Only 7.9 percent said yes. This is actually lower than most estimates of child sexual abuse in the general population. They concluded that "this study also provides further
support ... for rejecting the popular view that paraphilic interests, especially sadomasochism, are associated with childhood sexual abuse or trauma." Survey respondents were asked to rate their sex lives on a scale that ranged from exciting to depressing. Only 11.5 percent reported exciting sex lives, with the majority—50.6 percent—reporting satisfying sex lives. The people who practiced fetishism, however, were much more likely to report having exciting sex lives than those who didn't. The findings in this survey seem to back up what was found in a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2013. This study assessed the personality traits and mental health of a group of 800 self-identified kinky people and compared it to
a group of 400 non-kinky folk. It concluded that "BDSM may be thought of as a recreational leisure, rather than the expression of psychopathological processes." The Quebec study has its limitations—as do all studies—but it adds weight to what kinky people themselves have been saying for decades: interest in, fantasies about and practice of BDSM is not rare—and not unhealthy. In fact, it may be just the opposite.V Brenda Kerber is a sexual health educator who has worked with local not-for-profits since 1995. She is the owner of the Edmonton-based, sex-positive adult toy boutique the Traveling Tickle Trunk.
Dan savage savagelove@vueweekly.com
SWEATY SALES
I'm a 49-year-old gay man. I've become friends with a 21-year-old straight guy. He's really hot. He's had to drop out of college and return home. I know he needs money, as he hasn't found a job yet and has resorted to selling off old music equipment. I would love to have some sweaty clothes of his, namely his underwear, but I'd settle for a sweaty tank top. Is it legal to buy someone's underwear? He's a sweet guy, and I don't want to freak him out by asking something so personal. How do I broach the subject? Lustfully Obsessed Stink Seeker It's perfectly legal to buy and sell used underwear, LOSS, so there's no legal risk. But you risk losing this guy as a friend if you broach the subject. You can approach it indirectly by saying something like "So sorry to hear you're selling off your music equipment. You're young and hot—you could probably make more money selling used underwear or sweaty tanks." Then follow his lead: If he's disgusted by the suggestion, drop it. If he's into the idea, offer to be his first customer.
FRIEND BREAKUP
I'm a 52-year-old straight guy from Australia, 29 years married. About eight years ago, I met a lady through work and we became friends, with our friendship continuing after she moved on to a different job. We meet up for coffee occasionally, and we share a love of cycling and kayaking, which we also do together on occasion. Both of us are in long-term, committed monogamous relationships. Our friendship is strictly platonic, sharing our love of riding and paddling. Neither of our partners shares our interest in these outdoor
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pursuits. My friend does not feel safe doing these activities alone, so she often depends on my company for safety as well. The problem is that my wife gets jealous of the time we spend together and wants me to cut off contact with my friend. My wife does not trust my friend not to "take advantage" of our friendship. My relationship with my wife is the most important one in my life, so I am prepared to say goodbye to my friend. How do I say goodbye in a respectful, caring and loving way? If she asks why we cannot be friends, I don't want to tell her, "Because my wife doesn't trust you not to try to get inside my pants (or cycling shorts)," as that would be hurtful. I don't want to lie, but telling the truth would be damaging to my friend. Paddling And Riding Terminates
your friend, is the best approach to this situation.
HIT THE SPOT
Before I got married, I asked husband repeatedly about fantasies and kinks, so that we had full disclosure going in. It led to some fun stuff in the bedroom, but we're both pretty lowgrade kinksters. Now I realize that I do something that I have never told him about: It's the way that I masturbate. I started when I was five or six, because it felt good. Got chided by parents and teachers for doing it in public and learned to keep it hidden. And so
You could hold this back, SMOOSH, and keep it all for yourself. But I don't see why you would want to. As sexy secrets go, "There's one particular position I like to masturbate in" is pretty boring. Unless you need to be positioned on top of a cadaver or under your dad or beside a life-size Ted Cruz sex doll to get off when you masturbate, there's really no reason to keep this secret.
is a boner-killer. Any tips on how a GGG partner can get past this kind of mental block and at least act the role enthusiastically enough to fulfil the fantasy? Or was a subsequent girlfriend's outrage about my willingness to indulge such socially regressive fantasies justified? I Might Play Every Role I'm Asked Less Ideologically Scrupulous Motives
MENTAL BLOCK
Actors play Nazis in hit movies, British colonialists for prestigious BBC miniseries, and serial killers on longrunning television shows. I don't see why playing monsters in entertainment devised for millions wins Oscars (Christoph Waltz for playing a Nazi in Inglourious Basterds), BAFTAs (Tim Pigott-Smith for playing a brutal colonialist in The Jewel in the Crown), and Golden Globes (Michael C Hall for playing a sociopathic serial killer in Dexter), but playing a monster for an audience of one should outrage "subsequent girlfriends" or anyone else. My advice for people asked to play monsters in the bedroom mirrors my advice to a gay guy attracted to degrading "antigay" gay porn: "A person can safely explore degrading fantasies—even fantasies rooted in 'hate ideologies'—so long as he/she is capable of compartmentalizing this stuff. Basically, you have to build a fire wall between your fantasies and your self-esteem. (And between your fantasies and your politics.)" If you can build a fire wall between their fantasies and your politics and beliefs, IMPERIALISM, go for it. If you can't, don't. V
I am totally with your German friend, who wouldn't do Nazi role-play "in six million years." I've been in a similar position—not quite Holocaust level, but not far off. I'm a white British guy. A while back, while living in the UK, I was dating a woman from Bangalore. She revealed—after her face lit up when I dressed in a way that made me "look like a colonialist" (her words)—that her deepest fantasy was to be an Indian slave girl raped by an English imperialist. And then, living in the US a few years later, I was dating a black woman. We got to talking about the kinks of exes. I told her about this one, and she revealed that her own fantasy was to be the slave on a 19th-century plantation, raped by her white owner. How about some advice for the human fetish objects in these scenarios, Dan? I didn't want to stigmatize these women for their sexual desires, and I wanted to be GGG, but it was, frankly, hard (or not, as it were). Being asked to act out roles I feel guilty about, and to use the kind of racial epithets I make every effort to avoid ... the guilt
Unless you need to be positioned on top of a cadaver or under your dad or beside a life-size Ted Cruz sex doll to get off when you masturbate, there’s really no reason to keep this secret
Your friend is going to waste a lot of time wondering what she did wrong, PART, if you don't tell her the real reason you can't hang out with her anymore. And guess what? This not knowing will cause her more hurt than the truth could. So tell your friend the real reason she's out of your life: you're terminating your friendship because your wife is an insecure bag of slop who regards her as a threat. Your friend has a right to know she's as blameless as you are spineless. Forgive me for being harsh, PART, but I think standing up to your wife, not dropping
ever since, it's been my secret thing. I think it has helped me orgasm in that I knew how early on, but it has also made it more difficult to come in positions that don't mimic the masturbating position. Husband likes the idea of me coming in different positions, and I've managed now and again, but he doesn't know why I'm set in my ways. We've been together for 10 years, but I have never shared this. Should I tell him? Part of me is afraid that he will think I'm weird. But more than likely, he'll just want to watch me do it. Still, it's kind of nice having this one thing that belongs only to me. Secret Masturbator Obligated Over Spanking Hotness?
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On the Lovecast, Dan chats with writer Peggy Orenstein: savagelovecast.com. @fakedansavage on Twitter
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