1019: Cut like a chef

FREE (EATS)

#1019 / MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015 VUEWEEKLY.COM

The results are in! Your picks for the best in the city, from appetizers to hidden gems. Pg 14

ENERGY TRANSITION STRATEGY 5 TURING TEST: AN EX MACHINA INTERVIEW 38

TELUS STORES

Downtown Edmonton City Centre 9915 108A Ave. NW 11315 104th Ave.

North Kingsway Garden Mall Londonderry Mall Northgate Centre 9410 137th Ave. NW 9624 165th Ave.

South Bonnie Doon Mall Millwoods Town Centre Southgate Centre 1916 99th St. 1934 38th Ave. 5912 104th St. 6172 50th St. NW 9518 Ellerslie Rd. SW 10309 34th Ave. 10642 82nd Ave.

West End West Edmonton Mall 9935 170th St. 10429 178th St. NW 12714 137th Ave. NW 14220 Yellowhead Trail 14903 118th Ave. NW

Fort Saskatchewan 112 Town Crest Rd. 8701 94th St.

Morinville 9918 100th St.

Sherwood Park 971 Ordze Rd.

With over 20 new theme packs, the largest On Demand library, all your favourites on CraveTV TM and blazing-fast Internet speeds*, it’s time you took control of your entertainment.

Switch to Optik TV TM and Internet for 3 years and get: FREE 40" Samsung TV† 1 year of CraveTV TM

FREE HD PVR and Wi-Fi® modem rental‡ 2-hour installation window

975 Broadmoor Blvd.

2020 Sherwood Dr.

Spruce Grove Westland Market Mall 96 Campsite Rd. 141 Century Crossing

St. Albert St. Albert Centre

Take control by calling 310-MYTV (6988), going to telus.com/optik or visiting a TELUS store.

20 Muir Dr.

Stony Plain 82 Boulder Blvd.

Offer available until June 1, 2015, to residential customers who have not subscribed to TELUS TV or Internet in the past 90 days. Cannot be combined with other promotional offers. Regular prices apply at the end of the promotional period. Minimum system requirements apply. Final eligibility for the services will be determined by a TELUS representative.

TELUS reserves the right to modify channel lineups and packaging, and regular pricing without notice. Cannot be combined with other offers. The Essentials is required for all Optik TV subscriptions. Offer not available with TELUS Internet 6. HDTV-input-equipped television required to watch HD. *Internet access speeds may vary depending on location, usage within the home network, Internet traffic, applicable network management or server configurations. For a description of TELUS’ network management practices, see telus.com/networkmanagement. †A retail value of $689 for the 40” Samsung TV, based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, plus a 2 year extended warranty, provincial government eco fees and shipping. A cancellation fee applies for early termination of the service agreement and will be the value of the promotional gift received in return for your term commitment multiplied by the number of months remaining in the term (with a partial month counting as a full month), divided by the total number of months in the term, plus applicable taxes. TELUS reserves the right to substitute an equivalent or better product without notice. ‡Offer available with a 3 year service agreement; current rental rates apply thereafter. A cancellation fee applies to the early termination of the service agreement and will be $10 for the PVR and Wi-Fi modem rental multiplied by the number of months remaining in the term. TELUS reserves the right to substitute an equivalent or better product without notice. Rental equipment must be returned in good condition upon cancellation of service, otherwise the replacement cost will be charged to the account. PVR capabilities are subject to and limited by applicable laws.

TELUS, the TELUS logo, Optik, Optik TV, telus.com and the future is friendly are trademarks of TELUS Corporation, used under licence. Samsung and the Samsung logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Samsung Canada. Network logos and names are trademarks of their respective owners. Crave TV and all associated designs are trademarks of Bell Media Inc. All rights reserved. HBO and any associated characters and logos are service marks of Home Box Office Inc. All rights reserved. All copyrights for images, artwork and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2015 TELUS. TEL507_FFHOPTIK_VUEWKLY_9.45x12.6.indd 1

2 UP FRONT

Client

4/20/15 11:15 AM

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

TELUS

TEL507_FFHOPTIK_VUEWKLY_9.45x12.6

Created

April 15, 2015

ISSUE: 1019 MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015 COVER PHOTO: MEAGHAN BAXTER

LISTINGS

ARTS / 35 MUSIC / 47 EVENTS / 49 CLASSIFIED / 50 ADULT / 52

FRONT

4

"It's been frustrating to see many other places bring in a policy for solar, wind and other renewables and they do so well with it." //5

DISH

7

"I was immediately hooked when I got my first Japanese knife. I was mad that I'd been using Swiss steel before that, because my life suddenly became a lot easier." // 7

ARTS

30

"We've lost the buildings but we haven't lost the community. And we're resilient as fuck. We're going to find places." // 30

FILM

36

"'You don't go there for a handshake and a smile," explains a frequent customer. "You go there for a slap in the face and a 'When did you last ejaculate on the carpet?'" // 36

MUSIC

41

"You know, I can still find things to complain about, so my desire is to find worthy things to complain about opposed to just picky stuff—so I make fun of Bon Jovi on the record." // 41

GOLDEN FORK AWARDS • 14

vVUEWEEKLY #200, 11230 - 119 STREET, EDMONTON, AB T5G 2X3 | T: 780.426.1996

F: 780.426.2889

FOUNDING EDITOR / PUBLISHER.................................................................................................................RON GARTH PRESIDENT ROBERT W DOULL......................................................................................................................rwdoull@vueweekly.com PUBLISHER ANDY COOKSON ...............................................................................................................................andy@vueweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER / SALES MANAGER JOANNE LAYH ..................................................................................................................................joanne@vueweekly.com OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR VALERIE GROSS .............................................................................................................................valerie@vueweekly.com MANAGING EDITOR / MUSIC EDITOR MEAGHAN BAXTER .................................................................................................................meaghan@vueweekly.com NEWS EDITOR REBECCA MEDEL.........................................................................................................................rebecca@vueweekly.com ARTS & FILM EDITOR PAUL BLINOV ........................................................................................................................................paul@vueweekly.com DISH EDITOR MEL PRIESTLEY ....................................................................................................................................mel@vueweekly.com ONLINE EDITOR / STAFF WRITER JOSH MARCELLIN ............................................................................................................................... josh@vueweekly.com LISTINGS HEATHER SKINNER....................................................................................................................... listings@vueweekly.com EDITORIAL INTERN KAYLEN SMALL .............................................................................................................................. kaylen@vueweekly.com PRODUCTION MANAGER CHARLIE BIDDISCOMBE .............................................................................................................charlie@vueweekly.com PRODUCTION CURTIS HAUSER .............................................................................................................................curtish@vueweekly.com ACCOUNT MANAGER JAMES JARVIS ....................................................................................................................................james@vueweekly.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE DPS MEDIA ..........................................................................................416.413.9291 .................dbradley@dpsmedia.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER MICHAEL GARTH .........................................................................................................................michael@vueweekly.com

CONTRIBUTORS Kate Black, Josef Braun, Rob Brezsny, Bruce Cinnamon, Ashley Dryburgh, Tami-lee Duncan, Gwynne Dyer, Jason Foster, Brian Gibson, Fish Grikowsky, Trina Moyles, Samantha Power, Dan Savage, Mike Winters

DISTRIBUTION Terry Anderson, Shane Bennett, Jason Dublanko, John Fagan Aaron Getz, Amy Olliffe, Beverley Phillips, Justin Shaw, Choi Chung Shui, Parker Thiessen, Wally Yanish

Vue Weekly is available free of charge at well over 1200 locations throughout Edmonton. We are funded solely through the support of our advertisers. Vue Weekly is a division of Postvue Publishing LP (Robert W. Doull, President) and is published every Thursday. Vue Weekly is available free of charge throughout Greater Edmonton and Northern Alberta, limited to one copy per reader. Vue Weekly may be distributed only by Vue Weekly's authorized independent contractors and employees. No person may, without prior written permission of Vue Weekly, take more than one copy of each Vue Weekly issue. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40022989. If undeliverable, return to: Vue Weekly #200, 11230 - 119 St, Edmonton, AB T5G 2X3

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

UP FRONT 3

FRONT

NEWS EDITOR: REBECCA MEDEL REBECCA@VUEWEEKLY.COM

ASHLEY DRYBURGH // ASHLEY@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Flick, toss, choke

Celebrating masturbation in all its many forms Flicking the bean. Tossing the pink salad. Choking the chicken. Walking the dog. Badgering the witness.

Whatever your preferred term for it, the overwhelming majority of us have at some point engaged in masturbation. Luckily for us, May is International Masturbation Month (this Mother's Day, make sure to mention to Mom the great company she finds herself in!) and this year marks its 20th anniversary.

Masturbation Month originally began as a day—May 7, 1995. In December of 1994, then-Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders remarked that masturbation was "something that perhaps should be taught" in American sex-ed curricula; Bill Clinton fired her for these remarks. In response, the staff of Good Vibrations, the sex-

positive and woman-friendly sex-toy shop in California, decided to create Masturbation Day to create conversation and reduce shame and stigma around the act of self-love.

While I am not sure someone would be fired for issuing such remarks today (although one can never be sure), masturbation is still a sticky subject in schools. Ontario's re-introduced sex-ed curriculum changes have created quite a bit of controversy, in part over the inclusion of masturbation discussion in Grade 6 classrooms. Here in Alberta, the subject of masturbation seems to be framed as a lower-risk sexual activity and on the parent resource website teachingsexualhealth.ca, masturbation appears a grand total of twice: to mention when teens might start

VUEPOINT

RYAN STEPHENS // RYANS@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Democracy painted orange Let's set ideology aside for a moment. Leading up to this week's provincial election, it became increasingly apparent that Albertans weren't voting for platforms. By election day, the corporate tax, the energy royalties, education and health care had taken a backseat to issues of trust and accountability—the principles of democracy.

And this time, democracy finally won out. With a 53seat majority (possibly 54 after a recount happens in one riding this week) the New Democratic Party punted a 44-year Tory dynasty with gusto. This despite an election imbued with more narratives of economic crisis and fear than any in recent memory. But with each story of CEOs throwing shade on an economy under NDP rule, or of media conglomerates puppeteering local papers into pumping PC tires, the scale of the cronyism in Alberta and the desperation with which they are willing to maintain it sifted to the surface.

Such discomfort transcends both the urban/rural divide and the urban/suburban divide. It transcends class, race and ideology. The new Albertan map is awash with change from top to bottom, with only 10 blue blips remaining, mostly in the former PC stronghold of Calgary. As a result, the PCs were not only relegated to third-party status, but they were left so fragile that even their leader decided to abandon the party and leave public life. Now Alberta is left with a fresh government and a strong opposition. Democracy, once again.

So now Albertans have gifted themselves an opportunity to start anew and create a strong relationship with a government that isn't overshadowed by corporate interest. The PCs weren't wrong in pointing out the youth and inexperience of the NDPs, though this is an opportunity as much as a challenge. Right now, the majority of our MLAs owe nothing to CEOs or oil lobbyists. As Albertans, it's now our job to take advantage.

Remember, our democratic duty does not end at the polls. Keep in touch with your MLA, attend their events and lend your voice directly to them.

When they make decisions, ensure that the voices on each of their shoulders is not that of CEOs but of engaged Albertans. V

4 UP FRONT

masturbating and to suggest that, when asked by their curious children, parents define masturbation as: "touching your own genitals to make them feel good."

Now I am neither a teacher nor a parent and am getting this information exclusively from the Internet, but my God, I hope that's not all kids these days are being taught about masturbation. I like to think that queer sex includes lots of masturbation—freed from the constraints of penis + vagina = sex, we get to explore a whole constellation of lips, mouths, hands, fingers, what have you. In fact, the first queer sex I had was by myself, fantasizing about my latest girl-crush. It makes me sad when masturbation is presented as a

DYERSTRAIGHT

lesser cousin to sex, as if it weren't also sex in and of itself. Whether we are coming out at 40 or 14, masturbation lets us figure out a little bit of who we are. For all sexual people, regardless of identity, masturbation lets us figure out what feels good, ultimately making us better lovers for our partners. And let's not forget its secondary effects: first date? Big meeting? Oddly aroused by a PowerPoint presentation? Masturbation is the key to successfully navigating all of these situations.

Masturbation is also good for charity: in 1999, Good Vibrations upped the Masturbation Month ante by introducing Masturbate-a-thon, a fundraising event for charity. An annual event to this day, participants collect pledges and can masturbate at home

or publically in a live-streamed event.

While there currently aren't any Masturbate-a-thons advertised in Edmonton, nothing is stopping you from organizing your own. And if that's too much of a challenge, head down to the Traveling Tickle Trunk (owned by fellow Vue columnist Brenda Kerber) for month-long onanistic specials.

Frankly, I think queers need to take a bigger role in Masturbation Month and bring it in under our holiday umbrella. It's a gentle introduction to the hedonism of Pride, and let's be honest—if we start talking about it, it's only a matter of months before some young pop star makes a music video about it and suddenly the whole world is doing it. So what do you say? If you need me, I'll be quietly studying in my room. V

GWYNNE DYER // GWYNNE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Franchise wars

A guide to understanding terrorist groups You can't tell the players without a program, and it's no wonder that people feel confused by the plethora of names the terrorist groups use. To make matters worse they keep splitting, and sometimes they change their names just for the hell of it. So here's a guide you can stick on your wall.

In the beginning there was al-Qaeda, starting in about 1989. There were lots of other terrorist start-ups in the Arab world around the same time, but eventually almost all of them either died out or joined one of the big franchises. Al-Qaeda is the one to watch, since the success of its 2001 attacks on the United States on 9/11 put it head and shoulders above all its rivals.

When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 and foreign jihadis flocked into the Sunni Arab parts of the country to help the resistance, their leader, a Jordanian called Abu Musab al Zarqawi, sought to affiliate his organization with alQaeda to boost its appeal. In 2004 Osama bin Laden agreed to allow them to use the name al-Qaeda in Iraq, although there was little coordination between the two organizations.

It was al-Qaeda in Iraq that got the Sunni-Shia civil war going by persistently bombing Shia mosques and neighbourhoods, even though it knew that the more numerous Shia would win that war. It was profoundly cynical but strategically sound, since terrified Sunnis would then turn to Zarqawi's organization for protection.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq formally changed its name to Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) in 2006, but it didn't really begin to flourish until a new leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, took over in 2010.

Soon afterwards the Syrian civil war broke out and Baghdadi sent a Syrian member of ISI, Abu Mohammad al Golani, into Syria to organize a

branch there. It was called the Nusra Front.

The Nusra Front grew very fast—so fast that by 2013 Baghdadi decided to reunite the two branches of the organization under the new name Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). But this meant that Golani was being demoted to manager of the Syrian branch, so he declared his independence and asked to join al-Qaeda, which leaves its affiliates largely free to make their own decisions.

Al-Qaeda's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri (by now bin Laden was dead), backed the Nusra Front because he felt that creating an Islamic state, as Baghdadi intended, was premature.

Baghdadi thereupon broke relations with al-

be expanded indefinitely with no further name changes.

Soon afterwards Baghdadi declared himself caliph and therefore commander of all the world's Muslims. This was an extremely bold step, since those Muslims who hear the call of "Caliph Ibrahim" and do not submit to his authority—even fighters in other jihadi organizations like the Nusra Front and al-Qaeda— are technically "apostates" and liable to death in the eyes of those who do accept his claim.

That includes all of IS's fighters, who now have the legal right, at least in their own eyes, to kill most Sunni Muslims in addition to the Shias, Christians, Jews and assorted other unbelievers they already had the right to kill. There is a potential genocide in the making if Islamic State expands further in Syria, where easily 75 percent of the population fits into one or another of those categories.

Some jihadis in other countries, most notably Boko Haram in Nigeria, declared their allegiance to "Caliph Ibrahim" and Islamic State at once. Other stayed loyal to al-Qaeda—the Nusra Front, Al Shabaab in Somalia, and the al-Qaeda branches in Yemen, Egypt, and the Maghreb—and rejected his claim. But al-Qaeda may declare a rival caliphate once Nusra has finished conquering Idlib province and established a firmer territorial base in Syria.

So there you have it: two rival franchises competing for the loyalty of all the other jihadi organizations. There's not really much difference between them ideologically or practically, but the franchise wars will continue. I hope that helps. V

So Baghdadi dropped the "Iraq and Syria" part of the name and declared that henceforward it would just be known as Islamic State.

Qaeda, and in early 2014 the Nusra Front and ISIS went to war.

Thousands of Islamist fighters were killed, and after four months it was clear that ISIS could hold eastern Syria but could not conquer the Nusra Front in the west of the country. The two rival organizations agreed a ceasefire—and two months later, in June 2014, ISIS used its battle-hardened forces to invade Iraq.

The Iraqi army collapsed, and by July ISIS controlled the western third of Iraq. Counting its Syrian territories as well, ISIS now ruled over 10 – 12 million people, so Baghdadi dropped the "Iraq and Syria" part of the name and declared that henceforward it would just be known as Islamic State. The point of not naming it after a specific territory is that it can

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.

NEWS // ENERGY

// Charlie Biddiscombe

City council approves citizen-supported energy transition strategy in the face of changing climate

E

dmonton's city council made history on April 29, voting unanimously in favour of a citizensupported energy transition strategy that aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions, diversify the energy economy and transition towards becoming a world-class low-carbon city.

The energy transition strategy proposes an eight-year action plan to mitigate the risks of climate change, along with managing the risk of fossil fuel price volatility and scarcity, by applying environmental measures to energy use in buildings and industry, water and waste water, land use and transportation, and energy generation.

The strategy anticipates programming will cost $25 – $30 million from the municipal and provincial government from 2018 – 2021; however, by 2035 it's projected that the implemented strategy will generate a net profit of $2.5 billion in energy cost savings.

"Historically, council has been ambiguous on this issue," Mayor Don Iveson said during council's deliberation of the strategy. "But we need to send a clear signal that we intend to lead the nation in setting standards for environmental sustainability."

Ward 8 Councillor Ben Henderson echoed the mayor's call to action and vocalized the urgency for the city to approve the energy transition strategy.

"Time is our enemy here and we've lost time. Ninety-two percent of the citizen's panel accepted a low-carbon plan in Edmonton. Do we really need to send it back for more citizen engagement?" Henderson asked his fellow councillors.

Henderson was referring to the Citizens' Panel on Edmonton's Energy and Climate Challenges, an

extensive citizen engagement process organized by the Centre for Public Involvement (CPI) and the Alberta Climate Dialogue (ABCD) that brought together 56 diverse Edmontonians to discuss issues surrounding energy transition and climate change.

The outcome of a six-day deliberation in early 2013 revealed that 92 percent of panellists recommended that Edmonton strive to become a low-carbon city by the year 2050.

Fiona Cavanagh, executive director of CPI and one of the principal organizers behind the Citizens' Panel, says that critical attention was given to recruitment of the panellists, ensuring that all stakeholders, including people representing the oil-and-gas industry, were at the table.

"We recruited for attitudinal diversity," Cavanagh says. "We wanted to ensure there were people who were climate change skeptics, or those who didn't have much trust in municipal government. We wanted to ensure there was a whole range of people in the room."

Panellists were given balanced educational materials and heard from a wide range of experts on the issues to help them weigh evidence and priorities on energy transition.

Citizens dedicated more than 42 hours participating and deliberating, which Cavanagh says, "defies the notion of citizen apathy."

"The process really got [panellists] thinking through 'what is the future that we want for Edmonton in terms of energy transition?'" she explains.

It's been frustrating to see many other places bring in a policy for solar, wind and other renewables and they do so well with it.

During council's deliberation on the strategy, Dave Loken, councillor for Ward 3, spoke to the need to involve Edmonton's business community in implementation.

"Local businesses doesn't want to be disadvantaged," Loken reminded council.

In the week leading up to council's

decision, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, representing five local businesses, wrote a letter to council that outlined their desire to have a bigger voice in Edmonton's energy strategy, moving forward.

"What we are looking for are market-driven solutions," explains Janet Riopel, CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. "We wanted to make sure there would be a steering-committee that would include industry at the table."

"Since our first letter, we've held a number of meetings with administration and we feel the city will address our concerns," Riopel says, though she would not comment on details.

Randall Benson, owner of Gridworks Energy Group, a solar design and installation business, was among 42 other local businesses that signed an open letter to council, urging councillors to approve the energy strategy. As a longtime advocate for investing in renewable energy, Benson enthusiastically welcomes Edmonton's energy transition strategy, though he argues that it's been long overdue.

"It's been frustrating to see many other places bring in a policy for solar, wind and other renewables and they do so well with it," Benson

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

says. "Yet here in Alberta, we have some of the best solar and wind resources in the world—and no [policy]."

In September 2010, Edmonton initiated a pilot project for solar installation, providing financial incentives for community buy-in, allotting $100 000 for residential and $100 000 to commercial locations.

Benson recalls how the city was "inundated with applications," and within the first hour of launching the program to the public, he had emails from more than 35 Edmontonians wanting solar power systems.

"It's not a matter of interest, or a matter of supply and demand—it's a matter of political will. [With] a supportive policy, I will be able to hire and employ a lot more people," says Benson, who has already trained over 500 electricians to install solar systems.

Many of Edmonton's academics are supportive of the city's approval of the energy transition strategy, including Debra Davidson, a professor with the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology at the University of Alberta.

Over the past decade, Davidson has been studying community responses and adaptations to climate change. She contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change research, the most comprehensive assessment of climate change undertaken yet.

In 2011, Davidson served on an expert panel that helped to guide The Way We Green, an environmental strategy in Edmonton, which was a policy precursor to the energy transition strategy.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 06 >> UP FRONT 5

4

VUE 1/2 pg. vertical

FRONT THE ROUTE TO BECOMING A LOW-CARBON CITY << CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

"There was a lot of groundwork that went into the strategy, so I wasn't surprised to hear of council's outcome—though very, very pleased," Davidson says.

She stresses that climate change is already impacting Edmonton and Alberta and that there will be more changes to come down the road.

"We're already observing notable changes in global average temperatures," Davidson notes. "In Alberta, the loss of snow and ice pack will have a lot of implications for water-use, as it's our primary source of water for cities and towns.

"We will likely also see an increased frequency and intensity of extreme heat during summers, which affects cities because we're covered in concrete and cement."

An "urban heat island" (UHI) is what scientists use to describe the increased temperatures caused by a concentrated density of people, cars, buildings and industry. Studies

SUMMER CERTIFIED EARN A COMPUTER CERTIFICATE IN JUST FIVE WEEKS OR LESS This summer, heat up your computer skills and advance your career!

NAIT’s Computer Training Center’s Summer Certificate programs are accelerated, part-time courses that allow you to earn a certificate in five weeks or less.

Offering a wide range of information technology programs — from social media for business to autocad fundamentals to digital imaging — all designed to help you stay on the cutting edge.

Discover all the summer computer certificates and courses by visiting nait.ca/CTC. Classes start July 2nd.

Enrol early as classes fill up fast.

6 UP FRONT

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

show that the UHI can negatively impact air and water quality in urban areas, and often contribute to energy demands in the summer, straining resources.

Several councillors echoed Davidson's concerns about climate change in council last week, expressing the urgency to approve Edmonton's energy transition strategy.

"If we delay, we're going to be sitting here [in the future] and it will cost us more," Henderson said. "It has to be our number-one priority. We're all in this together."

The strategy will aim to reduce Edmonton's greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by 2035, setting an example for the province to get on board. In 2014, the auditor general criticized the Alberta government for failing to implement and monitor its emissions-reduction strategies.

Moving forward with the strategy's implementation, the city will form a steering committee of expert stakeholders and establish the terms of reference.

TRINA MOYLES

TRINA@VUEWEEKLY.COM

DISH

DISH EDITOR: MEL PRIESTLEY MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

FEATURE // COOKING SKILLS

T

he pain came later; for now it was just a font of blood, flowing alarmingly fast from the spot where a good chunk of my left index finger used to be.

It was the second time in as many weeks that I'd hacked off a piece of flesh whilst making dinner; it was obviously time to learn how to wield this (now, literally) bloody knife properly. This led me to Knifewear's "Cut Like a Chef" class, which the store hosts every Saturday morning.

Knifewear has been a permanent resident of Edmonton since officially opening in February 2014; the store started as a pop-up in November 2013. It is the newest addition to the Knifewear chain, which originated in Calgary about seven years ago after owner Kevin Kent decided to make his start-up business official: he had previously been importing hand-forged Japanese kitchen knives and selling them to chefs in back alleys and loading docks. It filled an immediate and essential niche, quickly growing to six locations in multiple Canadian cities (Calgary, Ottawa, Kelowna and Edmonton). Knifewear just made Alberta Venture's 2015 list of the 50 fastest-growing businesses.

For all its hype, walking into the Edmonton store is pretty low key.

You might not even realize it's a specialty knife store if you miss the few blades mounted on the wall, and instead assume it's a funky cookware store. You'd be partially right: Knifewear offers more than just its namesake blades.

"We like to think of ourselves as a record store for chefs," says Kris

Armitage. A NAIT-educated former chef who has worked in some of the city's top kitchens (Red Ox Inn, Hardware Grill), Armitage took over as manager of Edmonton's Knifewear in June 2014. In addition to offering all shapes and sizes of Japanese kitchen knives, the store also sells various kitchen gadgets ("the ones that actually work") and cookbooks, which Armitage is personally collating. A shave shop called Kent of Inglewood also comprises a separate section at the back of the store, offering specialty products ranging from straight razors and fragrances to axes and barware. The shave shop has grown into a separate store in Calgary; Armitage hopes the same will happen soon in Edmonton.

Given Armitage's culinary background, it was only natural that he would start hosting a weekly knifeskills class, which has been a regular feature at the original Calgary location since the beginning and which Armitage has been hosting in the Edmonton store since November last year.

Cut Like a Chef Class Saturdays at 9 am, $60 Knifewear, 10816 - 82 Avenue (Participants receive 10 percent off knives purchased on the day of class.)

// Meaghan Baxter

The goal of the class is simple: to help you become more comfortable and confident using a sharp knife. I admit I was hesitant to take the class; after all, I've been cooking for a long timeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I know how to use a knife, right? Sure, I happened to cut myself a couple times recently, but those were just flukes. Right?

Wrong. Much to my delighted chagrin, I learned that Knifewear's Japanese knives definitely deserve their CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 >>

// Meaghan Baxter

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAY 13, 2015

DISH 7

DISH

End-of-class snack // Meaghan Baxter

CUT LIKE A CHEF

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

The correct way to sharpen // Meaghan Baxter

IN ITS FIELD

stellar reputation—and that I certainly had many things to learn about properly handling them.

After arriving at the store for the class, Armitage helps you pick out a knife to use—whichever one feels most comfortable. Then you head over to the table in Knifewear's front window, where cutting boards and supplies are neatly arranged and an assortment of colourful vegetables await your gleaming steel.

The class proceeds through four sets of vegetables that form the basis of different dishes: mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion) for homemade stock, veggie mix for a stir fry, tabbouleh salad (tomatoes, shallots and herbs), and fennel and orange salad. Attendees take home all of the things they chop in baggies, along with a set of notes (prepared by Armitage) that contains recipes for finishing off each dish, in addition to the key principles of knife handling that you learn firsthand in class. The day I attended, Armitage finished the class with a demo on shucking oysters.

"Cooking is something that we all do, and it should be fun," Armitage says.

"Having a good tool that works just makes that chore more enjoyable."

He notes that while a large number of Knifewear's customers are professional chefs, plenty of home cooks have visited them as well; certainly these are the people who attend the knife-skills class.

"The cooks and chefs are sort of why we started, but average home cooks realize that having a good tool in the home makes a great difference, too," he notes. "People are cooking more and are interested in food more, and they've learned that good ingredients make cooking at home that much better. Having the appropriate tools to take care of those ingredients just takes it that step further."

As a veteran chef, Armitage offers a wealth of knowledge in addition to the technical aspects of chopping veggies: throughout the course of the class he taught us not only how to efficiently break down a dozen different vegetables, but also how to make

8 DISH

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

French onion soup the easy way, how to prevent onions from making you cry (too much), and that the way you cut food really does change the way it tastes—with taste tests to prove it. You might also learn some bits of gossip about Edmonton's chefs and kitchens: not only has Armitage worked in the industry for years, but he also mentioned that he can't think of a kitchen that doesn't have at least one chef who uses a Knifewear blade. (During my class, the crew from North 53 stopped by.)

You won't leave wielding a knife like a ninja—that's really not the point, anyway. But you should feel a lot more comfortable handling a sharp blade and using it correctly and safely. One of the major things you'll probably notice—and which Armitage is quick to point out—is that most of the techniques on television cooking shows are totally wrong: impractical at best and downright dangerous at worst. Smashing garlic with the flat of the blade, using a knife to scrape veggies from a cutting board into a pan, furiously clashing a knife against a sharpening steel rod? All of those are terrible rookie practices that Knifewear's cutting class will quickly discredit.

And if you're anything like the majority of Knifewear's customers, you'll probably end up leaving as a newly converted devotee of Japanese blades.

"They cut smoother and they stay sharper, longer," Armitage says. "I was immediately hooked when I got my first Japanese knife. I was mad that I'd been using Swiss steel before that, because my life suddenly became a lot easier.

"Often we see people that have a knife and they bring in a friend or relative," he continues. "They aren't necessarily coming in for another knife, but they're coming in for a cookbook or a cutting board or something like that, and they bring a friend along because they think that they should have a Japanese knife as well. Word of mouth is probably our best advertising right now, because people fall in love with our products very easily and they like to share that with others."

MEL PRIESTLEY

MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

TO THE PINT

JASON FOSTER // JASON@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Exploring Edmonton's beer history Vue's beer expert revisits the Brew Curious tour

Molson Brewery // Meaghan Baxter

Winner: Best Poutine 8720 109 Street • 780-757-7222

Track our Food Truck! @La_Poutine_

As a city that spent the better part of a decade busily bulldozing much of its history, I understand why most Edmontonians have only a vague sense of the rich heritage surrounding them. Most citizens can recognize a few iconic buildings and pioneers whose names now mark various parks, streets and neighbourhoods, but few have a real appreciation for what Edmonton was like in decades past.

So, it's unsurprising that Edmontonians have virtually no idea about Edmonton's beer history. Most will drive by the old Molson brewery and acknowledge it has been standing a long time. The oldest among us remember Carling's Bohemian Maid beer, or the quaint red terrycloth table tops at the Strathcona Tavern.

A much deeper and more interesting beer history resides just under our noses. It is history that people drive by every day without realizing it is linked to over a century of brewing in our city.

The Edmonton Heritage Council, a non-profit mandated to preserve and promote Edmonton's history, wanted to change this. A few weeks ago in mid-April, the group hosted Edmonton's inaugural Brew Curious beer history tour. It was organized as part of its ongoing Edmonton City as Museum Project. Two ETS busloads of people rode around the city, talking about the origins of beer in Edmonton and linking past and present by stopping both at iconic beer heritage locations and at today's craft breweries.

I was happy to serve as one of the tour guides for the event, as well as helping with the planning.

While I thought I knew a thing or two about Edmonton's beer past, I

learned a lot more along the way.

If you missed the event, here are a few highlights that will enable you to organize a DIY beer history tour—or at least whet your appetite for future local history events.

The most direct link between past and present is Yellowhead Brewery on 105 Street. Not only is it named after one of Edmonton's first beers, the brewery is also located in the heritage H V Shaw Building. Built in 1914, it was originally a cigar factory and spent most of its history as a warehouse. Its familiar painted signs on the south wall, advertising Nabob Tea and other products, remain to this day. The actual brewing takes place in a small annex attached to the building, but the brewery still takes pride in the heritage of its home.

The Molson plant, originally built in 1913 by William Sheppard—a central figure in Edmonton's beer history—is an iconic structure in Oliver. Few know, however, that Sheppard designed it to look like a German castle: look closely and you'll see these features. It spent a large portion of its life owned by the unfortunately named Sick's Brewing and eventually joined the Molson empire in 1958. It closed in 2007 as part of Molson's rationalization project, which saw the closure of a number of breweries in Canada around that time. Now, it is under demolition as most of it will be torn down to make way for a new retail and residential development; some bricks from the original building will be incorporated into the new structures and the original tower portion will remain standing.

Two of my favourite stops on the tour included sites that yield

no obvious clues about their beer origins. The first is located just off Walterdale Hill on a cut-through called Old Fort Hill: there sits a nondescript white building that currently houses the Edmonton Artifacts Centre. As it turns out, this is the original site of one of the city's oldest breweries: Robert Oschner built Strathcona Brewing in 1894 right there, taking advantage of an underground spring directly below. The brewery became Northwest Brewing in 1923; it was later renamed Bohemian Maid after its flagship beer when new owners Calgary Brewing and Malting took control in the 1950s. The brewery was purchased by Carling O'Keefe in 1973 and then shuttered two years later.

The second site is truly hidden in plain sight. All by itself at the foot of Grierson Hill stands a three-anda-half-storey brick building. Most assume it's an old warehouse or mill, but in fact this was William Sheppard's first brewery location before he built the pseudo-castle in Oliver. Built in 1905, it is the oldest unaltered brewery standing in Alberta. It sits vacant today; rumours suggest it will open soon as a boutique bed and breakfast.

These stories are just the tip of Edmonton's beer history iceberg.

Many other quirky characters and hidden stories lurk all around us, providing us with a rich history in which to take pride.

If the attendees' reactions are any measure, we may very well see more Brew Curious tours in the future. V Jason Foster is the creator of onbeer. org, a website devoted to news and views on beer from the prairies and beyond.

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Runner Up: Best French Fries

THANK YOU EDMONTON!!

Golden Fork Awards 2015: 1st Place Best Takeout 1st Place Best Bargain Under $10 3rd Place Best Lunchtime Grab’n’Go

Oodle Noodle Loves You 8 Locations in YEG and area Delivery 7 days a week DISH 9

DISH DISH // SOURDOUGH

Infinite loaf

Become your own bread factory with a sourdough starter On the DIY rise // Paul Blinov

I

t's a different sort of parenthood to find oneself in: like any other child-raising situation, you're responsible for meals, general health and creating a stable environment conducive to growth.

But with a sourdough starter, there are so many benefits that regular parents—who have to deal with, y'know, human kids— don't get. Like the relatively low maintenance costs, and, more importantly, an endless supply of bread, which—unless your human kid grows up to be a wicked-good baker—is pretty unlikely to just start appearing in your house otherwise. (Take that, human kids!)

It's also an easy situation to find yourself in, should you want to parent some sourdough. Simply put, it's bread that uses no added yeast, relying instead on a mix of wild yeast and bacterial cultures.

A starter is generally pretty content to maintain itself in a bubbly, wet state, as long as you feed it semi-regularly. Get one of those, and you're halfway to bread!

Which means we should probably start there.

1) Acquire a starter There's a hand-me-down lineage that seems integral to a sourdough's mythology: the idea of passing a small batch of your starter from person to person, generation to generation, so that it can flourish on beyond your fridge.

If you know someone who has a starter, you could always ask for a cup of it, and if they're the good neighbourly type, they'll deliver.

You can also buy starters, if dollars and shipping costs don't faze you.

But external sources aren't necessary, either: you can make your own sourdough starter, on your own, with a little time and the right ingredients. Blend a cup of any grain-based flour together with a little less than a cup of warm water—you want the weight of the water you're adding to be the same as the weight of the flour you're adding, as opposed to perfect proportions. You'll also want to purify/ filter your water before adding it, to make sure any added chemicals don't interfere with the bacterial culture's development.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 >>

PRESENTS

EDMONTON CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL CALGARY INTERNATIONAL BEERFEST PRESENTS

PRESENTS

PRESENTS

Y INTERNATIONAL BEERFEST

EDMONTON’S PREMIER FOOD & BEER FESTIVAL

LGARY INTERNATIONAL BEERFEST Friday, June 5 Saturday, June 6 WESTERN CANADA’S LARGEST BEER FESTIVAL

CANADA’S LARGEST BEER FESTIVAL

TERN CANADA’S LARGEST BEER FESTIVAL

BEER GEEK VIP 3 PM - 10 PM GENERAL ADMISSION 4 PM - 10 PM

BEER GEEK VIP 3 PM - 10 PM GENERAL ADMISSION 4 PM - 10 PM

EXPO CENTRE, NORTHLANDS PARK

AN

ALBERTA BEER FESTIVALS

Over 90 breweries & 400 beers to sample

Rickard’s Cooking with Beer Seminars

20 of Edmonton’s best pubs & restaurants

Brew Master Seminars hosted by Craft Beer Market

Live Music Stages

ATB Financial Beer University

PRODUCTION

* USE PROMO CODE VUE 15 FOR 15% OFF TICKETS GET TICKETS AT:

www.albertabeerfestivals.com ABBEERFESTIVALS

ECBF_VUE_HORIZ_HALFPAGE.indd 1

10 DISH

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

2015-03-23 3:36 PM

Cheers

to our fans!

THANKS FOR VOTING US • Best Beer Store • Best Wine Store • Best Spirits Store

Let’s celebrate together with these great offers!

Barrel Select

Alley Kat Variety 12 Bottles

Save $4

24.95

Blanton’s Original Single Barrel

Covet Pinot Noir

750 ml

750 ml

Save $10

Save $3

69.95

$

$

16.99

$

We reserve the right to limit quantities. While quantities last. Price Match Guarantee: we will match any advertised price. All prices exclude GST & deposit.

Image, price, vintage, ratings and availability are subject to change. Offers valid Thursday, May 7 to Sunday, May 10, 2015.

Wine & Beyond at Emerald Hills

Wine & Beyond at Windermere

Store Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10am – 10pm,

300, 7000 Emerald Drive, Sherwood Park, AB

6276 Currents Drive NW, Edmonton, AB

Friday– Saturday: 10am – 11pm

Savour the experience. | wineandbeyond.ca

Please Drink Responsibly.

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Sunday: 10am – 9pm

Wine And Beyond

DISH 11

DISH

WINNER BEST LATE NIGHT/ALL NIGHT RESTAURANT

Thanks to all our fans for voting for us as Best Late Night /All Night Restaurant.

We’re proud to be open 24 hours to satisfy Edmonton’s late night cravings.

Dark side of the loaf // Paul Blinov

INFINITE LOAF

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

BACON SLAMBURGER

Crispy hash browns, an egg cooked to order, and two bacon strips top a hand-pressed beef patty covered with Pepper Jack queso.

DENNYS.CA

Once you've made that mix, pour into a glass jar (ideally one with a rubber or wireframe seal). Store the jar in a relatively warm place, somewhere in the 20 – 25C range.

Keep the lid on, but don't make it airtight. For the next week or so, revisit the mix once a day. Toss half of the starter away each time— you're looking to double your starter every time you feed it, so some division/level management is necessary, unless you want to deal with an exponential amount of starter—and then add in another half-cup warm water and flour.

After a couple of days—maybe a week—you should start to see lots

of bubbles and the mixture will take on a beer smell. This means success!

2) Keep it alive Once you reach the bubbles ‘n' beer smell stage, you have a starter. Then, you can put the jar in the fridge—keep the lid on, but not air-tight, and slow down the feeding schedule to once a week or so. Again, the goal is to double the volume of starter each time you bake, so you'll likely have to toss some of it away, unless you're baking like a fiend. (You could also give it to friends to start their own personal loaf factories.) If a clearbrown liquid appears on the top of the starter, just pour it off; it's

harmless to the starter, though it likely means you've been adding too much water, or went too long between feedings.

The day before you plan on making bread, give the starter a feeding to make sure it's in tip-top shape, bubbly and lively, for the bake to come.

3) Start baking some loaves There are myriad sourdough recipes online. Try a bunch of 'em—you DO have a starter now, and, hell, who doesn't want the abundance of fresh bread that comes with trialand-error baking?

PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Thanks for voting us

Get creative this summer. Sign up now!

MacEwan.ca/SummerArts 12 DISH

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

780.757.8944 callysteas.com 10151 82 (Whyte) Avenue Edmonton, Alberta Open Mon – Friday: 11am to 6pm, Saturday: 10am to 6pm, Sunday: 12pm to 5pm

thank you to vue weekly’s readers and contributors for believing in

credo coffee it’s the people who build community

10134 - 104 street 10350 - 124 street www.credocoffee.ca

FAT FRANKS

20 YEARS!

SINCE 1995

THANKS FOR VOTING US BEST STREET VENDOR!

Edmonton’s Street Vendor Pioneer

22 street kitchen locations.

Whyte Ave Original Dog Haus ( open late on weekends).

All year long @ WEM Phase 3 food court. * Heads up on our new store locations with full service and draft beer - Opening this year!

www.fatfranks.ca

to find locations and other cool stuff

THANKS FOR VOTING US

#1 EDMONTON!

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

DISH 13

Vue Weekly is pleased to present the winners of the 17th-annual Golden Fork Awards.

The following are the city's finest restaurants, cuisine and drinks, as voted by our readers.

Each category is broken up into "Multiple locations" or "Indie," which denotes a restaurant with only one location.

Best Salads

Multiple locations: Joey joeyrestaurants.com Indie: Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com 2nd place: The Next Act 3rd place: Woodwork

Best Bakery

Duchess Bake Shop 10718 - 124 Street | 780.488.4999 | duchessbakeshop.com 2nd place: Bon Ton Bakery

Best Mac 'n' Cheese

The Next Act 8224 - 104 Street | 780.433.9345 | nextactpub.com 2nd place: Urban Diner 3rd place: Blue Plate Diner

Best Fried Chicken

Multiple locations: Mary Brown's marybrowns.com Indie: Meat 8216 - 104 Street | 587.520.6338 | meatfordinner.com 2nd place: North 53

Best Appetizers

Multiple locations: Cactus Club cactusclubcafe.com Indie: Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com 2nd place: Bar Bricco 3rd place: The Common

Best Soups

Multiple locations: Culina culinafamily.com Indie: Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com 2nd place: MRKT 3rd place: Zenari's

14 DISH

Best Comfort Food Best Breads

Multiple locations: Cobs cobsbread.com Indie: Bon Ton Bakery 8720 - 149 Street | 780.489.7717 | bonton.ca 2nd place: Prairie Mill Bread Co 3rd place: Dauphine Bakery and Bistro

The Sugarbowl 10922 - 88 Avenue | 780.433.8369 | thesugarbowl.org 2nd place: Urban Diner 3rd place: Meat

Best Chili

Julio's Barrio 10450 Whyte Avenue | 780.431.0774 | juliosbarrio.com

Best BBQ

Meat 8216 - 104 Street | 587.520.6338 | meatfordinner.com 2nd place: Fired Up BBQ 3rd place: Memphis Blues BBQ

Best Steaks Best Chicken Wings Multiple locations: Hudsons hudsonstaphouse.com Indie: Three Boars 8424 - 109 Street | 780.757.2600 | threeboars.ca 2nd place: Tavern On Whyte 3rd place: Central Social Hall

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAY 13, 2015

Multiple locations: The Keg kegsteakhouse.com Indie: The Marc 9940 - 106 Street | 780.429.2828 | themarc.ca 2nd place: Von's

Best Bacon

TZiN Wine and Tapas 10115 - 104 Street | 780.428.8946 | tzin.ca 2nd place: Local Omnivore

sobeysnewcastle.com

try something new smoked salmon + pear

YOU  OUR GLUTEN, AND WE  YOU!!

14253 23 AVE NW, EDMONTON, AB 780.436.0920 PRAIRIEMILLBREAD.COM

• Best Pub • Best Hamburgers PLUS ...

• Best Pre-Theatre Restaurant • Best Salads 2nd Runner Up • Best Poutine 2nd Runner Up • Best Mid Price • Best Mac N Cheese • Best Brunch 3rd Runner Up • Best When Going solo • Best Place for people watching 3rd Runner Up

Thankk

• Best BBQ • Best Fried chicken • Best comfort food 3rd Runner Up • Best Mid Price 2nd Runner Up • Best new restaurant 2nd Runner Up

for your votes!

OPEN FOR BRUNCH! Mon - Thurs 5-10, Fri 5-11 Sat 11-2 & 4-11 and Sun 11-2 & 4-10 VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

DISH 15

ROAD TRIPS WHERE TO GO? WHAT TO DO?

Your downtown diner with CREATIVE COMFORT FOOD

Home to Old Vines Restaurant Voted in the 20 Best Winery Restaurants of the World - Daily Meal Oct. 2013

BLUEPLATEDINER.CA 10145 - 104 ST. EDMONTON 780.429.0740

BREAKFAST. LUNCH. DINNER

HOT SUMMER returns on June 4th!

Edmonton’s most comprehensive guide to everything summer for 2015!

WWW.HOTSUMMERGUIDE.COM 16 DISH

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Best Seafood

Sabor 10220 - 103 Street | 780.757.1114 | sabor.ca

Best Butcher

ACME Meat Market 9531 - 76 Avenue | 780.433.1812 | acmemeatmarket.ca

2nd place: El Cortez 3rd place: Tacos La Mexicana

Best Pasta

Corso 32 10345 Jasper Avenue | 780.421.4622 | corso32.com 2nd place: Chianti's

Best African

Langano Skies 9920 Whyte Avenue | 780.432.3334 | langanoskies.com 2nd place: African Safari Restaurant

Best Ukrainian

Taste of Ukraine 516 St Albert Trail | 780.458.5444 | tasteofukraine.com 2nd place: Uncle Ed's

Best Sushi

Multiple locations: Mikado mikadorestaurant.com Indie: Maki Maki 8109 - 101 Street | 780.438.8298 | makiedmonton.com 2nd place: Izakaya Tomo 3rd place: Ichiban Sushi

Best Tapas

TZiN Wine and Tapas 10115 - 104 Street | 780.428.8946 | tzin.ca 2nd place: Bar Bricco 3rd place: Ampersand 27

Best Dim Sum

Golden Rice Bowl 5365 Gateway Blvd 780.435.3388 2nd place: Jumbo Dim Sum & Dining 3rd place: Urban China

Best Tacos

Tres Carnales 10119 - 100A Street | 780.429.0911 | trescarnales.com

Best Greek

Tie: Koutouki 10719 - 124 Street | 780.452.5383 | koutouki.ca Yiannis Taverna 10444 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6768 | yiannistaverna.ca

Best French

The Marc 9940 - 106 Street | 780.429.2828 | themarc.ca 2nd place: The Creperie

Best Italian

Corso 32 10345 Jasper Avenue | 780.421.4622 | corso32.com 2nd place: Vivo Ristorante

Best Spanish

El Rancho 11810 - 87 Street | 780.471.4930

Best Portuguese

Sabor 10220 - 103 Street | 780.757.1114 | sabor.ca

Thank You for Voting Us

BEST SUSHI Three years in a row!!!

Check out our other restaurant, Volcano!

VOLCANO, 4226 Gateway Blvd NW, Edmonton, AB

Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAY 13, 2015

MAKI MAKI, 8109 101 Street One block off Whyte Ave 780-438-8298 Hours: Sun - Thur 11am - 11pm Fri - sat 11am - 2am Every mom will receive a free flower on Mother's Day DISH 17

Best Lebanese

We’ve got loaves you’ll love and crusts you can trust!

Multiple locations: La Shish Taouk lashish.ca Indie: Sofra | 10345 - 106 Street | 780.423.3044

Best Chinese

The Lingnan 10582 - 104 Street | 780.426.3975 | thelingnan.com 2nd place: Golden Rice Bowl 3rd place: Jumbo Dim Sum Dining

Best Korean

Bul Go Gi House 8813 - 92 Street | 780.466.2330

Best Thai

OBSESSIVELY GOOD

OBSESSIVELY GOOD 8720-149 Street • bonton.ca

Multiple locations: Viphalay viphalay.com Indie: Bua Thai 10049 - 113 Street | 780.482.2277 | buathairestaurant.com 2nd place: Syphay Restaurant

Best Poutine

La Poutine 8720 - 109 Street | 780.757.7222 | la-poutine.com 2nd place: The Next Act 3rd place: Three Boars

Best French Fries

Multiple locations: New York Fries newyorkfries.com Indie: The Next Act 8224 - 104 Street | 780.433.9345 | nextactpub.com 2nd place: La Poutine

Best Japanese

Multiple locations: Mikado mikadorestaurant.com Indie: Izakaya Tomo 3739 - 99 Street | 780.440.9152 | izakayatomo.net 2nd place: Japanese Village 3rd place: Sushi Wasabi

Best Vietnamese

Thanh Thanh 10718 - 101 Street | 780.426.5068 | thanhthanh.ca

Best East Indian /Tandoori

Best Pizza

Multiple locations: Famoso famoso.ca Indie: Rosso Pizzeria 8738 - 109 Street | 780.433.5382 | pizzeriarosso109.com 2nd place: Royal Pizza

Multiple locations: New Asian Village newasianvillage.com Indie: Guru Fine Indian Cuisine 17021 - 100 Avenue | 780.484.4300 | gururestaurant.com

Best Mexican /Latin American

Tres Carnales 10119 - 100A Street | 780.429.0911 | 2nd place: Rostizado 3rd place: Three Amigos

Best Desserts

Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com 2nd place: Duchess Bake Shop

Best Sweets Shop

Duchess Bake Shop 10718 - 124 Street | 780.488.4999 | duchessbakeshop.com 2nd place: Block 1912

Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt/Gelato Best Sandwiches

Multiple locations: Press'd pressdsandwiches.ca Indie: Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com 2nd place: Farrow 3rd place: Elm Café

Multiple locations: Marble Slab Creamery marbleslab.ca Indie: Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com 2nd place: Tutti Frutti

Best Wraps

Multiple locations: Remedy remedycafe.ca Indie: Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com

Best Hamburgers

The Next Act 8224 - 104 Street | 780.433.9345 | nextactpub.com 2nd place: The Burger's Priest 3rd place: Soda Jerks

18 DISH

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Best Take Out

Multiple locations: Oodle Noodle oodlenoodle.ca Indie: Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com 2nd place: The Lingnan 3rd place: Farrow

with sincere

We a r e h o n o u r e d t o h a v e b e e n a w a r d e d Best Appetizers and Best Fine Dining by the Golden Fork Awards, hosted by Vue Weekly.

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAY 13, 2015

DISH 19

Best Food Truck Drift driftfoodtruck.ca 2nd place: Sailin' On 3rd place: Bully

Best Street Vendor

Fat Franks fatfranks.ca 2nd place: Sailin' On 3rd place: The Local Omnivore

Best Chef

Daniel Costa – Corso 32 10345 Jasper Avenue | 780.421.4622 | corso32.com 2nd place: Corey McGuire – TZiN Wine and Tapas 3rd place: Katie Cochet – The Dish Bistro

FLAVOURFULLY IMAGINED

Locally Immersed Crafted to be Different. ampersand27.com

Best Vegan

Noorish 8440 - 109 Street | 780.756.6880 | noorish.ca 2nd place: Padmanadi 3rd place: Cafe Mosaics

Best Caterer THANK YOU FOR VOTING FOR US IN

the Golden Fork Awards!

10115 104ST

|

780.428.8946

|

Elm Café 10140 - 117 Street | 780.756.3356 | elmcafe.ca 2nd place: The Dish & The Runaway Spoon 3rd place: A Capella Catering

Best Breakfast

Multiple locations: Cora chezcora.com Indie: The Sugarbowl 10922 - 88 Avenue | 780.433.8369 | thesugarbowl.org 2nd place: De Dutch 3rd place: New York Bagel Cafe

Best Fine Dining (+$25 Entrée)

Best Brunch

Best Mid Price

Best Lunchtime Grab & Go

Multiple locations: Cactus Club cactusclubcafe.com Indie: Corso 32 10345 Jasper Avenue | 780.421.4622 | corso32.com 2nd place: Hardware Grill 3rd place: RGE RD

(+/- $15 Entrée)

Multiple locations: Old Spaghetti Factory oldspaghettifactory.ca Indie: The Next Act 8224 - 104 Street | 780.433.9345 | nextactpub.com 2nd place: Meat 3rd place: Three Boars

tzin.ca

TZIN104

20 DISH

Multiple locations: Oodle Noodle oodlenoodle.ca Indie: Farrow 8422 - 109 Street | 780.757.4160 | farrowsandwiches

Red Ox Inn 9420 - 91 Street | 780.465.5727 | theredoxinn.com 2nd place: Little Brick 3rd place: Bubba's BBQ and Smoke House

Kinnikinnick Foods 10940 - 120 Street | 780.424.2900 | kinnikinnick.com

Padmanadi 10740 - 101 Street | 780.428.8899 | padmanadi.com 2nd place: Cafe Mosaics

(- $10 Entrée)

Best Hidden Gem

Best Gluten Free

Best Vegetarian

Best Bargain

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Multiple locations: Culina culinafamily.com Indie: Canteen 10522 - 124 Street | 780.485.6125 | canteenyeg.ca 2nd place: Daravara 3rd place: The Next Act

Multiple locations: Oodle Noodle oodlenoodle.ca Indie: Farrow 8422 - 109 Street | 780.757.4160 | farrowsandwiches.ca 2nd place: Elm Café

Best Pre-Theatre Dining The Next Act 8224 - 104 Street | 780.433.9345 | nextactpub.com 2nd place: Woodwork 3rd place: Bar Bricco

Best Authentic Chinese Food in Town!

Head Chef has 40 years of Experience!

Best Late Night/All Night Multiple locations: Denny's dennys.com Indie: North 53 10240 - 124 Street | 587.524.5353 | north53.com 2nd place: Steel Wheels Pizzeria 3rd place: All Happy Family Restaurant

Thank you Edmonton for Voting us

Best Dim Sum in the 2015 GFA!!

• • • • •

Dim Sum Dinner Corporate Events Weddings Special Celebrations

5365 Gateway Boulevard NW Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Phone: (780) 435-3388 • goldenricebowl.ca

Best Coffee Shop

Multiple locations: Credo credocoffee.ca Indie: Block 1912 10361 Whyte Avenue | 780.433.6575 | block1912.com 2nd place: Farrow 3rd place: Iconoclast Koffiehuis

Best Tea Shop

Multiple locations: David's Tea davidstea.com Indie: Cally's Teas 10151 Whyte Avenue | 780.757.8944 2nd place: The Tea Girl 3rd place: Steeps

Best Coffee Roasters Transcend transcendcoffee.ca 2nd place: Iconoclast Koffiehuis 3rd place: District Coffee Co

july 16 - 25, 2015 CHURCHILL SQUARE

thank

you

for naming Taste of Edmonton the Top Food Festival in #yeg 2 years in a row!

Congratulations to all 2015 Golden Fork winners! Looking forward to seeing the winners of burger, bacon, seafood, sandwich, pasta, and dessert compete at the Canadian Food Championships!

TASTEOFEDM.CA VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

DISH 21

PRESENTS THE

" Ä? * When it comes to what to see, what to bring and what to wear to some of the best festivals in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, we have you covered.

Plus comprehensive listings of Festival City and areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seasonal offerings!

< Ă + MKÄ?

NOW OPEN

Best Pub

Multiple locations: Sherlock Holmes sherlockshospitality.com Indie: The Next Act 8224 - 104 Street | 780.433.9345 | nextactpub.com 2nd place: The Black Dog Freehouse 3rd place: Tavern On Whyte

Bar Bricco 10347 Jasper Avenue | 780.424.5588 | barbricco.com 2nd place: Rosso Pizzeria 3rd place: Hardware Grill

Best Canadian Wine Quail's Gate quailsgate.com

Best Wine Bar

TZiN Wine and Tapas 10115 -104 Street | 780.428.8946 | tzin.ca 2nd place: Bar Bricco 3rd place: The Wine Room

Best Cocktails

Multiple locations: Earls earls.ca Indie: Woodwork 10132 - 100 Street | 780.757.4100 | woodworkyeg.com 2nd place: North 53 3rd place: The Bothy

Best Wine List (Glass)

TZiN Wine and Tapas 10115-104 Street | 780.428.8946 | tzin.ca 2nd place: Bibo Wine Bar 3rd place: Bar Bricco

780-569-1779 12ACRES.CA PUTTING ST. ALBERT ON THE MAP FOR PASTURE TO PLATE DINING 8 MISSION AVE, ST. ALBERT, AB T8N 1H4 22 DISH

Best Wine List (Bottle)

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAY 13, 2015

Best Beer List (Tap)

Tie: Craft Beer Market 10013 - 101A Avenue | 780.424.2337 | craftbeermarket.ca Beer Revolution 11736 - 104 Avenue | 780.430.4677 | beerrevolution.ca 2nd place: The Sugarbowl 3rd place: The Underground Tap & Grill

Best Beer List (Bottle)

Multiple locations: Craft Beer Market craftbeermarket.ca Indie: The Sugarbowl 10922 - 88 Avenue | 780.433.8369 | thesugarbowl.org 2nd place: Three Boars 3rd place: The Underground Tap & Grill

Best Local(ish) Brewery

Alley Kat Brewing Company 9929 - 60 Avenue | 780.436.8922 | alleykatbeer.com 2nd place: Yellowhead Brewery 3rd place: Big Rock Brewery

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

DISH 23

Thanks Edmonton for voting us

Best Chinese & Runner Up, best take out

Edmonton's Oldest operating Chinese Restaurant.

Celebrating 68 years serving Edmontonians!

Best New Restaurant

Rostizado #102, 10359 - 104 Street | 780.761.0911 | rostizado.com 2nd place: Meat 3rd place: Ampersand 27

Best Date-Night Restaurant

Multiple locations: The Melting Pot meltingpot.com Indie: The Marc 9940 - 106 Street | 780.429.2828 | themarc.ca 2nd place (tie): Corso 32 & North 53

Most Innovative Menu e Lingnan circa 1942

www.elingnan.com

Three Boars 8424 - 109 Street | 780.757.2600 | threeboars.ca 2nd place: North 53 3rd place: RGE RD

Thank you to everyone who voted for us this year! We are honoured and humbled to receive the 2015 Golden Fork Awards for:

WOODWORK

10132 - 100 Street wood-fired & barrel-aged

BEST COFFEE SHOP BEST DESSERTS

BEST ICE CREAM

BEST SANDWICHES

SOUPS SALADS WRAPS APPETIZERS TAKE OUT

Congratulations to the winners and everyone in the food scene constantly pushing to advance Edmonton’s food culture year after year.

10361 - Whyte Avenue

24 DISH

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

GOLDEN FORK WINNER

BEST BEER LIST, BOTTLE BEST BREAKFAST BEST COMFORT FOOD

2ND RUNNER UP

BEST BEER LIST, TAP thank you, Edmonton!

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

DISH 25

Sun- Fri 9-9 Saturday 8-9

blushlane.com

780-988-5655

Most Surprising Dish In The City

Veggie Burger at The Burger's Priest 10148-109 Street 780.760.0777 | theburgerspriest.com 2nd place: Popcorn Chicken at North 53 3rd place: Smoked Meat Sandwich at Baba Finkelsteins

Best When Going Solo 8135-102 St. NW - Old Strathcona Organic Produce, Meat & Dairy Organic & Natural Grocery Vegetarian, Vegan & Gluten Free Foods Artisan Cheeses, Deli & Bakery

Multiple locations: Remedy remedycafe.ca Indie: The Next Act 8224 - 104 Street | 780.433.9345 | nextactpub.com 2nd place: Dovetail Delicatessen 3rd place: Chai Island Tea Co

Best All You Can Eat

Tie: New Asian Village newasianvillage.com (Multiple locations) Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse 9929 - 109 Street | 780.756.7030 | pampasteakhouse.com 2nd place: Sushi Garden 3rd place: Kitchen Buffet & Bistro

Best Service

The Marc 9940 - 106 Street | 780.429.2828 | themarc.ca 2nd place: Corso 32 3rd place: Sabor

Best Bartending

The Buckingham 10439 Whyte Avenue | 780.761.1002 2nd place: El Cortez 3rd place: Three Boars

Best Patio

Multiple locations: The Pint thepint.ca Indie: The Black Dog Freehouse 10425 - 82 Avenue | 780.439.1082 | theblackdog.ca 2nd place: Chai Island Tea Co

Proud to be part of the LOCAL ORGANIC FOOD MOVEMENT

THANK YOU for YOUR SUPPORT!

26 DISH

Best Hotel Restaurant

Multiple locations: Harvest Room – Hotel Macdonald fairmont.com/macdonald-edmonton/dining/harvestroom Indie: Wildflower Grill - Matrix Hotel 10009 - 107 Street

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

| 780.990.1938 | wildfloweredmonton.com 2nd place: 4404 – Delta Edmonton South 3rd place: Madison's Grill - Union Bank Inn

Best For People Watching

Multiple locations: Julio's Barrio juliosbarrio.com Indie: Tiramisu Bistro 10750 - 124 Street | 780.452.3393 | tiramisubistro.ca 2nd place: Ampersand 27 3rd place: The Next Act

Best Interior Design

Multiple locations: Famoso famoso.ca Indie: Ampersand 27 10612 - 82 Avenue | 780.757.2727 | ampersand27.com 2nd place: El Cortez 3rd place: Duchess Bake Shop

Best Atmosphere

Multiple locations: The Bothy thebothy.ca Indie: Canteen 10522 - 124 Street | 780.485.6125 | canteenyeg.com 2nd place: Lock Stock 3rd place: North 53

Most Kid Friendly The Keg kegsteakhouse.com 2nd place: Three Boars

Best Cookware Store

Knifewear 10814 Whyte Avenue | 587.521.2034 | shop.knifewear.com/edmonton 2nd place: Williams-Sonoma 3rd place: Paderno

Best Grocery/Market

Italian Centre Shop italiancentre.ca 2nd place: Earth's General Store 3rd place: Mother's Market

Ampersand 27

Maki Maki

2nd Place: Best Interior Design, Best Place for People-Watching 3rd Place: Best Tapas, Best New Restaurant

Winner: Best Sushi

The Black Dog Freehouse

MEAT

2nd Place: Best Pub, Best Patio

Block 1912 Winner: Best Appetizers, Best Soups, Best Salads, Best Sandwiches, Best Wraps, Best Desserts 2nd Place: Best Sweets Shop, Best Takeout, Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt/Gelato, Best Coffee Shop

Blush Lane Organic Market 2nd Place: Best Organic Grocery

The Buckingham Winner: Best Bartending

Cafe Mosaics 2nd Place: Best Vegetarian 3rd Place: Best Vegan

Cally’s Teas Winner: Best Tea Shop

Cha Island Tea Co.

golden fork awards

2nd Place: Best Patio 3rd Place: Best When Going Solo

Chianti Cafe & Restaurant 2nd Place: Best Pasta

David’s Tea Winner: Best Tea Shop

2015

El Cortez 2nd Place: Best Bartending, Best Tacos, Best Interior Design

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria Winner: Best Pizza, Best Interior Design

Over 35 of Edmonton’s best culinary products, ingredients and dining experiences can be found in Old Strathcona.

Fat Franks

3rd Place: Best Breakfast Winner: Best BBQ, Best Fried Chicken 2nd Place: Best Mid-Price 3rd Place: Best Comfort Food

The Next Act Pub Winner: Best Hamburgers, Best French Fries, Best Mid-Price, Best Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Best Pub, Best Pre-theatre Dining 2nd Place: Best Poutine 3rd Place: Best Brunch, Best Place for People-Watching

Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market Winner: Best Farmers’ Market

Oodle Noodle Winner: Best Takeout, Best Bargain 3rd Place: Best Lunchtime Grab & Go

The Pint Winner: Best Patio

Planet Organic Winner: Best Organic Grocery

Press’d Sandwiches Winner: Best Sandwiches

Remedy Winner: Best Wraps, Best When Going Solo

Royal Pizza 2nd Place: Best Pizza

Steel Wheels Rock & Roll Pizzeria 2nd Place: Best Late-Night/All-Night

Winner: Best Street Vendor

Tacos La Mexicana

Hudsons Canadian Tap House

Tavern on Whyte

Winner: Best Chicken Wings

Congratulations to all the winners!

New York Bagel Cafe

Julio’s Barrio

3rd Place: Best Tacos 2nd Place: Best Chicken Wings 3rd Place: Best Pub

Winner: Best Chili, Best Place For People-Watching

Tops Liquor Store

The Keg Steakhouse + Bar

Tutti Frutti

3rd Place: Best Beer Store

Winner: Best Steaks, Most Kid-Friendly

2nd Place: Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt/Gelato

Knifewear

Vons Steak House & Oyster Bar

Winner: Best Cookware Store

Langano Skies Winner: Best African

2nd Place: Best Steaks

Yiannis Taverna Winner: Best Greek

OldStrathcona.ca /oldstrathcona

@oldstrathcona

@oldstrathcona

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

DISH 27

Best Beer Store

Multiple locations: Wine and Beyond wineandbeyond.ca Indie: Sherbrooke Liquor 11819 St Albert Trail | 780.455.4556 | sherbrookeliquor.com 2nd place: Keg n Cork Liquor Company 3rd place: Tops Liquor Store

Best Spirits Store

Multiple locations: Wine and Beyond wineandbeyond.ca Indie: Chateau Louis Liquor Store 11727 Kingsway | 780.452.2337 | chateaulouis.com 2nd place: Sherbrooke Liquor 3rd place: Vines – Riverbend Wine Merchants

Best Farmers' Market

Old Strathcona Farmers' Market 10310 - 83 Avenue | 780.439.1844 | osfm.ca 2nd place: City Market Downtown 3rd place: Mother's Market

Best Organic Grocery

Planet Organic planetorganic.ca 2nd place: Blush Lane Organic Market 3rd place: Earth's General Store

Best Wine Store

Multiple locations: Wine and Beyond wineandbeyond.ca Indie: deVine Wines & Spirits 10111 - 104 Street | 780.421.9463 | devinewines.ca 2nd place: Color de Vino 3rd place: Vines – Riverbend Wine Merchants

Best Cheese Shoppe

The Cavern 10169 - 104 Street | 780.455.1336 | thecavern.ca 2nd place: Paddy's International Cheese Market 3rd place: The Cheese Factory

Enjoy a Taste of the Past 28 DISH

Best Food Festival/Event Taste of Edmonton tasteofedm.ca 2nd place: Heritage Festival 3rd place: What The Truck?!

Best Beverage Festival /Tasting

Edmonton's International Beerfest internationalbeerfest.com 2nd place: Edmonton Craft Beer Festival

Available now on VUE racks all around Edmonton and in select Sobey’s, Safeways and Mac’s Stores

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

DISH 29

PREVUE // THEATRE

ARTS

VUEWEEKLY.com/ARTS ARTS EDITOR: PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Thu, May 7 – Sun, May 17 (8 pm; 2 pm matinee on Sundays)

Nextfest rises from the ashes to turn 20 with a pair of pre-festival remounts

B

eth Dart says that scrawled on the door of a women's bathroom stall in Mercer Tavern are these words: "If you burn it down, we'll build it back up."

The statement could be talking about Nextfest, the annual Edmonton celebration of emerging artists that's turning 20 this year. With a sizeable chunk of performances traditionally housed in the Roxy Theatre, organizers watched their treasured venue gutted by flames on a cold January morning this year. Their backup venue? Yeah, that was the Artery— closed on March 31 after the city deemed it unsafe.

Fatal blows? Hardly, say Dart and Andrew Ritchie. The two young Edmonton theatre artists are sitting in the lobby of the Mercury Theatre, an offshoot of the recently opened music venue and restaurant the Mercury Room. The sound of banging hammers echo and a toilet sits orphaned next to old couches as designers ready the space for two plays.

Ritchie and Dart are both directing shows from the Nextfest canon as a way to celebrate the anniversary.

Nextfest 20th Anniversary Showcase

Mercury Theatre, $13 – $20

Ritchie—who also does improv with Rapid Fire Theatre, acts, runs the site-specific Thou Art Here Theatre as well as the Found Festival—is directing Rosemary Rowe's 1998 Nextfest production No One Showed Up to the Anarchist Rally. The equally busy Dart—who runs a theatre and production company with her sister Megan called Catch the Keys, along with working as a freelance director, lighting and stage designer and producer—will be tackling Leah-Simone Bowen's 2001 work Code Word: Time.

But, as evidenced by the frantic set construction around us as we chat, it was far from certain that Nextfest would have the space to host these plays.

"We went on a couple wild goose chases for this project, and luckily this space was available," Dart says.

"But something I've talked about a lot with the loss of the Roxy and the Artery is that community isn't contained within walls—we've lost the buildings but we haven't lost the community. And we're resilient as fuck. We're going to find places."

The showcase is a little taste for audiences before Nextfest proper kicks into gear in June. Festival producer and creator Bradley Moss tapped the two local directors, tasking them with picking a play they'd like to recreate for Edmonton audiences. That's no small task: Dart and Ritchie sifted through stacks of plays launched during the two decades of the festival.

Ritchie picked Anarchist Rally because it seemed to be quintessentially "Nextfest-y." The play is a roommate comedy contained in a dank apartment shared by three young women. The trio try to forge their political, artistic and sexual identities in a way that, Ritchie says, is real and very funny.

"It's the undergrad experience," he explains. "I feel like the heart and the biggest passion in Nextfest comes from the people in their 20s: people who are in the middle of degrees or just graduating. It's about being 20 and being in fucked-up crazy places, and being so passionate about something and not even knowing why. I saw myself in these characters."

Dart says the first time she read the

Code Word: Time // Mat Simpson

script for Code Word: Time she felt "really angry at it." That forced her to revisit it, and she realized it had stuck out for a reason. She was reluctant to describe the play, saying excess exposition would spoil the work's surprises.

But she did say the dark comedy very presciently examines today's hyper-connected social media landscape.

"It's super relevant," Dart says. "I feel like Leah-Simone Bowen was looking into the future more so than commenting on 2001, in a lot of ways."

They say both works hold up well to the test of time, besides having to update some references—"we had to update the script after Leonard Nimoy died," Dart says—and song choices.

"Sorry, Alanis," Ritchie laughs.

In many ways, this project is a departure for both artists. Lately, Ritchie has been re-interpreting Shakespeare and staging the works in found venues, like his recent production of The Falstaff Project at the Artery. And Dart has only ever worked on new scripts, where she can sit down with

Mother Love An oral and visual storytelling

The Carrot

9351 - 118 Ave May 10 and 17, 2015 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm Open to the general public, with adults as target audience

the writer and they produce the piece together.

Ritchie says it's positive that these works are getting dusted off and restaged.

"We hardly ever reproduce plays like that—many young playwrights get their work produced once and it never does anything else," he says.

"I think it's cool to give a play more time to breathe, to find its feet. I had one teacher say that, for him, when he creates a show, it takes 100 performances before you really find the show. We don't get the opportunities to do that due to the nature of theatre in North America."

Nextfest started 20 years ago as a way to showcase emerging Edmonton talent—not only in theatre, but in music, film and visual art. That inclusive spirit has been a very positive force in the local arts community, says Ritchie.

Both he and Dart first got involved Nextfest back in 2007 when they were arts students: Ritchie as an actor and Dart as a stage manager. Their invovlement in the festival grew quickly: Ritchie vaulted from small roles in plays to directing—and now he mentors high school students, paying it forward to the next generation.

Dart is known as the "Über-Mistress" of Nextfest's NiteClubs, where she wrangles theatre performers, dancers, musicians, film and visual artists to make genre-melting performance parties.

"Best parties ever," Ritchie laughs, adding he's been tapped to perform in drag, "crazy" movement pieces, improv and clown at these shindigs.

Ritchie and Dart's energy is evidence that Nextfest won't be felled by losing one, or even two, treasured venues. It's too important for Edmonton artists, Dart says.

"It's a jumping-off point for a lot of professional artists' careers in this city," she says. "It's an opportunity for them to first really work in a professional atmosphere. And this project specifically, the Nextfest 20th-anniversary showcase, you look back at the cast lists of who was in it previously and it's some of the best theatre creators in our city now."

JOSH MARCELLIN

For further info go to dragonflyphotography.ca

30 ARTS

REVIEWS FROM THE SUBURBAN MOTEL SERIES, ONLINE AT VUEWEEKLY.COM

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

PREVUE // DANCE

La Bayadère Fri, May 8 & Sat, May 9 (7:30 pm) Jubilee Auditorium, $29 – $95

© Michael Neugebauer

Dance, deities and doom—just another night at the ballet // Amitava Sarkar

Y

ou can thank La Bayadère for one of classical ballet's most iconic images: a flock of dancers, all clad in short, elegant tutus. The image stems from a moment in the show—the aptly titled White Act— but we now simply associate it with the art form writ large.

Before La Bayadère, "it was the longer skirts," Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch explains. "The romantic tutu, like Giselle: skirts that go all the way down to the calf or the knee. And they had tutus before slowly coming up [before La Bayadère], but they never had 24 women collectively being an ensemble."

Still, it was for reasons other than historic ballet fashion that Welch programmed the show for his company, which is now touring through Alberta courtesy of Alberta Ballet.

Created in 1877 by choreographic legend Marius Petipa, La Bayadère features a level of spectacle that's rarely seen here, even in ballet. The cast is more than 50 strong—the entire Houston corps is out on this tour—with some additional character performers and children, as well as the ESO playing the score live.

Plus, um, live snakes.

In terms of its dance, Welch notes that La Bayadère offers a difficulty in its steps that's nearly unparalleled, even a century after its creation.

"It's still one of the hardest things you could get up and dance," Welch says, over the phone from Calgary, where the company's just finished a run. "I knew that it would make our company stronger, and I thought our audiences would love the White Act especially, and if I could make the

other acts entertaining and fastpaced and theatrical, that I thought the show would be really popular."

To do that, Welch turned to Bollywood, colouring La Bayadère's tale of deities and doomed, eternal lovers with ideas drawn from that cultural style.

"The story is very high camp, high drama," he explains. "It has lots of those schizophrenic ballet moments, where somebody's suddenly in love and then suddenly not in love. I use the reference to Bollywood in a sort of a way that in the West I would call a soap opera ballet, a Days of Our Lives kind of thing, because Bollywood acting is very larger than life. It's very theatrical."

PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Learn how to create work that lives outside of a traditional performance space in

Found Space Performance Workshop Sunday, May 31, 2015 | 10am-6pm

An Evening with Dr. Jane Goodall PhD, DBE Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace

Wednesday September 9, 2015 Winspear Centre, Edmonton In support of the Ilsa Mae Research Fund at Muscular Dystrophy Canada and the

Tickets starting at $41 on sale now at the Winspear Box Office or www.winspearcentre.com presented by

ATB Financial Arts Barns Presented by: Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre Enrollment Fee: $52.50 (GST Included)

For more information and to enroll visit www.fringetheatre.ca!

780-409-1910 FRINGETHEATRE.CA VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

© the Jane Goodall Institute ARTS 31

ARTS PREVUE // DANCE

frost flowers/arctic death machine Y

ou might think that a doomed voyage through the Arctic wouldn't be rich fodder for dance—but you haven't met Nancy Sandercock.

The Edmonton-based artist is the creative force behind frost flowers/arctic death machine, a multidisciplinary artistic treatment of the wrecked 1845 Franklin expedition. Far from a solo effort, the new work is a collaboration with the Brian Webb Dance Company and with sculptors, videographers and composers.

The Franklin expedition—the disastrous attempt by Englishman Sir John Franklin to cross the Northwest Passage, resulting in two lost ships and all 128 men on board dying—has long held a space in Sandercock's imagination.

"There's a lot about it," she says over the phone from her rehearsal space.

"It's the overlapping stories of the erased history of indigenous people.

There's the idea of people trying to consume the north. And then there are the amazing qualities of the nature up there. The long, long endless

nights or days. And there were supposed to be a lot of people who succumbed to lead poisoning, so there were hallucinations going on."

She argues that life in the far north and dance are similar in many ways.

"Like with frost flowers," Sandercock explains. "These flower-like formations bloom on the ocean. Once the sun rises, it disappears. It's ephemeral, like dance: there's only a Thu, May 7 – Sat, May 9 (8 pm) memory once Timms Centre, $27 it's over."

Channeling northern waters

How to capture all of those visual, physical, historical and emotional ideas? Sandercock says she's been rounding up collaborators to tell this story for the past two years. A musician and dancer, Sandercock will be performing movement with Brian Webb—whom she met when she was a dance student at Grant MacEwan— and others including her friend and This Hour Has 22 Minutes star Susan Kent.

She says it will be part installation art, with projections created by film-

REVUE // THEATRE

riters must ultimately be tellers of truth," opines Sylvia Sharp in an early scene of Becoming Sharp.

The irony, of course, is that novelists don't report facts—they fabricate. Played by Linda Grass, she's the world's most famous mystery author, writing under the Sharp pseudonym.

The best-selling, work-weary author invites a young ingénue (Jenna DykesBusby) to secretly ghostwrite her latest novel. The deal soon disintegrates, hastened along by the creepy housekeeper (Liana Shannon) who has her own agenda.

The fast-paced drama plays out in the posh library of an old country mansion. Instead of walls, there are giant sheets of paper whose typed letters are soaked in blood. A portrait of Sally Keen, the play's Nancy Drew surrogate, hangs centre stage. David

32 ARTS

JOSH MARCELLIN

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

The plot sharpens // Mat Busby photography

Becoming Sharp 'W

maker Kyle Armstrong, interactive and static sculpture by Blair Brennan and soundscapes by Dave Wall.

"I felt that by using a lot of different media, it has the possibility to enrich the viewers' experience—and enrich the performers' collaborative experience," Sandercock says. "I wanted to take the hierarchy out of the performer and the space. I wanted to allow the materiality to have a voice and become a performer itself."

Belke's set design is eye-catching and beautiful, as are Lisa Hancharek's costumes. The three women wear wonderfully anachronistic garments, from a Mrs Peacock-esque blue skirt suit to an aggressively bland tartan skirt. The only odd choice is Shannon's clunky wig, which proves super distracting as words turn to action.

The script has some hilarious exchanges between the three women, highlighting their extremely divergent personalities. The dialogue is peppered with smart literary allusions to iconic female writers, from the Brontës to Margaret Mitchell to Agatha Christie.

In short, the set design is excellent.

The costumes are gorgeous. The writing is clever. But somehow, despite all its charms, Becoming Sharp falls flat.

For a play so concerned with truth,

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Until Sun, May 17 (7:30 pm; 2 pm Sunday matinees) Directed by John Hudson Backstage Theatre, $16 – $27 there is a pervasive fakeness to it all: the show never seems sure if it wants to be self-aware farce or serious mystery. Grass hams it up with an affected accent, overacting spectacularly.

Dykes-Busby and Shannon are both more understated, the former reacting to her circumstances with wideeyed naiveté and the latter scowling her way around the stage. The show's second act twists and turns only muddle things further, swinging wildly between goofy and grim.

Becoming Sharp describes itself as a comic thriller, but by failing to fully commit to either campy comedy or dark drama, it's short on laughs and low on shivers.

BRUCE CINNAMON

BRUCE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

REVUE // THEATRE

NORTHERN LIGHT THEATRE PRESENTS

Christina Philippe by per brask Broadway-sized felt-and-foam // Ian Jackson, Epic Photography

I HAVE A WOMAN’S SOUL AND A MAN’S BODY AND FOR YOU IT’S VICE VERSA - PHILIPPE

Avenue Q 'T

his is real life," Princeton, a puppet tells us early into Avenue Q, the words arriving with the awe-dripping force of an epiphany.

The sentiment doesn't last long: the recent grad, armed with his BA in English, has rolled up to a ratty building in New York, drawn by cheap rent and the idea that he's going be one of the special people who changes the world. If he can just figure out his purpose, that is. Mingling in with the building's other residents—the romantic Kate Monster, Ernie-and-Bert-like roomies Rod and Nicky, wanna-be comedian Brian and his therapist wife Christmas Eve, porn-loving Trekkie Monster and building superintendnet Gary Coleman—he tries to sort that out.

At its heart, Avenue Q is a show about dreams like Princeton's: how we all have them, how the crush of reality tempers them pretty quickly once you're out into the real world, how we have to learn to settle, even just a little, as we go. But it's that duality, between expectation and real life, between puppets and people, between Sesame Street style and adult sense of humour, that makes Avenue Q work so well:

here to close out the Citadel sea- Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut. son, seeing a 20-something's misery Elizabeth Stepkowski-Tarhan too, play out is a singing, playful joy. who appears to have a hand in ev(There's a song on that very matter, ery puppet, and seems indispensable to the show's flow. Saccha Dennis's actually, called "Schadenfreude.")

Directed by Dayna Tekatch, (last Gary Coleman is a show-stealer, her here for The Penelopiad), who keeps crisp comic sensibility full of gesture as the former child the musical star turned building rolling at a Until Sun, May 24 (7:30 pm; super. clip, Avenue 1:30 pm Sun matinees) If you're already Q injects its Directed by Dayna Tekatch well-versed in the Q c h i l d r e n ' s Citadel Theatre, $30 – $99.75 show premise soundtrack, there's still so much rich detail with a healthy rush of bawdiness. There are songs here to take in the show's foam-andabout the snap judgments we make flesh form: you get the fuller sense ("Everyone's a Little Bit Racist"), of the Bad Idea Bears, or this producthe true purpose of the Internet tion's excellent use of projection, like ("The Internet Is for Porn") and the the nightmarish hellscape Princeton soundtrack to an, um, particularly sees on his building when the word involved puppet sex scene ("You "Purpose" rearranges itself into "ProCan Be as Loud as the Hell You pose."

In putting its characters through a Want When You're Makin' Love"). very modern ringer, Avenue Q comes The puppetry is skillfully handled out as a delight: it's a Broadway muby the cast, who frequently trade sical with excellent chops, a ribald who's manipulating what felts: An- sense of humour, and yet it still mandrew MacDonald-Smith covers naive ages to find sweetness in its tale of protagonist Princeton and closeted trying to find your path in life, even republican Rod, giving both a snappy when it doesn't play out with the ease comic sensibility despite their dispa- that you thought it would. rate personalities; the same goes for PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM Rachel Bowron, who handles both VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

STARRING KRISTI HANSEN AS QUEEN CHRISTINA OF SWEDEN

& TREVOR SCHMIDT AS PHILIPPE I, DUC D’ORLEANS

‘IMPROVEMENT’ IS THE WRONG WORD. A MISLEADING WORD. IT MAKES ME SOUND AS IF I MIGHT SLIGHTLY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH WHO I AM. I DON’T -CHRISTINA

APRIL 30 – MAY 9, 2015

WESTBURY THEATRE, ATB FINANCIAL ARTS BARNS, 10330 84 AVE PRESENTED AS PART OF THE FRINGE THEATRE ADVENTURES’ ARTS AT THE BARNS SERIES

FOR TICKETS CALL 780-409-1910 OR VISIT WWW.FRINGETHEATREADVENTURES.CA W W W. N O RT H E R N L I G H T T H E AT R E . CO M

ARTS 33

ARTS PREVUE // THEATRE

Mote 'W

hen I watched Psycho as a teenager, I really intensely identified with Marion Crane," José Teodoro recalls. "I was seduced by her: kind of in love with her, kind of wanted to be her."

Yet in spite of that resonance—or maybe because of it—Teodoro realized, years on, that he'd misread Crane's intentions within the Hitchcock classic.

"I'd always made a fundamental mistake in the trajectory of the story," he notes. "I always thought that Marion Crane steals the money and is going off to be by herself; to disappear.

To start a new life and new identity, everything."

His new play Mote, seeing a workshop run in town with Blarney Productions, extrapolates from that error. The Toronto-based playwright and film critic—who, full disclosure, contributes reviews to Vue Weekly—used his original read on Psycho as a "what if?" departure point, reappropriating the film's characters and nascent ideas, but tilting the story away from the psychological thriller it's known to be—through his alternate lens, it's something a little more complex, meta and haunted by a desire to disappear.

MAY 8–9

In reimagining the film's direction, he wasn't looking to just recontextualize its iconic moments. The shower scene, the ree! ree! ree! ree!

Not your mother's Psycho // Mat Simpson

Fri, May 8 – Sun, May 17 (7:30 pm; 1:30 pm Saturday matinees) Directed by Wayne Paquette La Cite Francophone, $15 – $22 strings, the blood in the drain, don't crop up in Mote—"That's exactly the kind of the stuff I was trying to avoid," he says.

Instead, the production's eight-strong cast work through an alternate fork in the road, drawing on the era's budding feminism, Teodoro's reads on the characters as well as the actors that played them But even as a more radical, revisionist look at the film, Psycho's familiarity to most of us made it an ideal departure point.

"It's so iconic; everybody knows it, even if they've never seen it," Teodoro says. "I liked that idea—I liked that pliability.”

PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

56 dancers REVUE // THEATRE

Christina / Philippe

Lavish sets Live music by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

A

A once-in-a-lifetime dance event

PRODUCTION SPONSOR

PRODUCTION SPONSOR

W W W. A L B E RTA B A L L E T. C O M HOUSTON BALLET’S JIM NOWAKOWSKI | PHOTO BY AMITAVA SARKAR

34 ARTS

s you enter the Westbury Theatre—as you choose which side of alleyway seating that brackets its runway set complete with chandeliers—the two principle figures of Christina / Philippe are already onstage, wandering about, shooting you looks. One's adorned in muskateer-ish duds, looking set to engage in some sort of swashbuckling derring-do; the other sports a court-princess dress and an elegant fan for the heat. But actually placing the two—which is Christina? Philippe?—proves more complicated. The one in the dress sports a tighly trimmed beard (Trevor Schmidt), while the one in the musketeer-ish costume (Kristi Hansen) sports just as much makeup.

And it's that non-binary sentiment that guides Christina / Philippe, NLT's season ender in a season of gender-based discussions through theatre. The show's anchored by a very brief script Schmidt found, an imagined conversation between Christina, Queen of Sweden and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans that playwright Per Brask agreed to expand from the fragment for this production.

This is, it quickly becomes apparent, meta theatre. One of the first things we hear is a voiceover of Schmidt discussing what, exactly, the structure of the show is. Much like in its subject matter, which seeks to break down conventional thoughts of gender paradigms, Schmidt—who also directs—has done away with lots of theatrical conventions to present something more layered and complex. Christina / Philippe is capable of splitting into comment and conversation about itself when need be, as well as drawing on supplemental content: we hear myriad interview excerpts of people discussing gender, from

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Until Sat, May 9 (7:30 pm; 11:30 pm on Fri, May 8) Directed by Trevor Schmidt ATB Financial Arts Barns, $18.50 – $30.50 epiphanies they had about their own identity to moments when they realized how rigidly (and falsely) the world categorizes it. There are recordings of Hansen and Schmidt discussing the script, too, what to do with particularly difficult sequences, or, in one hilarious case, a particularly troublesome line of dialogue.

That supplemental content and meta layering mark out the show's greatest strengths; curiously, it's the spinal narrative, of the two title figures, that proves the weakest component, namely because it there feel like enough of it.

Brevity prevents much in the way of depth coming through: the duo pose questions to each other, threaten each other, debate the merits of what a relationship between the two of them would be, but it feels abridged. There are songs too, courtesy of Darrin Hagen, that offer more emotional nuance than the script around them, but a few of them feel like they're trying to fill the place of a smoother dramatic arc.

Still, whatever that base script lacks, Christina / Philippe stands as one of the most curious theatrical exercises you could see, and a deft overview of a vital conversation. It doesn't aim to find a definitive answer to how we define gender, or why; instead, it lets you contextualize the question, in doing so showing how rich and varied the answers can be.

PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

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

DANCE FROST FLOWERS/ARCTIC DEATH MACHINE • Timms Centre for the Performing Arts • Equal parts dance, sculpture, soundscape and video installation • May 7-9 • $27

LA BAYADERE: THE TEMPLE DANCER • Jubilee Auditorium, 11455-87 Ave NW • jubileeauditorium.com • A fire God, opium dreams, and a crashing temple - Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère is classical ballet with a touch of Bollywood • May 8-9, 7:30pm

NANCY SANDERCOCK • Timms Centre for the Arts, 87 Ave, 112 St (U of A) • Unites dancing, music (electric bass and drums), performaning arts and more • May 7-9, 8pm

SALSA WITH THE STARS • Royal Alberta Museum, 12845-102 Ave • Experience and get inspired from dance performances that are more in tune with the modern age of dance communities around Edmonton • May 7, 7:30pm

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

ART GALLERY OF ST ALBERT (AGSA)

•

19 Perron St, St Albert • 780.460.4310 • artgalleryofstalbert.ca • Talking Creatures; Mar 5-May 2 • High Energy 20: St. Albert High Schools; May 7-23 • Art Ventures: Reimagined Materials (May 16); 1-4pm; drop-in art program for children ages 6-12; $6/$5.40 (Arts & Heritage member) • Ageless Art: Repurposed Pages (May 21), 1-3pm; for mature adults; $15/$13.50 (Arts & Heritage member) • Preschool Picasso: Found Object Portraits (May 9); for 3-5 yrs; preregister; $10/$9 (Arts & Heritage member)

BUGERA MATHESON GALLERY • 10345124 St • bugeramathesongallery.com • Between the Light and the Dark: Janice Mason Steeves & Morley Myers; Apr 25-May 8

CENTRE D’ARTS VISUELS DE L’ALBERTA (CAVA) • 9103-95 Ave • 780.461.3427 • savacava.com • Regard sur l'art contemporain; May 2-Jun 16

DAFFODIL GALLERY • 10412-124 St • 780.760.1278 • daffodilgallery.ca • Gravity: Featuring the work of Blu Smith; May 6-30; Opening reception: May 7, 5-8pm DC3 ART PROJECTS • 10567-111 St • 780.686.4211 • dc3artprojects.com • Broken Sound; May 7-Jun 13; Opening reception: May 7, 5-9pm

CINEMA AT THE CENTRE • Stanley Milner Library Theatre, bsmt, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.496.7070 • Film screening every Wed, 6:30pm • Foxcatcher (May 6), Trick or Treaty (May 13), Life Partners (May 20), Diplomatie (May 27) • Free

EDMONTON FILM SOCIETY • Royal Alberta Museum Auditorium, 12845-102 Ave • 780.439.5285 • edmontonfilmsociety@ gmail.com • royalalbertamuseum.ca • royalalbertamuseum.ca/events/movies/movies. cfm • Walk In The Shadows Film Series: Ace In The Hole, May 11; On Dangerous Ground, May 25; The Big Heat, Jun 1; Kiss Me Deadly, Jun 8; The Asphalt Jungle, Jun 15; Touch Of Evil, Jun 22 • All at 8pm • Series membership tickets (all 8 films), $30; Single film: $6 (general), $5 (seniors 65 and over/students), $13 (kids 12 and under)

EDMONTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL • Landmark Cinemas City Centre • 780.487.0585 ext. 206 • daniel@edjfed.org • jewishedmonton. org • Presents some of the very best in Jewish cinema from around the world • May 3-12

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 • Much Ado About Nothing (May 8), 10 Things I Hate About You (May 15), Throne of Blood (May 22), West Side Story (May 29) METRO • Metro at the Garneau Theatre, 8712-109 St • 780.425.9212 • Global Visions Festival; May 7-18 • Bad City: Screening followed by a Q&A with the director; May 17-20 • Dead Venues; May 8 • CULT CINEMA: The Peanut Butter Solution (May 26) • Crime WatCh: The Pink Panther (May 19) • metro Bizarro: Fritz the Cat (May 20)

WORLD FAIRTRADE DAY - DARK SIDE OF CHOCOLATE FILM SCREENING AND PANEL • The Princess Theatre, 10337-82 Ave • communications@fairtradeedmonton.ca • fairtradeedmonton.org • A film screening and panel discussion about ethical consumerism • May 9, 11am-1pm

GALLERIES + MUSEUMS ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY • 10186-106 St • 780.488.6611 • albertacraft. ab.ca • Language Of Craft; Apr 4-Jul 4 • Landed; Apr 11-May 23

ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA (AGA) • 2 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.422.6223 • youraga.ca • Daveandjenn: No End: Mar 21-Jun 7 • Pop Show! Dazzled By The Everyday; Mar 21-Jun 7 • Art on the Block 2015; May 8 • Open Studio Adult Drop-In : That’s so Surreal!

(May 13); Wed, 7-9pm; $18/$16 (AGA member) • All Day Sundays: Art activities for all ages; Activities, 12-4pm; Tour; 2pm • Late Night Wednesdays: Every Wed, 6-9pm

MULTICULTURAL CENTRE PUBLIC ART GALLERY (MCPAG)–Stony Plain • 5411-51 St, Stony Plain • multicentre.org • Fibre Artist: Magie Davididson; Apr 24-May 20 • Memorial Comp. High School; May 16-Jun 5; reception: May 24

MUSÉE HÉRITAGE MUSEUM • St Albert Place, 5 St Anne Street, St Albert • MuseeHeritage.ca • 780.459.1528 • museum@ artsandheritage.ca • Francophones In Alberta; Apr 21-Jun 22 NAESS GALLERY • Paint Spot, 10032-81 Ave • 780.432.0240 • paintspot.ca • City Visions: New York New Work by Gordon R Johnston & Bridgescapes by Frank van Veen.

Two appreciations of the urban landscape; Apr 7-May 19 • Artisan Nook: Adventures Of Le Chat, The French Traveling Cat: Sylvia Soo, whimsical ink & watercolour pencil images; Apr 7-May 19

PARADE GALLERY • Window Display Box 101 Street, north of 102 Ave, Edmonton City Centre Mall • paradegallery.ca • There's Bugs, There's Gibs And Some Other Weirdos: art by Tony Baker • Apr 24-May 31

DEVON POTTERY GUILD • The Guild Studio, Old Robina Baker School, 1 Jasper Court South, Devon • devonpotteryguild.com • Spring Pottery Sale; May 8-9

PETER ROBERTSON GALLERY • 12304 Jasper Ave • 780.455.7479 • probertsongallery. com • Actually, Everything Is Just About The Same: Steve Driscoll; May 1-19

DRAWING ROOM • 10253-97 St • 780.760.7284 • Dog-Eared: artwork by Sara French; May 9, 6-9pm

ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM • 12845-102 Ave • 780.453.9100 • royalalbertamuseum. ca • Natural Hi-Stories: Showing plants in their native habitats in a given location; Mar 28-Jun 21 • Glimpses Of The Grasslands: The Artistic Vision of Colin Starkevich; May 16-Aug 23

FAB GALLERY • 1-1 Fine Arts Bldg, 89 Ave, 112 St • 780.492.2081 • Design Latitudes: Bonnie Sadler Takach, University of Alberta’s Art & Design faculty; May 12-Jun 6

SCOTT GALLERY • 10411-124 St •

thefrontgallery.com • Silent Metaphors: Sculptor Blake Ward; May 2-25

scottgallery.com • Robert Sinclair; May 9-30; Opening reception: May 9, 2-5pm • Joel Sinclair; May 9-30; Opening reception: May 9, 2-5pm

GALLERIE PAVA • 9524-87 St, 780.461.3427

SNAP GALLERY • Society of Northern Alberta

FRONT GALLERY • 12323-104 Ave •

FILM

Forthcoming: Dr. Stephen Aung and Lucie Bause; May 9-Jun 28; Opening reception: May 14, 7-9pm

• Theme: Regards sur l'art contemporain; May 2-Jun 16

GALLERY 7 • Bookstore on Perron, 7 Perron

Print -Artists, 10123-121 St • 780.423.1492 • snapartists.com • Between The Lines: Briar Craig; Apr 9-May 23 • Ass U Me: Ben Weinlick; Apr 9-May 23

St, St Albert • 780.459.2525 • Tony Overweel (pastel); May 5-Jun 1

SPRUCE GROVE ART GALLERY •

GALLERY@501 • 501 Festival Ave, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8585 • strathcona.ca/artgallery • Strathcona Salon Series Acquisitions And Loans; May 15-Jun 28

35-5 Ave, Spruce Grove • 780.962.0664 • alliedartscouncil.com • FIREPLACE ROOM: Katharina Nebel; through May • MAIN GALLERY: Students Show; May 10-May 30

GALLERY AT MILNER • Stanley A. Milner

STRATHCONA COUNTY MUSEUM & ARCHIVES • 913 Ash St, Sherwood Park •

Library Main Fl, Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.944.5383 • epl.ca/art-gallery • Moment In Time Series: Mixed media on canvas and linen

by Gisele Jerke; May 1-31

HAPPY HARBOR COMICS • 10729-104 Ave • happyharborcomics.com • Open Door: Collective of independent comic creators meet the 2nd & 4th Thu each month; 7pm

HARCOURT HOUSE GALLERY • 3 Fl, 10215-112 St • 780.426.4180 • MAIN SPACE: A Moment In The Flow: Mayumi Amada; Apr 23-May 27 • FRONT ROOM: Untitled (It’s Almost A One-Liner): Sarah Beck and Shlomi Greenspan; Apr 23-May 27

JAPANESE CULTURAL SOCIETY • 6750-88 St • Edmonton Art Club Annual Spring Show & Sale; May 23-24; Opening reception: May 22, 6-9pm

TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE • 11211-142 St • telusworldofscienceedmonton.com • GPS Adventures Canada: Combining technology, nature, and hidden treasure; until Jun 1 • Dinosaurs Unearthed: May 15-Oct 11; $26.50 (adult), $19.50 (child), $23.50 (youth/student/ senior) U OF A MUSEUMS • Enterprise Square Galleries, 10230 Jasper Ave • Thu-Fri, 12-6pm; Sat 12-4pm • What's New?: New acquisitions, new discoveries, new species, new ideas, new technologies, new theories and a few new mysteries; Apr 23-May 23

VAA GALLERY • 3rd Fl, 10215-112 St •

JEFF ALLEN ART GALLERY (JAAG) • Strathcona Place Senior Centre, 10831 University Ave, 109 St, 78 Ave • 780.433.5807 • seniorcentre.org • Out Of The Box: with artist Marie Sieben; May 1-May 27; Reception: May 13, 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

LANDO GALLERY • 103, 10310-124 St • 780.990.1161 • landogallery.com • May Group Exhibition and Sale; until May 20 LATITUDE 53 • 10242-106 St • 780.423.5353 • Dubious Translations: Brad Necyk; Apr 10-May 22 • Mutations: José Luis Torres; Apr 10-May 22 • Art + Photo - Through The Lens; May 5-12

LOFT GALLERY • AJ Ottewell Gallery, 590 Broadmoor Blvd, Sherwood Park • 780.449.4443 • artstrathcona.com • Open: Fri-Sun 10-6pm • Mother's Day Tea: Enjoy local artwork, pottery, jewelry, and baked goodies with mom; May 10, 12-4pm • Student Art Show, Competition And Sale; May 8-9 • Artwork with Dianna Sapara; May 2-Jun 26

MCMULLEN GALLERY • U of A Hospital, 8440-112 St • 780.407.7152 • Title

780.467.8189 • strathconacountymuseum.ca • Daring Dames: Experience The Lives Of Pioneer Women; until Jun 30

visualartsalberta.com • Gallery A: Searching Skies, Seeing Through Trees: Gerald St. Maur; Gallery B: Edited Realism: Jean Pilch; Apr 2-May 31

VASA GALLERY • 25 Sir Winston Churchill Ave, St Albert • 780.460.5990 • vasa-art.com • Members Spring Exhibition; May 5-29

WEST END GALLERY • 10337-124 St • 780.488.4892 • westendgalleryltd.com • Provence: Artwork By Raynald Leclerc; May 8-20

LITERARY AUDREYS BOOKS • 10702 Jasper Ave • 780.

423.3487 • audreys.ca • Diane E. Peeling "A Journey in Words: Discovering My Being" Book Signing; May 7, 11:45am • Deanna Lennox "Damage Done: A Mountie's Memoir" Book Launch; May 7, 7pm • Leif Gregersen Lunch Hour Book Signing; May 8, 11:45am • Lois Donovan "The Journal" Book Launch; May 9, 3pm • #WordTasting Tour 2015 presented by Asymmetrical Press and The Minimalists; May 11, 7pm • John Robbins "Wombats and Mutant Humanoids" Book Launch; May 12, 7pm • Andrea Thompson "Over Our Heads" Reading & Signing; May 13, 7pm

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE • 9351-118 Ave • vzenari@gmail.com • Prose Creative Writing Group • Every Tue, 7-9pm

EDMONTON STORY SLAM • Mercury Room,10575-114 St • edmontonstoryslam. com • facebook.com/mercuryroomyeg • Great stories, interesting company, fabulous atmosphere • 3rd Wed each month • 7pm (signup); 7:30pm • $5 Donation to winner

KOFFEE CAFÉ • 6120-28 Ave • This episode presents: Karen Bass (Grande Prairie Young Adult author), Leslie Greentree (Red Deer poet, playwright, author), Blaine Newton (Red Deer poet, playwright, author), Julia Nicholson (Edmonton singer and songwriter). Books and CDs for sale • May 28, 7-9pm • Donations accepted NAKED CYBER CAFÉ • 10303-1008 St • The Spoken Word: Featuring writers and an open mic for performances for short stories, book excerpts, poems • 1st Wed ea month, 7:30pm

NAKED GIRLS READING PRESENTS ROCK N ROLL • Brittany's Lounge, 10225-97 St NW • nakedgirlsreadingedm@gmail.com • 780.691.1691 • nakedgirlsreading.com • The Naked Girls read music lyrics, biographies and interviews with the bad boys and girls of music.

18+ only • May 12, 8-10:30pm • $20 (door)

ROUGE LOUNGE • 10111-117 St • 780.902.5900 • Spoken Word Tuesdays: Weekly spoken word night presented by the Breath In Poetry Collective (BIP); info: E: breathinpoetry@ gmail.com SCRAMBLED YEG • Brittany's Lounge, 10225-97 St • 780.497.0011 • Open Genre Variety Stage: artists from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue-Fri, 5-8pm

SCRIPT SALON • Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Upper Arts Space, 10037-84 Ave • A monthly play reading series: 1st Sun each month with a different play by a different playwright TALES–Monthly Storytelling Circle

formats, intricate narratives, and one-act plays • Every Sat, 10pm • $12 (door or buy in adv at TIX on the Square) • Until Jun 13

CHRISTINA / PHILIPPE • Westbury Theatre in the ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave • Queen Christina of Sweden, who dressed and lived as a man, and Philippe, the Duc D'Orleans and brother to King Louis XIV, who dressed as a woman, are locked in a battle of wits and wills.

Featuring a mixture of music, live singing, and verbatim interviews • May 1-10

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 HEY LADIES! • ATB Financial Arts Barns - Varscona Backstage Theatre, 10330-84 Ave • It's tattoos, homemaking tips, booze, prize and even get some culture all in one spectacular evening • May 22, 8pm

KIDS IN THE HALL • Jubilee Auditorium, 11455-87 Ave • kithtour2015.com • The Kids in the Hall: Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson will perform new material, revisit cult characters and revive classic sketches from their deep and expansive archive • May 19, 8pm • $49.50-$55, or $100 with Meet and Greet 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) MOTE • La Cite Francophone (L'Unitheatre), 8627-91 St • blarneyyeg.com • A fleeting yet life-altering friendship between a secretaryturned-fugutive and the desperately lonely proprietor of a forgotten desert motel • May 8-17

NEXTFEST 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOWCASE • Mercury Theatre, 11315-106 Ave •

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

A re-imagine of two plays from the festival archives • May 6-17

UPPER CRUST CAFÉ • 10909-86 Ave •

THE PHOTO • C103, 8529 Gateway Blvd •

780.422.8174 • strollofpoets.com • The Poets’ Haven Reading Series: Most Mon, 7pm, SepMar; presented by the Stroll of Poets Society • $5 (door)

WORDS IN 3D 2015: INTERSECTIONS • Chateau Lacombe Hotel, 10111 Bellamy Hill Road • wordsin3d.com • Where writing, editing, and publishing intersect and interact. Featuring keynote speakers, workshops, pitch-camps, and so much more • May 22-24

THEATRE THE 11 O'CLOCK NUMBER • The Backstage Theatre, 10330 84 Ave (North Side of the ATB Financial Arts Barns) • 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

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, THE MUSICAL Featuring the horizon Players • Horizon Stage, 315 Jespersen Ave, Spruce Grove • At the turn of the century on Prince Edward Island, Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla decide to take on an orphan boy as help for their farm. But they get an unexpected jolt when they're mistakenly sent a girl instead: Anne • Apr 30-May 9

AVENUE Q • 9828-101A Ave • 780.425.1820 • citadeltheatre.com • A musical with part felt and part flesh that tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. There, he meets colorful types who help Princeton finally discover his purpose in life • Apr 25-May 24 BECOMING SHARP • Varscona Theatre, 10330-84 Ave • shadowtheatre.org • Recruited as the ghostwriter for the author of the world's most famous mystery series, Judy Parker thinks she's won the chance of a lifetime. But secrets and conspiracies surround her and becoming the writer she dreams to become might cost her everything she is • Apr 29-May 17 CABARET • Mayfield Dinner Theatre, 16615109 Ave NW • mayfieldtheatre.ca • A musical set in the strange playground of 1931 Berlin, where the seedy Kit Kat Club reveals a tale of love in the ruins, of hope and ultimately of loss • Apr 14-Jun 14

CHIMPROV • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828101A Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Rapid Fire Theatre’s longform comedy show: improv

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

newhearttheatre.ca • A love story, a mystery story, a story about two individuals who are just trying to find their place in a world that has redefined them in an instant • May 15-23 • $20 (adult), $15 (seniors, students, artists)

RISK EVERYTHING BY GEORGE F WALKER • C103 (formerly known as Catalyst Theatre) • 8529 Gateway Boulevard • Young couple Denise and RJ are surprised when Denise’s mother Carol shows up at the door of their motel room. Covered in cuts and bruises, it quickly becomes clear that Carol is on the run from someone. Denise attempts to discover the truth of her mother’s predicament, but Carol will stop at nothing to hide the truth • Apr 29-May 9

THE SUBURBAN MOTEL SERIES • Catalyst Theatre , 8529 Gateway Boulevard • punctuatetheatre.com • Six plays, connected by a single motel room • Apr 29-May 11

THAT’S DIRTY DANCING • Jubilations Dinner Theatre, #2690, 8882-170 St • Who doesn't like a good spoof? Featuring songs from the 80s, it's the summer time romance story visitors will want to see. The story focuses on “Baby” Hoseman, the youngest of her family, and just beginning to explore independence, dancing, and the opposite sex. It's all set Kellerman’s posh prairie resort, which also happens to employ a very odd groundskeeper, who is constantly doing battle with a surprisingly clever band of pesky prairie dogs • Apr 17-Jun 14 THAT'S TERRIFIC • Varscona Theatre • last Sat ea month • An enthusiastic celebration of all things notable, important, encouraging, and superior • Nov 29-Jul 25 THEATRESPORTS • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828-101A Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Improv • Every Fri, 7:30pm and 10pm • Jan 16-Jun 12 • $12/$10 (member) at TIX on the Square TRIBES • Timms Centre for the Arts - Main Stage, 112 St Northwest, University of Alberta • drama.ualberta.ca • Introduces an unconventional family with three dysfunctional adult children still living at home. It focuses on Billy, their deaf son who was raised to read lips rather than sign. Billy falls for Sylvia, a young woman who is becoming deaf herself, and he finally discovers what it means to be heard • May 13-23 THE UGLY ONE • PCL Theatre, ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave • A scalpel-sharp comedy about image, identity, and social conformity from acclaimed German playwright Marius von Mayenburg • May 13-23

ARTS 35

REVUE // FILM FESTIVAL

FILM

FILM EDITOR: PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Caste-breaking graduates in India to a Japanese country star; selections from the Global Visions Film Festival

Made in Japan

'T

he Truth Is In Here," boasts the 2015 Global Visions Film Festival tagline, and it feels apt: if documentaries seek to reveal something about the world around us, Edmonton's only doc-focused festival—Canada's longest-running festival of the sort, actually—offers a rich spread of insights gleaned from lenses trained across the world.

Still: there's more than 40 screenings thorughout the festival. So to help guide your approach to Global Visions, we collected as many advance screeners as we could, and hereby offer you our thoughts on part of this year's lineup. As always, film fests are best taken with a sense of discovery—a movie's program description sound cool? Go check it.

Wanna see the opening-night screening of Cobain doc Montage of Heck?

Of course you do—but these offer a sense of the diversity on display throughout the festival.

Reviews by Kate Black (KB), Bruce Cinnamon (BC), Brian Gibson (BG) and Samantha Power (SP).

Sun, May 10 (8:30 pm) 1971 Directed by Johanna Hamilton Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 Before Edward Snowden, there was Media, Pennsylvania. This documentary earns its namesake from the year an unlikely group of eight Americans—including a 20-something and a mother of three—broke into and stole every file from their local FBI office. After hiding their identities for more than 40 years, the perpetrators reveal their names and faces for the first time on screen, as they retell and reenact the consequences following the heist. Stealing the documents was unbelievably easy for the group, so the documentary lacks the adrenaline rush expected from this type of film, running a tad monotonous for the last quarter of screen time. But, nonetheless, it is still a worthy representation of one of the turning points in modern security. KB Tue, May 12 (9:15pm) A Dangerous Game Directed by Anthony Baxter Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 Mark Twain quipped that golf is "a good walk spoiled," but Anthony Baxter's movie shows how golf-course development can mean "a beautiful place despoiled." This sequel to You've Been Trumped—about the American property-baron's destruction of a sand-dune ecosystem in Aberdeen, Scotland for a golf resort— takes a more political, environmental and global view of the greens and the game's greenbacks.

In Dubrovnik, Croatia, the proposal

36 FILM

to turn an arid, rocky summit above town into 18 grassy holes is accompanied by cant about "improving nature;" opponents try to gather enough signatures for a referendum.

In Nevada, a manmade-lake-guzzling desert course and its gated community have gone to seed post-recession.

Back in Aberdeen, the hypocrisies and grasping of Trump's (ego) complex sprawl on.

Although it remains Trump-fixated and can still slip into romanticizing common folk, when it reframes golftourism as short-term, trickle-down economics run wild, A Dangerous Game exposes the male, cronyish, elite underbelly of the luxury sport. BG Sat, May 9 (5:30 pm) The Backward Class Directed by Madeleine Grant Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 Fifteen hand-picked children from India's lowest caste class began preschool at the elite Shanti Bhavan School in 1997, and now, they're facing the anxieties of high school graduation. The Backward Class beautifully illustrates the fears and joys facing the school's first graduation class as they prepare for India's national exams, which will determine their acceptance into university. The film laces its apparent optimism for the students with the moral complexities of plucking children from their social class and pushing them towards success. From depictions of the school's tragic Wizard of Oz-like headmaster to the spirit exuded by the students, it is an emotional and empathetic ride, and promises to break viewers' hearts as often as it warms them. KB Sat, May 16 (6 pm) Ballet 422 Directed by Jody Lee Lipes Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 This film pares down 25-year-old Justin Peck's rehearsals for his choreographed work—New York City Ballet's 422nd—to dance's essence, bodies in space. Peck videophonerecords himself going through his planned motions; costume-department workers whisk dye in a pan or cut fabric for an outfit; the conductor leads his unseen orchestra. There's no sense of an overarching plan but, after so many parts and pieces, the work can seem more magical when it bursts into collective life as dancers surge forth in run-throughs.

Ballet is utterly deromanticized, though. Jody Lee Lipes' tight-fittingly high-concept doc, so minimalist it can be frustratingly devoid of context, awes only in its sense of the countless minute details that go into a satin-smooth performance (Peck

even tells one dancer how to splay his fingers). It's dance as a labour of infinite pains and adjustments; art is relentlessly, unexcitingly workmanlike here. BG Sun, May 17 (4:45 pm) Burning from the Inside Directed by Marsia Tzivara Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 A grassroots and gritty look at the tentacles of the fascist political party in Greece and its effects on Germany's neo-Nazi movement. Burning from the Inside uses the current events in both countries to explore the roots of the fascist movements in austerity, improper policy and supports for new immigrants and a start at looking to the solutions. The film would benefit from more structure and timelining for those not immediately familiar with the current events in both countries, but its use of direct interviews with protesters and the immigrants facing harassment, violence and murder delivers an emotionally impactful look at how fascism is tearing apart the two countries. It manages to capture one moment in time that has roots in the histories and policies of each country. SP Fri, May 8 (7 pm) How to Change the World Directed by Jerry Rothwell Royal Alberta Museum

 "Revolution can go no further than people themselves." In his own words Bob Turner, founder of Greenpeace, writes of the creation, conflict and destruction that is the modern environmental movement embodied in the organization. The film documents the beginnings of the now international, multi-million-dollar organization with three guys and a small boat determined to stop nuclear testing at Amchitka Island. The use of never-before-seen archival footage does well to depict the hodge-podge members of Greenpeace's first efforts—more hippie, mystic Steve Zissou, complete with synthesizer, than the orchestrated uber-machine Greenpeace has become. The straight-forward storytelling and structured approach focuses on the excitement of the rogue trio and delivers the story of their falling out without devolving into a mud pit of accusations. And images from early days, punctuated with Turner's own words, focus on the central obstacle to changing the world: our inability to see past ourselves. SP Sun, May 17 (2:15 pm) I Hugged the Berlin Patient Directed by Edgar Tang Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 "I'm feeling like a psycho," says Edgar

Tang as he stalks through the halls of a hotel. The young filmmaker travelled from Singapore to meet Timothy Ray Brown, known as the Berlin Patient, the only person to have ever been cured of HIV. The first half of the documentary feels like any young person's Berlin travelogue.

Tang explores Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial and the nightclub scene. He wanders around the gay district, wearing a "Do you know who the Berlin Patient is?" sandwich board.

"Why are you pursuing him like a madman?" asks a friend in Singapore.

Beyond briefly describing his own experiences as a cancer survivor, Tang's obsession is never fully explained, which is a problem in a film where the narrator is so central and the subject so distant. BC Sat, May 16 (8 pm) Made In Japan Directed by Josh Bishop Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 Tomi Fujiyama has one dream: to play the Grand Ole Opry stage one more time. Fujiyama, Japan's first female country-music star, played the stage in 1964 along with Johnny Cash. Made in Japan documents Fujiyama's journey to recapture the moment she received a standing ovation on one of country's most revered stages. Although it can lag at points recounting country music's near well-known history, Fujiyama's story is a powerful vehicle to depict the changes and corporatization that now stand in Fujiyama's way. But where the film shines is in showcasing Fujiyama's talent and energy, and love of the music, seemingly unmatched in the genre today. SP Fri, May 15 (9 pm) Miners Shot Down Directed by Rehad Desai Royal Alberta Museum

 Miners Shot Down offers a devastating depiction of the now-familiar topic of police brutality, but with imagery most mainstream news sources shy away from. The documentary details the day-by-day build-up to the 2012 Marikana massacre, where South African police killed 34 non-violent protesting miners. Gripping footage of the violence, albeit shot shakily, tangibly communicates the anxiety of the massacre's surrounding events, and is at many moments difficult to watch. Narrated through the South African government's investigation commission of the event, this anxiety is met with crushed optimism of the country's new sense of freedom.

What it lacks in cinematic quality it compensates for with a worthy commentary on the dark heart beneath modern democracy. KB

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Thu, May 7 – Mon, May 18 Global Visions Film Festival Various venues Full schedule at globalvisionsfestival.com

Thu, May 7 (10 pm) The Sandwich Nazi Directed by Lewis Bennett Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 "Can we put this on the film?" asks a producer as Salam Kahil proudly shows off crusts of semen on his warehouse floor. "I don't care," says Kahil, summing up his life philosophy in one cheerful shrug. The largerthan-life Lebanese ex-escort owns a Vancouver deli whose door proudly boasts, "the best sandwhich [sic] in North America."

Salam Kahil is everybody's dirty uncle with a secret heart of gold.

Throughout his lewd ramblings, surprising gems of wisdom emerge. "In North America people live by emptying each other," he says as he hands out sandwiches to homeless people in East Hastings. Part social-justice crusader, part filthy old man, Kahil is less a sandwich Nazi than a sandwich Borat. "You don't go there for a handshake and a smile," explains a frequent customer. "You go there for a slap in the face and a 'When did you last ejaculate on the carpet?'" BC Thu, May 14 (9:15pm) Tab Hunter Confidential Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz Metro Cinema at the Garneau

 A former star's coming-out story, in the vein of To Be Takei: talking-head interviews (including with Takei); movie and TV clips that seem knowingly ironic or campily naïve now.

Hunter became a '50s Warner Bros sensation in the waning days of the oppressive yet protective studio system. But the all-American star, with thousands of adoring female fans as the teen-market baby-boomed, was never the "wholesome" hetero-hunk he was made out to be. (His first major film? Desire Island. After a screening, his mother told him, "You were lousy." And so began acting as hard work.)

Following on from Hunter's 2005 tell-all memoir, this doc's an anecdotal look at what wasn't straight behind the scenes, though it never really unstitches the layers of persona that one man had to put on in the closet. Executive-produced by Hunter's longtime partner, it's starryeyed, celebratory and drawn-out, like a cordoned-off, super-plush, overlong red carpet. BG

REVUE // SUPER HERO

The Avengers: Age of Ultron More like Age of Franchise

FRI, MAY. 8 – THUR, MAY. 14

THE CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA FRI 6:45 & 9:15PM SAT – SUN 2:00, 6:45 & 9:15PM MON – THUR 6:45 & 9:15PM RATED: 14A COARSE LANGUAGE

T H E A T R E

10337 Whyte Ave. 780 433 0728

FRI, MAY. 8 – THUR, MAY. 14

THE WATER DIVINER FRI 6:50 & 9:10PM SAT – SUN 2:30, 6:50 & 9:10PM MON – THUR 6:50 & 9:10PM RATED: 14A

T H E A T R E

10337 Whyte Ave. 780 433 0728

Now playing Directed by Joss Whedon 

T

hey finally did it: an assemblyline, placeholder sequel in this sprawling Marvel franchise that also stands as a completely coherent, enjoyable and substantial movie in its own right. But maybe this could only have happened this late in the game. Without the hindrance of excess exposition, The Avengers: Age of Ultron allows these comicbook heroes to be breathing, living personalities who contribute to the story in a meaningful way.

In the hands of Joss Whedon once again, the movie strikes a satisfying balance between inescapable real-world problems and mindless escapism, and because of that, this is the franchise's most convincing attempt at its signature brand of deliberate, (self-)conscious escapism.

The plot, for example, can read as a simple superhero cartoon, or as a

light parable of contemporary issues: an evil robot, Ultron, is compelled to destroy the Avengers and—you guessed it—annihilate the human race. Like Frankenstein's monster, Ultron (James Spader) is the mutated, accidental creation of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), whose attempt at an all-powerful weapon to mandate world peace instead becomes an instrument of doom pointed back at the Avengers. At the risk of reading this movie as an obvious allegory for American foreign policy (Ultron is a metaphor for ISIS—discuss), this team of superheroes spends a surprising amount of time debating the responsibility of wielding supreme power, hashing out the grey area between good intentions and bad effects, and worrying about the collateral damage of civilians. Of course, it also spends a lot of time on robot

armies, Hulk smashing, jet chases and explosions, as it should.

Overall, Age of Ultron has a tighter plot, a more measured pace, and more laughs than the other Marvel franchise movies. The new characters breathe some much-appreciated life into the franchise, including the human-robot Vision (Paul Bettany), the black-magic psychic Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Ultron himself, who is arguably the franchise's most compelling villain yet. Admittedly, like every other Marvel movie, this film raises serious, grown-up questions only to resolve them with stock, movie-fantasy solutions. But, thankfully, like every other Marvel movie, this one doesn't take itself too seriously.

JAMES CUMING

JAMESCUMING@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

FILM 37

PRESENTS

MAY 7 - MAY 13

REEL FAMILY CINEMA

SESAME STREET PRESENTS: FOLLOW THAT BIRD SUN @ 1:00 FREE FOR KIDS 12 & UNDER!

GLOBALVISIONSFESTIVAL.COM

KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK THURS @ 7:00 THE SANDWICH NAZI THURS @ 10:00 DEAD VENUES FRI @ 7:00 SPEED SISTERS SAT @ NOON GTFO SAT @ 1:45 DOGS ON THE INSIDE SAT @ 3:30 THE BACKWARD CLASS SAT @ 5:30 DEEP WEB SAT @ 7:30 ROLLING PAPERS SAT @ 9:30

I AM BIG BIRD SUN @ 2:45 LOST AND FOUND SUN @ 4:45 BEST OF ENEMIES SUN @ 6:30 1971 SUN @ 8:30 GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF MON @ 7:30 SUNSHINE SUPERMAN MON @ 9:30 THE HUNTING GROUND TUES @ 7:00 A DANGEROUS GAME TUES @ 7:15 BURNING EMBER: THE STEVE BELL JOURNEY WED @ 7 THE JOE SHOW WED @ 9:30

FILM PREVUE // SCI-FI

Spiritual Machines

Ex Machina's Alex Garland talks cautionary tales, AI and an interest in things he's bad at

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

METRO

CINEMA

GUIDE

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 •

AND OVER 100 MORE LOCATIONS CITY WIDE!

GET YOURS TODAY!

38 FILM

Me? Human?

H

aving won some sort of lottery, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a gifted programmer for a Google stand-in dubbed Bluebook—after Ludwig Wittgenstein's notebook— is helicoptered deep into the otherwise inaccessible wilderness where Bluebook founder Nathan (Oscar Isaac) lives, seemingly alone, in some ultra-luxurious cottage-laboratory-compound. Caleb is there to perform the Turing test—which determines whether a machine can convincingly exhibit human intelligence—on a robot Nathan has been developing, though from the get-go Nathan modifies the Turing rules, most notably by allowing Caleb to meet Ava (Alicia Vikander) face-to-face. Which is to say that Ava, humanoid and female, does indeed have a face, a very pretty one, and a very pretty figure, albeit one whose limbs, midriff and neck are sheathed in some see-thru material, exposing the mechanical parts underneath. Ava may be unmistakably mechanical, but she and Caleb, the only person she's met besides Nathan, have instant chemistry. Ava seems to trust Caleb—and, during one of the compound's regular blackouts, advises him not to trust Nathan. But how much of Caleb's interaction with Ava is designed? Can Ava be autonomous?

The elegant production design for Ex Machina echoes its script's themes of transparency and opacity. Ava's body, the compound's enormous windows, Caleb's 24hour access to live-feed surveillance of Ava's private activities: all of these elements imbue Caleb's visit

with a sense of openness and full disclosure. Which is the first tip-off that Nathan must surely be hiding something, or at the very least playing games with Caleb. Isaac's eerily charismatic interpretation emphasizes Nathan's possible madness and malice. (And Nathan's decision to make his robot in the form of a lovely young woman invokes a sinister element of early cinema, the tendency for dictatorial male directors and producers to mould and control their female stars.) But nothing is as it seems. Unless, of course, it is. Making his directorial debut, novelist and scenarist Alex Garland, known for his collaborations with Danny Boyle (The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine) maximizes ambiguity while employing various shaggy devices to push the sci-fi narrative into surprisingly familiar territory. The blackouts, along with Nathan's tendency to drink himself into a blackout, provide Caleb and Ava with opportunities to conspire against their shared father figure.

Though Caleb initially seems fairly passive, he gradually conforms to the same trajectory of all the protagonists in Garland's aforementioned Boyle-directed films, who all suddenly go bonkers at some point in their journey toward the heart of darkness. As Ex Machina moves into its second half, various developments feel wrote and the richer questions about the nature of AI and the possible consequences of the promised singularity fall away for the sake of plot mechanics. But there's still enough here, especially in the nuance of performance, to

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

heartily recommend the film to the curious. Ex Machina bends to convention, but doesn't break in the process.

I spoke with Garland last week in Toronto, where he attended a preview screening of Ex Machina and fielded post-screening questions from an audience highly divided in their feelings about Ava. VUE WEEKLY: If we go back to the

proto-texts on artificial intelligence, Golem stories or Frankenstein, we find male scientists animating a male creature, a bigger, stronger version of himself. In Ex Machina we have a man constructing not only something in female form, but a form that's slim, almost girl-like.

ALEX GARLAND: Those stories you're talking about always seemed to me like cautionary tales, with a religious subtext. The message is: don't mess with God's work. You'll get your fingers burnt. In this case the "deus" part of deus ex machina has been removed. It's more a parental act. We're domesticating the idea.

We're dealing with different issues.

There's that scene in which Ava asks what's it like to create something that hates you, which is akin to the dynamic between an adolescent and a parent. Nathan describes himself as a father figure to Ava. I think because he knows he's really done it with this one.

VW: The previous models were all

female as well, correct?

AG: They seem to be. But the film

raises the question of how much of what you're seeing is engineered by

Opens Friday Directed by Alex Garland 

Nathan in order to serve the purposes of the test. Is Nathan a misogynistic, predatory, violent man? He may be. Or he may be amplifying aspects of his character. It may be that he's damaged, he's lost track of what he's doing or why he's doing it, because he's spent too much time up-river, without the modifying influences of other people. So I'm reluctant to say he's always been doing this or that.

These questions are best answered by the audience. It's a matter of who people attach themselves to. On occasion people go with Nathan, but generally people identify either with Caleb or Ava. VW: I suppose I felt most sympa-

thy for Ava, simply because of her plight. She's the one who's trapped.

AG: That really interests me. I've sat with people who cannot even conceive of Ava having a plight. To them, she's effectively a toaster. I'll say, "But look, she's walking, she's talking, she's sentient." And they'll say, "She can't have sentience. She's a machine." That's not coming from some heavily pondered argument; that's just a gut response from a viewer that can't see Ava as anything remotely human. What I feel toward Ava is protective and affectionate. She does what she does because she's resourceful and intelligent.

VW: Caleb's the same age you were when The Beach was published and your career took off. Twenty-six is a point in life where new things are

CONTINUED ON PAGE 40 >> VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

FILM 39

FILM

SPIRITUAL MACHINES << CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39

Seek and you will find.

Find your free copy of the Golden Travel Planner in the May 14 Road Trip issue or visit www.tourismgolden.com

exciting and one is typically more open-minded. As a 26-year-old in 2015, Caleb seems absolutely onboard with artificial intelligence.

Would the 26-year-old Alex Garland of 1996 have been as enthusiastic?

Or would he have been uneasy with the idea of AI? AG: I've always been interested in that stuff. I kept pace with the arrival of home computers and video games. My parents got a ZX Spectrum. It had commands for a very simple coding language called Basic imprinted on the keys. So I would create, in a very limited, laughably simplistic way, little programs that would make the computer speak.

It would say, "Hello, Alex, how are you?" I'd say, "I'm fine. How are you?" I remember liking the sense that it was alive. It was spooky and amazing. I loved trying to code and bought books on it, but I was lousy at maths, lousy at science. I've always been interested in things I'm bad at.

VW: Your mother was a psychoanalyst, and I wonder if this doesn't have something to do with what appears to be an ongoing interest in your work in how minds, like machines, break down. The protagonists of The Beach, 28 Days Later and Sunshine all share with Caleb this moment in the story when something begins to corrode their

guess what, #yeg?

You host the longest running documentary film festival in Canada.

And 2015 is our biggest year ever.

psyches and they go temporarily nuts.

AG: That's 100-percent correct.

They're also passive. Things happen to them, and then, very late in the game, something snaps—which, incidentally, is definitely a pattern in me as well. This has got me into trouble over and over, because it's not how film traditionally works.

You normally have active protagonists who are out there doing things from the get-go. The note I get again and again is "Can this person be more proactive?" Audiences also feel frustrated by it, even if they don't know it. I suspect that's one of the reasons why the films I work on don't have mainstream appeal. They've got these strange anti-things embedded within them that prevent a sense of being picked up and carried by the film. At least, when I try to rationalize why the films I'm involved in never really break through, that's one of the theories I come up with. [Laughs] VW: I guess it depends what you mean by "break through." Seems to me you're doing alright.

AG: It's nice of you to say that. And I genuinely think I'm really lucky. But if you're a financier, you look back over one's track record, you see what Never Let Me Go made, what Dredd made, what Sunshine made, and that's the bottom line. Even 28 Days Later, which I think in North America made $40-million, by far our biggest movie—that's like the

MAY 7

MAY 11

OPENING NIGHT

KURT COBAIN:

MONTAGE OF HECK

VW: Have you lost interest in writing books?

AG: I never planned to be a novelist. I fell into it. When I had a movie made from a book I saw this team of people together and thought, "That looks like fun." I love collaboration.

What I find hard about books is the lack of collaboration. I'm not in a hurry to write another novel.

VW: Are you as comfortable in the

role of director as you were with that of writer?

AG: I'm sure there are some directors with whom the critical and public perception of what directors are supposed to do is accurate. I'm going to guess it applies to Paul Thomas Anderson and Rian Johnson. I don't know, I've never worked on their films, but things about their films make me suspect it's true. But these directors are in the minority. It's not how I work. Putting the director's name as a prefix on the films I've worked on is simply inappropriate. If you stood on set and saw the film being made, you'd agree. I've been making films for a long time. I'll keep on making them, if they let me. One title or another doesn't really change anything.

JOSEF BRAUN

JOSEF@VUEWEEKLY.COM

MAY 15

CULTURE COLLECTIVE GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY & THE PRISON OF BELIEF

DEDFEST SPECIAL SCREENING

&

ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS

MAY 8

DEAD VENUES A fond look back at some of Edmonton’s most beloved, “gonebut-not-forgotten” music venues.

opening weekend of a really big movie. So when I say I'm not breaking through that's what I mean. At a certain point you have to think that's not just marketing.

MAY 12 THE HUNTING GROUND

MAY 16 CLOSING NIGHT

MADE IN JAPAN

MAY 9

LOCAL VISIONS

&

MAY 13 MID-WEEK GALA

Bell Media

BEST OF HOT DOCS

BURNING EMBER: THE STEVE BELL JOURNEY

MAY 17 & 18

MAY 10 MAY 14 Schedule information, ticket purchasing, film trailers and the full list of films can be found online at GLOBALVISIONSFESTIVAL.COM

40 FILM

SPECIAL MOTHER’S DAY EVENT

ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

PRIDE NIGHT

MAY 17 & 18 @ METRO

get the guide! .epub (34.7 MB)

PREVUE // FOLK-ROCK

MUSIC

MUSIC EDITOR : MEAGHAN BAXTER MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM // Ingram Barss

past and present

Sat, May 9 (8 pm) With Mo Kenney Union Hall, $26

Joel Plaskett delivers a hit of nostalgia on The Park Avenue Sobriety Test

H

alf the fun of a good party is recounting the night's escapades the next day, and Joel Plaskett got to relive his 40th birthday party in reverse as he put records back in their sleeves the following morning.

"Cheap Trick's 'Surrender' was the last song of the night, and it just went backwards from there," he recalls with a laugh, admitting it took him a couple of days to recover from the "proper five-in-the-morning blowout' that took place at his studio. "That's how I like parties—when I don't put things back into the sleeves—because it's more fun the next day to go, what did everybody pick? You get to see it all backwards because it just ends up in a huge stack."

That milestone birthday—the ostensible new 20, as it were—ties into the themes present on Plaskett's new album, Joel Plaskett & The Park

Avenue Sobriety Test, the nickname given to the metal guardrail on the corner of Park Avenue and King Street in Dartmouth, NS. It serves as a metaphor of sorts for the trials of adulthood; the title also forms the acronym "PAST," and the songs play on autobiographical and observational musings with a certain degree of nostalgia, something Plaskett notes is present on all of his records.

"I have a seven-year-old son now who is a big part of my life and has probably changed the way I think about certain things. Not that I feel a whole lot differently about anything after becoming a parent, but it puts your mortality and your sort-of mission statement, it changes the view a little," he explains. "I think I'm becoming a little more outspoken about the things that bother me because I'm just starting to look at the world go-

Over

ing, OK, this little guy's got to inhabit this when I'm gone."

Lyrically, Plaskett says the record bounces back and forth between retreating into the past and looking through rose-coloured glasses and dealing with the present, as well as dealing with yourself.

"There's all these forces at play in the world that can bring about unhappiness, and certainly there's all the social and economic struggles that a lot of people face that I don't.

I can still find things to complain about, so my desire is to find worthy things to complain about opposed to just picky stuff—so I make fun of Bon Jovi on the record," he jokes. "There are always things that are going to make you unhappy and that can almost cause you to be so unhappy that you bring that unhappiness to other people."

The lyrics may encompass darker elements and social commentary, but Plaskett wanted to strike a balance and inject a sense of positivity and humour to his songs as well. For example, the title track lays out morose topics such as watching your friends "drop like flies," not being able to pay rent, the disparity of society and escaping into your dreams, but it's all weaved into a rollicking, uptempo sing-along.

And while there is a consistent lyrical theme throughout the album, Plaskett notes he wanted to create some diversity in the melodies.

"I sort of flip between folk and rock, and I try to make the production a little bit surprising," he adds.

"I'm not doing EDM tracks or anything; I'm trying to bring at least my love of different kinds of music under one roof, but I feel like the thing

30 years of diverse and

that can tie the overarching variety together is the lyrics."

Much of Park Avenue was tracked live off the floor, with about 20 of Plaskett's friends and collaborators on deck filling in different parts— Dave Marsh and Chris Pennell of the Emergency, Tim Brennan, Peter Elkas, J P Cormier and Mo Kenney, to name a few. It ties together his musical history past and present, which seems fitting given the album's thematic elements.

"We had a lot of fun making it," he says. I think for me that was really paramount to the process, and so I still get a lot of joy when I'm listening to it, because it surprises me. I'm not even sure who's playing what half the time."

MEAGHAN BAXTER

MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

EDMONTON’S

quality programming

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

CHECK OUT CJSR.COM TO LISTEN LIVE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ECLECTIC PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

780.492.2577 CJSR.COM FM88

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

MUSIC 41

MUSIC PREVUE // ART-POP

Yes We Mystic

C

liches weren't always so cliche: they often start as a solid original idea, but overuse can transform it into something predictable and trite.

But when did it stop being a good idea, exactly? This notion has become a common thread in the lush, intricately layered melodies of art-pop quintet Yes We Mystic. Its new EP, Vestige, uses genre as a tool for experimentation, welcoming and incorporating sounds and ideas the band may not have been attrated to upon first listen.

"How can we take that and do it in such a way that we've never heard it before and give it new life?" asks vocalist Adam Fuhr.

He points to the song "The Contest of Strength," one of two that appear Vestige—the other track is called "Wood Wheel"—as a prime example of injecting some new perspective into a musical device.

"Near the end of that song, you have something that might be described as a bass drop; that's a very strange thing to show up in our music," he explains. "That just kind of came from experimentation and messing around in practice."

This experimentation is further showcased in the five remixes that follow "Wood Wheel" and "The Contest of Strength." Yes We Mystic ap-

proached artists and producers it had encountered through touring—Mark Mills, Andrew Judah, the Wilderness of Manitoba, Holy Hum and Edmonton's own Doug Hoyer—and let them run wild with the two tracks. If it sounds at all repetitive to have an EP made up of two songs, plus remixes of those same tunes, it's not. As Vestige progresses, you'd never know you were listening to the same songs, as each remix reimagines the tracks in entirely different ways.

"We were just so happy with how we got a wide array of things," Fuhr says.

"Doug has a really fun, dancey remix of 'Wood Wheel', all the way to Holy Hum

from Vancouver [who] has this super cool, sparse, seven-minute orchestral mix of 'The Contest of Strength.' Then the others are somewhere in between there, so everyone brought their own flavour to it."

Vestige acts as a bridge between Yes We Mystic's previous album, 2013's Floods and Fires, and the currently unnamed full-length it has coming down the pipe in June.

"We're playing a lot of new songs for the first time on this tour," Fuhr says. "There's a couple of songs that we're working on that are very connected to songs we've come up with

Wed, May 13 (7 pm) With Cayley Thomas, Madi Allen Mercury Room, $10 in the past ... we're trying things like that for the first time. Sometimes after a song's right done you come up with different ideas to explore that same kind of theme or kind of idea, and we're trying for the first time to kind of run with that a little bit. So there are some songs that are connected other songs we already have out and might be familiar for some people."

MEAGHAN BAXTER

MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

May 16: The Banff Centre Children’s Festival. Spark your family’s creativity with a fun-filled day at The Banff Centre. Enjoy 3 ticketed performances, over 10 FREE events - from face painting to family dance - and a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party!

May 17: Bikinis & Boardshorts. Help bring awareness and raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation with this popular and always fun event at Sunshine Village.

May 18: Slush Cup. Take part in Sunshine Village’s largest event of the year – Slush Cup! Enjoy the festivities and watch dressed-up participants ski or snowboard down a run into an icy pool of water.

June 19 & 20: Performance in the Park. Get your tickets now for Banff National Park’s annual outdoor music festival! Joel Plaskett Emergency and K-OS will be headlining this year’s event with special guests Matt Andersen & The Mellotones, Rural Alberta Advantage and Hannah Georgas.

42 MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

PREVUE // FOLK

Thursday - Friday Karaoke

Jennifer Castle

9pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1am â&#x20AC;˘ Hosted by JR

Saturday Live ENTERTAINMENT 9pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1am

Hosted by J R

4pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8pm All Women's Jam This is the time for the "Women" to shine 8-12 OPEN JAM hosted by "One Percent" Come & check out our new SUNDAY JAM venue!!

12340 Fort RD â&#x20AC;˘ sandshoteledmonton.com

THU, MAY 7, MERCURY ROOM

JORDIE LANE

W/ CLARE REYNOLDS, EGO THE JACKAL, & TREVOR MCNEELY

FRI, MAY 8, MERCURY ROOM

GORDIE TENTREES YES WE MYSTIC

W/ JAXON HALDANE, & JOHN GULIAK

WED, MAY 13, MERCURY ROOM

W/ CAYLEY THOMAS, & MADI ALLEN

FRI, MAY 15, MERCURY ROOM

The Castle wall // Jaime Barash

C

ommunication is keyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially when you're getting shaken down

by Spanish police on your way to headlining a gig.

Toronto singer-songwriter Jennifer Castle found herself in that situation last month while touring through Spain for her latest album, Pink City.

Her driver lacked the proper licence, the policĂ­a were taking their sweet time coming up with a fitting punishment, and she was due on stage soon.

"They searched everything," says Castle, now safely back in her Toronto home with her dog bouncing around her excitedly. "I couldn't quite explain that I was on my way to a show that I needed to play. I had to eventually show the flyer of the town we were going to, to try to put it together for them, and see if they could rush things along to process our fines or whatever."

Luck smiled and she made the gig.

There's a lot going well for Castle these days, thoughâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Pink City, for one. Her fourth album, released last September, is deceptively simple on first listen: gently soaring folk songs

with clean, minimal production that puts her gorgeous voice high in the mix. That scrubbed production gives it focus, with Castle's stream-of-consciousness lyrics floating into your brain like your own imagination.

That, Castle says, was by design.

Working with high-profile Toronto musicians, like Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) providing string arrangements, she worked to create a musical space that was both intimate and expansive.

"I wanted it to be stark and very simple at the same timeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but I wanted hallucinogenic ornamentation," she explains. "It's like somebody is singing alone, that feeling. It's like your inner dialogue, but also this massive illuminative presence looming around you."

That massive presence is a slight feeling of unease, a vague sense that the world is a bit off. It's like a beautiful sunny day that's been tilted slightly off axis: it's still gorgeous, but it's now unsettling and more interesting.

Castle says that was also intentional. She wanted to communicate

Sun, May 10 (8 pm) With Marlaena Moore, Feverfew Brixx, $10

SECRET SETLIST PRESENTS: JEFF STUART & THE HEARTS, WE WERE FRIENDS, & SHORT OF ABLE SAT, MAY 16, MERCURY ROOM

SECRET SETLIST PRESENTS: BILLIE ZIZI, NATURE OF, & KAYLA HOTTE & HER RODEO PALS SUN, MAY 17, MERCURY ROOM

that, yes, Canada is a place that is rich with environmental treasures and freedom, but those treasures are also under attack by regressive political policies the cynicism of the economy.

"I'm at a place right now where I feel the pen is mightier than the swordâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; I feel like somebody with a sword in my hands, like I hoped a writer would feel," Castle says. "Lyrically you can be anywhereâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at different places at the same time. When you do that right, you feel kind of high."

She's the kind of performer that doesn't hide. Along with her strippeddown production and incisive lyrics, Castle almost always performs solo.

That means her message comes at you unfiltered.

"There's something more direct when I play solo," she says. "I absolutely love to play with other musicians. But I'm really sure-footed about being able to play my music on my own."

JOSH MARCELLIN

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

THE ASHLEY HUNDRED W/ I AM MACHI, AND THE VELVETEINS

MON, MAY 18, MERCURY ROOM

PETER KATZ PETUNIA & THE VIPERS WHITNEY ROSE

W/ LUKE SITAL SINGH

TUE, MAY 19, MERCURY ROOM

W/ MATT & LAYLA HOTTE

TUE, MAY 26, MERCURY ROOM

W/ MOHSIN ZAMAN, & ELLA COYES

THU, MAY 28, ROYAL MERCURY ROOM

LEEROY STAGGER

W/ MARIEL BUCKLEY

FRI, MAY 29, ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM THEATRE

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS W/ THE WEATHER STATION, AND GUESTS

SAT MAY 30, MERCURY ROOM

GREG MACPHERSON BAND W/ GUESTS

SUN MAY 31, MERCURY ROOM

THE LION THE BEAR AND THE FOX CRAIG CARDIFF MATT EPP W/ SAM WEBER, & GUESTS

THUR JUN 11, MERCURY ROOM

W/ GUESTS

Ć&#x2019;

FRI JUN 12, MERCURY ROOM

UP THE ARCADIA JAM �ST & RD THURSDAY @ PM

W/ GUESTS

SAT JUN 13, MERCURY ROOM

SHOW, ELECTRICITY FOR EVERYBODY CD RELEASE W/ GUESTS

THUR JUN 25, MERCURY ROOM

ȤȣȏȍȍğȤȼȧ ȪȍȣĭȏȤȊĭȤȍȧȼ

Ä­ Ĺ&#x2122;

DEDICATED SELECTIONS: ATONIGHT VINYL ENTHUSIASTS

�ND & TH THURSDAY @ PM

THE WOODEN SKY MIKE PLUME

W/ NATURE OF, & GUESTS

THUR JUL 2, MERCURY ROOM

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAY 13, 2015

W/ GUESTS

MUSIC 43

MUSIC

PandaCorn

PREVUE // SYNTH-ROCK

D

o the clothes make the PandaCorn?

Brodie Mohninger, the guitarwielding panda to Megan Nash's synth-playing unicorn, has always loved getting into character. PandaCorn, based in Moose Jaw, SK, has carved a visual identity that started as Halloween dress-up and has become a signature of their live show.

"Even in my previous bands, I've always had visual elements—like playing in full clown makeup—and no matter what you're wearing up on stage, it's going to be regarded as your costume," Mohninger says over the phone, taking a break from loading the van for a western Canada tour. "So it's fun to have something other than your ordinary clothes."

But don't think the band is just looks. PandaCorn's debut record, Synthesis of Opposites, released last September, is a charging synthrock banger. Mohninger's slippery guitar—often played on his lap, Jeff Healey style—funks around Nash's mini-Korg lines and Ryan Schnell's steady drumming.

Fri, May 8 (8 pm) With SNAKE LEGS, Rusty Brixx, $10 Strange animals

There was always a duality to the band, Mohninger explains, as he and Nash come from very different musical backgrounds. Mohninger

has lent his guitar to Texas swing, prog, classic rock and funk bands.

Nash got into country early on, before putting out a solo album of folk-pop.

So there's a push-pull dynamic between Mohninger's '70s-guitar-hero vibes and Nash's roots in country and folk. And there's that little extra bit of tension from the fact the two were going through a breakup during the recording process.

"There was that extra element," he laughs. "It was a bit of a tumultuous process. But we've maintained a friendship. And we both want to keep playing the music."

He says the band is looking forward to a summer of touring and releasing videos. But PandaCorn may have to tame—or at least adapt—its wild animal style. The panda and unicorn outfits were damaged beyond repair after they spray-painted them gold for a show in Saskatoon.

That, Mohninger says, might be for the best.

"It could have become like a Tom Waits-type thing, where eventually he became the character he created on stage," he says. "I think that does happen."

JOSH MARCELLIN

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // PUNK

Banshee .com Taking up space, not sorry about it

I

t's not enough to just notice there's a problem: you've got to stand up and do something about it.

That kind of activism is at the core of Banshee, a sludgy local punk trio battling at the front lines of including the marginalized—including women, queer, non-binary and trans people—in the Edmonton music scene. Banshee's latest EP, Take Up Space means just that: making inclusive rooms in Edmonton where any group or artist would be comfortable playing.

"It's no secret that the scene is really male dominated," says Banshee's drummer Stacey Hyde, sitting with singer and bass player Jackie Nuc at a café near Oliver Square. "And not feeling safe when going to shows is a big thing."

Hyde was a driving force behind Not Enough Fest, working on the organizing committee. The February 28 one-off show had the goal of creating new bands from people who have been marginalized or excluded from the Edmonton music scene.

Nuc helped out with Not Enough

44 MUSIC

Fest by wrangling volunteers, I think people felt so powerful being and Banshee's guitarist Reinhold loud and taking up so much space."

Banshee's latest EP, its third since Holtzmann was an ally who helped forming in 2012 afwith tech support ter Nuc "poached" and rides. It took Sat, May 9 (9 pm) and eight months of With SkIN, OK Jazz, the Archaics Hyde Holtzmann from planning and work, Wunderbar, $10 other bands, is a but the results strong statement. were worth it.

"It was so positive," Nuc says. "It was Both Nuc and Hyde grew up listencheesy at moments, but it was beau- ing to their brothers' grunge CDs, tiful, delicious cheese. You just felt like Mudhoney and Screaming Trees; and that bleeds through on Take Up the love swelling."

Space's six tracks of blistering, disBut why stop at just one night? Ban- torted vocals, claustrophobic bass shee is trying to keep the love grow- lines and waves of guitar feedback.

It's an assertive 20 minutes of abraing, working the idea of Not Enough Fest into its shows. A big part of that, sive, ballsy music. Nuc, the principal Hyde says, is acknowledging the is- songwriter, says it's about acknowledging when things are shitty and sues and working toward solutions.

"There are real barriers facing wom- working through them.

"Just being OK with yourself but it en and queer people," Hyde says.

"There are gender expectations, like, being OK that you're sad or pissed you're not supposed to make noise. off—and not to feel too guilty about Every band that played [Not Enough that," Nuc says. "And to know that life Fest], we had to tell them to turn isn't that bad. Even though we're all their volume up. It just sounds better. drudging through sometimes."

They were like: 'Are you sure? This is JOSH MARCELLIN JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM so loud.' It's like, yes, you can do this.

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

PREVUE // ROOTS

John Wort Hannam Fri, May 8 and Sat, May 9 (8 pm) The Club at the Citadel, $30

Small town family man

J

ohn Wort Hannam is sitting on a bench in Fort Macleod, watching west for the weather rolling over the Porcupine Hills.

A celebrated folk-roots singer and songwriter, his music has earned him songwriting awards and a Juno nomination, but he still lives in Fort Macleod—the place he grew up in.

"I live in a small town and my songs reflect that small town prairie sound," the 47 year old says over the phone. "If I go to Toronto and play my songs, they don't get it as well as people in Camrose or Calgary."

He's played with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra to a black-tie crowd of 1000 people, but you're more likely to see him in front of 30 people holding beers at a house party or 50 locals at the Legion.

His humble life with his wife and three-year-old son has afforded him the luxury of taking a full year to record his new record Love Lives On, his sixth since trading teaching for music in 2002. It's his second with producer, respected songwriter and friend Leeroy Stagger; and he called up many of the musicians he's met from his years on the road, including members of Corb Lund's band, Doc Walker, the Wailin' Jennys—even Tyson Maiko, the former bass player for Gob. Hannam says the relaxed pace and influx of talent sparked an album with many firsts: his first songs with drums, horn parts and even love songs. Long branded as a blue-collar, workingman musician, Hannam says the songs on Love Lives On are a departure from the Billy Bragg style he adopted earlier in his career.

"Even the title is not one I would have chosen before, because I thought I didn't write love songs,"

he says. "But there's a theme that runs through this album, a definite emphasis on love of the land, love of the region, love of a home and love of my son."

Being a family man has given him the insight to finish a song he's been working on for years, he says. "Man of God" is about Canada's dark history of residential schools and the deep scars it left on First Nations people.

Hannam has degrees in Native American studies and Native education—and taught Grade 9 Language Arts for years on the Kainai Nation, Canada's largest reserve—but felt he didn't have the authority to tell the painful story of the residential school legacy. That was, until he became a father.

"How was it possible to take on that character of a person in a culture I don't belong to?" Hannam says. "What I realized is, yeah, I'm non-Native and I don't know what it was like. But now I'm a dad and I can understand the pain of having a child taken away."

Love Lives On will be released this fall, but Hannam didn't want to wait that long to get the music in his fan's hands. He'll be giving out free fourtrack EPs at his Alberta shows— which will feature the big sound of a four-piece band. Music is his job, he says, and it's one he loves.

"I realized early on my music is never going to be on hit radio," Hannam says. "My goal is to be a working musician, not that different from a tradesman. I just want to pay my mortgage and food and clothe my family by playing music."

EVENING APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE 10126 - 118 Street, Edmonton, AB T5K 1Y4 Ph: (780) 482.4000 • Fax: (780) 482.1841 empiredental@mail.com • www.empiredentists.com @empiredentists

JOSH MARCELLIN

JOSH@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

MUSIC 45

KAYLEN SMALL KAYLEN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

DARRYL MATTHEWS / FRI, MAY 8 (8 PM)

LANDMARK EVENTS SHOWCASE / SAT, MAY 9 (3 PM)

Darryl Matthews uses his guitar as a weapon of mass construction.

He draws on a range of styles, combining finger picking, slide guitar and percussion to create a truly distinctive sound. His focus is the story—surely you'll have some to tell, too, after you see him play.

(Yellowhead Brewery, $10 in advance, $15 at the door)

The goal of this showcase is simple: expose artists to established companies and to a larger audience. The evening will feature some of Alberta’s best independent talent, including Silence the Machine, Gentleman’s Pact, Amygdalah, Ruined Escape Plan and tons more. It’s all about giving unnoticed artists opportunities in the industry, and supporting the contenders in their pursuit of rad prizes. (Starlite Room, $15)

10442 whyte ave 439.1273 10442 whyte ave 439.1273 CD/ MY MORNING LP JACKET THE WATERFALL

blackbyrd

M

Y

O

O

Z

I

RUSSELL DECARLE / FRI, MAY 8 (7:30 PM)

DeCarle, of the country band Prairie Oyster, is mixing those roots with jazz and blues to intoxicate your ears.

With a slow and steady build, his first solo album Under the Big Big Sky sees genres blending and shifting to acoustic. (Fiddler's Roost, $15 in advance, $18 at the door)

K

w w w. b l a c k b y rd . c a SEE MAG: Jan 3, 1c x 2”/ 28 AG RB: BLACKBYRD MYOOZIK SALES:Samantha H S01367

PUTTIN' ON THE FOIL / SAT, MAY 9 (9 PM)

With the band's latest release, Fire Up, Ready to Roll, coming out May 12, Puttin' on the Foil is bringing the party to us. Its country roots and edgy punkrock energy are a riotous mixture destined for mayhem. The Calgary-based redneck punk rockers will be playing with special guests the Drunken Superheroes and Abombanation. (DV8, $10)

COMEDY AT THE CENTURY CASINO

Put rock and country in a blender and what do you get? Marystown, the Edmonton-based band that borrows its name from the place in Newfoundland.

Catch them with the Preying Saints, Cowpuncher and Napalmpom. (Pawn Shop, $15)

AS SEEN IN: CONAN O’BRIEN, COMEDY CENTRAL, MARC MARON’S WTF & BLIND AMBITION

SAT MAY 23

MAY 8 & 9

MAY 8 & 9

Montréal-based singer Ian Kelly is stripping—his sound down to just piano and guitar for his tour, that is.

Songs from his 2013 album All These Lines will be featured on this Canadian trek. This is Kelly's version of backpacking, seeking adventure and solitude. Who knows— these experiences might even spark his next album.

(Permanent Records [1 pm], Black Dog [4 pm])

MARYSTOWN / SAT, MAY 9 (8 PM)

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

DARYL LENOX

IAN KELLY / SAT, MAY 9 (1PM, 4 PM)

DOUG AND THE

KAMELOT / TUE, MAY 12 (7 PM)

Kamelot's new album Haven stays true to the group's brand of melodic metal. This power-metal five-piece has only progressed since singer Tommy Karevik joined the group for the previous album. For its biggest stage setup yet, Kamelot shares the evening with fellow metal band Dragonforce. (Union Hall, $38.50 – $110)

ROY DAVIDSON ORCHESTRA / WED, MAY 13 (9 PM)

After years of working on multiple projects, the postrock band Roy Davidson Orchestra is touring in support of its self-titled debut album. The band's sound is catchy yet chill, and illustrates what it means to be young in Alberta. See the Orchestra with indie-blues rockers a Day as Wolves and folk storyteller Colin Close. (Wunderbar, $10)

SLUGS

COMING SOON: IRON BUTTERFLY, KENNY SHIELDS & STREETHEART AND MORE! TICKETS AVAILABLE AT CENTURY CASINO AND TICKETMASTER

Ķř{įGÃæ´ĥ

+íæ Pōĥį±ĉàįÂįāřĉà

Ļďêêį ğ PÕ PĤIJ

ENSIFERUM AND KORPIKLAANI / WED, MAY 13 (7 PM)

ʼn ğŎįG æ Ĥ PŎįêPàįÂįāāPà

Even though it was meticulously crafted, Ensiferum's latest album, One Man Army, has a real live feel to it. This folk-metal group is known for its melodic battle anthems and the band proves it again with the thrash of this album. Ensiferum is joining forces with fellow Finnish metalheads Korpiklaani for a North American tour, and is certain to ravage the place with its sonic waves. (Union Hall, $30)

Ĭďêêį7ğÃß į9Ãd ʼn ğŎį>ĽğĤ PŎį±ĉàįÂįêĉà

13103 FORT RD • 643-4000 46 MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

MUSIC

WEEKLY

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

ELECTRIC RODEO–Spruce Grove DJ

every Thu FILTHY MCNASTY’S Taking Back

Thursdays KRUSH ULTRA LOUNGE Open stage;

7pm; no cover

THU MAY 7

ON THE ROCKS Salsa Rocks: every Thu; dance lessons at 8pm; Cuban Salsa DJ to follow

ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE Live

UNION HALL 3 Four All Thursdays:

Music every Thu; 9pm BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES Thirsty

Thursday Jam; 7:30pm BLUES ON WHYTE Tim Vaughn BRITTANY'S LOUNGE Scrambled YEG: Open Genre Variety Stage: artist from all mediums are encouraged to occupy the stage and share their creations • Every Tue- Fri, 5-8pm

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

SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A Duff

CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK The

Robison; 9pm

Electrik Squirrells

SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM Al Barrett

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Sat Open

TIRAMISU BISTRO Live music

mic; 7pm; $2

every Fri; this week featuring Michael Chenoweth; 7-9pm

CASINO EDMONTON Chronic Rock

UPTOWN FOLK CLUB Russell

(Beatles tribute)

Decarle Trio from Prairie Oyster; 7:30pm (door), 8pm (show); $15 (adv), $18 (door)

CASINO YELLOWHEAD Pepperland CENTURY CASINO The Fab Fourever CITADEL THEATRE–BEYOND THE STAGE John Wort Hannam; 8pm

Daydreaming; 8pm; $10; 18+ only

DRAFT BAR & GRILL Tim Harwill

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Front Porch

YARDBIRD SUITE Jon Mayer/P.J.

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Derina

Roots Revue; 8:30-10:30pm; $10 BLUES ON WHYTE Tim Vaughn

BOURBON ROOM Dueling pianos

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Thu Open

every Fri Night with Jared Sowan and Brittany Graling; 8pm

Own Vinyl Night: Every Thu; 8pmlate; Edmonton Couchsurfing Meetup: Every Thu; 8pm

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

DV8 Shitliver with guests; 8pm;

BRIXX BAR Pandacorn, Snake

No minors

Legs, Rusty; 8pm (doors), 9pm (show); $10

EARLY STAGE SALOON–Stony Plain

CAFE BLACKBIRD Lori Reid and Pilgrim; 8pm; $15

BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES Guitar Shorty; $10 (adv), $15 (door)

7:30pm; $6

CHA ISLAND TEA CO Bring Your

Adam Holm; 9pm

WUNDERBAR Consilience, Hours,

CAFÉ HAVEN Music every Thu; 7pm

Mic: All adult performers are welcome (music, song, spoken word); every Thu, 1:30-3pm

Brittany Graling; 8pm

SHERLOCK HOLMES–DOWNTOWN

FRI MAY 8

BOHEMIA Ali Mccormick with The Wellington Folk and guests; 9pm; No minors

CAFE BLACKBIRD Sail With Kings;

Beaudry Band; 8pm

Open Jam Nights; no cover

Perry Quartet; 7pm (doors), 8pm (show); $22 (members), $26 (guests)

Band; 8:30pm Harvey; 9pm DV8 Puttin' On The Foil, Drunken

J, 9pm; $25

Superheroes, Abombanation And Landon Barrowman; 9pm; $10; 18+ only

YELLOWHEAD BREWERY Darryl

ENCORE–WEM Infected Mushroom;

YEG DANCE CLUB Gridlok Capital

Matthews CD release party featuring Darryl Matthews with guests; 8pm; $10 (adv), $15 (door)

Classical MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH 2015

9pm FILTHY MCNASTY'S Free Afternoon

Concerts; 4pm GAS PUMP Saturday Homemade Jam: Mike Chenoweth

AMFA Provincial Choral Festival; 1-4pm; $5

HILLTOP PUB Open Stage, Jam every Sat; 3:30-7pm

MUTTART HALL Midday Music;

LEAF BAR AND GRILL Open Stage Sat–It's the Sat Jam hosted by Darren Bartlett, 5pm

12:10-12:50pm ROBERTSON WESLEY UNITED CHURCH Salute to the Proms; 7pm

LEGENDS Sat 3pm Jam and Open Mic with Nick Samoil and guests MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Live Local Bands every

J R BAR AND GRILL Live Jam

Thu; 9pm

Sat

KELLY'S PUB Jameoke Night with

the Nervous Flirts (sing-along with a live band); every Thu, 9pm-1am; no cover

NEW WEST HOTEL Rodeowind

L.B.'S PUB South Bound Freight

Tippin, Sammy Kershaw, and Collin Raye; 7pm (doors), 9pm (show); 18+ only

NORTHLANDS EXPO CENTRE – HALL E Roots & Boots Tour with Aaron

open jam with hosts: Rob Kaup, Leah Durelle MERCURY ROOM Jordie Lane with Clare Reynolds and Trevor McNeely; 7pm; $15 (adv), $20 (door)

O’BYRNE’S Live band every Sat,

3-7pm; DJ every Sat, 9:30pm O'MAILLE'S Zach Mercey; 9pm ON THE ROCKS Mustard Smile

MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Thu and Fri DJ and dance

northlands.com

floor; 9:30pm

ORLANDO'S 1 Bands perform every

week; $10 OVERTIME Sherwood Park Old

NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Thu open

stage; 8pm; all ages (15+) NEW WEST HOTEL Rodeowind

CAFE BLACKBIRD Erica Dawn

WINSPEAR CENTRE A Celebration of the Arts; 7pm; $12

School DJ PALACE CASINO–WEM Souled Out;

May 4-9

Quartet; 8pm; $10

NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by

CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK The

DJs

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

Electrik Squirrells

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Every

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Live music

Friday DJs on all three levels

PAWN SHOP Mary's Town with guests; 8pm (doors), $15 (show); 18+ only

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

THE BOWER Strictly Goods: Old

CASINO EDMONTON Chronic Rock

school and new school hip hop & R&B with DJ Twist, Sonny Grimez, and Marlon English; every Fri

RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling

PAWN SHOP Fire Next Time with

Forester, Step Mothers, Penske File, Grizzly Trail; 8pm RED PIANO Every Thu: Dueling

pianos at 8pm

CASINO YELLOWHEAD Pepperland

(Beatles tribute) CENTURY CASINO The Fab Fourever

most Thursdays; 7-10pm

CITADEL THEATRE–BEYOND THE STAGE John Wort Hannam; 8pm

SMOKEHOUSE BBQ Live Blues

DENIZEN HALL Punk Rock Karaoke,

RIC’S GRILL Peter Belec (jazz);

7pm; No minors

THE COMMON Good Fridays: nu

disco, hip hop, indie, electro, dance with weekly local and visiting DJs on rotation plus residents Echo and Justin Foosh DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Fri;

every Thur: rotating guests; this week with: Sugarfoot; 7-11pm

with The Old Wives, and L.A.M.S.; 8pm; $22 (adv)

9pm

TAVERN ON WHYTE Open stage

DRAFT BAR & GRILL Tim Harwill

ELECTRIC RODEO–Spruce Grove DJ

with Michael Gress (fr Self Evolution); every Thu; 9pm-2am WUNDERBAR Zaum, Jealousy Mountain Duo, Pigeon Breeders and Zebra Pulse; 9pm; $10; 18+ only YARDBIRD SUITE University Of

Manitoba Jazz Faculty Ensemble; 7pm (doors), 8pm (show); $22 (members), $26 (guests)

Band; 8:30pm

every Fri

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Derina

THE PROVINCIAL PUB Friday Nights:

Harvey; 9pm DV8 Battle For Farmageddon; 7pm;

$10; 18+ only ENCORE–WEM Deorro featuring

Panda Funk Tour; 9pm; 18+ only LB'S Cool Dads; 9:30pm

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

piano show featuring the Red Piano Players every Sat; 9pm-2am RICHARD'S PUB The Mad Dog Blues and Roots Jam hosted by Jimmy Guiboche; 3-7pm ROSIE'S BAR AND GRILL Driven

To Exile with Vangohst and with Ravage Red; 7pm; $5 (door) SHERLOCK HOLMES–DOWNTOWN

Adam Holm; 9pm SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A Duff

Robison; 9pm SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM Al Barrett SNEAKY PETE'S Sinder Sparks

K-DJ Show; 9pm-1am STARLITE ROOM Landmark Events

Showcase - The Finals; 3pm (doors); $15 UNION HALL Joel Plaskeet with

floor; 9:30pm

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

MERCURY ROOM Gordie Tentrees;

UNION HALL Ladies Night every Fri

AMFA Provincial Choral Festival; 1-4pm; $5

8pm; $20

Y AFTERHOURS Foundation Fridays

MUTTART HALL Midday Music;

screening, featuring JR Gone Wild performing live; 7pm

SAT MAY 9

Classical

NEW WEST HOTEL Rodeowind

BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES Guitar

Shorty; $10 (adv), $15 (door)

O'MAILLE'S Zach Mercey; 9pm

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair of the

ON THE ROCKS Mustard Smile

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

DUTCH CANADIAN CENTRE 26th Annual Dutch Spring Market Featuring Concordia Brass Band; 10am; Free

Classical MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH 2015

12:10-12:50pm

DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Thu Main Fl:

Throwback Thu: Rock&Roll, 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

MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Thu and Fri DJ and dance

METRO CINEMA Dead Venues film

OVERTIME Sherwood Park Old

8:30-10:30pm; $20

PALACE CASINO–WEM Souled Out;

BLUES ON WHYTE Every Sat

7pm; No minors PAWN SHOP Neighbour; 8pm; No

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

minors

THE COMMON The Common

piano show featuring the Red Piano Players every Fri; 9pm-2am

Uncommon Thursday: Rotating Guests each week!

BLUE CHAIR CAFE Jack Semple;

School DJ May 8-9

RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling

THE RENDEZVOUS Affinitry with Upsidedowntown & The James

afternoon: Jam with Back Door Dan; Tim Vaughn 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

the Emergency, the Park Avenue Sobriety Test; 8pm; 18+ only YARDBIRD SUITE Jon Mayer/P.J. Perry Quartet; 7pm (doors), 8pm (show); $22 (members), $26 (guests)

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Admiral, Segger, Stolte Improvised Music Concert; 4-5pm MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH 2015 AMFA Provincial Choral Festival; 1-4pm; $5

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

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

MUSIC 47

DJ Sonny Grimez & instigate; Underdog: Alternating DJs

DV8 Flight Distance Tour; 9pm;

THE BOWER For Those Who

HOG'S DEN PUB Rockin' the Hog

Know...: Deep House and disco with Junior Brown, David Stone, Austin, and guests; every Sat

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

$10 (adv), $15 (door); No minors

THE COMMON Get Down It's

Saturday Night: House and disco and everything in between with resident Dane DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Sat;

MAY/9

MAY/13

MAY/16

Nights: Indie rock and dance with DJ Maurice

UBK & BLUEPRINT PRESENT

OPIUO & FKJ

RED STAR Indie rock, hip hop,

CONCERTWORKS.CA PRESENTS

global sound and Cosmopolitan Style Lounging with DJ Mkhai

and electro every Sat with DJ Hot Philly and guests ROUGE LOUNGE Rouge Saturdays:

SEPULTURA W/

Your Famous Saturday with Crewshtopher, Tyler M

DESTRUCTION, ARSIS, BORIS THE BLADE & MICAWBER

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

UNION EVENTS PRESENTS

AMARANTHE

W/ I PREVAIL, SANTA CRUZ & GUESTS

MAY/25

TAVERN ON WHYTE Soul, Motown, Funk, R&B and more with DJs Ben and Mitch; every Sat; 9pm-2am

UNIONEVENTS.COM PRESENTS

LITTLE DRAGON

UNION HALL Celebrity Saturdays:

W/ GUESTS

MAY/26

CONCERTWORKS.CA PRESENTS

REVEREND HORTON HEAT W/ NEKROMANTIX, THE BRAINS

MAY/28

MILO GREENE

MAY/10

MAY/17

MON MAY 11

O’BYRNE’S Celtic jam every

BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES Blue

Mondays with Jimmy and the Sleepers; 8-11pm 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)

Tue; with Shannon Johnson and friends; 9:30pm OVERTIME–Sherwood Park Bingo

Toonz 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

mic with host Duff Robison MERCURY ROOM Yes We Mystic

with Cayley Thomas and Madi Allen; 7pm; $10 NEW WEST HOTEL Nash Ramblers ORIGINAL JOE'S VARSITY ROW

Open mic Wed: Hosted by Jordan Strand; every Wed, 9-12 jordanfstrand@gmail.com / 780655-8520 OVERTIME–Sherwood Park Jason Greeley (acoustic rock, country, Top 40); 9pm-2am every Wed; no cover 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:

hosted by dueling piano players; 8pm-1am; $5 ROSSDALE HALL Little Flower Open

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Monday

RICHARD'S PUB Tue Live Music Showcase and Open Jam (blues) hosted by Mark Ammar; 7:30pm

open mic

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ICEHOUSE

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Diana Krall

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

STARLITE ROOM Kodaline, Little India; 8pm; $22.50; 18+ only

BLUES ON WHYTE Skyla Burrell

Wallflower World Tour; 8pm MERCURY ROOM Music Magic

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

Acoustic instrumental old time fiddle jam every Mon; hosted by the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Society; 7pm; contact Vi Kallio 780.456.8510 RIVER CREE–MARRIOTT BALLROOM

SANDS HOTEL Country music dancing every Tue, featuring Country Music Legend Bev Munro every Tue, 8-11pm UNION HALL Kamelot with DragonForce; 7pm; $38.50 (adv) YARDBIRD SUITE Tuesday Session:

John Sweenie Quartet; 7:30pm (door)/8pm (show); $5

DJs

Stage with Brian Gregg; 7:30pm (door); no cover

UNION HALL Ensiferum and Korpiklaani with Trollfest; 8pm; $30 WUNDERBAR The Roy Davidson Orchestra with A Day As Wolves and Colin Close; 9pm; $10; 18+ only ZEN LOUNGE Jazz Wednesdays: Kori Wray and Jeff Hendrick; every Wed; 7:30-10pm; no cover

Classical WINSPEAR CENTRE Handel &

BILLIARD CLUB Why wait Wednesdays: Wed night party with DJ Alize every Wed; no cover

BLUES ON WHYTE Tim Vaughn

DJs

BRIXX Metal night every Tue

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

BRIXX BAR Jennifer Castle with

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

DV8 Creepy Tombsday: Psychobilly,

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

Los Lonely Boys; 6pm (doors), 8pm (show); $24.50

Blue Jay’s Messy Nest: mod, brit pop, new wave, British rock with DJ Blue Jay DV8 T.F.W.O. Mondays: Roots

industrial,Classic Punk, Rock, Electronic with Hair of the Dave TAVERN ON WHYTE Classic Hip

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

WED MAY 13 ALBERTA BEACH HOTEL Open stage

Wed with Trace Jordan; 8pm-12

BRIXX BAR Eats and Beats THE COMMON The Wed Experience:

Classics on Vinyl with Dane RED STAR Guest DJs every Wed

VENUEGUIDE

GUERRILLARADIO.CA AND HIP HOP IN THE PARK FOUNDATION PRESENTS

BIGGER THAN HIP HOP

BLACK THUNDER

RADIO RADIO TOM OLSEN RELEASE WRECKAGE CD

AND THE W/EMILY TRIGGS

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.

48 MUSIC

NEW WEST HOTEL Tue Country Dance Lessons: 7-9pm • Nash Ramblers

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Wed open

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

with Duggan's House Band 5-8pm

W/HIGH TIDES

MAY/22

Jam: Trevor Mullen

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

DJs

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Celtic Music

W/LABRADOODLE, THE WORST

MAY/21

LEAF BAR AND GRILL Tue Open

BLUES ON WHYTE Skyla Burrell

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

DIVERSION LOUNGE Sun Night Live on the South Side: live bands; all ages; 7-10:30pm

W/GUESTS

MAY/15

stage with Darrell Barr; 7-11pm

Kris Harvey and guests

ROUGE RESTO-LOUNGE Open Mic

BLUE CHAIR CAFE Brunch with Hawaiian Dreamers; 9am-3pm; Donations

W/ SNAKE LEGS, RUSTY

L.B.'S PUB Tue Variety Night Open

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

Haydn; 7:30pm

Open mic every Sun hosted by Tim Lovett

PANDACORN JENNIFER CASTLE

DRUID IRISH PUB Open Stage

Tue; 9pm

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

guests; 8pm (doors), 9pm (show); $10; 18+ only

MAY/8

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

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

PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL

BLACKJACK'S ROADHOUSE–Nisku

W/ GUESTS

BLUES ON WHYTE Skyla Burrell

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

NEW WEST HOTEL Nash Ramblers

BBQ jam hosted with the Marshall Lawrence Band; 4pm

BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES Tuesday Night Jam with host Harry Gregg and Geoffrey O'Brien; 8-11pm

MERCER TAVERN Alt Tuesday with

Y AFTERHOURS Release Saturdays

BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES Sun

TUE MAY 12

DJs

every Sat hosted by DJ Johnny Infamous

SUN MAY 10

UNIONEVENTS.COM PRESENTS

WINSPEAR CENTRE Early: Pro Coro Canada: The Stolen Child; 2:30pm • Later: River City Rhythm and Blues Revue; 8-10:30pm; $32.50

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor:

SOU KAWAII ZEN LOUNGE

30 YR. ANNIVERSARY TOUR’

MAY/24

Classical

THE PROVINCIAL PUB Saturday

W/ LITTLE INDIA

MAY/15

hosted by Jim Dyck, Randy Forsberg and Mark Ammar; 4-8pm

PAWN SHOP Transmission 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

KODALINE

9:30pm-1am

and Light show; We are Saturdays: Kindergarten MERCER TAVERN DJ Mikey Wong

SKYPE / SIRIUSXM PRESENTS

O’BYRNE’S Open mic every Sun;

ENCORE–WEM Every Sat: Sound

every Sat

THE FINALS

Service: acoustic open stage every Sun

RICHARD'S PUB Sunday Jam

9pm

LANDMARK EVENTS SHOWCASE

NEWCASTLE PUB The Sunday Soul

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

ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE 8223-104 St, 780.431.0179 ALE YARD TAP 13310-137 Ave ARTERY 9535 Jasper Ave "B" STREET BAR 11818-111 St BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES Yellowhead Inn, 15004 Yellowhead Trail 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 9640-142 St NW 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 CITADEL THEATRE 9828-101A Ave COMMON 9910-109 St DARAVARA 10713 124 St, 587.520.4980 DENIZEN HALL 10311-103 Ave DRAFT BAR & GRILL 12912-50 St NW DRUID 11606 Jasper Ave, 780.454.9928 DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY 9013-88 Ave, 780.465.4834 DUSTER’S PUB 6402-118 Ave, 780.474.5554 DUTCH CANADIAN CLUB 13312142 St NW DV8 8130 Gateway Blvd EARLY STAGE SALOON– Stony Plain 4911-52 Ave, Stony Plain, 780.963.5998 ELECTRIC RODEO–Spruce 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 NW HILLTOP PUB 8220 106 Ave HOGS DEN PUB Yellow Head

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Tr, 142 St IRISH SPORTS CLUB 12546-126 St, 780.453.2249 J AND R 4003-106 St, 780.436.4403 JAVA XPRESS 110, 4300 South Park Dr, Stony Plain, 780.968.1860 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 10086 Macdonald Dr NW 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 METRO CINEMA 8712-109 St MUTTART HALL 10050 Macdonald Dr 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 NORTHLANDS EXPO CENTRE Northlands, 7515-118 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 ORLANDO'S 1 15163-121 St

O'MAILLES IRISH PUB 104, 398 St Albert Rd, St Albert ON THE ROCKS 11730 Jasper Ave, 780.482.4767 OVERTIME–Sherwood Park 100 Granada Blvd, Sherwood Park, 790.570.5588 PALACE CASINO–WEM West Edmonton Mall, 8882-170 St PAWN SHOP 10551-82 Ave, Upstairs, 780.432.0814 PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL 10860-57 Ave THE PROVINCIAL PUB 160, 4211-106 St RED PIANO BAR 1638 Bourbon St, WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.486.7722 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 ROSIE'S BAR AND GRILL 625899 St NW RIVER CREE 300 East Lapotac Blvd, Enoch ROBERTSON WESLEY CHURCH 10209-123 St NW 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 SHERLOCK HOLMES– DOWNTOWN 10012-101 A Ave SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A

8519-112 St SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM 8882-170 St SIDELINERS PUB 11018-127 St SMOKEHOUSE BBQ 10810-124 St, 587.521.6328 SNEAKY PETE'S 12315-118 Ave SOU KAWAII ZEN LOUNGE 1292397 St, 780.758.5924 STARLITE ROOM 10030-102 St, 780.428.1099 STUDIO MUSIC FOUNDATION 10940-166 A St SUGAR FOOT BALLROOM 10545-81 Ave TAVERN ON WHYTE 10507-82 Ave, 780.521.4404 TIRAMISU 10750-124 St UNION HALL 6240-99 St NW UPTOWN FOLK CLUB 7308-76 Ave, 780.436.1554 VEE LOUNGE, APEX CASINO–St Albert 24 Boudreau Rd, St Albert, 780.460.8092, 780.590.1128 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 YEG DANCE CLUB 11845 Wayne Gretzky Dr YELLOWHEAD BREWERY 10229105 St NW 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

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY VOLUNTEER INFORMATION NIGHT • Habitat for

TOASTMASTERS

Humanity Prefab Shop, 14135-128 Ave • vbatten@hfh.org • 780.451.3416 ext. 236 • hfh.org/volunteer • Learn about taking the next step and what opportunities are available • 3rd Thu of the month, 6-7pm, until Nov 2015 • Free

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 • 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 • Terrified of Public Speaking: Norwood Legion Edmonton, 11150-82 St NW; Every Thu until 7:30-9:30pm; Free; contact jnwafula@yahoo. com; norwoodtoastmasters.org • Upward Bound Toastmaster Club: Rm 7, 6 Fl, Edmonton Public Library–DT: Meets every Wed, 7-8:45pm; Sep-May; upward. 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

ILLNESS SUPPORT AND SOLUTIONS • Robertson Wesley United Church Library, 10209-123 St • 780.235.5911 • Crohn's Colitis, I.B.D. Support and Solutions • Every 2nd and 4th Tue, 7-9pm

Black Dog Freehouse • Underdog

LOTUS QIGONG • 780.477.0683 • Down-

Comedy show: Alternating hosts • Every Thu, 8-11pm • No cover

MADELEINE SANAM FOUNDATION •

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 • Danny Acappella; May 7-9 • Sean Baptiste; May 15-16 COMIC STRIP • Bourbon St, WEM •

• Club Bilingue Toastmasters Meetings: Campus

town • Practice group meets every Thu Faculté St Jean, Rm 3-18 • 780.490.7332 • madeleine-sanam.orgs/en • Program for HIV-AID’S prevention, treatment and harm reduction in French, English and other African languages • 3rd and 4th Sat, 9am-5pm each month • Free (member)/$10 (membership); pre-register

NORTHERN ALBERTA WOOD CARVERS ASSOCIATION • Duggan Community Hall,

780.483.5999 • Wed-Fri, Sun 8pm; Fri-Sat 10:30pm • Hit or Miss Mondays: Amateurs and Professionals every Mon, 7:30pm • Battle to the Funny Bone; last Tue each month, 7:30pm • Zainab Johnson; May 6-10 • Dave Coulier Special Performance; May 14-16 • Sean Lecomber; May 17

3728-106 St • nawca.ca • Meet every Wed, 6:30pm

CONNIE'S COMEDY • Draft Bar & Grill,

POOR VOTE TURNOUT • Rossdale Hall,

WASKAHEGAN TRAIL ASSOCIATION •

ORGANIZATION FOR BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE DISORDER (OBAD) • Grey

waskahegantrail.ca • Ross Creek & along the north Saskatchewan: Meet at northwest corner parking lot of Superstore, 5019 Calgary Trail; May 10, 8:45am; Hike leader: Karen B. (780.642.6372)

Nuns Hospital, Rm 0651, obad@shaw.ca; Group meets every Thu, 7-9pm • Free

12912-50 St NW • Comedy Night featuring Sean Lecomber, Ben Proulx, Mark McCue, and Scott Porteous; May 6, 7:30pm

10135-96 Ave • poorvoteturnout.ca • Public meetings: promoting voting by the poor • Every Wed, 7-8pm

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

SAWA 12-STEP SUPPORT GROUP •

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

CANADIAN INJURED WORKERS ASSOCIATION OF ALBERTA (CIWAA) • Augustana Lutheran Church, 107 St, 99 Ave • canadianinjuredworkers.com • Meeting every 3rd Sat, 1-4pm • Injured Workers in Pursuit of Justice denied by WCB

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

FORT SASKATCHEWAN 45+ SINGLES COFFEE GROUP • Crazy Loon Pub, 10208-99 Ave N.E., Fort Saskatchewan • 780.907.0201 • A mixed group, all for conversation and friendship • Every Sun, 2pm

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

WILD ROSE ANTIQUE COLLECTORS SOCIETY • Delwood Community Hall, 7515

SCHIZOPHRENIA SOCIETY FAMILY SUPPORT DROP-IN GROUP • Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, 5215-87 St • schizophrenia. ab.ca • The Schizophrenia Society of AlbertaEdmonton 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, 9351118 Ave • 780.973.5311 • nashvillesongwriters. com • NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) meet the 2nd Mon each month, 7-9pm

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE EDMONTON NATURE CLUB • King’s University College, 9125-50 St • The topic will be “Wildflowers Of Waterton National Park”. This multi-media presentation set to music will show bold blossoms, wild creatures, majestic mountains and autumn colors • May 8, 7pm • Admission by donation

SUGAR FOOT BALLROOM • 10545-81 Ave • 587.786.6554 • sugarswing.com • Friday Night Stomp!: Swing and party music dance social every Fri; beginner lesson starts at 8pm.

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

Occasional live music–check the Sugar Swing website for info • $10, $2 lesson with entry TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY (TOPS) • 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

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

Delwood Rd • wildroseantiquecollectors.ca • Collecting and researching items from various periods in the history of Edmonton. Presentations after club business. Visitors welcome • Meets the 4th Mon of every month (except Jul & Dec), 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 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

SEEING IS ABOVE ALL • Acacia Hall, 10433-83 Ave, upstairs • 780.554.6133 • Free instruction in meditation on the Inner Light • Every Sun, 5pm SPRING 2015 LECTURE SERIES: LIFE LESSONS IN HEALTH • Grey Nuns Community Hospital, 1100 Youville Dr W NW • 780.735.7064 • Participants will explore how to activate their energy; create loving relationships; find Inspiration and purpose • May 12, 7-9pm • Free

SUMMER OF TAG EDUCATIONAL TOUR TO PROMOTE ALLERGY AWARENESS • Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, 11405 87th Ave NW • Experience severe allergies through the eyes of racing star Alex Tagliani and join an interactive dialogue between Alex, Edmonton allergist, Dr. Yanishevsky, Anaphylaxis Canada and families • May 8, 10-11:15am

UNIQUE LIVES & EXPERIENCES • Winspear Centre • Canada’s foremost women’s lecture series featuring: Shirley MacLaine: Celebrating 60 years in film; Monday, May 25, 7:30pm • Series tickets at Winspear box office WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY • Princess Theatre, 10337-82 Ave • agillese@gmail.com • communications@fairtradeedmonton.ca • fairtradeedmonton.ca • Film Screening of "The Dark Side of Chocolate" with panel discussion and displays • May 9, 10:30am-1pm • Free QUEER 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

Mon, 7-9pm, each month; huges@shaw.ca

BUDDYS NITE CLUB • 11725 Jasper Ave

Ave • 780.436.1555 • People of all sexual orientations are welcome • Every Sun (10am worship)

• 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

EPLC FELLOWSHIP PAGAN STUDY GROUP • Pride Centre of Edmonton, 10608105 Ave • 780.488.3234 • eplc.webs.com • Free year long course; Family circle 3rd Sat each month • Everyone welcome

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 INSIDE/OUT • U of A Campus • Campusbased organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-identified and queer (LGBTQ) faculty, graduate student, academic, straight allies and support staff • 3rd Thu each month (fall/winter terms): Speakers Series. E: kwells@ualberta.ca

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 non-judgemental 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, 5:30-8:30pm, 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 • TTIQ: a support and information group for all those who fall under the transgender umbrella and their family/supporters; 3rd Mon, 7-9pm, each month • HIV Support Group: Support and discussion group for gay men; 2nd

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

ST PAUL'S UNITED CHURCH • 11526-76

WOMONSPACE • 780.482.1794 • womonspace.org, womonspace@gmail.com • A Non-profit lesbian social organization for 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 3RD ANNUAL GET GROWING DAY • Sparrow's Nest Organic and Chickadee Farm, 9605-82 Ave • 789.964.8725 • michael.kalmanovitch@ gmail.com • An opportunity for people to purchase certified organic bedding plants directly from the growers • May 10, 12-3pm • Free 34TH ANNUAL BEN CALF ROBE TRADITIONAL POW WOW • Commonwealth Community Recreation Center(indoor Fieldhouse), 11000 Stadium Rd • 780.471.2360 • rhonda.metallic@ecsd.net • A variety of dancers, drummers, authentic native crafts and food vendors • May 9, 1-10pm • Free

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 RUG HOOKING GUILD TEA AND SHOW • Pleasantview Community Hall, 10860-57 Ave • May 7, 11am-2pm • $5

ELLEVATE - A FUN ACTIVITY DAY FOR FEMALES OF ALL AGES • Saville Community Sports Centre, 11610-65 Ave • ellevatelife@gmail. com • ellevate.ca • Created to celebrate the support and love of female family members and friends • May 9, 8:30am-3pm • 1 Ticket for 2 People Regular $149 (+fees)

GET GROWING DAY 2015 - THIRD ANNUAL • Earth's General Store, 9605-82 Ave • michael@egs.ca • An opportunity to purchase certified organic bedding plants directly from local organic growers, network with organic gardeners (Edmonton Permaculture Guild), getting informed about pesticides and enjoy a barbecue • May 10, 12-3pm • Free

MOROCCAN IRAQI ALGERIAN BAZAAR • Rosslyn Community League, 11015-134 Ave • 780.200.1760 • Discover traditions and cultures of these amazing countries • May 9, 10am-9pm • Free MOTHER'S DAY AT THE EDMONTON VALLEY ZOO • Edmonton Valley Zoo • edmonton.ca • Some of the resident animal moms will be getting special enrichment treats throughout the afternoon, while human moms can be pampered with mini massages and manicures • May 10, 12-4pm

NIGHT MARKET EDMONTON • Beaverhill House Park, Jasper Ave & 105 St • nightmarketedmonton@gmail.com • 780.934.1568 • nightmarketedmonton.com • Watch an old movie, eat some food, or shop at the vendor’s stalls • Every Fri, 7-11pm, May-Aug • Free

THE S FACTOR • Concordia University College of Alberta Auditorium, 7128 Ada Boulevard • danceclub@student.concordia.ab.ca • 587.710.2404 • Featuring dance, music, spoken word, and an auction for visual art, all in support of the battle against the stigma of mental illness and major life issues • May 7, 5:30-9pm • $6 (donation to Kids Help Phone) SCRAMBLED YEG • Brittany's Lounge, 1022597 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 THE SUPPORT NETWORK CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF THE DISTRESS LINE • Matrix Hotel, 10640-100 Ave • kshaw@crisissupportcentre.com • 780.732.6637 • Celebrate the incredible success of the Distress Line over the past four decades • May 8, 7-10pm • $20

AT THE BACK 49

CLASSIFIEDS To place an ad PHONE: 780.426.1996 / FAX: 780.426.2889 EMAIL: classifieds@vueweekly.com 1005.

Help Wanted

Graphic Designer Needed High Speed Printing is seeking a full time designer. Email resume, cover letter and portfolio to Cathy@highspeed.ca.

5531-99Street, Edmonton, AB

1600.

Volunteers Wanted

Can You Read This?

Help someone Who can’t!

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

Call Valerie at P.A.L.S 780-424-5514 or email palsvol@shaw.ca Habitat for Humanity Hosts Women Build Week - May 26-30 Attention Women: 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 http://www.hfh.org/volunteer/w omen-build/, and Follow us on Facebook/@HabitatEdm and Twitter@HabitatEdm. Room to Read Event Planner Volunteer Needed Are you a self-motivated individual who wants to use your creativity to plan fun, interesting events to support a great cause? Room to Read, Edmonton Chapter organizes several events every year to raise money to support our literacy and girls’ education programs in Asia and Africa.

We require people who are willing to generate ideas for events and execute them, while working with other volunteers and Chapter Leaders. Contact Edmonton@roomtoread.org if you are interested.

AfricAn MediuM Mr. JAHABA

37 years experience I can help you: Out of Despair, Reunite, Lovers Forever, Happy Marriage, Stop Divorce, Stress, Depression, Success in Business, Exams, Court Cases, Remove Bad Luck & Evils - gives 100% Protection

Positive Life cHAnges,

iMMediAte resuLts cALL for APPt

780.761.3741

50 AT THE BACK

2005.

Artist to Artist

Dog Walk Run! Supporters of Alberta Animal Rescues is having their 2nd Annual “Fun Run” fundraiser on June 6, 2015. We need volunteers from 7:30-10:30am to fill various positions as road marshals. A nice “good quality” t-shirt will be yours as well as our gratitude. Please sign up

by May 31; contact Kendra at Soaar.run@gmail.com. You must be comfortable around dogs as this is an owner/dog event in a dog park.

Cast and Crew Call for the Low Budget Short Action Film “Heaven”. No-pay gig.

Shoot scheduled for 4 days in September. Please e-mail jeremyalafond@gmail.com for more info.

1st Assistant Film Director is needed to assist Main Director on film project. This individual must have experience working with Arriflex motion-picture film camera.This individual must travel when required, to Jasper National Park (townsite) for segments of filming. The film directing schedule might be tight, because Jasper is a tourist town, with many people visiting the area each month. The Main Director can’t always be present on location to direct actors. The Main Director, Craig will send the film script to the assistant; once a qualified film director is chosen. If this Director has film producing experience, and has worked on film budgets before; this would be helpful. For further information, e-mail Craig at crgsymonds49@gmail.com.

Please e-mail your Film Directing resume.

Assistant Director needed.

The Assistant Director must have Film Producing experience as he/she will be calculating the Films budget. If the Director has experience with being a Location Manager; this would be very beneficial for the Main film Director, since he doesn’t live in the. Jasper town area.

P.S. When an experienced Film director is chosen then the project starts. FAVA Edmonton members are very welcome to apply for position.

You can also Skype video the Main Director for more details crgsymonds49@gmail.com

2005.

Artist to Artist

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.

2020.

Musicians Wanted

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

Please call 780-901-7677 Looking for a bass player and drummer; heavy metal style.

Call Randy at 780.479.8766.

2100.

Auditions

Open Call for Musicians, Bands, and Composers Toy Guns Dance Theatre and Ecco Theatre are collaborating on an original production titled Disenchanting Facades: A Dream Play About Blueberries, Christmas Lights, and A Rickety Old Shitter. The production will be performed outdoors at dusk featuring Live Music, Dance, and Classical Voice.

We are looking for submissions from Local Songwriters to create a score for this original production. We are very open to all styles of music although some reorchestration may be necessary in creating a unified art work.

All artists who’s music is used in the production will be given full credit for their work, tickets to attend performances of the show, as well as an honorarium. The show venue and dates are TBD. The pilot of the show will be produced for the end of August, 2015.

For further details contact kasia@toygunstheatre.com or visit www.toygunstheatre.com

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

Rates start as low as $30.

Call James @780.231.7511 for details

7020.

Legal Services

Final Estate Planning Wills, Powers of Attorney and Personal Directives.

Please call Nicole Kent with At Home Legal Services(780) 756-1466 to prepare your Final Estate Planning Documents.

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

ALBERTA-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS •• announcements •• NEED TO ADVERTISE? Province wide classifieds. Reach over 1 million readers weekly.

Only $269. + GST (based on 25 words or less). Call this newspaper NOW for details or call 1-800-282-6903 ext. 228.

•• auctions •• COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION! 8th Annual Calgary Collector Car Auction, June 12 - 14, Indoors Convention Center Grey Eagle Casino.

All makes & models welcome.

Consign today 1-888-296-0528 ext. 102; EGauctions.com.

COMPLETE CLOSEOUT AUCTION for Angelo Concrete Work Ltd. 3 Day Auction, May 12, 13, 14. 15840 - 118 Ave., Edmonton. Over 50 years in the ornamental concrete business. Fountains, planters, lawn ornaments, stepping stones, ceramic granite & marble tile, forklifts, skid steer. Over 5000 items. Selling all inventory & equipment. For more details phone 780-440-1860.

UNRESERVED COIN & Currency Auction. $1000 bills, domestic, US, foreign,, pre-Confederation Canada. No buyer’s fee! 6:15 p.m., Friday, May 8. Scribner Auction.

Wainwright, Alberta. 780-8425666; www.scribnernet.com.

AUCTION. Tractors, horse trailer, coral panels, garden centre dispersal, tools, surplus, collectibles, furniture and more. 10 a.m., Saturday, May 9. Scribner Auction, Wainwright, Alberta. 780-8425666; www.scribnernet.com.

•• business •• opportunities HIP OR KNEE Replacement? COPD or arthritic conditions? The Disability Tax Credit. $1,500 yearly tax credit. $15,000 lump sum refund (on average). Apply today! 1-844-453-5372.

HIGH CASH PRODUCING vending machines. $1.00 vend = .70 profit. All on location in your area. Selling due to illness.

Call 1-866-668-6629 for details.

•• career training •• MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONISTS are in huge demand!

Train with the leading Medical Transcription school. Learn from home and work from home. Call today. 1-800466-1535; www.canscribe. com. info@canscribe.com.

MEDICAL TRAINEES needed now! Hospitals & doctor’s offices need certified medical office & administrative staff! No experience needed! We can get you trained! Local job placement assistance available when training is completed. Call for program details! 1-888-627-0297.

•• coming events •• FORT MACLEOD 70s Reunion.

Sept. 11 - 13/15. The grooviest party ever! F.P. Walshe alumni

1969-1980. Like us on Facebook at Fort Macleod 70s Reunion or email to: reunion70s@ hotmail.com. Box 2496, Fort Macleod, AB, T0L 0Z0.

26TH ANNUAL Red Deer Mother’s Day Antique Show & Sale. May 9 & 10. Sat. 10-5:30 & Sun. 10-4:30. Westerner Exposition Grounds. Over 350 sales tables, Canadiana furniture and collectibles.

Carswell’s 403-343-1614.

•• employment •• opportunities SEEKING A CAREER in the Community Newspaper business? Post your resume for FREE right where the publishers are looking.

Visit: awna.com/for-job-seekers.

GPRC, Fairview Campus requires Heavy Equipment Technician Instructors to commence August 15, 2015. Visit our website at www.gprc.ab.ca/ careers for more information!

INTERIOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT Operator School. In-theseat training. No simulators.

Real world tasks. Weekly start dates. Funding options. Weekly job board! Sign up online! iheschool.com. 1-866-399-3853.

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! In-demand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get online training you need from an employertrusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-855-7683362 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

FULL-TIME GRAPHICS DESIGNER required at the Vermilion Voice newspaper.

Some weekend scheduling. Some experience is required. Email resume to: vermilionvoice@gmail.com.

•• equipment •• for sale A-CHEAP, lowest prices, steel shipping containers. Used 20’ & 40’ Seacans insulated 40 HC DMG $2450. 1-866-5287108; www.rtccontainer.com.

•• for sale •• BEAUTIFUL SPRUCE TREES. 4 - 6 feet, $35 each. Machine planting: $10/tree (includes bark mulch and fertilizer). 20 tree minimum order. Delivery fee $75 - $125/order. Quality guaranteed. 403-820-0961.

SAWMILLS from only $4,397. Make money & save money with your own bandmill. Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. Free info & dvd: www.

NorwoodSawmills.com/400OT. 1-800-566-6899 ext. 400OT. METAL ROOFING & SIDING. 30+ colours available at over 40 Distributors. 40 year warranty.

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

STEEL BUILDINGS - “Spring Sales with Hot Savings!” All steel building models and sizes are now on sale. Get

your building deal while it’s hot. Pioneer Steel 1-800-6685422; www.pioneersteel.ca.

REFORESTATION NURSERY SEEDLINGS of hardy trees, shrubs, & berries for shelterbelts or landscaping.

Full boxes as low as $0.99/ tree. Free shipping. Replacement guarantee. 1-866-8733846 or www.treetime.ca.

•• health •• CANADA BENEFIT GROUP. Do you or someone you know suffer from a disability? Get up to $40,000. from the Canadian Government. Toll free 1-888511-2250 or www.canadabenefit.ca/free-assessment.

•• manufactured •• homes THE HEART of Every Home is in its Kitchen. Kitchen specials starting at $138, 500. Upgrades include full backsplash, stainless steel appliances & more.

For more information call United Homes Canada 1-800461-7632 or visit our site at www.unitedhomescanada.com.

•• real estate •• FARMLAND. 154.19+/- title acres w/2210 sq. ft. custombuilt home & equestrian facilities in Falun, Alberta. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Unreserved Auction, June 10 in Edmonton.

Jerry Hodge 780-706-6652; rbauction.com/realestate.

ARIZONA LICENSED realtor needs listings! Do you have Arizona property? A sale of $235,000. US works out to over $283,000. Cdn. I need listings. Alberta born and raised. Call Maurice Beaudoin at 480-619-0067, Realty Executives Forum, Scottsdale.

•• services •• CRIMINAL RECORD? Think: Canadian pardon.

U.S. travel waiver. Divorce?

Simple. Fast. Inexpensive.

Debt recovery? Alberta collection to $25,000. Calgary 403-228-1300/1-800-347-2540.

GET BACK on track! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need money? We lend! If you own your own home - you qualify.

Pioneer Acceptance Corp.

Member BBB. 1-877-987-1420; www.pioneerwest.com.

BANK SAID NO? Bank on us!

Equity Mortgages for purchases, debt consolidation, foreclosures, renovations. Bruised credit, self-employed, unemployed ok. Dave Fitzpatrick: www.albertalending.ca. 587437-8437, Belmor Mortgage.

•• travel •• CHURCHILL BELUGA WHALE Tour. Experience Canada’s north, it’s wildlife and fur trade history on this Hudson Bay weekend. Departs Calgary on Aug. 22. 1-866-460-1415; www. classiccanadiantours.com.

FREEWILLASTROLOGY

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19): Benedictine monks observe the Latin motto Laborare est Orare. The 19th-century abbot Maurus Wolter interpreted these words to mean "work is worship" or "work is prayer." He was trying to impress upon his fellow monks that the work they did was not a grudging distraction from their service to God, but rather at the heart of their devotion. To do their tasks with love was a way to express gratitude for having been blessed with the gift of life.

I propose that you experiment with this approach in the coming weeks, even if your version is more secular. What would it be like to feel contentment with and appreciation for the duties you have been allotted?

TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20): Here's one of the best things you can do for your mental and physical health: withdraw your attention from the life that lies behind you, and be excited about the life that stretches ahead of you. Forget about the past and get wildly inventive as you imagine the interesting future you will create for yourself. Forgive everyone who has offended you and fantasize about the fun adventures you'll go on, the inspiring plans you'll carry out and the invigorating lessons you hope to learn.

GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20): In the children's book The Little Engine That Could, a little blue engine volunteers to pull a long chain of train cars up a steep hill, even though it's not confident it has the power to do so. As it strains to haul the heavy weight, it recites a mantra to give itself hope: "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." The story ends happily. The little blue engine reaches the top of the hill with its many cars in tow and is able to glide down the rest of the way.

As you deal with your own challenge, Gemini, I recommend that you use an even more forceful incantation. Chant this: "I know I can, I know I can, I know I can."

CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22): Here's a confession: I have taken a vow to foster beauty, truth, love, justice, equality, tolerance, creativity, playfulness and hope. To do this work is one of my life goals. I approach it with the devotion of a monk and the rigour of a warrior. Does that mean I ignore difficulty and suffering and cruelty? Of course not. I'm trying to diminish the power of those problems, so I sure as hell better know a lot about them. However, my main focus is on redemption and exaltation. I prefer not to describe in detail the world's poisons, but rather to provide an antidote for them. Even if you don't normally share my approach, Cancerian, I invite you to try it for the next two weeks. The astrological time is right.

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 22): The hill where I take my late afternoon hikes is teeming with the six-petalled purple wildflower known as the elegant cluster-lily. Every one of them—and there are hundreds—lean hard in the direction of the sun in the west. Should I deride them as conformists that follow the law of the pack? Should I ridicule them for their blind devotion? Or should I more sensibly regard them as having a healthy instinct to gravitate toward the life-giving light? I'll go with the latter theory. In that spirit, Leo, I urge you to ignore the opinions of others as you turn strongly toward the sources that provide you with essential nourishment.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22): Am I reading the astrological omens correctly? I hope so. From what I can tell, you have been flying under the radar and over the rainbow. You have been exploiting the loopholes in the big bad system and enjoying some rather daring experiments with liberation. At this point in the adventure, you may be worried that your lucky streak can't continue much longer. I'm here to tell you that it can. It will. It must. I predict that your detailloving intelligence will paradoxically guide you to expand your possibilities even further.

LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22): According to the three sciencefiction films collectively known as The Matrix, we humans suffer from a fundamental delusion.

What we think is real life is actually a sophisticated computer simulation. Intelligent machines have created this dream world to keep us in suspended animation while they harvest our energy to fuel their civilization. Now as far as I can tell, this scenario isn't literally true. But it is an apt metaphor for how many of us seem to be half-asleep or under a spell, lost in our addiction to the simulated world created by technology. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because now is a favourable time to diminish the hold that the metaphorical Matrix has on you. What can you do to at least partially escape your bondage? (Hint: a little more contact with nature could do the trick.)

SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21): In the coming weeks, you may be as alluring and intriguing and tempting as you have been in a long time. I suggest you capitalize on this advantage. Proceed as if you do indeed have the power to attract more of the emotional riches you desire. Assume that you are primed to learn new secrets about the arts of intimacy, and that these secrets will make you even smarter and more soulful than you already are.

Cultivate your ability to be the kind of trusted ally and imaginative lover who creates successful relationships.

ROB BREZSNY FREEWILL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21): Physicist Frank Wilczek won a Nobel Prize for his research into quarks, the tiny particles that compose protons and neutrons. The guy is breathtakingly smart. Here's one of his operating principles: "If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems. And that's a big mistake." Let's enshrine his advice as your meditation, Sagittarius. I think you're strong enough and brave enough to go hunting for some new super-rich dilemmas. Yes, they may lead you to commit some booboos. But they will also stretch your intelligence beyond its previous limits, giving you a more vigorous understanding of the way the world works.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19): In 1934, Capricorn baseball player Dizzy Dean was named the Most Valuable Player after winning 30 games. It was a feat that no National League pitcher has repeated ever since. After Dean retired, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Never shy about acknowledging his own prowess, he declared that "if you can do it, it ain't bragging."

It is in this spirit that I invite you to freely expound on your talents and accomplishments in the coming week. You won't be boasting. You will simply be providing information. And that will ultimately result in you being offered an interesting new opportunity or two.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18): There has rarely been a better time than now to refine the art of being your own mommy or daddy. You're finally ready to take over from the parental voices in your head and assume full responsibility for raising yourself the rest of the way.

What do you want to be when you grow up? You may feel a giddy sense of freedom as it becomes clear that the only authority who has the right to answer that question is you.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20): The universe has always played tricks on you. Some have been so perplexing that you've barely understood the joke. Others have been amusing but not particularly educational. Now I sense a new trend in the works, however. I suspect that the universe's pranks are becoming more comprehensible. They may have already begun to contain hints of kindness. What's the meaning of this lovely turn of events? Maybe you have finally discharged a very old karmic debt. It's also conceivable that your sense of humour has matured so much that you're able to laugh at some of the crazier plot twists. Here's another possibility: you are cashing in on the wisdom you were compelled to develop over the years as you dealt with the universe's tricks. V AT THE BACK 51

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

The Edmonton Party Line Meet Make New New People Friends 100% Edmonton Callers !!!

780-44-Party Ladies~R~Free!

9450.

Adult Massage

Text “I LOVE REDHEADS” to (780) 938-3644 Available now Text For Details *slim yet curvy* lic #44879215-002

TOP GIRL NEXT DOOR STUDIO www.thenexttemptation.com Open 7am Daily $160 Specials 7-10am CALL US (780) 483-6955 * 68956959-001

9300.

Adult Talk

#1 SEXIEST CHAT. It’s FREE to try! 18+ 780.665.0808.

Nightline, Your After Party Starts Now. Nightlinechat.com

CALL • CLICK • CONNECT with local women and men in your area.

Call QUEST for your absolutely FREE trial! 18+ 780.669.2323 QuestChat.com

Explore your fantasies with local singles! Try it FREE! 18+ 780.702.8008.

Night Exchange, Where Erotic Adults Come To Play.

NightExchange.com

Ocean Spa New, Gorgeous Asian Massage in Downtown Edmonton

10219-112 Street Early Bird Special!

8:30AM - 10:30AM

Kingsway Tokyo Spa New Renovations and Staff

Highly Skilled Massage OPEN 9AM - 11PM

Call 780-244-3532

7 days a week

OPEN 8:30AM - 11PM Discreet backdoor entrance with free parking at rear of the store.

200-10408 118 Ave 780.885.1092

Lic. 131198519-001

Lic. 118832868-001

52 AT THE BACK

Fort Road Studio NEW MANAGEMENT ASIAN GIRLS 780.479.8136 12040 FORT ROAD 8:30am - 11pm Parking in rear Lic# 119269321-001

EXTREME BODYCARE

New Asian Massage 780-486-4444

EARLYBIRD SPECIAL 8:30AM-10AM! NEW ASIAN GIRLS!!!

Open 8:30am –11pm Same plaza as O2 Bar! 11050 – 156 Street

Deja Vu Massage Welcomes EMILY, MERCEDES, KIMBERLY & CARLY #1 IN CUSTOMER SERVICE.

16628-109ave

• 780-444-4974 Book an appt. or walk-in today Open 7 days a week, 10am - 11pm

www.dejavumassage.ca

Lic# 151375442-001

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

dejavuedmonton

NOW HIRING

@dejavuedmonton LIC#74125963-001

SEX-OLOGY

TAMI-LEE DUNCAN // TAMI-LEE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

The fear of commitment

Trying to predict the future before a relationship has even begun

Q

: I think I have a fear of commitment. I've dated a lot of girls casually, but I never let anything get serious. The girl I'm seeing right now is pretty cool, but for some reason I am getting freaked out. I'm not sure why this keeps happening.

A

: Allow me to hypothetically elaborate on your situation. You meet a girl at a bar. She's attractive and seems interesting, so you take her out a few times. You like her.

Things get intimate, and then you start to panic. What if she is the last person you sleep with? What if there's someone better out there for you? What will this relationship mean for your social life? What will it mean for your freedom? What if she doesn't like you? What if you could find someone with more common interests or someone even more attractive or funny or rich, etc? You may not even be conscious of these thoughts, but you feel unsettled, so you instinctively start backing away—and thus continues the seemingly endless cycle of meet-date-dump-repeat.

If you identify with this, then you may be suffering from commitment phobia, also known as imagined pressure disorder or "trying to see the end from the beginning" syndrome. This is a common condition, most often experienced by people that believe that every relationship path they walk down has the potential to turn into a relationship rut

that is impossible to escape. This condition is also characterized by a belief that there is such a thing as a perfect partner and that it is your duty to wade through an endless pool of rejects until you find them.

Let's dispel the idea that there is a perfect partner—there just isn't one. While we are able to learn a lot about our relationship needs through our various dating experiences, there is a point where that

major life sacrifices when you barely know them is literally trying to predict the future. I mean, of course you don't want to give up your freedom for someone you barely know, but it might not feel like a sacrifice once deeper feelings start to develop.

And if they don't develop, well, I guess you have your answer.

I suggest you relax. Try not to overinterpret the instinct to flee and recognize that the pressure to make the big choice of commitment isn't real. If it's not the relationship for you, you will know. But until then, enjoy it. V

Let’s dispel the idea that there is a perfect partner—there just isn’t one.

While we are able to learn a lot about our relationship needs through our various dating experiences, there is a point where that kind of information seeking becomes unproductive. kind of information seeking becomes unproductive. In the Paradox of Choice, psychologist Barry Schwartz outlines that the more options we have, the less satisfied we are with what we choose. In the context of dating, it means that the more we date, the more anxiety we may have in choosing a long-term partner.

Which leads me to another important point: you are never stuck. The decision to be with someone is not a choice we make only once, it's a choice we make daily. I acknowledge that it gets harder to end a relationship the longer you're in it, but it's not impossible and time is often necessary for confirmation of fit. The reality is that you do not need answers to the aforementioned questions— especially at the beginning of a relationship. Trying to decide if someone ticks all the boxes and is worth

Ta m i - l e e Duncan is a Registered Ps y c h o l o g i s t in Edmonton, specializing in sexual health. Please note that the information and advice given above is not a substitute for therapeutic treatment with a licensed professional. For information or to submit a question, please contact tamilee@vueweekly.com. Follow on Twitter @SexOlogyYEG.

REAL PEOPLE REAL DESIRE REAL FUN

VUECARES

YOU ARE LIKE THE BEE’S KNEES IN THE CAT’S PYJAMAS

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

CHATLINE TM

780.490.2275

Try for FREE

Ahora en Español

For More Local Numbers: 1.800.926.6000 www.livelinks.com

Teligence/18+

AT THE BACK 53

JONESIN' CROSSWORD

“MashQuote”-- my first (and probably last) quote mash-up.

Across

1 “Girls” airer 4 CBS drama set in Vegas 7 Brewpub category 12 “The Hurt Locker” setting 14 Abbr. in real estate ads 15 Round number?

17 In ___ (in its original place) 18 Letters in an oval on bumper stickers 19 Painful spasms 20 With 25-Across, 37-Across, 48-Across and 57-Across, late night partier’s quote 23 Monopoly’s Water Works or Electric Company, for short 24 Soaks flax 25 See 20-Across 29 “Ghostbusters” director Reitman 33 “In ___” (1993 Nirvana album) 34 Ft. Worth school 35 Defendant’s plea, for short 36 Upper limit 37 See 20-Across 41 Op. ___ (footnote abbr.)

42 Central Utah city 44 Broadway play about Capote 45 Tequila ingredient 47 “Club Can’t Handle Me” rapper Flo ___ 48 See 20-Across 51 Trier trio 53 Admit honestly 54 See 20-Across 60 1960s Olympic track star ___ Tyus 61 A billion years, in astronomy 62 Pampers rival 64 Took a leap 65 “Atlas Shrugged” author Rand 66 Faucet annoyance 67 “___ Macabre” (Saint-Saens work) 68 “I Really Like You” singer Carly ___ Jepsen 69 Zapper target

Down

1 That dude’s 2 Man from Manchester 3 Hippocratic thing 4 Prefix meaning “skull” 5 “Freedom” doesn’t have it, but “freedom” does

54 AT THE BACK

DAN SAVAGE SAVAGELOVE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

MATT JONES JONESINCROSSWORDS@VUEWEEKLY.COM

6 Words before “old chap” 7 Like a fugitive 8 Kind of shutout, in baseball 9 Submits 10 Overly excited 11 “Man, is it humid in here!”

13 Line former 16 Mao’s middle name?

21 First of four Holy Roman Emperors 22 “Baywatch” actress Bingham 25 David Sedaris forte 26 Brand of console with joysticks and paddles 27 Irked 28 Bygone rechargeable bike brand 30 Shorter word list?

31 Hanging in there 32 Prominent 38 “Titanic” passenger class 39 Cup of legend 40 Swamp reptile 43 He can’t be whacked without a sit-down 46 Throw caution to the wind 49 Michael and Janet’s sister 50 Miss ___ (“Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” character) 52 Comes down heavy 54 “Lookit how cute!” sounds 55 Big Apple enforcement org.

56 Swiper tries to swipe from her 57 The next palindromic one won’t be until 2112 58 Catch a wave, brah 59 Like a goateed twin?

63 Secret Squirrel, e.g. ©2015 Jonesin' Crosswords

TEACHING MOMENT

Last summer, I reconnected with a high-school teacher I hadn't seen for a year. We first met when I was 15, and I had nothing but respect for him and his intelligence. I also had a crush on him for the next four years.

Fast-forward a year. He is sexting me and sending dick pics and wants to hook up. He has told me he loves me. I feel violated and tricked, like he was supposed to be someone I could trust and he didn't respect that. Now I wonder how teachers really see underage high-school girls.

This whole experience has made me feel dirty. Moreover, he has never respected that I have a boyfriend and that I want nothing to do with his advances. I met up with a former classmate and she told me that this teacher and another teacher said similar things to her. Ew! Most former classmates of mine still believe him to be a respectable man and a great teacher. But I know him for what he really is, and when I think of it, I get so angry. How do I move on from this?

Schooling Thankfully Over Permanently

haved inappropriately toward a current student. Which means either your former teacher has a solid agerange floor (he's not attracted to anyone under the age of 18) or he's capable of exercising self-control (not only can he refrain from fucking girls under the age of 18 whom he happens to find attractive, but he can conduct himself in such a way that those girls have no idea he finds them attractive).

Your former classmate's story complicates the picture—and yucks the picture—but she was a former student and an adult when these teachers said "similar things" to her, right? That's still creepy, of course, it's still not OK, and it's still potential career suicide for both these idiots. But it's not technically illegal.

If you honestly believe that either or both of these idiots are behaving inappropriately toward their current students, STOP, you should approach the administration at your old high school with your concerns.

Doing so will result in the end of their careers as educators—but if

you. Tell him to stop and threaten to take it up with the school board if he doesn't. How do you move on?

You do what I do on Twitter: block and forget the asshole—BAFTA.

THANKS FOR SPANKS

Male here, 21 years old. I've been in a relationship with my girlfriend for a year and a half. We have somewhat kink-themed sex, though nothing too intense. My girlfriend is very submissive, and I'm more on the submissive side myself, so we have done only light bondage and light flogging.

Recently, my girlfriend and I had a fight, and while things were still kind of heated, she suggested I "punish" her by spanking her, which I did, and we wound up having a much better, calmer conversation after the spanking. The next day, she proposed that this be something we do more often.

I am not certain about all the dynamics at play here. Is this a healthy approach to resolving conflict? We already do a bit of kink, and there would be two consenting partners.

But at the same time, I don't want to be an abusive boyfriend or something.

It seemed to help us resolve the conflict— but if we do it more, I'm not sure it would play out as well. It happened only that one time, so I haven't moved forward on it. I'm uncertain whether it would be good for our relationship.

Keeping It Newly Kinky

They're not robots, they're not eunuchs, they're not humanoids from a parallel universe where life isn't occasionally complicated by an unwanted sexual attraction.

I would never want to minimize the creepiness factor of a former teacher sending you dick pics and refusing to take "I want nothing to do with your advances" for an answer. (And you didn't just say "I have a boyfriend" and hope that he would hear "And I want nothing to do with your advances," right? Because if all you said was "I have a boyfriend," STOP, he may have heard, "I would love to fuck you, but I have a boyfriend.") And I definitely believe high-school teachers—all teachers who work with minors—should refrain from fucking current students and sending dick pics to former students. One is statutory rape and an abuse of power (fucking underage students); the other is career suicide (hitting on former students will get your ass fired eventually). As for the other issues you raise ...

This guy was your teacher when you were 15 ... you had a crush on him for four years ... a crush he doubtless picked up on ... and you somehow reconnected with him after not seeing him for a year ... and one year after reconnecting, he's still contacting you despite your rejection of him.

If I've got the timeline right (math is still hard!), STOP, you were 19 or 20 when you reconnected with your former teacher and you're 20 or 21 now. Maybe even 22. That means nothing happened—nothing appropriate or inappropriate—until you were 1) no longer his student and 2) legally an adult. Your former teacher did nothing inappropriate when you were his student (you surely would've included that detail), and so far as you know, he's never be-

these guys are trying to fuck their current students and/or grooming their current students for fucking a year or two after they graduate, then both should get the fuck out of teaching.

As for feeling dirty, STOP, I don't understand where that's coming from. You didn't do anything dirty.

The realization that this teacher might have had a crush on you back when you had one on him—and he might not have had a crush on you then—shouldn't hurl you into some sort of existential crisis. If knowing that a teacher might have found you sexually attractive back when you were a junior in high school leaves you feeling violated, tricked and angry, STOP, if that realization has you convinced that all teachers are secret perverts, then you seem to be operating under a faulty set of assumptions about what teachers are. They're not robots, they're not eunuchs, they're not humanoids from a parallel universe where life isn't occasionally complicated by an unwanted sexual attraction. Teachers are human beings, and like all other human beings*, they sometimes experience sexual attraction, including sexual attraction of the unwelcome and/or inappropriate variety. What they choose to do about it—suppress it, act on it—determines whether they're respectable men and women and (possibly) great teachers or total creeps and/ or sex offenders.

This does not, of course, excuse what your former teacher is doing to you now. He's sexually harassing

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

Research conducted at Tilburg University in the Netherlands found that kinky people—people who engaged in consensual submission, bondage and pain play—scored better on most measures of psychological health than non-kinky people.

So enjoying a spanking, asking for one, giving one on request, etc, isn't evidence that there's something wrong with you or your relationship. As for whether it's a good idea to spank your girlfriend in the heat of an argument, well, that depends on two things: whether she wants to be spanked at those times (gotta keep it consensual) and whether the spanking—for you—represents an extension of the argument or a suspension of the argument. If you're setting aside the argument to enjoy a spanking—maybe a little conflict gets her blood pumping and turns her on—and then picking it up later, after you've both enjoyed a spanking, then I don't see the harm.

*Except for asexual humans, of course. Except for them.

On the Lovecast, science PROVES that liberals are happier than conservatives: savagelovecast.com. V @fakedansavage on Twitter

Week of:

MAY 5 – MAY 11

2005 FOR PEACE ISSUE 498

PANDAS NIGHT OF A

PREMIER KLEIN

#

DISPUTES OVER

IS 69

HEALTH ACT B’S DINER THOUSAND STEVIES

DAVID SUZUKI

SOULS

OF MISCHIEF BORSCHT ALBERTA BOOK

PAUL HAGGIS’ CRASH HITCHIKER’S GUIDE

AWARDS TO THE GALAZY

OF D WOK BOX HOUSE THE VIBRATORS GREEN DAY’S DOOKIE

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015

AT THE BACK 55

56 I SEE YOU'VE PLAYED KNIFEY SPOONY BEFORE

VUEWEEKLY.com | MAY 7 – MAY 13, 2015