1050: Chefs With Allergies by Vue Weekly

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Edmontonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s larger discussion about naming and reconciliation I 4 Saul Williams speaks to the times I 19

ISSUE: 1050 DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015 COVER ILLUSTRATION: MIKE KENDRICK

LISTINGS

ARTS / 9 MUSIC / 23 EVENTS / 25 CLASSIFIED / 26 ADULT / 28

FRONT

The Edmonton Eskimos' name debate opens a larger discussion about naming and reconciliation // 4

DISH

Warm & dry.

ARTS

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Jack and the Beanstalk gives the British pantomime style a topical spin // 7

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Step Aside, Pops, Kate Beaton's second collection of comics not quite a stand out // 10

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How do you navigate a kitchen when your very ingredients can pose a threat to your health? // 5

FILM

Guy Maddin's strange, sprawling, summary-proof The Forbidden Room embraces a movie-loving delirium // 12

MUSIC

Saul Williams speaks to our troubled times on MartyrLoserKing // 19

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FRONT POLITICALINTERFERENCE

News EDITOR: mel priestley MEL@vueweekly.com

Ricardo Acuña // ricardo@vueweekly.com

Transparency or ideology? Sunshine lists focus taxpayers' attention on the wrong salaries Alberta's Bill 5, the Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act, has now passed third reading in the Alberta Legislature and is on its way to becoming the law of the land. This is the bill that takes the so-called sunshine list passed by former preimer Alison Redford's government in 2013, whereby the names of all government workers earning over $100 000 would be disclosed, along with their total compensation, and expands it to include a raft of other public-sector workers like university employees, doctors, nurses and the staff of the province's boards and agencies. Because the original bill was designed to be sensitive to inflation, the current threshold for direct government employees will be $104 754. The threshold set for the workers that fall under the expanded legislation will be $125 000. The theory behind these lists, largely the brainchild of market fundamentalists, anti-tax and antigovernment extremists, is that they provide transparency and accountability for how the government is spending public dollars, and that the public scrutiny helps keep gov-

DYERSTRAIGHT

ernment expenditures and salaries in check. There is no question that these are worthwhile goals. Unfortunately, the experience in jurisdictions where these lists have been implemented is quite the opposite. A recent study by University of Toronto professor Rafael Gomez highlights the degree to which sunshine lists tend to result in higher salaries, as knowing the salaries of colleagues can provide a useful bargaining chip for individuals who don't earn as much. Likewise, simply publishing names and total compensation with no context around qualifications, experience, job description and hours worked does absolutely nothing to inform the public as to why any given individual made what they made in any given year. Without that context there can be no real accountability, as it is impossible to determine whether the public is getting its money's worth for that individual or not. Given that these disclosures tend to fail both in terms of salary suppression and public accountability, what is the real point of them— and why are groups like the Cana-

dian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), the Wildrose Party and the Fraser Institute such big fans of them? Fundamentally, it is because of the role these lists can play in furthering their anti-government, anti-public sector rhetoric. When the lists get released, it provides them the opportunity to highlight that professor John Smith or nurse Jane Jones made $127 000 of your tax dollars last year. The result is a loud and public shaming and bullying of those individuals, based on the knee-jerk belief that because I don't make that much then nobody else should—especially someone being paid by the public purse. For close to 40 years these rightwing ideologues have gone out of their way to convince people that government is, by definition, ineffective and inefficient, that taxes are tantamount to theft, and that public servants are lazy, entitled and over-paid. Their privileged access to the media has meant that, even despite tons of evidence to the contrary, people have heard those messages so often and regularly that they have come to accept

them as truth. The publication of high public-sector salaries, without any context, just helps them reinforce that message and further promote their rhetoric and ideology. Ultimately, all the information required for transparency and public accountability around public sector salaries is already public, as collective agreements and salary scales for most of these positions are in the public domain for anyone to see. For those out-of-scope positions whose salary scales are not currently public, the same could easily be accomplished by publishing aggregate data around how salaries are calculated and how many people currently occupy each salary range. How does attaching a name to a salary and publishing it—without any further information—provide any more accountability or transparency than that would? If it was truly about transparency, accountability and cost control, these folks would put as much energy and effort into the full public disclosure of public-private partnerships and other government contracts with private busi-

nesses—but they don't. Those contracts have at stake the quality of our infrastructure and include guaranteed profits for the corporations involved, but somehow the CTF and Fraser Institute are much more interested in disclosing the $140 000 salary of some professor than they are in disclosing the billions of dollars in corporate profits that we are paying every year through these arrangements. Clearly, it's not about transparency or accountability at all—it's about ideology, and it's a shame our provincial government has chosen to buy in. Do Albertans deserve transparency and accountability from their government? Absolutely. Does the sunshine list accomplish either of those? No. Let's stop kowtowing to right-wing rhetoric and begin instituting processes that will really impact transparency and accountability in a significant way.V Ricardo Acuña is the executive director of the Parkland Institute, a non-partisan, public policy research institute housed at the University of Alberta.

GWYNNE DYER // GWYNNE@vueweekly.com

Obama and San Bernardino

Islamist attacks in the US are far outnumbered by domestic school shootings On Sunday President Barack Obama spoke about a mass shooting in the United States for the 17th time in the past seven years. (There have actually been 335 mass shootings in the United States already this year, but he only does the big ones.) But this time Obama spoke from the Oval Office. He's only done that twice before, about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the end of combat operations in Iraq, both in 2010. The shooting in California killed 14 people and wounded 21, so it wasn't even the biggest mass killing of his administration, but it got special treatment because it was a terrorist attack. He needed to do that because you just have to say the word "terrorist" to send many Americans into a flat panic, and many American politicians into spasms of oratory overkill. A representative example was New Jersey Governor and would-be Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, who said: "We need to come to grips with the idea that we are in the midst of the next world war." The next world war? The last world war killed at least 40 million people. The next one—the Third World War that we were waiting for when I was growing up—would have

killed hundreds of millions, even if it didn't cause a nuclear winter and kill billions. With due respect to the victims, the 16 dead (including the two shooters) in San Bernardino do not add up to a new world war. Neither do the 130 French (and a few foreigners) killed with guns and suicide bombs in Paris last month, nor the 224 Russians on the plane b r o u g h t down over Egypt by a bomb at the end of October. Even in Europe, Islamist terrorism kills at the most hundreds per year; in America, it kills almost nobody. Before this week, only 16 Americans had been killed on home soil by Islamist terrorists in the past 14 years (13 soldiers killed by US Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, and three killed at the Boston Marathon in 2013). That's an average (including the San Bernardino deaths) of two people per year killed in the United States by Muslim terrorists. So why didn't Barack Obama fin-

ish his speech by pointing out that Americans are 170 times more likely to drown in the bath than to be killed by Islamist terrorists? Because no public figure in the United States is allowed to say that the terrorist threat is very small in the West generally, and utterly minuscule if you actually live in the United States.

tack could be mounted today is extremely small. (In 2001, nobody was looking out for such an attack; now they are.) On the one hand, we have a trilliondollar "war on terror" defended by a US military and security establishment that has grown fat on the proceeds. On the other hand, we have a very small terrorist threat to the "homeland" against which, for the most part, that establishment's efforts are irrelevant because the attackers are home-grown, selfradicalized lone wolves.

Before this week, only 16 Americans had been killed on home soil by Islamist terrorists in the past 14 years. You're not allowed to say it because more than 6000 American soldiers have been killed in two foreign wars that were justified by the 9/11 attacks (although Obama was bold enough to say plainly in his speech that those wars actually served the Islamists' purposes). And you're not allowed to say it because almost 3000 Americans died on 9/11: that single attack 15 years ago has permanently defined the scale of the terrorist threat in American minds, even though the likelihood that a comparable at-

None of the three "Islamist" attacks over the past 14 years was planned from abroad. All were carried out by US citizens or permanent residents. None of those people, so far as is known, was even in contact with organizations like al-Qaeda or Islamic State (although Tashfeen Malik pledged her allegiance to the latter on her Facebook page on her way to the massacre at the Inland Regional Centre in San Bernardino).

VUEWEEKLY.com | dec 10 – dec 16, 2015

The Islamist extremists pose an existential threat to Syria and Iraq. They are a serious threat to the other Arab countries, and a rather more distant problem for other Muslim countries. For Western, Asian and African countries that do not have large Muslim populations, they are merely a strategic nuisance. If any of those outside powers want to fight the Islamists on home ground (like the NATO countries and Russia, who are all now bombing Islamic State targets in Syria), then by all means do so. You might save the Syrians from a very unpleasant fate. But don't imagine that this is necessary for your own defence. Conversely, don't worry that the bombing will cause terrorist attacks on you at home. Those attacks will happen no matter what the United States (to pick an example at random) is doing or not doing abroad. And a country that can blithely ignore 63 shooting attacks in its schools since the beginning of this year can manage to live with a small Islamist attack every few years, too.V Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. up front 3

FRONT FRONT // CULTURE

What's in a name?

The Edmonton Eskimos' name debate opens a larger discussion about naming and reconciliation

uring the recent debate about the Edmonton Eskimos and the team's controversial name, one opinion emerged again and again: we have more important things to worry about. First trotted out by diehard fans as a way of trivializing the whole discussion, the idea was eventually taken up by Inuit leaders like Norma Dunning of Inuit Edmontonmiut, who agreed that problems like the affordable housing crisis or the attrition rates of people leaving Nunavut are much more critical than the name of a professional sports team. But names are still important. Setting aside both the brouhaha over the Eskimos and the huge social crisis of indigenous living conditions in Canada, we need to acknowledge that we also have more important names to worry about than just that of our football team: Edmonton is full of names that quietly celebrate our colonial heritage, honouring people who actively participated in the cultural genocide against Alberta's indigenous people. There's Central McDougall, named

VUEPOINT

after missionary George McDougall, who stole the sacred Manitou Stone from a hill at Piwapiskoo (Iron Creek) because he regarded it as a pagan idol and wanted to crush the indigenous spirituality he encountered. There's Emily Murphy Park, named after the Famous Five member who lobbied the Alberta government to introduce the Sexual Sterilization Act, which forcibly sterilized 2800 Albertans and disproportionately targeted indigenous women. The most notorious example is surely the Oliver neighbourhood. Frank Oliver was the founder of Alberta's first newspaper, the Edmonton Bulletin, and Minister of the Interior at the time of the province's creation. Without Frank Oliver's continuous lobbying, Edmonton would not have become the capital city of the province. From this perspective, it makes sense for one of our major downtown neighbourhoods to recognize this founding father of the modern city. But Oliver was also Canada's Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs, a position he used to systematically

RYAN STEPHENS RYANS@VUEWEEKLY.COM

New museums

Last weekend, myself and many Edmontonians paid our last visit to the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) to celebrate its final days in its original location. Thousands of visitors packed the exhibits, taking time to contribute to the museum's many opportunities to share thoughts and memories. For the first time in my life, this tuckedaway museum felt like the popular and essential cultural institution it could and should be. What can we learn from this? Museums are so much more than their collections. RAM's exhibits have hardly changed in decades, offering nothing new for the seasoned visitor. But last weekend it seemed that, for many, it was like visiting for the first time. Adults reminisced about early visits during school trips, bringing up old stories with friends and passing on this sense of wonder and importance to their children. More importantly, RAM filled the space outside the exhibits by collaborating with local arts organizations. Programming from

4 UP FRONT

Happy Harbor Comics, Metro Cinema and the Edmonton Short Film Festival provided opportunities for visitors to get creative while learning about local arts. The party brought together many new philosophies pressuring cultural organizations today in their fight against obsolescence. Museums are not only the keepers of information and story; they are also connectors. Whether it's parents, children, strangers or artists, museums bring us together to collectively reflect on where we're from and where we're going. In order to survive, museums of the future must embody this in ways far beyond the contents of their exhibits. When the new and improved Royal Alberta Museum opens downtown, it will have double the space and redesigned exhibits. But if it wants to cement itself as an essential part of our changing cultural landscape, it must continue opening its doors to new opportunities, new partnerships and new ways of sharing our story.V

dispossess indigenous bands of the reserve lands they were promised when they signed Treaty 6. He despised the fact that the Papaschase Band had a reserve near Edmonton, so he blocked their access to the provisions guaranteed by Treaty 6, effectively starving them off their land. He used the Bulletin to suggest, with an incredible lack of self-awareness, that the Papaschase Band needed to "be sent back to the country they originally came from." Taken in this context, a name like "Edmonton Eskimos" seems downright innocent. If we truly want to have reconciliation in our city, we need to have a much bigger conversation about the place names of Edmonton and the history that they represent. Dwayne Donald, an associate professor with the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta and a descendant of the Papaschase Cree, agrees that it's an important conversation to have. But he cautions that we must remember the historical context in which people like McDougall, Murphy and Oliver were acting. "I'm not against renaming that neighbourhood, if that's what people wanted to do," he says. "But at the same time ... it's not really very helpful to villainize certain examples like Frank Oliver or John A MacDonald, who's also got a lot of attention in this way. ... The truth is is that they're really just reflective of what was going on at the time. And, you know, Frank Oliver—he was elected. And so people obviously supported many things that he said." Donald points out that renaming things is only a first step towards taking responsibility for our shared history. We can't stop and congratulate ourselves after every incremental shift. "I worry that by changing the name and reworking the story of one person, like Frank Oliver, that people think that the work is done," he says. "Actually, I think it's a much bigger societal issue. And the truth is, in my experience, there are very few people in Edmonton who actually know who Frank Oliver was. And so, I guess to say that somehow that neighbourhood named the way it is—to say that we're celebrating him—I don't know if I really buy that, because most people don't know who he is." So, even if the initial impulse is to say we should rename these places, perhaps it's more important for us to keep the names and focus on telling

the story of their origins. "[In] schools, up until very recently and probably continuing on, there's a certain way in which the Canadian nation and nationality is characterized," Donald says. "When you start to try to change the story and to raise questions, there's actually a lot of resistance. People have a hard time accepting, for example, that the Canadian government strategically starved Indians on the prairies. It undermines the integrity of the story that they've been told, and it creates a lot of resistance. And so I think that Frank Oliver is just one of many examples of characters who are deeply embedded in that story. I think before we can talk about reconciliation, we have to come to terms with this story." Simply renaming things doesn't acknowledge the complexity of our history. Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, Historian Laureate for the City of Edmonton, suggests that we find a way to address historical names without erasing them. "I wonder if there's a way to 'talk back' to a name the way artists have worked to balance the narratives of murals like [Aaron Paquette's work with Sylvie Nadeau at] Grandin Station," she writes in an email. Paquette's 2014 mural, "The Stations of Reconciliation (A Conversation)," reframed Nadeau's original 1989 mural and its connection to residential schools. "Naming is so important, of course, as a way of place-making and understanding the histories of the places around us," Metcalfe-Chenail writes. "In some ways the Oliver question could connect to the debate about whether or not to raze residentialschool structures. They are really hurtful reminders of pain and racism, but some argue that we need those reminders because colonialism and racism exist today. So maybe it's about remembering, recontextualizing and talking back to the narrative of Frank Oliver." Could we create hybrid names, like Papastayo-Oliver? The simple answer is yes—if enough people got behind the idea. Cory Sousa, spokesperson for the City of Edmonton's Naming Committee, says that the city has a pretty rigorous process for changing any place names. "For a renaming application to be considered by the Naming Committee, it would require letters of sup-

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

port from those directly impacted by a name (businesses, community leagues, property owners, etc), and letters of support from organizations and/or groups, community leaders and politicians," Sousa writes in an email. "The lead applicant must produce a document outlining why the change should happen (why the new name?), biography and justification of the new name, what happens to the original name, who will pay for the costs for making the change (replacing signage, changing addresses, business store fronts, etc), and how does that new name impact the residents most affected, and the city in general." Sousa notes that the city does have some historical precedents for renaming things—most notably Mayfair Park becoming Hawrelak Park, or Calgary Trail North becoming Gateway Boulevard—but he stresses that name changes are an uncommon phenomenon in Edmonton. "Renamings are rare, as road and neighbourhood name changes can be quite complex because of how they affect addressing, business names, signage, taxation, statistics, history and a person's identity (ie, driver's licence)," he writes. "And then of course, why is the name change necessary? What happens to the replaced name?" Changing the name of a neighbourhood might seem like a monumental task. But name changes are becoming more common across Canada for even larger jurisdictions, including the Queen Charlotte Islands becoming Haida Gwaii in 2010 or, closer to home, Hobbema becoming Maskwacis last year. "I'm certainly a believer that language is very important and it—how can I say this—it gives life to certain things," Donald says. "And so if you want to honour the land, you want to honour the people, you have to use the language that's been here all those years. And that's part of the way that we can recover." As for the argument that names like Oliver or the Edmonton Eskimos are too old, too historical or too established to change—well, it's not as if Edmonton's name has never changed before. "Amiskwaciy, as I understand it— that name's a little older," Donald says. "Would I be in favour of changing Edmonton to Amiskwaciy? Yeah, actually, I would," he continues, laughing. "I don't think that's on the table." BRUCE CINNAMON

BRUCE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

DISH

COVER // HEALTH

DISH EDITOR: MEL PRIESTLEY MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

CHEFS WITH FOOD ALLERGIES How do you navigate a kitchen when your very ingredients can hurt you? tion waiting for him.. But after a mourning period, Hanson came around to trying to work within his new limitations, and turn his weakness into a strength. "I needed to be able to keep cooking," he says. "And I needed to feel good about it, and I needed to be healthy again." Even in less-than-ideal working environments, he's found a few ways to avoid putting himself in danger of a reaction. "Now, I taste the food once, and I'lI go off smell," he says, of cooking with gluten, post-allergy. "I'll smell that dish, and then I know that's how it has to smell next time—I won't taste them. My friends didn't believe me until [they saw], but I can tell when pasta's done cooking—gluten pasta—by the smell, instead of by [tasting] it. If you do it enough, you can smell the gluten."

// Mike Kendrick

ccording to Heath Canada, some seven percent of Canadians selfreport having food allergies (the physician-diagnosed number is a little lower, between three and four percent). Awareness of most of those allergens emerges during childhood, but some don't fully manifest until adulthood, meaning your immune system suddenly mistakes certain, often delicious ingredients as harmful rather than helpful. It causes undue frustrations for those affected, but it poses a particularly unique burden on those who, at that age, find themselves working professionally in kitchens: chefs who are suddenly besieged by food allergies, some of them extremely debilitating or dangerous. These are problems that simply appear one day, taking oncetrusted, beloved ingredients off the table for good. "I was sick for a long time, couldn't figure out what it was," chef Eric Hanson explains, sitting in a café off Whyte Avenue. "Sick for almost a year. Different hospitals, different doctors, everyone trying to figure out

what was happening with my body. And the bitter irony was not realizing it was a food allergy the whole time." Hanson—who presently works at the Bothy, but has cooked in acclaimed kitchens all across the world, from Australia to South Africa to England, and co-founded the popular Food Fight YEG series—discovered the source of his illness by fluke. While travelling through Spain, he was sick (yet again); the hospital in Barcelona thought he might need surgery. The surgeon, coincidentally, was a friend of a friend. "The whole service of the hospital changed," Hanson recalls. "He sat down and went, 'OK, we'll figure out what's wrong with you.'" Hanson had never considered a food allergy, but after the doctor suggested it, the connections drew into sudden, sharp focus. "I went out and had a bite of a Subway sandwich and was in brutal pain three bites later, and then later that night had a bite of plain pizza, and then did the math," he says. "And then cursed the sky, going 'Noooo!'

"I'm a guy who touted a pasta-roller as my carry-on," he continues. "I loved making fresh pasta. Italian grandma. That was a big part of my life. ... All pasta had to come off the repertoire. And I hated cooking for the next year. I was bitter, and every recipe I'd go to cook that I knew how to cook, I'm like, this doesn't taste right. You know what it needs? Some gluten!" Hanson's culinary woes only grew from there: a few years later, after doing a 400-ingredient food allergen test, lactose (and all milk products and proteins), eggs, some types of onions and oysters got added to the don't-eat list. (And his fiancé has a nut allergy, in case you thought the culinary gods hadn't been cruel enough). Since then, Hanson's experienced the difficulty of managing allergies first-hand, especially when travelling: from nine-and-a-half hour flights with nothing he could eat, to doing everything right—learning to explain his allergies in a different language, warning a kitchen, being assured it would be dealt with, and then biting into a meal to discovr a familiar, sick sensa-

Chef Heather Dosman has a somewhat different story. Testing an egg sauce inexplicably sent her heaving one day, but unlike Hanson, she had some sense this might be coming. "I have a twin sister, and she also has an egg allergy, but she developed hers earlier," Dosman says, over the phone from Vancouver. "I had, I guess, an idea that [I] was probably going to eventually [get] that." In Edmonton, Dosman's worked at Culina in the Muttart and the Three Boars Eatery; now living out in Vancouver, she's cooked in kitchens like veggie-only the Acorn, and currently does freelance and pop-up work. Once Dosman identified eggs as an allergen, working around them didn't prove too difficult. She can still work with eggs; her allergy has no negative effects for handling them or having them in the kitchen. Only ingesting them triggers a reaction. "Luckily for me, cooking eggs is kind of a thing that—as long as you know the techniques on how to do it—you can do it pretty easily without having to taste it," she says. "And then I would just get my co-workers to taste things that I needed them to for seasoning." Chiefly, the allergy determines the sorts of places she applies to work. Allergies have proven more of an issue with her partner, Dosman notes: also a chef, but burdened with a tricker-to-navigate nut allergy. "He works in an Italian restaurant, and I think he chose that style of cooking because it's largely nut-free," she says. "Whereas when we were looking at applying for jobs, he couldn't really work at the Acorn, because it's a vegetarian restaurant and there's a lot of really nut-based dishes." Still, it's not all culinary gloom and doom. Dosman actually sees the situation as improving, generally: current societal trends have people trying to be more health conscious in general, which means menus with some form

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

of ingredient-limitation or another are increasingly the norm. "I think maybe people are starting to pay more attention to what they're eating, and not just following convenience trends," she says. "Most of my freelance stuff is for specialty diets. So it creates a lot of opportunity, but you have to be a lot more knowledgeable as a chef about what is going into your ingredients or into your recipes, and contamination issues, too. "You kind of have to choose where you're working, or who you're working for," she continues. "Some chefs are little more flexible about things like that than others would be." For his part, Hanson's now working to create quality gluten-free food that side-steps its stigma. Shifting public opinion on that matter's been tricky, though: most people's experience with gluten-free cooking is paying more for something that doesn't taste as good, meaning that advertising a dish under that banner—even if it is gluten-free— doesn't always make for a hot sell. "At a restaurant I cooked at downtown for years, I didn't tell anybody [that the food was gluten free]," he smiles. "And it worked! I don't know if we're ready to say full-on gluten-free and not run away from it. I don't know if Edmonton's ready yet." Hanson's allergies are part of his pitch to prospective kitchens these days: he can cater to a niche audience in a way they'll come to trust as quality, rather than obligation. As such, he's working with a number of kitchens around town to try and design gluten-free menus that aren't just placating, but delicious. "The upside is, as a chef, if someone comes in with a gluten allergy, I can give them that assurance: No, no—I'm going to take good care of you," he says. "I know." As for Dosman, she muses that her profession might actually be an ideal one for having an allergy. Already knowing her way around a kitchen and possessing a culinary skill-set—of working with a variety of ingredients, and catering to specific styles—means the need to adapt a menu or diet isn't a difficult concept to grasp and enact. "I think being a cook and having an allergy is kind of an advantage in comparison with someone who doesn't know how to cook a lot of different food, because you can figure out ways around everything," she says. "Because that's kind of what your job is, and you have that experience. Whereas a lot of people I know, who never really learned how to cook, would really struggle with adapting their eating habits and cooking style. We don't have too many problems. "It's more when we go out to restaurants," she adds with a laugh. "People hate us." PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

DISH 5

DISH SPIRITED AWAY

MEL PRIESTLEY // MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Hops aren't just for beer anymore Craft distillers and cocktail slingers are experimenting with this bitter botanical Hops have long been ruled under beer's sole domain, but not anymore: this bitter botanical has been steadily creeping into the realm of craft spirits. Hops are the seed cones of the Humulus lupulus plant and have been used for centuries as both a flavouring and preservative agent in beer and other liquids: hops are naturally antibacterial. The India

Pale Ale beer style, as the famous story goes, was created when British brewers stuffed beer casks with hops to preserve the brew on the long sea voyage to India in the 19th century. Hops are pungent, contributing a bold, bitter flavour and wide range in aroma to both beer and spirits. There are many different types of hops, each with their own unique flavour profile ranging

a dream of possibilities

6 DISH

from fruity and citrusy to floral, spicy or earthy. I often find that they taste very green and herbaceous, even piney or weedy—often quite literally; fresh hops can smell like marijuana (the two plants are from the same family, Cannabaceae). The taste for hop bitterness and flavour has reached peak levels in the craft-beer world with the ram-

pant popularity of heavily hopped styles. Combining spirits with hops was inevitable and not as much of a logical stretch as it might seem: a number of spirits, including whisky, are distilled from a beer-like base of malted grain and water, called a wash. Hops can be incorporated in this wash, or they can be added post-distillation. Anchor Distilling in San Francisco has taken this one step further with a vodka that's distilled from hops themselves (as opposed to the more usual bases for vodka like grain or potato). Hopped spirits have an obvious and ready market: beer drinkers who also enjoy the occasional tipple. Cocktail geeks have also naturally jumped on board, as hopped spirits are not only a niche product—almost all are made in small batches and limited or seasonal releases—but they also provide a brand-new flavour profile with which to experiment. Mixing cocktails with hopped spirits requires an open mind and a lot of experimentation, though, as the bold flavour of the hops will be predominant in any drink. It's best to stick with simple, classic cocktail recipes when you're just starting out (such as the sour, Manhattan or old fashioned) and see how the spirit responds to different preparations, before building up to more elaborate drinks. Choosing a cocktail recipe to showcase a hopped spirit is also

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

largely driven by what that base spirit actually is, since they can range from vodka to gin to whisky. A hopped gin will marry the hoppy flavours with the rest of its botanicals, so it might be just fine in a classic gin and tonic, or mixed up into a bitter jasmine cocktail. Hopped whiskies often incorporate hops from the earthy/nutty/spicy flavour spectrum, and can be delicious neat, over ice or mixed up into cocktails that complement this profile. Hops have also found their way into some bitters, which are used to finish a cocktail with a dash of bitterness and corresponding hop essence. Interestingly, some makers of bitters have suggested adding a dash of hops bitters to a pint of beer, presumably when it just didn't have enough of that hoppy goodness already. Beer purists will undoubtedly shudder at the idea, and certainly adulterating a fine craft beer with such treatment is ill-advised, but these bitters might just elevate—or mask—the flavour of less-than-stellar brews.V Recommendations Anchor Distilling Hophead Vodka Arbutus JuniperusLupulus Harvest Hopped Gin New York Distilling Chief Gowanus Gin Wiser's Hopped Canadian Whisky Dillons Hops Bitters

PREVUE // THEATRE

ARTS

ARTS EDITOR: PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Jack and the Beanstalk gives British pantomime a topical spin

or the kids, there will be magical beanstalks, the chance to boo a thunderous giant and to root for a mischievous young hero. For the adults, there will be jokes that will mercifully whiz above the kids' heads in order to entertain the moms, dads and grandparents in the audience. With plenty of entertainment targeted at children this holiday season, Fort Edmonton Park's pantomime version of Jack and the Beanstalk strives to achieve a theatre experience that is truly "fun for the whole family."

"Jocelyn Ahlf has adapted [the story] for us, and she has two kids," explains the show's director, Dana Andersen. "So she has a good sense of telling children's stories, and then she does enough adult improv to know that there's jokes to be had on top of the simple storytelling." According to Andersen, the traditional British pantomime is a great format to drop in a little social commentary; he promises quick references to the Oilers and the recent election in among Jack's adventuring.

"It's a pretty good take on any kind of fairy tale, because you can use the fairy tale for an allegory for what's happening outside in Alberta or England or wherever they would be doing [the pantomime]," Andersen says. "There's no real time-frame where you can't jump out and make a comment about what's going on in the world." For those unfamiliar with the genre, pantomime often gives audiences the opportunity to interact

PREVUE // CABARET

Late Night Cabaret: Snowed In F

or those hardcore Fringers among us, as soon as the last beer tent closes down, the Taco-In-A-Bag guy packs up shop and all that's left of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival are handbills blowing across its dusty grounds, you instantly start to miss it. And it's a long, cold wait until it takes over Old Strathcona again. YEG gets a little reprieve this year, as Fringe Theatre Adventures and Catch the Keys Productions present a mid-winter edition of a Fringe Festival favourite: Late Night Cabaret: Snowed In. "We got our regular hosts, we got our band, we got everybody from the summer," assures the festival's artistic director, Murray Utas. "It's the same exact format, except that what we're doing is we'll be highlighting guests that have shows going on during the year. More specifically, maybe those that have a Christmas one going on

right now or someone [who has a show] in the next little while." Even the beer tents will be back— sort of. That flowing amber goodness that cools down Fringe fans in August will be moved into the lobby of the ATB Financial Arts Barns, to add a little warmth to December at the "North Pole Beer Tent." "We're definitely going to decorate in a way that makes you think that you've come to the beer tent," Utas says. "It's going to be so fun. We're going to replicate and make fun of ourselves." While reviving Cabaret when its normally in habitation might seem a little disorienting at first, Utas explains that it's simply a way to build on what the organization is known for. "Whenever anybody thinks of what's happening at Fringe Theatre Adventures it's the Fringe Festival itself, right?" Utas says. "It overshadows the

A fairy-tale romp for the holidays // James Mireau

with the actors, breaking down the fourth wall. Jeering and cheering is encouraged, as well as a few calland-response games. With the story taking place in a mystical land where Jack somehow knows how the Oilers are doing, this Jack and the Beanstalk is a Christmas show that keeps the adults in mind in a season traditionally focused on the kids. Plus, Andersen notes, it feels right at home amid the golden lights and red seats of Fort Edmonton's Capitol Theatre.

ARTIFACTS

Fri, Dec 11 – Thu, Dec 31 (8 pm; 2 pm weekend matinees) Jack and the Beanstalk Fort Edmonton Park, $12.50 – $22.66

"The pantomime fits really nicely into the atmosphere here of the old building."

KATHLEEN BELL

KATHLEEN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PAUL BLINOV

// PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Sat, Dec 12 (7 pm, doors/beer tend; 9 pm, show) ATB Financial Arts Barns, $20 entire rest of the year. So instead of trying to run away from that, I want to embrace it full on. And in doing that, I'm like, 'What's successful and what can we draw from our festival that kind of keeps the feeling going throughout the year?'" According to Utas, Cabaret was an obvious choice. So with surprise guests, the beer tent and free stuff to give away, getting snowed in is actually a Fringy beacon of hope in this frosty festive season. "Late Night Cabaret is wildly successful at the festival, a whole bunch of fun and a really great reason for us to have a Christmas Party."

KATHLEEN BELL

KATHLEEN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

The Nutcracker / Thu, Dec 10 & Fri, Dec 11 (7 pm); Sat, Dec 12 & Sun, Dec 13 (1 pm & 6 pm) It's December, which, in the dance world, means it's Nutcracker season. Among the options for taking in the enduring show, Alberta Ballet's seems handily one of the biggest: consider its 31 dancers, the 80-some students around them, as well as the Edmonton Symphony on that earworm Tchaikovsky score and a lavish design by Emmy Award-winner Zack Brown. (Jubilee Auditorium, $29 – $98.50)

Santaland Diaries / Tue, Dec 15 – Thu, Dec 17; Fri, Dec 18 (9 pm); Sat, Dec 19 (8 pm) At play with the seasonal sentiment, Sterling-winning Blarney Productions is offering up a limited-run take on David Sedaris's Santaland Diaries, a one-man show about the author's time spent working as an elf named Crumpet in a Macy's department store. Expect a somewhat more disgruntled look at the holidays than usual. (Nina Taggerty Centre [Stollery Gallery]) V ARTS 7

WHAT’S ON AT UALBERTA?

REVUE // THEATRE

Burning Bluebeard

FAB Gallery: 50th Anniversary Exhibition: Art & Design 3.0 Featuring award-winning faculty and researchers in the areas of visual fundamentals, industrial design, visual communication design, painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing and intermedia.

Until Sun, Dec 13 (8 pm; Sunday matinees at 2 pm) Directed by Dave Horak The Roxy on Gateway (formerly C103), $21

Dec 8 - 19 Jan 5 - 9 FAB Gallery 1-1 Fine Arts Building

Studio Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Winspear Centre:

by William Shakespeare

The Bard’s playful ode to the transformative power of love

50th Anniversary Music Celebrations Sun, Jan 24 @ 3 pm Winspear Centre c

ta musi

f UAlber

years o

ARTS

Feb 4 to 13 @ 7:30 pm $5 preview Wed, Feb 3 @ 7:30 pm Opening night Thurs, Feb 4 @ 7:30 pm No show Sun, Feb 7 2 for 1 Mon, Feb 8 @ 7:30 pm Matinee Thurs, Feb 11 @ 12:30 pm Timms Centre for the Arts

ualberta.ca/artshows

BLARNEY PRODUCTIONS presents

oo soon it might be, but there's something cathartic in reliving tragedy. The Edmonton theatre community was devastated by the loss of the Roxy Theatre to an overnight fire in early January. It's only fitting, then— albeit in a gallows humour-type way—that Theatre Network would cap off the year with a play about a theatre fire. In 1903, right around this time of year, the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago went up in flames and killed over 600 people—all of them audience members except for one: a high-flying aerialist who couldn't get out of her harness in time. The fire, which is both the deadliest theatre and singlebuilding fire in US history, inspired Chicago playwright Jay Torrance to pen Burning Bluebeard, a script that's become a macabre Christmas tradition in his hometown. Categorically, this show is a difficult one to slot. Burning Bluebeard fuses elements of clowning and vaudeville, movement and dance. The entirety of the show occurs in the burned-out husk of the Iroquois, where we meet a group of six ragtag performers who were part of the ill-fated production. They each take a turn to relive their personal experience of the events of that day, interwoven with a brief recounting of their lives leading up to it. Handily dismantling the fourth wall in short order, they ruefully remind the audience about the meta-ness of this situation: watching a play about a theatre fire in a theatre.

December 15, 16, 17 & 19 at 8 PM Friday the 18th at 9 PM at The Nina Haggerty Centre 9225 118 ave

Meet Crumpet the disgruntled department store elf in David Sedaris' ADULT piece of holiday theatre.

ADMISSION IS FREE (donations welcome!)

SPONSOREDBY

PART OF

Y U L E AV 8 ARTS

E.CA

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

Not your usual Christmastime drama // dphotographics.ca

Being based on and told by the victims of a truly terrible event, this show is certainly set up with the potential for being a bleak affair. But Burning Bluebeard couldn't be more opposite: captivating and charming, the performers balance delightful impishness with disquieting revelations. The tone veers from irreverence to reverential within the span of a song. The score is particularly notable and used very well for this purpose: a genre-bending and timeperiod-hopping mashup that, along with the peppering of contemporary references, displaces these ghosts from their time. It's a useful device for adding relevance to a play rooted in a time and place far removed from present-day Edmonton. Perhaps most remarkable about this production is its ability to maintain an air of intrigue and mystery despite us all knowing exactly what happened. There's an uneasiness beneath the characters' taunting, a sense of playing with fate that contributes a looming ominousness to the proceedings. Perhaps that was heightened by the fire-ravaged remnants of the Roxy's old sign in the theatre lobby, or maybe it's just a testament to the intrigue of the production. Either way, it's a wonderfully alternative take on the usual Christmastime drama.

MEL PRIESTLEY

MEL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

ARTS WEEKLY

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

Dance Brazilian Zouk Dance • Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St NW • 780.974.4956 • hello@ludiczouk.com • ludiczouk.com • Dropin Brazilian zouk social dance classes. Classes are inclusive; everyone is welcome. No partner needed • Every Wed, 7:30pm-9pm. Runs until Dec 16 • $18 (single class), $150 (ten classes)

Come Join the Dance-Sacred Circle Dance • Riverdale Hall, 92 St & 100 Ave • sackerman1@me.com • sacredcircledance.com • Nurture the body, mind, and soul with a variety of songs, music and movements. All dances are taught. Open nights are for everyone. No partner required • Dec 9 (every 2nd Wed), 7-9pm • $10

Dirt Buffet Cabaret #8 • Mile Zero Dance's Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St • info@milezerodance.com • Edmonton's monthly performance lab & experimental variety show. Concept comedy, dance, performance art, music and many other shades of vaudevillian spectacle. Featuring ten minute performances • Dec 10, 9-11pm • $10 (no one refused for lack of funds)

The nutcracker • Alberta Ballet • 780.428.6839 • albertaballet.com • Edmund Stripe's multimillion-dollar vision of E.T.A. Hoffmann's magical tale of Klara and her Nutcracker Prince continues to dazzle audiences across the country in this glittering production • Dec 10-13

Second Saturdays Dance Seminar with Lin Snelling • Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St • milezerodance.com • 780.424.1573 • admin@milezerodance.com • Discussing various ways of making performance today. Artists from all disciplines are welcome • Dec 12; 2-4pm • $20 (drop-in), $75 (session); register at info@milezerodance.com

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

Vaganova Dance Society's 27th Anniversary Gala presents Stars of Russian Ballet • Timms Centre for the Arts, 87 Ave & 112 St • Presenting excerpts from Coppelia and Don Quixote with dancers from local dance studios • Dec 13, 2pm • $23-$30

FILM Cinema at the Centre • Stanley Milner Library Theatre, bsmt, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.496.7070 • Film screening every Wed, 6:30pm • Free • Schedule: I'll See You In My Dreams (Dec 16), Holiday Inn (Dec 23), The Poseidon Adventure (Dec 30)

From Books to Film • Stanley A. Milner, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.496.7000 • epl.ca • Films adapted from books every Fri afternoon at 2pm • Schedule: Nanny McPhee (Dec 11), Forrest Gump (Dec 18), Babes in Toyland (Dec 24 - airing at noon)

Metro • Metro at the Garneau Theatre, 8712109 St • 780.425.9212 • Reel Family Cinema: A Christmas Story (Dec 12), Home Alone 25th Anniversary (Dec 19), The Wizard of Oz (Dec 26) • Marilyn - A tribute to Marilyn Monroe: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Dec 12-14); Some Like It Hot (Dec 19-21) • They Came from Projector X: The War of the Worlds (Dec 26, 27, 30) • Spotlight: National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon (Dec 10); National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Dec 14) • DEDfest: A Christmas Horror Story (Dec 11, 20, 22) • Metro Bizarro: The Hebrew Hammer (Dec 16) • Turkey Shoot: Fantastic Four (Dec 17)

Prairie Tales 17 • University of Alberta Museums Galleries at Enterprise Square, 10230 Jasper Ave • An annual touring collection of short films and videos made by Albertan artists • Dec 12, 1:30pm

galLeries + Museums

through Dec

ACUA Gallery & Artisan Boutique •

Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital

9534-87 St • acuarts.ca • Ukrainian Christmas Carols Workshop: Learn how Christmas is celebrated in Ukraine; Dec 14, 7-9pm; $15 (member), $20 (non-member)

• 10230-111 Ave • artbynv.com • Alberta Landscapes: Large scale acrylic mixed media paintings by Natasha Vretenar; Oct 20-Dec 14

ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY •

112 St • 780.426.4180 • Main space: Natural Science: Jennifer Willet; Dec 3-Jan 21 • Riki Kuropatwa's Collide; Dec 3-Jan 22

10186-106 St • 780.488.6611 • albertacraft. ab.ca • Masterworks: signature pieces by some of Alberta’s brightest fine craft stars; Oct 10-Dec 24

Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) • 2 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.422.6223 • youraga. ca • Tyler Los-Jones: A Panorama Protects its View: Jan 23-Jan 31, 2016 • Sincerely Yours: By Alberta artist Chris Cran; Sep 12-Jan 3 • Rough Country: The strangely familiar in mid-20th century Alberta art; Oct 3-Jan 31 • Living Building Thinking: Art and Expressionism; Oct 24-Feb 15 • She's All That: artwork by Dana Holst; Oct 24-Feb 15 • Fabric: Charrette Roulette; Nov 21-Apr 10 • Artist in Conversation: Tyler Los-Jones; Dec 13, 2-3pm; Free • Open Studio Adult Drop-In: Wed, 7-9pm; $18/$16 (AGA member) • All Day Sundays: Art activities for all ages; Activities, 12-4pm; Tour; 2pm • Late Night Wednesdays: Every Wed, 6-9pm • Art for Lunch: 3rd Thu of the month, 12:10-12:50pm

Art Gallery Of St Albert (AGSA) • 19 Perron St, St Albert • 780.460.4310 • artgalleryofstalbert.ca • Night Hours: artwork

by The Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts; Dec 3-Jan 30 • Art Ventures: Night-time Scenery (Dec 19), 1-4pm; drop-in art program for children ages 6-12; $6/$5.40 (Arts & Heritage member) • Ageless Art: Scratch Board Scenes (Dec 17), 1-3pm; for mature adults; $15/$13.50 (Arts & Heritage member) • Preschool Picasso: Day and Night (Dec 19); for 3-5 yrs; pre-register; $10/$9 (Arts & Heritage member)

Bleeding Heart Art Space • 9132-118 Ave • dave@bleedingheartartspace.com • Waiting Room: A multimedia installation by Alysha Chreighton; Nov 21-Jan 16

Harcourt House Gallery • 3 Fl, 10215-

124 St • bugeramathesongallery.com • The Quieting: artwork by Ken Wallace; Nov 27-Dec 11 • Winter Show: featuring gallery artists; Dec 12-31

Cafe Blackbird • 9640-142 St • 780.451.8890 • cafeblackbird.ca • Artwork by Bernadette McCormack; Nov 30-Jan 3

Creative Practices Institute • 10149-122 St, 780.863.4040 • creativepracticesinstitute.com • 63 Hours: artwork by the students of ‘Intermedia 540’ a course at the University of Alberta; Nov 18-Dec 12

DAffoDil GAllery • 10412-124 St • 780.760.1278 • daffodilgallery.ca • Elemental Sky: Artwork by Samantha Williams-Chapelsky; Nov 18-Dec 12 dc3 Art Projects • 10567-111 St • 780.686.4211 • dc3artprojects.com • Exhibiting Sound; Oct 14-Nov 14 • Téte Jaune; Nov 18-Dec 19 Douglas Udell Gallery (DUG) • 10332-124 St • douglasudellgallery.com • Art Collectors’ Starter Kit Show; Dec 12-26; Opening reception: Dec 12, 2-4pm

Drawing Room • 10253-97 St • 780.760.7284 • admin@drawingroomedmonton. com • facebook.com/groups/unwindwednesday • Unwind Wednesdays: A weekly yarn circle. Intended for both beginners and those proficient in craft. Affordable supplies will be available by donation to The Drawing Room, but please feel free to bring your own • Every Wed, 3-7pm until Dec 23 • Free (supplies available for purchase)

Enterprise square galleries • 10230 Jasper Ave • Open: Thu-Fri, 12-6pm, Sat 12-4pm • Do It Yourself: Collectivity and Collaboration in Edmonton; Nov 28-Mar 5 front gallery • 12323-104 Ave • thefrontgallery.com • Christmas Salon; Dec 10, 7-9pm • Family Art Night & Live Music By 'Abandon Your Town'; Dec 17, 7-9pm

Gallery@501 • 501 Festival Ave, Sherwood Park • 780.410.8585 • strathcona.ca/artgallery • Land Shadows: artwork by Annette Sicotte; Nov 6-Dec 20 • Lake, Land, and Sky: artwork by Annnette Sicotte; Nov 6-Dec 20

Gallery at Milner • Stanley A. Milner Library Main Fl, Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.944.5383 • epl.ca/art-gallery • Gallery at Milner walls: shrug: Graphite on paper drawings by Glynis Wilson Boultbee; through Dec • Teak Cases: Illustrating the Journey of Rutherford the Time-Travelling Moose; through Dec • Plexi-Glass Cubes: Just Christmas: crafts by artists involved with Just Christmas;

Literary Audreys Books • 10702 Jasper Ave •

• Strathcona Place Senior Centre, 10831 University Ave, 109 St, 78 Ave • 780.433.5807 • seniorcentre.org • Artist Wendy Morris; Nov 12-Dec 16

780.423.3487 • audreys.ca • Kara Deringer "Chill" Noon Signing & Meet & Greet; Dec 8, 12-1:30pm • Celebrate Cam Tait's Birthday; Dec 9, 4:30pm • Audreys Colouring Party; Dec 10, 7pm • Authors at Audreys - New Releases from Dream Write Publishing; Dec 11, 7-9pm • Thomas Wharton "Rutherford the Time-Travelling Moose" Book Launch; Dec 12, 2pm

Jurassic Forest/Learning Centre •

The Carrot’s Poetry Night • The

Jeff Allen Art Gallery (JAAG)

Christmas Carol Project • Westbury Theatre, ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave NW • carolproject.com • As part of their 20th anniversary farewell tour. A musical interpretation of Dickens’ classic tale • Dec 18, 7:30pm • $35 (adv), $40 (door)

Back To The 80S: A Most Excellent Musical Adventure • Mayfield Dinner Theatre, 16615-109 Ave NW • mayfieldtheatre. ca • Amongst all the bad movies, hairdos, fads and faux pas of this much maligned decade some of the greatest pop tunes of all time were realized • Nov 10-Jan 31

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

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

Carrot, 9351-118 Ave • A wonderful time to share your work and enjoy a night out with an encouraging crowd • Dec 17, 7:30-9pm

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

Lando Gallery • 103, 10310-124 St •

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

• Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, 9225-118 Ave • yuhleave.ca • An adults-only play about the life of a Santaland department store elf and other wildly inappropriate North Pole personalities • Dec 10-21, 7:30pm

780.990.1161 • landogallery.com • December Group Selling Exhibition; through Dec

Latitude 53 • 10242-106 St • 780.423.5353 • latitude53.org • Main Space: Clean, Fit, and Decease Free: artwork by Shan Kelley; Dec 4-Jan 16 • ProjEx Room: Win, Place, and Show: artwork by Lisa Turner; Dec 4-Jan 16

McMULLEN GALLERY • U of A Hospital, 8440-112 St • 780.407.7152 • friendsofuah. org/mcmullen-gallery • The Steamfitter's Guide: artwork by Robin Smith-Peck; Dec 12-Feb 7 Multicultural Centre Public Art Gallery (MCPAG)–Stony Plain • 5411-51 St, Stony Plain • multicentre.org • Old Fashioned Christmas; Dec 12, 10am-3pm

Musée Héritage Museum • St Albert Place, 5 St Anne Street, St Albert • MuseeHeritage.ca • 780.459.1528 • museum@ artsandheritage.ca • Take Your Best Shot: Youth Photo Contest; Nov 20-Jan 24 Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts • 9225-118 Ave • 780.474.7611 • volunteer@ thenina.ca • Joyeux Visages: Ceramic masks from the Nina Collective; Nov 9-Dec 23

BUGERA MATHESON GALLERY • 10345-

Nov 21-Dec 24 • Adorned with Art: Painters include Claudette Castongauy, Rod Charlesworth, Irene Klar, Richard Cole, Brent Laycock, Raynald Leclerc and more; Nov 28-Dec 31

Paint Spot • 10032-81 Ave • 780.432.0240 • paintspot.ca • Artisan nook: Bishoujo Gallery: artwork by Chris Jugo’s exhibition of ‘the pretty gals of anime and manga; Nov 19-Jan 4 • Naess Gallery: Mighty Chroma!: artwork by Patricia Coulter, Meghan MacMillan, Michael Conforti; Nov 19-Jan 4

Peter Robertson Gallery • 12304 Jasper Ave • 780.455.7479 • probertsongallery. com • Hold My Beer and Watch This...: Artwork by Scott Cumberland; Dec 5-Dec 22 Provincial Archives of Alberta • 8555 Roper Road • PAA@gov.ab.ca • 780.427.1750 • culture.alberta.ca/paa/ eventsandexhibits/default.aspx • Voices from Our Past: artwork by Katherine Braid; Sep 25-Jan 23

Scotia Place • Foyer, 10060 Jasper Ave • Mountain High: artwork by Donna Miller. Presenting an exhibition of recent large colourful acrylic on canvas paintings of Rocky Mountain moments • Nov 17-Jan 6

sNAP Gallery • Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists, 10123-121 St • 780.423.1492 • snapartists.com • Snap Members Show & Sale; Nov 21-Dec 19

SPRUCE GROVE ART GALLERY • 35-5 Ave, Spruce Grove • 780.962.0664 • alliedartscouncil.com • Fireplace Room: Chico Bulmer; through Dec

Telus World of Science • 11211-142 St • telusworldofscienceedmonton.com • Free$117.95 • Beyond Rubik's Cube; Nov 7-Feb 15 • The Science Garage: new gallery opening in Dec • The International Exhibition Of Sherlock Holmes; Mar 25, 2016-Sep 5, 2016

U of A Museums • Human Ecology Bldg Gallery, Main Fl, 116 St, 89 Ave • museums@ ualberta.ca • museums.ualberta.ca • Thu-Fri: 12-6pm; Sat: 12-4pm • Brain Storms: UAlberta Creates: hundreds of creative and visually inspiring works from University of Alberta Alumni in support of the University of Alberta Alumni Association centenary; Sep 25-Jan 23

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 • Brittany's Lounge, 10225-97 St NW • 780.691.1691 • There will be different themes each month • Every 2nd Tue of month, 8:30-10:30pm • $20 (door); 18+ only

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

It's a Wonderful Life • C103, 8529 Gateway Blvd • theatrenetwork.ca • A live radio drama • Dec 17-20

Upper Crust Café • 10909-86 Ave • 780.422.8174 • strollofpoets.com • The Poets’ Haven Reading Series: Most Mon (except holidays), 7pm, Sep-Mar; presented by the Stroll of Poets Society • $5 (door)

Theatre 11 O'Clock Number • The Backstage Theatre, 10330-84 Ave (North Side of the ATB Financial Arts Barns) • 90 minutes of improvised entertainment that unveils scenes, songs and choreographed numbers completely off the cuff based on audience suggestions • Every Fri, starting Sep 25-Jun 25, 11pm (No performances on Dec 25 and Jan 1, 8 & 15) • $15 (online, at the door) • grindstonetheatre.ca

The 11 O'Clock Number!: The Early Show • Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 1003784 Ave • grindstonetheatreyeg@gmail.com • grindstonetheatre.ca • Presents 90 minutes of improvised musical comedy that unveils scenes, songs, and choreographed numbers completely off the cuff based on audience suggestions • Dec 11, 8-10pm • $15 (door, online at Tix on the Square)

Amahl and the Night Visitors • South Pointe Community Centre, 11520 Ellerslie Road • operanuova.ca/amahl-and-the-night-visitors • The story focuses on a young boy, Amahl, who offers the only possession he has, his crutch, as a gift for the wise men to take to the Christ Child • Dec 18-19, 7:30-8:30pm • $22 (adult), $20 (senior), $15 (student), $10 (kids 10 and under) burning Bluebeard • C103, 8529 Gate-

A christmas carol • Shoctor Theatre,

780.488.4892 • westendgalleryltd.com • Annual Winter Collection Group Exhibition: featuring works by Peter Shostak, Annabelle Marquis, Claudette Castonguay, Peter Wyse and more;

Way • 780.449.3378 • festivalplace.ab.ca • Jane and Michael Banks have driven away just about every nanny that comes to the door, until Mary Poppins flies in! Along with the lovable chimney sweep Burt, she helps the Banks family find love and value in one another • Dec 17-30, 7:30pm (with 2pm matinees on Sat & Sun) • $25 (kids), $39 (adult)

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

VASA Gallery • 25 Sir Winston Churchill

West End Gallery • 10337-124 St •

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins • Festival Place, 100 Festival

TALES–Monthly Storytelling Circle •

Upper Arts Space, 10037-84 Ave • A monthly play reading series: 1st Sun each month with a different play by a different playwright

visualartsalberta.com • Gallery A: Cultural Exchange; Dec 3-Feb 27 • Gallery B: Alberta Artists Collect Alberta Art; Dec 3-Feb 27 Ave, St Albert • 780.460.5990 • vasa-art.com • Members Winter Exhibition; Dec 1-Jan 29

Die-Nasty • The Backstage Theatre at the ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330-83 Ave • communications@varsconatheatre.com • die-nasty.com • Live improvised soap opera • Runs every Mon, 7:30-9:30pm • Until May 30, 2016 (no show Dec 21 or 28) • $14 or $9 with a $30 membership; at the door (cash) or at tixonthesquare.com

Improv Open Jam • Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 10037-84 Ave • grindstonetheatreyeg@ gmail.com • grindstonetheatre.ca/openjam.html • A space to share, swap games and ideas. For all levels • Last Tue every month until Jun 28, 7-9:30pm • Free

SCRIPT SALON • Holy Trinity Anglican Church,

way Blvd • theatrenetwork.ca • Inspired by a true story. Tells the tale of six singed clowns who emerge from the burnt remains of a theatre to perform their spectacular Christmas Pantomime. This time they hope to finally reach the true happy ending of their second act and avoid the fateful fire destroyed Chicago’s Iroquois Theatre in 1903 • Dec 1-13

VAA Gallery • 3rd Fl, 10215-112 St •

David Sedaris' Santaland Diaries

Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Ave • 780.425.1820 • citadeltheatre.com • Now in its 16th consecutive season, this beautiful adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic is a favourite holiday tradition for thousands of Edmonton families • Nov 28-Dec 23

VUEWEEKLY.com | dec 10 – dec 16, 2015

The Late Night Cabaret - Snowed In • Lobby and Westbury Theatre in the ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave • 780.409.1910 • fta@fringetheatre.ca • fringetheatre.ca • A musically charged variety show, a Fringe Festival tradition, featuring local Edmonton artists, and special guests and warm up in the North Pole Beer Tent in the Lobby of the ATB Financial Arts Barns • Dec 12, 7pm • $20

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)

The Social Scene • Citadel Theatre, 9828101A Ave • grindstonetheatreyeg@gmail.com • grindstonetheatre.ca/scenestudy.html • Fellow theatre lovers share excerpts of plays that they have been reading • First Mon of every month, 6-8pm; until Jun 6 • Free

Star Warz: A Galactic Rock Comedy • Jubilations Dinner Theatre, West Edmonton Mall, Phase II West Edmonton Mall, 8882-170 St • jubilations.ca • It is a period of galactic civil war! There are rebels with spaceships, Jedi with lightsabers, a princess, a smuggler, and robots, the Evil Darth Vador and singing… yes you heard me… singing of your favorite galactic rock tunes of the 70’s and 80’s. May the force be with you • Oct 30-Jan 30

TheatreSports • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828-101A Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Improv • Every Fri, 7:30pm and 10pm • Sep-Jun • $12/$10 (member) at TIX on the Square

Three Christmas Delights • Pleasantview Hall, 10860-57 Ave • An evening of Holiday entertainment - sweet and savory treats will be served between sassy and scintillating songs and stories. A family-friendly event • Dec 13, 6pm (door), 7pm (show) • $45

W;t • Walterdale Theatre, 10322-83 Ave • As Vivian Bearing suffers through countless medical treatments alone, she displays her signature intelligence, strength, and wit. But as she moves closer to her final moments, she begins to value the simplicity of kindness • Dec 2-12

arts 9

REVUE // GRAPHIC NOVEL

POP

ARTS EDITOR: PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Winks and shrugs

Step Aside, Pops, Kate Beaton's second collection of comics, not quite a stand out

tep Aside, Pops proclaims the cover and its grrl, a 19th-century biker chick with her arms crossed, staring hard back at us. Yet Kate Beaton's second collection of comic strips having fun with literature and history isn't all that bold or brassy. Undergraduate humour (Beaton's history and anthropology BA is usually noted in bios) shouldn't mean undercooked or underwhelming. But there's too much simplistic, Internet-era (Beaton's strips come from her website) winking-ness and shrugging-ness here. "Straw Feminists in the Closet" is, yep, two women popping out of a closet to hissssss daft anti-male generalizations at kids; it's so broad

10 POP!

it's not even satire. Many strips generally riff off basic facts about a famous figure or book, like cartoon Cliff sNotes, or toss in a crack about poop or dick-pics, or cheaply modernize a character (16-year-old Edward the Black Prince talks like a surfer dude). The black-humour reduction of native runner Tom Longboat, in one strip, to a boy racing "away from the residential school again" is cringing. Yet Beaton's art is often strong—her faces can look so cocksure or craft y from one frame to the next. It's the chatty writing that fails, from its meh!ness and fl ip simplifications to the constant efforts (mash-

ups, 21st-century slang) to be coolly relevant. Even Beaton's occasional explanations—in small print at the bottom of a page—can be vague, cavalier and uninformative: "Kokoro is one of those books that maybe you have to read in a class ... but somehow it gets under your skin and you can't stop thinking about it ... I guess they call them classics because they stick around like that." Or: "satirical cartoons [once] came out depicting [female cyclists] as shocking and inappropriate, not knowing that in our time, we would look at those cartoons and think those women look AWESOME." Uh-huh. The jokes that do land are indepth and thoughtful: a parody of

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

Now available Step Aside, Pops By Kate Beaton Drawn & Quarterly, 168 pp, $24.95 the early Superman comics' sexist formula sees the Man of Steel constantly stymieing Lois Lane's efforts to be a career-woman reporter; the Napoleon complex gets its own meta-cartoon; "Peasant Comics" is a more visual, sharply paced strip. But these successes are few and far between; Step Aside, Pops just doesn't stand out. BRIAN GIBSON

BRIAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

POPCULTURE HAPPENINGS

HEATHER SKINNER // SKINNER@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Dark Matters / Thu, Dec 10 (7 pm – 10 pm) Dark Matters is a regular event hosted by the Telus World of Science, where the kids are put to bed early and the adults get to come out and play. This month's theme is all about games: The IMAX lobby will be turned into a board-game café and retro, modern and arcade-styled video games will be played. To top it all off, the classic 1994 film Street Fighter (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme) will be shown in the IMAX theatre. Now's the time to get all of the stress out before the relatives come over for Christmas. (Telus World of Science, $17 – $23, 18+)

Book signing with artist Kyle Charles / Wed, Dec 23 (4 pm – 7 pm) Roche Limit: Clandestiny #2 (by Image Comics) is now out in trade paperback, and there's no better way to celebrate than with the artist himself. Kyle Charles will be available to talk with fans and sign copies of his latest comic. The story: 75 years after the Roche Limit colony was doused in flames, a crew of military and science personnel are sent to the planet on a mysterious expedition. The group soon learns it's not all they thought it would be—they must fight, find a way off the planet and ignore the presence that now haunts them all. (Happy Harbor Comics)

Lady Geeks uNite: December Market / Sun, Dec 13 (11 am – 4 pm) Christmas shopping for someone into all things geek is like running a marathon, but with lions chasing you. What does that person like? What do they not already own? Worry no more: give the gift of crafts this year by checking out the Lady Geeks uNite market. Browse all of the one-of-akind stuffs produced by local LGN members, such as illustrations, accessories and more. To help make those big gift-giving decisions, candy and pop will be available. It really is the best time of year. (Happy Harbor Comics, Free)

Bishoujo Gallery / Until Mon, Jan 4 Anime and manga have become such a hit in North America that even the New York Times has a best-sellers list dedicated to it. Edmonton's own Paint Spot and artist Chris Jugo are celebrating this medium with an exhibit that features the ladies of anime and manga. Jugo's exhibit includes some characters fans may recognize and many of his own creations. (Artisan Nook, the Paint Spot) V

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VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

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POP! 11

REVUE // GUY MADDIN

FILM

FILM EDITOR: PAUL BLINOV PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Classic Maddin!

Guy Maddin's strange, sprawling, summary-proof The Forbidden Room embraces a movie-loving delirium

he room in question ideally seats hundreds, all facing one way, with a projector behind and a big screen in front. We're talking about the cinema doubling as echo chamber for Guy Maddin's brain, branded as it is with the scars of decades of movie-love delirium, those countless films, most made before Maddin was born, superimposed over his own memories and fantasies until everything congeals into myth. The notion that anything is forbidden in The Forbidden Room, Maddin's latest and most sprawling feature, made in collaboration with Evan Johnson, is absurd. Rather, it's one of many jokes in a movie built upon brilliant, perverse, delightfully stupid, poignantly nonsensical jokes. Having germinated in Maddin's interactive, phantasma-cinephillic Séances project, The Forbidden Room is long, strange and Calvino-esque, its narratives-within-narratives the children

of a nesting-doll structure, the fruit of a garden of forking paths. It takes place all over the place and features more characters than can fit comfortably on a title card. Unsummarizable! And hilarious. And, on its own terms, closing in on flabby perfection. Being from Winnipeg doesn't peg anyone as a winner, but Maddin has arrived at the point where his fevered unconscious nearly triumphs over reality— at least for 130 minutes. Let's face it, finely dramaturged, forward-moving, entirely coherent storytelling has never exactly been Maddin's forte, so rather than strain to form a movie from one story why not stuff one movie with lots of stories, detours and digressions? Thus we get a submarine movie in which sweaty men face almost certain explosive doom by fortifying their mettle with the oxygenating power of flapjacks. Thus we get a woods-

man attempting to rescue a woman from fur-swaddled, finger-snapping cave-dwellers. Also: vampires in the jungle. Also: a volcano. Also: a stolen moustache. Also: a hypnosis session in which the patient takes the notion of killing part of herself literally. (If Maddin ever killed part of his psyche in psychotherapy it most certainly came back as a zombie.) There are sundry forms of trauma and hysteria, and a kind of amnesia that leaves your memory intact but everything else forgotten. ("Nothing is ever the past.") Voices and texts present imperatives, ideas and objects with the harried impact of a bargain-sale barker. "Fragments!" "Veils!" "Remember!" Not one to deny his heavily distorted source-material, Maddin imbues The Forbidden Room, which might anyway be based entirely on lost films, with flickers of

its own cinephillic DNA: Sunrise, King Kong, West of Zanzibar, Maddin's own The Dead Father, Jack Cardiff's dusted Technicolor and Raul Ruiz's labyrinths. It features performances, or at the very least the faces, of many titans of the irredeemably off-beat in multiple roles: Jacques Nolot, Maria de Medeiros, Geraldine Chaplin, Louis Negin, Mathieu Amalric, Charlotte Rampling, Ariane Labed, Marie Brassard, André Wilms and, of course, Udo Kier. (And if you know who more than three of those cast-members are you get a free flapjack at the door.) The people come and go as in a dream where nothing is stable and everything either tickles or hurts. It is all, quite frankly, fucking exhausting. In a good way. This is an inherently excessive, artifice kissing, id-addled, beautiful movie-movie, autistically precise with colour, tone, crackle, neurosis and atmosphere, and rather

Fri, Dec 11 – Wed, Dec 16 Directed by Evan Johnson, Guy Maddin The Forbidden Room Metro Cinema at the Garneau  Friday Dec 11 (6:45 pm) William Beard, U of A professor and author of Into the Past: The Cinema of Guy Maddin, will speak about Maddin's filmmaking style.

less disciplined with regards to offering a mapable cosmology. You have to want to get lost, but if you do, please, come in, the bath is warm, and the room, it turns out, is vast.

JOSEF BRAUN

JOSEF@VUEWEEKLY.COM

REVUE // DRAMA

Brooklyn

Opens Friday Directed by John Crowley 

If she can make it there, she'll make it anywhere

12 FILM

rooklyn bets everything on Saoirse Ronan's acting skill, and she carries the fi lm on her shoulders with ease. As Eilis Lacey, the 21-year-old actress is remarkably plain—introverted, uncertain, a whole lot of emotion simmering just beneath her pale, soft face. She's a smart girl with no prospects in her small 1950s Irish town, and so she sets out across the sea to build a new life in New York City. The movie isn't particularly concerned with riveting twists or shocking revelations, preferring to slowly build up our investment in

this quietly courageous girl. Brooklyn is a fi lm of small, poignant moments interspersed with long periods of everyday life. On her fi rst ocean voyage, another Irish émigrée gives Eilis advice about how to go through customs: with purpose, like an American. Jim Broadbent appears as a Catholic priest, telling Eilis that, "Homesickness is like any sickness. It'll make you feel wretched, then it'll move on to someone else." The girls at Eilis' boarding house teach her how to eat spaghetti before she meets her ItalianAmerican boyfriend's mamma. And

so on, each little scene passing pleasantly if not very dramatically. The only real dramatic turn of the fi lm is a love triangle Eilis falls into, torn between Italian-American Tony and Jim, a well-to-do Irish lad from her hometown. But this is no Team Peeta versus Team Gale angstfest: It's clear from the start that what's really at stake is the choice between America and Ireland, between the excitement of a new life and the familiarity of home. And it's to the fi lm's credit that either choice seems like the right one. It's

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

easy to identify with Eilis' struggle, and hard to predict her ultimate decision. In the end, refreshingly, Brooklyn isn't the type of rags-to-riches American Dream story that it seems at fi rst blush. It isn't a fi lm about achieving improbable success against all odds or enduring incredible hardship or overcoming insurmountable obstacles. It's a simple fi lm about the complexity of every person's life and the humanscale problems that they face.

BRUCE CINNAMON

BRUCE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

ASPECTRATIO

JOSEF BRAUN // JOSEF@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Border stories

The narratives we see about the US-Mexican border usually one-sided takes on a complicated thing Since its debut at Sundance nearly a year ago, Matthew Heineman's Cartel Land has enjoyed a triumphant festival and theatrical run, scooping up numerous awards and earning its author a reputation as a run-and-gun documentarian of uncommon valour. The film functions as a double-portrait of vigilante groups determined to combat violent drug cartels on both sides of the US-Mexico border, with Heineman risking life and limb while embedding himself in this dangerous milieu. The characters Heineman meets and the stories he unearths are truly extraordinary and should, I would hope, generate a great deal

of discussion. It is never a bad time to talk about the numerous problems stemming from this extremely fraught frontier, and recent years have seen a surge of films, television series and literature, both fiction and nonfiction, exploring the lives of those perpetrating or affected by violent criminal activities which take advantage of the border's porousness. For all the silliness of its high-concept A-story, the sense of frontier tensions depicted in the American version of FX's The Bridge is impressive and complex, while Sicario, the bigbudget American movie directed by Quebec's Denis Villeneuve, is an ex-

tremely well-made, deeply unnerving thriller that captures the moral and legal mire of US intervention in the trans-Latin American drug trade as it slides down a slippery slope from bloody but ineffective FBI ambushes to tacitly sanctioned acts of secret terror. However limited their points of view, I'm glad such stories exist. My concern has to do with the kind of border stories we're telling and consuming—especially while Donald Trump trumpets his fascist fear-mongering about the need to eradicate those ostensibly jobsiphoning Mexicans. If only we had as much exposure to more Mexican narratives about the border prob-

lems—and there are many, on film, in song and in print. Despite serving as an invaluable resource for 2666, Roberto Bolaño's sprawling novel about the murdered women of Juarez, Sergio González Rodríguez's urgent, vital and beautifully written Bones in the Desert is, to my knowledge, still waiting to be translated and published in English (as is his subsequent and even richer essay The Man Without a Head). Cartel Land, which is available for streaming, shows us things we haven't seen before, and its last act contains startling revelations. Cartel Land is also pretty tacky in

its numbingly high-octane presentation, using hysterical news-report sound-bites, excessive and corny dramatic scoring, and interviews in which subjects tearfully stare right down the barrel of Heineman's camera. Above all, Cartel Land lacks context. It doesn't ask enough questions. It cuts straight to the juicy bits without betraying a lot of curiosity regarding how those bits came to be. In one of the arresting opening scenes of Cartel Land a Mexican meth cooker defends his trade by asking Heineman, "What do you expect? We come from poverty." That should be the start of a conversation, not the end of one. V

REVUE // HOLIDAY HORROR

Sorry, kid, but the naughty list doesn't lie

Krampus 'K

rampus" may sound like some cutesy euphemism for menstrual pain, but it's actually a figure of Germanic alpine folklore—a horned, fiendish, anti-Saint Nick who, once Yule lets out, punishes misbehaving children. In Krampus, though, he's a horned, cloaked, chain-clanging, cloven-hoofed creature who, with his small army of Xmasked baddies, besieges a neighbourhood in the blizzard-blasted days before Christ's birthday. And if only this black-comedy horror had had more deep, dark laughs and less drawn-out, what's-around-the-corner horror, it could have been a helliday cult-classic contender. The festive atmosphere spews off to a nicely toxic start—the credits sequence sees shoppers rampaging through the aisles of a Walmart-style store, guards hauling off the unruliest

Now playing Directed by Michael Dougherty  of the lot, and one kid fighting with another in front of Santa as gawkers videophone the spectacle. That one kid's Max (Emjay Anthony); he's Sarah (Toni Collette) and Tom's (Adam Scott) youngest. Sarah's sister, Linda (Allison Tolman), and her husband, Howard (David Koechner)—the bomber-hatted heads of a Hummer-driving, gun-toting, rural Republican clan—soon show up for the holidays, though, with their bullying, tomboyish daughters leading Max to tear up his letter to Santa, unleashing the Krampus-rumpus. And then the movie loses much of its satirical spirit. Soon Christmas isn't so much about faking good cheer, or empty traditions, or being forced together as one stressed-out family, smiles cracking. It's about fiendish gingerbread men, killer

teddy bears, a shark-toothed, hingejawed jack-in-the-box, and cackling, evil elves. Those creatures are pretty fun, but it takes a devil-awful time to get to them: peeping out windows, long walks down corridors, sounds on the roof, etc. And while the horror's nicely morbid (kids killed, parents sucked under the snow)—at least 'til the ending, which tries to mix the nasty and the nice but is pretty pat—the bigger problem is the loss of comedy, not blood. The adults remain types, even Tom's German-speaking mother Omi, there to look Old-Worldy and explain who Krampus is. And so experienced comic actors like Collette, Scott, Koechner, and Tolman can't sink their claws into this story, which just isn't as meaty and mean-tasting as it should be.

FRI, DEC. 11–THUR, DEC. 17

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RATED: 14A COARSE LANGUAGE, BRUTAL VIOLENCE

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ANDREW FERENCE PRESENTS BARAKA THURS @ 7:00 GENTLEMEN DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: PREFER THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON THU @ 9:30 BLONDES SAT @ 7:00, SUN @ 4:00, THE FORBIDDEN ROOM MON @ 9:00 A TRIBUTE TO MARILYN MONROE

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BRIAN GIBSON

BRIAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

GREEN DAY: HEART LIKE A HAND GRENADE SAT @ 9:00 – 18+ DON VERDEAN SUN @ 2:00

FRI @ 6:45 GUEST INTRO. BY PROF. WILLIAM BEARD SAT @ 4:00, SUN @ 9:30, TUES @ 7:00, WED @ 9:00

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GUJUBHAI THE GREAT SUN @ 6:15 DEDFEST A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY NATIONAL LAMPOON’S FRI @ 9:30 – 18+ CHRISTMAS VACATION MON @ 7:00 A CHRISTMAS STORY

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VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

FILM 13

FILM REVUE // DOCUMENTARY

Heart Like A Hand Grenade The making of an American Idiot

ince its 2004 release, Green Day's seventh studio album, American Idiot, has sold somewhere in the neighbourhood of 15 million copies—about a fifth of the band's total sales from 11 albums. It earned the band a Grammy and spawned both a hit Broadway show and a still-in-development feature film adaptation (as well as a documen-

tary about the hit broadway show). But mostly, American Idiot singlehandedly rescued Green Day from the slow decline of a heyday passed, endearing the band to a generation too young to have picked up Dookie on the first go-around. Heart Like a Hand Grenade, though, begins before any of that played out: director John Roecker spent

nine months with cameras trained on the band as it crafted American Idiot in the studio. And as a doc, Hand Grenade doesn't go particularly deep, but it doesn't overreach, either: loosely structured around the album's sequence of songs, it's a capable, workmanlike peek into the sessions that built the album. It's being presented at Metro Cinemas by Northwestfest in support of YESS, accepting donations of food and clothing at the door. The album itself—its simmered, teen-friendly odes to disenfranchisement with the then in-power Bush administration and its thirst for war—was primed for zeitgeisty mainstream appeal: barrelling poppunk that aimed to make you feel like part of the protest as you pogo'd along. And it's hard to deny the bombastic energy of the doc's final performance of "American Idiot," a capture of its first-ever live performance. Watching the band shaping the album, you get some sense that they know they have something primed for impact, but mostly, Hand Grenade captures a comfortable studio go-around. On camera, Billie Joel Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, then all

in their early 30s, still goof off with that teenage pop-punk mindset: they offer the camera tips on how to drink for the first time, fart while someone else is talking, steal each others' shorts while in the pool, do nasally imitations of the former fans that hate them now. They kid about the album's Broadway qualities while laughing off the idea of it ever being a staged show ("I'd eventually like to see this thing done on ice," deadpans Dirnt, which, honestly, doesn't seem like such a leap today.). There isn't much extraneous info in Hand Grenade—no history of Green Day, no deep one-on-ones with band members, not even a mention of Cigarettes and Valentines, the never-completed album the band had been working on prior to American Idiot (its master recordings were stolen mid-session, leading Green Day to abandon the songs and make Idiot instead). The film remains firmly rooted in putting it all together, anchored by (mostly) full takes on all of the album's songs, which occasionally feels like padding out a runtime. But Roecker splices each together

Sat, Dec 12 (9 pm) Directed by John Roecker Metro Cinema at the Garneau  out of studio moments, individual instrument tracking sessions, rehearsals and live-show recordings, offering a skeleton-up look at each song's construction. Inexplicably, "Jesus of Suburbia" is synched to a Bob Fosse-choreographed dance sequence from Sweet Charity ("The Rich Man's Frug") which is oddly compelling, if a totally unexplained pairing. A few times, the camera finds Armstrong's face as a finalized track finishes playing; blank in contemplation, the look of someone who knows they're onto something, but doesn't want to say it, like it's too good to be true. And outside of the general confidence/ pleasantness of the studio time, its in a scatter of moments like that where Hand Grenade captures the rare sense of a watershed moment as its being realized, even by its creators.

PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

While checking off the items on the holiday list, don’t forget to drop off items at VUE for one of the three following organizations:

YESS The Bissell Centre Edmonton’s Food Bank VUE Weekly office #200 11230 119 Street

14 FILM

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

SNOW ZONE // CAMPING

SNOW ZONE

EDITOR: JASMINE SALAZAR JASMINE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

// Steven Kenworthy

// Parks Canada

rystal clear days under an azure sky surrounded by towering mountain peaks and moonlit nights spent stargazing in front of a crackling campfire are idyllic camping images not limited to summer months. With the right gear and mindset, winter camping can be done. Winter camping is an activity that is slowly growing in popularity as more provincial parks offer campsites during the snow season. While similar to its summer counterpart, the major differences are in the temperatures and the physical presence of snow on the ground. And while the very words "winter camping" can evoke a broad range of emotions, the telling part is that those who have done it almost all have positive reactions, while those who've never tried it are rather universal in their distain. Camping in winter, whether in a tent, trailer or RV, is all about preparation. "Bring what you would need for normal times, but be extra prepared," Geoff Danks, Jasper's campgrounds and day-use areas coordinator explains. "Bring extra dry clothes and prepare for things not to dry out for you as easily as they

do in the summer." Being self-sufficient is also important as it can help in anticipating the unexpected. "You should have a candle and shovel—the standard sort of things your vehicle emergency kit should have," Danks says. "Check the weather and trail information before and during your stay, because the weather in the mountains changes quickly, and if you know it's coming it's easier to deal with." For winter camping in an RV or trailer, simply make sure you have drained your water lines and freshwater holding tanks and run some anti-freeze through the lines. Also make sure you pour some antifreeze down the sink, toilet and shower drains. Doing this allows you to use your drains, which means you can use the toilet and avoid a latenight trip to a nearby outhouse or secluded area. But in the case of the Wapiti Campground just outside the Jasper town site, the washrooms are incredible clean, warm bastions of civilization, so biffy runs are not much of a hardship. Having a generator can come in handy in case your power supply is

unreliable, but it's not a necessity unless you are camping in an area without electrical hook-ups. Along the Wapiti area, there are a couple of backcountry camps to choose from in Jasper, including the Wilcox Creek campground near the Columbia Icefield and the Whirlpool Campground about 20 km south of the Jasper town site. The Whirlpool Campground has been "winterized" for this year through a cooking shelter that now has plexi-glass windows and and an upgraded wood stove. Both Wilcox and Whirlpool have primitive camping with no power or water, but they have all the solitude and wilderness you can handle. Stepping up its winter camping offerings is Jasper's recent efforts to increase park visitor numbers in the chilly months. "We looked at what people are asking for and how that fits in," Danks says. "Marmot is really the big draw to the park in the winter, but there is a lot more to do than just downhill skiing." Fat tire biking—named for its comical, oversized tires that resemble big, black marshmallows—is be-

ing embraced at the park with a 10.5-km trail in the Pyramid Bench area, which will be flat packed specifically for winter cycling. Jasper's biggest new winter offering is the Marmot Meadows Winter Hub, which should be in full operation before Christmas. Located beside Whistler's Campground, the hub will have a pair of cross-country ski trails to choose from, an outdoor skating rink, snowshoeing, a winterized cooking shelter to warm up in and a traditional tipi that will provide the setting for aboriginal programs and cultural teachings. Starting January 2 to March 27, the park will host interpretative activities each weekend, including a Wildlife Camera Safari where tracking wildlife skills will be explained along with how trail cameras are used to help parks staff better understand Jasper's wildlife. Marmot Meadows is located just across the highway from the Wapiti campground, making it an easy walk or cross-country ski away. Reservations are not accepted for winter camping in Jasper, as there are plenty of sites cleared of snow. However, weekends tend to get bus-

ier and by Easter, the Wapiti campground can get full. As for renting an RV for winter camping, the choices are limited, but Cross Country RV, just west of Edmonton, is an associated dealer with CanaDream, one of the only places that rents RVs equipped for winter camping. The units come set up with generators and solar panels so all taps, toilets and showers work, making them relatively self-contained. A winter-camping getaway may sound far-fetched to some and even those doing it will question each other's sanity. During a trip to Jasper made pulling a trailer last week, the tenters we ran into couldn't believe we hauled our trailer on icy roads all the way from Edmonton, while we were just as amazed that they were tenting in winter. We laughed and went back to our cross-country skiing and didn't see another soul for the rest of the day. For a list of winter campgrounds in Alberta, check out Vue Weekly's Cool Winter Guide, albertaparks.ca or canadream.com

STEVEN KENWORTHY

STEVEN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

EDGECONTROL SKI SHOP Renting Gear in Jasper? Why Not Rent Better! www.EdgeControl.ca | 1.888.242.3343 | 626 Connaught Drive Jasper (next to Subway) WITH BRANDS LIKE VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

SNOW ZONE 15

SNOW ZONE SNOW ZONE // LIFT

// Jane Marshall

Teepee Town LX Lift offers warm comfort Experiencing the first heated chairlift in Canada

SIX THIRTY

s I rise up the flank of Lookout Mountain in the brand-new Teepee Town LX Lift at Sunshine Village, I experience something truly shocking. I'm warm. Anyone who rode the former 1979 two-person lift knows the stamina and determination it took. On cold, windy days, it felt like you were being served up as a sacrificial offering to the mountain gods on a plate of cold, uncomfortable metal. Ascending the ridge, you'd receive the full force of nature's wrath as you met the wind head on. But even then it was worth it, a sort of penance for some of Sunshine's most challenging terrain and aggressive moguls. Now the ride has become so much sweeter. Sitting back in the new lift, I drop the footrest and an orange bubble automatically descends, wrapping me in a dome of warmth. The seats are heated, just like my Volkswagen, and I'm moving at a pace of 1000 feet per minute, virtually flying up the mountain. The chair speed has doubled, taking me from the sub-alpine forest to

the alpine zone in 4.5 minutes (twice as fast as before). I'm cocooned, protected and comfortable. The view of the mountain is tinted orange, and its features seem to pop even more vividly, like when you put on orange-tinted goggles in flat light and suddenly you can see. I had the chance to chat with Lindsay Gallagher, media and marketing coordinator at Sunshine Village as we rode up the gondola from the parking lot to the mountain base together. "We wanted to practice what we preach and give back to people to make their experience better," she explains. "The new lift cost approximately $5 million. A big investment." Gallagher mentions that people often think of Teepee Town as a double-black diamond-only area, but she explains that it provides access to moderate terrain on the Angel lift, too. "It's not only for advanced skiers," she says. When Sunshine announced it was building the new lift, people wanted

$10 Lift TicketS

www.snowvalley.ca

16 SNOW ZONE

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; DEC 16, 2015

Sat, Dec 12 Teepee Town LX Grand Opening Sunshine Village to buy the old chairs for their decks and houses. "There's even a hotel in Revelstoke that has a patio filled with old chairlift chairs," Gallagher says. In the end, Sunshine sold the lift to a small BC resort, recycling it as it has done with other smaller resorts like Castle Mountain. The T P Main Chutes are among my favourite runs. They are blackdiamond terrain studded with gorgeous moguls and fun features. And now there's even more opportunity to ski them. Some hardcore folks might feel their territory is being poached, but on a frigid, windy day even those hardened souls are likely to be thankful for the shelter of the new bubbles. I know I was. The wind howled and whistled outside, but in my little orange micro-climate I just leaned back and enjoyed the view. JANE MARSHALL JANE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

SNOW ZONW 17

FALLLINES

SNOW ZONE HART GOLBECK HART@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Lindsey Vonn carves another hat trick at Lake Louise Screaming "I love this place" after winning her third race, American alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn completed another dominant weekend at Lake Louise. Not only did Vonn win all three races, she routed the field by margins of 1.5 seconds in Sunday's Super-G and 1.0 and .5 seconds on the Friday and Saturday downhill races, respectively. Typically, these races are won by the margins of tenths and hundredths, but not full seconds. Vonn, who upped her total World Cup wins to 70, has now won 18 times at Lake Louise. A sweep is rare, though Vonn had perfect weekends back in 2011 and 2012. Expect to see this 31-year-old superstar to return for many years to come. Events continue at Lake Louise. On Sunday, December 13, head up to compete or watch a Heavy Metal Rail Jam presented by SPY. For $30 you'll have 30 minutes on the rails to show off your best tricks. Cash and fresh swag will be given to winners.

Lake Louise // Chis Moseley

CANADA’S SECOND LARGEST SKI AREA IT’S JUST YOU AND THE MOUNTAINS

Snow conditions improving at resorts but danger lurks in the backcountry Snow conditions continue to improve at all resorts. No major dumps, but there is daily snowfall of two to four centimetres. Be aware when out skiing as natural hazards may occur. This is particularly important if you are planning to hit the backcountry. The current avalanche risk in the mountains is extremely high. A number of areas are reporting thick slabs forming over weaker layers. Many resorts are keeping their upper avalanche areas closed for an hour or two in the morning, so that the danger zones can be cleared. If you're at Sunshine Village on Saturday, December 12, experience the official ribbon cutting for the resort's brand-new heated chair lift. Food, drinks and prizes will be available for those taking part in the festivities. Marmot Basin is expecting three days of snowfall this weekend. I hope the weatherman comes through and the hill stays cool enough so that there is no rain at the higher elevations. Keep an eye on the forecast and if you can skip work for a day or two, you won't be disappointed. There's nothing better than mid-week skiing and boarding at Marmot. V

Sunny alpine bowls, powder filled glades, perfectly groomed cruisers… and barely another skier in sight. With the second largest amount of ski terrain in Canada—4,270 acres—at our doorstep, you get to enjoy the slopes without crowds, plus renowned light, dry snow and an award-winning slopeside village. An 8 hour drive from Edmonton or fly direct to Kamloops, BC with WestJet.

Fly WestJet non-stop to Kamloops and take our 45 minute shuttle from the airport. SKI + STAY FREE, 4 FOR THE PRICE OF 3!

Photos: Adam Stein, Kelly Funk, Royce Sihlis Valid all season except December 23 – January 3. Other restrictions may apply.

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18 SNOW ZONE

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

1.855.655.5288

PREVUE // RAP

MUSIC

MUSIC EDITOR: MEAGHAN BAXTER MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

aul Williams moved back to the United States in 2013 after a few years spent living in Paris. He was greeted by a familiar feeling in the air, one he hadn't expected, or hoped, to re-experience: he returned right as a fresh wave of violence and protest took to the air, something that hasn't abated since. "I was in New York for the whole Eric Garner thing, and in the States for the Michael Brown thing," the rapper-poet recalls, over the phone from his new home in Los Angeles. "Just to see the proliferation of events, this new generation born to the desire to demand better treatment and reality and justice and what have you. It was very bizarre— actually, not very bizarre. Because I grew up with the same rallies, the same manifestations and the same truths and the same police brutality, and the whole nine. And so you travel, and you move back to the place you're from, and that thing starts up again, and so you kind of feel like you've gone full circle. I was at those same rallies when I was 10. "It's not the sort of thing you want to be familiar with," he concludes with a wry laugh. Social consciousness and pointed words for the world at large have always been part of Williams' MO, whether in albums, poetry or acting (he starred in the acclaimed 1998 drama Slam, and had a brief

Broadway run in Holla If Ya Hear Me). And it's our modern, troubled sea change that Williams has set his sights on with MartyrLoserKing. It's a concept record due out in January with an accompanying graphic novel to follow; its narrative circles a hacker—who goes by the eponymous title—seen as a hero until he gets branded a terrorist. "It's a play on very simple notions that we're all familiar with: that we can see from anything from Michael Brown to Aaron Swartz, or from the whistleblower to the person who's persecuted for reasons unbeknownst to them," he says. "There's no way you're going to say that name [MartyrLoserKing] and not question something about it: what that means, where it comes from and what have you," Williams continues. "So there's something having to do with provocation in the thoughtful sense. And then I think, unfortunately like I said, it's revisiting something that's a recurring theme in all of our lives right now. The number of people—14, I think the count was yesterday [in the San Bernardino shooting]? Because it speaks to the times. That's what I'm playing with in the music, in the idea, is finding interesting ways of speaking to the times." MartyrLoserKing's hacker protagonist, then, is a way to speak to

Fri, Dec 11 (8 pm) Saul Williams With k-os, Doom Squad, Divot Union Hall, $25 technology's deep embedding in how we experience the world around us, though Williams notes it's not simply the tech he's looking to comment on. "Technology is awareness, first: technology as we practice it is a reflection of consciousness and awareness," he says. "We're trying to make things that reflect [our consciousness], and then we're playing with those reflections so we can do more, perhaps, than we can do with our regular minds. We can calculate at a quicker rate, we can transfer and transform information at a quicker rate, we can communicate at a quicker rate." That's not always a good thing. But it does offer a certain level of freedom that's impossible to find elsewhere. "It can also filter through all sorts of things: you look at the comment sections under videos on YouTube, that are also a place for all sorts of things," Williams laughs. "But, used for good, if you will, it's something that they haven't completely dominated yet, they being the state. It's something they can't completely control. And so it's great for the pioneers." PAUL BLINOV

PAUL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // GARAGE ROCK

Power Buddies 'W

e're Power Buddies. We live together." Dustin Sebzda, vocalist/keyboardist for Power Buddies, would introduce the band the same way at every tour stop across Canada. "I kept telling him to say, we're called Power Buddies," laughs Nolan Bossert, guitarist/occasional-footdrummer. "And we don't even live together anymore!" The group formed in 2013 after Bossert decided to expand upon the material he'd been writing under his own name. "Me and Dustin started playing together when I recorded my solo album. We were just going to call it Nolan and Dustin or something, but we decided to call it Power Buddies." The pair began to play regularly around town, winning over crowds with their ramshackle, high-energy rock 'n' roll. An opening slot for garage-rock veteran Mark Sultan, master of the guitar/foot-drum

combo, prompted the sudden expansion of the band, including the guitar and vocal talents of Cassia Hardy (Wares), now an official member. Was the addition of another bandmate a case of not wanting to emulate one of his idols so closely, both in instrument choice and musical style? "Yep, that's pretty much exactly what it was," Bossert smiles. "But I feel like it's a pretty natural progression for the band as well, to kind of widen things out a bit," Hardy interjects. "The foot drums are great, too. I mean, the first half of 2014 was me going to every show these guys played and loving it, but this is kind of a step forward. " "Yeah, and it's great exploring new things, and to hear these old songs with a full band," Sebzda says. "It brings a whole new life to them." The Power Buddies upcoming split seven-inch features the band's clas-

Fri, Dec 11 (8 pm) With Racket, Gender Poutine Cha Island Tea Co, $10 sic two-piece lineup, as the material was recorded over a year ago. As is increasingly the case, vinyl delays set the release back by about six months, long enough for Power Buddies to expand its lineup, and for the other band on the split, Calgary's Racket, to call it a day. "It was a fight to get them to do this last show," Bossert says. "They were like, 'We're done.'" "We said, 'Hell no! One more!'" Sebzda laughs. "They have to sell those records somehow," Bossert shrugs. A bittersweet end to the kinship between the two bands then, but Power Buddies has a wealth of memories from touring cross-country together in the Racket van.

Fries for everyone!

"I remember a night in Sudbury, we were all hanging out at the bar after the show, and we decided to do an open-mic," Bossert says. "We took some acid and we had to leave because we were laughing too much. I remember being crowd-surfed out of the bar and placed on top of the

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

van—just lying there, screaming in the rain. The bartender was just standing there smoking, watching it all go down." "I think that was a Wednesday," Sebzda chuckles.

JAMES STEWART

JAMES@VUEWEEKLY.COM

MUSIC 19

MUSIC PREVUE // INDIE ROCK

Current Swell H

ome can mean many things: it can reference the place where you were born, your childhood house or an entirely new city that adopts a sense of familiarity and comfort the longer you stay. The latter notion encapsulates the feeling of Current Swell's latest EP, Home Is Where You Make It. "[The title's] a line plucked from the song 'Young and Able' and it was like hey, that's actually really good. It's totally relative to touring life and living on the road and being a musician," says vocalist and guitarist Dave Lang from a ferry terminal en route to Whistler, BC, though the sentiment isn't exclusive to musicians.

Lang, who grew up in St Albert but moved to Victoria at 18, feels that Current Swell has been digging deeper with its music these days than it did when it began crafting songs a decade ago. In its nascent stages, the group's chilled-out indierock tunes mostly focused on "getting drunk and going surfing," Lang recalls with a soft laugh. But songs like "I Want A Bird"—which first appeared on the group's previous album, Ulysses, and is back as a live version on the new EP—deal with heavier topics like substance addiction. Or there's "Bad News," a new track on Home Is Where You Make It, which Lang wrote with vocalist and

karaoke THURSDAYS

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lead guitarist Scott Stanton about a fictional girl who's struggling with addiction and various facets of life. "When we wrapped it up we were like, 'Wow, this kind of sounds like so-and-so from back then,'" Lang says. "It takes on a deeper meaning when you can start tying some of those themes to people you know or people you've seen. "The person that just popped into my mind now is, I saw my friend's dad just like crumbling due to alcoholism, and it was crazy, you know?" he continues. "It is something that you just watch happen, and it's up to that person and if they can possibly get out of it. And so the song took on a little bit more of a campaign behind it that we were like hey, maybe we can make it a bit of a face for people with mental-health problems and addiction problems—just sort of dedicate it to them, you know?"

12340 Fort RD • sandshoteledmonton.com

Home Is Where You Make It, which was released in June, has acted as a stop-gap between Ulysses and the band's next record. Lang says the album cycle for Ulysses has been a lengthy one, with plenty of touring since its release in 2014, but new material is on its way.

Sat, Dec 12 (8 pm) With the Cave Singers Union Hall, $24 "Scott and I have been writing songs separately throughout the summer here and there, and then we started getting together maybe a month ago and recording and writing—sitting down and saying, 'Let's write a song right now and we'll record it, just to listen back to it and review it,'" he says, adding it's still going to be a couple of months before they get into the studio to record an album. "There's some pretty good anthems going. ... It's time to record another album and write another album, so it's good to put the hammer down and work on it. That's probably what we'll do most of January."

MEAGHAN BAXTER

MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // JAZZ

The Jivin' Belles T

Sunday Jam 7pm – 11pm

The song has inevitably touched listeners going through similar situations, or watching loved ones struggle, and Lang says there have been numerous people approach the band members after shows to thank them, something that didn't happen early in its career. "It makes you think like wow, the greater audience you reach the more people are listening, and you kind of care a little bit more about what you say and how you say it," he notes— not that the lyrical content is all heavy, of course.

he Jivin' Belles was born out of a shared appreciation for a particular Christmas album: A Merry Christmas with Bing Crosby & the Andrew Sisters. "We were reminiscing about our favourite holiday albums, and the Andrew Sisters record that they did with Bing Crosby seemed to be the favourite between us," explains Emily Guthrie over the phone. "So, we were like, 'Hey, we're three girls just like the Andrew Sisters were, and we like to sing harmonies to-

gether. So why don't we put on a show that features the music of the Andrew Sisters and music inspired by their arrangements?'" Just a month into forming, the trio decided to put together its fi rst show in December 2013, which doubled as a fundraising event for the Edmonton Humane Society. "It was a lot of work to be done in a short amount of time," Guthrie says. "We got it all done, but it was late nights and rehearsals everyday since we didn't have a lot of time."

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This time around, the Edmontonbased three-part close-harmony group—rounded out by Kate Blechinger and Mallory Chipman— has been preparing for its second fundraising event for about six months now, Guthrie notes. The upcoming fundraiser will mirror the one in 2013 in that it is set up as a cabaret with food, a bar and dancefl oor, with the girls singing Christmas songs in the fl avour of the Andrew Sisters while performing a couple of original holiday tracks. This year's event will also feature a silent auction, with all proceeds going to the Edmonton Humane Society. The ladies raised $1165 in 2013, and they hope to surpass that amount this year. "This is the kind of music, especially in the vocal department, where you can't be underprepared. You are coordinating with two other people at all times, and you have to be exactly together," Guthrie says. "Aft er the 2013 experience, we decided this time around we're going to give us that time to actually prepare. "We have all the vocals down at this point, so now it's just putting the show together" JASMINE SALAZAR

JASMINE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

20 MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

PREVUE // PUNK

Stepmothers T

hings have shifted since Vue last chatted over black coffee with Edmonton's homegrown punks, Stepmothers. This summer marked the release of a new EP, Oh Here//We Are, as well as a few shows to celebrate the occasion since then. Drummer Matthew Punyi completed his degree, bassist Nic MacDonald is in the middle of a career change and guitarist Troy Snaterse began work on a few new musical projects. And as the band continues to change, so does Edmonton's musical landscape. As things seemed to slow down with venue closures (the Pawn Shop, the Artery, Wunderbar), Stepmothers chose to take a back seat and plot the band's next move. With the opening of 9910 below the Common, and talks of other potential venues surfacing in the near future, MacDonald is keen to play one of Stepmothers' first shows in the new space. "It's funny because I went to 9910 and Nolan Bossert and Matt Murphy,

who used to do door and bartend at Wunderbar, were both working there," he says. "It felt more like a ritzy version of what we had just lost. It's encouraging to see these new venues popping up to replace the old." The punk group is still ironing out a few minor kinks in the machine since becoming a trio in 2012. After the release of Stepmothers' first self-titled LP, the group decided to part ways with its original guitarist, Steve Lewis, who now plays in the punk outfit No Problem. The shift in lineup has since forced the band to rework how it performs. "Without another guitar player, we have to make up for that louder sound that's lost," MacDonald explains. "Troy started playing out of two amps to make up for the difference there, and it's been successful, but there are a number of songs we can't play anymore, which is a bummer. It just won't work."

Sat, Dec 12 (8 pm) With Counterfeit Jeans 9910, $10 "Steve was a riff master. It was really nice having his riffs, but Troy is good enough," Punyi adds in jokingly. Until the band decides to ditch Troy for merely being "good enough," the guys plan on writing new songs this winter. Don't expect a far departure from its raucous, energetic garagepunk, but rather a new take on something the group's been perfecting all along. A tour outside Alberta's borders is in the crosshairs for the trio as well, and as for new material, we might just have to wait until the snow thaws. "Now that it seems like everyone's schedules are a bit more open, it seems writing and touring are actual possibilities," Snaterse says.

BRITTANY RUDYCK

BRITTANY@VUEWEEKLY.COM

PREVUE // PUNK

Anatomy Cats P

unk music, politics and social justice have a longstanding tradition of going hand in hand, and Anatomy Cats is making use of its platform within the local music community to incite change. The outspoken group—Blake Hamer (vocals), Gregg Hansen (guitar), Russ Lavoie (drums) and Lyndon Wiebe (bass)—originated in Fort Saskatchewan as a cover band before beginning to play shows around Edmonton in 2011 (plus release a couple of recordings, the latest of which was For Unity in 2014) and it has since made a point to focus its bombastic melodies and spitfire lyrics on the political landscape and socioeconomic issues. "I think that we recognize that we are young, white, able-bodied men, and we grew up in middle-class families and kind of lived a very privileged listestyle," Hamer says, citing bands like Propagandhi and Dead Kennedys as influences. "So I think that we feel it's important to use that privilege to advance the causes or try to improve the lives of the people who are not so fortunate, and so we try to dedicate a lot of our energy to raising awareness about those socialjustice issues and do whatever we can to try to improve them." As such, the band's upcoming show is raising money for a seven-year-old boy named Luca, who suffers from seizures and is facing a hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatment that runs about $4000. Another endeavour that Anatomy Cats have recently focused on is creating safe spaces within the punk community. To that end, the band hosted a fundraising show at Wunderbar in October for the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton

Friday, Dec 11 (8 pm) With Hellen, Sandinistas The Buckingham, by donation

(SACE), which was in response to the Casualties debacle earlier this year. The band was slated to play in Edmonton but faced boycotts after the lead singer was accused of allegedly sexual assaulting numerous women. Due to contract obligations, the original plan was to continue on with the show, with all proceeds to be donated to SACE. But it was eventually cancelled, and the Casualties ended up playing a house show in town with no benefit to SACE, something Hamer views as a failure on the part of the local scene. "The focus went from the victim to the perpetrator, and so we wanted to try to raise awareness around sexual assault issues," Hamer explains. "We called it Solidarity with Survivors, just to try to make a point that we believe survivors' accounts first and foremost, and we will centre our sympathies and energy towards supporting the victim as opposed to trying to prove the perpetrator is guilty."

"To do something about it is a big challenge," Hamer says. "I think it takes courage—not to say that I personally am courageous or that my band is courageous—but I think the scene as a whole needs to have the courage to recognize it's not acceptable and when it happens it can't just be allowed to continue."

MEAGHAN BAXTER

MEAGHAN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

The SACE show enacted safe-space guidelines—such as respecting the personal space and comfort of those around you, taking responsibility for your actions, avoiding oppressive language and avoiding making assumptions about others—and sought to educate those who attended through constructive dialogue. Hamer points out that there are engrained attitudes towards what happens at shows, but people need to be accountable for their actions—or show some empathy and try to look at a situation through someone else's eyes to recognize the subtle sexism or discrimination that can exist. VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

MUSIC 21

MUSIC PREVUE // ROOTS

The Misery Mountain Boys thought that was such a funny idea for song." But Bueckert let the idea go, and Gevenich, unwilling to let the topic pass, took up the effort himself. "I wrote it, but I forgot the name of it. I called it 'Long Gone Cat Daddy,'" he says. Gevenich croons over the song's mid-tempo jangle: "I guess I was wrong, to say you were right, to tell you I loved you every doggone night/ You know I worked hard to raise that kitty cat, little did I know in the house was a rat." All things considered, Bueckert's ex-boyfriend probably prefers the revised title, but that's just speculation.

f you decided to pull up stakes, move across the country and ditch your cats with your now ex-girlfriend, make sure she isn't in a band—you will hear about it. Lindsay Bueckert is the upright bass

player for the Edmonton-based Misery Mountain Boys, and the caretaker of two orphaned cats, Hairdo and Creeper. The subject of the band's new EP, Long Gone Cat Daddy, the two felines were left in Beuckert's

10442 whyte ave 439.1273 10442 whyte ave 439.1273 THE WEEKND

SHAWN@VUEWEEKLY.COM

JASMINE SALAZAR// JASMINE@VUEWEEKLY.COM

Ignore the band moniker, because these rock 'n' rollers are far from being lazy. Expect to see a gritty, loud show from the Australian group. (Union Hall, $20)

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SEE MAG: Jan 3, 1c x 2”/ 28 AG VUE’s RB: BLACKBYRD MYOOZIK

BONSPIEL / SAT, DEC 12 (4 PM)

The Edmonton-based rock trio asks one thing of its attendees: get off those stools and get dancin'. (Filthy McNasty's, Free)

New Years Eve Party Guide SALES:Samantha H S01367

The biggest night and party of the year! We’ve got the buzz on where to go and what to wear. ON NEWSSTANDS DEC 17

22 MUSIC

SHAWN BERNARD

THE LAZYS / THU, DEC 10 (9 PM)

blackbyrd Y

MUSIC NOTES

Gevenich recalls. "We ended up making 80 bucks and [thought], 'This is pretty awesome!'" Shortly thereafter, the two were joined by Bueckert, Eric Redekopp (drums), Daniel Gervais (fiddle) Sam Toms (clarinet) and began gigging throughout the province. Taking inspiration from genre legends like Django Reinhardt and David Grisman, the Misery Mountain Boys evolved to incorporate several aspects of traditional music, from bluegrass, folk, jazz and funk into a familiar yet new sound. "[We] don't compare ourselves to the greats," Gevenich says. "There's no point in it—we're more content in doing our thing. When we bring something to the table I want it to be exciting and interactive for the people who are watching it." A live band by trade, the Misery Mountain Boys expect just one thing from you if you're in the crowd: "Just dance around and look like a fool."

HOUSE OF BALLOONS

care when her boyfriend ventured east and never returned. "Lindsay was always talking about writing this song called 'Deadbeat Cat Daddy,'" bandleader Steven Gevenich says of the EP's title track. "I just

The Misery Mountain Boys is a roots ensemble band whose myth begins on the slopes of its founders' hometown ski hill, Misery Mountain. The 26-run hill is carved out of the Northern bank of the Peace River valley and was the regular winter haunt of Gevenich and mandolin player Dom Golec. The pair began jamming at the age of 14 and continued to play together when they both moved to Edmonton for university. "One day we went busking out at the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market,"

Fri, Dec 11 (8 pm) With North of Here, Katie Lane Filthy McNasty's, $12

100 MILE HOUSE / SAT, DEC 12 (3:30 PM)

Wait With Me is the latest album from this local folk trio. The Awesomhots will open the show, and donations are being accepted for Edmonton’s Food Bank. (Empress Ale House)

WIL / SUN, DEC 13 (8 PM)

Before he got into making folk-rock music, Wil was a chalkboard artist for Earls. (Brixx, $15)

JESSE WERKMAN / THU, DEC 17 (8 PM)

All You've Lost, the first EP from the Edmonton indie-rock songwriter, tackles the themes of melancholy and heartbreak. (Mercury Room, $10 in advance, $12 at the door)

ROBYNE WALTERS CD RELEASE / SUN DEC 13 (7 PM)

We can’t say too much about it, except that the gospel-soul songstress has an album coming out. (Mercury Room, $10)

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

AN UNCOMMON CHRISTMAS PARTY / THU, DEC 17 (7 PM)

The Common has an early Christmas gift for you: a free show featuring local acts Mitchmatic, Gray and the Honorroll, and Bud Frasier & the Electric Razors. (The Common, Free)

DJs

THE COMMON Skratch

WHITE ROSE MUSIC The Travelling Mabels (country/ folk); 7:30pm; $20 (adv)

Bastid (DJ/pop/rock) with Justin Foosh and DJ Echo; 9pm; $8 (door)

Every Friday DJs on all three levels

DJs

DRAFT COUNTRY NIGHTCLUB

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

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY

THE COMMON Good Fridays:

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Thu

ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE

Thirsty Thursday Jam; 7:30pm

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

DV8 Koncept Tha Truth's Colossal Empire Presents: The Empire Rises Show; 9pm; No minors

BLUES ON WHYTE Big Dave

CENTURY ROOM Lucky 7:

FILTHY MCNASTY'S The

ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL Open

Mic with Stan Gallant BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES

McLean; 9pm BRITTANY'S LOUNGE

Main Fl: Throwback Thu:

Retro '80s with house DJ every Thu; 7pm-close

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

THE COMMON The Common

CAFE BLACKBIRD Donna

stage; 7pm; no cover

Durand; 7:30pm; $6

Uncommon Thursday: Rotating Guests each week! FILTHY MCNASTY’S Taking

Back Thursdays KRUSH ULTRA LOUNGE Open

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE

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

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

UNION HALL 3 Four All Thursdays: rock, dance, retro, top 40 with DJ Johnny Infamous

CAFÉ HAVEN Music every

Thu; 7pm

THE BOWER Strictly Goods:

Brad Sims (rock/pop/indie); 8pm; No minors

THU DEC 10 Live Music every Thu; 9pm

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE

Joanne Janzen (adult contemporary/country/ pop); 9pm

Misery Mountain Boys with North of Here and Katie Laine; 8pm; $12 (adv) FIONN MACCOOL'S– DOWNTOWN The Rural

Routes (rock/pop/indie); 8pm; No minors LA CITÉ FRANCOPHONE

Christmas around the World; 12-1pm; Free LB'S PUB Amie Weymes

(pop) and the Atta Boys; 9pm; No cover MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Thu and Fri DJ and

dance floor; 9:30pm

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; 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO–Spruce Grove DJ every Fri THE PROVINCIAL PUB Friday Nights: Indie rock and dance with DJ Brodeep RED STAR Movin’ on Up: indie, rock, funk, soul, hip hop with DJ Gatto, DJ Mega Wattson; every Fri SOU KAWAII ZEN LOUNGE

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

Jam Thu; 9pm

ARDEN THEATRE Molly

KRUSH ULTRA LOUNGE

Johnson; 7:30pm

Open stage with One Percent (R&B/soul); 8pm every Thu

ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL

L.B.'S PUB South Bound

The Red Hotz (pop/rock); 9pm; $10 (adv)

OVERTIME Sherwood Park

Live music; 9:30pm

9910 Galcher Lustwerk (DJ/

Sweet Vintage Rides BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Abusin'

MERCURY ROOM Samandriel

and guests; 7:30pm; $13 (adv), $15 (door) NEWCASTLE PUB & GRILL

Blue Yonder (rock/pop/ indie); 9pm; No minors NEW WEST HOTEL Boots &

Boogie OMAILLES IRISH PUB & EATERY Mike Dominey (folk/

roots/world); 9pm ON THE ROCKS Rockzilla

the Blues; 8:30-10:30pm; $10

OVERTIME Sherwood Park

BLUES ON WHYTE Big Dave

RED PIANO BAR Hottest

McLean; 9pm BOHEMIA Uncle Outrage

Live music; 9:30pm dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players every Fri; 9pm-2am

(electronic/pop/rock) with Cygnets, BOOSH! and Moonmuseum; 9pm; $8 (adv), $12 (door)

SHERLOCK HOLMES– DOWNTOWN Mike Letto

BOURBON ROOM Dueling

SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A

pianos every Fri Night with Jared Sowan and Brittany Graling; 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 TueFri, 5-8pm BRIXX BAR T'Gera with

Make Out City and the Able Kind; 8:30pm (doors), 10pm (show); $10; 18+ only THE BUCKINGHAM Ali’s

(folk/rock); 9pm Adam Holm (folk/pop); 9pm SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM

Mike "The Party Hog" (blues/rock); 9pm STARLITE ROOM Half Moon Run with guests Folly & The Hunter; 8pm (door), 9pm (show); Sold out; 18+ only TIRAMISU BISTRO Live

music every Fri UNION HALL K-OS (other/

rap) with Saul Wiliams; 8pm; $25 (adv) WILD EARTH BAKERY– MILLCREEK Live Music

SAT DEC 12 9910 Stepmothers with Counterfeit Jeans; 8pm; $10 (adv) ARDEN THEATRE Lúnasa;

7:30pm; $40 ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL

Sweet Vintage Rides BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES Rob Taylor Project

BLUE CHAIR CAFE Christmas

Special Dance!; 8-10pm; $10 BLUES ON WHYTE Every Sat

afternoon: Jam with Back Door Dan; Later: Big Dave McLean; 9pm BOHEMIA The Rock N Roll Gypsies (punk/rock) with SpartanS and Debutaunt; 8pm; $10 (adv) BOURBON ROOM Live Music

every Sat Night with Jared Sowan and Brittany Graling; 8pm BRITTANY'S LOUNGE Tea For Two (jazz/rock); 9pm; $10 (door) CAFE BLACKBIRD Louise

Dawson -- Christmas Show; 8pm; $10

SMOKEHOUSE BBQ Live

Blues every Thur: rotating guests; 7-11pm

CAFE BLACKBIRD Kirsten

Rae Quartet; 8pm; $10

YARDBIRD SUITE Step In

Open mic; 7pm; $2

THE STARLITE ROOM

CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK

Miss Understood

Trio; 7pm (door), 8pm (show); $24 (member), $28 (guest)

CHA ISLAND TEA CO A High

TAVERN ON WHYTE Open stage with Michael Gress (fr Self Evolution); every Thu; 9pm-2am

CASINO EDMONTON Black Velvet (celtic pub); 9pm

CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK

KERRY UNGER

SHERLOCK HOLMES– DOWNTOWN Mike Letto

(folk/rock); 9pm

DEC 11 & 12

Adam Holm (folk/pop); 9pm

SWAMP MUSIC

Mike "The Party Hog" (blues/rock); 9pm SNEAKY PETE'S Sinder

A LYNYRD SKYNYRD TRIBUTE

Sparks K-DJ Show; 9pm-1am THE STARLITE ROOM G

Jones & Bleep Bloop, Turn Up For Toys 2015; 9pm (doors); $25; 18+ only UNION HALL Current Swell (blues/reggae/rock) with The Cave Singers and guests; 9pm; $24 (adv) YARDBIRD SUITE The

Yardbird Suite All Stars Play the Holiday Music of the Wynton Marsalis Nonet; 7pm (door), 8pm (show); Sold out

Classical ALL SAINTS’ ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL Festive Brass;

7:30pm; $16.75-$22

Miss Understood

DJs

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Sat

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: The Menace

Classical

Street Christmas Featuring High Street Sound; 2pm; $10 (adv), $12 (door)

DOW CENTENNIAL CENTRE

THE COMMON Golden Era

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

Featuring Gold Blooded Deejays (DJ) with Justin Foosh and DJ Echo; 9pm; $7 (door)

THE BOWER For Those Who Know...: Deep House and disco with Junior Brown, David Stone, Austin, and

River City Big Band; 7:30pm; $35 (adult), $32 (youth/senior)

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

Crüe: The Final Tour "All Bad Things Must Come To An End"; 7pm; $20-$125

SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM

of the Dog: Erin Ross (live acoustic music every Sat); 4-6pm; no cover

COMEDY AT THE CENTURY CASINO

REXALL PLACE Mötley

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair

Fridays: this week featuring; Each Fri, 8-10pm; $5 suggested donation

music every Fri: this week with Alyssa Mcquaid; all ages; 7pm; $5 (door)

RENDEZVOUS PUB House Of Pines, White Label Demo, The Mange; 8pm

SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A

Birthday/Luca Fundraiser with Anatomy Cats and more; 7pm

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Live

dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players every Sat; 9pm2am

CD release "A Special Occasion"; 7pm; $15

RIC’S GRILL Peter Belec (jazz); most Thursdays; 7-10pm

Authority Zero with guests Versus The World and more; 8-midnight; $21; 18+ only

Blue Yonder (rock/pop/ indie); 9pm; No minors

THUR DEC 31

Dueling pianos at 8pm

MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Live Local Bands

RED PIANO BAR Hottest

electronic); 9pm; $20 (adv)

RED PIANO Every Thu:

Stage Sat–It's the Sat Jam hosted by Darren Bartlett, 5pm

perform every week; $10

northlands.com

J R BAR AND GRILL Live

NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by Wild Rose Old Time Fiddlers every Thu; 7pm; contact Gary 780.998.4904

9pm; No cover LEAF BAR AND GRILL Open

ORLANDO'S 1 Bands

FRI DEC 11

Boogie

LB'S PUB Rockzilla (rock);

ON THE ROCKS Rockzilla

with River City Big Band (rock/pop/indie); 7pm; No minors

NEW WEST HOTEL Boots &

Vibram Souls; 9pm

roots/world); 9pm

FIONN MACCOOL'S– DOWNTOWN Christmas

open stage; 8pm; all ages (15+)

IRISH SPORT & SOCIAL CLUB

OMAILLES IRISH PUB & EATERY Mike Dominey (folk/

Nights; no cover

NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Thu

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

Sat, 3-7pm; DJ every Sat, 9:30pm

EARLY STAGE SALOON– Stony Plain Open Jam

dance floor; 9:30pm

GAS PUMP Saturday Homemade Jam: Mike Chenoweth

Boogie

John Bates; 9pm; $12

MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Thu and Fri DJ and

Afternoon Concerts: this week with Bonspiel with guests Sir Ma’am Ma’am; 4pm; No cover

O’BYRNE’S Live band every

DV8 UNDERGROUND Big

Cabaret #8; 9-11pm; $10 (no one refused for lack of funds)

FILTHY MCNASTY'S Free

NEW WEST HOTEL Boots &

DENIZEN HALL Nashville Pussy with In The Whale; 8pm; $16 (adv)

MILE ZERO DANCE'S SPAZIO PERFORMATIVO Dirt Buffet

DV8 2015 Festivus For the #YEG Food Bank(s) w/ Rebuild/Repair, Micelli, & Jim Nowhere; 8:30pm; $10 (door, with $5 food donation); 18+

every Sat

Beach Party Jam hosted by the Barefoot Kings; Ukulele lessons 7:30pm followed by Jam at 8:30pm

for socks; Featuring Paul Woida with Holle and International Cold Beat; 8pm; $10 (adv)

Joanne Janzen (adult contemporary/country/ pop); 9pm

NEWCASTLE PUB & GRILL

CORAL DE CUBA Beach Bar:

MERCURY ROOM Concert

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY

Y AFTERHOURS Foundation

Letendre (blues/folk/pop) with Evan Crawford; 7pm; No cover

Freight open jam with hosts: Rob Kaup, Leah Durelle

Brad Sims (rock/pop/indie); 8pm; No minors

every Fri Fridays

CHA ISLAND TEA CO Naeem

DRAFT COUNTRY NIGHTCLUB

SAT DEC 19

WEEKLY

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

CASINO YELLOWHEAD On the Frontline (rock); 9pm

SAT JAN 16

MUSIC

UNION HALL One Bad Son with The Lazys and guests; 9pm; $20 and up (adv)

COMING SOON: CHILLIWACK, HONEYMOON SUITE, IRISH DESCENDANTS AND MORE! TICKETS AVAILABLE AT CENTURY CASINO AND TICKETMASTER

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EDMONTON.CNTY.COM 13103 FORT RD • 643-4000

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

MUSIC 23

guests; every Sat THE COMMON Get Down

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Celtic

DOW CENTENNIAL CENTRE

Music with Duggan's House Band 5-8pm

DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every

MERCURY ROOM Robyne

Sat; 9pm

Walters CD release featuring Robyne Walters (folk/rock) with Braden Gates; 7pm; $10 (adv)

The Legends of Rock'n'roll Presents: Snowbird - a tribute to Anne Murray featuring Laura Gillespie (adult contemporary); 7:30pm; $41.25

Sound and Light show; We are Saturdays: Kindergarten

DEC/11

SOLD OUT

MERCER TAVERN DJ Mikey

HALF MOON RUN

Wong every Sat THE PROVINCIAL PUB

Saturday Nights: Indie rock and dance with DJ Maurice

W/ GUESTS

DEC/12

RED STAR Indie rock, hip hop, and electro every Sat with DJ Hot Philly and guests

UBK PRESENTS

G JONES & BLEEP BLOOP TURN UP FOR TOYS 2015

DEC/18

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

NIGHT VISION PRESENTS

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS FT.

CYRIL HAHN

SOU KAWAII ZEN LOUNGE

Your Famous Saturday with Crewshtopher, Tyler M

W/ WALKER & ROYCE

DEC/19

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

THE STARLITE ROOM IS PROUD TO PRESENT

RAYGUN COWBOYS W/ THE GUTTERDEMONS & GUESTS

DEC/31

UBK NYE 2015

TAVERN ON WHYTE Soul,

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

FEAT. TAIKI NULIGHT, HUGLIFE, SPACE JESUS, FLAVOURS

JAN/2

W/ LOCAL GUEST DJ’S

UNION HALL Celebrity Saturdays: every Sat hosted by DJ Johnny Infamous

EDMONTON POTTERWATCH INSTITUTE FOR CHARITY

Y AFTERHOURS Release

THE EPIC BASH

Saturdays

SUN DEC 13

W/ AMY VOYER

JAN/22

BAILEY THEATRE The Ennis

STRIKER

ALBUM RELEASE W/ GUESTS

JAN/28 JAN/29

ENFORCER & WARBRINGER

NEWCASTLE PUB The Sunday Soul Service: acoustic open stage every Sun O’BYRNE’S Open mic every

Sun; 9:30pm-1am ON THE ROCKS Desert Bar

with guests RICHARD'S PUB Sunday Jam hosted by Mark Ammar; 4-8pm YELLOWHEAD BREWERY PJ

Perry (jazz); 11:30am

Classical

3 Christmas Delights Fundraiser; 7pm; $48.50 ROBERT TEGLER STUDENT CENTRE Jubiloso! Bells of

Concordia; 3pm; $13.75$16.75 SAINT THOMAS D'AQUIN CHURCH Noël Blanc;

2-3:30pm; $10 (free for kids under 6) WINSPEAR CENTRE Pro Coro Canada: A Pro Coro Christmas; 2:30pm; $33$49.50

Main Floor: Soul Sundays:

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

MON DEC 14

BLUE CHAIR CAFE Brunch

BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES

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

THE MOOD MACHINE PRESENTS

BLUES ON WHYTE Big Dave

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE

DANCE CODE STUDIO

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.

Flamenco Guitar Classes; Every Sun, 11:30am12:30pm DIVERSION LOUNGE Sun

Night Live on the South

L.B.'S PUB Tue Variety Night

MERCURY ROOM Music

Open stage with Darrell Barr; 7-11pm

Magic Monday Nights: Capital City Jammers, host Blueberry Norm; seasoned musicians; 7-10pm; $4 NEW WEST HOTEL Silverado

Dec 14-19 PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Wild Rose Old Tyme

Fiddlers Association: Acoustic instrumental old time fiddle jam every Mon; hosted by the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Society; 7pm; contact Vi 780.456.8510

LEAF BAR AND GRILL Tue Open Jam: Trevor Mullen MERCER TAVERN Alt

Main Floor: Blue Jay’s Messy

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

Open Mic Night hosted by Adam Holm; Every Mon SIDELINERS PUB Singer/

Songwriter Monday Night Open Stage; Hosted by Celeigh Cardinal; Every Mon (except long weekends), 8:30-11:30pm; Free

Classical UNITARIAN CHURCH OF EDMONTON 'Tis the Season;

O’BYRNE’S Celtic jam every

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

with the Icehouse Band and weekly guests; Every Tue, 9pm SANDS HOTEL Country

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

Classical MUTTART HALL MacEwan

Midday Music: featuring Conservatory of Music students; 12-1pm; Free

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE

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

TUE DEC 15 BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES

BLUES ON WHYTE Two

Tuesday Night Jam with host Harry Gregg and Geoffrey O'Brien; 8-11pm

Blue; 9pm

BLUES ON WHYTE Two

THE CARROT Nashville

Blue; 9pm

Songwriter Group; 6:30-

BRITTANY'S LOUNGE

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 COMMON 9910-109 St DARAVARA 10713 124 St, 587.520.4980 DENIZEN HALL 10311-103 Ave DOW CENTENNIAL CENTRE Fort Saskatchewan DRAFT COUNTRY NIGHTCLUB 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 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

FIONN MACCOOL'S–DOWNTOWN 10200 102 St NW #G310 (Top Floor, West) HILLTOP PUB 8220 106 Ave 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 LA CITE FRANCOPHONE 8627 Marie-Anne Gaboury 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 MILE ZERO DANCE'S SPAZIO PERFORMATIVO 10816-95 St MUTTART HALL 10025 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 O2'S–West 11066-156 St, 780.448.2255 O’BYRNE’S 10616-82 Ave, 780.414.6766

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Wed

open mic with host Duff Robison

ROW Open mic Wed: Hosted by Jordan Strand; every Wed, 9-12 jordanfstrand@gmail.com / 780-655-8520

DJs

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE

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

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

7pm; Free

DJs

North Blues Band; 9pm

NEW WEST HOTEL Silverado

WINSPEAR CENTRE Soweto

Gospel Choir; 8pm; $41-$51

BLUES ON WHYTE Great

Tuesday with Kris Harvey and guests

SHERLOCK HOLMES–U OF A

with Jim Findlay trio; 9am3pm; Cover by donation

W/ BETTER LIVING DJ’S, SWIM, DAN PEZIM

Monday open mic

PLEASANTVIEW HALL

hosted by Tim Lovett

7pm (door), 8pm (show); $15; 18+ only

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY

Stage Tue: featuring this week: Shaun Bosch; 9pm

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ICEHOUSE Live music

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE

BRIXX BAR Wil with guests;

BRITTANY'S LOUNGE

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

W/ CAULDRON & EXMORTUS

THIEVERY COPORATION’S ROB GARZA

DRUID IRISH PUB Open

Columbian Choirs' Celebration of Christmas; 3-4:30pm; $15

BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES

McLean; 9pm

Garage, Brit, Mod, Rock and Roll witih LL Cool Joe and DJ Downtrodden on alternate Weds

Bingo Toonz every Tue

DJs

BLACKJACK'S ROADHOUSE– Nisku Open mic every Sun

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

ROUGE RESTO-LOUNGE

MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH Edmonton

Sisters Christmas Show; 8pm; No minors; $25 Sun BBQ jam hosted with the Marshall Lawrence Band; 4pm

CONCERTWORKS.CA PRESENTS

10pm; confirm attendance at col_kside@hotmail.com

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

ENCORE–WEM Every Sat:

LIVENATION.COM PRESENTS

Side: live bands; all ages; 7-10:30pm

Main Floor: Brit Pop,

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

ORIGINAL JOE'S VARSITY

OVERTIME–Sherwood Park

Jason Greeley (acoustic rock, country, Top 40); 9pm2am 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 Stage with Brian Gregg; 7:30pm (door); no cover ZEN LOUNGE Jazz Wednesdays: Kori Wray and Jeff Hendrick; every Wed; 7:30-10pm; no cover

Classical CHURCHILL SQUARE/ CITADEL/WINSPEAR/ ART GALLERY Christmas

Carolers; 8-9pm

BRIXX Metal night every Tue

DJs

DV8 Creepy Tombsday:

BILLIARD CLUB Why wait

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

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE

WED DEC 16

Wednesdays: Wed night party with DJ Alize every Wed; no cover Main Floor: Alt '80s and

with Lyle Hobbs; 8-11pm, every Wed

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

BIG AL'S HOUSE OF BLUES

BRIXX BAR Eats and Beats

B STREET BAR Live Music

Wailin' Wednesdays Jam; Every Wed, 7:30pm; All ages BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Alt '80s and

'90s, Post Punk, New Wave,

THE COMMON The Wed

Experience: Classics on Vinyl with Dane RED STAR Guest DJs every

Wed

VENUEGUIDE

DEC/10

CONCERTWORKS.CA PRESENTS

AUTHORITY ZERO W/ VERSUS THE WORLD & MORE

DEC/11

T’GERA

W/ MAKE OUT CITY & THE ABLE KIND

DEC/13

JCL PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

WIL DEC/21 MILLIE

W/ GUESTS

ONE LAST JAM BEFORE CHRISTAMS!

W/ VERY SPECIAL GUESTS BLACK&BLEU & JENNA&LAUREN

JAN/9

ZUK TIL YOU PUKE

MINSTRELS ON SPEED

W/ NIGHT COMMITTEE (CALGARY), COUNTERFEIT JEANS AND WARES

24 MUSIC

9910 9910B-109 ST NW ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE 8223-104 St, 780.431.0179 ALE YARD TAP 13310-137 Ave ALL SAINTS' ANGLICAN CHURCH 10035-103 St NW ARDEN THEATRE 5 St Anne St, St Albert ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL 7704 Calgary Trail South "B" STREET BAR 11818-111 St BAILEY THEATRE 5041-50 St, Camrose 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, 780.955.2336 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, thebuckingham.ca CAFE BLACKBIRD 9640-142 St NW CAFÉ HAVEN 9 Sioux Rd, Sherwood Park, 780.417.5523,

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

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 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 REXALL PLACE 7424-118 Ave RICHARD'S PUB 12150-161 Ave, 780.457.3118 RIC’S GRILL 24 Perron Street, St Albert, 780.460.6602 ROBERT TEGLER STUDENT CENTRE 7128 Ada Blvd ROCKY MOUNTAIN ICEHOUSE 10516 Jasper Ave, 780.424.3836 ROSEBOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE 10111-117 St, 780.482.5253 ROSE AND CROWN 10235-101 St SAINT THOMAS D'AQUIN CHURCH 8410-89 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 UNITARIAN CHURCH OF EDMONTON 10804-119 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 WHITE ROSE MUSIC 5210-50 Ave, Leduc WILD EARTH BAKERY– MILLCREEK 8902-99 St, wildearthbakery.com WINSPEAR CENTRE 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square; 780.28.1414 Y AFTERHOURS 10028-102 St, 780.994.3256, yafterhours.com YARDBIRD SUITE 11 Tommy Banks Way, 780.432.0428 YEG DANCE CLUB 11845 Wayne Gretzky Dr 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 Black Dog Freehouse • Underdog Comedy show: Alternating hosts • Every Thu, 8-11pm • No cover

Century Casino • 13103 Fort Rd • 780.481.9857 • Open Mic Night: Every Thu; 7:30-9pm

COMEDY FACTORY • Gateway Entertainment Centre, 34 Ave, Calgary Tr • Fri-Sat: 8:30pm • Chris Heward; Dec 10-12 • Bob Angeli; Dec 17-19

Comic Strip • Bourbon St, WEM • 780.483.5999 • Wed-Fri, Sun 7:30pm; Fri-Sat 9:45pm • Battle to the Funny Bone; every Mon at 7:30pm • Triple Threat Tuesday; every Tue at 7:30pm • DC Benny; Dec 9-13 • Pepper & Dylan's Comedy Show; Dec 14 • Lars Calleiou; Dec 15 • John Roy; Dec 16-20 Connie's Comedy • Draft Country Nightclub, 12912-50 St • With Dez Reed and Shawn Gramiak • Dec 9, 7:30pm

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 Photographic Historial Society • Highlands Library • 780.436.3878 • Gather and marvel over the latest finds in photography, discussions, and much more • 3rd Wed each month, 7:30pm

Edmonton Ukulele Circle • Bogani Café, 2023-111 St • 780.440.3528 • 3rd Sun each month; 2:30-4pm • $5

FOOD ADDICTS • Alano Club (& Simply Done Cafe), 17028-124 St • 780.718.7133 (or 403.506.4695 after 7pm) • Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA), free 12-Step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, under-eating, and bulimia • Meetings every Thu, 7pm

Fort Saskatchewan 45+ Singles Coffee Group • A&W, 10101-88 Ave, Fort Saskatchewan • 780.907.0201 (Brenda) • A mixed group, all for conversation and friendship • Every Sun, 2pm

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 Lotus Qigong • 780.477.0683 • Downtown •

Connie's Comedy • Draft Country Nightclub,

Practice group meets every Thu

12912-50 St • With Tommy Savitt and Brandon Friesen • Dec 16, 7:30pm

MADELEINE SANAM FOUNDATION • Faculté St Jean, Rm 3-18 • 780.490.7332 • madeleine-sanam.orgs/en • Program for HIVAID’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

The Dating Game featuring Sterling Scott • On the Rocks, 11740 Jasper Ave • Dec 10, 8pm; No cover

Northern Alberta Wood Carvers Association • Duggan Community Hall, 3728-

Empress Ale House • 9912-82 Ave •

96 Ave • poorvoteturnout.ca • Public meetings: promoting voting by the poor • Every Wed, 7-8pm

Empress Comedy Night: featuring a professional headliner every week Every Sun, 9pm

sAWA 12-STEP SUPPORT GROUP •

Strathcona Community League • Japanese Martial Art of Aikido • Every Tue 7:30-9:30pm; Thu 6-8pm

Amnesty International Edmonton • 8307-109 St • edmontonamnesty.org • Meet the 4th Tue each month, 7:30pm (no meetings in Jul, Aug) E: amnesty@edmontonamnesty.org for more info • Free

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

Babes In Arms • The Carrot, 9351-118 Ave • A casual parent group • Every Fri, 10am-12pm

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

Carrot Board Games Night • The Carrot, 9351-118 Ave • An evening of lattes, laughs and board games! Bring your favourite board games to share or choose one from the Carrot's collection • Dec 22, 7-9pm • All ages

Edmonton Needlecraft Guild • Avonmore United Church Bsmt, 82 Ave, 79 St • edmNeedlecraftGuild.org • Classes/workshops,

cost, fun and friendly weight loss group • Every Mon, 6:30pm • Info: call Bob 780.479.5519

Toastmasters • Club Bilingue Toastmasters Meetings: Campus St.

Jean: Pavillion McMahon; 780.667.6105 (Willard); clubbilingue.toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 7pm • Fabulous Facilitators Toastmasters Club: 2nd Fl, Canada Place Rm 217, 9700 Jasper Ave; Carisa: divdgov2014_15@outlook.com, 780.439.3852; fabulousfacilitators.toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 12:05-1pm • N'Orators Toastmasters Club: Lower Level, McClure United Church, 13708-74 St: meet every Thu, 6:45-8:30pm; contact 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

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

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

Fertility Awareness Charting Circle • Remedy Cafe, 8631-109 St • fac-

Poor Vote Turnout • Rossdale Hall, 10135-

Aikikai Aikido Club • 10139-87 Ave, Old

LIVING POSITIVE • #33, 9912-106 St •

Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorder (OBAD) • Grey Nuns Hospital, Rm

Comedy night open stage hosted by Lars Callieou • Every Sun, 9pm DJ to follow

Groups/CLUBS/meetings

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

LECTURES/Presentations

0651, obad@shaw.ca; Group meets every Thu, 7-9pm • Free

Groove every Wed; 9pm

INSIDE/OUT • U of A Campus • Campus-based organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transidentified 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

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

DRUID • 11606 Jasper Ave • 780.710.2119 •

Rouge Lounge • 10111-117 St • Comedy

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

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

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

cedmonton@gmail.com • fertilityawarenesschartingcircle.org • First Mon each month (Oct-May), 6:30-8:30pm • $10 (suggested donation) • RSVP at faccedmonton@gmail.com

RASC Regular Meeting 100 Years of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity • Telus World of Science, 11211-142 St NW • edmontonrasc.com • Over the last century we have learned how to solve the equations and how to apply them to many astronomical observations such black holes, gravitational lenses and the Universe. In this talk, attendees will look at some of the cool images of these legacies of Einstein • Dec 14, 7-9:30pm • Free

Seeing is above All • Acacia Hall, 1043383 Ave, upstairs • 780.554.6133 • Free instruction in meditation on the Inner Light • Every Sun, 5pm

QUEER

Sensational Ladies Night • Warp 1

Beers for Queers • Empress Ale House,

Comics & Games, 9917-82 Ave • 780.433.7119 • facebook.com/sensational.ladies.night • A night dedicated to women indulging in various geekeries with other women once a month in a friendly and safe environment. Featuring a book club, board game nights, art jam and much more. No prior geekery knowledge required • 3rd Wed of every month, 6-8pm • Free

9912 Whyte Ave • Meet the last Thu each month

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

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

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 EPLC Fellowship Pagan Study Group • Pride Centre of Edmonton, 10608-105 Ave • 780.488.3234 • eplc.webs.com • Free year long course; Family circle 3rd Sat each month • Everyone welcome

Evolution Wonderlounge • 10220-103 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.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

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

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 Mon, 7-9pm, each month; huges@shaw.ca

St Paul's United Church • 11526-76 Ave • 780.436.1555 • People of all sexual orientations are welcome • Every Sun (10am worship)

Team Edmonton • Various sports and recreation activities • All-Bodies Swim: Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre, 8648-81 St NW; pridecentreofedmonton.org; Every 3rd Sat of the month, 9:30-10:30pm • Badminton: Oliver School, 10227118 St; badminton@teamedmonton.ca; Every Wed (until Feb 24); $5 (drop-in) • Board Game Group: Underground Tap & Grill, 10004 Jasper Ave; Monthly on a Sun, 3-7pm; RSVP to boardgames@ teamedmonton.ca • Bootcamp: Oliver Community Hall, 10326-118 St; bootcamp@teamedmonton. ca; Every Thu, 7pm; $30 (full season), $15 (low income or students) • Equal, Fit, Fierce, and Fabulous: Pride Centre, 10608-105 Ave; pridecentreofedmonton.org/calendar; Drop in games and activities for youth; Every other Tue, 4:30-6pm 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 • Sun: Last Sun each month, Woodys Jam Session with the talented regular customers; Jugs of Canadian or Kokanee only $13 • Mon: Massive Mondays features talented comedians • Tue: Domestic bottle beer special only $3.75 all night long • Wed: Jugs of Canadian and Kokanee for $13; Karaoke with Shirley from 7pm12:30am • Thu: Highballs on special only $3.75 all night long; Karaoke with Bubbles 7pm-12:30am • Fri: Comming soon: DJ Arrow Chaser's new TGIF Party • Sat: Pool Tournement, 4pm; Jager shots on special only $4; Coming soon, DJ Jazzy

SPECIAL EVENTS 3 Christmas Delights Fundraiser • Pleasantview Hall, 10860-57 Ave • Sweet and savory treats will be served between sassy and scintillating songs and stories by Edmonton’s premier talent as well as holiday games and caroling • Dec 13, 7pm • $48.50

Candy Cane Lane • 148 St, between 92 and 100 Ave • candycanelane.trav-graphics.com • Walk and see how the community gets their Christmas on, or take in a sleigh ride • Dec 12-Jan 2, 5-11pm • Free (donations for the Food Bank accepted) Celebrate the Season • Alberta Leg-

that surround the grounds. Includes choir performances and much more • Through Dec

Christmas In Disco Land • Woodcroft Community Hall, 13915-115 Ave • 780.452.8046 • carly@edmontonmusicaltheatre.com • edmontonmusicaltheatre.com • Edmonton Musical theatre presents their annual family friendly Christmas fundraiser. Featuring a 50/50 and silent auction • Dec 11, 7:30-9:30pm • $10 (adult), $5 (kids)

Christmas Reflections • Fort Edmonton Park, 7000-143 St • Take a leap back in time and see how people hosted each other during the Christmas season, what they did for recreation and so much more • Dec 11-30

Dark Matters • Telus World of Science, 11211-142 St NW • telusworldofscienceedmonton.ca • Where the science is served on the rocks & the adults come out to play. This month theme is: GAME ON. Featuring trivia games, puzzles, board games, video games, and sports. As part of the festivities the event will be showing the ultimate video-game inspired film: the classic 1994 Street Fighter (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme) in the IMAX theatre • Dec 10, 7-10pm • $17 (adv), $23 (door) • 18+ only

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 Festival of Light • Edmonton Valley Zoo, 13315 Buena Vista Road • edmonton.ca • Stroll through the zoo's exhibits with the family and take in displays of lights • Dec 4-13 Frostival: Hot Chestnut Roasting • Italian Grocery Centre, 10878-95 St • Taste what winter is with hot chestnuts roasting • Every SatSun, 11am-2pm (until Christmas) Hay Rides & Santa Photos • Marketplace at Callingwood, 6650-177 St • info@callingwoodmarketplace.com • callingwoodmarketplace. com • Visit Santa, colour some festive pictures, decorate cookies and then hop on a horse drawn hay ride • Dec 12 & Dec 19, 11am-3pm • Free Holiday Magic • Edmonton City Hall, 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square • 311 • edmonton. ca • Ring in the holidays with performances by school choirs from across our city • Dec 7-11, 10am-2pm • Free (food donations to the Food Bank are accepted) Jingle Jammin' Christmas Caroling • Meet at the Carrot Coffeehouse, 9351-118 Ave • thecarrot.ca • Meet for chili (vegetarian or meat) and dress for the weather. Bring your lanterns and flashlights and sing the night away • Dec 18, 6pm (dinner), 7pm (caroling)

Leefield Gift & Craft Fair • Leefield Community League Hall, 7910-36 Ave • 780.463.2456 • facilitymanager@leefield.ca • leefield.ca • Featuring homemade crafts, gifts and treats • Dec 12, 10am-5pm • Free Pets Pics with Santa at the Edmonton Humane Society • Edmonton Humane Society, 13620-163 St NW • edmontonhumanecosiety.com • Dec 1-24 (WedSun only); 4-7pm (weekday), 12-5pm (weekend) • $10 (Retro Polaroids with EHS Christmas Card), $20 (Digital Photos on a flash drive)

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 "Sharing the Light" Winter Solstice Celebration • Edmonton City Hall, 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square • info@westwoodunitarian.ca • westwoodunitarian.ca • Featuring ritual, refreshment, song & harpist Gordon Ritchie with a touch of drama • Dec 21, 7-8pm

Wild Things in Winter • John Janzen Nature Centre, 7000-143 St • 311 • edmonton.ca • Enjoy the winter cold! Events include snowshoeing, winterscaping and much more • Sat-Sun through Dec Winter Fun Fest • Ottewell Community League, 5920-93A Ave • 780.496.5926 • Southeast Edmonton is hip and happening with outdoor winter activities, skiing, slides, skating and so much more • Dec 12, 11am-4pm

islature Grounds • assembly.ab.ca • Get in the Christmas spirit with the many Christmas lights

VUEWEEKLY.com | dec 10 – dec 16, 2015

at the back 25

classifieds To Book Your Classified, Contact Valerie at 780.426.1996 or at classifieds@vueweekly.com 130.

Coming Events

Christmas Date n` Dash Speed Dating Event Christmas is around the corner and who wants to be alone? How about meeting and dating a few people in one evening? Well here is an event for you! Christmas Speed Dating, Thursday, December 10, 7:30 9:30pm at Draft Bar & Grill Nightclub - 12912-50 Street, Edmonton. Last one for the year! Register early to get a spot. 35+ years. $15.00 per person.

130.

Coming Events

Singles Mixer and Christmas Cheer Let’s celebrate the upcoming Christmas season with a cool mixer during Happy Hour on December 17th, 5-8 pm at Draft Country Nightclub 12912-50 Street. Happy Hour drink and food specials. Specialty Christmas Shooter (Polar Bears $4). Get to meet other singles and mingle! Door prizes courtesy of Edmonton Speed Dating - Date n’ Dash. Bring $5 donation to the Christmas Bureau or Food Bank. P.S. Gentleman’s night at Draft, so prepare for dancing, ladies.

0515.

Change of Name Notice Previous name for Kevinpal Singh is now changed to Kevinpal Singh Khehra. His parents are Karajpal Singh and Jagroop Kaur.

500

LOANS

AND MORE NO CREDIT CHECKS

1-877-776-1660 APPLY AT MONEYPROVIDER.COM

THAT OUR CLASSIFIEDS ARE ONLINE AS WELL. CHECK ‘EM OUT AT

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Volunteers Wanted

Community Leaders In Waste Reduction Complete a free, 40-hour course. Learn about composting, recycling & more. Volunteer at least 35 hours. Show friends & family how to reduce waste. Apply at edmonton.ca/mcrp.

Notices

DID YOU KNOW

1600.

Habitat For Humanity`s ReStore Is Looking For You! Special event days Dec 7-10: Help transform our Donation Centre into a festive space for an upcoming Habitat Event. Habitat for Humanity ReStore is sustained by volunteers who donate their time and energy to a cause they believe in! ReStore is looking for volunteers who: *Want to give back to their community *Love working with people *Are interested in working in a retail-warehouse type environment. ReStore offers ﬂexible, casual volunteer shifts. Contact Lise at 780.451.3416 ext 234 or email lschiltroth@hfh.org.

2005.

Artist to Artist

ENJOY ART ALWAYZ www.bdcdrawz.com

2005.

Artist to Artist

Call for One Act Play Submissions: Stage Struck! 2016 is a one-act play festival sponsored by the Alberta Drama Festival Association, Edmonton Region. The festival will be held at La Cite on March 11-12, 2016. For more information or to request a registration package, contact Syrell at 780-493-0261 or email syrellw@telus.net. Submission deadline is December 21, 2015.

2020.

Musicians Wanted

Guitarists, bassists, vocalists, pianists and drummers needed for good paying teaching jobs. Please call 780-901-7677

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.

VUE Weekly is seeking a part-time

DESIGNER/LAYOUT PERSON

ARE YOU... creative + expressive chocked full of positivity willing to present new ideas

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a fan of VUE Weekly

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VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 10 – DEC 16, 2015

FREEWILLASTROLOGY ARIES (MAR 21 – APR 19): "Happiness sneaks through a door you didn't know that you left open," said actor John Barrymore. I hope you've left open a lot of those doors, Aries. The more there are, the happier you will be. This is the week of all weeks when joy, pleasure and even zany bliss are likely to find their ways into your life from unexpected sources and unanticipated directions. If you're lucky, you also have a few forgotten cracks and neglected gaps where fierce delights and crisp wonders can come wandering in.

ROB BREZSNY FREEWILL@VUEWEEKLY.COM

from Laini Taylor's fantasy novel Daughter of Smoke & Bone: "She tastes like nectar and salt. Nectar and salt and apples. Pollen and stars and hinges. She tastes like fairy tales. Swan maiden at midnight. Cream on the tip of a fox's tongue. She tastes like hope."

TAURUS (APR 20 – MAY 20): What state of mind do you desire the most? What is the quality of being that you aspire to inhabit more and more as you grow older? Maybe it's the feeling of being deeply appreciated, or the ability to see things as they really are, or an intuitive wisdom about how to cultivate vibrant relationships. I invite you to set an intention to cultivate this singular experience with all your passion and ingenuity. The time is right. Make a pact with yourself.

VIRGO (AUG 23 – SEP 22): I bought an old horoscope book at a garage sale for 25 cents. The cover was missing and some pages were water-damaged, so parts of it were hard to decipher. But the following passage jumped out at me: "In romantic matters, Virgos initially tend to be cool, even standoffish. Their perfectionism may interfere with their ability to follow through on promising beginnings. But if they ever allow themselves to relax and go further, they will eventually ignite. And then, watch out! Their passion will generate intense heat and light." I suspect that this description may apply to you in the coming weeks. Let's hope you will trust your intuition about which possibilities warrant your caution and which deserve your opening.

GEMINI (MAY 21 – JUN 20): Like Metallica jamming with Nicki Minaj and Death Cab for Cutie on a passage from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, you are redefining the meanings of the words "hybrid," "amalgam" and "hodgepodge." You're mixing metaphors with panache. You're building bridges with cheeky verve. Some of your blends are messy mishmashes, but more often they are synergistic successes. With the power granted to me by the gods of mixing and matching, I hereby authorize you to keep splurging on the urge to merge. This is your special time to experiment with the magic of combining things that have rarely or never been combined.

LIBRA (SEP 23 – OCT 22): "The secret of being a bore is to tell everything," said French writer Voltaire. I agree, and add these thoughts: To tell everything also tempts you to wrongly imagine that you have everything completely figured out. Furthermore, it may compromise your leverage in dicey situations where other people are using information as a weapon. So the moral of the current story is this: Don't tell everything! I realize this could be hard, since you are a good talker these days; your ability to express yourself is at a peak. So what should you do? Whenever you speak, aim for quality over quantity. And always weave in a bit of mystery.

CANCER (JUN 21 – JUL 22): I hope you can figure out the difference between the fake cure and the real cure. And once you know which is which, I hope you will do the right thing rather than the sentimental thing. For best results, keep these considerations in mind: The fake cure may taste sweeter than the real one. It may also be better packaged and more alluringly promoted. In fact, the only advantage the real cure may have over the fake one is that it will actually work to heal you.

SCORPIO (OCT 23 – NOV 21): Ducks are the most unflappable creatures I know. Cats are often regarded as the top practitioners of the "I don't give a f---" attitude, but I think ducks outshine them. When domestic felines exhibit their classic aloofness, there's sometimes a subtext of annoyance or contempt. But ducks are consistently as imperturbable as Zen masters. Right now, as I gaze out my office window, I'm watching five of them swim calmly, with easygoing nonchalance, against the swift current of the creek in the torrential rain. I invite you to be like ducks in the coming days. Now is an excellent time to practice the high art of truly not giving a f---.

LEO (JUL 23 – AUG 22): There's a sinuous, serpentine quality about you these days. It's as if you are the elegant and crafty hero of an epic myth set in the ancient future. You are sweeter and saucier than usual, edgier and more extravagantly emotive. You are somehow both a repository of tantalizing secrets and a fount of arousing revelations. As I meditate on the magic you embody, I am reminded of a passage

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 – DEC 21): My old friend Jeff started working at a gambling casino in Atlantic City. "You've gone over to the dark side!" I kidded. He acknowledged that 90 percent of the casino's visitors lose money gambling. On the bright side, he

said, 95 percent of them leave happy. I don't encourage you to do this kind of gambling in the near future, Sagittarius. It's true that you will be riding a lucky streak. But smarter, surer risks will be a better way to channel your good fortune. So here's the bottom line: In whatever way you choose to bet or speculate, don't let your lively spirits trick you into relying on pure impulsiveness. Do the research. Perform your due diligence. It's not enough just to be entertained. The goal is to both have fun and be successful. CAPRICORN (DEC 22 – JAN 19): Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus was a pioneer thinker whose ideas helped pave the way for the development of science. Believe nothing, he taught, unless you can evaluate it through your personal observation and logical analysis. Using this admirable approach, he determined that the size of our sun is about two feet in diameter. I'm guessing that you have made comparable misestimations about at least two facts of life, Capricorn. They seem quite reasonable but are very wrong. The good news is that you will soon be relieved of those mistakes. After some initial disruption, you will feel liberated. AQUARIUS (JAN 20 – FEB 18): Aquarian inventor Thomas Edison owned 1093 patents. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Menlo Park," he devised the first practical electrical light bulb, the movie camera, the alkaline storage battery and many more useful things. The creation he loved best was the phonograph. It was the first machine in history that could record and reproduce sound. Edison bragged that no one else had ever made such a wonderful instrument. It was "absolutely original." I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I think you're due for an outbreak of absolute originality. What are the most unique gifts you have to offer? In addition to those you already know about, new ones may be ready to emerge. PISCES (FEB 19 – MAR 20): Here's an experiment that makes good astrological sense for you to try in the coming weeks. Whenever you feel a tinge of frustration, immediately say, "I am an irrepressible source of power and freedom and love." Anytime you notice a trace of inadequacy rising up in you, or a touch of blame, or a taste of anger, declare, "I am an irresistible magnet for power and freedom and love." If you're bothered by a mistake you made, or a flash of ignorance expressed by another person, or a maddening glitch in the flow of the life force, stop what you're doing, interrupt the irritation, and proclaim, "I am awash in power and freedom and love." V

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MATT JONES JONESINCROSSWORDS@VUEWEEKLY.COM

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LUSTFORLIFE

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Naughty gift ideas

Unique sex toys for all interests and budgets It's time once again for my annual list of gift suggestions for the naughty ones on your list. Here's what's new this year in unique gifts for those who live life on the sexier side. Death by Orgasm While the name might conjure up all kinds of extreme and frightening thoughts, Death by Orgasm is actually a small vibrator shaped like a scorpion. It's great for sextoy lovers, animal lovers and those with a bit of a dark side. Ovipositor For the science-fiction nerd, the

Ovipositor is just the thing. If you're not familiar with the term, an ovipositor is an organ used by many insects and some other ani-

mals, like seahorses, to lay eggs. There is also a surprising amount of sci-fi that focuses on aliens and their ovipositors. The toy is a longish silicone tube into which gelatin eggs can be inserted; it comes with a mould and instructions for making said eggs. I'll leave it up to your imagination exactly where the eggs go once they come out of the ovipositor. This toy is the perfect choice for the sci-fi lover who has everything: it's a pretty safe bet they don't have one of these. 50 Shades of Stuff If you've got a 50 Shades of Grey fan on your list, the amount of merchandise to choose from is vast. Don't go for the typical cheap handcuffs and neckties;

check out some of the more unusual things, like the 50 Shades Teddy Bear. This cute, fuzzy guy is dressed in a dashing suit and comes complete with handcuffs and a blindfold. Nope, not weird at all. If the Teddy Bear is not quite your speed, or if your 50 Shades fan already has one, there's also 50 Shades of Grey wine. I'm not exactly sure why this exists or what it has to do with the book, but it's cheap. It's also terrible. I actually tried it because my sister's friend thought it was a funny gift for her 50th birthday. It's a fun gift for 50 Shades fans, but not so much for wine connoisseurs. The Twerking Butt PornHub's Twerking Butt—the

big-ticket item in sex toys this year—is a joint effort between the PornHub website and Topco toys. It's a life-sized rubber butt that twerks. Yes, actually: it jiggles, gyrates and bounces; it also vibrates and massages—and it's heated. It comes with a set of video goggles on which you can view porn that is synced to the movements of the butt. I had the opportunity to put my finger inside one of these things at the eroFame show in October (yes, sticking fingers into fake rubber butts is a part of my job description) and I have to admit, I was intrigued. The Twerking Butt is only for those with a healthy Christmas budget, though: it retails for $899.

Vibrating Bling If you were looking to spend a little more, consider the Nell Pleasure Seed. This palm-sized vibrator was released by luxury British sex-toy shop, Coco de Mer, to celebrate its 14th anniversary. The Pleasure Seed has five speeds and is plated in 18-karat gold. It retails for a mere $24 000. If that is a little too much, you can pick up the silicone-covered version for only $440.V Brenda Kerber is a sexual health educator who has worked with local not-for-profits since 1995. She is the owner of the Edmontonbased, sex-positive adult toy boutique the Traveling Tickle Trunk.

Dan savage savagelove@vueweekly.com

HARD WORK

I'm a 24-year-old gay male with few resources and no "marketable" skills. I have made a lot of bad choices and now I struggle to make ends meet in a crappy dead-end job, living paycheque to paycheque in an expensive East Coast city. Recently, someone on Grindr offered me $3000 to have sex with him. He is homely and nearly three times my age, but he seems kind and respectful. I could really use that money. I have no moral opposition to prostitution, but the few friends I've spoken to were horrified. Part of me agrees and thinks this is a really bad idea and I'll regret it. But there's another part of me that figures, hey, it's just sex—and I've done more humiliating things for a lot less money. It makes me sad to think the only way I can make money is prostituting myself, because my looks aren't going to last forever. And let's face it: prostitution is an ugly and messy business, and it wouldn't impress a potential future employer. STRESSED OVER TAKING ELDERLY MAN'S PAYMENT TO EAT DICK I shared your letter with Dr Eric Sprankle, an assistant professor of psychology at Minnesota State University and a licenced clinical psychologist. "This young man is distressed that he may have to resort to 'prostituting himself,' which suggests he, like most people, views sex work as the selling of one's body or the selling of oneself," said Dr Sprankle, who tweets about sexual health, the rights of sex workers, and secularism @DrSprankle. But you wouldn't be selling yourself or your body, SOTEMPTED, you would be selling access to your body—temporary access—and whatever particular kind of sex you consented to have with this man in exchange for his money. "Sex work is the sale of a service,"

30 at the back

Dr Sprankle said. "The service may involve specific body parts that aren't typically involved in most industries, but it is unequivocally a servicelabour industry. Just as massage therapists aren't selling their hands or themselves when working out the kinks of some wealthy older client, sex workers are merely selling physical and emotional labour." Massage therapists who haaaaate seeing their occupation referenced in conversations about sex work— all those hardworking, never-jerking massage therapists—might wanna check their privilege, as all the cool kids on campus are saying these days. "Massage therapists have the privilege of not worrying about being shamed and shunned by friends," Dr Sprankle said, "and not worrying about being arrested for violating archaic laws." You will have to worry about shame, stigma and arrest if you decide to go ahead with this, SOTEMPTED. "He will have to be selective about whom he shares his work experiences with and may have to keep it a lifelong secret from family and coworkers," Dr Sprankle said. "This could feel isolating and inauthentic. And while I am not aware of any empirical evidence to suggest men who enter sex work in this manner later regret their decision, this young man's friends have already given him a glimpse of the unfortunate double standard social stigma of pursuing this work." Because I'm a full-service sex-advice

professional, SOTEMPTED, I also shared your letter with a couple of guys who've actually done sex work—one a bona fide sex worker, the other a sexual adventurer. "I was struck by the words SOTEMPTED used to describe sex work: ugly, messy, humiliating," said Mike Crawford, a sex worker, sex-workers-rights activist and selfidentified "cashsexual" who tweets @BringMeTheAx. "For many of us, it's actually nothing like that. When you strip away the moralizing and misinformation, sex work is simply a job that provides a valuable service to your clients. Humiliation or mess can be involved—if that's what gets

his real name), a reader who sent me a question about wanting to experience getting paid for sex and later took the plunge. "I felt like I was in the power position. And in the moment, it wasn't distressing. Just be sure to negotiate everything in advance—what's on the table and what's not—and be very clear about expectations and limits." Philip, who is bisexual, wound up being paid for sex by two guys. Both were older, both were more nervous than he was, and neither were lookers. "But you don't really look," Philip. said "You close your eyes, you detach yourself from yourself—it is like meta-sex, like watching yourself having sex." You may find detaching from yourself in that way to be emotionally unpleasant or even exhausting, SOTEMPTED, but not everyone does. If your first experience goes well and you decide to see this particular guy again or start doing sex work regularly, pay close attention to your emotions and your health. If you don't enjoy the actual work of sex work, or if you find it emotionally unpleasant or exhausting, stop doing sex work. It has to be said that there are plenty of people out there who regret doing sex work—their stories aren't hard to find, as activists who want sex work to remain illegal are constantly promoting them. But feelings of regret aren't unique to sex work, and people who do regret doing sex work often cite the consequences of its illegality

When you strip away the moralizing and misinformation, sex work is simply a job that provides a valuable service to your clients. Humiliation or mess can be involved—if that's what gets them off— but there is absolutely nothing inherently ugly or degrading about the work itself. them off—but there is absolutely nothing inherently ugly or degrading about the work itself." What about regrets? "It's true that he could wind up regretting doing the paid-sex thing," Crawford said. "Then again, there's a chance of regret in almost any hookup. Lots of people who didn't get paid for sex wind up having post-fuck regrets. I'd also encourage him to consider the possibility that he might look back and regret not taking the plunge. I've met plenty of sex workers over the years who wish they had started sooner." "I don't regret it," said Philip (not

VUEWEEKLY.com | dec 10 – dec 16, 2015

(police harassment, criminal record) as chief among their regrets. One last piece of advice from Mike Crawford: "There is a pretty glaring red flag here: $3000 is a really, really steep price for a single date. I'm not implying that SOTEMPTED isn't worth it, but the old 'if it sounds too good to be true' adage definitely applies in sex work. Should he decide to do this, he needs to screen carefully before agreeing to meet in person. The safety resources on the Sex Workers Outreach Project website (swopusa.org) are a great place for him to learn how to do just that."

LUBE FOR A RAINY DAY

I'm a straight twenty-something woman. I recently gave my partner a blowjob. He was enjoying it, obviously, and then he said, "I'm feeling brave. I want you to finger me." I have never fingered a man before, and he has never suggested that he might be into that, so I was caught off guard. I responded, "But we don't have lube!" He didn't say anything, and I finished him off without fingering him. He hasn't brought it up since. He is a manly man and conservative. I want him to be able to experience that if it's something he wants to experience, but I don't know what to say! 2 PROD OR NOT 2 PROD You don't have to say anything. Just buy a little bottle of lube—not a full-size bottle (most of those look like giant cocks, and we don't want to scare this manly man to death)— and set it on the nightstand. When he notices it, 2PON2P, smile and say, "That's for the next time you're feeling brave." V On the Lovecast, it's the one-minute wonder show! Listen at savagelovecast.com. @fakedansavage on Twitter

Look Back Time illustrator

December 8 – December 14, 2005 Issue #529

felix da housecat

GRANDMASTER ROC RAIDA CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

JULIEN ARNOLD RETURNS FOR A CHRISTMAS CAROL

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Week of: Dec 8 – Dec 14

2005 Issue 529 #

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