1006: Let's Face Racism

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FRONT 3

POLITICALINTERFERENCE

FRONT

NEWS EDITOR: REBECCA MEDEL REBECCA@VUEWEEKLY.COM

RICARDO ACUÑA // RICARDO@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Déjà vu all over again

Prentice proposes five-percent pay cuts for public sector, just like Klein did two decades ago Will they turn their fears and concerns about the economy into anger and resentment toward public-sector workers? Will public-sector workers fall for it again and take roll backs voluntarily?

// Jenn of Arc via Compfight

VUEPOINT

REBECCA MEDEL REBECCA@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Make-believe terror The increasing emphasis on terrorism in Canada—specifically with the introduction of the Harper government's AntiTerrorism Bill C-51—is a sneaky way to raise the levels of fear so high among ordinary Canadians that critical thinking takes a hiatus and more individual rights are ceded to the government.

But it's not clear what this bill is founded on. In fact, there is scant evidence that Canada actually has a problem with terrorism to the point that it needs to be legislated.

Lorne Dawson, co-director of the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society, told universityaffairs.ca in December that Canada lags “behind other major Western nations in developing the scholarly capacity to deal with stories related to terrorism and security.”

In other words, the research just isn't there yet to determine what levels of terrorism now exist in Canada. Yet the Conservatives would have us believe that terrorists are hiding in the shadows of every neighbourhood,

4 FRONT

waiting to jump out and blow something up.

Dawson said the major questions that need to be studied are why young Canadians are converting to Islam, and why some, not all, become violent radicals? Also, to what extent are they being groomed through social media and other online sources?

Journalist Glenn Greenwald gave a talk to students at Upper Canada College, along with Edward Snowden—who was live-streamed in from Russia— on February 2 and said, “If you are a Canadian citizen, you have a greater chance of dying by being struck by lightning; or by going to a restaurant and eating a meal that will give you an intestinal disease; or by slipping in your bathtub, hitting your head on the ceramic tile than you do dying in a terrorist attack.”

The research just isn't available to support the idea that terrorism is a problem in Canada. The anti-terrorism bill is a far-fetched scheme to take more autonomy away from the Canadian public. V

We've seen this film before, but we can still hope it turns out differently this time.

In 1993, after Laurence Decore and Ralph Klein had effectively whipped Albertans up into a frenzy about "unsustainable spending," "out-ofcontrol debt" and Klein was elected premier, one of his first acts in office was to cut his own pay and that of his cabinet by five percent.

He quickly proceeded to demand five-percent wage rollbacks from most of the public service, cut spending by drastic proportions, blow up hospitals and lay off thousands of nurses and social workers, kill the government pension plan and sell off some of Alberta's most valuable assets—our telecommunications company, our energy company, our liquor stores and registries—for pennies on the dollar in terms of value.

He did all of this without even the slightest drop in his electoral popularity, a feat accomplished in two ways. First, he leaned heavily on the rhetoric of this being a critical situation and that all Albertans needed to pitch in and do their part—tighten their proverbial belts—to help slay the twin monsters of deficit and overspending. Second, he managed to quite successfully demonize the public service, painting them as over-paid, underworked and wasteful and inefficient.

The result? A majority of Albertans not only put up with the cuts, they actively cheered them on. And the province's public servants, told that they could only save jobs by

taking pay cuts, proceeded to voluntarily roll back their salaries by five percent to match Klein's own voluntary rollback. Unfortunately, many of them went on to lose their jobs to Klein's cuts anyway. It is important, in today's context, to remember that Klein did not have to legislate a single pay cut in the '90s, every single one of them was taken voluntarily.

Fast forward 22 years and Albertans are faced with a newly minted premier who is in the process of whipping us into a frenzy about the crisis of low oil prices and the unsustainability of our spending. A premier who just last week stood up and announced he and his cabinet were taking a five-percent pay cut in order to set an example for all Albertans and demonstrate the degree to which we are all in this together. His announcement also included the requisite references to how overpaid Alberta's public servants are compared to the public sector, and how we must all sacrifice for the good of the province.

The question is whether Albertans will fall for it again. Will they turn their fears and concerns about the economy into anger and resentment toward public-sector workers? Will public-sector workers fall for it again and take rollbacks voluntarily? Although Prentice is likely counting on it, it is not looking likely.

Prentice's predecessor, Alison Redford, did a tremendous job of unifying, radicalizing and mobilizing public-sector workers. Her attacks

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

on collective bargaining, labour rights and pensions did more to harden the resolve of public-sector workers than any labour leader could have done on their own.

Instead of rolling over, the province's public-sector unions are working hard to show Albertans that their salaries are not disproportionately high compared to Alberta's private sector. They're working hard to show that Alberta's problem is not how much social workers get paid, but how much the government fails to collect from their rich friends through royalties and corporate and individual taxes. And they're highlighting the reality that it's much easier for the Premier to take five percent from his $200 000-plus salary than it is for a frontline public servant to take the same cut from their $45 000 salary.

All of this bodes incredibly well for the ability of the province's unions to fend off this attack and come out on the other side stronger and more active, but does not bode well for the Premier's plans and preferred storyline. It is ultimately the success of the public-sector unions that will keep us from having to relive the Klein era, and it is incumbent upon the rest of us to get behind them and support their efforts. V Ricardo Acuña is the executive director of the Parkland Institute, a non-partisan, public policy research institute housed at the University of Alberta. The views and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute.

DYERSTRAIGHT

GWYNNE DYER // GWYNNE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Faith and gender

More men than women do not believe in God; in Britain the difference is staggering

If you have less control over the course of your own life, then belief in an all-powerful God who is just, and will ultimately put all the injustices right, is a very attractive proposition. // Spbpda via Compfight

Did you hear about the agnostic dyslexic insomniac? She lay awake all night wondering if there was a Dog. But she's a pretty rare bird. According to a large survey carried out in the United Kingdom by Professor David Voas of the University of Essex, more than half of British men who are now in their early 40s (54 percent) are agnostics or atheists, but only one-third of women of the same age (34 percent) hold similar views.

The gender difference was even more striking when the 9000 respondents were asked about their belief in a life after death. Only 35 percent of the men said they believed there was some kind of individual survival beyond the grave; 60 percent of women said they did.

That's a difference of almost twoto-one in the level of belief, among people who otherwise have similar backgrounds. Hmm. Now, this is obviously a topic on which a wise commentator would be very wary of offering an opinion. It is much safer to keep your mouth shut and write about something else. Which may explain why this whole question about gender differences in belief in God came as a surprise to me, because when I looked into the literature it turns out that the social scientists have known about it for ages.

There is a thriving academic industry dedicated to proposing reasons for this huge belief gap. One theory holds that men are just more likely to be risk-takers (except Blaise Pas-

cal, the 17th-century French philosopher whose famous "wager" stated that we should live our live as if God exists in order to escape an eternity of torture in Hell. If He turns out not to exist, we haven't really lost all that much. It was a breakthrough in probability theory).

Another theory is that men who score relatively high on the autism scale are also more likely to be atheists or agnostics. But that doesn't really get us very far, since the great majority of men are not autistic, and yet a majority of British men don't believe in God. You will note that I am only quoting speculations on male character traits here. Some of the above-mentioned social scientists also speculate on aspects of "female" socialization and character in their search for reasons for the great disparity in belief, but that is a minefield I do not plan to enter today. Let us instead go beyond Professor Voas' statistics for Britain and see whether the same difference persists across cultures and continents.

Belief in God is much higher in the United States, although it is dropping rapidly. A Harris poll in 2009 found that 82 percent of Americans had never doubted the existence of God; the same poll in 2014 found that the number had fallen to 74 percent. This is due almost entirely to a fall in belief among younger Americans: a Pew poll of millennials in 2007 found that 83 percent were believers; the same poll in

2012 found only 68 percent.

But the gender gap in belief also exists in the US, although it is less dramatic: 77 percent of American women say they have an absolutely certain belief in a God or universal spirit, but only 65 percent of American men say the same. Indeed, the gap exists in every country of the developed world, although there are intriguing national differences in how wide it is.

In former West Germany, where 48 percent of the population believes in God, the gap between men and women is eight percent. In former East Germany, the cradle of the Protestant Reformation, where four decades of Communist rule eroded the hold of Christianity on the population, only 16 percent believe in God—but the gap between men and women is less than three percent.

Fifty-eight percent of Russians believe in God, but the gender gap is as big as it is in Britain: 25 percent.

Whereas in Turkey, a relatively developed Muslim country where almost 95 percent of the population believe in God, there is no difference at all between the beliefs of men and of women.

What are we to make of all this?

Start with the fact that decisions of this sort are rarely made on an entirely rational basis. Just as the great majority of believers everywhere never chose their original religious beliefs—they were just born into them—so any later changes in their beliefs are probably driven more by their personal circum-

stances than by conscious choice.

Consider the difference between the two Germanies, for example.

So what are the differences between the personal circumstances of men and women that might lead to different outcomes in terms of belief? That will obviously vary from one country to another, but women still suffer from greater social and economic disadvantages than men almost everywhere.

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

If you have less control over the course of your own life, then belief in an all-powerful God who is just, and will ultimately put all the injustices right, is a very attractive proposition. In that case, the gender gap in belief is neither intellectual nor emotional. It's simply pragmatic. V Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.

FRONT 5

FRONT COVER // RACISM

E

Racism is a historical problem that's been built into social institutions and dominant ways of being and of knowing— we don't even really see it because it's taken to be normal.

dmonton is a proudly multicultural city—we'd just as soon not bring up the R-word, thanks.

But, like it or not, racial discrimination is so intricately woven into our fabric that it is nearly invisible: it's everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

A recent Maclean's cover story claimed that Winnipeg was Canada's most racist city, mainly because of the struggles of the First Nations people in that city. The reaction was visceral and emotional. Many were outraged by the accusation, while city leaders, including recently elected mayor Brian Bowman—the city's first Métis mayor—acknowledged Winnipeg's deep-rooted racism problem.

But what about our city—can we say that we're any better than Winnipeg?

Do we even want to think about it?

Speaking with Edmonton-based organizations and researchers who focus on racism and racial discrimination, they all seem to struggle to secure funding for research on racism, especially at the federal level.

"That's our biggest limitation," says Irfan Chaudhry, a University of Alberta sociology PhD candidate specializing in racism research. "In the federal government agenda, they're pulling away from funding any programs that deal with racism specifically. If they don't see something as a problem, then they're not going to fund it. It's really funny when you see someone like Stephen Harper say, 'I don't think racism is a problem.' Of course he wouldn't: he's a very powerful white man. But we're not acknowledging the issues. And if we keep going down this path it can get very, very bad for certain groups further down the road."

There are 45 First Nations listed in the Edmonton and northern Alberta region, and another eight Métis settlements. Increasingly, families and young people are moving from those communities to Edmonton.

After Winnipeg, Edmonton has the second-highest First Nations population in Canada. In 2006, when Edmonton's aboriginal population was 52 100, the city predicted we'd have an estimated 66 094 aboriginal people by 2018. The growth has been much faster than that: the 2011 census already saw Edmonton's aboriginal population at 61 765.

Statistically, Edmonton's aboriginal people are worse off in almost every empirical measure. A study by the City of Edmonton shows 38 percent of the city's aboriginal population is classed as low income, compared to 16.5 percent for non-aboriginals. Median income was nearly $10 000 less annually for aboriginal people.

// Curtis Hauser

6 FRONT

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 >> VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Examples of racial discrimination against aboriginal people are common. A recent study, called First Peoples, Second Class Treatment, highlighted "pervasive" racism against First Nations people in Canada's health-care system. A release by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says aboriginal people in Edmonton have reported discrimination from realtors, financial institutions and landlords when trying to access housing.

And Racism Free Edmonton, a City of Edmonton initiative, reported that First Nations and visible minorities "are more likely to report perceptions of discrimination in Edmonton," are "perceived to be treated unfairly by the police, when looking for jobs or housing, and when shopping" and that "most study participants agreed or strongly agreed that aboriginal residents of Edmonton frequently face discrimination."

Then there are the near-impossible-to-quantify anecdotal incidences of racism—directed not just at First Nations people, but all visible minorities. This is the sadly mundane, everyday kind of racism.

The especially ugly incidents that burble up get amplified by media: when respected aboriginal elder Gary Moostoos was banned from City Centre mall last fall, a move he said was racially motivated; when someone tagged anti-Semitic slurs on an Edmonton synagogue last month; or when a family had swastikas and racial slurs spray-painted on their home in the spring of 2013.

Chaudhry points out a time, a couple of years ago, when he and another man crossed paths as he was walking to the bus. The man called him a racial slur.

"No crime had happened, he walked his way and I walked my way," Chaudhry says. "Those kinds of incidents don't get reported."

Chaudhry uses social media, notably Twitter, to try to quantify racism in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Montréal—the cities with the highest incidences of hate crimes in Canada. Tracking three months worth of tweets, he found that Toronto and Montréal, the cities with the highest black populations, had the most negative racial slurs against black people.

And Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary—the cities with Canada's highest aboriginal populations—had corresponding amounts of slurs against First Nations residents.

The researcher says he turned to Twitter, an imperfect tool admittedly, because it's one of the only ways to track racist expression.

Another is reported hate crimes. Constable Daniel Woodall of Edmonton Police Service's Hate Crimes Unit says hate crimes in Edmonton have been dropping—but there has been increased media attention to the incidents that do happen.

"Hate crimes are not a frequent occurrence," Woodall says, adding the most common hate crimes are mischief, like the tag-and-run vandalism of a house or place or worship.

The common police response to a hate crime, like the recent spray-painting of "LEAVE CANADA" on a south-east Edmonton Sikh temple, is that it's an "isolated incident."

Sara Dorow, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Alberta, who has extensively researched racism and globalization, says that language used by officials

reinforces the idea that racism is caused by "bad apples" and not systemic bias.

"It says, 'Don't worry, racism is a thing that just sort of happens individually,'" Dorow adds. "But structural racism says, 'Not so fast.' Racism is a historical problem that's been built into social institutions and dominant ways of being and of knowing—we don't even really see it because it's taken to be normal."

Dorow points to Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker policies as an example of how a whole society can be complicit in racial discrimination.

"We've got a contingent pool of labour that is [seen as] low-skill, brown people from other parts of the world who don't have a good economic situation where they're from," Dorow says. "And they're put in precarious positions by employers. And then they're seen to be taking jobs away from Canadians.

It's like when we had Chinese railway workers: very much the racialized idea that immoral men are coming into Canada to take our jobs."

Marion Mendoza, a first-generation Canadian born to Filipino parents, has experienced structural racism personally and through her work with Edmonton's Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative. Through the MHCB, Mendoza works extensively with Edmonton's Filipino community—which is growing rapidly, thanks, in part, to the TFW program.

"You see a lot of nurses, doctors and lawyers that end up serving coffee at Tim Hortons," Mendoza says. "That leads to feelings of depression and isolation. Sometimes this idea of the Canadian dream falls apart: it's not what they'd hoped it would be."

This idea that the deck is stacked against Edmonton's visible minority and aboriginal populations is not a new one. Indeed, the Racism Free Edmonton report, which highlighted the numerous issues facing non-white citizens, was released in 2012 and "there hasn't been any follow-up on this," Chaudhry says.

"It seems there's a lot of discomfort with these numbers," he continues. "To be quite honest, not much work has been done outside of this report."

The consequences for inaction—to fail to work towards an inclusive society—ripple outwards from those immediately affected to all of society. Ian Mathieson is a senior consultant for the Centre of Race and Culture, an Alberta group that researches race dynamics and works with all levels and government and the private sector to promote racial inclusion. He says the CRC, like other groups, has consistent difficulty securing funding to research the effects and prevalence of racism in Edmonton and beyond. To not fund this work, Mathieson argues, creates greater costs in the future.

"It's a human cost: people getting excluded from the work force, people not being able to find housing, not getting proper services," Mathieson says. "These conditions lead to greater social cost: homelessness, or maybe not being able to find a place to live in a certain area—that could impact on your ability to get a job because of a lack of access to transit. First Nations, refugees, immigrants and visible minorities already have a lot challenges. When you throw in discrimination, that increases social cost and financial cost for everyone."

JOSH MARCELLIN

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

FRONT 7

FEATURE // SHOWDOWN

DISH

DISH EDITOR: MEL PRIESTLEY MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

"It's amazing what high school students can come up with," Payron adds.

"Even what we did two years ago was pretty cool, but now it's amazing to see what they can come up with."

H

igh school cooking has sure changed from the days when burnt cookies and weirdly seasoned macaroni were the norm. Now, dozens of schools in and around Edmonton train for months to compete in the High School Culinary Challenge (HSCC), an opportunity that gives all participants, winners or not, the chance to apply for a full scholarship to NAIT's three-year Cook Journeyman Apprenticeship program.

"It feels like Iron Chef; the tension in there is crazy!" says Alyssa Payron, a NAIT first-year student who won the HSCC, and then the scholarship, two years ago.

DUMPSTER DIARIES

On a break between classes, she's wearing her chef's whites at a table in Ernest's, NAIT's fine-dining restaurant.

Beside her is Chef Stanley Townsend, the chair of NAIT's Culinary Arts program, president of the Canadian Culinary Federation (CCFCC) and co-chair of the HSCC, which he helped found eight years ago.

"Today there's a tremendous interest in food studies; it can really set the synergy and the energy level of a particular school," Townsend says.

He notes that many schools are still transitioning away from the old home-economics mentality of cook-

ing, when it was regarded as a mere domestic housewife skill. Nonetheless, some 17 schools and 54 students are involved with the HSCC this year, and Townsend adds there's always room for expansion in future years.

The HSCC has teams of three students prepare a three-course meal in three hours; this year's menu includes ravioli, meatloaf and choux pastry. A team of industry judges (Townsend is among them) evaluates each team's efforts, grading them on proper execution of the recipe as well as the creativity and flair applied to each dish. Payron

Should only the poor and anarchists get to dumpster dive?

8 DISH

MEL PRIESTLEY

MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

SCAVENGER STEVE STEVE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Ethics and tomato sauce Welcome to the second nugget in a series of Edmonton dumpster-diving adventures. This time around I'm going to hit you with two equally fun things: ethics and a recipe.

After the first dumpster-diving article published on December 18, we quickly got a comment concerning, among other things, the ethics of dumpster diving. The commenter insisted that only those who are struggling financially or are dumpster diving as an anti-capitalist statement may take food from garbage bins. (There was also the word "milquetoast," which always makes me think of sad, soggy bread.) "… this IS an anti-capitalist pastime," says BrokeFreegan on our website.

"And injecting the sort of competition only the middle-class [sic] can by flexing your privilege to the breaking point is somewhere between classist appropriation and a legit act of violence."

and Townsend agree the dessert is usually the pièce de résistance of the challenge.

"It really has the students develop a lot of skills and competencies," Townsend says. "Not only does it educate the students, it educates the teachers because of the level of expectation.

For years people have said to me, 'Remember, they're only high school students.' I find that the most demeaning statement. They're not just high school students; they're aspiring young chefs.

They set their own level through this competition, and the level gets higher and higher every year."

Payron intends to pursue a gastronomic career, but Townsend emphasizes that NAIT's culinary arts programs offer more than just a straight vocational trajectory.

"Those skills are completely transferable, lifelong skills—even if you decide to sell real estate," he says, describing a former student who is now a realtor, but has found eminent use for his culinary training. "He knows all about presentation, hospitality, closing the deal, timeline, team skills. You learn how to be creative. It's a performing art now, more than it is a domestic trade."

And, hey—you'd sure be able to throw a wicked dinner party.

This year's HSCC is being held on Saturday, February 7, with the winners being announced a month later at an awards dinner on March 9. To any student who's either participating this year or thinking of doing so in the future, Payron offers simple advice: "Just go and do it, even if you're nervous! If you love it, you'll go so far. And if you don't win, don't worry about it: you can still apply for the scholarship—which has been amazing."

In our racoon adventures rooting through Edmonton's choicest bins, we've had plenty of time to think about the moral implications of dumpster diving. This is food that will surely end up in landfills. This is a depressing loss environmentally from the wasted water and energy contained in that food, as well as morally from that food not going into hungry bellies.

But is it "a legit act of violence?"

If we were physically yanking the food out of someone's hands, then sure: act of violence. But, blessed as we are with motorized transportation, we make a point of diving in dumpsters outside of the downtown core—avoiding taking food that homeless people might rely on for survival.

And classist appropriation? This is

the same kind of argument people make against thrift shopping: that you shouldn't do the things that poor people do if you're not poor. Never mind all the positive things—reducing, reusing and recycling what would otherwise be waste—the fact that you can afford to shop at Superstore means you're obligated somehow to let good food rot in dumpsters?

Dumpster diving isn't going to crush capitalism. But supporting local whenever possible, by taking the money you save on veggies and buying farmer's market stuff as much as you can, is going to make a positive change.

Get out there and dumpster dive.

We should make wasting food the worst social taboo, worse than sneezing in someone's face or farting in the elevator.

See for yourself how much perfectly good food is chucked—then eat it. V

Simple dumpster tomato sauce Dry pasta is a very common dumpster find, and this sauce is a noodle's best friend. Make a huge pot, portion into large Ziploc bags, freeze and add to sautéed veggies and your protein of choice. This is a total bro for weekday dinners.

Ingredients: - Fresh tomatoes, chopped (this is one of the most common dumpster staples; plum, beefsteak, cherry, it doesn't matter—throw 'em in the pot. Make sure to cut off any brown or especially soft sections) - A large onion (another common dumpster find, cut off any weird-looking bits and dice) - Diced garlic (I recommend the stuff from the farmer's market: big, powerful bulbs) - Fresh basil (optional, but yummy. Get it at the farmer's market!)

- Olive oil - Salt and pepper to taste Instructions: Sauté the diced onions in the olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the diced garlic, stirring until fragrant. Add your chopped tomatoes and basil, simmer slowly on low for at least an hour until everything is one big wholesome creamy pot of heaven. Season with salt and pepper.

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

BUSINESS AVAILABLE IN ALBERTA

Restaurant & Pub: Well established, sales over $1.6 M, one owner. Priced $630,000, cash flow $247,000.

Deli & Retail Store: Sales $3.6 M, well established. Priced $1,050,000. Strong cash flow.

Cabinet Manufacture: One owner since 1979, strong sales, strong cash flow. Price reduced $348,000 plus SO008447 inventory.

Countertops: Sales over $700,000. Priced $230,000. Owner is very motivated to sell.

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3.75” wide version

TOTHEPINT

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JASON FOSTER JASON@VUEWEEKLY.COM

A taste of fair England

Call Bill Conroy or Ed Katchur @ 403-346-7755 email billconroy@maxwellrealty.ca Maxwell Real Estate Solutions Ltd.

1-877-213-8008 Davidson, SK

Worthington's White Shield is from the golden era of British ales

www.fasttoysforboys.com 3.75” wide version BUSINESS AVAILABLE IN ALBERTA

Worthington's White Shield Worthington's Brewery, Burtonupon-Trent, England $5.80 for 500 mL bottle

Restaurant & Pub: Well established, sales over $1.6 M, one owner. Priced $630,000, cash flow $247,000.

Deli & Retail Store: Sales $3.6 M, well established. Priced $1,050,000. Strong cash flow.

Cabinet Manufacture: One owner since 1979, strong sales, strong cash flow. Price reduced $348,000 plus inventory.

SO008447 Countertops: Sales over $700,000. Priced $230,000. Owner is very motivated to sell.

Fitness Business: Sales over $800,000, cash flow over $200,000. Owner will train.

Convenience Store: Sales over $300,000. Priced $60,000 plus inventory. Owner motivated to sell.

Butcher Shop: Sales over $800,000, well established. Priced $700,000. Strong cash flow, includes land & buildings.

Call Bill Conroy or Ed Katchur @ 403-346-7755 email billconroy@maxwellrealty.ca Maxwell Real Estate Solutions Ltd.

miles above the rest

It is not often one gets to taste a bit of British history. A recent arrival to Alberta's shores is Worthington's White Shield, a beer that can legitimately stake a claim in the golden era of British ales from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Worthington's Brewery was formed in 1744 and White Shield (originally sold under the name East India Pale Ale) has been brewed since 1829. While the recipe has changed somewhat over the centuries, the brewery maintains the use of British malt and traditional Burton brewing methods. It is also still brewed in the town from which IPA originated: Burton-upon-Trent, north of Birmingham in northern England. Indeed, this beer's deep roots reflect the flavour profile of 19th-century British IPA. White Shield was the talk of England throughout the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, almost defining the IPA style. However, the mid-1900s weren't kind to the beer industry, and White Shield had become a mere blip in the market by the '70s. Worthington's owners, Bass Brewery (which merged with the historic brewery in the '20s) was purchased by Molson-Coors in the early 2000s; ironically, it was this purchase by a major beer conglomerate that breathed new life into the brand. Over the past few years, new attention has been paid to White

Shield and it has once again become a widely available brand: thus its arrival in our province.

The beer appears medium-orange with a noted haze. It builds a decent white head that mixes loose bubbles and tight bead as well as offering som e fine lacing. The aroma is a classic British ale aroma, dominated by unmistakable fruitiness with some earthiness and floral hops. The hop character is restrained and complemented by an interesting light toffee and grainy malt aroma.

The front flavour has a moderate malt note, offering light fruit, caramel and bits of toffee. It is quite rounded yet not overpowering. The hops don't so much take over as change the beer's direction: earthy and floral, they make their presence known but are fairly subdued overall. The hops check in around 40 IBUs, much lower than a standard American Pale Ale—let alone an IPA. Such is the British way: balanced, fruity and eminently quaffable, White Shield is about gentle sipping.

Tasting it is sampling a bit of history: this is a classic British pint. V Jason Foster is the creator of onbeer.org, a website devoted to news and views on beer from the prairies and beyond.

20,000 SQUARE FEET OF LOCALLY GROWN FRESH FOODS & ARTISAN MADE PRODUCTS WWW.EDMONTONFARMERSMARKET.COM NEW WINTER HOURS FRI, SAT & SUN 10AM - 5PM • 587.521.6266 • 10251 - 109 STREET, EDMONTON

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

DISH 9

ARTS

ARTS EDITOR : PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // THEATRE

Dark-comedy Bears pipes in on our oilsands industry

A different sort of shift-work // Max Telzerow

Y

ou can be as vehemently opposed to Alberta's oil industry as you want, but every one of us—no matter our politics—is complicit in it.

"It's just so galling that companies and our government in Alberta have managed to make being Albertan and saying you're from Alberta kind of an ugly thing, out of province," says Matthew MacKenzie, a local playwright who's no stranger to diving into political territory. Edmonton audiences last saw MacKenzie's work in Pyretic Productions' 2013 racially charged Sia. His new script, Bears, tackles our

province's bogeyman: the massive into a story about a worker from the oilsands operation and particularly patch, Floyd (Sheldon Elter), who Enbridge's controversial Northern flees along the Northern Gateway's Gateway Pipeline. proposed route The piece was Until Sun, Feb 15 (8 pm; 2 pm after a workinspired by a his- matinees on Feb 8, 14, 15) place accident. torical account of ATB Financial Arts Barns, "I'm not an activist, or acaMacKenzie's fourth- $16.50 – $21.50 great grandmother, demic or anya Cree woman who, thing like that," upon returning to her native Alberta MacKenzie says, explaining that Bears after spending 15 years in Red River, is a dark comedy. "It's so easy to get stayed by the North Saskatchewan furious about it that humour felt River for three days, weeping in ven- like the way in. Anything I've seen or eration. MacKenzie channelled this heard in Toronto about the tar sands

is like, Albertans are basically evil and the tar sands are some sort of apocalypse. I just wasn't interested in that masturbatory doomsday-ing, or passing judgment on the working man and woman out there."

Bears has no director; MacKenzie worked extensively with choreographer Ainsley Hillyard to shape Floyd's external environment and internal mind through a chorus of dancers, while musician Bryce Kulak has contributed an electronic, cabaret-style soundtrack. Bears is also being pre-

sented in partnership with Alberta Aboriginal Arts as part of the Rubaboo Festival.

"It was so important for me that Bears happen here first, with a group of Alberta artists," MacKenzie says.

Remarkably, everyone involved in the production also signed on to work for free—the funding was secured later (everyone is now getting paid). "The people here, regardless of their politics, are more aware of the scale of the beast."

MEL PRIESTLEY

MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // THEATRE

Famous Puppet Death Scenes W

Wait for it ...

10 ARTS

hether we're watching the finest Shakespearean tragedy or Marvel's latest pretext to sell merchandise, we're all just waiting for that glorious death scene right at the end. So goes the logic behind the Old Trout Puppet Workshop's Famous Puppet Death Scenes.

The show cuts out all the boring bits and gives us what we really want: 23 vignettes of misery, misfortune and marionette mortality. From slapstick mishaps to dark and introspective moments, Death Scenes takes us through a fictional canon of puppet demise. Each vignette is introduced by the grandiose puppet narrator Nathanial Tweak, whose macabre collection includes such titles as The Ballad of Edward Grue

by Samuel Groanswallow and Bipsy and Mumu Go to the Zoo by Fun Freddy— names the Trouts culled from spam emails.

Pityu Kenderes, who co-created the show

in 2007 and remounts it now with a fresh ensemble of French-trained clowns, describes Death Scenes as a mix of rowdy comedy and heartfelt drama.

"A few years ago we were in Toronto and a palliative-care leader brought his staff to see the show," he says. "At first, he said he was a bit disappointed that we were making a joke out of death. But by the end he felt we had really touched him."

It's important for Kenderes to address the topic of death with the sensitivity it deserves, even as he strives to make the audience laugh. His own mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer just as he started developing the show, and died during its first run, shortly after seeing it performed.

The show became a big part of his grieving process, and remounting it has allowed him to revisit those memories and share his ex-

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

Until Sun, Feb 22 (8 pm; 2 pm Sunday matinees) Directed by Tim Sutherland Eastglen High School - Majestic Theatre, $15 – $35

periences with audience members—many of whom have reached out to express how the performance surprisingly moved them.

"The Trouts always try to take on a big topic that affects everyone's lives, and our hope is always to leave people feeling a little bit better," he says.

As the Theatre Network's first performance after the Roxy's untimely end last month, the Old Trouts couldn't have come at a better time.

BRUCE CINNAMON

BRUCE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

REVUE // THEATRE

Playing with Fire Until Sun, Feb 15 (7:30 pm) Directed by Ron Jenkins Citadel Theatre, $35 – $89

Artists: Sarah McLachlan & Alberta Ballet Artists | Photo: Phil Crozier

The Music of Sarah McLachlan Choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître Artistic Director, Alberta Ballet

“Shimmers in beauty” –The Globe & Mail

A lively sports story // Epic Photography

T

he bar for sports drama has been set a little higher with the Citadel's breathless, lively hockey show, Playing with Fire: The Theo Fleury Story.

Based on Kirstie McLellan Day's 2009 biography of NHL star Theoren Fleury, the script takes us through Fleury's life from his troubled, dysfunctional childhood in small-town Manitoba to his immediately illustrious NHL career and then inescapable slide into a long-term battle with drugs and alcohol. It's quite surprising just how engaging this play is for someone who isn't anything close to a hockey or sports fan. (This reviewer certainly included.)

Much of this is undoubtedly due to performer Shaun Smyth, who is a dynamite force on stage.

Director Ron Jenkins keeps Smyth at an unrelenting pace, skating tight circles and taking shots on a rink that has been dropped into the Maclab, complete with a faux-ice surface that fools quite well for the real thing (minus the toe-numbing necessity of refrigeration). Smyth is fervently, fully committed to the challenge, capturing Fleury's casual, hilarious crassness in a breakneck, full-throttle performance.

The ugly spectre of Fleury's sexual abuse by Western Hockey League coach Graham James

is the story's pivot; the audience knew about it going in and there was indeed tension leading up to that part—which Smyth deflates with blunt frankness and rueful self-awareness, refreshing for its lack of pretence and still managing to treat the subject with dignity.

At times, Playing with Fire falls into the common pitfall of hyperbole that marks so many sports narratives: everything is presented as extremes; it's either the highest of highs or the lowest of lows. This gets a bit tedious by the end, but nonetheless the script, McLellan Day's first, has obviously been finessed quite a bit with the help of both Jenkins and Alberta Theatre Projects.

There's a dearth of sports stories on the stage; perhaps we still can't overcome the pervasive (if often untrue) divide between the jocks and the art kids. Playing with Fire is a prime candidate for changing everyone's mind: staunch theatregoers need not worry about being alienated by obscure sports references or dull statistics, and I'm betting hockey fans would have a much better time at this show than taking in another dismal performance by our actual team—even if it does require setting your eyes on a Calgary Flames jersey in Edmonton.

MEL PRIESTLEY

FEBRUARY 20-21, 2015 780.428.6839 www.albertaballet.com PRODUCTION SPONSOR

Join us before the show for a fun-filled party, themed around all things LOVE! Your ticket includes: • Delightful hors-d’oevres • Themed activities • And a ticket to see the show

February 20 | Tickets: $100 per person Tickets at albertaballet.com

MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

ARTS 11

PREVUE // THEATRE

ARTS

The Threepenny Opera B

ertolt Brecht's theatre legacy is both the stuff of legend and, often enough, of legendary stuffiness.

Over the previous century he proved himself a game-changing influence on the medium with his "epic" theatre; Brecht wanted an audience to walk away more selfreflective and critical, rather than entertained and sedated, by ideas they just watched play out on stage, which he viewed as a place for political ideas to find forum.

That's all well and good in theory, but also the sort of sentiment that, if left at face value, summons up an airless, impenetrable aura of self-importance.

"I grew up being told, or with the BFA students, he's found plenty of sensation—I don't know where it flexibility in the script's more politicame from—that Brecht was meant cal leanings.

"There's incredible humour, and to be dull, or boring, and somehow profound," randiness, and titillation and excitement; it's just Brian DeedUntil Sat, Feb 14 (7:30 pm; rick notes. very different from what 12:30 pm matinee on Thu, "To the point I was expecting," DeedFeb 12) rick says. "If you look at where you Directed by Brian Deedrick just wanted the world writ large, it Timms Centre for the Arts, him to go can be a clown show, or, $11 – $22 away." if you're staring into your As he directs bellybutton, it can be The Threepenny Opera, the former something tedious and depressing. artistic director of Edmonton Opera To my delight, it offers far more opis finding the material to be any- portunity to explore and play than I thing but stiff: working with a par- had been expecting." ticularly musical class of graduating The Threepenny Opera is easily

Brecht's most popular work (and intensely musical; it was a collaboration with composer Kurt Weill). It centres on Macheath—the titular "Mack the Knife" from the jazz standard, which, sure enough, is a song that comes from Threepenny—as he navigates Victorian-era London. Ostensibly a criticism of the bourgeois German theatre of Brecht's time, it offers a landscape of corruption and crime for Mack to revel in as he attempts to up his social standing.

The last time Deedrick helmed a Studio Theatre show was Nicholas Nickleby, a few years back—"This is opening four years to the night, basically," he notes. He's certainly

found it a joy to once again find himself working with a generation of theatrical up-and-comers.

"They're inventive," he says. "They make weird and wonderful choices.

It's exciting to see that kind of progress. That kind of excitement for doing a show. Sometimes in the opera world, you can get those people who [say], 'This is my 27th Aida—just tell me where to stand.'

And here, on the other hand, you've got this bunch, who just [want] more, more, more, more, more. I think they'd rehearse 24/7 if they had a chance."

PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // THEATRE

One Flea Spare

Keep your distance, squire // Mat Busby

S

trangers huddle together, the house, forcing them to restart the 28sounds of stalking, moaning day quarantine.

The London of the day—when it death threatening them from outside.

The numbers are horrifying: 1000 wasn't being ravished by disease—was dead, then 4000. Paranoia and claus- one of fantastic wealth for a few and trophobia as the end of days forces crushing poverty and misery for many. the survivors to question their lives Having emerged from decades of and the society dour Puritan rule, Until Sun, Feb 15 (7:30 pm; 2 pm they live in. wealthy Londonmatinees on Feb 7, 14, 15) The Walking ers in 1665 dressed Directed by Amy DeFelice Dead? Nope, it's in fantastic, colourVarscona Theatre, $15 – $25 ful clothes and lisOne Flea Spare: the Naomi Waltened to opulent lace play about the bubonic plague in court music. DeFelice says they wanted London in the 17th century. The Great to capture the feeling of the rich forced Plague of London killed 100 000 to live with the poor.

"There's this feeling of people who people and sparked mass paranoia: sailors were indiscriminately mur- would never have talked to each other," DeFelice adds. dered as scapegoats.

There are moments of murk and Produced by Edmonton's Trunk Theatre at the Varscona Theatre, direc- distress, not surprising considering tor Amy DeFelice says the real fear the spectre of death that hangs like a comes not from the invisible creeping black sheet. But DeFelice notes there death of the plague—but from being is humour in the bleakness, thanks to Wallace's bright use of language and confronted with one's humanity.

"There are studies that show that peo- dialogue. These elements—the huple choose to get electric shocks rather mour, the darkness, the madness and than be alone with their thoughts," De- chaos—are universal in disaster, be it Felice says. "There is something about London in the 1660s or New Orleans being stuck and not being able to es- after Hurricane Katrina.

"It's that moment when you think cape yourself that is terrifying." the world works in a certain way, a The story revolves around the Snel- certain order, then suddenly you have graves, a wealthy London couple stuck to question everything," DeFelice in quarantine in their home, their ser- says. "There's something about when vants having died around them. They're the rules stop in the world: people act nearly finished their four-week house out, but they also test their desires." arrest when two strangers, a sailor JOSH MARCELLIN JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM and a 12-year-old girl, break into their

12 ARTS

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

WHAT’S ON AT UALBERTA?

PREVUE // VISUAL ARTS

Songs from the Labyrinth

Feb 5 - 14

7:30 p.m.

The Threepenny Opera

By Bertolt Brecht

Music by Kurt Weill. Translation by Marc Blitzstein.

Director: Brian Deedrick Timms Centre for the Arts

Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano, Part III

Feb 6

8 p.m.

Jacques Després (piano) & Andrew Wan (violin).

Convocation Hall

University of Alberta High School Honour Bands with the University of Alberta Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Concert Band

Feb 8

3 p.m.

Jesse Thomson makes dreamlike canvases // TJ Jans

'H

ow would you describe your Thomas is interested in the conexperience of a dream?" Jesse nection between the physical world and the ever-changing constructed Thomas asks.

The bizarre sequences of events on lens through which we interpret culthe canvas have the look of the other- ture, history and even our memories. worldly visions of sleep. Recognizable Depictions of real people, scienceimages of people, objects and places fiction scenes, nature and imaginaemerge out of obscure cave-like back- tion merge as the artist explores the grounds. According to Thomas's artist relationship between subjective and statement for Songs from the Laby- empirical experience.

"The idea rinth, a work of art is is that these understood to have Until Sat, Feb 14 paintings are its own structures, dis- Works by Jesse Thomas songs from tinct from reality. Art FAB Gallery, University of Alberta the labyrinth," is understood through he says, tapits connection to the real world and the viewer's experienc- ping his temple with a wry smile.

Thomas joined the University of Ales. Thomas explains that, even though

ualberta.ca/artshows

” …a

triumph on every artistic level from writing, staging and design to performance…“ CALGARY SUN

“The Canadian landscape is having a big effect on me. You know, you go to Jasper and, whoa, but I can’t quite do a straight mountain landscape. Although it is awfully beautiful, I love just standing there.” there is a lot going on in these paintings and charcoal drawings, there are discernible patterns. One example is that, in a number of the works, you can see highly realistic views out the window.

"I'm originally from New Orleans, so I find these snowy landscapes very exotic," Thomas says. "The Canadian landscape is having a big effect on me. You know, you go to Jasper and, whoa, but I can't quite do a straight mountain landscape. Although it is awfully beautiful, I love just standing there."

The images are surreal, with scenes overlapping and melding into one another. It gives an impression of a double-exposed film, unrelated episodes of memories, history and culture overlapping. The images do not have traditional perspective; rather, each episode within the painting takes on its own viewpoint, creating strange movement.

berta as an associate professor in July 2012. The influence of Thomas' new residence shows strongly in these works, with recognizable scenes of the U of A campus peeking through windows in three of the pieces.

The artist's aim was to see if it was possible to bring elements of culture and history together with more personal elements: memory, nostalgia and desire. Thomas was interested in exploring what would happen if these constructed aspects of life communed in a painting alongside concrete details of the physical world. Through his explorations of those ideas, he found certain aspects remained fleeting to discuss.

"Some of our experiences are just visual, and evade accurate translation into words," he says.

MICHELLE FALK

MICHELLEFALK@VUEWEEKLY.COM

SHAUN SMYTH IN

Jan 28 - Feb 15/15

BY KIRSTIE M CLELLAN DAY DIRECTED BY RON JENKINS MACLAB THEATRE • RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 16+ A CO-PRODUCTION WITH PRAIRIE THEATRE EXCHANGE

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ARTS 13

3.75” wide version

ARTS PREVUE // THEATRE

12345

HARCOURT HOUSE ARTIST RUN CENTRE

Thu, Feb 5 – Sun, Feb 15 (8 pm; 2 pm matinee on Sat, Feb 7) Directed by Heather Inglis Westbury Theatre, ATB Financial Arts Barns, $17 – $28 Gassin’ up at the end of all things // Dave Degagné

The Laws of Thermodynamics

By Paul Rudnick Directed By Kyle Thulien

FEBRUARY 4-14, 2015 8 pm & 2 pm Sunday Matinee 10322 - 83 Ave

14 ARTS

Walterdale Theatre WalterdaleTheatre.com

www.TIXonthesquare.ca

Tickets $12- $18 780-420-1757

A

s a species, we seem to have a fascination with endings, most particularly our own: Google "The end of the world," and up come more than two billion results, a mix of Biblical end-days, parody videos, scientific worries and other bleak musings.

While the level of seriousness it all gets treated with might vary—look at the prevalence of the zombie apocalypse in popular culture today—it seems like everybody's mind wanders there eventually.

"I think it's because we can't answer it," Heather Inglis ponders. "We all know that we have a limited amount of time; I'm interested in the notion that perhaps the ongoing theories of apocalypse are really about a projection of our own knowledge that we will end. And we project it onto the world, because if we end, then the world does, in fact, end."

The director's seated in the Workshop West offices, adjacent to playwright Cat Walsh, whose blackcomedy script The Laws of Thermodynamics picks up just three days before the end of the world. It finds a journalist on the road, searching for his family, when his car breaks down outside the town of Crumb (population: three). As he tries to get back

to his search—time is, y'know, pressing—he finds that trio of residents less than helpful in the face of an imminent end.

For Walsh, the script began seven years ago.

"I had this weird idea about a waitress and the end of the world, and this notion of absolute justice," she says. "It was kind of a wackier idea when I first started."

The story found more substantial shape when Walsh entered Workshop West's playwriting unit, which is where Inglis caught wind of it: intrigued by the idea, she arranged a meeting.

"I was pretty excited about the theatricality of the piece, as well as the mystery of the piece," Inglis says. "I was really excited by what it would look like onstage; I'm always really interested in space and audiences and what the experience of theatre is—with the text, but also beyond the text."

Inglis' Theatre Yes received grant money to develop the script, which lent itself to a longer-than-usual creation process: a number of readings, and then a week-long workshop with actors on their feet, and scenic design-

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

ers, present to start shaping the space.

"Seeing it in three dimensions was actually incredibly helpful," Walsh says. "Sometimes things that work a certain way around a table, or you think oh, that makes sense, [and] when you see people actually trying to do it, trying to make the relationship you want three-dimensionally, you're like, 'Oh, that's not how it is at all.'"

And clarity of relationships seems particularly important here: when the end is quite literally nigh, there isn't too much room for characters who waffle around.

"I really purposely set it very close to the absolute end of things," Walsh explains. "I didn't want to get into this wailing and gnashing of teeth and 'Woe's me, what are we going to do, we have to do something.' Everyone has really accepted that this is coming soon, and the play really investigates that idea, of what would still be important enough to us, to hang on to. Or what parts of society would we try to maintain to still feel like civilized people, I guess. I really wanted to set it really close to the end of the world so people have a sense of purpose and acceptance."

PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

FEBRUARY 5 - 14, 7:30 PM | TIMMS CENTRE FOR THE ARTS PREVIEW FEBRUARY 4, 7:30 PM | MATINEE FEBRUARY 12, 12:30 PM

FEATURING BFA ACTING CLASS OF 2015

BY BERTOLT BRECHT | MUSIC BY KURT WEILL LIBRETTO TRANSLATION BY MARC BLITZSTEIN Director Brian Deedrick | Conductor & Musical Director Peter Dala UALBERTA.CA/ARTSHOWS

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

ARTS 15

ARTS WEEKLY

Bev Bunker: Japanese emroidery; Jan 30-Feb 21 • Elsewhere; Jan 9-Feb 22

GALLERY 7 • Bookstore on Perron, 7 Perron St, St Albert • 780.459.2525 • Bev Bunker (embroidery); Jan 27-Feb 23

GALLERIE PAVA • 9524-87 St, 780.461.3427 • As the Flowers Unfold: featuring Cheryl Feragen; Jan 17-Mar 3

EMAIL YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO: lIStINGS@VueWeeKly.COM FAX: 780.426.2889 DEADLINE: FrIDay at 3PM

112 St • 780.426.4180 • Main Space: Navigating Boundaries: Jes McCoy and Kelsey Stevenson; Jan 29-Mar 5

DANCE

JEFF ALLEN ART GALLERY (JAAG) • Strathcona

EBDA BALLROOM DANCE • Lions Seniors

Place Senior Centre, 10831 University Ave, 109 St, 78 Ave • 780.433.5807 • seniorcentre.org • SERENDIPITY

Recreational Centre, 11113-113 St • 780.893.6828 • Feb 7, 8pm

HARCOURT HOUSE GALLERY • 3 Fl, 10215-

MCMULLEN GALLERY • U of A Hospital, 8440-112 St • 780.407.7152 • LARISSA BLOKHUIS AND SYLVIA GRIST: Glassworks from artist Larissa Blokhuis and collaged landscapes from Sylvia Grist; Feb 7-Apr 5; Opening reception: Feb 12, 7-9pm

MULTICULTURAL CENTRE PUBLIC ART GALLERY (MCPAG)–Stony Plain • 5411-51 St, Stony Plain • multicentre.org • Cheryl and Brian Hepperle: Natural History Carving; Jan 3-Feb 11 • Maria Madacky - Exhibition of New Works: Feb 12-Mar 18; Reception: Feb 17

PRINCE OF WALES ARMOURIES HERITAGE CENTRE • 10440-108 Ave • Project Heroes: The Faces and Stories of Sacrifice: Get to know the Canadian soldiers who died in the Afghanistan war through their eyes, in photographs, videos and letters • Nov 3-Mar 4 • info@projectheroes.ca • projectheroes. ca

ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM • 12845-102 Ave • 780.453.9100 • royalalbertamuseum.ca • WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: Nov 28-Apr 12 • NOWHERE PEOPLE: Photos, giving a human face to the global issue of statelessness, by Greg Constantine; Dec 6-Mar 22 • QUESTIONS AND COLLECTIONS V: RESEARCH AT THE MUSEUM; Jan 28-Apr 8

MUSÉE HÉRITAGE MUSEUM–St Albert • 5 St Anne St, St Albert • 780.459.1528 • Wus’kwiy / Waskway: From Berry Baskets to Souvenirs; Jan 27-Apr 12

RUTHERFORD LIBRARY SOUTH, GALLERIA

NAESS GALLERY • Paint Spot, 10032-81 Ave •

• University of Alberta • Photographs from PalestineIsrael: Living in a Context of Conflict • Jan 20-Feb 9

SNAP GALLERY • Society of Northern Alberta Print-

SUGAR FOOT SWING DANCE • Sugar Swing, 10545-81 Ave • 587.786.6554 • sugarswing.com • Swing Dance Social every Sat; beginner lesson starts at 8pm. All ages and levels welcome. Occasional live music–check web • $10, $2 lesson with entry

Artists, 10123-121 St • 780.423.1492 • snapartists. com • Eunkang Koh: The Human Shop; Jan 8-Feb 14 • Karen Cassidy: Daughter of a Dead Father; Jan 8-Feb 14 • PRINTSHOP: Print Your Heart Out; Feb 7-8, 12-5pm

SWEET NOTHINGS BY VIVA DANCE • Art Gallery

SPRUCE GROVE ART GALLERY • 35-5 Ave,

of Alberta's Ledcor Theatre, 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square • lilley.stephanie@gmail.com • A collection of love themed dances accompanied by live music. An all ages production • Feb 14, 6:30-9:30pm

CINEMA AT THE CENTRE • Stanley Milner Library Theatre, bsmt, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.496.7070 • Film screening every Wed, 6:30pm • Danny (Not rated); Feb 4 • Safe (not rated); Feb 11 • Free

Lab/Laboratoire Du Cinéma: Feb 9, Mar 8, Apr 12, 12-5pm; $450/$75 (individual drop-in); pre-register at 780.429.1671

FROM BOOKS TO FILM • Stanley A. Milner, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.496.7000 • epl.ca • Films adapted from books every Fri afternoon at 2pm • Beastly (PG); Feb 6, 2pm • The Fault in Our Stars (PG); Feb 13, 2pm

Convocation Hall, University of Alberta • Feb 11, 12pm

GREAT DIGITAL FILM FESTIVAL • Scotiabank Theatre, 8882-170 St • cineplex.com/Events/ DigitalFilmFest • Your favourite sci-fi, fantasy and cult films back to the big screen, like X-Men, Kill Bill and Blade Runner • Jan 30-Feb 5

COME ON BABY, LIGHT MY FIRE • Strathcona

BROWN BAG LUNCH READING SERIES: NAOMI FONTAINE • Student Lounge, Arts and CARROT COFFEEHOUSE • 9351-118 Ave • vzenari@gmail.com • Prose Creative Writing Group • Every Tue, 7-9pm County Library, 401 Festival Lane, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8600 • sclibrary.ab.ca • Metro Federation Writer in Residence Gail Sidonie Sobat will show visitors how to make that tension sizzle in their own stories • Feb 10, 7-8:30pm • Fre

• 780.485.7387 • labourhistory.ca • A screening of a double feature: "Still the Enemy Within" and "Pride" • Feb 5, 7pm • Free

ROUGE LOUNGE • 10111-117 St • 780.902.5900 • Spoken Word Tuesdays: Weekly spoken word night presented by the Breath In Poetry Collective (BIP); info: E: breathinpoetry@gmail.com

METRO • Metro at the Garneau Theatre, 8712-109 St • 780.425.9212 • REEL FAMILY CINEMA: The Princess Bride (Feb 14) • SCIENCE IN THE CINEMA: Wall-E (Feb 16) • GATEWAY TO CINEMA: John Wick (Feb 10)

SCRAMBLED YEG • Brittany's Lounge, 10225-97 St • 780.497.0011 • Open Genre Variety Stage: artists from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue-Fri, 5-8pm

GALLERIES + MUSEUMS ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY • 10186-

STRATHCONA COUNTY LIBRARY • 401 Festival

106 St • 780.488.6611 • albertacraft.ab.ca • Feature Gallery: 15 ON 35: artwork and written insights by a selection of 15 members; Jan 17-Mar 28 • The Recipients: Recipients of the 2014 Alberta Craft Awards, Anna Rasmussen, Shona Rae and Andrea Blais; Jan 10-Feb 14

Lane, Sherwood Park • 780.467.8189 • sclibrary. ab.ca • LEARN @ YOUR LIBRARY – WOMEN OF THE “ARAB SPRING”: Surveying the roles of women and their political participation in the “Arab Spring” and its aftermath; Feb 8, 2-4pm; $10 (adults), $5 (students)

ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA (AGA) • 2 Sir

TALES–Monthly Storytelling Circle • Parkallen Community Hall, 6510-111 St • Monthly TELLAROUND: 2nd Wed each month • Sep-Jun, 7-9pm • Free • Info: 780.437.7736; talesedmonton@hotmail.com

Winston Churchill Sq • 780.422.6223 • youraga. ca • BMO World of Creativity: World of Boo: Jason Carter and Bridget Ryan; until Apr 16 • VIEW FROM A WINDOW: Photos by Edward Burtynsky, Robin Collyer, Eamon MacMahon, Laura St Pierre; Dec 6-Mar 1 • FUTURE STATION: 2015 ALBERTA BIENNIAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART: Jan 24-May 3 • Open Studio adult Drop-In; Wed, 7-9pm; $18/$16 (AGA member) • SUBURBIA: A MODEL LIFE (Photographs 1970s-80s); Dec 6-Mar 1 • rBC New Works Gallery: OBSCURE INVERSIONS: Colin Smith; Dec 6-Mar 1 • all Day Sundays: Art activities for all ages; Activities, 12-4pm; Tour; 2pm • late Night Wednesdays: Every Wed, 6-9pm

ART GALLERY OF ST ALBERT (AGSA) • 19 Perron St, St Albert • 780.460.4310 • artgalleryofstalbert. ca • PROXIMITIES: video installation works by Alysha Creighton; Feb 5-28 • Preschool Picasso: Shapes and Silhouettes (Feb 14), 10:30-11:30am; for 3-5 yrs; preregister; $10/$9 (Arts & Heritage member) CENTRE D’ARTS VISUELS DE L’ALBERTA (CAVA) • 9103-95 Ave • 780.461.3427 • savacava. com • Exhibition of a selection of member's artwork; Jan 7-Feb

FAB GALLERY • 1-1 Fine Arts Bldg, 89 Ave, 112 St • 780.492.2081 • Jesse Thomas: Alcuin Awards for Book Design; Jan 20-Feb 14 • Book Design in Canada; Jan 20-Feb 14

GALLERY@501 • 501 Festival Ave, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8585 • strathcona.ca/artgallery • HE ART OF NUI-DO, TRADITIONAL JAPANESE SILK EMBROIDERY:

16 ARTS

UPPER CRUST CAFÉ • 10909-86 Ave • 780.422.8174 • strollofpoets.com • The Poets’ Haven Reading Series: Every Mon, 7pm; presented by the Stroll of Poets Society • $5 (door)

THEATRE

BY ARTIST ELEANOR LOHNER: Jan 29-Feb 25; opening reception: Feb 11, 6:30-8:30pm

JURASSIC FOREST/LEARNING CENTRE • 15 mins N of Edmonton off Hwy 28A, Township Rd 564 • Education-rich entertainment facility for all ages

LATITUDE 53 • 10242-106 St • 780.423.5353 • Main Space: WE: Jan 10-Feb 15 • Stephen G.A. Mueller: Feb 13-Mar 28; Opening reception: Feb 13, 7-9:30pm • Holly de Moissac: farsighted; Feb 13-Mar 2

LOUIE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY ON 124 • 10634-124 St • louiephotogallery.com • Exposure Photo Festival 2015; Opening reception: Feb 7, 6-9pm • The Manila Project by Larry Louie/The Mae Sot Project by Gerry Yaum; Feb 7-28

780.432.0240 • paintspot.ca • Growing Up, a series of oil paintings by Daphne Cote; Jan 5-Feb 17 • ARTISAN NOOK: What Can’t You Do with A Sketchbook!?!, a group exhibition of personal sketchbooks; Jan 5-Feb 17 • VERTICAL SPACE: Maximum Energy, a solo exhibition of Stephen Ferris’s visually complex paintings; Jan 6-Feb 16 • Opening reception: Feb 12, 6-9pm (all three exhibits)

NINA HAGGERTY CENTRE STOLLERY GALLERY • 9225-118 Ave • 780.474.7611 • thenina.ca • CURIOSITY 2: ART FOR THE INQUISITIVE; Jan 15-Feb 7

PETER ROBERTSON GALLERY • 12304 Jasper Ave • 780.455.7479 • probertsongallery.com • WINTER SHOW: recent work and older favourites from gallery artists; Feb 7-Feb 24

DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST • Jubilee Auditorium, 11455-87 Ave • BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com • The classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self • Feb 10-15 FAMOUS PUPPET DEATH SCENES • Eastglen

JEFFREY • Walterdale Theatre, 10322-83 Ave •

LITERARY

LABOUR FLICKS • Garneau Theatre, 8712-109 St

DIE-NASTY • Varscona Theatre, 10329-83 Ave • varsconatheatre.com • Live improvised soap opera • Runs Every Mon, 7:30pm • Until Jun 1 • $13 or $9 with a $30 membership; at the door (cash) or at tixonthesquare.com

STRATHCONA COUNTY MUSEUM & ARCHIVES

U OF A MUSEUMS • Human Ecology Bldg Gallery, Main Fl, 116 St, 89 Ave • LOIS HOLE: THE QUEEN OF HUGS; until Mar 22 • Charles Stankievech: The Soniferous Æther of The Land Beyond The Land Beyond; Jan 22-Mar 21

FAVA • Ortona Arts Armoury, 9722-102 St • Cinema

Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Rapid Fire Theatre’s longform comedy show: improv formats, intricate narratives, and one-act plays • Every Sat, 10pm • $12 (door or buy in adv at TIX on the Square) • Until Jun 13

Spruce Grove • 780.962.0664 • alliedartscouncil.com • Raw Humanity: Ashleigh Spence; Jan 27-Feb 21

TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE • 11211-142 St • telusworldofscienceedmonton.com • GPS ADVENTURES CANADA EXHIBITION: Combining technology, nature, and hidden treasure; until Jun 1 • INDIANA JONES™ AND THE ADVENTURE OF ARCHAEOLOGY: until Apr 6

DEATH AND DYING FILM SERIES • GB Building, 9562-82 Ave • lorainej@shaw.ca • 780.642.8703 • Watch three films exploring the mysteries of life, death and dying • 2nd Sun, Feb-Apr, 1-4pm • Free (donations accepted)

CHIMPROV • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828-101A

High School - Majestic Theatre, 11430-68 St • Presented by Theatre Network • Feb 4-22 • All Theatre Network tickets sold prior to the fire at the Roxy will be valid for the new venue

• 913 Ash St, Sherwood Park • 780.467.8189 • strathconacountymuseum.ca • Celebrating Pioneer Women; Jan 20-Mar 21

FILM

Feb 6, 7:30pm • Sold out

THE 11 O'CLOCK NUMBER • Varscona Theatre, 10329-83 Ave • 90 minutes of improvised entertainment that unveils scenes, songs and choreographed numbers completely off the cuff based on audience suggestions • Every Fri, until Jun 26, 11pm • $15 (online, at the door) • grindstonetheatre.ca BEARS • PCL Theatre, ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave • A multi-media, comedic cabaret about the people and animals along the route of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline • Feb 5-15

BIG FISH • John L Haar Theatre, Centre for the Arts and Communications, 10045-156 St • A son, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father’s bigger-than-life tales • Feb 5-14, 7:30pm (matinee performance on Feb 8, 2pm). No show Feb 9 • $21.75, $16.75 (students/seniors)

CBC’S THE IRRELEVANT SHOW 2015 • Festival Place, 100 Festival Way, Sherwood Park • Scenes about family life, dating, relationships and the workplace.

Complete with musical guests and live sound effects •

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

Deciding to be a gay celibate in the New York City is an impossible challenge, but Jeffrey needs to navigate into a possible lifelong relationship, under the cloud of HIV, to discover the difference between the pursuit of love and physical gratification • Feb 5-14

THE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS • ATB Financial Arts Barns - Westbury Theatre, 10330-84 Ave • A gas-station gothic that examines loss, obsession and what it means to really say “The End” • Feb 6-15 LIFE DEATH AND THE BLUES • Club Cabaret, 9828-101 A Ave • citadeltheatre.com • Feb 11-Mar 1

MAESTRO • Citadel Theatre, 9828-101A Ave • Rapid Fire Theatre • Improv, a high-stakes game of elimination that will see 11 improvisers compete for audience approval until there is only one left standing • 1st Sat each month, 7:30-9:30pm • $12 (adv at rapidfiretheatre.com)/$15 (door)

NEW WORKS FESTIVAL • Timms Centre for the Arts - Second Playing Space, corner of 87 Avenue and 112 Street, University of Alberta • drama.ualberta.ca/ en/studentfestivalsandproductions/newworksfestival • A selection of six new plays written and produced by emerging artists in the university community • Feb 3-8 OH BOY, BUDDY HOLLY! • Jubilations Dinner Theatre, #2690, 8882-170 St • It's Shallow Water's last graduation before it closes and to save it, the grade 12 kids, have written letters to their favorite rock and roll stars, begging them to play at their graduation dance. The kids have tried everything, and now the whole town is being swept away by the campaign! In response, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers and Chuck Berry arrive to save the day • Feb 7-Apr 12 ONE FLEA SPARE • Varscona Theatre, 10329-83 Ave • In 1665 the plague has brought chaos to London.

A wealthy couple, the Snelgraves have nearly served out their quarantine when two strangers break into their home, seeking refuge • Feb 5-15

PLAYING WITH FIRE: THE THEO FLEURY STORY • Maclab Stage, Citadel Theatre, 9828-101A Ave • Based on the true story of NHL player Theo Fleury and the personal issues that haunted him, ultimately derailing his career • Jan 28-Feb 15

SPIRIT CONTROL • Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts, 4308-50 St, Leduc • leducdramasociety.ca • leducdramasociety@gmail.com • Presented by the Leduc Drama Society. Written by Beau Willimon, the writer who developed the hit Netflix series, House of Cards. When the pilot of a small plane suffers a heart attack, Adam must talk a terrified passenger through an emergency landing and his life is sent adrift • Feb 6-14, 7:30-10pm • $18 THAT'S TERRIFIC • Varscona Theatre • last Sat ea month • Nov 29-Jul 25 THEATRESPORTS • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828101A Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Improv • Every Fri, 7:30pm and 10pm • Jan 16-Jun 12 • $12/$10 (member) at TIX on the Square

THE THREEPENNY OPERA • Timms Centre for the Arts, 112 Street Northwest, University of Alberta • U of A Studio Theatre has invited U of A alumnus and former Edmonton Opera artistic director Brian Deedrick to direct • Feb 5-Feb 14

VENUS IN FUR • Shoctor Stage, Citadel Theatre, 9828-101A Ave • citadeltheatre.com • About a write and director in New York who is preparing to begin his new play that he has written based on the 19th erotic novel, Venus in Furs. He's unable to find the right actress for the role, until a woman appears and begins to exert dominance over the director and the balance of power shifts as a reading proceeds • Jan 17-Feb 8

FILM

FILM EDITOR : PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // DOCUMENTARY

Wed, Feb 11 (7 pm; part I & II) Sat, Feb 21 (3:30 pm; part III) The Great Human Odyssey Directed by Niobe Thompson Metro Cinema at the Garneau, tickets at the door

The Great Human Odyssey traces our species from near-extinction to the farthest reaches of the world

'I

'm fascinated with the story of us," Niobe Thompson says. "The big questions surrounding this particular model: why do we have the brain we have? Why do we have the biomechanics we're endowed with? What was is it in our environment, our experiences, that selected for such an unusual creature? There are all kinds of things about humans that are unique, not only in nature today, but in the history of life on Earth."

The anthropologist/filmmaker sits in a café close to his Clearwater Films office, munching on spanakopita.

Seven years after starting to apply his scientific know-how to documentary filmmaking, he's finally gotten around to one of the big questions he's always found fascinating: how did homo sapien—at one time brushing up against the edge of extinction—not only come back from the brink, but flourish and disseminate ourselves among even the harshest climates in the world? While making The Great Human Odyssey, Thompson spent 18 months chasing the answers across five continents: from African deserts to arctic Siberia, his cameras found skin-cutting initiations in Papua New Guinea, witnessed the last breathholding nomads of the Badjao in the Phillipines and watched Siberian hunters raid a nesting ground on 200-metre-high sea cliffs. Thompson also tapped some of the leading minds in science for insights into research-inprogress—the cutting edge of what we know about ourselves.

As in other Clearwater documentaries, Thompson not only directs, but

guides us from in front of the camera: he's right there on screen, chasing the answers to the questions he's asking.

"By saying to the audience, 'I want to know the answer to this question; I don't know the answer to this question, I'm going to go out and find the answer to this question,' you engage audiences in a journey," he explains. "A journey is the structure of a story. So then you can introduce all the classic story elements: an initial motivating idea, complications to that idea, obstacles to realizing your obj e c t i v e, a n d t h e n a final p a y o f f.

So we insert a classic structure of the story into these films, but the payoff, the climax, is always an intellectual payoff."

The Great Human Odyssey is set to be aired in three parts on CBC's The Nature of Things, with an Edmonton sneak peek happening this week at Metro Cinema. Thompson notes that the idea of a national broadcaster handing such an ambitious, intensive project to a regional company—especially when the station has its own in-house documentary team—is far from likely, and the result of a wellbuilt trust between Clearwater Films and the station's producers.

"It's unprecedented—it's actually unprecedented," he says. "There

hasn't been a science and nature documentary of this scale, as far as I can remember, in this province."

Before filmmaking, Thompson was teaching at the U of A after studying at Cambridge (his focus had been on present-day cultures in Siberia).

Thompson soon realized his talent was in communicating science to a general audience, which, paired with a general love of film—"If I ever skipped a class in university, it was

living in isolation and scientists are locked in their ivory tower, what can you expect but mistrust?"

It's trust that's key to his process: to get permission to film with some of these remote cultures, Thompson acknowledges that his work often begins a year before any cameras arrive.

"It's a sped-up version of the anthropological process when you're making these documentaries," he says, pointing to the skin-cutting initiation ritual he filmed in Papua New Guinea as an example.

"I knew that it only happened once in a village a decade, and I also k n e w t h e r e were all kinds of secrecy taboos around the ritual. And so it was kind of like a Holy Grail, getto-the-peak-of-Everest for filmmakers. So I started going to Papua New Guinea a year ahead of time. We met with the chiefs, we explained what we wanted to do, why we wanted to do it. And, apart from that, just built a relationship. We needed to be able to look each other in the eyes, and finally they gave us permission to come in and film this event I hope to go back within 12 months, with the footage, and show them.

"For them," he continues. "What it was about was documenting this event which is so important to the culture. But making that kind of an

“By saying to the audience, ‘I want to know the answer to this question; I don’t know the answer to this question, I’m going to go out and find the answer to this question,’ you engage audiences in a journey.” so I could go to something I wanted to see in the [movie] theatre," he notes—made documentaries a natural outlet.

"That is a really important role in our society, I think: people who have a science education stepping into the role of a bridge-builder between research and lay-audience," he says. "We need people to be doing that work so we live in a scientifically literate society.

And as the media landscape changes, that's getting more difficult to find.

If audiences, the general public, are going to trust scientists, there needs to be a continual movement of ideas from the world of science and research to a general audience. If you're

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

investment, and not hiring a fixer to set up the shoot for you before your crew arrives—as a director, you have to go."

Those sorts of gambles don't always pay off: Thompson has watched promising science by field leaders end up offering nothing. As part of Odyssey, he spent a month in the Arctic with seamammal hunters, waiting for an opportunity to film a nest raid which never came. (On that trek, anyways; Thompson and cameraman aAron munson came back the next year and managed to successfully shoot the sequence.) All of those could've-but-didn't-happen moments are captured in an extensive, behind-the-scenes series of shorts that Thompson made concurrently with the film, which he hopes offers transparency to his Odyssey, as well as giving audiences a glimpse of just how much work and time can go into filming a single sequence.

Such an open-ended process to making a documentary seems like it might yield more ulcers than footage, but Thompson notes he's used to the hit-and-miss rhythms of it by now.

"It would be too nerve-wracking to bear if I hadn't done a series of these films on a smaller scale already," he says. "And now the editor, the cinematographers and I all understand, it always seems to work out in the end.

And not all shoots work. You learn to embrace that."

PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

FILM 17

FILM WANTS TO SEND YOU AND A FRIEND TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF

REVUE // DRAMA

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AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS Tix on the Square • Scotia Place • Route 99 • Sugar Bowl • Century Casino • Winspear Centre • Enjoy Centre • Citadel Theatre • Freecloud Records • Arden Theatre •

A leviathan in Leviathan

Leviathan O

ne could be forgiven for feeling a little oppressed the myriad ways that Leviathan bluntly imposes a sense of its own gravity and meaning upon the viewer: the very beautiful opening images of weathered, primordial seaside landscapes accompanied by Philip Glass's Akhnaten, music that could make a commercial for floor wax seem momentous and profound; the moment when the film's obviously Job-like protagonist is lectured by an orthodox priest about—you guessed it—Job; the conspicuous appearance of the miraculously in-tact skeleton of a, shall we say, leviathan-like whale; or Leviathan's title itself, proudly invoking Hobbes' canonical treatise on social contract theory—and coming a mere two years after a pretty startling film by Lucien CastaingTaylor and Véréna Paravel with exactly the same name. Yet this latest from Russia's Andrey Zvyagintsev (The Return, Elena) accrues in its smaller gestures and subtler moments something genuinely absorbing and thought-provoking, almost in spite of itself. Leviathan is a film of big ideas and sledgehammer social commentary. It's also a film of kooky plot twists, clever elisions,

well-observed bits of behaviour and others of colossal destruction in several blackly comic scenes of fe- which the loss of multiple mundane objects feels like some tiny apocarociously excessive drinking.

We meet our 21st-century Job, a lypse. And, as mentioned, there are moments of mechanic named drinking.

Lots Kolya (Aleksey Fri, Feb 6 – Thu, Feb 12 and lots of drinkS e r e b r y a k o v ) , Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev ing. Drinking and married and with Metro Cinema at the Garneau driving, drinking an angry teenage  and shooting son, just as he guns, drinking welcomes hotshot Moscow lawyer Dmitri (Vladimir and paying unadvised visits, drinkVdovichenkov) to his northern mari- ing and many other activities best time village. Dmitri is here to keep avoided while drinking. The scenes the village's sleaze-ball, gluttonous, of drinking are, it seems to me, Rob Ford-like monster-moron of among the best things in Leviathan, a mayor (Roman Madyanov) from because in order for the film to find grabbing Kolya's land, a picturesque that sense of gravity that it only piece of real estate that's been in partly succeeds at apprehending, it Kolya's family for nearly a century. needs to stay grounded in the baDmitri's got dirt on the mayor but, nal, to possess a feeling for people as the story moves along, Dmitri struggling in their way with the himself gets perilously dirty— brutishness of everyday life. Awash which is just the first of several in vodka, cynicism and woe, the unfortunate events that befall poor film portrays a world in which only Kolya, an everyman getting slowly what is timeless—those primordial crushed under the tripartite forces landscapes, the fleeting pleasures of bad luck, bad temper and the of intoxication—provides consolasort of rampant corruption that tion. The conditions of life in this place are seemingly kept fixed, and thrives in Putin's Russia. there are few better ways to keep There are eerie moments of breez- the masses under your thumb than es whipping up people's hair as they keeping them stinko, and stumbling. face-off in the night, and there are JOSEF BRAUN

AND OVER 100 MORE LOCATIONS CITY WIDE!

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18 FILM

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

JOSEF@VUEWEEKLY.COM

REVUE // DRAMA

A Dry White Season

Not on a level playing-field

N

ineteen seventy-six. A black boy and white boy play soccer, then rugby. Soon after, the black boy, Jonathan, is playing soccer on a dusty Soweto street when he's chased down by police during a raid. Then the white boy, Johan,

son of teacher Ben du Toit (Donald Sutherland), is playing rugby for his posh school even as Jonathan—son of Ben's gardener Gordon (Winston Ntshona)—is taken to a police station, where he's whipped; soon after, Ben plays with his infant child

in his bucolic back garden. Apartheid—two separate worlds in one South Africa.

That's the wrenching, stark beginning to A Dry White Season (1989), and while this adaptation of André Brink's novel has its flaws—a few stagey scenes; the score a bit intrusive; some weak accents—what lingers is that portrait of insulated Ben's inaction ("There's nothing we can do") so juxtaposed with the persecution of Jonathan and then his father. The white man's willful ignorance here doesn't just breed but sustains and perpetuates a systemic, brutal, savage racism.

Jonathan and then Gordon are killed in police custody (as Steve Biko would be a year later); a reporter (Susan Sarandon) and lawyer (Marlon Brando) investigate, though it's Zakes Mokae, as acerbic Stanley Makhaya, who anchors the story. The terse script, which

Sat, Feb 7 (7 pm) Directed by Euzhan Palcy Metro Cinema at the Garneau Originally released: 1989

resists easily appealing to a white audience ("Hope's a white word ... it's not hope we need"), aches with scenes of black South Africans beaten, grieving or simply stripped of their dignity. (When Ben sees Gordon's torture-marked corpse, he can't deny the body of evidence before him.) And it simmers with outrage at injustice, with resistance and with perseverance.

Martinique-born director and cowriter Euzhan Palcy became the first black woman to helm a Hollywood film when she completed the

five-year project.

Palcy deepened the script's black roles and, before filming (partly in Zimbabwe, where the Biko film Cry Freedom had been shot), surreptitiously visited Soweto, Johannesburg, and a township to interview witnesses of the '76 events depicted here. One suspects that now, more than 25 years and only one feature, a few TV movies and two documentaries later—her last film? 2007— Palcy's flickering career might make another compelling story of racial politics ... in the film industry.

BRIAN GIBSON

BRIAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // FILM SERIES

EFS Film Series: Make Us Laugh "Every comic character is a type. ... it is comic to wander out of one's own self. It is comic to fall into a ready-made category. And what is most comic of all is to become a category oneself into which others will fall ... to crystallise into a stock character."

— Henri Bergson, Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic (1903)

C

omedy can rely on archetypes and stereotypes, sometimes to smash them open like party piñatas. But laugh-maestro Peter Sellers seemed to unintentionally create a new stereotype—the unhappy film-comic—with his death in 1980. He had grappled with deep insecurities, depression, addictions and the feeling that, outside his characters, he was himself a blank. (This spectral, "sad/troubled clown" figure popped up again with John Belushi's fatal overdose

FRI, FEB. 6 – THUR, FEB. 12

in 1982 and Robin Williams' recent suicide—Williams had visited Belushi hours before his death.)

One of Sellers' famous characters was Inspector Clouseau, that bumbling French policeman. The Edmonton Film Society's Winter Series trips off February 9 with the second in Sellers and Blake Edwards' Pink Panther series, A Shot in the Dark (1964).

"Make Us Laugh" also features Danny Kaye going medieval in The Court Jester (1956; Mar 9), the maternity-misidentification of Bachelor Mother (1939; Mar 16), the screwball-style fisherman-fraud of Man's Favorite Sport? (1964; Mar 23), and the adventure-in-malebabysitting Sitting Pretty (1948; Mar 30).

Ealing Studios' Passport to Pimlico (1949; Apr 13) was inspired by the temporary declaration of Ottawa's Civic Hospital maternity

Mondays (8 pm), Feb 9 – Apr 13 Royal Alberta Museum $5 – $6 per film, $30 series pass Full schedule available at: royalalbertamuseum.ca/events/ movies/movies.cfm

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

ward, in 1943, as extraterritorial so Holland's Princess Margriet, born there, could remain in line for the throne. I Was A Male War Bride sees Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan jump Army-regulation hoops and hurdle comic misunderstandings (1949; Feb 23).

And Jack Benny and Carole Lombard star in Ernst Lubitsch's Nazimocking tale of a touring Warsaw troupe, To Be or Not To Be (1942; Mar 2). Many American viewers and critics, in the midst of the Second World War, couldn't see the punch-line of a satirical attack on Hitler's Germany. But, as Bergson and Sellers and company knew, the comfy pillow of comedy often has a serious, even sad, lining.

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FRI, FEB. 6 – THUR, FEB. 12

MR. TURNER FRI 7:30PM SAT – SUN 2:00 & 7:30PM MON – THUR 7:30PM RATED: PG SEXUAL CONTENT

T H E A T R E

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BRIAN GIBSON

BRIAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

FILM 19

20 FILM

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

FILM REVUE // SCI-FI

Project Almanac

So should we, like, stop Hitler or go to Lollapalooza?

D

elayed a year and retitled twice, the Michael Bay-produced Project Almanac should have been called, to credit the better movies it reworks, The Sliding Doors Butterfly Effect Primer. This MTV Films-backed teen-romance for the GoPro-in-ADHD generation actually makes a music-fest— "Lollapalooza was a mistake"—a

(creaky) plot-hinge. Its super-slick teens bolt out of the gates with so many sarcastic quips and "science is cool!" scenes, it'll make your head whirl—and that's before the Red Bull can spinning slowly towards you (zero-G-style, yo!) in the most blatant product placement of February 2015. (Other tired Bay tropes: girls wearing short shorts to show

off their legs; flat humour.) Here's the primer on this wanna-be Primer/ energy-drink-hangover-experience: The plot: Science whiz-kid (Jonny Weston) finds his late dad's timetravel device in the basement. Bill Nye Jr's two friends, along with his camera-shooting sister (Virginia Gardner), upgrade it so they can zip back and do cool shit—play

the gang's time-jump ripple-effects suddenly vortexing around a basketball player with a broken leg?!?

Etc, ad infinitum/nauseam.

Now playing The style: found footDirected by Dean Israelite age—the stupid kind, with  cameras everywhere stalking bland SoCal characters (though the setting, for, like, whatever reason, is Georgia).

The genre: mostly romance (with Project X-style teen hi-jinks thrown in), which the script tries to have all ways, so Teen Hunk-Einstein and Hot-Girl (a late gang addition) seem meant to be, but then he goes back in time to re-do their first "moment"—which means they weren't really meant to be—but then she forgives him, but then ... aw, forget it. Let's just call it a "Love-LoopySchmoopy Paradox."

The bottom line: a movie about a winning lottery numbers; buy a group of high-school misfits that Maserati and lead a food-truck car- finds a time machine but learns, avan to school (??); go to, yep, Lol- too late (irony alert!), that with lapalooza—as if a Dr Who-genie is great time-jumping power comes granting them awesome!!! wishes. great responsibility should really be a super-hero movie. Because The plotholes: other than the there aren't enough of those yet in tragic ending shruggingly Möbius- our time stream. stripped into a happy ending, what BRIAN GIBSON BRIAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM the f#@& happened to Dad? Or

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

FILM 21

SNOW ZONE

EDITOR: REBECCA MEDEL REBECCA@VUEWEEKLY.COM

SNOW ZONE // FORTRESS MOUNTAIN

Fortress rising again?

Fortress Mountain focuses on cat skiing for now, reopens in 2016

W

hat's old is new again in KCountry, as Fortress Mountain is poised to re-enter the Alberta ski scene with a revamped version of the funky little resort where the lifts haven't turned in more than a decade.

Plans are in place for Fortress

to resume full operation in December 2016 using some of the existing lifts and infrastructure but, for the time being, Fortress' slopes are being serviced by a catskiing operation that aims to create a spark in public interest for the resort's renewal efforts.

KPOW Fortress Mountain Cat Skiing is offering exclusive skiing on the existing runs and, for those that have the ability, in areas outside the resort's traditional boundary.

Chris Chevalier, president of Fortress Mountain Resort, says right now is an exhilarating time for both the staff and guests.

"We take 14 people a day and, basically, the cat is providing the lift service," he explains. "The entire hill is theirs, and it's been a wonderful experience watching the reactions of the guests as they have this great place all to themselves for the day. For us, it's also really exciting as we are part of planning the redevelopment of this really beautiful and special area."

Fortress Mountain was a modest little resort in Kananaskis Country that operated from 1967 to 2004.

It originally started as Snowridge and was later called Fortress Mountain—a name derived from the rocky monolith that towers over the resort's slopes. Its location is about half an hour deeper into Kananaskis Country than Nakiska and Kananaskis Village with the final leg of the trip up a narrow, winding, gravel mountain road to the resort's base. While the skiing area's vertical was only 335 metres, there were three separate mountain faces to ski on and plenty of easily accessible out-of-bounds areas that made the resort seem much bigger than it really was.

What started out as a quaint, remote ski area on the eastern slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains eventually became a pawn for owners and corporations that had more in-

terest in their other holdings than in developing Fortress. A pair of the resort's more infamous owners were the Aspen Skiing Corporation, which stripped out one of the resort's T-bars in the mid '80s and moved it to Blackcomb to help open up the slopes on the glacier there, and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies who, after taking over Fortress in the '90s, closed the resort down completely in 2004. RCR had wanted to develop rental accommodations at Fortress, but the Alberta government was not willing to bend its strict rules regarding development in the wilderness area. By the time Fortress was shuttered, the resort's daylodge and other infrastructure was long overdue for reinvestment, but RCR, whose contribution to Alberta skiing the previous season was to shut down the Wintergreen ski area by Bragg Creek, was not the company to do it.

Ladies only at Lake Louise Lake Louise is hosting Park Days on Saturday, February 7. This Women's Snowboard Federation event is for ladies only, but this year they've teamed up with the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, opening the event to both snowboarders and skiers. Coaches from both associations will be on hand to teach new tricks to a full range of participants from beginners to the more advanced. There's a bag of swag for all competitors and a competition with other prizes. Considering it's a full day of coaching, the $100 entry for the day doesn't appear too steep. Check it out on the Lake Louise events page (skilouise.com).

on April 4 and Good for Grapes will take to the stage on the 11th. This annual festival has evolved into quite the party highlighted by a Dummy Downhill and Slush Cup. The concerts are free to all on the slopes and the hotel condos have a number of end-of-the-year deals.

The Banff Railway Company bought Fortress in 2005 with plans for revive it, but had little success.

The current owners purchased Fortress in 2010 and immediately began the cat-skiing operation.

"We're in our fourth season of cat skiing and we've been full from the get go," Chevalier says.

"We have one single cat and we are out four or five days a week, depending on the snow. We meet people at the bridge (at the start of the gravel road) at 8:30 am and drop them off at about 4:45 pm. The cat skiing is a break-even operation designed to let people experience what Fortress can be."

A sign of the new owner's commitment to Fortress' redevelopment is the firm they have brought in to oversee the project. Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners from Whistler are world leaders in their field, having designed more than 360 resorts in 36 countries, including the sites for five winter Olympic Games.

As part of the redesign, the iconic lodge that sat at the base of Fortress will have to be torn down, as it had been allowed to deteriorate by previous owners to the point of being condemned. A new daylodge is planned for a lower location. Two of the existing chair lifts—the Canadian and Backside chairs—will be reused for the resort's start-up but eventually they will be replaced with new, more strategically placed lifts.

Plans are also in place to deal with one of Fortress' biggest nemesis—the wind. Anyone who skied Fortress in its previous incarnation likely has memories of getting sandblasted by snow pellets while skiing on a rock-hard moonscape of packed snow.

"A lot has changed in terms of dealing with wind since Fortress was originally built," Chevalier explains.

"With snow fencing, proper positioning of lifts to protect loading and unloading areas and wind barriers— there's a lot we can do now."

It appears to be full steam ahead for Fortress at this point, as the owners are eager to re-enter the marketplace with a resort that is both new and old. If you can't wait for the lifts to start turning, check out the cat skiing operation at kpow.ca.

STEVEN KENWORTHY

STEVENK@VUEWEEKLY.COM

HART GOLBECK // HART@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Marmot's ice bar // Supplied

22 SNOWZONE

Good times at Kicking Horse Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has announced the band lineup for this spring's Sun Splash and Funk Fest. Shred Kelly will be performing at the outdoor venue

Fernie going back in time If you're heading to Fernie for the March 21 weekend, you better dig deep into your closet to retrieve your funky clothes from the '70s and '80s. Spandex, one-piece suits, head bands and big hair will be the norm for the weekend.

Music from that era will be playing at all outlets and DJ Rocswell will be spinning the tunes in the Griz Bar on Saturday night.

Snowy days continue at Marmot Old Man Winter continues to favour

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

Marmot Basin this season. Weekly 10to 20-cm drops keep refreshing the slopes and with the Jasper In January Festival behind them, skier visits have also dropped—so the runs become all yours! I love the setup at the mid-mountain Paradise Lodge with the outdoor firepit, barbecued burgers, ice bar and a DJ cranking out tunes. You'll also notice the Marmot Pro Patrol and Canadian Ski Patrol are no longer crammed below the Eagle's Nest restaurant. They've all been relocated to a new building housing mountain operations, the avalanche team and all of the patrollers. I recently toured the new building located near the Eagle Ridge quad; what a great multi-purpose facility. Having all of the operations teams housed in one spacious mid-mountain building was a long time coming, but well worth the wait.

What you see is what you get

GETTING UP IN GOLDEN

Uncommon morning routines set the stage for adventure Freeskiing over a rocky spine into the gaping jaws of a sled dog, treads churning powder out the back of a snowmobile filling the world with white, the golden glow of Christmas lights and wine fading in the back of your head as you open your eyes on another blazingly beautiful alpine day, wondering to yourself—is this a dream?

No—this is better; it’s Golden. So put on the coffee, it’s time to get moving.

COMMUTING BY CAT

Every great adventure begins with a good morning routine. Imagine this as your a.m. commute: an exhilarating climb via snowcat to a secluded ridge for 360-degree views of the Rockies surrounding Golden, BC. “As you reach the summit, the panorama of the Rockies and the Purcells just spreads out in front of you,” says Luke Burley of Rocky Mountain Riders. “I feel pretty lucky to have this as my daily commute.”

While Burley does the work, his guests get to sit back and enjoy the views. “Being on a mountain top is like nothing else and that’s what we want to share,” he says. “The great thing about a snowcat tour is it opens that experience to anyone.”

In February, Rocky Mountain Riders hosts a group of 80-something ladies for a weekend of peak exploration, proving Burley’s point.

REVVING UP THE KIDS

On the other end of the spectrum, Rocky Mountain Riders has just opened a new mini snowmobile track at the base of Kicking Horse resort that lets kids rev Arctic Cat Z 120cc machines around a mountainous loop to get a taste of alpine sledding.

“Giving kids a little speed and power, in a safe and controlled environment, is great for helping them learn how to adventure in the alpine,” says Jamie Froats, RMR office manager. “And they are so much fun to watch.”

GOING TO THE DOGS

Like many animal owners, the first thing Matt Parr does in the morning is feed the dogs—all 13 of them. For the owner of Golden Dogsled Adventures, the dogs are his friends and his livelihood.

“We spend every day with these animals,” Parr says. “Over the years you develop a special relationship with the dogs—and that’s something people see right away.”

These purebred Siberian and Alaskan Huskies, all rescue dogs, wake each morning eager to run.

Tours vary from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. When the dogs are harnessed and raring to go—baying, barking and straining at the lead ropes—that same surge of animal excitement thrills your every nerve.

“There’s nothing like the energy of the pack,” says Parr.

FINDING YOUR GOLDEN MOMENT

With a huge slate of events ahead at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort—the Jeep Junior Freeski Competition, Helly Hansen’s Wrangle the Chute Freeride World Qualifier, the annual Sun Splash Funk Fest and Eagles Eye Restaurant’s Winemaker’s Dinner and Valentines Day Dinner—and in town with Golden Sound Festival’s Winter Block Party, you could easily fill your whole season with Golden-fuelled festivities.

Just be warned, you may have to pinch yourself now and then as a reminder that it’s not all a dream.

START DREAMING AT WWW.TOURISMGOLDEN.COM OR CHECK OUT: kickinghorseresort.com/events/ goldensoundfestival.com rockymountainriders.com/ goldendogsledadventures.com/

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

SNOWZONE 23

MUSIC

MUSIC EDITOR: MEAGHAN BAXTER MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // SINGER-SONGWRITER

Fri, Feb 6 (8 pm) With Bramwell Park Artery, $12 advance, $15 at the door

B

illie Zizi could have been a baller.

Before becoming the diverse musician she is today, Zizi was on four competitive-level soccer teams, with hopes of training professionally. She saw her future on the field since the age of 10.

Things were going smoothly when she was 17 and at the start of her athletic prime, but fate threw her a head butt and she tore her anterior cruciate ligament.

Zizi then spent some time on herself to try to deal with this adversity. She finished high school, started playing guitar more (she began at age seven), travelled the world and did some volunteering. Only after she finally cooled her heels did she realize her sporting days were behind her. This gave Zizi, as she puts it, an existential crisis.

24 MUSIC

"I thought I might want to do international development [for soccer]," Zizi says. "I didn't know what to do with myself. Then my dad said, 'I got us a gig.'"

Her dad, local fiddle hero Cam Neufeld, thought it prudent for his daughter to get some real-life musical experience playing a set or two of gypsy jazz. Problem was, she didn't know any of the songs.

"I just remember sweating so much," she recalls. "I was so nervous and tense.

But I somehow magically survived.

After that, I was hooked. It was a big turning point where I started studying music and playing more."

Zizi, whose album Gun Metal Dress will be released on February 6, understands there are direct comparisons between being a professional musician

and high-calibre footie player. In her eyes, there is a strong connectivity with the field and the stage.

"It's all about performance," Zizi says.

"When you are on the field you are performing. You might be nervous or tired, but you can't let your opposition know that. It's adrenaline too, as well as a skill you can work on."

Zizi is in tune with her audience. She feeds off of them and those along side of her on stage.

"I took the sports mentality," she explains. "When you are in a band you are on a team. You have a common purpose and you support your teammates."

It is not all about the physical world with Zizi as the ethereal bleeds through into her music. A reactive writer, Zizi takes her inspi-

ration in as if in symbiosis with her natural surroundings. From the sky to relationships, from poetry to sibilance, her lyrical melodies are both personal and relatable.

Gun Metal Dress, written over three years from 2010 to 2013, shows a maturing growth from Zizi. Trying to describe it properly would like taking a musical dictionary, putting it in a blender and then shooting it with a shotgunâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in a good way. From pop to timely traditional folk, Zizi's work embraces all and tries to make sense of it.

"It is hard," she says. "You know, when you are playing a festival and you want to describe your music, to categorize it, it is difficult to say. So basically what I've settled on is jazz-

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FEB 11 , 2015

influenced folk with dirty guitar."

But it is more than that.

Making use of her pop sensibilities, the strength of her musical background and, in some of her strongest tracks, ("Sky In The City," "I Love You"), layered woven loops, Zizi's sound has a sense of depth when complimented by her vocal style.

From Zizi's perspective, using looping as a tool is something not to be taken lightly.

"Looping is unwieldy," Zizi says. "It can really go south on you. I've been lost in a terrifying loopland before.

"All my songs have a bit of a through line," she adds. "They are like cousins as opposed to siblings."

TRENT WILKIE

TRENT@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // FOLK

Catherine MacLellan

ter

// John Sylves

Wed, Feb 11 (7 pm) Artery, $8 // John Sylvester

T

he raven is often thought of as a symbol of death or lost souls, but the ebony bird has a much more positive depiction in the Haida culture, where it's thought to be the creature that brings light to the world. Prince Edward Island-based singer-songwriter Catherine MacLellan felt the notion was a fitting reflection of her own journey in life and decided to title her latest album The Raven's Sun. "It started with the ravens that kind of hang out around my house, and just watching them and becoming more and more enamoured with them, and looking into the symbolism of what they represent in different cultures," MacLellan says over the phone from her home in PEI, one day after learning the album had been nominated for two Juno Awards, plus a couple of ECMA nods. "One story from the Haida people really stuck with me, and the idea of how the raven kind of steals the sun to give it back to the world, who had been living in darkness."

MacLellan is forthcoming about her own struggles with depression and finding a little light amongst

the darkness. She's in a brighter place these days, and the evocative, stripped-down songs on The Raven's Sun are a testament of that.

"I don't think I really realized there was a theme when I was putting the record together, but this sort of theme, of heading from the dark into the light, trying to find the goodness in life, I guess we all struggle and have hard times," she notes. "I suffer from depression; that's something that is always at my side, or at my heels, but [it's] finding the strength to overcome these things that we all go through."

Two pivotal figures in MacLellan's increasingly positive outlook are her nine-year-old daughter and her longtime music partner Chris Gauthier, with whom her relationship transitioned to a personal level about three years ago. She views motherhood as a continual journey that never stops changing her and allows her to see the world through a renewed perspective as her daughter grows and experiences what life has to offer, while her relationship with Gauthier has grounded her—"I guess

I can stop the search that I was on and wrote so many songs about my entire career," MacLellan laughs.

"We'd been touring on the road together for a long time and had always been in other relationships, and it had never really crossed our minds," she recalls. "But we suddenly both found ourselves single, and we were already best friends because we just know so much about each other from being on the road and living in close quarters."

The transition has meant MacLellan works more closely with Gauthier on the arrangements of her songs, which on The Raven's Sun are limited to her smooth vocals, guitar and a bassist to capture a more intimate soundscape.

"I think what we were aiming for was basically like our live show, representing what we do on most days," she explains. "It's trying to capture that thing Chris and I have musically together on a record. It's not always easy to take something that works well live and bring it out on a record—I think we managed it."

MEAGHAN BAXTER

MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

MUSIC 25

MUSIC PREVUE // HIP HOP

Grand Analog

Tue, Feb 10 (8 pm) With KazMega, the Liberators Mercury Room, $10 Hip hop and you don't stop // Kevin Jones

T

he first time I called Odario Williams, frontman for Toronto hip-hop group Grand Analog, he had just finished a noontime set at the University of Guelph.

"I'm still on stage and I've got a bunch of students staring at me—say hi to Vue Weekly!" Williams yells at the students.

They yell, we reschedule.

We reconnect after he drives back to Toronto and drops off some gear. Grand Analog is hoping to do a lot of connecting across the country—the five-piece is set to tour through western Canada in support of its album Modern Thunder.

Released in 2013, the record is cratedigger music: thick slabs of funk groove with dub rhythms, soul, '80s boogie and Afrobeat. Grand Analog's 2009 release, Metropolis is Burning, was heavily influenced by Turkish funk, of all things. But, unlike most hip-hop vinyl heads, Grand Analog lives up to its name by creating beats with instruments and vintage analog gear, rather than relying on samples.

2014-2015 SeaSON

OUr STaGE. YOUr EXPeRIENCe.

Flanked by his brother Ofield as DJ, Williams, originally from Winnipeg where he fronted hip-hop group Mood Ruff, spits verses about life in the city, parties and his love—and frustration—for everything hip hop.

"When I get pissed off, holy God!" Williams laughs. "Hip hop is so dear to me; I was born into this hiphop generation. At the time, I was watching all these people calling it a fad, not taking it seriously as a medium. I wanted to create our own thread for Canadian hip hop: it was a mission to create my own brand of hip hop and call it mine—and I'm still working on it, baby."

Grand Analog is already working on a follow-up to Modern Thunder, a record Williams says will be called War Stories—with new music coming out as early as summer 2015. The title, he explains, is about all the little battles we fight every day: be it for love or just living in a city.

royal wood

A poignant songwriter of class and candour.

Friday, February 13 & Saturday, February 14 \ 7:30 PM \ $32

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\ ardentheatre.com

And he fights for the music he loves, even if it's across a generation gap. Last month, a 72-year-old named Carol Collins called CBC to complain after they played the Grand Analog song "I'll Walk Alone."

She was expecting a 1944 song by the same name from Dinah Shore.

She called Grand Analog's track "deplorable, jarring music" for a "teenybopper" audience.

Williams took the time to call up Collins on the air, where he tried to convince her of hip hop's merits.

"I'm sure she was expecting a very nice symphonic melody and sweet voice from 1944—then, bang, this hip-hop track came on, maybe it scared the shit out of her," Williams adds. "After I talked with her she said she would go home and listen to [Grand Analog] again. I invited her out to the show, but she said she might not come because she's partly deaf."

He might be able to make some more senior hip-hop fans when they learn who Williams listens to when he wants to write music: Joni Mitchell.

"Especially her early stuff like Blue, where it's just her and an acoustic guitar," Williams says. "In hip hop, sometimes you get carried away with the beats: you want the best, coolest, hottest, most relevant beats. But sometimes, as a writer, I just want to step away and focus on the words.

And Joni does that for me."

Williams has been involved in some pretty random projects in the past year. He wrote a song with Alan Thicke—former star of Growing Pains and Robin's dad—to use in the Canadian sitcom star's new reality TV show. And Williams wrote a song for the Pan Am Games in Toronto.

But 2015 is going to be focused on Grand Analog, he says.

"I'm gonna be coming at you from all kinds of weird angles, freaky angles," Williams laughs. "But now is the time to get back to work on this record. It's my baby, it's pretty much all I care about."

JOSH MARCELLIN

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

26 MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

PREVUE // REGGAE

Steady as she goes // Andrew Herygers

Slowcoaster D

on't tell Steven MacDougall that the music industry is dead. He's been making records, touring the country and raising a family as the singer and guitarist of Nova Scota three-piece Slowcoaster—and he's never needed a hit single.

"When every second person is telling you the music business is dead—that there is no money—I find that to be bullshit," MacDougall says from his Halifax home, a nasty blizzard outside as he spends time with his 15-month-old baby boy. "Maybe it hurts the corporate identity, but it's never hurt us."

Slowcoaster formed in 1999 in Cape Breton, but its roots are a country and a world away.

The music MacDougall knew growing up was Maritime Celtic and folk music, plus the usual classic rock. But MacDougall relocated to Vancouver when he was 19 years old and had his mind expanded by samba, Brazilian, electronica and, most importantly, reggae he heard on the West Coast.

He took the island vibes and rhythms back to the East Coast and formed Slowcoaster.

Eclectic from the start, the band switches from rock to reggae, jazz to dance, country to singer-songwriter fare—but always with the goal of starting a party on the dance floor.

"I like to keep it pretty beat-based," MacDougall says. "We want to make people laugh and dance at the same time."

MacDougall thinks the band's all-inclusive party might have hurt it in the corporate world: radio shies away from bands that can't be filed easily into a genre box. But Slowcoaster's style has endeared the group to the fan base it built organically through perpetual gigging and touring.

And the fans are still there, 16 years later.

"People will come up to me and say, 'I played this song at my mom's funeral.' Or, 'We played that song at our wedding,'" he adds. "This one

Fri, Feb 6 (8 pm) Wunderbar, $20 advance, $25 at the door

guy has the lyrics to one of our songs tattooed on his whole arm. That's crazy. I had this moment by myself, wrote it down and you got it tattooed on your damn arm. I love it. That kind of thing is worth more than all the industry fuckery you could ever have."

Although MacDougall says he was never a huge fan of the Grateful Dead, he operates Slowcoaster on the Jerry Garcia model: build a dedicated group of people who are passionate about the music you make, not how you look or if you're popular.

"We get people who've been to 70 of our shows, or who take weeks off of work to follow us on tour," MacDougall adds. "I was never a Deadhead, but that group of people and their kindness and absolute enthusiasm, I knew if I was ever in a band it'd be for those people. They'll come back again and again if you keep them happy."

With four EPs and four full-lengths to the band's name, MacDougall says Slowcoaster wants to step outside the conventional album-tour cycle. The guys have been recording music in their home studios—he lives in Halifax while bass player Mike LeLievre and drummer Brian Talbot are in Cape Breton— and plan to release a song per month online.

This, he says, puts the music directly in the ears of Slowcoaster's fans while removing the weight of releasing an expensive album.

"We're just going to continue to record with no real alternate purpose other than to deliver music to the fans," MacDougall says.

"We've been releasing records for 14 years.

This is less pressure and more creativity. We don't have to worry about having a record that will please a certain kind of fan. We want to make music, not care about corporate identity. We just wanted to make stuff that we love."

JOSH MARCELLIN

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

MUSIC 27

END WANT TO SEND YOU AND A FRI VUE WEEKLY AND UNION EVENTS WITH AN EVENING

MUSIC

TO:

MACHEINADE H E E

PREVUE // BLUES-ROCK

Five Days Off

UNION HA28THLL! FEBRUARY

TO ENTER HEAD TO

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BY EMAIL.

Two for the road

I

TUES, FEB 10, MERCURY ROOM MERCURY ROOM AND BLURRED LENZ PRESENT

GRAND ANALOG CLOSE TALKER MATTHEW BYRNE ELLIOTT BROOD THE ELWINS

W/ KAZMEGA, & THE LIBERATORS

FRI, FEB 13, MERCURY ROOM

W/ NATURE OF, AND GUESTS

TUE, FEB 17, MERCURY ROOM

LINDSEY WALKER, W/ JEFF MORRIS

WED, FEB 18, THE STARLITE ROOM

FRI, FEB 20, MERCURY ROOM

W/ THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA

t took Jon Brown 15 years to master the classic fingerpicking track "Blackbird," starting with a Beatles songbook on his first guitar and finally getting it when he watched Sir Paul McCartney himself play it live in Edmonton back in 2012.

Thankfully, it didn't take nearly as long to create Five Days Off, the Wainwright-based dirty-blues duo he formed with drummer Joel Ezinga. Brown and Ezinga are both civilian firefighters at CFB Wainwright, the military base just south of town,

where they maintain fire equipment and snuff grass fires from the spring training exercises. The two men were on the same shift and had time to jam together during, you guessed it, shared five days off.

"Where we work, it's always: 'What're you doing for your five days off?'" says Brown from his Wainwright home, where he was spending a day off jamming on his guitar. "And if it wasn't for that time off, maybe we would have never formed this band."

W/ TWO BEARS NORTH, JESSE & THE DANDELIONS, THE ASHLEY HUNDRED

TUES, FEB 24, THE WINSPEAR JCL AND LIVE AT THE WINSPEAR PRESENT

JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW W/ KEVIN GARRETT

FRI, FEB 27, MERCURY ROOM MERCURY ROOM AND CUYA PRESENT

SINGLE MOTHERS W/ THE DIRTY NIL, COLD LUNGS, AND LESSER MAN

SAT, FEB 28, MERCURY ROOM

JESSE ROPER RAH RAH

COLLEEN RENNISON, & KIRBY SEWELL BAND

TUES, MAR 3, MERCURY ROOM

W/ GUESTS

WED, MAR 11, THE WINSPEAR JCL AND LIVE AT THE WINSPEAR PRESENT

DAN MANGAN + BLACKSMITH W/ HAYDEN, AND ASTRAL SWANS

WED, MAR 25, MERCURY ROOM, EARLY SHOW, DOORS AT 6 PM

AMELIA CURRAN W/ RYAN BOLDT (THE DEEP DARK WOODS)

NEW TIX ON SALE

FRI, MAR 27, STARLITE ROOM

THE WHITE BUFFALO W/ SPENCER BURTON

THUR, APR 2, ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM THEATRE

SHANE KOYCZAN CHRIS TRAPPER THE CAT EMPIRE

AN EVENING WITH

FRI, APR 3, MERCURY ROOM

W/ GUESTS

SUN, APR 5, THE WINSPEAR JCL AND LIVE AT THE WINSPEAR PRESENT

W/ CURRENT SWELL

FRI, MAY 29, ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM THEATRE

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS W/ GUESTS

28 MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

Fri, Feb 6 (9 pm) With the Able Kind Brixx, $10 Five Days Off is blues-rock in the classic sense: crunchy guitars set to overdrive with big drum rhythms shaking the crowd like a well-made martini. Ezinga digs the grimy punk rock of Rancid and sludgy '90s heros Soundgarden, while Brown's first love is the Beatles with a heaping scoop of anything Dave Grohl. Together, they sing songs about working life, grit and guitars.

Their compact lineup is equal parts style choice and necessity. Brown says they looked at duos like the White Stripes, the Black Keys, Japandroids and Death From Above 1979 and thought, "If they can do it, why not us?" Also, there's the fact that Wainwright's music scene, while populated with talented and versatile players, isn't booming—local bands play weddings, parties and the annual stampede, while a restaurant hosts duelling pianos to play while diners sup on prime rib and steak.

With their first show in Edmonton coming up soon, Brown says they're keen to record a full-length album.

He and Ezinga released a self-titled EP late last year, something they put together with their laptops and recording software.

"It's a quick and dirty version of our originals," Brown says. "It's to share with everyone that's been asking for our music. But it's a stepping stone: we do want to get into a studio and record."

JOSH MARCELLIN

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

MEAGHAN BAXTER MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

TOM COXWORTH / FRI, FEB 6 (6 – 8 PM) OK, so this isn't a live show you can actually go to, but CKUA Folk Routes is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a live broadcast by venerable folkster Tom Coxworth during Andy Connelly's time slot.

There's also some in-studio guests to listen for. (CKUA)

VALYRIA / SAT, FEB 7 (8 PM) St Albert isn't exactly known as a hub for power metal—or any form of metal, for that matter. This four-piece has been making noise the DIY way since 2009, first as Winter's Legacy before changing names to Ithaqua and then Eyes of Reverence.

The band sounds like it's finally got a name nailed down, though. (Redezvous Pub, $15)

PUSH AND PULL / FRI, FEB 6 (8 PM) Local pop-punk trio with a hint of rockabilly. Head on down if you're looking to blow off a little steam.

(Mercury Room, $10)

2014-2015 SeaSON

OUr STaGE. YOUr EXPeRIENCe.

RUSS DAWSON / SAT, FEB 7 (8 PM) The singer-songwriter lists his genre of choice as "folk/acoustic/Paul Simon," and this show's in support of the release of his new video for "Everysong."

Local Acadian rockers Eyes on Ivan and songstress Richelle Ziola are on the roster, too. (Brixx, $10)

KELLY EVANS / SAT, FEB 7 (7:30 PM) You supposedly have a better chance of being struck by lightning than winning the lottery, and Kellylee Evans found that out the hard way. The jazz-pop songstress was struck back in 2013 and has managed to make a full recovery—without cancelling a single tour date, despite the fact she couldn't walk right after it happened. (Horizon Stage)

THE VANAS / SAT, FEB 7 (4 PM) Who doesn't like free shows? This one features a local trio that's a mash-up of blues, funk, rock and roots. (Filthy McNasty's, free)

JOEY D MEMORIAL SHOW / SUN, FEB 8 (5 PM) The Fort McMurray and Edmonton music scenes lost an integral member at the end of January.

Joey D had played in bands like Abandin All Hope, worked on solo material, hosted open mic nights and was known as a positive force in local music. Fire Next Time, Desiderata, E-Town Beatdown and a slew of others are paying homage to him with this show, and all proceeds will be donated to the Delusong family. (Pawnshop, $20)

THE JAMIES / SAT, FEB 7 (4 PM) Catchy synth-pop from Cowtown. It's a free show, and you're probably in for some new tunes, considering the five-piece has a new album coming out in May. (Black Dog, free)

john mceuen & john carter cash Will the Circle be Unbroken: A Tribute to the Carter Family Thursday, February 19 \ 7:30 PM \ $42

TICKETS: 780-459-1542 \

\ ardentheatre.com

ALESTORM / WED, FEB 11 (7 PM) Ahoy, mateys! Start practicing your pirate dialect now, because you'll need for Piratefest 2015. There'll be some "true Scottish pirate metal" from Alestorm, plus lots of beer and rum, of course. (Pawnshop, $25)

EDMONTON’S LISTENER SUPPORTED VOLUNTEER POWERED CAMPUS COMMUNITY R A D I O S TAT I O N CHECK OUT THE NEW WEBSITE AT CJSR.COM TO LISTEN LIVE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ECLECTIC PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

780.492.2577 CJSR.COM FM88 MUSIC 29

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e Squeezthe MOST out of your advertising dollars Place your ad in this newspaper and12345 province wide $

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Meat Wave Brother (Brace Yourself Records) 

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12:30 PM

The amazingly named Meat Wave is a three-piece punk-rock band from Chicago. Its new EP, Brother,

SEE MAG: Jan 3, 1c x 2”/ 28 AG RB: BLACKBYRD MYOOZIK SALES:Samantha H S01367

Viet Cong Viet Cong (Flemish Eye/Jagjaguwar) 

COMEDY AT THE CENTURY CASINO

Call 780.481.YUKS FOR TICKETS & INFO .....................................................................

Immediately apparent from the pounding, static-driven opening song, "Newspaper Spoons," Calgary four-piece Viet Cong make it loud and clear that it's are nothing like any of the band's previous musical projects (ie, the sadly defunct group Women). In fact, Viet Cong's self-

SEAN LECOMBER

FRI FEB 20

Honeymoon

THE

CHRIS GEE

LEE BOYES

CHRIS@VUEWEEKLY.COM

LEE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Four IN 140 Lupe Fiasco, Tetuso & Youth (Atlantic) @VueWeekly: Not really sure what you're doing right now, but listening to this should be it. Giant lyrics over expert beats. Saved the best for 5th.

THE IRISH DESCENDANTS

COMING SOON: PRISM, BIG RIVER BAND - JOHNNY CASH TRIBUTE AND MORE! TICKETS AVAILABLE AT CENTURY CASINO AND TICKETMASTER

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The Districts, A Flourish and a Spoil (Fat Possum) @VueWeekly: Shot of whisky for the singer, a shot of blazing rock for us. Great debut that dances on the edge of Deer Tick w/ a dose of the Strokes.

JD McPherson, Let the Good Times Roll (Rounder) @VueWeekly: Paying homage to many moons ago, JD McPherson has the soft cool of "A Change is Gonna Come" while hanging on the verge of Little Richard.

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13103 FORT RD • 643-4000 30 MUSIC



titled debut album is also sonically different than the band's jangly touronly tape, aptly named Cassette. Viet Cong is a vigorous campaign through a thick, fluctuating miasma of unsettling anxiety and aggression.

The album plays through extended stretches of crudely calculated noise: a boisterous and often melodic post-punk machine that runs urgently even during its more pronounced moments. The sticky cohesiveness is not easily defined: Scott Munro and Daniel Christiansen's tinny, squealing guitars play off of each other, loosely bandaged together by Matt Flegel's steady bass and howling vocals but ripped apart again

by Mike Wallace's menacing drums.

Viet Cong are never linear or afraid of being too noisy, which can be offputting to the unsuspecting, but it's what makes its debut compellingly unpredictable in its short, sevensong, 37-minute run time.

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

FRI FEB 13

FEB 6 & 7

AM Static A Life Well Lived (Independent)

The drum break that opens AM Static's record snatches you with its catchy bop so quickly that it's a little deceptive. "Break Out" is much funkier that its successors, but that isn't to say that the record is a let down. Mellow yet danceable, the genderless vocals are framed by such muted complexity that, without repeated listens, one could miss just how much effort was put into something that feels so laid back.

Though undoubtedly electronic at its core, there is an unplaceable organics to A Life Well Lived. The term modern soul seems like an apt description of these understated compositions that envelope you like silk. "Broken Toys" has a far-eastern quirk, while the synth line in "Glaciers" is especially endearing after blending a catchy intro into what could only be described as bubble wrap pop.

Then there's "Way of the World," a very short, very folk song. A gentle release that would suit mental decompression or seduction equally, this is a tiny gem that's definitely worth a spin.

JOSH MARCELLIN

K

w w w. b l a c k b y rd . c a

AND

is seven tracks of snotty, lo-fi riffs and adolescent shit-disturbing. The title track sets the tone, with scrappy guitars lifting you by the heart and not letting you down until the ride is over. A chorus of "you're not my brother / you're just another / motherfucker's brother" is the musical equivalent of a middle finger in the air. The caustic "It's Not Alright" is just fun, drunk punk for dark, sweaty rooms. Ditto for all 104 seconds of "Mystery," a cover of underrated first-wave Portland band the Wipers. Brother is a master-class in tight, power-chord jams: the EP rips through in a lean 17 minutes.

Put Meat Wave on repeat, it'll make you feel good.

D'Angelo and the Vangaurd, Black Messiah (RCA) @VueWeekly: With each single moment painstakingly crafted it's no wonder this R&B great took so long. Loose doodles of a rhythmic groove hit the spot.

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

MUSIC

WEEKLY

EMAIL YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO: LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM FAX: 780.426.2889 DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 3PM

UNION HALL 3 Four All Thursdays:

and Marlon English; every Fri

9:30pm

rock, dance, retro, top 40 with DJ Johnny Infamous

THE COMMON Good Fridays: nu

O’BYRNE’S Live band every Sat, 3-7pm; DJ every Sat, 9:30pm

FRI FEB 6 APEX CASINO Radio Active; 9pm ARTERY “Gun Metal Dress” CD

THU FEB 5

Release Party Featuring Billy Zizi; 8pm; $12 (adv), $15 (door)

ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE Live

ATLANTIC TRAP AND GILL Jimmy

Music every Thu; 9pm

Wiffen

BLUES ON WHYTE Johnny Mcquaig

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Dinner and

BRITTANY’S LOUNGE Scrambled

Dancing with Lionel Rault Trio; 7:30-10pm; Donations

YEG: Open Genre Variety Stage:

artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue- Fri, 5-8pm

BLUES ON WHYTE Johnny Mcquaig

CAFE BLACKBIRD Rebecca

BRITTANY’S LOUNGE Scrambled

Lappa; 7:30pm CAFÉ HAVEN Music every Thu;

7pm CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Thu Open

Mic: All adult performers are welcome (music, song, spoken word); every Thu, 1:30-3pm CHA ISLAND TEA CO Bring Your Own Vinyl Night: Every Thu; 8pm-late; Edmonton Couchsurfing Meetup: Every Thu; 8pm EARLY STAGE SALOON–Stony Plain Open Jam Nights; no cover FIONN MACCOOL’S–DOWNTOWN

Sean Brewer; 7pm FIONN MACCOOL’S–SOUTH Kyler

Schogen Band; 8:30-11:30pm J R BAR AND GRILL Live Jam

Thu; 9pm KELLY’S PUB Jameoke Night with

the Nervous Flirts (sing-along with a live band); every Thu, 9pm-1am; no cover L.B.’S PUB South Bound Freight

open jam with hosts: Rob Kaup, Leah Durelle MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Thu and Fri DJ and

dance floor; 9:30pm NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Thu open stage; 8pm; all ages (15+) NEW WEST HOTEL Doug & the

Hurtin Horsemen NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by

BOURBON ROOM Dueling pianos

every Fri Night with Jared Sowan and Brittany Graling; 8pm YEG: Open Genre Variety Stage:

artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue- Fri, 5-8pm BRIXX BAR Five Days Off, The Able Kind; 9pm; $10

most Thursdays; 7-10pm

dancehall with DJ Aiden Jamali; every Fri MERCER TAVERN Homegrown

Friday: with DJ Thomas Culture THE PROVINCIAL PUB Friday

Nights: Indie rock and dance with DJ Brodeep RED STAR Movin’ on Up: indie,

rock, funk, soul, hip hop with DJ Gatto, DJ Mega Wattson; every Fri SOU KAWAII ZEN LOUNGE

Amplified Fridays: Dubstep, house, trance, electro, hip hop breaks with DJ Aeiou, DJ Loose Beats, DJ Poindexter; 9:30pm (door)

SAT FEB 7

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Live music

APEX CASINO Radio Active; 9pm

CASINO EDMONTON Pepperland CASINO YELLOWHEAD Suite 33 DUGGAN’S BOUNDRY Duane Allen;

7pm HOUSE CONCERT–SPRUCE GROVE

Mel Parsons; 7:30pm; $20 (adv to reserve at bahconcerts@gmail. com, Ben & Amanda Hodgson 780.571.2286) LB’S PUB Bad Characters; 9:30pm MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Thu and Fri DJ and

dance floor; 9:30pm MERCURY ROOM Push And Pull

with Didgin’ for Rainbows with Sunspots; 8pm; $10 (adv) NEW WEST HOTEL Doug & the

Hurtin Horsemen O’MAILLES Pete Kelly; 8pm PALACE CASINO–WEM Soul Train;

9:30pm

RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling

pianos at 8pm

FLUID LOUNGE R&B, hip hop and

White

RANCH ROADHOUSE Kip Moore;

RIC’S GRILL Peter Belec (jazz);

PAWN SHOP Transmission

DJ every Fri

Y AFTERHOURS Foundation Fridays

PAWN SHOP Evol Intent with Oh

RED PIANO Every Thu: Dueling

ELECTRIC RODEO–Spruce Grove

UNION HALL Ladies Night every Fri

every Fri; all ages; 7pm; $5 (door)

Acesand KalmplxDj, Brucey-B; 9pm; $20 (adv) piano show featuring the Red Piano Players every Fri; 9pm-2am RENDEZVOUS PUB 7 Sinners Birthday Bash Feat. Danger Pay; 9pm; $10

ON THE ROCKS Mustard Smile ORLANDO’S 1 Bands perform every week; $10

Trio; 8pm CAFFREY’S IN THE PARK China

O’MAILLES Pete Kelly; 8pm

9pm

DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Fri;

CAFE BLACKBIRD Devin Hart

Wild Rose Old Time Fiddlers every Thu; contact John Malka 780.447.5111 8pm

disco, hip hop, indie, electro, dance with weekly local and visiting DJs on rotation plus residents Echo and Justin Foosh

ARTERY Tapas and Tunes – Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser Featuring Flamenco En Vivo; 7:30pm; $60 (adv) ATLANTIC TRAP AND GILL Jimmy

Featuring Blue Jay with Eddie Lunchpail; 9pm; $5 (door) QUEEN ALEXANDRA HALL Fearing

& White; 7pm (doors), 8pm (show); $20 (adv), $25 (door) RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling

piano show featuring the Red Piano Players every Sat; 9pm2am RENDEZVOUS PUB Valyria with Terrorfist and Atrates and with Tides of Kharon and Militious; 8pm; $15 (adv) RICHARD’S PUB The Mad Dog

Blues and Roots Jam hosted by Jimmy Guiboche; 3-7pm Experience; 7pm (doors), 9pm (show); $24.50 SHERLOCK HOMES–DOWNTOWN

Rob Taylor

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM The 29th

BLUE CHAIR CAFE Ranger Creek

Wranglers; 8:30-10:30pm; $15 BLUES ON WHYTE Every Sat afternoon: Jam with Back Door Dan; Johnny Mcquaig BOHEMIA DARQ Saturdays: Industrial - Goth - Dark Electro with DJs the Gothfather and Zeio; 9pm; $5 (door); (every Sat except the 1st Sat of the month) BOURBON ROOM Live Music every

Sat Night with Jared Sowan and Brittany Graling; 8pm BRIXX BAR Russ Dawson Live,

Annual Gospel Concert - Black History Month WINSPEAR CENTRE The Eddins

Effect; 8pm

DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: The Menace Sessions: alt

rock/Electro/Trash with Miss Mannered; Wooftop: Sound It Up!: classic Hip-Hop, R&B and Reggae with DJ Sonny Grimez & instigate; Underdog: Alternating DJs THE BOWER For Those Who

Know...: Deep House and disco with Junior Brown, David Stone, Austin, and guests; every Sat THE COMMON Get Down It’s

Saturday Night: House and disco and everything in between with resident Dane

Eyes On Ivan, Richelle Ziola; 8pm; $10

DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Sat;

CAFE BLACKBIRD Jake Ian; 8pm

ENCORE–WEM Every Sat: Sound and Light show; We are Saturdays: Kindergarten

CAFFREY’S IN THE PARK China

SHERLOCK HOMES–DOWNTOWN

White

Rob Taylor

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Sat Open

9pm

SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A Duff

mic; 7pm; $2

FLUID LOUNGE R&B, hip hop and dancehall with DJ Aiden Jamali; every Sat

Robison

CASINO EDMONTON Pepperland

MERCER TAVERN DJ Mikey Wong

with Michael Gress (fr Self Evolution); every Thu; 9pm-2am

SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM AJ

CASINO YELLOWHEAD Suite 33

every Sat

ST. BASIL’S CULTURAL CENTRE

PAWN SHOP Transmission

WUNDERBAR Beach Season with

9:30pm; Free

Tropic Harbour and Creaks; 8pm

Opening act: Celtara with Le Vent du Nord

CROWN & ANCHOR PUB Rockzilla;

Classical

TIRAMISU BISTRO Live music

every Fri

7pm

SMOKEHOUSE BBQ Live Blues every Thur: rotating guests; 7-11pm TAVERN ON WHYTE Open stage

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Mozart’s

Magic Flute WINSPEAR CENTRE ESO &

Wsinspear Overture Tour; 12pm • An Evening to Support; 5pm

DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Thu Main Fl: Throwback Thu: Rock&Roll,

WUNERBAR Slowcoaster with Guests; 8pm; $20 (adv), $25 (door) YARDBIRD SUITE Thumbscrew; 7pm (doors), 8pm (show); $22 (members), $26 (guests)

Classical CONVOCATION HALL Beethoven

Funk, Soul, R&B and 80s with DJ Thomas Culture; jamz that will make your backbone slide; Wooftop: Dig It! Thursdays.

Electronic, roots and rare groove with DJ’s Rootbeard, Raebot, Wijit and guests

Sonatas For Violin And Piano, Part Three, Featuring University Of Alberta Department Of Music with Jacques Despres and Andrew Wan; 8pm; $20 (adult), $15 (senior), $10 (student)

CENTURY ROOM Lucky 7: Retro ‘80s with house DJ every Thu; 7pm-close

Wesley R. Warren (organist); 7:30pm; $20 (general), $15 (students/seniors), $10 (members)

THE COMMON The Common

Uncommon Thursday: Rotating Guests each week!

ELECTRIC RODEO–Spruce Grove DJ

every Thu FILTHY MCNASTY’S Taking Back

Thursdays KRUSH ULTRA LOUNGE Open stage;

7pm; no cover ON THE ROCKS Salsa Rocks: every Thu; dance lessons at 8pm; Cuban Salsa DJ to follow

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

WINSPEAR CENTRE Late Night

DUGGAN’S BOUNDRY Duane Allen; DV8 Cuya Presents Suicide Kings

With Sonik And R Dot Woo; 8pm

FILTHY MCNASTY’S Free Afternoon

RED STAR Indie rock, hip hop,

Concerts: this week with The Vanas with guests Oak & Elm; 4pm; No cover

and electro every Sat with DJ Hot Philly and guests

Wafer Thin Mints; 8pm

ROUGE LOUNGE Rouge Saturdays: global sound and Cosmopolitan Style Lounging with DJ Mkhai

GAS PUMP Saturday Homemade

SOU KAWAII ZEN LOUNGE

Jam: Mike Chenoweth

Your Famous Saturday with Crewshtopher, Tyler M

FIONN MACCOOL’S–DOWNTOWN

GO AUTO ARENA, SERVUS CREDIT UNION PLACE Dallas Smith; 8pm HILLTOP PUB Open Stage, Jam

every Sat; 3:30-7pm LB’S PUB Danielle Edge; 9:30pm LEAF BAR AND GRILL Open Stage

Sat–It’s the Sat Jam hosted by Darren Bartlett, 5pm • Evening: Northern Comfort; 9pm LEGENDS Sat 3pm Jam and Open

DJs

MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Live Local Bands every

THE BOWER Strictly Goods: Old

school and new school hip hop & R&B with DJ Twist, Sonny Grimez,

THE PROVINCIAL PUB Saturday

Nights: Indie rock and dance with DJ Maurice

Comedy (William Eddins, conductor; Denise Djokic, cello); 9:30pm

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Every Friday DJs on all three levels

Saturdays: Indie rock, new wave, classic punk with DJ Blue Jay and Eddie Lunchpail; 9pm (door); free (before 10pm)/$5 (after 10pm); 1st Sat each month

7:30-10:30pm; $20

FESTIVAL PLACE Jeffery Straker;

Mic with Nick Samoil and guests

Sat NEW WEST HOTEL Doug & the

FEB/15

SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM AJ YARDBIRD SUITE Dave Babcock And His Jump Orchestra; 7pm (doors), 8pm (show); $18 (members), $22 (guests)

SUGAR FOOT BALLROOM Swing

Dance Party: Sugar Swing Dance Club every Sat, 8-12; no experience or partner needed, beginner lesson followed by social dance; sugarswing.com TAVERN ON WHYTE Soul, Motown,

Funk, R&B and more with DJs Ben and Mitch; every Sat; 9pm-2am UNION HALL Celebrity Saturdays:

every Sat hosted by DJ Johnny Infamous

UNION EVENTS PRESENTS

AUGUST BURNS RED: THEMISSFROZEN FLAME TOUR MAY I, NORTHLANE ERRA AND

W/

NIGHT VISION PRESENTS

KANT FLAVOURS, VICE & VISION W/

SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A Duff

Classical

Dog: The Jamies (live acoustic music every Sat); 4-6pm; no cover

FEB/14

Robison

“B” STREET BAR Rockin Big Blues

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair of the

ALL AGES

RIVER CREE–The Venue Pink Floyd

Wiffen and Roots Open Jam: Every Sat afternoon hosted by the Jimmy Guiboche Band; 2-6pm

FEB/12

FEB/18

CONCERTWORKS.CA PRESENTS

NAPALM DEATH & VOIVOD ELLIOTT BROOD THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA JCL PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

W/

FEB/21

UBK PRESENT THE BASS WEIGHT PROJECT 1.0 FT.

CRAZE, G JONES, DIMOND SAINTS FEB/ 22–23 BLACK VEIL BRIDES ALL AGES 1 SHOW THE BLACK MASS 2015 MEMPHIS MAY FIRE, GHOST TOWN UNION EVENTS PRESENTS

ST

SOLD OUT W/

MAR/18

WXDREAMS PRESENTS

TURQUOISE JEEP p

MAR/20

FEB/6

FLYNT FLOSSY & YUNG HUMMA p

SFEAR MANAGEMENT AND STARLITE ROOM PRESENT

ELECTRIC SIX

FIVE DAYS OFF W/ THE

FEB/13

ABLE KIND

NAPALMPOM WARES CONCEALER FNDTN FROM CALGARY

W/

FEB/15 FEB/19

THE STARLITE ROOM IS A PRIVATE VENUE FOR OUR MEMBERS AND THEIR GUESTS. IF YOU REQUIRE A MEMBERSHIP YOU CAN PURCHASE ONE AT THE VENUE PRIOR TO / OR AFTER THE DOOR TIMES FOR EACH SHOW.

Y AFTERHOURS Release Saturdays

Hurtin Horsemen

SUN FEB 8

PALACE CASINO–WEM Soul Train;

BLACKJACK’S ROADHOUSE–Nisku

Open mic every Sun hosted by

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

MUSIC 31

Tim Lovett

open mic

BLUE CHAIR CAFE Brunch

MERCURY ROOM Music Magic

Hawaiian Dreamers; 9am-3pm; Donations

Monday Nights: Capital City Jammers, host Blueberry Norm; seasoned musicians; 7-10pm; $4

BLUES ON WHYTE Johnny Mcquaig

NEW WEST HOTEL Trick Ryder

CITY HALL Swing ‘n Skate:

Features live swing, jazz and big band music in the City Room. If you enjoy the outdoors, the music will be broadcast directly outside or the enjoyment of ice skaters on City Hall Plaza. This week featuring: Dave Babcock and his Jump Orchestra ; Every Sun until Feb 22, 1-4pm; Free DIVERSION LOUNGE Sun Night Live

on the South Side: live bands; all ages; 7-10:30pm DUGGAN’S BOUNDARY Celtic

Music with Duggan’s House Band 5-8pm

PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL

Acoustic instrumental old time fiddle jam every Mon; hosted by the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Society; 7pm; contact Vi Kallio 780.456.8510 ROUGE RESTO-LOUNGE Open Mic

Night with Darrek Anderson from the Guaranteed; every Mon; 9pm

O’BYRNE’S Celtic jam every Tue; with Shannon Johnson and friends; 9:30pm OVERTIME–Sherwood Park Open

mic every Tue RED PIANO Every Tue: the

Nervous Flirts Jameoke Experience (sing-along with a live band); 7:30pm-12am; no cover; relaxed dress code RICHARD’S PUB Tue Live Music

Showcase and Open Jam (blues) hosted by Mark Ammar; 7:30pm ROCKY MOUNTAIN ICEHOUSE

Blue Jay’s Messy Nest: mod, brit pop, new wave, British rock with DJ Blue Jay

dancing every Tue, featuring Country Music Legend Bev Munro every Tue, 8-11pm

NEW WEST HOTEL Trick Ryder

DV8 T.F.W.O. Mondays: Roots

YARDBIRD SUITE Tuesday Session:

TAVERN ON WHYTE Classic Hip

hop with DJ Creeazn every Mon; 9pm-2am

Classical JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Beauty and

the Beast; Feb 10-15

TUE FEB 10 BLUES ON WHYTE The Steadies BRITTANY’S LOUNGE Scrambled

YEG: Open Genre Variety Stage:

artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations

DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

Brit Pop, Synthpop, Alternative 90’s, Glam Rock with DJ Chris Bruce; Wooftop: Substance: alt retro and not-so-retro electronic and dance with Eddie LunchPail

9:30pm-1am ON THE ROCKS Mustard Smile PAWN SHOP Joey D Memorial

THE CLUB AT THE CITADEL Life,

Death and The Blues; 16+ only mic with host Duff Robison ORIGINAL JOE’S VARSITY ROW

Open mic Wed: Hosted by Jordan Strand; every Wed, 9-12 jordanfstrand@gmail.com / 780.655.8520 OVERTIME–Sherwood Park Jason Greeley (acoustic rock, country, Top 40); 9pm-2am every Wed; no cover PAWN SHOP Piratefest 2015

Featuring Alestorm with Swashbuckleand The Dread Crew of Oddwood; 7pm; $25 (adv) PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic Bluegrass jam presented by the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society; every Wed, 6:30-11pm; $2 (member)/$4 (non-member) RED PIANO BAR Wed Night Live:

Show Featuring Fire Next Time with Desiderataand E-town Beatdown with Worst Days Down, Owls By Nature, Owl Towns, and more; 5pm; $20 (door)

hosted by dueling piano players; 8pm-1am; $5 ROSSDALE HALL Little Flower Open Stage with Brian Gregg; 7:30pm (door); no cover

RICHARD’S PUB Sunday Jam hosted by Jim Dyck, Randy Forsberg and Mark Ammar; 4-8pm

ZEN LOUNGE Jazz Wednesdays: Kori Wray and Jeff Hendrick; every Wed; 7:30-10pm; no cover

Classical

Classical ALL SAINTS’ CATHEDRAL Pro

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Beauty and the Beast; Feb 10-15

northlands.com

Coro Canada: The Singing Apes; 2:30pm

MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH

Colibri Duo (soprano and guitar); 12-1pm; Free

WINSPEAR CENTRE Symphonic

Wind Ensemble & U of A High School Honour Band; 3pm

• Every Tue- Fri, 5-8pm

DJs

BRIXX Metal night every Tue

DJs

DV8 Creepy Tombsday:

BILLIARD CLUB Why wait

stage with Darrell Barr; 7-11pm

Psychobilly, Hallowe’en horrorpunk, deathrock with Abigail Asphixia and Mr Cadaver; every Tue

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main

LEAF BAR AND GRILL Tue Open

RED STAR Swing, Funk, Soul,

DRUID IRISH PUB Open Stage

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

Soul Sundays: A fantastic voyage through ‘60s and ‘70s funk, soul and R&B with DJ Zyppy

MON FEB 9

Tue: featuring this week: Boosh and The Dip; 9pm L.B.’S PUB Tue Variety Night Open

Jam: Trevor Mullen

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

Blue Jay’s Messy Nest: Mod, Brit Pop, New Wave & British Rock with DJ Blue Jay; Wooftop: Metal Mon: with Metal Phil (fr CJSR’s Heavy Metal Lunch Box) DUGGAN’S BOUNDARY Monday

YEG: Open Genre Variety Stage: artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue- Fri, 5-8pm

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

Leap Year, Borrachera; 8pm; $10

BLUES ON WHYTE The Steadies

BRITTANY’S LOUNGE Scrambled

DUGGAN’S BOUNDARY Wed open

HOG’S DEN PUB Rockin’ the Hog

O’BYRNE’S Open mic every Sun;

BLUES ON WHYTE The Steadies

SANDS HOTEL Country music

DV8 Tracings (Fargo, ND) with

NEWCASTLE PUB The Sunday Soul Service: acoustic open stage every Sun

Floor: Alt ‘80s and ‘90s, Post Punk, New Wave, Garage, Brit, Mod, Rock and Roll witih LL Cool Joe and DJ Downtrodden on alternate Weds

DJs

Bob Kitt With The Nu Steps Trio; 7:30pm (door)/8pm (show); $5

MACEWAN UNIVERSITY Tom van Seters with Special Guests; 7:30-10pm; $22 (adult), 16.75 (student/senior)

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main

Live music with the Icehouse Band and weekly guests; Every Tue, 9pm

industrial,Classic Punk, Rock, Electronic with Hair of the Dave

Jam: Hosted by Tony Ruffo; every Sun, 3:30-7pm

Guests; 7pm; $8 (adv)

MERCER TAVERN Alt Tuesday with

Kris Harvey and guests MERCURY ROOM Grand Analog

with KazMega and The Liberators; 8pm; $10 (adv) NEW WEST HOTEL Tue Country

Dance Lessons: 7-9pm • Trick Ryder

Wednesdays: Wed night party with DJ Alize every Wed; no cover

R&B, Rock&Roll and Electro/Disco sounds of the last 70 years with DJ Thomas Culture

Floor: Alt ‘80s and ‘90s, Post Punk, New Wave, Garage, Brit, Mod, Rock and Roll witih LL Cool Joe and DJ Downtrodden on alternate Weds

WED FEB 11

BRIXX BAR Eats and Beats

ALBERTA BEACH HOTEL Open

THE COMMON The Wed

stage Wed with Trace Jordan; 8pm-12

Experience: Classics on Vinyl with Dane

ARTERY Catherine Maclellan with

RED STAR Guest DJs every Wed

VENUEGUIDE ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE 8223-104 St, 780.431.0179 ALE YARD TAP 13310-137 Ave ALL SAINTS' CATHEDRAL 10035-103 St APEX CASINO 24 Boudreau Road, St. Albert, 780.460.8092 ARDEN THEATRE 5 Anne St St, St. Albert, 780.459.1542 ARTERY 9535 Jasper Ave ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL 7704 Calgary Trail South, 780.432.4611 "B" STREET BAR 11818-111 St BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE 1042582 Ave, 780.439.1082 BLACKJACK'S ROADHOUSE– Nisku 2110 Sparrow Dr, Nisku, 780.986.8522 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ 9624-76 Ave, 780.989.2861 BLUES ON WHYTE 10329-82 Ave, 780.439.3981 BOHEMIA 10217-97 St BOURBON ROOM 205 Carnegie Dr, St Albert THE BOWER 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.423.425; info@thebower.ca BRITTANY'S LOUNGE 10225-97 St, 780.497.0011 BRIXX BAR 10030-102 St (downstairs), 780.428.1099 THE BUCKINGHAM 10439 82 Ave, 780.761.1002 BUDDY’S 11725B Jasper Ave, 780.488.6636 CAFE BLACKBIRD 9640-124 St,

32 MUSIC

780.451.8890 CAFÉ HAVEN 9 Sioux Rd, Sherwood Park, 780.417.5523, cafehaven.ca CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK 99, 23349 Wye Rd, Sherwood Park CARROT COFFEEHOUSE 9351118 Ave, 780.471.1580 CASINO EDMONTON 7055 Argylll Rd, 780.463.9467 CASINO YELLOWHEAD 12464153 St, 780.424 9467 CENTRAL SENIOR LIONS CENTRE 11113-113 St CENTURY CASINO 13103 Fort Rd, 780.643.4000 CHA ISLAND TEA CO 10332-81 Ave, 780.757.2482 CLUB AT THE CITADEL 9828101A Ave COMMON 9910-109 St CONVOCATION HALL 116 St and 85 Ave CROWN AND ACHOR PUB 15277 Castle Downs Road DARAVARA 10713 124 St, 587.520.4980 DIVERSION LOUNGE 3414 Gateway Blvd, 780.435.1922 DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY 9013-88 Ave, 780.465.4834 DRUID 11606 Jasper Ave, 780.454.9928 DV8 8130 Gateway Blvd EARLY STAGE SALOON– Stony Plain 4911-52 Ave, Stony Plain, 780.963.5998 ELECTRIC RODEO–Spruce

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

Grove 121-1 Ave, Spruce Grove, 780.962.1411 ENCORE–WEM 2687, 8882-170 St FESTIVAL PLACE 100 Festival Way, Sherwood Park, 780.449.3378 FILTHY MCNASTY’S 10511-82 Ave, 780.916.1557 FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 10025-105 St FLUID LOUNGE 10888 Jasper Ave, 780.429.0700 GRANT MACEWAN UNIVERSITY 10045-156 St HILLTOP PUB 8220 106 Ave HOGS DEN PUB Yellow Head Tr, 142 St IRISH SPORTS CLUB 12546-126 St, 780.453.2249 J AND R 4003-106 St, 780.436.4403 JUBILEE AUDITORIUM 11455-87 Ave, 780.427.2760 KELLY'S PUB 10156-104 St L.B.’S PUB 23 Akins Dr, St Albert, 780.460.9100 LEAF BAR AND GRILL 9016-132 Ave, 780.757.2121 MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH 10025-101 St MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET 8101 Gateway Blvd, 780.439.2337 MERCER TAVERN 10363 104 St, 587.521.1911 MERCURY ROOM 10575-114 St NAKED CYBERCAFÉ 10303-108 St, 780.425.9730

NEWCASTLE PUB 8170-50 St, 780.490.1999 NEW WEST HOTEL 15025-111 Ave NOORISH CAFÉ 8440-109 St NORTH GLENORA HALL 13535109A Ave O2'S–West 11066-156 St, 780.448.2255 O’BYRNE’S 10616-82 Ave, 780.414.6766 ORIGINAL JOE'S VARSITY ROW 8404-109 St O'MAILLES IRISH PUB 104, 398 St Albert Rd, St Albert ON THE ROCKS 11730 Jasper Ave, 780.482.4767 ORLANDO'S 1 15163-121 St OVERTIME–Sherwood Park 100 Granada Blvd, Sherwood Park, 790.570.5588 PALACE CASINO–WEM West Edmonton Mall, 8882-170 St, 780.

444.2112 PAWN SHOP 10551-82 Ave, Upstairs, 780.432.0814 PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL 10860-57 Ave THE PROVINCIAL PUB 160, 4211-106 St RANCH ROADHOUSE 6107-104 St, 780.438.2582 RED PIANO BAR 1638 Bourbon St, WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.486.7722 RED STAR 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.428.0825 RENDEZVOUS 10108-149 St RICHARD'S PUB 12150-161 Ave,

780.457.3118 RIC’S GRILL 24 Perron Street, St Albert, 780.460.6602 RIVER CREE 300 East Lapotac Blvd, Enoch ROCKY MOUNTAIN ICEHOUSE 10516 Jasper Ave, 780.424.3836 ROSEBOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE 10111-117 St, 780.482.5253 ROSE AND CROWN 10235-101 St SANDS HOTEL 12340 Fort Rd, 780.474.5476 SIDELINERS PUB 11018-127 St SMOKEHOUSE BBQ 10810-124 St, 587.521.6328 SOU KAWAII ZEN LOUNGE 1292397 St, 780.758.5924 ST. BASIL'S CULTURAL CENTRE 10819-71 Ave STARLITE ROOM 10030-102 St, 780.428.1099 SUGAR FOOT BALLROOM 10545-81 Ave TAVERN ON WHYTE 10507-82 Ave, 780.521.4404 TIRAMISU 10750-124 St WINSPEAR CENTRE 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square; 780.28.1414 WUNDERBAR 8120-101 St, 780.436.2286 Y AFTERHOURS 10028-102 St, 780.994.3256, yafterhours.com YARDBIRD SUITE 11 Tommy Banks Way, 780.432.0428 YESTERDAYS PUB 112, 205 Carnegie Dr, St Albert, 780.459.0295 ZEN LOUNGE 12923-97 St

EVENTS WEEKLY EMAIL YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO: LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM FAX: 780.426.2889 DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 3PM

COMEDY Black Dog Freehouse • Underdog Comedy show: Alternating hosts • Every Thu, 8-11pm • No cover

CENTURY CASINO • 13103 Fort Rd • 780.481.9857 • Open Mic Night: Every Thu; 7:30-9pm COMEDY FACTORY • Gateway Entertainment Centre, 34 Ave, Calgary Tr • Fri-Sat: 8:30pm • Chris Heward; Feb 5-7 • Tom Liske; Feb 12-14

COMIC STRIP • Bourbon St, WEM • 780.483.5999 • Wed-Fri, Sun 8pm; Fri-Sat 10:30pm • Hit or Miss Mondays: Amateurs and Professionals every Mon, 7:30pm • Nikki Glaser Special Presentation; Feb 5-8 • Steve Simone; Feb 11-15

CONNIE'S COMEDY • Draft Bar and Grill, 12912-50 St • James Uloth and Susan Jones with Andrew Glover Blues Band to perform right after • Feb 4, 7:30pm

DRUID • 11606 Jasper Ave • 780.710.2119 • Comedy night open stage hosted by Lars Callieou • Every Sun, 9pm DJ to follow

EMPRESS ALE HOUSE • 9912-82 Ave • Empress Comedy Night: featuring a professional headliner every week Every Sun, 9pm

KOMEDY KRUSH • Krush Ultralounge, 16648-109 Ave • With James Uloth from LA and special guest Susan Jones. Open mic will take place as well • Feb 5, 9pm

ROUGE LOUNGE • 10111-117 St • Comedy Groove every Wed; 9pm

GROUPS/CLUBS/MEETINGS AIKIKAI AIKIDO CLUB • 10139-87 Ave, Old Strathcona Community League • Japanese Martial Art of Aikido • Every Tue 7:30-9:30pm; Thu 6-8pm

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

BRAIN TUMOUR PEER SUPPORT GROUP

• Mount Zion Lutheran Church, 11533-135 St NW • braintumour.ca • 1.800.265.5106 ext.

234 • Support group for brain tumour survivors and their families and caregivers. Must be 18 or over • 3rd Mon every month; 7-8:45pm • Free

EDMONTON NEEDLECRAFT GUILD • Avonmore United Church Bsmt, 82 Ave, 79 St • edmNeedlecraftGuild.org • Classes/workshops, exhibitions, guest speakers, stitching groups for those interested in textile arts • Meet the 2nd Tue ea month, 7:30pm

EDMONTON UKULELE CIRCLE • Bogani Café, 2023-111 St • 780.440.3528 • 3rd Sun each month; 2:30-4pm • $5

FOOD ADDICTS • St Luke's Anglican Church, 8424-95 Ave • 780.465.2019, 780.634.5526 • 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

LOTUS QIGONG • 780.477.0683 • Downtown • Practice group meets every Thu NORTHERN ALBERTA WOOD CARVERS ASSOCIATION • Duggan Community Hall, 3728-106 St • 780.435.0845 • nawca.ca • Meet every Wed, 6:30pm

ORGANIZATION FOR BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE DISORDER (OBAD) • Grey Nuns Hospital, Rm 0651, 780.451.1755; Group meets every Thu, 7-9pm • Free

POOR VOTE TURNOUT • Rossdale Hall, 10135-96 Ave • poorvoteturnout.ca • Public meetings: promoting voting by the poor • Every

Wed, 7-8pm

SAWA 12-STEP SUPPORT GROUP • Braeside Presbyterian Church bsmt, N. door, 6 Bernard Dr, St Albert • For adult children of alcoholic and dysfunctional families • Every Mon, 7:30pm

WOMEN IN BLACK • In Front of the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market • Silent vigil the 1st and 3rd Sat, 10-11am, each month, stand in silence for a world without violence LECTURES/PRESENTATIONS ALBERTA & THE GREAT WAR • Provincial

SCHIZOPHRENIA SOCIETY FAMILY SUPPORT DROP-IN GROUP • Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, 5215-87 St • schizophrenia.ab.ca • The Schizophrenia Society of Alberta-Edmonton branch provides a facilitated family support group for caregivers of a loved one living with schizophrenia. Free drop-in the 1st and 3rd Thu each month, 7-9pm

SEVENTIES FOREVER MUSIC SOCIETY • Call 587.520.3833 for location • deepsoul. ca • Combining music, garage sales, nature, common sense, and kindred karma to revitalize the inward persona • Every Wed, 7-8:30pm

SHERWOOD PARK WALKING GROUP + 50 • Meet inside Millennium Place, Sherwood Place • Weekly outdoor walking group; starts with a 10-min discussion, followed by a 30 to 40-min walk through Centennial Park, a cool down and stretch • Every Tue, 8:30am • $2/ session (goes to the Alzheimer’s Society of Alberta)

SONGWRITERS GROUP • The Carrot, 9351-118 Ave • 780.973.5311 • nashvillesongwriters.com • NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) meet the 2nd Mon each month, 7-9pm

SUGAR FOOT BALLROOM • 10545-81 Ave

Archives of Alberta, 8555 Roper Road • PAA@ gov.ab.ca • 780.427.1750 • culture.alberta. ca/paa/eventsandexhibits/default.aspx • An exhibit that draws upon archival holdings to show the many ways that the First World War changed the province forever • until Aug 29, 9am-4:30pm

cenTennial lecTure series: BENTLEY LECTURE IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE • University of Alberta • ales100.ales.ualberta.ca/ALES-100-Events/ Bentley-Lecture-in-Sustainable-Agriculture • ales100@ualberta.ca • 780.492.8536 • Jayson Lusk is an agriculture economist and author of The Food Police: A well-fed manifesto about the politics of your plate • Feb 5, 3:30pm • Free

EDMONTON SPEAKER SERIES HOSTED

BY THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA • Telus World of Science Edmonton, 11211-142 St • Learn about natural Alberta, about conservation and the natural spaces you can visit in the Edmonton area • Feb 12, 6-10pm • Free (seating is limited, RSVP at Alberta.RSVP@natureconservancy.ca or 1.877.262.1253 ext. 6860)

enneagram: iTs conTriBuTion TO COMPASSIONATE & COMMUNITY LIVES

• 587.786.6554 • sugarswing.com • Friday Night Stomp!: Swing and party music dance social every Fri; beginner lesson starts at 8pm.

All ages and levels welcome. Occasional live music–check web; $10, $2 (lesson with entry) • Swing Dance Social every Sat; beginner lesson starts at 8pm. All ages and levels welcome.

Occasional live music–check the Sugar Swing website for info • $10, $2 lesson with entry

• Westwood Unitarian Congregation, 11135-65 Ave • compassion@westwoodunitarian.ca • westwoodunitarian.ca • Exploring a person's lens (how they view the world) • Feb 7, 9am4pm • $25 (includes lunch); pre-reg before Feb 5

TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY (TOPS)

(ECHA) Room 1-182 (south corner of 87 Ave and 114 St, U of A Campus • psnedmonton.ca • Featuring Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper • Feb 6, 7-9pm

• Grace United Church annex, 6215-104 Ave • Low-cost, fun and friendly weight loss group • Every Mon, 6:30pm • Info: call Bob 780.479.5519

TIBETAN BUDDHIST MAHAMUDRA • Karma Tashi Ling Society, 10502-70 Ave • Tranquility and insight meditation based on Very Ven. Thrangu Rinpoche's teachings. Suitable for meditation practitioners with Buddhist leanings • Every Thu, 7-8:30pm • Donations; jamesk2004@hotmail.com

TOASTMASTERS • Club Bilingue Toastmasters Meetings: Campus St; Jean: Pavillion McMahon; 780.467.6013, l.witzke@shaw.ca; fabulousfacilitators. toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 12:05-1pm • Fabulous Facilitators Toastmasters Club: 2nd Fl, Canada Place, 9700 Jasper Ave; 780.467.6013, l.witzke@shaw.ca; fabulousfacilitators. toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 12:05-1pm • health aware Toastmasters: St Michael's Care Centre, 7404-139 Ave, Follow the signs; Alternating Wed and Thu from 6:15pm to 8:45pm, Feb 4-May 27 • N'Orators Toastmasters Club: Lower Level, McClure United Church, 13708-74 St: meet every Thu, 6:45-8:30pm; contact bradscherger@hotmail.com, 780.863.1962, norators.com • Upward Bound Toastmaster Club: Rm 7, 6 Fl, Edmonton Public Library–DT: Meets every Wed, 7-8:45pm; Sep-May; upward. toastmastersclubs.org; reader1@shaw.ca • Y Toastmasters Club: Queen Alexandra Community League, 10425 University Ave (N door, stairs to the left); Meet every Tue, 7-9pm except last Tue ea month; Contact: Antonio Balce, 780.463.5331

WASKAHEGAN TRAIL ASSOCIATION • waskahegantrail.ca • Join in for a walk in Mill Creek Ravine south; Meet at McDonalds, 14920-87 Ave; Feb 8, 9:45am; Hike leader Helen, 780.468.4331 • A guided hike from Whitemud Park to Hawrelak Park; Meet at McDonalds, 14920-87 Ave; Feb 15, 9:45am; Hike leader Joanne 780.487.0645 • Guests welcome; annual membership $20

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

no home, no homelanD: israel’s POLICY OF DEMOLISHING PALESTINIAN HOMES • Edmonton Clinic Health Academy

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP SERIES • Creative Practices Institute, 10149- 122 St • creativepracticesinstitute.com • 780.909.6045 • brittney.cpiyeg@gmail.com • A series that encourages artists to manage a professional art career • Every 2nd Mon until Apr 6, 6-8pm • $10

ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM CURATORIAL LECTURE SERIES • Royal Alberta Museum Curatorial Lecture Series, 12845-102 Ave NW • royalalbertamuseum.ca/events/lectures/lecture. cfm?id=769 780.453.9100 • nathalie.batres@ gov.ab.ca • Presenters take visitors into the field to observe wildlife, excavate fossils, and collect pollen samples • Feb 11, 7-8pm • Free

SEEING IS ABOVE ALL • Acacia Hall, 10433-83 Ave, upstairs • 780.554.6133 • Free instruction in meditation on the Inner Light • Every Sun, 5pm

This hanD-sewn liFe: The moDern TALE OF AN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY DRESSMAKER • University of Alberta, Telus Center Room 150 • A public lecture with Sarah Woodyard • Feb 10, 7-8pm • Free

ulTraFasT lasers: oBserving NATURE IN A TRILLIONTH OF A SECOND • University of Alberta Observatory, CCIS 5th Floor, SW corner • stars@ualebrta.ca • ualberta.ca/~stars • Feb 5, 7-7:30pm • No tickets required

VIEWS OF THE NIGHT SKY • University of Alberta Observatory, University of Alberta • chat with astronomers who are currently undertaking research in astronomy, and look through telescopes to explore the universe. Free public talks during the first half of our observing session (should the sky not cooperate) • Weekly until Feb 26 • Free

WHERE ARE WE HEADED IN ISRAELPALESTINE? APARTHEID WAREHOUSING OR A JUST SOLUTION? • psnedmonton. ca • Southminster-Steinhauer United Church, 10740-19 Ave • Featuring Israeli peace activist Jeff Halper • Feb 7, 7-9pm

QUEER AFFIRM SUNNYBROOK–red Deer • Sunnybrook United Church, Red Deer • 403.347.6073 • Affirm welcome LGBTQ people and their friends, family, and allies meet the

2nd Tue, 7pm, each month

BISEXUAL WOMEN'S COFFEE GROUP • A social group for bi-curious and bisexual women every 2nd Tue each month, 8pm • groups. yahoo.com/group/bwedmonton

BUDDYS NITE CLUB • 11725 Jasper Ave • 780.488.6636 • Tue with DJ Arrow Chaser, free pool all night; 9pm (door); no cover • Wed with DJ Dust’n Time; 9pm (door); no cover • Thu: Men’s Wet Underwear Contest, win prizes, hosted by Drag Queen DJ Phon3 Hom3; 9pm (door); no cover before 10pm • Fri Dance Party with DJ Arrow Chaser; 8pm (door); no cover before 10pm • Sat: Feel the rhythm with DJ Phon3 Hom3; 8pm (door); no cover before 10pm

EVOLUTION WONDERLOUNGE • 10220103 St • 780.424.0077 • yourgaybar.com • Community Tue: partner with various local GLBT groups for different events; see online for details • Happy Hour Wed-Fri: 4-8pm • Wed Karaoke: with the Mystery Song Contest; 7pm-2am • Fri: DJ Evictor • Sat: DJ Jazzy • Sun: Beer Bash

G.L.B.T. SPORTS AND RECREATION • teamedmonton.ca • Blazin' Bootcamp: Garneau Elementary School Gym, 10925-87 Ave; Every Mon and Thu, 7pm; $30/$15 (low income/ student); E: bootcamp@teamedmonton.ca • Mindful Meditation: Pride Centre: Every Thu, 6pm; free weekly drop-in • Swimming–Making Waves: NAIT pool, 11762-106 St; E: swimming@teamedmonton.ca; makingwavesswimclub.ca • Martial Arts–Kung Fu and Kick Boxing: Every Tue and Thu, 6-7pm; GLBTQ inclusive adult classes at Sil-Lum Kung Fu; kungfu@ teamedmonton.ca, kickboxing@teamedmonton. ca, sillum.ca

G.L.B.T.Q SENIORS GROUP • S.A.G.E Bldg, Craftroom, 15 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.474.8240 • Meeting for gay seniors, and for any seniors who have gay family members and would like some guidance • Every Thu, 1-4pm • Info: E: Tuff69@telus.net ILLUSIONS SOCIAL CLUB • Pride Centre, 10608-105 Ave • 780.387.3343 • edmontonillusions.ca • Crossdressers meet 2nd Fri each month, 7:30-9pm

LIVING POSITIVE • #33, 9912-106 St • 780.424.2214 • livingpositivethroughpositiveliving.com • In office peer counseling, public speakers available for presentations, advocacy and resource materials available • Support group for gay men living with HIV: 2nd Mon each month, 7-9pm

MAKING WAVES SWIMMING CLUB • geocities.com/makingwaves_edm • Recreational/competitive swimming. Socializing after practices • Every Tue/Thu

PRIDE CENTRE OF EDMONTON • Pride Centre of Edmonton, 10608-105 Ave • 780.488.3234 • A safe, welcoming, and nonjudgemental drop-in space, support programs and resources offered for members of the GLBTQ community, their families and friends • Daily: Community drop-in; support and resources. Queer library: borrowing privileges: Tue-Fri 12-9pm, Sat 2-6:30pm, closed Sun-Mon; Queer HangOUT (a.k.a. QH) youth drop-in: Tue-Fri 3-8pm, Sat 2-6:30pm, youth@pridecentreofedmonton.org • Counselling: Free, short-term by registered counsellors every Wed, 5:308:30pm, info/bookings: 780.488.3234 • Knotty Knitters: Knit and socialize in safe, accepting environment, all skill levels welcome; every Wed 6-8pm • QH Game Night: Meet people through board game fun; every Thu 6-8pm • QH Craft Night: every Wed, 6-8pm • QH Anime Night: Watch anime; every Fri, 6-8pm • Movie Night: Open to everyone; 2nd and 4th Fri each month, 6-9pm • Women’s Social Circle: Social support group for female-identified persons +18 years in the GLBT community; new members welcome; 2nd and 4th Thu, 7-9pm each month; andrea@pridecentreofedmonton. org • Men Talking with Pride: Support and social group for gay and bisexual men; every Sun 7-9pm; robwells780@hotmail.com • HIV Support Group: Support and discussion group for gay men; 2nd Mon, 7-9pm, each month; huges@shaw.ca

ST PAUL'S UNITED CHURCH • 11526-76 Ave • 780.436.1555 • People of all sexual orientations are welcome • Every Sun (10am worship) WOMONSPACE • 780.482.1794 • womonspace.org, womonspace@gmail.com • A Non-profit lesbian social organization for

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

Edmonton and surrounding area. Monthly activities, newsletter, reduced rates included with membership. Confidentiality assured

WOODYS VIDEO BAR • 11723 Jasper Ave • 780.488.6557 • Mon: Amateur Strip Contest; prizes with Shawana • Tue: Kitchen 3-11pm • Wed: Karaoke with Tizzy 7pm-1am; Kitchen 3-11pm • Thu: Free pool all night; kitchen 3-11pm • Fri: Mocho Nacho Fri: 3pm (door), kitchen open 3-11pm

SPECIAL EVENTS ‘alhamBresque’ 6Th annual, an EVENING TO SUPPORT PRESENTED

BY MNP • Winspear Centre, 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square • kshaw@crisissupportcentre. com • 780.732.6637 • crisissupportcentre. com/about-us/events/alhambresque-6th-annual-an-evening-to-support-presented-by-mnp • Guests will be treated to an evening of wine, spirits, food tasting stations, and 'Alhambresque' entertainment • Feb 5, 5-9pm

BRUNCH OF LOVE • Royal Mayfair Golf Club, 9450 Groat Rd • A fundraiser for the Freewill Shakespeare Festival • Feb 8, 11am-2pm • $75

DEEPSOUL.CA • 587.520.3833; call or text for Sunday jam locations • Every Sun: Sunday Jams with no Stan (CCR to Metallica), starring Chuck Prins on Les Paul Standard guitars; Pink Floydish originals plus great Covers of Classics: some FREE; Twilight Zone Lively Up Yourself Tour (with DJ Cool Breeze); all ages EDMONTON RESILIENCE FESTIVAL • Boyle Street Plaza, 9538-103A Ave • yegresilience@gmail.com • thelocalgood.ca/edmonton-resilience-festival • Aims to strengthen community resilience through skill-sharing workshops and other events, inspiring participants to help create a sustainable, creative and promising future • Feb 7-8 • $25 (workshop), free (all other events) FLYING CANÖE VOLANT • Mill creek Ravine and La Cité Francophone • thecityoflights.ca • Winter festival inspired by the Chasse Galerie legend • Feb 6-7, 6pm-midnight • Free IT TAKES TWO • Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel, 10155-105 St • ittakestwo2015.eventbrite.ca • 780.423.4102 ext. 245 • An evening of awareness raising, hope and healing.

A fundraiser in support of those who have been impacted by sexual violence • Feb 11, 5:30-9pm THE LUNAR NEW YEAR EXTRAVAGANZA • Ice Palace of West Edmonton Mall, West Edmonton Mall • ecmccedmonton.org • 780.424.8124 • ecmcc@telusplanet.net • Features twenty hours of stage performances including Dragon and Lion Dances, Tai Chi and Martial Arts demonstrations, Chinese operas, contemporary and Classical music and dances, Chinese drumming, choir singing and Chinese Orchestra music • Feb 7-8 • $2 (door)

OIL CITY ROLLER DERBY'S DIRTY HARRIETS VS E-VILLE ROLLER DERBY'S SLICE GIRLS • Edmonton Sportsdome, 10104-32 Ave • Feb 7, 6-9pm • $10 (adv), $15 (door), free (kids under 10)

SCRAMBLED YEG • Brittany's Lounge, 10225-97 St • 780.497.0011 • Open Genre Variety Stage: artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue-Fri, 5-8pm SILVER SKATE FESTIVAL • Hawrelak Park, 9930 Groat Rd • silverskatefestival.org • An extravaganza of art, culture, recreation and sports programming • Feb 14-23 WINTER BIKE TO WORK (SCHOOL) BREAKFAST • Earth's General Store (Downtown), 10150-104 St • Michael@egs.ca • egs. ca/node/704 • Winter cyclists, its time to get your bike on! Join in on a free pancake breakfast (please bring your own mug) and have some fun • Feb 13, 7-9am • Free with a bike

WINEFEST EDMONTON • Shaw Conference Centre, Hall D, 9797 Jasper Ave • 1-866.228.3555 • katie@celebratewinefest. com • celebratewinefest.com/edmonton.html • Sip different kinds of wine, a try-beforeyou-buy event. Wine experts will be on hand to share their knowledge as guests taste. A Sobey's Liquor will be on-site so visitors can purchase finds for home. A tasting notebook and a Riedel glass are included in the ticket price • Feb 13-14 • $80 (Fri), $75 (Feb 14), $80 (Sun)

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C I S MU

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S N A F THIS YEAR IN VUE! COMING

Festival Survival Guide May 21st

Music Gear Guide June 18th

CLASSIFIEDS To place an ad PHONE: 780.426.1996 / FAX: 780.426.2889 EMAIL: classifieds@vueweekly.com 130.

Coming Events

To celebrate 30 years of promoting visual art in Strathcona County, the The Art Society of Strathcona County Is Proud to Present A Special Open Art Show April 15 to 19, 2015 at the A. J. Ottewell Community Centre (Red Barn), 590 Broadmoor Blvd, Sherwood Park • Open Art Competition for All Alberta Residents • Cash Prizes, Gala Reception • Categories for Visual Art in Various Levels of Skill, including 3D, Photography and Digital • Entries will Close March 29, 2015 • Check our website for the Show Call: www.artstrathcona.com The members of the Society are looking forward to you joining us in celebrating our 30th Anniversary.

1600.

Volunteers Wanted

Crisis Line Volunteers Needed: The Sexual Assault Centre is recruiting volunteers for our 24 hours crisis line on an ongoing basis. We offer over 50 hours of crisis intervention training at no charge. If you are empathetic, caring, nonjudgmental, want to gain experience within the helping field, and/or want to make change in your community this is an excellent opportunity for you! Please call Shannah at 780-423-4102 ext. 226 or email at shannahb@sace.ab.ca for more information.

Habitat for Humanity hosts Women Build Week March 10 – 14, 2015 Volunteer with us on a Habitat build site to help build homes and hope with other women!

Our expert staff provides training with a focus on safety in a fun and welcoming environment. Take home an inspiring sense of accomplishment. Tools, equipment and lunch are provided. Visit https://www.hfh.org/volunteer/ women-build/ or contact Kim at kdedeugd@hfh.org or by phone 780-451-3416 ext 232

Office Volunteers Needed: Duties include: - Reception coverage (i.e. answering and transferring phone calls, greeting clients, etc) - General office work (i.e. photocopying, data entry, etc) -

Qualifications Friendly, non-judgmental - Willingness to learn - Ability to use Microsoft Office

If you would like more information or are interested in volunteering please contact Shannah at 780-423-4102 ext.

226 or shannahb@sace.ab.ca

2005.

Artist to Artist

ENJOY ART ALWAYZ www.bdcdrawz.com

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VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

2005.

Artist to Artist

ACRYLIC ARTISTS! Don’t miss GOLDEN Working Artist Samantha WilliamsChapelsky’s lecture/demo on the 1001 ways you can use GOLDEN acrylic paints, mediums, gels & pastes, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015, 7-9PM in the Studio at The Paint Spot (10032-81 Avenue, Edmonton).

Admission, $10, confirms your place and is refunded to you at the event as a coupon. Plus, GOLDEN gives a generous Just Paint goodies bag to all attending artists! Further information or RSVP: 780.432.0240; accounts@paintspot.ca; www.paintspot.ca.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: BUDAPEST The Open Call will begin on June 25, 2014, we have every months jury selection until April 15, 2015. Apply early!

HMC International Artist Residency Program, a not-forprofit arts organization based in Dallas, TX / Budapest, Hungary – provides national and international artists to produce new work while engaging with the arts community in Budapest, Hungary.

FOR APPLICATION FORM, questions please contact us.

Email: bszechy@yahoo.com

EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL October 1-10, 2015 Call For Submissions is now OPEN! Categories include dramatic & documentary features, short films and movies made by Albertans.

30% off entry fees until March 15 (earlybird deadline).

Submit NOW to Alberta’s longst running international film festival. www.edmontonfilmfest.com

LOCAL ARTIST SEEKS REPRESENTATION Will pay accordingly $$$ .

For more info contact BDC at monkeywrench@live.ca www.bdcdrawz.com

Loft Art Gallery and Gift Shop Workshops for January to April 2015 See www.artstrathcona.com for updates on workshops, comprehensive information, supply list and to register.

Register early to avoid disappointment

Loft Art Gallery and Gift Shop – Opens January 31 with new artwork by the artists of the Art Society of Strathcona County.

Ottewell Centre, 590 Broadmoor Blvd. Open Saturdays and Sundays 12 to 4 pm for your viewing and purchasing pleasure. Local artwork for your home, business or gift giving.

2005.

Artist to Artist

Opportunities for artists to exhibit in Budapest: Open call for book artists! Library Thoughts 5 :An exhibition of the Book as Art Artist’s Books and book-related art Deadline: March 1, 2015 fee: USD$ 35 Book as Art exhibition organized at MAMU Gallery, Budapest June 12 – July 3, 2015 . The exhibition curator Beata Szechy.

Part of the AIR/HMC, Budapest, International Artists in Residency program. info, application form e-mail Beata Szechy bszechy@yahoo.com http://www.hungarianmulticultural-center.com Facebook: Budapest International Artist Residency

UNFINISHED PAINTING CHALLENGE IV Hey artists, we all have at least one painting that we can’t seem to finish, don’t we? How about bringing yours to our Unfinished Painting Challenge IV, and choosing a work someone else couldn’t finish to try your hand at? After all, one person’s junk is another person’s inspiration!

We will be exchanging work and accepting returned, finished work until Friday, February 13. An exhibition of all the finished works runs February 20 – April 20. Join in, or just come and see an exhibition of redeemed paintings and our archive of ‘before-and-after’ images. This is a super-fun event! Further information: The Paint Spot, 10032 81 Avenue, Edmonton; 780.432.0240; www.paintspot.ca; accounts@paintspot.ca.

2010.

Musicians Available

Well developed original Funk, Soul and Rock’n Blues band looking for a Manager. Looking for someone with experience in the industry to work hand in hand with the group in the efforts of the group reaching new heights in it’s career. Dan - 780-932-8159

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Musicians Wanted

Guitarists, bassists, vocalists, pianists and drummers needed for good paying teaching jobs.

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Looking for players for blues rock Contact Derek at 780-577-0991

3100. Appliances/Furniture Old Appliance Removal Removal of unwanted appliances. Must be outside or in your garage.

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Trek Mountain Bike Marathon 26” tires, like new condition No integral shocks $300 587.520.9746

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•• business •• opportunities THE DERMATOLOGISTS that created ProactivA now have award winning anti-aging products that are launching in Canada. Attend an info session on becoming a representative. Brooks Feb. 12; Red Deer Feb. 19; Calgary Feb. 20; Edmonton Feb. 21. RSVP to Susan 778-350-4370; susan@changingskin.ca.

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•• coming events •• AUCTION. 9th Annual Red Deer Speed Show & Collector Car Auction. March 13 - 15, Westerner Park. Special Guests Rick & Kelly Dale American Restoration. Dan & Laura Dotson - Storage Wars.

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•• employment •• opportunities WELDER - Flagstaff County seeks permanent full-time Welder, will consider Apprentice/Journeyman. Competitive salary, benefits, pension plan. Apply to: Kevin Kinzer; kkinzer@flagstaff.ab.ca. More details at flagstaff.ab.ca.

ROADEX SERVICES requires O/O 3/4 tons, 1 tons and 3 tons for our RV division and O/O Semis and drivers for our RV and general freight deck division. Paid by direct deposit, benefits and company fuel cards. Border crossing required with valid passport and clean criminal record. 1-800-867-6233; www.roadexservices.com.

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FACILITY GENERAL MANAGER. BrettYoung Seeds, Calmar, Alberta. BrettYoung Seeds is a privately owned and trusted seed, production, distribution, sales and marketing company with international reach and strong local roots since 1934.

Our goal is to deliver value to our customers through world class service and differentiated products. Based in Winnipeg, we have locations throughout Western Canada and are currently seeking a dynamic and experienced Facility General Manager to complement our team in Calmar, Alberta.

Facility General Manager. We are seeking a motivated professional to oversee and direct all operations at our Calmar blending and distribution facility. The General Manager is responsible for managing the operating budget, ensuring adequate staff and resource levels, overseeing inventory, production and QC operations in an MRP environment, and fulfilling orders and scheduling shipments to customers via courier, LTL or truckload delivery. This position will lead an outstanding team focused on Customer Service, distributing quality seed, golf, fertilizer and chemical products to our valuable customers throughout BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

The ideal candidate will have production and warehouse management experience and knowledge of seed industry quality standards and regulatory requirements. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this position will conduct regular review and follow-up of facility financial statements, production and inventory reporting, delivery performance, and forecasts for the region. Outstanding, demonstrated leadership skills and a minimum three years experience in an equivalent position in the agricultural, seed or golf course-supply industries is required. Post-secondary education in business or agriculture is preferred. Licensing for CFIA approved conditioner, operator, grader, or importer is a valuable asset. In addition to the opportunity to join a team that values and celebrates everyone’s contributions, BrettYoung Seeds is an organization that supports professional growth and development and offers an attractive compensation package including salary and an outstanding and comprehensive benefits package. BrettYoung Seeds is an Equal Opportunity employer. Interested applicants are invited to apply to become a part of our team by submitting a letter of interest with salary expectations and a resume to: Human Resources, BrettYoung Seeds, Box 99 St. Norbert Postal Station, Winnipeg, MB, R3V 1L5. Fax 204-4788370 or email: Human.

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48 hour Express Service available at select supporting Distributors. Call 1-888-263-8254.

JOURNALISTS, Graphic Artists, Marketing and more. Alberta’s weekly newspapers are looking for people like you. Post your resume online. Free. Visit: awna.com/for-job-seekers.

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STEEL BUILDINGS “Really Big Sale!” All steel building models and sizes. Plus extra savings.

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Phone 1-800-BIG-IRON. REFORESTATION NURSERY SEEDLINGS of hardy trees, shrubs, & berries for shelterbelts or landscaping. Full boxes as low as $0.99/tree.

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FREEWILLASTROLOGY ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19): In 1979, Monty Python comedian John Cleese helped direct a fournight extravaganza, The Secret Policeman's Ball. It was a benefit to raise money for the humanrights organization Amnesty International. The musicians known as Sting, Bono and Peter Gabriel later testified that the show was a key factor in igniting their social activism. I see the potential of a comparable stimulus in your near future, Aries. Imminent developments could amp up your passion for a good cause that transcends your immediate selfinterests.

TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20): In the film Kill Bill: Volume 1, Taurus actress Uma Thurman plays a martial artist who has exceptional skill at wielding a Samurai sword. At one point, her swordmaker evaluates her reflexes by hurling a baseball in her direction. With a masterful swoop, she slices the ball in half before it reaches her. I suggest you seek out similar tests in the coming days, Taurus. Check up on the current status of your top skills.

Are any of them rusty? Should you update them? Are they still of maximum practical use to you? Do whatever's necessary to ensure they are as strong and sharp as ever.

GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20): French Impressionist painter Claude Monet loved to paint the rock formations near the beach at Étretrat, a village in Normandy. During the summer of 1886, he worked serially on six separate canvases, moving from one to another throughout his work day to capture the light and shadow as they changed with the weather and the position of the sun. He focused intently on one painting at a time. He didn't have a brush in each hand and one in his mouth, simultaneously applying paint to various canvases. His specific approach to multitasking would generate good results for you in the coming weeks, Gemini.

(PS: The other kind of multitasking—where you do several different things at the same time—will yield mostly mediocre results.)

CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22): In 1849, author Edgar Allan Poe died in his hometown of Baltimore. A century later, a mysterious admirer began a new tradition. Every January 19, on the anniversary of Poe's birth, this cloaked visitor appeared at his grave in the early morning hours and left behind three roses and a bottle of cognac. I invite you, Cancerian, to initiate a comparable ritual. Can you imagine paying periodic tribute to an important influence in your own life—someone who has given you much and touched you deeply? Don't do it for nostalgia's sake, but as a way to affirm that the gifts you've received from this evocative influence will

continue to evolve within you.

Keep them ever-fresh.

LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 22): "What happens to a dream deferred?" asked Langston Hughes in his poem "Harlem." "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore—And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over—like a syrupy sweet?" As your soul's cheerleader and coach, Leo, I hope you won't explore the answer to Hughes' questions. If you have a dream, don't defer it. If you have been deferring your dream, take at least one dramatic step to stop deferring it.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22): Virgo author John Creasey struggled in his early efforts at getting published. For a time he had to support himself with jobs as a salesman and clerk. Before his first book was published, he had gathered 743 rejection slips.

Eventually, though, he broke through and achieved monumental success. He wrote more than 550 novels, several of which were made into movies. He won two prestigious awards and sold 80 million books. I'm not promising that your own frustrations will ultimately pave the way for a prodigious triumph like his. But in the coming months, I do expect significant progress toward a gritty accomplishment. For best results, work for your own satisfaction more than for the approval of others.

LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22): Hall-ofFame basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon had a signature set of fancy moves that were collectively known as the Dream Shake.

It consisted of numerous spins and fakes and moves that could be combined in various ways to outfox his opponents and score points. The coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to work on your equivalent of the Dream Shake, Libra. You're at the peak of your ability to figure out how to coordinate and synergize your several talents.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21): In 1837, Victoria became Queen of England following the death of her uncle, King William IV. She was 18 years old. Her first royal act was to move her bed out of the room she had long shared with her meddling, overbearing mother. I propose that you use this as one of your guiding metaphors in the immediate future.

Even if your parents are saints, and even if you haven't lived with them for years, I suspect you would benefit by upgrading your independence from their influence. Are you still a bit inhibited by the nagging of their voices in your head? Does your desire to avoid hurting them thwart you from rising to a higher level of authority and authenticity? Be a good-natured rebel.

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

ROB BREZSNY FREEWILL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21): The most crooked street in the world is a one-way, blocklong span of San Francisco's Lombard Street. It consists of eight hairpin turns down a very steep hill. The recommended top speed for a car is five miles per hour. So, on the one hand, you've got to proceed with caution.

On the other hand, the quaint, brick-paved road is lined with flower beds and creeping along its wacky route is a whimsical amusement. I suspect you will soon encounter experiences that have metaphorical resemblances to Lombard Street, Sagittarius. In fact, I urge you to seek them out.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19): In the baseball film The Natural, the hero, Roy Hobbs, has a special bat he calls "Wonderboy." Carved out of a tree that was split by a lightning bolt, it seems to give Hobbs an extraordinary skill at hitting a baseball. There's a similar theme at work in the Australian musical instrument known as the didgeridoo. It's created from a eucalyptus tree whose inner wood has been eaten away by termites. Both Wonderboy and the didgeridoo are the results of natural forces that could be seen as adverse but that are actually useful. Is there a comparable situation in your own life, Capricorn?

I'm guessing there is. If you have not yet discovered what it is, now is a good time to do so.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18): In 1753, Benjamin Franklin published helpful instructions on how to avoid being struck by lightning during stormy weather. Wear a lightning rod in your hat, he said, and attach it to a long, thin metal ribbon that trails behind you as you walk. In response to his article, a fashion fad erupted. Taking his advice, fancy ladies in Europe actually wore such hats. From a metaphorical perspective, it would make sense for you Aquarians to don similar headwear in the coming weeks. Bolts of inspiration will be arriving on a regular basis. To ensure you are able to integrate and use them—not just be titillated and agitated—you will have to be well-grounded.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20): According to the Bible, Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Author David Foster Wallace added a caveat. "The truth will set you free," he wrote, "but not until it is finished with you." All this is apropos for the current phase of your journey, Pisces. By my estimation, you will soon discover an important truth that you have never before been ready to grasp. Once that magic transpires, however, you will have to wait a while until the truth is fully finished with you.

Only then will it set you free. But it will set you free. And I suspect that you will ultimately be grateful that it took its sweet time. V AT THE BACK 35

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The modern way of Mod

Open-source sex toy will allow users to modify it to their liking I've often said that high-tech sex toys will never be popular until someone finds a way to make tech integrate with the way people actually play. That day may be coming soon. The Mod is a completely customizable vibrator/dildo in its prototype stages. I dismissed it at first as another overly complicated p r o d u c t that will get used once and then left to collect dust, but digging a bit deeper, I became intrigued.

The four friends that created this toy call themselves Comingle, and they are computer-science and technology wizards. I asked co-founder Craig Durkin why they wanted to use all that techno skill to make vibrators.

"The idea originally came from Andy's (Quitmeyer, co-founder of Comingle) research in the jungle of Panama," he says. "He works with a lot of scientists down there that don't have all the creature comforts of their home countries, such as ready access to sex toys, so they had to craft a vibrator from a mishmash of electronics.

The idea grew from there."

Mishmash is a pretty good description of the Mod. It has three motors that can be changed and controlled separately.

"It comes with a bunch of different vibration patterns and ways to control the intensity of those patterns—we have multiple motors and you can get some funky effects from that," Durkin says.

The toy can also be attached to a variety of devices, giving the user almost unlimited ways to play

with it. One of the most interesting of these is a heartbeat detector that makes the toy pulse to the beat of your or your lover's heart.

The Mod can also be connected to a touch sensor that can be attached to any object or body part.

their own. Putting the control in the hands of the users is in direct opposition of the current trend in sex-toy manufacturing of highly guarded proprietary secrets and billion-dollar patent-infringement lawsuits. The open-source concept alone makes this an innovation worth watching. V

Suck on or even bite the banana and the toy vibrates. It might sound silly, but imagine what you could do with it.

Comingle's website shows the vibe attached to a banana. Suck on or even bite the banana and the toy vibrates. It might sound silly, but imagine what you could do with it. You could control the vibration pattern on a toy inside of you without even touching it. You could tell the toy what to do by touching your own body. You could connect the Mod to a paddle or crop and get a buzz with each smack!

While very cool indeed, these features are not the most interesting part of Comingle's creation.

The toy uses open-source technology. That means that the software and the tech used in the toy is accessible to toy owners. If you have the techno knowledge, you can completely change the intensity and pattern of the vibration and even the way the controllers work. Durkin says one of their Beta testers modified the toy so that his partner could connect to it and control it from 1500 miles away. By allowing people access to the technology used in the toy, Comingle hopes not to design the perfect toy themselves, but to give people the tools to make

Brenda Kerber is a sexual health educator who has worked with local not-for-profits since 1995. She is the owner of the Edmonton-based, sex-positive adult toy boutique the Traveling Tickle Trunk.

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AT THE BACK 37

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

MATT JONES JONESINCROSSWORDS@VUEWEEKLY.COM

DAN SAVAGE SAVAGELOVE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

“Mew Coup”-- didn’t see that one coming.

PERMISSION TO CHEAT

Across

1 “American Horror Story” actress Lily 5 Outdo by a little 10 Get droopy 13 Just slightly 14 Vice ___ 15 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral name 17 Quip, Part 1 19 2003/2005/2007 AL MVP, familiarly 20 Feller’s warning 21 Quip, Part 2 23 Do master 25 “Game of ___” 26 Get in 28 “___ Can Cook” 29 Dog’s foot 32 Floor space 34 Metamorphic stage 38 Quip, Part 3 42 Bat maker’s tool 43 “I’ll take ‘Cartoons’ for $200, ___” 44 Control 45 Elusive swimmer 47 3/17 honoree, for short 50 “Nuts!”

54 Actress Mira 58 Quip, Part 4 60 Of a pelvic bone 61 Affleck flick 62 Quip, Part 5 64 Bit of sarcasm 65 Cinema seater 66 “___ perpetua” (Idaho’s motto) 67 Beats by ___ (brand of audio equipment) 68 Add fuel to the fire 69 Explanations

Down

1 Flat floaters 2 Took the hit, financially 3 Tropical 4 OK to ingest 5 Wear out your welcome 6 Leftorium proprietor on “The Simpsons” 7 Estrada of “CHiPs” 8 Half a fitness motto 9 Like some fog 10 Like berries and oysters

38 AT THE BACK

11 “Fanfare for the Common Man” composer Copland 12 “Grand Canyon Suite” composer Ferde ___ 16 Adobe creations?

18 Dusseldorf denial 22 Jazz pianist-singer Diana 24 ___ firma 27 Cassette parts 29 Good buddy 30 Abbr. on a rap sheet 31 Feature of Algonquin Round Table discussions 33 Acts as accomplice 35 City in 2016 sports news 36 Solemn words 37 Mitt Romney’s wife 39 Words after “know” or “settle” 40 Pearly whites 41 Excuse given by those who hire artists and pay nothing 46 ___ test 48 Get ___ on the knuckles 49 Reporters and their entourage 50 Key using all the black keys, for short 51 Drew in 52 Deadly sin 53 Citrus peel in a mixed drink 55 Like Joyce 56 More than mean 57 Non-dairy spreads 59 Cuatro y cuatro 63 “A spider!!” ©2015 Jonesin' Crosswords

My husband and I are a straight couple in our early 50s, and we've been married for more than 30 years. We were raised to wait for sex until we got married—this was back in the early '80s—and we did. Our wedding night was pretty disappointing, since neither of us knew what we were doing. He got off, but I didn't.

We both assumed that there was something wrong with me, because he didn't have any problem coming, right? We were both raised to believe that sex was something men took from women, that it was difficult for women to orgasm and that no woman wanted sex as much as a man did.

We read books, we went to counselling, but nothing changed. This went on for a couple of decades. He's a great guy—funny, loyal, faithful, great dad to our kids—so I figured I was lousy in bed and I was lucky he put up with me. Recently, I got my hands on a vibrator. OH. MY. GOD. There's nothing wrong with me!

Now I think my libido might actually be stronger than his. But even with what I now know about my sexuality, we have been unable to figure out how to get me to orgasm when we are together.

I've suggested some milder forms of kink, but he isn't interested. I suspect we're just incompatible in bed, which has made me a fairly vocal opponent of the "waiting for marriage" garbage, much to my husband's consternation. He thinks it's so sweet that neither of us has ever had sex with someone else. So you can probably see my dilemma. Neither of us has ever been unfaithful and neither of us is OK with being unfaithful—I know he isn't. Even though I'm intrigued by the idea, I don't think I could pull off the lying and deceit required to do it behind his back. We also live in a small town where it would be nearly impossible to have a discreet affair. I don't really want a divorce, because it means losing the entire life we've built together, which is no small thing. But when I think about never having good sex in my entire life, I can hardly stand it. What would you do?

Bored In Bed For An Unbearably Long Time

partner is another person's meh-totraumatizing sex partner. So while BIBFAULT and her husband aren't a match—clearly—he has matches out there and so does she.)

I'm not telling you what to do, BIBFAULT, I'm just answering the question you posed: "What would you do?" If I were in your shoes, if I had suffered through three decades of subjectively lousy sex, if I were staring down the possibility of going to my grave without ever having experienced good-to-great sex (not even once!), I would cheat on my husband of 30 years. I would've cheated on him already, past tense, a decade or two ago and probably at regular intervals. (I also would've sued all those counsellors who failed to suggest buying a vibrator when I complained about my difficulty achieving orgasm.)

But that's me, BIBFAULT. What should you do? I really couldn't tell you.

That's not true. I could tell you what to do. Telling people what to do is pretty much my fucking job.

But in all honesty, I'm not sure what

IT'S NOT RIGHT

My wife, who is 35, had sex with a 25-year-old neighbour when she was barely 15 years old. (It was two days after her 15th birthday.) I should say "was raped by," not "had sex with." She insists it was consensual, claims she wasn't traumatized by it and is actually Facebook friends with the man who raped her. I think this is unhealthy. How do I get through to her?

Totally Unacknowledged Trauma I had sex with someone in their mid-20s when I was 15—I had sex with two mid-20s someones at the same time when I was 15—and I regard that encounter as consensual and I wasn't traumatized by it. So you can take this question to some other advice columnist, TUT, or you can stop policing your wife's feelings about her own sexual history.

THE NURSE HAT

I'm a merrily married straight woman with an amazing husband and what was once a thriving sex life.

Recently, my husband had what was supposed to have been a routine surgical procedure.

He ended up having basically every complication possible, short of dismemberment and death. I had no problem being his caregiver during this time, but I'm now having trouble mentally reigniting the erotic spark. He's recovered and interested, and I want to be intimate again, but I find myself thinking that he looks pale or that position X might be too much for him, and it's very difficult to get in, and remain in, the mood for sex. How do I turn off caregiver mode and get back to being a sexual partner?

Missing My Sex Life

You can take this question to some other advice columnist, or you can stop policing your wife's feelings about her own sexual history.

What would I do? I would be unfaithful, BIBFAULT. And since there's no guarantee that I would click sexually with the first guy I fucked other than my husband—or the second guy or the third guy or the fourth guy—I would go right on fucking other guys until I fucked a guy who was spectacular in bed. (Please note: while "spectacular in bed" sounds like some sort of objective standard, it's actually a highly subjective and personal experience. One person's spectacular sex

you should do. You say you're not OK with cheating, and I almost believe you—you wouldn't have written if you weren't OK with cheating on some level and/or seeking permission to cheat—and cheating would be logistically complicated, given your circumstances, and it would put everything you have with your husband, whom you genuinely love, at risk. So I'm not going to tell you to cheat.

But I will tell you this: you may have an easier time not cheating— an easier time not going out there and actively seeking out sex with other men, an easier time not seizing the first opportunity to cheat that comes your way—if you give yourself permission to cheat if an opportunity to cheat discreetly and with minimal deceit comes along.

Telling yourself it will never happen, that you'll never have good sex, means living in despair, and despair isn't good for individuals or marriages. But telling yourself that it might happen—but only if the planets have all aligned perfectly (you're out of town, it's someone you trust, you won't have to actively lie)—means living in hope, and hope is good for individuals and marriages.

And knowing that you can cheat when the right opportunity presents itself will make it easier for you to resist cheating—to resist doing something reckless—when the wrong opportunities present themselves.

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

The next time you're having sex and that little voice in your head says, "This position might be tough on him," MMSL, ignore it and power through. It may not be particularly fulfilling sex for you— you may not be fully present and in the moment—but the quickest way to prove to yourself that your husband isn't too fragile for sex (or too pale for it) is to have sex a few times. After you've seen with your own eyes that sex didn't break him (and may have brought some colour back to his skin!), that little voice in your head—the voice of the caretaker he needed when he was sick but doesn't need now— should fade away.

On the Lovecast, Dan and gay evangelical Christian author Matthew Vines scrap it up: savagelovecast.com. V @fakedansavage on Twitter

VUEWEEKLY.com | FEB 5, 2015 – FEB 11 , 2015

AT THE BACK 39

40 EASY LIKE THURSDAY MORNING

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