1184: Jim Jefferies won't apologize

FREE (INSULTS)

#1184 / JUL 5, 2018 – JUL 11, 2018 VUEWEEKLY.COM

Bat Stalking 3

Delhi 2 Dublin 15

ISSUE: 1184 • JUL 5 – JUL 11, 2018

PASSPORT RESTO 5

DIRT BUFFET CABARET 7

COPY TROPIC 9

INCREDIBLES 2 11

WIN FESTIVAL PASS!

MICHAEL FRANTI COLIN

JAMES & SPEARHEAD Head to vueweekly.com/contests to enter for your chance to WIN!

FRONT // 3 DISH // 5 ARTS // 6 FILM // 11 MUSIC // 14 LISTINGS

Head to vueweekly.com/contests to enter for your chance to win a pair of K-Days Ride-All-Day Passes along with other amazing prizes!

2 front

PRESIDENT ROBERT W DOULL . . . . . rwdoull@vueweekly.com PUBLISHER / SALES MANAGER JOANNE LAYH . . . . . . . . . . joanne@vueweekly.com EDITORIAL SECTION EDITORS . . . . . . . . . . . .editors@vueweekly.com MUSIC EDITOR STEPHAN BOISSONNEAULT. . .stephan@vueweekly.com ARTS AND FILM EDITOR CHELSEA NOVAK . . . . . . . . . . . chelsea@vueweekly.com FRONT AND DISH EDITOR DOUG JOHNSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .doug@vueweekly.com LISTINGS HEATHER SKINNER . . . . . . listings@vueweekly.com PRODUCTION MANAGER CHARLIE BIDDISCOMBE . . charlie@vueweekly.com PRODUCTION CURTIS HAUSER . . . . . . . . curtish@vueweekly.com ACCOUNT MANAGER JAMES JARVIS. . . . . . . . . . . . james@vueweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER MICHAEL GARTH . . . . . . .michael@vueweekly.com

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

#200, 11230 - 119 STREET, EDMONTON, AB, T5G 2X3 T: 780.426.1996 F: 780.426.2889

ONLINE

FOUNDING EDITOR / FOUNDING PUBLISHER RON GARTH

MARK TEMPLETON 14

CONTACT

ARTS // 10 MUSIC // 16 EVENTS // 18 CLASSIFIED // 19 ADULT // 20

VUEWEEKLY.com /VUEWEEKLY @VUEWEEKLY @VUEWEEKLY

COVER IMAGE Jim Jefferies reads the news / Art Streiber CONTRIBUTORS Junaid Jahangir, Pierre Royal, Gwynne Dyer, Veronica Petrola, Scott Lingley, Tamanna Khurana, Brian Gibson, Chris Penwell, Alexander Sorochan, Levi Gogerla, Dan Savage, Rob Brezsny, Stephen Notley, Fish Griwkowsky, Mike Winters, Curtis Hauser DISTRIBUTION Shane Bennett, Bev Bennett, Shane Bowers, Susan Davidson, Amy Garth, Aaron Getz, Clint Jollimore, Dona Olliffe, Beverley Phillips, Choi Chung Shui, Wally Yanish

Vue Weekly is available free of charge at well over 1,200 locations throughout Edmonton. We are funded solely through the support of our advertisers. Vue Weekly is a division of Postvue Publishing LP (Robert W. Doull, President) and is published every Thursday. Vue Weekly is available free of charge throughout Greater Edmonton and Northern Alberta, limited to one copy per reader. Vue Weekly may be distributed only by Vue Weekly's authorized independent contractors and employees. No person may, without prior written permission of Vue Weekly, take more than one copy of each Vue Weekly issue.

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40022989. If undeliverable, return to: Vue Weekly #200, 11230 - 119 St, Edmonton, AB T5G 2X3

THIS IS BAT COUNTRY

CITIZEN SCIENTISTS SOUGHT FOR BAT COUNT I

Provincial ecology group wants info on bat population before white nose syndrome reaches the province

t’s probably only a matter of time before a well-known disease comes and destroys swaths of Alberta’s bat population. However, a province-wide ecology group is seeking information that, it believes, could help the species recoup faster.

The Alberta Community Bat Program is looking for locals to act as citizen scientists, asking, first, for people across Alberta to report sightings of bat colonies they see, either around their homes or elsewhere, and provide a population count of them. It also hopes people who do see bat colonies will, later, return to the colonies and do another population count after a year.

Ideally, the Alberta Community Bat Program hopes interested parties will do these counts on a longterm basis. According to one of the group’s organizers, Cory Olson, it gets a fair number of respondents for the first request, but people doing the second one is more rare.

Both bits of information can be reported through the group’s website, albertabats.ca, or a national program, batwatch.ca.

“We’re really hoping we can expand it to more properties, more people reporting the number of bats roosting,” he says.

These numbers can be helpful for the Alberta Community Bat Program because it’s more likely a when, not an if, that white nose syndrome will hit bat populations in Alberta. The fungal growth— which makes the bats’ noses appear white, as its name would suggest—reached North American shores 10 years ago, and has since decimated bat populations in many states in the U.S., and a few Canadian provinces.

“White nose syndrome is not currently in Alberta, so we’re trying to use this time to gather some data—some baseline information to get an idea of what the normal situation is,” Olson says. “After white nose gets here, we’ll probably see a marked decline in the number of reports and results of the colony counts. It’s almost certainly going to get here. It hits a few new provinces and states each year.”

According to Olson, there is currently no effective treatment for white nose syndrome. However, he hopes the data gathered will inform the group on future bat management strategies. For instance, if white nose syndrome reaches Alberta, a large majority

of the province’s bats will die.

However, some of them will be resistant to the disease.

As such, the group would advocate for people in the province living near bats to leave the colonies alone to increase the number of syndrome-resistant creatures that can help re-populate after the fact.

“We want to make sure that when the bats are infected by diseases, the culture is already in place to ensure people don’t needlessly kill bats, or kick them out during their breeding season,” he says. “We also know that bats living in buildings have some of the highest reproductive success, and tend to grow faster. Bats roosting in buildings are an opportunity for long-term conservation.”

Research universities across Canada are currently working on a probiotic cocktail to inoculate bats to give them resistance to the disease.

The researchers also hope that the cocktail will be “self-propagating,” Olson says. However, this potential cure is still in the works.

“I think that’s probably the best chance for treating this disease. I still think it’s a bit of a long-shot, but it’s currently the only viable option.”

Doug Johnson doug@vueweekly.com

Ah! A bat! / Adobe Stock

GREEN ENERGY

GRANT ENERGIZES INDIGENOUS GREEN PROJECTS The province announces a $15 million increase in funding for eco-friendly energy projects in Indigenous communities

A

popular Indigenous green energy grant got a boost last week. The Government of Alberta announced that the province will be increasing funding for ecologically-friendly energy initiatives in Indigenous communities from $35 million to $50 million.

According to Richard Feehan, minister of Indigenous Relations, the funding will help develop revenue-raising projects, while also training people in the communities to work in the field, and act as leaders within it.

“We have heard loud and clear from Indigenous communities that these programs work which is why we have chosen to increase funding. There is tremendous interest in this program. Last year, 125 projects in 66 Indigenous communities or

organizations were completed and we expect the number of projects to rise this year,” Feehan wrote in a press release.

The province has designated seven different streams of funding within in the project’s larger umbrella. Members of Indigenous communities interested in setting up some green energy programs, which include solar power, can apply for funds through the province’s website.

Some of this funding came from the federal government, which donated $7 million to the project.

The Paul First Nation has, so far, received four grants. They are the Alberta Indigenous Energy Efficiency program, the Indigenous Climate Planning Program, the Indigenous Climate Capacity Program, and the Indigenous Green

Energy Development Program, the grants representing $193,200; $98,600; $47,408; and $407,600, respectively. The Louis Bull Tribe, one of the nations that makes up the Maskwacis, received $20,000 from the province’s Indigenous Solar Program, a province’s spokesperson wrote in an email. Similarly, Cold Lake First Nations, through the same program, will save an estimated $6,000 on utility bills each year, and, alone, the project will remove more than 1,300 tonnes of greenhouse gases from the air over their existence.

The province estimates that the projects can eliminate more than 36,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases over the lifetime of the projects funded.

Doug Johnson doug@vueweekly.com VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

front 3

DYER STRAIGHT

SAUDI ARABIA STILL A DICTATORSHIP (DUH) Women can now drive in Mohammed bin Salman’s regime, a move that’s more PR than compassion

S

audi women, as of last week, are at last allowed to drive.

Delight spread in the car dealerships that anticipate a lot of new business. And dismay spread in the families of the 1.4 million chauffeurs, almost all from South Asia, who have been earning around $1,000 a month driving Saudi women around. But it will take a lot more than this to change Saudi Arabia.

Just before driving became legal for women, 17 female activists who have been campaigning for years against the driving ban were arrested. Eight have now been released, but the others are facing possible trial in a counterterrorism court and long prison sentences for their activism.

Does the right hand know what the left is doing?

Yes, it does. Letting women drive is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s project to win popular support by modernizing some aspects of daily life, by looking like he is giving in to popular pressure, is definitely not part of his program. The change must look like a free gift from his hand, not a retreat in the face of public protest.

It’s a less dramatic initiative than last winter’s three-month anti-corruption campaign, which detained 56 high-profile royal family members and prominent businessmen

(in the capital’s best hotel) until they had ‘paid back’ some of their ill-gotten gains.

The exercise allegedly yielded $100 billion to the government, although none of the thieves saw the inside of a courtroom, let alone went to jail. But the mes-

ger mistakes was to invite the UN’s special rapporteur on antiterrorism, Ben Emmerson, to visit the country to report on how it was reconciling the need to prevent terrorism with respect for human rights. Emmerson came back in early May. His report was

trol of the king, and lacks any semblance of independence from the executive. Put simply, there is no separation of power in Saudi Arabia, no freedom of expression, no free press, no effective trade unions, and no functioning civil society.”

“The notion that Mohammed bin Salman is liberalizing the Saudi system is a fantasy. Having ruthlessly sidelined all rival claimants to the throne— his father, King Salman, is 82 and ailing—he has now centralized power to an unprecedented extent.” sage was the same: I’m on the side of ordinary people and I’m doing the right things, but I make the decisions when and as I choose.

The notion that Mohammed bin Salman is liberalizing the Saudi system is a fantasy. Having ruthlessly sidelined all rival claimants to the throne—his father, King Salman, is 82 and ailing—he has now centralized power to an unprecedented extent. Saudi Arabia was a traditional, deeply conservative monarchy that always ensured there was a fair degree of consensus among the elite. It is now a dictatorship.

MbS, as he is known, is an impulsive man, and one of his big-

unusually frank for a diplomatic document, and in a subsequent media interview he went well beyond that.

The Saudi anti-terrorism law is written in a way that criminalizes all dissent, he told The Guardian. Torture in Saudi jails is commonplace, the guilty officials go unpunished, and Saudi Arabia “is undergoing the most ruthless crackdown on political dissent that the country has experienced in decades.”

“Reports that Saudi Arabia is liberalizing are completely wide of the mark,” Emmerson said.

“The judiciary has now been brought entirely under the con-

Moreover, MbS’s successes in crushing dissent within the country have made him over-confident about his skill in foreign policy.

He summoned Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to Riyadh and forced him to resign, only to see Hariri get his job back in alliance with Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist group that MbS utterly detests.

He declared a blockade of Saudi Arabia’s small, but wealthy neighbour, Qatar, to force it to close down the Al-Jazeera network, the most influential Arabic-language news service, and to break its ties with Iran, the country that MbS fears most. One year later Al-Jazeera is

still alive and kicking, and Qatar has moved closer to Iran.

And in his biggest blunder, he launched a military intervention in the Yemeni civil war to defeat the Houthis, a Shia tribe that has captured most of Yemen and that he believes (wrongly) is controlled and armed by Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s air strikes have killed thousands, its ally the United Arab Emirates has thousands of troops on the ground— and three years later the Houthis still control most of the heavily populated parts of Yemen, including the capital.

It’s not exactly Saudi Arabia’s Vietnam—the Saudis have no troops on the ground, and the Emirates are mostly using foreign mercenaries—but the Yemeni intervention is very expensive, deeply embarrassing, and probably unwinnable. In the long run, it may be MbS’s undoing.

The wealth has been more widely shared in Saudi Arabia than in most oil-rich countries, and for the non-political majority life is still pretty good.

Even for women, things are very gradually getting better: 60 percent of Saudi university graduates are female, and now they can drive too. But the country is now being run by an erratic and over-confident dictator.

Gwynne Dyer

QUEERMONTON

RIGHTEOUS ANGER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHTEOUS Sometimes, the best way to be an activist is to listen and try to understand

I

went to counter a rally against same-sex marriage in Mill Woods in 2005, lead by institutional Catholic groups and their allies in Edmonton’s varied cultural communities. I carried a sign, made by my friend Rob Wells, which read, “God made Adam and Steve too.”

I was one of the rare people of colour in the LGBTQ2S+ camp.

There was excitement in the air, but I had anger within me. I thought I was in the right by virtue of standing up for the marginalized. So when this gentle old lady from the other side initiated a conversation with me, I went into one of my academic spiels.

She politely told me that she didn’t want to argue.

I’ve been thinking about that incident recently. As a young doctoral student, I was unsure of my place in the world, and acted accordingly. As an older professor, I now avoid pungent debates that distance people instead of bringing them together.

I realize that a lot of activism is 4 front

based on internalized anger and elitist language. I find activists stubborn to change and unwilling to listen to those outside their camp. As they push their narrative, I find them ignoring their own blind spots and con-

where a woman in Denny’s went on a racist diatribe even as she projected herself as a liberated western woman, in contrast to “Syrian bitches.”

The other friend lamented about how activists ignore or

ster the traditional Islamic narrative. In contrast, people of colour, who are some of the best advocates of internal change, are sidelined. The result is that the status quo within ethnic communities rarely changes.

“Activism in the age of the internet is also, at times, reduced to venting. Several activists complain about what offends them in their cliques. They end up thought policing and start deciding who gets to speak and who should be shut down.” tradictions. Where they challenge others for being judgmental, they end up passing their own judgment.

Recently, I had conversations with two of my friends who are passionate about human rights.

One of them talked about the lack of intersections in feminist thought. This was manifest in the recent Lethbridge fiasco

reject that which does not fit their narrative. This is manifest when the narrative of western activists is given precedence over that of immigrants who face immense challenges within their respective communities.

As a result, white converts to Islam, who are often more zealous in their religious practice, enjoy public platforms to bol-

While public discourse heavily addresses Islamophobia, racism, and discrimination, the prejudices and biases within ethnic communities often go unchecked or are justified through religious freedoms. The brunt of this predicament is born by people of colour who often do not have the strident language of activism to express their concerns.

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

Activism in the age of the internet is also, at times, reduced to venting. Several activists complain about what offends them in their cliques. They end up thought policing and start deciding who gets to speak and who should be shut down. They want others to change, but rarely do they direct that desire inward. They have the anger but not the humility, kindness, or patience that is required of them.

As they spout off angry comments, I am reminded of my own exchange with the elderly lady in 2005. In retrospect, I would have done things differently. I would have kept my mouth shut and just smiled. My older self wishes to go back in time and just give her a big hug.

Righteous anger is not always righteous. There is a time to speak truth to power, but when we start policing our fellow human beings and usurping their thought processes, pushing them to be minions, we become the very embodiment of what we reject: pompous moralist preachers.

Junaid Jahangir

Passport Restobar’s ribs. / J Procktor

RESTOBAR

PASSPORT’S FOOD FAILS TO GO BEYOND PROFICIENT If this is what ‘restobar’ means, then the format needs to step up its game, or fall into mediocrity

W

hat even is a restobar? Co-diner asked this profound question when I told her about Passport, an example of such a thing that I thought was a new addition to the 124th Street foodscape. “Are you a restaurant or a bar? Make up your mind,” she later added. Curious myself, I arranged a supper-hour jaunt excursion on a lovely Saturday for the two of us, little suspecting that co-diner’s outburst would be the most worked-up either of us would get about Passport.

Upon arrival, I realized that a restobar might just be a bar attached to a restaurant. As in: Passport is the bar extension of revitalized 124th Street stalwart Cosmo’s Greek Kitchen: a darker, cooler, less conspicuously Hellenic space with graffiti-esque pop art about the place and a tiny stage near the

door with a drum kit in a partial state of undress.

Our server seemed new, and if her hospitality was a bit under-rehearsed we at least had it in its entirety, being her only customers at the moment. She got us drinks— the heat impelled us toward the surprisingly refreshing Village India Black Ale from Calgary, and the unsurprisingly refreshing Alley Kat Aprikat respectively—and patiently waited out our indecision.

Passport does have its own slate of “diverse” dishes, mainly burgers and pasta, but the entirety of Cosmo’s classic Greek menu is also available to you since it’s right there next door. Both menus had the hummus ($9.50), briam ($18.50), and Mediterranean ribs ($27.50) in common. We ordered those.

Passport Restobar 10810 – 124 St. 780-454-8420 passportrestobar.com The hummus arrived promptly with triangles of fresh grilled pita on the side. It was creamy, the garlic and lemon subtly integrated. If it didn’t quite stand out, this hummus at least stood up.

The entrées came the moment our appy plates were cleared. I was confronted with an immense rack of roasted ribs, two halves of lemony roasted potato, and perfunctory steamed carrots and broccoli. The ungodly quantity of garlic butter presented on the side was for the veg, as our server felt compelled to explain.

Anyway, the ribs—10 bones of them—were nicely roasted, but pretty unremarkable otherwise.

Lemon, oregano, and garlic had been applied to the ribs, but they weren’t juicy or flavourful enough to go unadorned like that. Some finishing touch was missing.

The briam was eggplant stew with tomatoes and zucchini and a crumble of feta. I only tried a small bite but it put me in mind of vegetable soup. A small Greek salad came on the side with two Kalamata olives on top. It did not look like enough food for

my co-diner. Indeed, we stopped immediately after at Destination Donuts for a maple-white chocolate-glazed donut with ground almonds and an orange rhubarb fritter, if truth be known.

We finished, paid and left, untroubled by an urge to linger.

Eighty bucks later, Passport hadn’t contrived to make an impression, doggy bag of ribs notwithstanding. If that’s something intrinsic to the restobar ethos, you can see why there aren’t more of them.

Scott Lingley

FOOD TRUCKS

THE HAT GOES MOBILE I

One of Canada’s oldest standing pubs sets up a food truck to cash in on Edmonton’s summer

t was kind of weird for Mayank “Mike” Bhatnagar to see food trucks sitting outside of his restaurant. The owner of The Hat, located on Jasper Avenue and 102nd Street, could look out his doorway during the summer and see one of the city’s growing fleet of mobile eateries setting up shop during the lunch rush.

“I wanted to take my restaurant to where the customers are, in summer especially,” he says. “The food truck is kind of a growing phenomenon in the city ... I wanted to be part of that.”

As of last May, though, Bhatnagar has started his own operation, The Hat on Wheels, which, he says, offers the same quality of food as his physical, unmoving location. That said, the relatively new food truck will also offer some more casual fair, food that’s a little easier to eat while standing on a street corner: green onion cakes, mango lassi, and New Orleans shaved ice.

Bhatnagar hopes that, next summer, the food truck can expand its reach. Right now, The Hat on Wheels only appears at special events, like one of the summer’s What the Truck dates, and when it is booked specifically by a host for a function, like a wedding, for instance. The Hat on Wheels will

also be hitting up the Street Performers’ Festival, Taste of Edmonton, and the Fringe this year. The owner wants to see it rove around the city, like other food trucks, over coming summers.

As it stands, the truck will run until September. Bhatnagar currently has no plans on setting up the truck to operate during the winter and fall, but is not totally opposed to the idea.

There are other options available to those looking to open their own food trucks. Ready-made mobile eateries can be purchased from some vendors out of the United States. However, Bhatnagar wanted The Hat on Wheels to be custom-made, and purchased an old truck, stripped it down, then sent it to a company in Calgary that fit the vehicle with all the necessary accoutrements. In all, the truck—28 feet long, decked out in stainless steel—took five months to create.

“It has more equipment than an average restaurant does,” Bhatnagar says.

Of course, he had to hire on some new staff to operate the vehicle, and, he says, finding the right people for the job was particularly important for him. It’s not just a food truck, Bhatnagar says; it’s an extension of The Hat as a business,

a kind of moveable ambassador.

When the truck does well, it reflects well on the restaurant, and vice versa. This is, perhaps, doubly important given The Hat’s pedigree.

The bar/ restaurant is one of the

oldest slingers of food and booze in Canada. According to Bhatnagar, while some other wizened bars in the country opened earlier, they’ve closed at different times during their runs. The Hat, however, has

been open, without break, for more than a century.

“We have to maintain a similar kind of quality,” Bhatnagar says.

Doug Johnson doug@vueweekly.com

a new angle on beer

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

dish 5

Jim Jefferies will never apologize for a joke. / Art Streiber

COMEDY

Fri., Jul. 13 (7 pm and 10 pm) Jim Jefferies The Night Talker Tour Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium From $47

The Austrailian comedian talks about his late night show, having an opinion, and Samantha Bee’s apology

I

t takes a lot to be Australian comedian Jim Jefferies—a guy who is known for his bit on gun control, having one of the funniest late night shows on Comedy Central, and recently, verbally destroying right-wing demagogue Jordan Peterson’s argument with a metaphor about a cake. It may have been the first time Peterson was at a loss for words.

Yes, Jefferies, the 41-year-old comedian—with his no bullshit candour—has certainly made a name for himself with his Aussie observational stand-up and his late night program The Jim Jefferies Show, which sometimes watches like John Oliver on a week-long cocaine binge.

“I hope we’re not screaming at the audience too much,” Jefferies laughs. “All of these other shows are like this is the right thing, this is the wrong thing, but my show is more like an idiot who is trying to figure things out. You’ll hear me say ‘Oh I don’t know about that’ or ‘let’s look deeper’ or ‘I would have done that, but I was probably drunk at the time.’”

As part of running his late-night show, Jefferies has had to become informed on the daily goings on in 6 arts

our world. People may be watching his show for laughs, but much like all the other political pundits that have taken over late night TV, the audience actually gets news from it.

“Sometimes I already have a very firm opinion and other times my researchers go away and I say ‘Give me all the stats, the history, and what it’s like in the other country,’ and then you formulate your own opinion from that. So yeah, I am pretty informed now, but it’s almost by necessity not my hunger to learn,” Jefferies laughs. “I’m learning every day and going ‘Oh shit. I didn’t know about that.’”

It’s a position that Jefferies never saw himself being in with the bulk of his older stand-up centering on getting wasted, “taking drugs like a champion,” and gallivanting with one-night stands. Now, however, one of Jefferies bits on gun control laws in the States from his 2014 Netflix special Bare, is actually taught in prestigious universities like Brown, and Yale.

“They show it for law students and they show it for those, uhhhh—what’s the word—Plato and all those other people, what are those c*nts called? You know, the

people who fucking come up with slogans and shit,” he says searching for the right word. “Philosophy students! Yeah, that’s them. It’s quite bizarre they show it because it’s a stand-up comedy routine that doesn’t maybe take as much thought as you may think.”

Considering his gun control bit, and one-and-a-half-year-old late show, Jefferies is almost expected to have an opinion about anything to do with politics, foreign affairs, or pop culture hoopla. And this is why Jefferies is so entertaining to watch or hear. His position is never far left, far right, or in the middle. It’s constantly shifting for the bit.

“It’s like you wanna talk about say, drugs, and your initial reaction is drugs ruin families, drugs ruin people’s lives. Drugs are this, drugs are that and you go ‘Oh you should ban drugs then,’” he says.

“Then you start looking at the stats in countries where some drugs are legal and maybe decide that’s not the best avenue either. In our society, most people are dealing with knee-jerk reactions—as I did for most of my life as well—and that’s a problem.”

Jefferies once famously told Larry King that he doesn’t “believe in ever apologizing for a joke,” but when he was asked his position on his peer Samantha Bee basically being coerced into apologizing for calling Ivanka Trump a ‘feckless c*nt’ on her show Full Frontal, Jefferies had a slightly different approach.

“I believe you should only apologize if you mean it. There are too many forced apologies. Calling her a ‘feckless c*nt’ wasn’t particularly a joke. It was more of a statement, you know? It wasn’t like a ba dum tsh,” he says. “Do I think she should have apologized?

No, of course, she shouldn’t have apologized for that. If she meant it sure, but apologizing for a fuckin’ dirty word? Like, please.

You’ve got Ted Nugent calling Hillary Clinton a c*nt and then he was invited to the White House.

This is such moronic, far-outrage fuckin’ bullshit.”

In an attempt to poke fun at the situation, Jefferies posted a montage apologizing for every time he said the word c*nt on his show. The count was somewhere between 30 to 50 times.

“I’ll never apologize for saying

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

the word c*nt. I’ve said it so many times,” he says. “If I apologize for one c*nt, or saying c*nt once then I’m going to be apologizing for the rest of my fuckin’ life.”

The one reason Jefferies was so disappointed with the Samantha Bee/ Ivanka Trump situation was how the apology was handled.

“They knew very well what they were saying. It went through scripts, editing, censorship, and it aired,” he says. “And then you’re apologetic cause of everyone’s reaction? If I called Ivanka Trump a feckless c*nt right now, just off the cuff, then maybe I could be apologetic being like ‘ah fuck, I shouldn’t have said that.’ Cause I say stupid shit all the time. But on the show? Fuck. People knew what they were doing and now they’re trying to cover their asses.”

Well, we can be sure that Jefferies will never apologize for anything said on his show. Which in a way, makes him and his late show completely genuine.

“I’m sure there will be a time when I have to apologize for other things though,” he laughs.

Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com

MULTIDISCIPLINARY

At his final Dirt Cabaret Buffet before leaving for New York, Ben Gorodetsky got tattooed on stage. / Tracy Kolenchuk

Curated Auctions & Sales for Eclectic Art Collectors

fourth Meridian

DIRT BUFFET CABARET CREATOR RETURNS

Our current online auction of BC & Alberta art, photographs, and items of interest ends July 11th.

Ben Gorodetsky is back to curate, host and perform in the variety show he created

“P

rovocative variety spectacle gone wild.”

That’s how Ben Gorodetsky describes the Dirt Buffet Cabaret— a variety show he created in 2015 after he moved to Edmonton for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting at the University of Alberta. At that time, he didn’t know many people in the arts scene, but he knew he wanted to create a space for artists of every discipline to explore and experiment with their work.

“I remember Mary Pinkoski, who was the poet laureate of Edmonton at the time, was on that very first show,” Gorodetsky explains. “I knew her brother and I was like, ‘Kevin can you connect me with Mary because I don’t know anyone yet.’ Over the course of the years, I came to know many more people and many more scenes, but those first few were like trying to find [out] ‘what was the connection? What are the six degrees of Kevin Bacon?’”

Last year Gorodetsky left to pursue a Masters in Fine Arts in New York City and a variety of hosts ran and curated the DBC in his absence, but his return for the summer inspired him to curate one show that is half classic, unexpected wildness and half a long-awaited reunion.

Todd Houseman has been working with Gorodetsky for years

on various projects, and will be debuting a unique political performance at the upcoming show.

He’ll be alongside Sean Arceta on the bill, who is switching up his b-boy dance routine to tell his own story. Other artists are presenting theatre, music, and “anticomedy, and existential chaos.”

“I think Edmonton is amazing for [its] possibility [of] being able to crossover in different scenes, in different artistic pockets,” Gorodetsky says. “It’s a place that really values community and people have to band together to make work. You end up meeting a wide variety of incredible artists.”

While this DBC is somewhat of a reunion show, Gorodetsky is not familiar with all of the performers. Stacey Murchison is a wild card that he doesn’t know much about. When Gorodetsky put a call out online for a DJ, he came across a sea full of recommendations, but Murchison stood out with her deep house, rave-like style. It’s not a usual choice for the DBC but that’s the point.

“I love having an x-factor,” he says. “At least one person on the bill who I don’t know so that it’s a surprise for me and the audience.”

Another new addition to the DBC

Sat., Jul. 14 (8 pm) Dirt Buffet Cabaret Spazio Performativo $10 at the door (no one will be refused entry for lack of funds) is Gorodetsky himself. He had never thought to perform when he curated and hosted the show, until he attended variety shows in New York where the host always performs. He’ll be doing a comedy burlesque performance and showing a multimedia art piece that he worked on in New York.

No two acts will be anything alike.

It not only helps artists experiment with their limits, but helps the audience do the same. While someone may walk in the room to support a comedian or dancer, they’ll leave having seen performances they never imagined they would experience. That was the inspiration to create the DBC years ago.

“I sat in my living room in Chinatown trying to come up with this thing that honours Edmonton as this dusty, dirty space,” Gorodetsky says. “Something that honours this idea of a smorgasbord, all you can eat, hodgepodge variety show.”

Hence, Dirt Buffet Cabaret.

Tamanna Khurana VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

Lots 37 signed George Noble, hand-tinted photograph, Banff Springs Hotel, ca.

1930s; other lots of photographs include Moraine Lake, Kootenay Lake & more

Lots 45, 46, 47 are selections of handbills from the Retinal Circus, Vancouver, 1967 (Velvet Underground, Muddy Waters, Papa Bear’s Medicine Show & more)

www.4thMeridian.ca Visit our NEW showroom & shop in the historic Cannery Trade Centre # 104 1475 Fairview Street, Penticton BC

Mid-century crystal, teak and ceramics; original silkscreens and other prints from the 1960s through 1980s; refurbished MCM furniture and select turn-of-the-century antiques.

See more on Instagram:

4th.meridian.auctions arts 7

THEATRE CAMP

2017 Spark! Youth Camp participants / Lianna Makuch

SPARK! CAMP FILLS IN THE GAPS Drama camp teaches youngsters the world of theatre from all angles

Mon., Jul. 9 - Sat., Jul. 21 Spark! Youth Camp Alberta Avenue Community Centre Currently full albertaave.org/sparkyouth-camp

I

n its upcoming fourth year in operation, Spark! Youth Camp will inspire many children in the Alberta Avenue community to immerse themselves in the world of theatre and drama.

Spark! started as a one-day workshop in 2014. Since then, its founders—playwright Lianna Makuch and Chris Dela Cruz— have worked tirelessly to ensure that kids have an affordable opportunity to create, design, and even act out their own performances during what has turned into a two-week camp.

In Spark!, children aged seven to 14 have the opportunity to learn theatre from all angles, from the creative writing and acting process to the technical side of things.

This involves set design, lighting and other technical aspects of the process behind putting on a show.

During the camp, students are given the task of developing a 45-minute-long production, taking on full creative control.

“They register for either performance or technical theatre/ design,” Makuch says of her students. She currently teaches the performance end of the camp.

“We [the students and I] come up with an idea for a play, we write it through improv and other story techniques. Then we write, rehearse and then preform it,” she says.

The goal is to create an original story where the kids are in full control of what is to be performed.

“The kids run it all themselves,” Makuch says.

Dela Cruz teaches the youth the more technical side of things, like making costumes and props.

“I saw how empowering it was for students to create the world of a play,” he says.

Dela Cruz also said that because

of his efforts, he is able to fill a gap in theatre education.

“There has always been acting and performance for students but there really isn’t a lot of options when it comes to theatre tech and design,” he says. “So [for] students that are kind of shy when it comes to going up and talking and performing in front of a lot of people, well, this is just another outlet for creating and showing something to an audience of people.”

While Makuch and Dela Cruz run the majority of the day-to-day operations during the course of

the camp, Spark! also offers what its organizers call a master class.

Here they invite veterans of the theatre industry to instruct their students on specific tasks.

“We bring in professionals from different disciplines from the Edmonton arts community to teach a specialized art form. From the past we’ve brought in clown, movement, improv, sculpting, painting, film and special effects makeup.

We bring in people that can teach different art forms so students get exposed to different arts opportunities. This year we have culinary

arts, magic, painting, props making and improv,” Makuch says.

The camp costs $250, but parents can apply for financial aid to allow their kids to attend the camp for a lower fee.

“Our dream is that Spark! could be entirely free but we [strive] to keep costs low and subsidize. Essentially we provide subsidized arts education to kids,” Makuch says.

Their audience last July was approximately 200 family members and friends from within the Alberta Avenue community.

Pierre Royal

on the other he uses it to try to connect to those around him. Like when he treats his dad as a politician to instigate conversations.

homage to the strip.

He also reached out to Bill Waterson.

“I know I have a chapter called Leave [Bill Waterson] Alone but you have to do your due diligence,” Hingston says.

He didn’t hear back from Waterson, but he did interview Lee Salem, who was Waterson’s editor on Calvin and Hobbes.

“Lee stepped in … and I was able to kind of debunk a bunch of the urban legends that have built up,” Hingston says.

The biggest of these is the urban legend that Bill Waterson has become a recluse, but in the book, Hingston details the public appearances the Calvin and Hobbes creator has made since the strip ended.

Though none of those appearances have included a showing of Waterson’s more recent work— landscape paintings. At least not that we know of.

“Someone asked me actually, ‘Do you think he’s done an exhibit under a pseudonym?’—which is a really interesting idea,” Hingston says. “And ever since they asked me that I thought, ‘I actually kind of bet he has.’”

Hingston knows that a lot of fans still want something more from Waterson—which he attributes to entitlement—but for him, The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, and everything Waterson has written on the strip, is enough.

Chelsea Novak chelsea@vueweekly.com

NON-FICTION

IMAGINATION RUN AMOK

Edmonton author delves into the pages of Calvin and Hobbes Michael Hingston is the author of Let’s Go Exploring. / Supplied

8 arts

W

hat is it about certain pop culture phenomena that allows them to persist in people’s imaginations long after their creators have called it quits?

The daily comic strip Calvin and Hobbes ran for only 10 years, with creator Bill Waterson taking two extended breaks during the run— yet, as Edmonton author Michael Hingston makes clear in his latest book Let’s Go Exploring, fans haven’t forgotten the strip and even pay homage to the six-yearold and his tiger.

The book is part of the ECW Press Pop Classics series. In the book, Hingston explores the appeal of the strip, its origins, its anticlimactic end and its legacy. Hingston also looks at the role imagination played in the world of Calvin and Hobbes.

“I think … the way that a lot of kids read Calvin and Hobbes was that it’s this … mischievous strip about a kid who gets away with stuff and kind of rebels against the world around him using his imagination,” Hingston says. “And re-reading it as an adult, with a little more of like a critical eye, it was really interesting how Calvin’s imagination works in a couple of very particular ways.”

Hingston says on the one hand, Calvin uses his imagination to escape his boring surroundings, and

After publishing a novel in 2013, Hingston—a journalist—turned to long-form non-fiction, but after unsuccessfully shopping around a book “about a topic that was a little off-putting,” he decided to write a book about something that people love.

Hingston loved Calvin and Hobbes growing up, but avoided spending too much type on his own feelings.

“I didn’t think there was any value in spelling it out for readers.

It would be very similar to how they felt, but in a different city and reading the strip in a different newspaper,” he says.

Hingston did however, address the universal appeal of the strip and the sense of loss readers shared when it ended abruptly and without much fanfare. Having been just 10 years old at the time, Hingston doesn’t remember how he learned the strip was being cancelled.

“Honestly it was so popular, it was probably just something that went around the school yard,” he says.

He does remember feeling the strip’s cancellation “as a sadness.”

Hingston wrote Let’s Go Exploring for the Pop Classic series in four months, and a large part of the research was re-reading Calvin and Hobbes. In addition, he read and watched things about Calvin and Hobbes, and work done in

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

VIDEO INSTALLATION

WHAT DOES THE COCONUT TREE THINK OF ME?

Montreal artist seeks a reciprocal relationship with nature

Until Sat., Jul. 21 Copy Tropic SNAP Gallery Free admission

S

eated against a bright green sheet, Montreal-based artist Megan Gnanasihamany lays out paper cutouts of plants from their father’s home country of Sri Lanka. The cut outs—and more importantly, the plants they represent—are the focus of their latest exhibition, Copy Tropic.

The exhibition consists of a short, eight-part video with a voice over. As Gnanasihamany interacts with the cut outs and other props on screen, they contemplate their relationship to the Sri Lankan plants.

“I am considering my relationship to Sri Lanka … and so thinking about the plants that are indigenous to Sri Lanka, and how I can use those as sort of metaphors about relationships to land, and colonialism, and immigration, and … the complex layers of relationships between us,” Gnanasihamany says.

There are also photos displayed around the gallery, which feature the cut outs either arranged into collages or still lifes, juxtaposed with real plants and props.

The exhibition expands off ideas

Gnanasihamany explored during an independent residency in visual and digital arts at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity with their project All the Plants in Banff National Park.

“They’re both different ways of thinking about the role that nature plays in understanding ourselves and our relationship to … a wider world outside of thinking of humans and our interactions [with each other] as being the only way to interact,” Gnanasihamany says.

The plants in Copy Tropic come from stories their father told them and their siblings, and through the plants Gnanasihamany seems to be trying to build their own constructed memories of Sri Lanka.

They also express a desire for a reciprocal relationship with nature.

“I guess I recognize that there’s a gap where nature should love me back,” Gnanasihamany says in the voice over.

“I was thinking of the question, ‘What if I made these plants really like me? What if the coconut tree was thinking of me like I’m

thinking of it?’ It’s just kind of a humorous way of interacting with them,” they explain.

Humour is also an important aspect of the exhibit and it comes through in both the photos and the video.

“I’m really interested in how work can be accessible through humour,” Gnanasihamany says.

“So there are a lot parts that are very personal to me and that I do mean sincerely, but there’s a lot within the movement of the video and the way I phrase things [where] I try to give moments where I can take things a little bit more lightly and give people an entry point into the work.”

They grew up in Edmonton’s West end, but moved to Montreal about a year ago to try something new. Gnanasihamany returned to Edmonton for the installation and opening of Copy Tropic.

“My parents both came and I got some very cute pictures of them listening to my video,” they say.

“It was really nice to be back in Edmonton for the show.”

Chelsea Novak chelsea@vueweekly.com

Artist Megan Gnanasihamany explores relationships and nature in Copy Tropic. / Amy Leigh VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

arts 9

ARTS WEEKLY

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE • 10425-82 Ave • Underdog Comedy Show • Every Thu

BLACKOUT SKETCH COMEDY • The Grindstone, 10019-81 Ave • A sketch comedy group made up of six local writers and actors producing hilarity in every show • Jul 7, 9pm • $12

EMAIL YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO: LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 12PM

COMEDY FACTORY • Gateway Entertainment Centre, 34 Ave, Calgary Tr • Brian Link; Jul 6-7 • Sean Baptiste; Jul 13-14

COMEDY

COMIC STRIP • Bourbon St, WEM •

11 O'CLOCK NUMBER • The Grindstone, 10019-81 Ave • grindstonetheatre.ca • A completely improvised musical comedy based on the suggestions from the audience • Every Fri

BIG ROCK PRESENTS: DEVANEY’S COMEDY NIGHT • Devaney's, 11113-87 Ave • 780.433.6364 • stephen.f.mcgovern@ gmail.com • Weekly open-mic hosted by Stephen McGovern • Sep 6-Apr 25, Every Wed, 8:30pm • Free

BIG ROCK PRESENTS: URBAN TAVERN COMEDY NIGHT HOSTED BY LARS CALLIEOU • Urban Tavern, 11606 Jasper Ave • Every Sun, 8pm

780.483.5999 • Zainab Johnson; Jul 4-8 • Seaton Smith; Jul 11-15 • Robert Powell; Jul 20-22

COYOTE COMEDY • The Grindstone, 1001981 Ave • A 50 minute long form improv show that has lots of short little scenes throughout • Jul 5, 7pm • $10

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 THE FOOL'S SPECTACLE • The Grindstone, 10019-81 Ave • A clown cabaret show • Jul 8, 7pm • $12

FOUR BANGER FRIDAYS • Grindstone Theatre, 10019-81 Ave • grindstonetheatre.ca • Host Simon Gorsak curates a staggering four comic showcase • Every Fri, 9pm • $12

JIM JEFFERIES–THE NIGHT TALKER TOUR • Jubilee Auditorium, 11455-87 Ave • Jul 13, 7pm • $57 and up (at Ticketmaster)

LAUGH STEADY • Nook Cafe, 10153-97 St • Live stand-up comedy hosted by Kevin Cianciolo • Last Fri of the month, 7:309:30pm • $5 (door)

MIND 2 MIND PRESENTS ESP: SCIENCE FACT OR SCIENCE FICTION? • The Grindstone, 10019-81 Ave • Taking people from the audience, and showing them that they have ESP • Jul 8, 9pm

TELLING SECRETS: A COMEDY STORYTELLING SHOW • The Grindstone, 10019-81 Ave • A live stand-up show where comedians tell true stories about their life • Jul 7, 11pm • $12

THUNDERPROV • The Grindstone, 1001981 Ave • A fast-paced, narrative-fuelled improv show crackling with energy and wit • Jul 7, 7pm • $10 UP LATE WITH DANA ANDERSEN • The Grindstone, 10019-81 Ave • An all new, uninhibited late night talk show • Jul 6, 11pm • $14

DANCE ALBERTA DANCE ALLIANCE PRESENTS: FEATS FESTIVAL OF DANCE: FOOT PRINTS • Alberta Dance Alliance, 11759 Groat Rd • abdancealliance.ab.ca • Enjoy a wide variety of dance style during this festival • Jun 27-Jul 7

HOUSE OF HUSH PRESENTS: LET'S MISBEHAVE • Crash Hotel Lobby, 10266-

Late Night Madness!

ATB Arts Barns Jul. 14 (11:11 pm) $23 (adv., plus applicable service fees), $25 (door)

103 St • hellothere@violettecoquette. com • houseofhushjuly13.eventbrite.com • houseofhushburlesque.com • House of Hush brings you a summer-lovin' lineup of performers • Jul 13, 7pm (door), 8-9:30pm (show) • $30 (include a complimentary feature cocktail) • 18+ only

/ Supplied

MILE ZERO DANCE DROP-IN DANCE & MOVEMENT CLASSES • Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St • 780.424.1573 • mzdsociety@gmail.com • milezerodance.com/classes • Mile Zero Dance holds a number of drop-in dance & movement classes for people of all experience levels & ages; Mon: Contact Improv (7-9pm); Tue: House/Hip Hop with Sekou (6-7pm), Butoh with Sonja Myllymaki (7-9pm); Wed: Noguchi Taiso (1011:30am), Beginner Modern with Kathleen Hughes (67pm); Thu: Authentic Movement with Isabelle Rousseau (*Must pre-register*) (10am-12pm), Kids’ Dance with Jeannie Vandekerkhove (ages 3–5) (1-1:45pm) • $15 (regular drop-in), $12 (members drop-in), $15 (annual memberships), $100 (10-Class Card, which can be used for various classes. Purchase it at Eventbrite)

FILM KINKY BOOTS • Metro Cinema at the Garneau Theatre, 8712-109 St • Jul 8, 4pm • Free

METRO • Metro at the Garneau Theatre, 8712109 St • 780.425.9212 • metrocinema.org • Visit metrocinema.org for daily listings • Art Docs: Breaking the Frame (Aug 2) • BAD Girls Movie cluB: Drowning Mona (Jul 18) • cineMA of PsycheDeliA: Kuso (Jul 21) • JAPAnese MAsters: The Hidden Fortress (Jul 22), Yojimbo (Jul 25) • Metro retro: Bullit (Jul 29, Aug 1) • Music Docs: Turn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punk (Jul 10) • niGht GAllery: Dementia 13 (Jul 14) • reel fAMily cineMA: Willow (Jun 23), The Dark Crystal (Jul 7), Spy Kids (Jul 21), The Great Muppet Caper (Jul 28) • sci-fi cineMA: Cildren of Men (Jul 8, Jul 10) • stAff Picks: Moon (Jul 16) • sunDAy clAssics: Lawrence of Arabia (Jun 24), The African Queen (Jul 8)

OH SNAP! '90S MOVIE MARATHON • TELUS World of Science, 11211-142 St • 780.451.3344 • telusworldofscienceedmonton. ca • Settle-in to watch some of the best '90s films to hit the giant screen • Jul 12-15, 7:30pm

GALLERIES + MUSEUMS ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY • 10186-106 St • 780.488.6611 • albertacraft. ab.ca •Home: artwork by various artists; May 5-Aug 18 • The Surface of Things: Chasing Light: artwork by Brenda Malkinson; Jun 2-Jul 14 ALBERTA RAILWAY MUSEUM • 24215-34 St • 780.472.6229 • AlbertaRailwayMuseum.com • Open weekends May 19-Sep 3 • $7 (adult), $6 (senior/student), $3.50 (child 3-12)/child under 3 free; $5 (train rides), $3 (motor car rides)

10 arts

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

ALLIED ARTS COUNCIL OF SPRUCE GROVE • Melcor Cultural Centre, 355th Ave, Spruce Grove • 780.962.0664 • alliedartscouncil.com • Open Photography Show; Jun 25-Jul 20

ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA (AGA) • 2 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.422.6223 • youraga. ca • Manning Hall: The Pre-History of M.N. Hutchinson: Site 24; until Dec 31 • BMO World of Creativity: Wild Wood; until Dec 31 • RBC Work Room: Metamorphosis: artwork by Gloria Mok; until Jul 1 • Edmonton Entrances and Suburban Landscapes; until Nov 11 • LandMark: A New Chapter Acquisition Project; Until Nov 11 • Li Salay; until Sep 9 • Yesterday Was Something; until Jul 10

ART GALLERY OF ST ALBERT (AGSA) • 19 Perron St, St Albert • 780.460.4310 • artgalleryofstalbert.ca • Birds, Bees, and Ambergris: artwork by Gerri Harden; Jun 7-Jul 28

ARTWALK • Person District, St. Albert • artwalkstalbert.com • The art hits the streets again! Discover a place to enjoy, view and buy art to suit all tastes and budgets. Featuring returning artists and new ones • May-Sep, 1st Thu of every month, 6-8:30pm (exhibits run all month) BEAR CLAW GALLERY • 10403-124 St • 780.482.1204 • info@bearclawgallery.com • bearclawgallery.com • Summer Exhibition: rotating exhibit by gallery artists; Throughout the summer BOREALIS GALLERY • 9820-107 St • assembly.ab.ca/visitorcentre/borealis.html • Snapshots of Canada; Jul 19-Sep 24

BRUCE PEEL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS • Lower level, Rutherford South, University of Alberta • bpsc.library.ualberta.ca • Experiment: Printing the Canadian Imagination; Apr 27Aug 24 • Experiment: Printing the Canadian Imagination; May 4-Aug 24

BUGERA MATHESON GALLERY • 10345124 St • bugeramathesongallery.com • Summer Salon–3 at One; Jul 7-21

cAvA GAllery • 9103-95 Ave •

info@picturethisgallery.com • picturethisgallery. com • Canada Scapes & Spaces Art Show: artwork

by Cameron Bird, Lois Bauman, Larisa Cheladyn, Dean McLeod, and more; Jun 30-Aug 31

PROVINCIAL ARCHIVES OF ALBERTA • 8555 Roper Road • PAA@gov.ab.ca • 780.427.1750 • culture.alberta.ca/paa/ eventsandexhibits/default.aspx • Open Tue-Sat, 9am • 150 Firsts: How Alberta Changed Canada … Forever; Until Aug 1

SNAP GALLERY • Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists, 10123-121 St • 780.423.1492 • snapartists.com • Home and Garden: artwork

by Micheline Durocher; Jun 15-Jul 21 • Copy Tropic: artwork by Megan Gnanasihamany; Jun 15-Jul 21

STRATHCONA COUNTY MUSEUM & ARCHIVES • 913 Ash St, Sherwood Park • strathconacountymuseum.ca • Wedding Dresses through Time; until Aug 31

TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE • 11211-142 St • telusworldofscienceedmonton.com • Daily activities, demonstrations and experiments • Terry Fox–Running to the Heart of Canada; Feb 16-Sep 16 • Dinosaurs Unearthed: Down to the Bone; Opens Jun 1 UDELL XHIBITIONS • 10332-124 St NW • 780.488.4445 • udellxhibitions.com • Turbulent Skies; Sep 15-29 VASA GALLERY • 25 Sir Winston Churchill Ave, St Albert • 780.460.5990 • vasa-art.com • Convection: artwork by Jay Bigam; Jul 3-Jul 28

WALTERDALE THEATRE • 10322-83 Ave • albertasocietyofartists.com • What's Normal: The Drama in Images: artwork by E. Ross Bradley; Jul 3-14

LITERARY EDMONTON STORY SLAM • 9910, 9910B-109 St • edmontonstoryslam.com • Great stories, interesting company, fabulous atmosphere • 3rd Wed each month, 7pm (signup); 7:30pm • $5 donation

ROUGE POETRY SLAM HOSTED BY BREATH IN POETRY COLLECTIVE • BLVD

780.461.3427 • galeriecava.com • BIVOUAC: artwork by Isabelle Demers, Anouk Desloges, Emilie Proulx; Jun 29-Aug 3

Supper x Club, 10765 Jasper Ave • Every Tue

CHRONIC NOSTALGIC • 10986-128 St • Yard

THEATRE

Gallery; Jul 21-22

BUT HARK, A VOICE! • Heritage

DC3 ART PROJECTS • 10567-111 St •

Amphitheatre, William Hawrelak Park • thouartheretheatre.com • A roving rehearsal of repertory rejects! Shakespeare's Mechanicals from A Midsummer Night's Dream are rehearsing their new play premiering at this year's Shakespeare festival • Jun 19-Jul 15

780.686.4211 • dc3artprojects.com • Arrivals: artwork by Ociciwan; Jun 29-Aug 4

FAB GALLERY • Fine Arts Building Gallery,1-1 FAB (University of Alberta) • ualberta.ca/ artshows • Czecho-Slovak Fine Art Exhibition; Jun 12-Jul 6

FRONT GALLERY • 10402-124 St • thefrontgallery.com • WOMEN ARTISTS; Aug 8, 7-9pm

GALLERY@501 • 501 Festival Ave, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8585 • strathcona.ca/artgallery • Passages: artwork by Vincent Roper; Until Aug 26 • Inspired by Nature at Summer Camp: artwork by youth photographers; Until Jul 30

HARCOURT HOUSE GALLERY • 3 Fl, 10215-112 St • 780.426.4180 • harcourthouse. ab.ca • Human Essence: Humankind at the Beginning of the 21st Century: 30th Annual Harcourt House Members’ Exhibition and Art Sale; Jun 2-Jul 14

LATITUDE 53 • Latitude 53, 10242-106 St NW • latitude53.org • Typical Space: artwork by Sora Park; Jun 8-Jul 21 • The Skin Machine: artwork by Rachel Thomas; Jun 8-Jul 21

LOFT GALLERY & GIFT SHOP • A.J. Ottewell Arts Centre, 590 Broadmoor Blvd, Sherwood Park • Sat-Sun, 12-4pm (excluding long weekends) • Artwork by Desserrie Plewis, Lynda McAmmond, Lynn Sinfield, Joyce Boyer, Kay McCormick, and Terrie Shaw; Mar 3-Jul 8

MCMULLEN GALLERY • U of A Hospital, 8440-112 St • 780.407.7152 • friendsofuah. org/mcmullen-gallery • The Well Tended Garden: artwork by Gillian Willans; Jun 30-Aug 19 MUSÉE HÉRITAGE MUSEUM • St Albert Place, 5 St Anne Street, St Albert • MuseeHeritage.ca • 780.459.1528 • museum@ artsandheritage.ca • Birds, Bees and Ambergris: artwork by Gerri Harden; Jun 7-Jul 28 • Take Your Best Shot: youth digital photo exhibition; Jun 12-Aug 12 PETER ROBERTSON GALLERY • 12323104 Ave • 780.455.7479 • probertsongallery. com • Summer Group Show: artwork by various artists; Jul 21-Aug 25

PICTURE THIS! FRAMING & GALLERY • 959 Ordze Rd, Sherwood Park • 780.467.3038 •

EMMA, THE MUSICAL • Horowitz Theatre, University of Alberta, 8900-114 St • Focused on the character of an elementary school teacher, Emma, who must make difficult choices between the peaceful life she struggles to live and the war that rages around her • Jul 7

FOREVER PLAID • Mayfield Dinner Theatre, 16615-109 Ave • This nostalgic revue centres on four eager male singers who are killed in a car crash on the way to their first big concert • Jun 15-Jul 29, showtimes vary (Tue- Sun) • $80 and up

FREEWILL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL • Heritage Ampitheatre, Hawerlak Park, 9330 Groat Rd • freewillshakespeare.com • The festival returns for its 30th season with the two classic plays: Comedy of Errors and Hamlet • Jun 19-Jul 15 (no shows on Mon) LATE NIGHT MADNESS! • ATB Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave • An adult-only showcase featuring StreetFest’s international cast • Jul 14, 11:11pm • $23 (adv, plus applicable service fees), $25 (door) LES MISERABLES • Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 11455-87 Ave • Watch and follow the struggles of ex convict Jean Valjean live • Jul 3-Jul 8 • From $51 NEXT TO NORMAL • Walterdale Theatre, 10322-83 Ave • A rock musical that explores the impact that a woman's illness has on her and her family as she attempts to navigate her life • Jul 4-14 • $18-$20 PUPPET SHOWS: HAMLET & THE COMEDY OF ERRORS • Heritage Amphitheatre, William Hawrelak Park • thouartheretheatre. com • Let Thou Art Here Theatre introduce you to the play through a fun and interactive puppet adaptation • Jun 19-Jul 15

ROCK & ROLL HEAVEN • Jubilations Dinner Theatre, WEM Phase 1, 8882-170 St • Imagines Heaven’s greatest concert with Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Michael Jackson, Prince and many more • Jun 15-Aug 19

Elastigirl/Helen leaves her husband to look after the kids while she fights crime. / Pixar

ANIMATION

FRI, JUL 6– THUR, JUL 12

Incredibles 2 delivers on its fans’ expectations

I

t’s been 14 years since The Incredibles hit theatres, and we’ve been waiting for a sequel that is just as super. It’s finally arrived and I am happy to report it’s better than the first.

Right after the events of the first film, the Parr family attempts to stop the Underminer’s plans, but in the end, they are detained by law enforcement as superheroes have been illegal for 15 years.

Left homeless and without income, the family must find a way to make ends meet. In a twist to the original film, it is now Elastigirl/Helen Parr (Holly Hunter) who has to return to hero work and help convince the public that superheroes should be legal again, with the help of a company called Devtech. She does this to protect her children’s future and so that they can choose whether or not they become heroes. Mr. Incredible/Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) is left to look after the kids.

Incredibles 2 more than delivers on its fans’ palpable expectations. The characters are devel-

oped further, with interactions between Bob and his children that are down-to-earth, thoughtful, and witty. Every joke lands.

The humour is timed perfectly, as Bob learns the heroism of being a parent and deals with his children’s daily problems, along with Jack-Jack’s new wacky and varied powers.

Elastigirl’s investigation into the new villain, Screenslaver, is intriguing, but as the story progresses, the outcome becomes more and more obvious. Nevertheless, the story will grip you from beginning to end as the stakes gradually increase.

The visuals and action scenes are spectacular. In a battle between Elastigirl and Screenslaver, the electronics-filled setting compliments the action with spectacular visual flair. There are also a few chase scenes that are splendidly creative in terms of how Elastigirl’s powers are used, and now that the film is set within a city—instead of on an island—the

Incredibles 2 Directed by Brad Bird Now playing  visuals pop with excellent virtual lighting and cinematography.

All of this is set to Michael Giacchino’s fantastic score, which continues to wow with its jazzy, big band style. The music helps draw you into the world and personality of the film.

Hunter and Nelson give wholly believable voice performances.

The arguments between the couple, and their interactions with their kids, are natural and the chemistry is just as immediate as the first film. Sarah Vowell (Violet Parr) and Huck Milner (Dash Parr) deliver great performances as two quibbling kids trying to get out of a troubling situation. Edna Mode—voiced by the film’s director, Brad Bird—is also hilarious every time she is on screen, darlings.

So get into your super suits, go to the theatre, and watch this film.

Chris Penwell

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

FRI & MON TO THURS: 6:45PM SAT: 1:00, 3:15 & 6:45PM SUN: 1:00, 3:15 & 6:00PM RATED: PG

ALWAYS AT THE CARLYLE

FRI & MON TO THURS: 7:00PM SAT: 1:15 & 7:00PM SUN: 1:15 & 6:15PM RATED: PG

BEAST BE

FIRST REFORMED FIR

FRI: 9:15PM SAT: 3:45 & 9:15PM SUN: 3:45 & 8:15PM MON TO THURS: 9:15PM

FRI, SAT & MON TO THURS: 9:00PM SUN: 8:00PM RATED: 14A, MSM

RATED: 14A, SC, V, DC

PRESENTS

JUL 5 - JUL 11 PRACTICALLY AWESOME

CLASH OF THE TITANS SUN @ 7:00 SCI-FI CINEMA

FILMS OF WES ANDERSON

CHILDREN OF MEN SUN @ 9:30, TUE @ 9:30

ISLE OF DOGS FRI @ 7:00, SAT @ 9:30, MON @ 9:00, WED @ 7:00 15TH ANNIVERSARY / METRO MOVIE PARTY!

THE ROOM FRI @ 9:30 REEL FAMILY CINEMA

THE DARK CRYSTAL SAT @ 1:00 FREE ADMISSION FOR KIDS 12 & UNDER PRACTICALLY AWESOME

FILMS OF WES ANDERSON

BOTTLE ROCKET MON @ 7:00 FIFA WORLD CUP TUE @ 12:00 – SEMI-FINAL WED @ 12:00 – SEMI-FINAL

THE TERMINATOR SAT @ 7:00

LIVE SCREENING. FREE ADMISSION

THE GARNEAU GHOST LIGHT TOUR SUN @ 11:00AM - SOLD OUT

TURN IT AROUND: THE STORY OF EAST BAY PUNK TUE @ 7:00

SUNDAY CLASSICS

THE AFRICAN QUEEN SUN @ 1:00

SENIORS: 2 FOR 1 ADMISSION AT THE DOOR U OF A PRIDE ALUMNI

KINKY BOOTS SUN @ 4:00

MUSIC DOCS

SCREENS WITH NEW MUSIC VIDEO - NO PROBLEM: EYES OF A KILLER RAPID FIRE THEATRE

FOLK LORDZ WED @ 9:30

TICKETS $12 ADVANCE OR $15 AT THE DOOR. NO METRO PASSES. Q & A FOLLOWING THE SHOW. FREE ADMISSION LIVE EVENT

Metro Cinema at the Garneau: 8712-109 Street WWW.METROCINEMA.ORG

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

film 11

Who doesn’t like winning stuff? AMIRITE?!

We want you to win sweet stuff! Check back here next week when we’ll announce the winner of a set of one gift certificate (value approx. $25 ea.) for each of the advertisers you see below. Then on July 19 we’ll give out another batch of $25 gift certificates, and in the last week we’ll give one lucky winner a gift certificate for each of the advertisers participating in the contest.

Head to VueWeekly.com/contests to enter for your chance to win!

NASHVILLE

HOT

CHICKEN Edmonton North 780-705-9757

Edmonton Downtown 780-758-1705 Edmonton South 780-433-4500

Sherwood Park 780-467-1581

Spruce Grove 587-286-2500 Calgary Willow Park Village 403-455-8180

Edmonton Windermere 780-438-0930

GET YOUR BOARD GAME ON

Something beautiful is growing here.

$5 GETS YOU ALL DAY PLAY

We’re open for the season - come see what’s new!

Experience 240 acres of tranquil beauty in our cultivated gardens, indoor showhouses and the beautiful new Aga Khan Garden, Alberta.

botanicgarden.ualberta.ca

Formerly the Devonian Botanic Garden

Located in Parkland County, 5 km north of Devon on Hwy 60

12 contest

northchickenyeg.com 780.756.2239 | 10704 124 street

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

ASPECT RATIO

Peter Sarsgaard as Frank Olson in the Netflix miniseries Wormwood. / IMDB

WORMING TOWARDS TRUTH W

Wormwood doc captures a son’s search for answers about his father’s death

ormwood, n. 1. a woody shrub with a bitter aromatic taste, often used in liquor; 2. a source or state of bitterness or grief.

Documentarian Errol Morris pries into sinister, shady dealings—from the shrugging-ness of Dallas injustice in The Thin Blue Line (1988) to a JFK assassination-theory defused by truthstranger-than-fiction in The Um-

brella Man (2011). Now, Morris’ six-part miniseries Wormwood (Netflix) sinuously, slitheringly worms its way—led by the ponderings and reflections of the victim’s son—into a darkly surreal chapter of CIA history.

In a hotel room (1018A, the Hotel Statler, New York City), a man recounts the Biblical passage about the star Wormwood (Revelations 8:11), wanders as if

in a stupor, then exits through the window. Thus is retold the tragic end, on Thanksgiving weekend, 1953, of Eric Olson’s father, Frank, a biochemist at Fort Detrick.

Was he an unwitting participant in an experiment (under the auspices of the CIA’s MKUltra program) days earlier, when he and others had drinks laced with LSD? If so, did his averse

reaction, his growing concerns about germ-warfare, and his apparently tendered resignation mean he was murdered?

The Rockefeller Commission’s investigation of the CIA in 1975 led to President Ford and the agency’s director personally apologizing to Eric and his family—which was unprecedented—but still scant resolution. The official report says

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

Olson “jumped” or “fell” but, Eric notes to Morris, there was no ledge, so it would have been more like diving head-first out the window.

Morris pushes his signaturestyle to further break open and break up the uncertainty and opacity of a jigsaw-puzzle past.

Close-ups of newspaper clippings accompany the whirring clicks of a microfilm reader. Interview shots multiply in splitscreen, then quarter-screen, frames; certain phrases echo through a hall-of-mirrors collage of shots.

Re-enactments (Peter Sarsgaard is Frank; Molly Parker is his wife Alice) are lengthy interludes, re-imagining Olson’s final days. They draw the story out and deepen the mystery, expressing how much Eric has been consumed by the enigma of his father’s death—not so much sucked down a rabbit hole as treading further and further into a byzantine rabbit warren.

Eric’s carefully thought-out, well-articulated questions and concerns make even his misspeaking of “wreaking chaos” as “wrecking chaos” seem awfully apt. This young-boy-turnedold-man’s searching, lingering need to better understand the moment that scarred his family twists us on and on through Morris’ latest investigation of truth’s confounding shadows.

Brian Gibson

film 13

Looks like a great album cover. Oh wait. It is! / Mark Templeton

SOUND ART

Thu., Jul. 5 (7 pm) Distorted Tourist photobook launch with Mark Templeton Ace Coffee Roasters Free

Sound artist Mark Templeton deliberately got lost to create his photo-sound travelogue Distorted Tourist

I

t started off with a routine drive through a well-known local neighbourhood and morphed into something so much more surreal. One of local sound artist/photographer Mark Templeton’s favourite diversions from day-to-day life is going on little photo drives as he attempts to get lost in familiar surroundings.

For his latest multimedia project Distorted Tourist—made up of images, text, and five one-sided flexi disc records—Templeton’s subject was Argyll, an area made up of residential and industrial foliage, each of which presented its own distinct feelings and sounds.

“Perhaps something in that area looked different from the reality that it was situated in,” Templeton says. “If I saw something that caught my eye, I’d take a photograph of it. This went on for a few years and I kinda realized later on that there was something more than the images I was making.”

The visual result is an array of images that represents urban decay, and the transformation of these spaces ruled by the hands of time.

“Ultimately I was functioning very similar to a tourist. You see something that could be a monument and the tour bus pulls over and you snap a few images. My car was functioning the same way. I saw something, pulled over, photographed it and moved on. It’s much different than a photo walk,” he says.

Templeton also recorded a series of found sounds and field recordings in many of the locations. After mixing them and adding in some 14 music

soundscape flair, Templeton had five tracks that make up the audio component of Distorted Tourist.

Each track is meant to take the listener through the feelings and thought processes Templeton experienced while in the space.

The tracks are quite brief and take the listener on a dislocated journey accompanied by Templeton’s photographs. For example, “Alland” digitally tears itself apart and scratches throughout the landscape while “Rosen” rests on an unaltered, sonically-pleasing, wave.

Templeton’s process was looking at a collection of his photos and weaving together the abstract sounds that speak to the specific collection.

“I wasn’t looking at the photos and spending like 20 seconds on one and then on to the next,” he says. “Maybe [the collection] feels like a space near the ocean or I feel something when I hear the sound of the ocean. There are entry points that way that provided me with an anchor to work with the audio that connected to the images.”

There is also a written component to Distorted Tourist created by author Ryan Diduck that adds another layer to the project. Diduck’s postmodern, sombre, poetic passages take the observer on a hallucinatory journey in which an individual is looking for someone—or something depending on how you interpret it—and never reaches them.

“I was concerned about the abstraction of the work—not that

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

it’s ever a problem with what I do with sound—because there were things I wanted to say and say very concretely,” Templeton says. “We [Templeton and Diduck] drove through the spaces and kind of talked through it and I told him conceptually what I was going for: you are trying to arrive somewhere and you never really arrive. Like you’re hoping things will change, but when they do, you question it.

So you never really get to where it is you want to get to. But he said it so much more eloquently in like a diaristic approach.”

Distorted Tourist is a rare kind of project that separates itself from one medium and, instead, dips its feet into all of them. While Templeton does recommend the observers listen to each track while flipping through the photo book and reading Didicuk’s passages at the same time, there is no hardand-fast right way to experience Distorted Tourist.

“I do want people to take it in the way they want to take it in,” he says. “I don’t want to be too narrative about it. I’m sure each of us can remember going to a place or area in our life and it’s not only visual but also audible—we hear certain sounds connected to the location we had visited and they bring about certain feelings. So, perhaps the audio is intended to present a certain perspective, thought process, or feeling that I experienced in those fabricated locations.”

Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com

SUBCONTINENTAL POP

Delhi 2 Dublin was past labels, so they made their own. / Supplied

FROM DELHI TO DUBLIN, AND FARTHER Delhi 2 Dublin looks to expand their musical horizons with new album later this year

A

s their name implies, Delhi 2 Dublin is mixing up a concoction of East Indian and Irish sounds, but the Vancouver-based electronic jam band wants you to know that there’s more to them than that. They even went so far as to coin a new genre for their music—subcontinental pop.

Though the band did start off with a mixture of Irish and East Indian music—as they progressed in their songwriting abilities and expanded their horizons—it made sense to move outside of just those influences.

At the same time, people would often ask where the Celtic influences in the music were, and they got tired of explaining it.

“It makes more sense now when you don’t have to put yourself in that little bubble,” Sanjay Seran, vocalist for the band, says.

Delhi 2 Dublin originally began as a collaboration project for the 2006 Vancouver Celtic Music Festival. Tarun “T” Nayar, tabla and electronics for the band, was part of a DJ collective and had written a couple tracks for the festival, then reached out to Seran for vocals. Since then the band has released eight albums and have played all over the world.

Their last album, 2015’s We’re

All Desi, was a step forward for the band sonically.

“We were trying to step out of the world category we had been put into and move more into the electronic world we were happier being in,” Seran says.

Nick Middleton of The Funk Hunters produced We’re All Desi and The Funk Hunters actually appear on a couple tracks on the album. Middleton has also recently done a remix for U2.

One quirk of the band’s album releases is that they release most of their albums twice. The first release of each album is the band’s original tracks, then usually around a year later the band will release the album a second time with various remixes of the songs by different musicians.

“I think it’s clever, and I think it’s awesome because I like to hear those remixes. A lot of times the remixes become my favourite version because they’re new and fresh,” Seran says. “It’s kind of selfish too. The reason we remix albums is more selfish. We get to listen to it.”

Over the last year, Delhi 2 Dublin has also been working on a new album. According to Seran, the album is going to be more accessible and poppy compared

Sat., Jul. 7 Delhi 2 Dublin (Seven Music Fest headliner) Seven Hills, St. Albert Tickets at sevenmusicfest.com to their other work, but it still keeps what Delhi 2 Dublin has always been about—love and being woke.

“There is definitely some political stuff happening, obviously, to the South of us which is affecting the whole world and we’re aware of that and touching on that,” Seran says. “Especially as kids of immigrant parents, growing up on the West Coast in a pretty multicultural type of atmosphere, those themes are big for us, and being proud of who we are and our identity is a big thing. It’s more important now than ever to express that stuff and really create connection.”

However, Seran prefers to stay away from the label “political.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a more political album. I’d say it’s more consciously aware,” Seran says.

“We focus on the love aspect and inclusion aspect.”

The album is due for release later this year.

Alexander Sorochan VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

music 15

VENUE FUNDRAISER

Musicians are hosting a battle of the bands fundraiser for The Forge. / Supplied

MUSIC WEEKLY EMAIL YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO: LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 12PM

THU JUL 5

AVIARY Kim Vansteenbergen Art Show with

16 music

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

lessons at 8pm; Cuban Salsa DJ to follow

FRI JUL 6

BLVD SUPPER X CLUB B**ch A Little, Wine Alot (house, hip-hop and reggae music); Every Thu; No cover

THE ALMANAC Tuneful Tables Presents: Colleen Brown with Amy van Keeken; 6pm; $15 (general admission), $50 (includes dinner for one), $80 (includes dinner for two); Available at Ticketfly. com; All ages

BORDERLINE SPORTS PUB Karaoke/DJ; Every

AVIARY The Dice Cubes Album Release Party with

Sam Spades and the Hottes; 8pm; $10 (adv), $12 (door); All ages

Thursday Jam & Open Mic; Every Thu, 8pm

B-STREET BAR Karaoke; Every Fri-Sat, 9:30pm

CAFE BLACKBIRD YEG Music Presents: Cazper, Good Information, Danielle Knapp and Maia Meister; 7pm; $10

BLUES ON WHYTE The Rondel Roberts Band; 9pm

11:30pm HAVE MERCY Thigh Thursdays with El Niven & The

Alibi and friends; Every Thu, 8:30pm; No cover LB'S PUB Open Jam hosted by Russell Johnston LEAF BAR AND GRILL Karoake at the Leaf; Every

Thu, 9pm; Free NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Thu open stage; 7pm NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by Wild Rose Old

BOHEMIA In Darkness, Lacerator, Switchblade

Romance and guests; 8pm (doors); $10; 18+ only BORDERLINE SPORTS PUB Karaoke/DJ; Every

Thu-Sat, 9pm CAFE BLACKBIRD The Statistics On Tour; 8pm;

$10 CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Live music every Fri; all

ages; 7pm; $5 (door) CASINO YELLOWHEAD HELP! A Beatles Tribute;

7pm (doors), 8pm (show); Tickets start at $30 CENTURY CASINO–ST. ALBERT River City Jukebox;

Tyme Fiddlers every Thu; 7pm

9pm; Free

REC ROOM–SOUTH EDMONTON COMMON

CHVRCH OF JOHN Elderbrook; 9pm; 18+ only

Karaoke with live band, The Nervous Flirts; Every other Thu, 7pm REC ROOM–WEST EDMONTON MALL Throwback

The community responded positively, and 10 bands applied for the battle—though there was only room for six, who the organizers selected on a firstcome-first-serve basis. The only requirement for entry was that the applicants couldn’t have recorded more than one album.

Lekochinsky reached out to James Seabrook—founder and owner of Two Bodies of Water Productions—to ask for sponsorship and collaboration on the project. Seabrook was able to offer recording packages for the bands that win the battle in one of three categories: first place, runner up, and crowd’s choice.

Each will get a package of three songs recorded live in the studio.

Funk & Soul with DJ Modest Mike; Every Thu • Wooftop Lounge: Dear Hip Hop with Freshlan

Rotating guests each week

FIDDLER'S ROOST Acoustic Circle Jam; 7:30-

hings seemed to be going well for The Forge. The relatively young venue—the roughly year-and-a-half-old business that replaced The Pawn Shop after it closed down—had made it through some early growing pains, and it had a full schedule booked for this early July.

However, early morning on May 28, a fire broke out in the alley behind the Whyte Avenue business, leaving it with $20,000 to $30,000 in smoke and fire damage. The alleged arson wrecked its stage, green room, and wiring.

Smoke from the fire also left the walls and equipment smelling like smoke, says Dale Weran, one of The Forge’s owners. Only around half of the shows booked could be rescheduled at other venues.

To make matters worse, The Forge didn’t have insurance. In all, the venue was in dire straights.

Despite the adversities, Weran remains optimistic and describes the experience as “another piece of the journey.”

“It could have been a lot worse,” he says.

Part of this positive outlook comes from the city’s music community—a source of moral and financial support he was not expecting.

Around the time the fire struck,

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Thu Main Fl: Rock N' Roll,

ON THE ROCKS Salsa Rocks: every Thu; dance

BRICK & WHISKEY PUBLIC HOUSE Big Rockin'

T

WINSPEAR CENTRE Live at the Winspear presents Stage Door Sessions; 8pm; Email communications@winspearcentre.com to reserve your spot

THE COMMON The Common Uncommon Thursday:

Thu-Sat, 9pm

Seabrook says it was important to have more than one winner, especially since some acts can be bitter around band battles, which can be poorly judged.

Seabrook says he is also happy to participate in this event because he wants to make recording affordable, and sponsoring the fundraiser aligns with his vision. “I can’t afford to donate a huge package of time to one artist to make one song. It made more sense to do the live recordings and see three different bands,” he says.

The judges come from different corners of the music community.

Tim Plamondon plays bass with local band The Unfortunates, Daryl Cameron is from SoundLab Studios in Sherwood Park, Rob Haynes is a musician who runs a YouTube reviews channel, and Stew Kirkwood produces for The Audio Department. They will be asked to judge on originality, cohesiveness, performance, and technical skill.

Lekochinsky hopes the event will raise $1,000 for The Forge through ticket sales. Meanwhile, Weran—who has also started a crowdfunding Indiegogo page with a $35,000 goal—is thankful for the support.

“It’s overwhelming to see so many people wanting to help” he says, eyes watering. “It’s in times like these that you get to see how valued you are in a community and how people appreciate what you do.”

Veronica Petrola

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Les Miserables; 7:30pm

6-10pm; All ages

BLUES ON WHYTE The Rondel Roberts Band; 9pm

local musician Matt Lekochinsky, of Edmonton rock outfit Keylation, was trying to organize a battle of the bands event at The Aviary. The even was originally designed to foster talent in new and upcoming local bands, but, seeing the hardships The Forge was facing, Lekochinsky decided to give it some extra purpose, turning the friendly competition into a fundraising event.

“Having it as a band battle meant that it would help struggling bands who were feeling the same difficulty,” Lekochinsky says. “It made sense to have an event that would both give emerging bands a place to shine, all while supporting a venue where they could potentially do that in the future.”

Classical

ARIA'S BISTRO Open mic with Garrett James;

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Hugo and Grizz; 8-10pm; $10

Sat., Jul. 7 (6:30 pm) We Are The Forge!

A Band Battle Fundraiser The Aviary $10 via yeglive.ca, $12 at doors

of every month, 7-8:30pm; No cover (donations welcome)

DJs

BILLIARD CLUB Michael Chenoweth; 9pm; Free

Some from the Edmonton music community have banded together to raise funds for The Forge

Gress (fr Self Evolution); every Thu; 9pm-2am WOODRACK CAFÉ Birdie on a Branch; 2nd Thu

THE ALMANAC Tuneful Tables Presents: Mayhemingways with Erin Kay; 6pm; $15 (general admission), $50 (includes dinner for one), $80 (includes dinner for two); Available at Ticketfly. com; All ages

Ginbombs; 7pm; $10 (adv)

STRIVING TO RISE FROM THE ASHES

TAVERN ON WHYTE Open stage with Michael

DENIZEN HALL Champ City Soundtrack; Every

Fri-Sat

Thursday with The Sissy Fits; Every Thu, 8:30pm; Free

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Mark Mcgarrigle; 9pm

SANDS INN & SUITES Karaoke Thursdays with

LIONS HEAD Michael Chenoweth; 8-11pm; Free

JR; Every Thu, 9pm-1am SEWING MACHINE FACTORY Max Uhlich Tape

Relief, Smokey + the Feeelings, Sister Ray; 8pm; $10; No minors SHAKERS ROADHOUSE The Katz N Jammers

Thursday Night Wail; Every Thu, 7:30-11pm SQUARE 1 COFFEE Singer/Songwriter Open Mic

Hosted by Tommy Barker; Every Thu, 7-9:30pm

Kayla & Matt Hotte Aviary Jul. 6, 8pm $10 (adv.)

LB'S PUB Brent Lee; 9pm; No minors

NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Shaelene and Candice McCoy; 7pm • Lovesetsfire with Liv Gains and special guests; 9pm ONLY THE GOOD STUFF OGS Open Mic/Jam/ Karaoke; Every Fri; Free; 18+ only ON THE ROCKS Jellybean; 9pm RANCH ROADHOUSE Alexisonfire; 10pm; Free

/ Supplied

REC ROOM–SOUTH EDMONTON COMMON Uptown;

RIVER CREE–The Venue Randy Houser; 7pm

CAFE BLACKBIRD Edmonton Ukulele Circle;

8:30pm; $10 (adv), $15 (door)

(doors), 9pm (shows); Tickets starting at $44.99; No minors

6:30pm; Free

REC ROOM–WEST EDMONTON MALL Nervous Flirts;

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ICEHOUSE Funk Vs. Rock

9pm; Free

RENDEZVOUS PUB Armifera, The Maension,

FIDDLER’S ROOST Open Stage; 7-11pm

Absinthe from society, Artificial Lift; 8pm (doors), 9pm (show); $15

featuring The Payback with DJ Modest Mike; 8pm; $15 (adv) ROSE & CROWN PUB Keith Retson-Spalding; 9pm

PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Wild Rose Old

RICHARD'S PUB DJ Brad House Party; Evrey

SEWING MACHINE FACTORY 4th Annual Beach

Fri-Sat, 9pm

Bash; 8pm

ROSE & CROWN PUB Keith Retson-Spalding; 9pm

SEVEN HILLS Seven Music Fest; 1-11pm; $80

SANDS INN & SUITES Karaoke with entertainment, SEWING MACHINE FACTORY Ceilings, Sorrier,

Sessions Jam; Every Sat, 4-8pm • Ferny Turnbull; 9pm; No cover; No minors

9pm; No cover; No minors SHERLOCK HOLMES–DOWNTOWN Benjamin

Williams; 9pm SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM Andrew Scott; 9pm SIDELINER’S PUB Friday Night Bands: live music;

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: DJ Late Fee; Every Fri; Wooftop: Selection Fridays with Remo, Noosh, Fingertips & guests; Underdog: Rap, House,

Hip-Hop with DJ Teddy Plenti; every Fri

Creeazn every Mon; 9pm-2am

SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM Andrew Scott; 9pm

Classical

TUE JUL 10

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Les Miserables; 7:30pm

THE ALMANAC Wallis Bird, Liz Stephens, and guests; 7pm; $12 (adv), $15 (doors)

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: DJ Chris Bruce spins britpop/punk/garage/indie; Every Sat; Wooftop: Sound It Up! with DJ Instigate spinning classic hip-hop and reggae; Underdog: hip-hop open Mic followed by DJ Marack

DJs

Eddie Lunchpail TAVERN ON WHYTE Classic hip-hop with DJ

Classical

Al Fresco; 6:30-9:30pm; $56 (adult), $20 (kids)

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Substance with

Williams; 9pm

DJs

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA BOTANIC GARDEN Opera

DJs

SHERLOCK HOLMES–DOWNTOWN Benjamin

Every Fri

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Les Miserables; 7:30pm

Open Stage; Hosted by Celeigh Cardinal; Every Mon (except long weekends), 8:30pm

(weekend pass) SHAKERS ROADHOUSE Mark Ammar’s Saturday

Hazeldean; 8pm; $10; No minors

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Wooftop: Tempation

Tuesdays with DJ Teddy Plenti; Every Tue BLUES ON WHYTE Major Funk and the Employment;

9pm FIDDLER’S ROOST Fiddle Jam Circle; 7:30-

11:30pm

THE COMMON Get Down It’s Saturday Night: House

GAS PUMP Karaoke; 9:30pm

EL CORTEZ MEXICAN KITCHEN + TEQUILA BAR

Sheriff Taylor; Every 3rd Tue of the month • To-Do Tuesday: open mic night hosted by Justin Perkins

HAVE MERCY Outlaw Country Vinyl Night with

ENVY NIGHT CLUB Resolution Saturdays: top 40, throwbacks and club anthems

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Sheryl Crow; 8pm; $39

EL CORTEZ MEXICAN KITCHEN + TEQUILA BAR

MERCER TAVERN DJ Mikey Wong every Sat

LB’S PUB Tuesday Night Open Jam Hosted by

Resident DJs playing the best in hip-hop, dance and classics; Every Fri-Sat, 9pm; No cover

ONLY THE GOOD STUFF Live Hip/Hop, Trap, House Live DJ; Every Sat; Free; 18+ only

RICHARD’S PUB KWC Karaoke Competition (all

GAS PUMP Live DJ; 10pm

THE PROVINCIAL PUB Saturday Nights: Indie rock

THE PROVINCIAL PUB Video Music DJ; 9pm-2am

and dance with DJ Maurice; 9pm-2am

Y AFTERHOURS Live DJs; Every Fri-Sat

TAVERN ON WHYTE Soul, motown, funk, R&B

SAT JUL 7

Y AFTERHOURS Live DJs; Every Fri-Sat

DJs

SUN JUL 8

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Chris Bruce spins britpop/punk/garage/indie; Every Tue

THE ALMANAC Miss.Benzo with Khaled Rahime;

AVIARY Pigeon Breeders with Smokey, Alder & Ash, Touching God, and Redress; 6:30pm; $7 (adv), $10 (door)

WED JUL 11

B-STREET BAR Karaoke; Every Fri-Sat, 9:30pm

BLIND PIG PUB Blind Pig Pub Ham Jam; Every Sun,

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Wooftop: The Fix with DJ

ONLY THE GOOD STUFF OGS Industry Nights; Every

Sun, ; Free; 18+ only

BLUES ON WHYTE The Rondel Roberts Band; 9pm

ON THE ROCKS Backwoods Superfreak; 9pm

BOHEMIA Balderdash, Red Grace, St.Groove,

RICHARD’S PUB Live musician jam with live karaoke, hosted by the Ralph Pretz Band; Every Sun, 4-8pm

Thu-Sat, 9pm CAFE BLACKBIRD Miss Rae & The Midnight Ram-

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Les Miserables; 7:30pm

FESTIVAL PLACE Qualico Patio Series: Wallis Bird

and Liz Stevens; 7:30pm; $8 (single show), $72 (season pass) GAS PUMP Karaoke; 9:30pm HAVE MERCY Piano Karaoke featuring with Tiff

Hall; Every Wed, 8:30pm LEAF BAR & GRILL Wang Dang Wednesdays; Every ON THE ROCKS Karaoke Wednesdays hosted by ED; Every Wed, 9pm PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic

CASINO YELLOWHEAD HELP! A Beatles Tribute; 7pm

DJs

(doors), 8pm (show); Tickets start at $30

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: DJ Late Fee;

CASK AND BARREL Sarah Beatty; 4-6pm; No cover

Every Sun

CENTURY CASINO–ST. ALBERT River City Jukebox;

GAS PUMP Kizomba-DJ; 8pm

Bluegrass jam presented by the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society; Guests and newcomers always welcome; every Wed, 7pm; $2 (donation, per person), free coffee available THE PROVINCIAL PUB Karaoke Wednesday SHAKERS ROADHOUSE Lady Lynne and The Grinders; Every Wed, 7:30-11pm

DENIZEN HALL Champ City Soundtrack; Every

MON JUL 9

Fri-Sat

AVIARY Goose Lake with Waldo Poblano, Maggie

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Mark Mcgarrigle; 9pm

Mae, and Bo Scavvies; 6:30pm; Free

EMPRESS ALE HOUSE Bands at the Empress; Every

TAVERN ON WHYTE Karaoke; 9pm

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Wooftop: Mod Mondays

with DJ Modest Mike

DJs

Sat, 4-6pm; Free; 18+ only THE FORGE ON WHYTE We Are The Forge! A Band

BLUES ON WHYTE Major Funk and the Employment;

Every Wed

HILLTOP PUB Open stage hosted by Simon, Dan

and Pascal; Every Sat, 4-7pm; Free LB'S PUB Stuck on Eleven; 9pm; No minors LEAF BAR AND GRILL Homemade Jam; 3-7pm; Free • Troy Turner; 9pm MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Live Local

The Rec Room® is owned by Cineplex Entertainment L. P.

Wed, 7-11pm; Free

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Sat Open mic; 6-10pm;

Battle Fundraiser; 6:30pm; $10

THROWBACK THURSDAY W/ THE SISSY FITS

Duff Robison; 8pm

7-11pm

Classical

9pm; Free

JUL 19

BLUES ON WHYTE The Dany Franchi Band; 9pm

SANDS INN & SUITES Open Jam; Every Sun,

blers; 8pm; $15 Free

FRIDAY THE 13TH W/ BLACKWATER CRUDE

DUGGAN’S BOUNDARY Wed open mic with host

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Tremoloco; 8:30-10:30pm; $15

BORDERLINE SPORTS PUB Karaoke/DJ; Every

JUL 13

Kusch; Every Wed

4-8pm; No cover

showcase; Every Sat, 3-7pm

Conniferius; 8pm (doors); $10; 18+ only

LIVE BAND KARAKOKE W/ THE NERVOUS FLIRTS

7pm; $15; No minors

AVIARY We Are The Forge! Featuring Alleviate with Bob Donaldson, Mitch For Mayor, Win The Day, Product of Anger, and Grandpa's Medicine; 6:30pm; $10 (adv), $12 (door)

HAVE MERCY Bring Your Own Vinyl

JUL 6

7:30-11pm

EL CORTEZ MEXICAN KITCHEN + TEQUILA BAR Taco

BLUES ON WHYTE The Rondel Roberts Band; 9pm

AFTER FUNK

STARLITE ROOM Rivers Of Nihil, Alterbeast, Inferi;

Tuesday with resident DJs

& Magic Chan; 4-6pm; No cover

JUL 18

singers are welcome); Every Tue, 7:30pm

and more with DJs Ben and Mitch; every Sat; 9pm-2am

BLIND PIG PUB Saturday afternoon live music

LIA COLE W/ JOSH SAHUNTA

SHAKERS ROADHOUSE Rusty Reed Band; Every Tue,

ALIBI PUB AND EATERY Open mic night; Every

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair of the Dog: Miss Rae

JUL 13

Darrell Barr; 7-11pm; No charge

Sun, 6-9pm

8pm; $15 (adv), $10 (door, not guaranteed)

UPTOWN

and up

ALIBI PUB & EATERY Rising Star Showcase of

Cooper Studios; Every Sat, 12-3pm

JUL 6

Tickets and full listings TheRecRoom.com

and disco and everything in between with Wright & Wong, Dane Resident DJs playing the best in hip-hop, dance and classics; Every Fri-Sat, 9pm; No cover

SOUTH EDMONTON COMMON

WEST EDMONTON MALL

& Freshlan

THE COMMON Quality Control Fridays with DJ Echo

EVENTS

Tyme Fiddlers Acoustic Music Jam & Dancing; 7-10pm SIDELINER’S PUB Singer/Songwriter Monday Night

Every Fri, 9pm

SHAKERS ROADHOUSE The Yonghy Bohghy Bos;

UPCOMING

DEVANEY’S IRISH PUB Karaoke night; Every Mon,

9:30pm; Free

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: DJ Late Fee;

9pm

10442 whyte ave 439.1273 10442 whyte ave 439.1273 GORILLAZ

The Now Now

CD / LP

Bands every Sat NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Hewson Grey and guests; 8pm

Some conditions may apply. Promotion subject to change without notice and AGLC approval.

ON THE ROCKS Jellybean; 9pm

cnty.com/edmonton

RENDEZVOUS PUB Silent Script, Seven Suns, Boreal

Kinship; 8pm (doors), 10pm (show); $12 RICHARD'S PUB KWC Karaoke Competition; Every

Sat, 2-6pm • Jam with host Ralph Pretz; Every Sat, 6-10pm (all styles of music welcome)

blackbyrd

M

Y

O

O

Z

I

K

w w wVUEWEEKLY.com . b l a c k b |y JUL r d5 - .JULc 11,a2018 SEE MAG: Jan 3, 1c x 2”/ 28 AG RB: BLACKBYRD MYOOZIK

music 17

EVENTS

NEWSOUNDS

WEEKLY

Heaven & Earth Kamasi Washington Young Turks Kamasi Washington has become a welcomed name in the jazz and mainstream pop scenes over the years—and for good reason.

The American jazz saxophonist started gaining traction in 2008 with his self-released Light of the World, but was not truly recognized as a force to be reckoned with until he was cited as the guest arranger and saxophonist on works for Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar, Run the Jewels, and Thundercat.

Yes, like his peers, Washington is one of the core members of this jazz-hip hop sphere that has been producing some of the best music in the last 10 years. Basically, if you want some beautiful, powerful sax and arrangements on your next record, Washington is the guy to call—if you can afford him that is.

It is a shame that it took this long for people to really dive into Washington’s music because he is easily one of those most innova-

EMAIL YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO: LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 12PM

GROUPS/CLUBS/MEETINGS ADULT DANCE CLASSES • Quantum Leap Dance, 11232-163 St • 780.974.0309 • MON: Adult Tap, 7-8pm; Stretch & Strength with Jazz, 8-9:15pm • Wed: Floor Barre 6:45-7:45, Adult Ballet 7:459:15pm • Drop in Rate $15.75 (inc. GST); 5, 10, 15 Class passes available AIKIKAI AIKIDO CLUB • 10139-87 Ave, Old Strathcona Community League • Japanese Martial Art of Aikido • Every Tue, Thu; 7-9pm

tive composers right now. With an extensive knowledge of free and freakout jazz, Washington understands how to turn a nine-minute heavy jazz improv song into an ear-pleasing soundscape.

His newest work Heaven & Earth is no exception. Washington takes charge as the lead composer, arranging a two-part album that clocks around the full hour mark. The songs are groovy, cosmic, oscillating—honestly, everything you want on a jazz record. With sparse dystopian, soul choral vocals, Heaven & Earth could be taken as a piece

of Afrofuturism or blaxploitation. It’s as if Washington and his band are on a pedestal, floating in the emptiness of space. Parts remind me of the work of avantgarde composer Sun Ra. The moments when Heaven & Earth truly shines are during Washington’s stellar sax solos in songs like “Fists of Fury,” “HubTones,” or “Song For the Fallen.”

Washington has been compared to juggernauts like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, but, honestly, it’s unfair to throw him in that category. He’s in his own.

Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com

All The Things That I Did and All The Things That I Didn’t Do The Milk Carton Kids ANTI The Milk Carton Kids’ latest release All The Things That I Did and All The Things That I Didn’t Do Is a deeply personal piece of sentimental country storytelling, where lyrical frailty and an outstanding cast of onboard musicians help duo Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan delve into a rich kaleidoscope of folk musical truth. This ensures a more complex and layered sound that doesn’t lose sight of their rich guitar playing and layered vocal harmonies.

Produced by Joe Henry, Pattengale and Ryan’s latest album enlists a large ensemble of guest musicians such as Brittany Haas on violin and mandolin, Russ Pahl on pedal steel and Pat Saneson (of Wilco fame) on piano, mellotrone, and Hammond organ.

While the addition of many guest musicians helps reinforce various influences and elements of the Great American Songbook, a newly found sense of musical diversity doesn’t pull away from

AMITABHA KADAMPA BUDDHIST CENTRE • 9550-87 St • 780.235.8257 • info@ meditationedmonton.org • meditationedmonton. org • Weekly meditation classes and events. All welcome • Every Sun, Tue, Thu

ARGENTINE TANGO DANCE AT FOOT NOTES STUDIO • Foot Notes Dance Studio (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

ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA (AGA) • 2 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.422.6223 • youraga.ca • WEEKLY DROP-IN ACTIVITIES: Tours for Tots, Every Wed, 10-11am • Youth Workshops, ages 13-17, Every Thu, 4-6pm • Kids’ Open Studio, Every Sat, 1-3pm • Exhibition Tours; Every Sat-Sun, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm • Art for Lunch; 3rd Thu of the month, 12-1pm • VIBE; 3rd Fri of the month, 5-9pm

Carrot Coffeehouse, 9351-118 Ave • Have a cup of coffee with 55+ individuals single, divorced, or widowed who are looking to make new friends with neighbours in our local communities of: Delton, Eastwood, Parkdale – Cromdale, Westwood, Spruce Ave, and Alberta Avenue • Every Wed, 1-2pm

Centre for Dance, 11205-107 Ave • info@goodwomen. ca • goodwomen.ca/classes • Every Tue, Thu, Fri; 10-11:30am • $15 (drop-in), $65 (5 class pack), $100 (10 class pack)

DeepSoul.ca • 780.217.2464; call or text for Sunday jam locations • Most Sun: Sunday Jams with no Stan (CCR to Metallica), starring Chuck Prins and Les Paul Standard; Pink Floyd-ish originals plus great covers of classics: some free; Twilight Zone Lively Up Yourself Tour (with DJ Cool Breeze); all ages

LGNYEG • Happy Harbor Comics, 10729-104 Ave NW • happyharborcomics.com • Events may include guest speakers, movie nights, board game nights, video game nights and much more • 1st Thu of the month

MILE ZERO DANCE DROP-IN DANCE & MOVEMENT CLASSES • Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St • 780.424.1573 • mzdsociety@gmail.com • milezerodance.com/classes • Mile Zero Dance holds a number of drop-in dance & movement classes for people of all experience levels & ages; Mon: Contact Improv (7-9pm); Tue: House/Hip Hop with Sekou (6-7pm), Butoh with Sonja Myllymaki (7-9pm); Wed: Noguchi Taiso (1011:30am), Beginner Modern with Kathleen Hughes (67pm); Thu: Authentic Movement with Isabelle Rousseau (*Must pre-register*) (10am-12pm), Kids’ Dance with Jeannie Vandekerkhove (ages 3–5) (1-1:45pm) • $15 (regular drop-in), $12 (members drop-in), $15 (annual memberships), $100 (10-Class Card, which can be used for various classes. Purchase it at Eventbrite)

MONDAY MEET-UP • Hexagon Board Game Cafe, 10750-82 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)

NORTHERN ALBERTA WOOD CARVERS ASSOCIATION • Duggan Community Hall, 3728-106 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

ORGANIZATION FOR BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE DISORDER (OBAD) • Grey Nuns Hospital, Rm 0651, obad@shaw.ca; Group meets every Thu, 7-9pm • Free

PAINTING FOR PLEASURE • McDougall United Church, 10086 Macdonald Drive (south entrance) • 780.428.1818 • karenbishopartist@gmail.com • mcdougallunited.com • A weekly group for those who like to paint, draw or otherwise be creative on paper • Every Thu, 10am-noon

DROP-IN D&D • Hexagon Board Game Café,

SUGAR FOOT STOMP! • Sugar Swing Ballroom,

10750-82 Ave • 780.757.3105 • info@thehexcafe. com • thehexcafe.com • 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 & Wed, 7pm • $5 (with drink purchase)

10019-80 Ave NW • 587.786.6554 • dance@ sugarswing.com • sugarswing.com • Swing dance social • Every Fri-Sat, 8pm (beginner lesson begins) • $12, $2 (lesson with entry) • All ages

TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY (TOPS) • Grace United Church annex, 6215-104 Ave •

DROP-IN LARP • Jackie Parker Park • westernwinds.summerfrost.ca • Battle games and fighter practice using provided safe weapon boffer. An exciting way to get exercise while meeting new people with similar passions • Every Sat, 1:15pm • Free

780.479.8667 (Bob) • bobmurra@telus.net • Low-cost, fun and friendly weight loss group • Every Mon, 6:30pm

EDMONTON OUTDOOR CLUB (EOC) •

Jean: Pavillion McMahon; 780.667.6105 (Willard); clubbilingue.toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 7pm • Fabulous Facilitators Toastmasters Club: 9888 Jasper Ave. 10th floor; fabulousfacilitators. toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 12:05-1pm

edmontonoutdoorclub.com • Offering a variety of fun activities in and around Edmonton • Free to join; info at info@edmontonoutdoorclub.com

OUR THEME THIS YEAR WAS WE'RE THE FUTURE, AND THANKS TO YOU, WE'LL BE AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO EXPERIENCE FLYING CARS AND FRIDGES WITH BUILT-IN RADIOS. YOU'RE THE BEST! CJSR.COM VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

Saskatchewan • 780.907.0201 (Brenda) • A mixed group offering conversation and friendship • Every Sun, 2pm

SACRED CIRCLE DANCE • Riverdale Community Hall, 9231-100 Ave • edmontonsacredcircledance@gmail.com • Dances are taught to a variety of songs and music. No partner required • 2nd Wed of the month (beginners), 4th Wed of the month (experienced), 7-9pm • $10

thanks you for upporting us during this year' FunDDive campaign.

18 music

FORT SASKATCHEWAN 45+ SINGLES COFFEE GROUP • A&W, 10101-88 Ave, Fort

Downtown Edmonton Community League, 10042-103 St • facebook.com/declorg • Open to anyone who lives, works, or plays downtown and wants to meet new people, have great conversations, and read cool stuff • Every 2nd Wed, 7-8:30pm

DOWNTOWN EDMONTON BOOK CLUB •

The lyricism on All the Things That I Did and All The Things that I Didn’t Do are autobiographical and sincere with themes of abandonment, vulnerability, and existential loneliness capturing the visceral grief in the songwriters personal lives. Issues of national politics, and inter-personal hardships help the duo tread familiar musical waters while embracing the stylistic shifts of a fullyfledged band and stylistic choices of the other musicians.

Levi Gogerla

Done Cafe), 10728-124 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

St • nawca.ca • Meet every Wed, 6:30pm

CARROT COFFEE FRIENDSHIP CLUB •

DANCE CLASSES WITH GOOD WOMEN DANCE COLLECTIVE • Muriel Taylor Studio at Ruth Carse

the duo’s haunting guitar melodies and lingering vocal delivery.

Interesting additions to the folk duos formula include “One More For The Road,” a sprawling ten minute epic highlighting Kenneth’s folk roots while experimenting with a psychedelic patchwork of virtuosic guitar and sprawling solos. Other tracks such as “Younger Years” retain a familiar Bob Dylan-esque swing and the solemn folk sensibility and lyric delivery of the late Townes Van Zandt.

FOOD ADDICTS • Alano Club (& Simply

TOASTMASTERS • Club Bilingue Toastmasters Meetings: Campus St.

EDMONTON’S LISTENER SUPPORTED VOLUNTEER POWERED CAMPUS COMMUNITY R A D I O S TAT I O N

780.492.2577 CJSR.COM FM88

• Foresters Toastmaster Club: SEESA, 9350-82 St; 587.596.5277; Every Tue, 7-8:30pm • N'Orators Toastmasters Club: Lower Level, McClure United Church, 13708-74 St: norators.com; meet every Thu, 7pm • Norwood Toastmasters: Norwood Legion, 11150-82 St NW; norwoodtoastmasters.ca; Every Thu, 7:309:30pm • Y Toastmasters Club: Queen Alexandra Community League, 10425 University Ave (N door, stairs to the left); yclubtoastmasters@gmail.com; Meet every Tue, 7-9pm

YOGA WITH JENNIFER • 780.439.6950 • ThreeBattles.com • A traditional approach with lots of individual attention. Free introductory classes • Tue evenings & Sat mornings

SPECIAL EVENTS

HISTORIC FESTIVAL & DOORS OPEN EDMONTON • Various locations around Edmonton

AFROFEST 2018 • Grant MacEwan University, 106 ave from 105 St to 107 St • Live music, African and Caribbean cuisine, a fashion show, poetry, dance performances and to kick it all off, a parade • Jul 14-15

MAKERS EXHIBITION • Edmonton EXPO Centre,

ARCTIC SEA ICE DAY • Edmonton Valley Zoo, 13315 Buena Vista Rd • Join in on arctic crafts, science experiments, and other fun activities and learn how you, too, can be an ambassador for our arctic sea ice • Jul 15, 12-4pm

MARTAGON LILY SHOW • University of Alberta

pitch (north part of park) • incogswomens@gmail. com • Learn the game of cricket. The group plays for fun and no experience is necessary. Kids and men welcome • Every Sat, 6pm • $5 (drop-in fee, adult), free (kids)

BIRTH OF AIRMAIL IN THE WEST •

OPERA AL FRESCO • University of Alberta

Alberta Aviation Museum, 11410 Kingsway Ave • 780.451.1175 • events@albertaaviationmuseum. com • albertaaviationmuseum.com • In celebration of putting pen to paper and tech-free letter writing • Jul 7, 10am-4:30pm • $7.50-$30

Botanic Garden, 51227 AB-60, Parkland County • botanicgarden.ualberta.ca • Celebrate summer with opera, hors d’oeuvres and wine • Jul 6, 7pm • Tickets must be purchased in advance

LECTURES/PRESENTATIONS

EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL STREET PERFORMERS FESTIVAL • Dr. Wilbert McIntyre

WICCAN ASSEMBLY • Ritchie Hall, 7727-98 St • cwaalberta@gmail.com • The Congregationalist Wiccan Assembly of Alberta meets the 2nd Sun each month (except Aug), 6pm

WOMEN'S CRICKET • Coronation Park Cricket

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BASIC TOOL TRAINING WORKSHOP • Location details

provided when individual registers for shift • 780.451.3416 ext. 237 • volunteer@hfh.org • Providing volunteers a better understanding of how to use and stay safe with various tools while meeting others • Jul 7, Jul 13, Jul 21, Jul 28, Aug 10, Aug 17, Aug 18, Aug 25; 8:30am-4:15pm • $20 (register at bit.ly/2k8tBYh)

QUEER EDMONTON SENIORS CENTRE GLBTQ • Edmonton General Hospital - Edmonton Seniors Centre, 11111 Jasper Ave • office@edmontonseniorscentre. ca • edmontonseniorscentre.ca/lgbtq-support.html • A safe environment to share: education, stories, and activities • 1st and 3rd Mon of the month, 10:30am-12pm (in the boardroom) • Free

G.L.B.T.Q SENIORS GROUP • S.A.G.E Bldg, main floor Cafe, 15 Sir Winston Churchill Square • 780.4235510 (Sage) • tuff69@telus.net • Meeting for gay seniors, and for any seniors who have gay family members and would like some guidance • Every Tue, 1-4pm

PRIDE CENTRE OF EDMONTON • Pride Centre of Edmonton, 2nd Floor, 10618-105 Ave • Wheelchair-accessible elevator at 10610 105 Avenue • (780) 488-3234 • pridecentreofedmonton. org/calendar.html • OffiCe & drOp iN hOurs: MonFri 12-7pm; Closed Sat-Sun and holidays • YOga: (all ages), 2nd and 4th Mon of every month • TTiQ: (18+ Trans Group) 2nd Mon of every month, 7-9pm • TraNs YOuTh grOup & pareNTs/Caregivers suppOrT: (24 and under) 3rd Mon of every month, 7-9pm • fierCe fuN: (24 and under) Biweekly Tue, 7-9pm, games and activities for youth • JamOuT: (12-24) Biweekly Tue, 7-8:30pm, music mentorship and instruction for youth • TwO spiriT gaTheriNg: 4th Wed of every month, 6-8pm, gathering for First Nations Two Spirit people • meN’s sOCial CirCle: (18+) 1st and 3rd Thu, 7-9pm, for anyone masculine-identified • wOmeN’s sOCial CirCle: (18+) 2nd and 4th Thu, 7-9pm, for anyone feminineidentified • mOvies & games NighT: Biweekly Fri, 6-8:30pm • arTs & ideNTiTY: Biweekly Fri, 6-8:30pm • CreaTiNg safer spaCes TraiNiNg: Interactive professional development workshops, with full or half-day options • Queer YOuTh meNTOriNg: (Youth: 12–24) (Adults 26+) TEAM EDMONTON • Locations vary • teamedmonton.ca • LGBTQ2+ inclusive. Various sports and recreation activities. Events include: "Gayming", archery, swimming, floor hockey, volleyball, yoga, and more • Events are seasonal and can change, visit website for more details

Park, 8331-104 St • 780.425. 5162 • edmontonstreetfest.com • The 34th annual street performers festival is home to more than 1,000 performances by acrobats, jugglers, musicians, unicyclists, and more • Jul 10-15

EDMONTON RIBFEST AND BEER FESTIVAL

Volunteers Wanted

1600.

GARDEN DATE NIGHT–CRAFT BEER AND GARDEN GAMES • University of Alberta Botanic Garden, 51227 AB-60, Parkland County • botanicgarden.ualberta.ca • Gather your date or your gang and head to the Garden for an evening of relaxed outdoor fun • Jul 12, 6pm

GARDEN DATE NIGHT–TAIKO DRUMMING • University of Alberta Botanic Garden, 51227 AB-60, Parkland County • botanicgarden.ualberta.ca • Take a mini Taiko drumming workshop in the gorgeous setting of the Kurimoto Japanese Garden, led by Booming Tree Taiko • Jul 5, 6pm GARDEN DATE NIGHT–WALTZ LESSONS • University of Alberta Botanic Garden, 51227 AB-60, Parkland County • botanicgarden.ualberta.ca • Learn to dance the waltz in a fun and supportive atmosphere, led by members of the University of Alberta Dance Club. Be sure to sign up ahead to ensure a spot • Jul 15, 6pm HASKIN CANOE SUNSET TOUR • Laurier to Capilano Park • 780.922.4324 • info@haskincanoe. ca • View the orange and red glow of the sun setting as you paddle on the still waters of the North Saskatchewan • Jul 13, Jul 18, Jul 21, Jul 27, Aug 1, Aug 10, Aug 15, Aug 24, Sep 14, Sep 19, Sep 28 • $50 (per person plus GST), $25 (youth 17 and under)

Volunteer 2 hours a week and help someone improve their Reading, Writing, Math or English Speaking Skills.

Call Della at P.A.L.S. 780-424-5514 or email volunteers@palsedmonton.ca

SAND ON WHYTE • Whyte Ave and Gateway Blvd • Professional sand carving artists will be unveiling their creations for viewers to enjoy • Jun 29-Jul 8

DO YOU LOVE

LISTINGS?

DO YOU FIND THEM USEFUL? OR ARE THEY JUST TAKING UP PAGE SPACE THAT COULD OTHERWISE BE USED FOR MORE STORIES? WHAT DO YOU THINK? WE ARE CONDUCTING A SURVEY AND WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Head to

vueweekly.com/survey

to share your thoughts OR FIND MORE INFO ON PAGE 21.

To Book Your Classifieds, Call 780.426.1996 or email classifieds@vueweekly.com

Volunteers Wanted

Can You Read This?

Help Someone Who Can’t!

56311 Lily Lake Road, Bon Accord • An evening that features hors d’oeuvres, a tour of the farm, and a five-course meal using ingredients grown on site • Jul 22, 4:30pm

ZOOLANDER 2018 • Edmonton Valley Zoo, 13315 Buena Vista Rd • The ZOOlander Fashion Show is a night of food, fashion, drinks and fun. The event will raise funds for the local Valley Zoo • Jul 5, 7pm • $20

VUECLASSIFIEDS 1600.

RGE RD FARM DINNER • Prairie Gardens,

FISE WORLD SERIES EDMONTON • Louise McKinney River Front Park, 9999 Grierson Hill Rd • fiseworldedmonton.com • Featuring BMX Freestyle, BMX Flat and Skateboard competitions • Jul 13-15

FOUND FESTIVAL 2018 • Fringe Theatre's Backstage Theatre, 10330-84 Ave • bethdart@ commongroundarts.ca • commongroundarts.ca/ found • Taking art out of galleries, concert halls, and theatres, and and boasting fresh new works by local artists • Jul 5-8

Volunteers needed at Brightwood Ranch. Current needs are: 5 male counsellors (Brightwood), 5 male counsellors (Camp Hope), 3 female counsellors (Brightwood), 2 kitchen staff (Brightwood) hopemission.com/summercamp

2005.

“You Are Correct”-- some well-known pairings.

Botanic Garden, 51227 AB-60, Parkland County • botanicgarden.ualberta.ca • A gorgeous display of colour from locally grown martagon lilies • Jul 7, 10am-6pm • Tickets must be purchased in advance

WHYTE AVENUE ART WALK • Whyte Avenue • art-walk.ca • Whyte Avenue will be covered in art displayed by various artists • Jul 6-8 • Free

website for locations as they vary week to week • foodbiketour.com • Indulge in fine local foods and beverages while touring on a bike around the city • Every Sat

Matt Jones

7515-118 Ave • 780.471.7300 • agriculture@ northlands.com • Showcasing and celebrating handmade or homegrown items • Jul 20-29, 12-9pm

• Borden Park, 7507 Borden Park Rd • The inaugural festival that will feature the best in ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and also beer • Jul 13-15

FOODIE BIKE TOUR • Various locations–visit

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

• 780.439.2797 • historicedmonton.ca • Visitors can enjoy a variety of events, such as exploring museums, archives, historic sites and more • Jul 2-Jul 9

Artist to Artist

ART CLASSES FOR ADULTS, YOUTH, AND CHILDREN Check The Paint Spot’s website, paintspot.ca/events/workshops for up-to-date information on art classes for all ages, beginner and intermediate.

Register in person, by phone or online.

Contact: 780.432.0240 email: accounts@paintspot.ca

2005.

Artist to Artist

ENJOY ART ALWAYZ www.bdcdrawz.com Check the site every two weeks for new work!

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

Across

1 “Silicon Valley” co-creator Mike 6 Bacon portion 10 Duck out of sight 14 “News” site with “Area Man” headlines, with “The” 15 Military assistant 16 Cain’s brother 17 Sudden shocks 18 Shred 19 Film spool, back when that was still a thing 20 Capital served by Gardermoen Airport 21 Classic Nickelodeon game show with a 2018 reboot 23 Redolence 25 Delivery people made obsolete by refrigeration 26 With 44-Across, getting punished for one’s actions 31 Singer/actress Grande 32 Anise-flavored liqueur 33 Z, in New Zealand 36 Wilder’s “Young Frankenstein” costar 37 One of the Kardashians 38 Dungeons & Dragons equipment 39 Brewhouse brew 40 Unfavorable audience reaction 42 “I Would Die 4 U” singer 44 See 26-Across 46 Attack 49 No greater than 50 Fleetwood Mac’s last Top 10 song 53 NFLer Warren who competed on “Dancing With the Stars” 57 Designer Cassini 58 High-quality 59 Hidden stash 60 “___, Brute?”

61 Ego-driven 62 Disney film set in China 63 Pt. of CBS or CNS 64 Ambulance team, briefly 65 Word that’s considered an alternative to the last word of each theme phrase

6 Enlightenment, to Zen Buddhists 7 “In ___ of flowers ...”

8 Just ___ (small amount) 9 Language instruction company with a “Method” 10 Fast-food chain founder Wilber 11 Letter-shaped girder 12 Big name in farm machinery 13 Pompeo of “Grey’s Anatomy” 21 She has a singing backpack 22 Canyon effect 24 Relaxation room 26 “Beowulf,” for one 27 ___ Mountains (dividers of Europe and Asia) 28 It may be created in a pit 29 Background distraction 30 Candy aisle stuff that’s not actually eaten 33 Element in electrodes 34 “Behold!” to Caesar 35 Deejay Rick 37 Bout enders, for short 38 “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” extra 40 Fix eggs, in a way 41 Away for a while 42 Itty littermates 43 Out of commission (abbr.)

44 Tennis racket string material, once 45 Borough for JFK Airport 46 Sunburn-relieving plants 47 Overly sedimental?

48 Rescinds a deletion, in proofreading 51 Claylike soil 52 J.K. Rowling attribute, for short?

54 Rights-defending org.

55 ___ Farm (clothing line founded

by Russell Simmons) 56 Phnom ___, Cambodia 59 Network that airs reruns of “Reba” ©2018 Jonesin’ Crosswords

Down

1 Mojo ___ (“Powerpuff Girls” villain) 2 Ones, in Juarez 3 Salmon seasoning 4 Overdo it 5 Funny duo?

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

at the back 19

ADULTCLASSIFIEDS

To Book Your Adult Classifieds, Contact James at 780.426.1996 or at adultclassifieds@vueweekly.com

Appointments available Walk-ins always welcome 3372 99 St. (Parsons Rd) Open 7 days a week 7am - 11pm New girls rotate weekly maxumspa.com

780.989.2055 LIC# 124559758-001

The truly Japanese Sensual Massage in Edmonton Beside liquor store at front

9547-76 Ave. Free parking at back From 9am=11pm

#1 IN CUSTOMER SERVICE

Booking 587.523.6566 or 780.246.3007 | LIC#132648203-001

Saturday - Sunday • Noon - 7pm Book an appointment or walk in today

NOW HIRING LIC#74125963-001

16628-109 Ave • 780.444.4974 • dejavumassage.ca

BOOK YOUR CLASSIFIED AD FOR AS LITTLE AS $60 / WEEK

Kingsway Tokyo Spa

CALL JAMES AT

780.426.1996

OR EMAIL: ADULTCLASSIFIEDS @VUEWEEKLY.COM

Mention This Ad For Special Gift

Highly Skilled Massage OPEN 8AM - 11PM

7 days a week

Lic. 118832868-001

Monday - Friday • 10am - 11pm

Top notch down-to-earth Asian Girls in E-town!

200 -10408 118 Ave 780.885.1092

LIC #124200605-001

Lic #130237495-001

When you need to escape to paradise

Beyond Paradise Massage D ISCREET BACK E NTRANCE 6510 118 AVENUE • 780.761.2468 B EYONDPARADISE M ASSAGE . COM 20 at the back

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

Experience A Unique Classy Oriental Experience - Always New Ladies 11135 156 Street (Beside Saint Pete’s) 780.451.9000 • newasiancloud9.com

SAVAGELOVE GOOD COMMUNICATION = GOOD SEX

In a recent column, you said you never hear from married couples whose sex life got better and more frequent over the years.

Well, now you have. My wife and I were married 24 years ago, and we are currently having more sex and better sex than we did in the first years of our marriage. There are many reasons why, including therapy, antidepressants, and weight loss and subsequent surgery—but I would have to say that the big reason is communication. If you had known us 25 years ago, Dan, you would not have given us good odds. We’d been dating only a year and a half when we got engaged, and we’d known each other less than two years. I was a virgin, my wife was not, together we hadn’t gotten much past second base, and neither of us had laid our kink cards on the table. We were (and still are) introverts with poor communication skills and anxiety/depression/mental-health issues. I won’t say it’s been fairytale perfect—the kind of perfect that makes you barf and roll your eyes—but it’s been pretty damn close. My wife has been incredibly GGG, and I hope I have been, too. So there you go, Dan! Now you know there’s at least one couple out there whose sex life has only gotten better over the years.

BETTER EROTIC TIES TOTALLY ENHANCED RELATIONSHIP Last week, I responded to IMDONE, a woman who married a man despite the sex being “infrequent and impersonal” during their courtship. To the surprise of no one who has ever given sex advice for a living, the sex didn’t get better after IMDONE and her boyfriend got married. “Here’s something I’ve never seen in my inbox: a letter from someone

explaining how sex with their partner was infrequent, impersonal, uninspired, unimaginative, etc. at first but—holy moly—the sex got a fuck of a lot better after the wedding,” I wrote in my response to IMDONE. I did allow for the possibility that my sample was skewed; people with good sex lives don’t write to tell me everything’s fine. So I invited people whose so-so sex lives improved after the wedding to write in. And did they ever: My inbox is packed with emails from couples whose sex lives got better after the wedding.

See Below: I was a very experienced woman (five years as a swinger and partners numbering in the high double digits) when I first met the man who would become my husband. My husband-tobe was a virgin. Sex was barely okay and very infrequent. But we were both in our early 40s and ready to settle down. We also had an amazing friendship, and we were never as happy apart as we were together. It helped that we shared some kinks and were both up for what we agreed would be a nice and mostly companionate marriage.

So we got married. And, wow, did everything change! We went from once a month to a couple times a week. Turns out he needed that emotional attachment to feel safe and secure enough to open up and relax and enjoy himself. We’ve been married for years now. The sex is still good.

It’s not as frequent as it once was, but it’s really good when we have it. So, yes, sometimes it does get better!

Woman in fucking ecstasy Am I the first or the 100th person to write in? Yes, sex for us got better after marriage. I suspect you don’t see it in your in-

Dan Savage

box very often because this isn’t what most people would consider a problem and we don’t want to waste your time! All it took for the sex to get better was practice and paying attention to cues and solving problems. I strongly suspect that perseverance and a bit of luck were also major factors.

Practice, practice, practice My sex life improved after marriage. I am a straight male with a highly stigmatized kink. I was deeply ashamed of my sexual interest even before my mother discovered my porn when I was 14 and told me I was a pervert that no decent woman would ever want. When I met my wife, our sex life was okay—but I was never fully present, because I would have to concentrate on my fantasies in order to sustain an erection. I eventually retreated into masturbation. My wife knew I was masturbating in the middle of the night instead of having sex with her, and that led to some enormous fights. So I told her about my kink, fully expecting that it would result in the collapse of my marriage. We didn’t speak about it for a week, and then she calmly asked me if I wanted to do this with her instead of just watching porn about it.

Partnership improved sexual situation I fucked my husband on our first date because I wanted to see if he was any good. He wasn’t. But I liked him, so we kept at it. I have some physical ailments that can make sex painful. I also suffer from depression and anxiety, I’m on the autism spectrum, and I’ve experienced sexual trauma. I addressed my problems through counseling, medication, physical therapy, and even surgery. My problems are not 100 percent

fixed, and we don’t have sex as often as either of us would like, but when we have it, it’s worlds better than when we started out. For me, being comfortable with my husband and secure in the relationship made it so much easier to communicate and work on fixing the problems together.

It sounds cheesy, but marriage counseling really helped. It helped my husband understand himself and his reactions better, and it helped cement the idea of “ours” instead of “yours” as it related to the problems I was dealing with at the time. That he was willing to see a counselor and work on sex were also good signs. If I had a partner who was unwilling to talk about sex or try to fix it, I’d kick his ass to the curb without blinking. So with the help of counseling, I got him on board with dirty talk during sex (because it’s important for me) and I worked (and still work) on telling him what to do when we bone. He can’t read my body language, so a lot of the improvement came down to me being more comfortable with giving him instructions. We also have plenty of sex that isn’t P in V, which takes the pressure off both of us. I imagine you probably don’t hear from folks like us because, in addition to being less likely, we don’t have much to write in about. But we exist!

Counselling helped our marriage persist

that’s good for 40-year-olds!)

I doubt it’s the norm, Dan, but that’s what happened with me.

Enduring relationship eased cock troubles First, I want thank BETTER, WIFE, PPP, PISS, CHOMP, ERECT, and everyone else who wrote in.

I do feel obligated to point out, however, that these are anecdotes, not data. And while there isn’t data to back up my position—that sex doesn’t generally get better after marriage—my pile of anecdotes is a whole lot bigger. So I’m going to continue to urge people to establish basic sexual compatibility before marriage rather than hoping a so-so sexual connection—or a nonexistent one—will somehow get better after marriage. But it can be done. You just need to have PPP’s luck or be married to someone willing to do the work, like CHOMP’s spouse was, or fortunate enough to wind up with someone willing take the leak, like PISS’s spouse was.

On the Lovecast, Justin Lehmiller on the true nature of sexual fantasies: savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

My sex life actually did get better after I married my partner. I struggled with erectile dysfunction during my courtship with my wife. It really didn’t settle down until we’d been married for a while. I had trust issues and guilt issues—boring stories—and I got a lot more comfortable once we’d made that commitment.

Now we have two kids, and we have sex almost weekly. (Hey,

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! VUE Weekly has been running free listings for events, arts, and music for many years, however, these pages aren’t supported by advertising and take space away from other content. We’d like to know how important these listings are to you, dear reader.

We are considering two options: 1. Eliminating the listings and replacing them with VUE’s picks of the week – basically, a column of staff recommendations for the best events, arts happenings, and music shows for the week. Instead of providing readers with condensed listings of everything going on, we’d like to cut through the clutter and tell you what’s essential.

2. Same as option 1, but also offer paid event listings to groups who still want their listings advertised (excluding LGBTQ2S+ listings, which would run in proximity to Queermonton going forward).

We want to know what you think. Head to vueweekly.com/survey to share your thoughts.

Thanks for reading, and your continued support of local, independent print media.

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

at the back 21

FREEWILLASTROLOGY

ALBERTA-WIDECLASSIFIEDS •• AUCTIONS ••

•• FOR SALE ••

FREE MINI MAX PROFIT CENTERS - Now Appointing Dealers Across Canada.

Income $100,000.00+ Per Yr. Full Training and Support. Call Now 1-866-668-6629 ext 1 or 2. www.sweetsforacause.com.

METAL ROOFING & SIDING. 37+ colours available at over 55 Distributors. 40 year warranty. 48 hour Express Service available at select supporting Distributors. Call 1-888-2638254.

TYPE 1 DIABETES? TROUBLE WALKING? Hip or knee replacement, or conditions causing restrictions in daily activities? $2,500 tax credit. $40,000 refund cheque/ rebates. Disability Tax Credit.

1-844-453-5372.

STEEL BUILDING CLEARANCE ... “Summer Overstock Sale - Blazing Hot Deals!”

20X21 $5,845. 25X27 $6,588.

30X31 $9,564. 33X35 $9,833.

35X35 $11,955. End Wall Included. Pioneer Steel 1-855212-7036.

•• EMPLOYMENT •• OPPORTUNITIES

SAWMILLS FROM ONLY $4,397. Make Money and Save Money with your own bandmill - Cut lumber any dimension. In stock, ready to ship. Free Info & DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills. com/400OT; 1-800-567-0404 Ext: 400OT.

SEEKING A CAREER in the Community Newspaper business? Post your resume for FREE right where the publishers are looking. Visit: awna. com/for-job-seekers.

SEMI-RETIRED COUPLE? We are hiring for flexible contract remote work-site locations.

More info: www.ServiceMastersSecurity.com/careers; 1-844-755-0544.

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 work-athome career today!

•• MANUFACTURED •• HOMES WE ARE “Your Total Rural Housing Solution” - It’s time to let go & clear out our Inventory.

Save on your Modular/Manufactured Home. Visit: www.

Grandviewmodular.com or www.Unitedhomescanada.com.

•• REAL ESTATE •• BLANKET THE PROVINCE with a classified ad. Only $269 (based on 25 words or less).

Reach over 110 weekly news-

papers. Call NOW for details 1-800-282-6903 ext 228; www. awna.com.

PrairieSky Royalty Ltd. is a publicly-traded company in Calgary that is looking to acquire oil and gas fee title and royalty interests at fair market value. To receive a cash offer, call 587-293-4008 or visit: www. prairiesky.com/Selling-YourRoyalties.

3000 acres of complete high end cattle & grain operation for sale in Saskatchewan.

Manages 2k to 3k cow/calf operation with complete solid infrastructure. 220k acres cultivated. Contact Doug @ 306-716-2671 or saskfarms@ shaw.ca.

•• SERVICES •• CRIMINAL RECORD? Why suffer employment/licensing loss? Travel/business opportunities? Be embarrassed?

Think: Criminal Pardon. US entry waiver. Record purge.

File destruction. Free consultation 1-800-347-2540; www. accesslegalmjf.com.

GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed?

Need money? We lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB. 1-877987-1420. www.pioneerwest. com.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): 20th century French novelist Marcel Proust described 19th century novelist Gustave Flaubert as a “trottoire roulant,” or “rolling sidewalk”: plodding, toneless, droning. Meanwhile, critic Roger Shattuck compared Proust’s writing to an “electric generator” from which flows a “powerful current always ready to shock not only our morality but our very sense of humanity.” In the coming weeks, I encourage you to find a middle ground between Flaubert and Proust. See if you can be moderately exciting, gently provocative, and amiably enchanting. My analysis of the cosmic rhythms suggests that such an approach is likely to produce the best longterm results.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You remind me of Jack, the nineyear-old Taurus kid next door, who took up skateboarding on the huge trampoline his two moms put in their backyard. Like him, you seem eager to travel in two different modes at the same time. (And I’m glad to see you’re being safe; you’re not doing the equivalent of, say, having sex in a car or breakdancing on an escalator.) When Jack fi rst began, he had difficulty in coordinating the bouncing with the rolling. But after a while he got good at it. I expect that you, too, will master your complex task.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): From the day you were born, you have been cultivating a knack for mixing and blending. Along the way, you have accomplished mergers that would have been impossible for a lot of other people. Some of your experiments in amalgamation are legendary. If my astrological assessments are accurate, the year 2019 will bring forth some of your all-time most marvelous combinations and unifi cations. I expect you are even now setting the stage for those future fusions; you are building the foundations that will make them natural and inevitable. What can you do in the coming weeks to further that preparation?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): An open letter to Cancerians from Rob Brezsny’s mother, Felice: I want you to know that I played a big role in helping my Cancerian son become the empathetic, creative, thoughtful, crazy character he is today. I nurtured his idiosyncrasies. I made him feel secure and well-loved. My care freed him to develop his unusual ideas and life.

So as you read Rob’s horoscopes, remember that there’s part of me inside him. And that part of me is nurturing you just as I once nurtured him. He and I are giving you love for the quirky, distinctive person you actually are, not some fantasy version of you. He and I are helping you feel more secure and well-appreciated. Now I encourage you to cash in on all that

22 at the back

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

support. As Rob has told me, it’s time for you Cancerians to reach new heights in your drive to express your unique self.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The ghost orchid is a rare white wildflower that disappeared from the British countryside around 1986. The nation’s botanists declared it officially extinct in 2005. But four years later, a tenacious amateur located a specimen growing in the West Midlands area. The species wasn’t gone forever, after all. I foresee a comparable revival for you in the coming weeks, Leo. An interesting influence or sweet thing that you imagined to be permanently defunct may return to your life.

Be alert.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The ancient Greek poet Sappho described “a sweet-apple turning red high on the tip of the topmost branch.” The apple pickers left it there, she suggested, but not because they missed seeing it.

It was just too high. “They couldn’t reach it,” wrote Sappho. Let’s use this scenario as a handy metaphor for your current situation, Virgo.

I am assigning you the task of doing whatever is necessary to fetch that glorious, seemingly unobtainable sweet-apple. It may not be easy. You’ll probably need to summon extra ingenuity to reach it, as well as some as-yet unguessed form of help. (The Sappho translation is by Julia Dubnoff.)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Is there any prize more precious than knowing your calling? Can any other satisfaction compare with the joy of understanding why you’re here on earth? In my view, it’s the supreme blessing: to have discovered the tasks that can ceaselessly educate and impassion you; to do the work or play that enables you to offer your best gifts; to be intimately engaged with an activity that consistently asks you to overcome your limitations and grow into a more complete version of yourself. For some people, their calling is a job: marine biologist, kindergarten teacher, advocate for the homeless. For others, it’s a hobby, like long-distance running, bird watching, or mountain climbing. St. Therese of Lisieux said, “My calling is love!” Poet Marina Tsvetaeva said her calling was “To listen to my soul.” Do you know yours, Libra? Now is an excellent time to either discover yours or hone in further on its precise nature.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Have you entertained any high-quality fantasies about faraway treasures lately? Have you delivered inquiring communiqués to any promising beauties who may ultimately offer you treats? Have you made long-distance inquiries about speculative possibilities that could be inclined to travel in your direction from their frontier sanctuar-

Rob Brezsny

ies? Would you consider making some subtle change in yourself so that you’re no longer forcing the call of the wild to wait and wait and wait?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If a down-to-earth spiritual teacher advised you to go on a fi ve-day meditation retreat in a sacred sanctuary, would you instead spend five days carousing with meth addicts in a cheap hotel? If a close friend confessed a secret she had concealed from everyone for years, would you unleash a nervous laugh and change the subject? If you read a horoscope that told you now is a favourable time to cultivate massive amounts of reverence, devotion, respect, gratitude, innocence, and awe, would you quickly blank it out of your mind and check your Instagram and Twitter accounts on your phone?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A typical working couple devotes an average of four minutes per day to focused conversation with each other. And it’s common for a child and parent to engage in meaningful communication for just 20 minutes per week. I bring these sad facts to your attention, Capricorn, because I want to make sure you don’t embody them in the coming weeks. If you hope to attract the best of life’s blessings, you will need to give extra time and energy to the fine art of communing with those you care about.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Allergies, irritants, stings, hypersensitivities: sometimes you can make these annoyances work on your behalf. For example, my allergy to freshly-cut grass meant that when I was a teenager, I never had to waste my Saturday afternoons mowing the lawn in front of my family’s suburban home. And the weird itching that plagued me whenever I got into the vicinity of my sister’s fiancé: If I had paid attention to it, I wouldn’t have lent him the $350 that he never repaid. So my advice, my itchy friend, is to be thankful for the twitch and the prickle and the pinch. In the coming days, they may offer you tips and clues that could prove valuable.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Are you somehow growing younger?

Your stride seems bouncier and your voice sounds more buoyant. Your thoughts seem fresher and your eyes brighter. I won’t be surprised if you buy yourself new toys or jump in mud puddles. What’s going on? Here’s my guess: you’re no longer willing to sleepwalk your way through the most boring things about being an adult. You may also be ready to wean yourself from certain responsibilities unless you can render them pleasurable at least some of the time. I hope so. It’s time to bring more fun and games into your life.

CURTIS HAUSER

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018

at the back 23

24 don’t forget to bring a towel

VUEWEEKLY.com | JUL 5 - JUL 11, 2018