1157: Year in Review, 2017

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#1157 / DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018 VUEWEEKLY.COM

2017

Christian Hansen’s latest project, Baby Drayton 16 Review of Woody Allen’s Wonder Wheel 12

ISSUE: 1157 • DEC 28 – JAN 3, 2017

DISH 2017 5

ARTS & CULTURE 2017 6

FILM 2017 10

MUSIC 2017 13 BABY DRAYTON 16

FRONT // 3 DISH // 5 ARTS // 6 FILM // 10 MUSIC // 13 LISTINGS

ARTS // 9 MUSIC // 18 EVENTS // 19 ADULT // 20 CLASSIFIED // 21

v FOUNDING EDITOR / FOUNDING PUBLISHER RON GARTH

The polls for the 2018 Golden Fork Awards are now open!@ Go to vueweekly.com/golden-fork-awards-2018 to vote for the best in Edmonton food and drink.

All the regular categories you've grown to love, plus some new categories for 2018: • Poke • Milkshakes

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• Hot Dogs • Shaved Ice

• Brew Pub • Distillery

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VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

2017 RECAP

MONUMENTAL MOMENTS 2017 A look back at some of the cultural and societal shifts Edmontonians faced this past year

Whistle Blowers This year marked a monumental avalanche of whistleblowers calling out sexual harassment, assault and misconduct in a variety of arenas.

And The New York Times memorialized the waves these women made by collectively naming “The Silence Breakers” the “Person of Year” for 2017. The afterglow of their brave statements* has continued on and ripples have been felt all the way north to Edmonton’s own music and entertainment industries with several figures falling from public grace in quick work.

Gay-Straight Alliances A new and much-needed legislation to support gay-straight alliances (GSAs) was put forth by the Notley government and passed for publicly funded schools across Alberta. Bill 24 officially passed on Nov. 15 meaning LGBTQ students are now protected and supported in creating or joining a GSA. School officials can now no longer tell parents if their child is a part of a GSA. Schools are also now required to create an environment that enforces a clear and legal right to form a GSA. Many schools have jumped on board with the new legislation, but a few are already trying to find loopholes. The success of the new law will only be truly seen in the coming months of 2018.

Charlottesville / Supplied

(Far right) Cam Battley of Aurora Cannabis / Supplied

Marijuana Legalization With the month of July (the proposed month for legalization) creeping around the corner, provincial governments have already started to decide who will be a licensed producer of marijuana. Alberta has decided the private sector will operate cannabis retail outlets, but we still don’t know what that will look like.

In Edmonton alone, plans for multiple dispensaries are already underway. Yet, we still don’t know a lot of things: What will the cost be?

What kind of taxes are we looking at? Where will smoking weed actually be legal and what will be the rules for driving? We’re still left in a cloud of confusing smoke for 2018 and it will be everything but boring. Also, a few Conservatives are already trying to push legalization back as well as the province of Quebec. This will hurt business owners and enforce the already asinine stigma surrounding pot. Either way, all we can do is wait.

White Supremacy Many people around the world were shocked by the blatant displays of white supremacy on American soil. In mid-August, Charlottesville was the breeding ground of the Unite the Right rally of white nationalists and other far-right movements. It’s hard not to assume that President Donald Trump is to blame.

While white supremacy groups have been around a lot longer than him, Trump’s comments about race, religion and sex, have shown much of the United States’ true colours. In an article by The Atlantic, titled “The First White President,” the writer says Trump’s political ideology is rooted in white supremacy “casting himself as the defender of white maidenhood.” With all of the heinous events during the aftermath of Trump’s election, it’s hard not to agree.

U-Haul Attack When a U-Haul truck ran over an EPS officer and pedestrians on Jasper Avenue one fateful Saturday evening this fall, Edmontonians were shocked that a “lone wolf” extremist (that legally, wasn’t even supposed to be in the country at all) could act in their very own city. But the response of residents rallying against the hatred that could very likely have prevailed in the wake of the tragedy that following Sunday was a victory for the city and those that were injured in the event—something that we won’t soon forget.

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

A United Conservative Front The Wild Rose and Alberta Conservative Party joining forces this year marked a new era in Alberta politics emphasizing a distinct separation between voters under 34 and voters over, as well as Alberta’s age-old fault line between the rural and the urban. Winning a seat in Calgary’s byelection set United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney across the house from Premier Rachel Notley. An era of stiff competition is certainly ahead for our current NDP government this coming year with the 2019 elections down the pipeline and campaigns ramping up.

Sierra Bilton sierra@vueweekly.com Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com

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Queermonton

Sweet and sour 2017 I

Many highs and lows for queer and trans* communities in the past year

don’t know about you, but my feelings about 2017 ending can best be described as sitting in a burning runaway dumpster, careening towards the edge of a cliff. Wheee!

Though I cannot wait for this year to end (but let’s be honest—2018 is not looking much better), I don’t want to write it all off as being entirely terrible.

Some really fantastic things happened for queer and trans* communities this year and I think it’s important not to lose sight of them. So, in no particular order, please find the best of 2017: A whole slew of places legalized same-sex marriage, including Ascension Island (January), Finland (March), Faroe Islands (March), Guernsey (May), Tristan da Cunha (August), Malta (September), Germany (October), and Australia (December).

A lot of people came out as queer, trans* or intersex this year. Sadly, I didn’t recognize most of the names—the internet assures me that folks like Brandon Flynn, Jake Zyrus, and Hanne Gaby Odiele are famous, which I

suppose officially makes me old.

About the only names I did recognize were Barry Manilow (finally) and Kevin Spacey (fawck).

In June, the federal government passed Bill C-16, which adds gender identity and expression as protected grounds

port holders can now request ‘X’ for unspecified.

Of course, we can’t talk about the federal government without mentioning the apology. In November, Trudeau issued a tearful apology to LGBTQ+ civil servants,

person to be elected to Virginia’s State Legislature. What made her election particularly sweet was who she unseated: Bob Marshall. Marshall was a real sweetheart who pushed a bathroom bill that would have made people use bathrooms

Though I cannot wait for this year to end, I don’t want to write it all off as being entirely terrible. to the Canadian Human Rights Code as well as the Criminal Code, finally catching up to a number of provinces that had already added similar protections to their provincial human rights bills. The effects of this bill were felt quite quickly: in August, a third gender designation was made available for Canadian passports. On top of ‘M’ and ‘F’ genders, Canadian pass-

military members, and criminalized Canadians who suffered decades of “state-sponsored, systematic oppression and rejection.” The apology was accompanied by $110 million in compensation for civil servants whose careers were ended or sidelined as well as $15 million for education and memorialization.

In November, Danica Roem became the first openly trans*

that correspond to the sex on their original birth certificate (it failed) and another bill that sought to ban openly gay people from serving in his state’s national guard (also failed).

He believes that queer sex cuts your life span by 20 years. Roem ran an above-board campaign that focused on local issues and all signs point to her being a decent person and able legislator.

Closer to home, Fruit Loop continues to be one of the best parties in town, winning this magazine’s ‘Best Pop-Up Event’ in September.

The Grand Marshall at this year’s pride parade was Edmonton’s Two-Spirit Indigenous community, who were represented

by Lloyd Gauthier, Roxann Roan, Boyd Whiskeyjack, and Michael Ciboci. Pride fest organizers decided to allow police and military to participate in the parade, but without sirens, tactical vehicles, and weapons. It was a controversial decision and one that will no doubt continue for years to come.

And finally, the seemingly unending battle over GSAs came to an end (for now) in November, when the provincial government passed Bill 24, which prevents schools from outing students who participate in GSAs. Best wishes for 2018 Queermonton. May it be full of hot sex, good company, and lots of dancing.

Ashley Dryburgh ashley@vueweekly.com

DYER STRaight

SOuth africa: it could be worse

Possible changes after Cyril Ramaphosa’s election to president of the African National Congress

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n hearing that Cyril Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader and businessman, had been elected president of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), AIDS activist and Nobel Prize nominee Zackie Achmat said, “We have three gangsters, one suspect, and a president who is prisoner of a top six that is clearly compromised.”

It’s hard to celebrate when another billionaire wins an election, but thoughtful people in South Africa are at least relieved: it could have been worse. It could have been Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (NDZ), ex-wife of President Jacob Zuma, a profoundly corrupt man who has allowed, even encouraged, corruption to spread through the higher ranks of the ANC. There’s no evidence that NDZ is corrupt herself, but it was widely believed that if she won power she would protect her former husband, who is otherwise likely to go to jail after he leaves the presidency. He faces 18 charges of corruption, fraud, racketeering, money laundering, and tax evasion relating to 783 payments.

In October, the Supreme Court of Appeal reinstated the charges, which Zuma has repeatedly used his presidential powers to suppress or postpone. His former financial adviser, who went to jail for making those payments, says he will testify against Zuma if necessary.

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Zuma was counting on NDZ to protect him (they have four children together), and most of the ANC bigwigs who joined him in plundering the economy also backed her bid for the presidency. But Cyril Ramaphosa outmanoeuvred her, and on Tuesday he was narrowly elected president of the ANC. He’s not yet running South Africa, but in the 23 years since apart-

version of the law will stop, or at least shrink. Billionaires don’t need to steal. And if local and foreign investors believe that Ramaphosa is not only honest but competent, then maybe the economy will manage better than one percent growth.

That would be nice, as it’s a long time since South Africa has seen any real economic growth. But it’s far from guaranteed, because Ra-

grants who have such influence over Zuma that they have been accused of “state capture.”

Mabuza has also been accused of running a private militia, and there has been an unusually high death rate among his local critics in Mpumalanga. Magashule’s critics have also had some health issues. The two men are definitely part of the problem, not of the solution.

If local and foreign investors believe that Ramaphosa is not only honest but competent, then maybe the economy will manage better than one percent growth. heid ended the ANC’s president has usually become the country’s president as well. Zuma can technically stay in power until the next scheduled elections in 2019, but last time the ANC’s president changed, the party immediately “recalled” the sitting president of South Africa (Thabo Mbeki) and put in the new man (Zuma). That may happen again this time – or it may not.

If Ramaphosa becomes president of the whole country soon, there are high hopes that the corruption and the constant sub-

maphosa has been lumbered with a “top six” in the National Executive Committee (NEC)—a kind of cabinet—at least half of whom backed Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Two of them, David Mabuza, now deputy president of the NEC, and Ace Magashule, now secretary general, are definitely “gangsters.” They have ruled two large provinces, Mpumalanga and the Free State, for a long time; they are both inexplicably rich; and both of them have close ties to the Guptas, a mega-rich family of Indian immi-

It’s less clear whom Zackie Achmat thought the third “gangster” was, but it could be Jessie Duarte, now Magashule’s deputy. She also has ties to the Guptas, and vigorously defends Zuma’s action at every opportunity. All three were elected by the leadership conference, and Ramaphosa can’t fire them, so his hands are tied— or at best, his freedom of action is severely restricted.

Zuma will therefore probably have another year to feather his nest and undermine the judiciary and the police before the sched-

VUEWEEKLY.com | dec 28, 2017 – jan 3, 2018

uled general election in 2019.

Even after that it is questionable how much headway Ramaphosa can make in cleaning up the party.

The great irony here is that Ramaphosa is richer than all of the thieves put together. If he could just have given them all the money they stole (an estimated $40 million in Zuma’s case, but much less for most of them), Ramaphosa would still be rich at the end of it and a lot of these crooks would have done the jobs they were elected for.

Some of them might even have done their jobs well, in which case South Africa would be a different place. But if Ramaphosa had gone down that road, he would probably have ended up trying to buy the courts and the country’s remarkably free media as well, and those are its only safeguards against a descent into total dysfunction.

As an old friend and lifelong ANC member said to me a couple of years ago: “If you had told me in 1984 (in the depths of apartheid) what South Africa would be like now, I would have been delighted. If you had told me in 1994 (the year of the country’s first free election), I would have been in despair.”

The right attitude, of course, is somewhere in between.

Gwynne Dyer gwynne@vueweekly.com

Left: The Local Omnivore / JProcktor

Right: Prairie Noodle Shop / Steven Teeuwsen

2017 DISH RECAP

FLAVOURS OF THE YEAR R

Dish columnist Scott Lingley looks back on his most delicious and decadent meals

emember how we were all sitting around this time last year talking about how terrible 2016 had been and how we could hardly wait until it was over, then 2017 came along and was all like, “Hold my beer.” And now here we all are waiting out the end of another terrible year full of senseless suffering inflicted by fevered egos who take a greater psychic toll than we could possibly imagine (per Bill Hicks).

But at least there’s food and, just as importantly, drink to lift our spirits and nourish our bodies as we head begrudgingly into another year. And if nothing else on God’s grey earth improved this year, Edmonton’s food scene continued to grow broader and richer, proving not only that our little backwater is packed to the gills with culinary ingenuity, but that there’s a savvy audience here for gastronomic creations at every tier. May I adduce a few examples by way of illustration?

Let’s start with breakfast, which you’d be wise to do at The Local Omnivore (10933 20 St.). The Brokeback Breakfast ($16.50)

with their excellent house coffee is just the thing to start your day (though it could well tide you into the evening): my order featured a pair of just-fried eggs ready to disgorge their golden innards all over refried beans, spicy shoestring fries and an extraordinary array of housemade meats: double-smoked bacon, smoked turkey, ham, corned beef and course-ground sausage, with Russian rye bread.

In the less conventional breakfast category, Edmonton’s best (and only) Mesopotamian restaurant, Zar Zor (12118 90 St.), offers rib-sticking novelty with items like the Chelefry platter ($10.95), comprising chunks of stewed beef, roasted potato, green pepper and tomato in aromatic tomato sauce, or the Makhlama platter ($10.95), which mixes up seasoned ground beef with eggs, tomatoes and onions, served with fresh baked flatbread. Both plates exemplify the wonders of baharat, a Middle Eastern spice blend with a backbone of cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon and allspice that masterfully con-

ceals its constituent parts and morphs alongside the other flavours in the dish.

Moving onto lunch, 2017 is the year I finally understood the fuss about ramen. In truth it was a trip to Portland, Oregon and a bowl of Japanese noodle soup from the amazing Marukin in Pine Street Market that clued me in—firm yet supple noodles, velvety broth and the most succulent pork belly I’ve ever encountered. Though we don’t have any one-off satellites of Tokyo-based ramen places in Edmonton, we do have the wonderful Prairie Noodle (10350 124 St.), which enhances its excellent noodle soup with enigmatic and delicious umeboshi eggs. If you’re not familiar with the concept of umami, those eggs are its earthly embodiment. Like Marukin, Prairie Noodle also pays tribute to craft beer culture with a good selection of artisanal brews.

Die Pie (11215 Jasper Ave.) proved the site of a memorable weekend lunch this year, and they might take the prize for the most unique new eatery in Ed-

monton, specializing as they do in vegan pizza. The crusts are thin and find the sweet spot between crisp and chewy, the pulled pork is made from jackfruit, and the non-dairy cheeses fashioned from cashews, hemp seeds and soy are compellingly creamy and toothsome. The curried squash soup with coconut sour cream that came gratis with my pie still haunts my palate.

I can also still almost taste my repast from LOFT Thai Eatery (5324 75 St.), which far outstripped my expectations given the chanceless location and unfussy storefront ambiance. But if I could relive any supper dish from the past year, I might have to flip a coin between LOFT’s basilimbued drunken seafood bucatini and their heavenly duck confit in red curry, made even more aromatic by the inclusion of secret lychee nuts.

I was initially less taken with the new Calgary Trail sushi outlet Takami (10430 61 Ave.), which seemed to stick to pretty standard sushi fare, until I was introduced to their ever-changing

fresh fish menu. In truth, it had already been partly decimated by a large party before co-diner and I arrived, but she would agree that the Bluefin tuna chutoro set a new standard for sashimi lusciousness. Book ahead.

The best sharesies supper of the year might have been at the seemingly unsung Tapavino (11011 Jasper Ave.), where a meal of small plates split between six diners turned up very little on the menu that wasn’t commendable. Highlights included Spanish meatballs in a rich tomato sauce boosted with balsamic vinegar; spicy patatas bravas lavished with house-made kettle potato chips; creamy Sambuca shrimp; and really tasty dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) the contents of which had risotto-like texture and savour.

It’s a fair bet that 2018 will continue in the same vein as its predecessor, but at least in the context of Edmonton’s food scene that can be construed as a good thing.

Scott Lingley dish@vueweekly.com

it’s been fun, 2017

The polls for the 2018 Golden Fork Awards are now open!@ Go to vueweekly.com/golden-fork-awards-2018 to vote for the best in Edmonton food and drink.

All the regular categories you've grown to love, plus some new categories for 2018: • Poke • Milkshakes

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

• Hot Dogs • Shaved Ice

• Brew Pub • Distillery

dish 5

ARTS & CULTURE 2017

Alberta Ballet’s Dangerous Liaisons / Paul McGrath

Scene from Hadestown / Supplied

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017 was a year of milestone firsts for Edmonton’s primary music, dance, and theatre industries, full of passionate movers and shakers that felt it was high time to change certain areas of the industry, and at times, flip it on its head.

Much like the broader entertainment industry, the Edmonton arts and theatre community was privy to significant waves of change this past year. One of the areas that saw significant development were the widespread discussions surrounding consent and healthy work environments for actors and staff in the industry.

Lilies (Les Feluettes) / David Cooper

Northern Light Theatre’s The Testament of Mary / Supplied

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Citadel Theatre kicked off a fresh season with artistic director Daryl Cloran’s first season of programming. He promised an evolution of strategy including more multicultural voices and innovative staging.

Shows like Ubuntu marked a new era of international connections for the theatre and also proved the interest of Edmontonians in a few more internationally-rooted productions. Hadestown was the Citadel’s first pre-Broadway show since the ‘80s and brought audiences to the theatre in droves.

“For a not-so-good series of events that have taken place—in Edmonton, in Canada, and internationally—I was really, really buoyed to see the community come together to have those conversations,” Cloran says. “There’s this incredible community of theatre-makers and artists that—more so than any place that I’ve worked before— take care of each other and push for the best in the way they work together and that’s been really exciting to see.”

Executive director Penny Ritco also announced her sad departure from the Citadel, with Chantell

Ghosh to fill the role at the 51-yearold company come January. 2018’s continuation of the season will follow the evolution set forth with shows like Children of God’s Indigenous ties and The Silver Arrow’s female protagonist.

With only three chances each year to put on a true spectacle, the opera and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra have the jazz-infused HMS Pinafore and Don Giovanni to look forward to in the new year as well.

The Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker broke a new record for sales this year, leaving the company’s ongoing deficit since the oil crash looking slightly more doable going into 2018, though they’re not entirely out of the slump artistic director Jean Grand-Maître says.

“Maybe after so much Trump people need a little magic,” GrandMaître jokes.

Performances like Alice in Wonderland and Our Canada: Music of Gordon Lightfoot 2017 dazzled attendees with innovative selfcreated productions that have diversified their audiences more than ever. And 2018 has a lineup of even more versatility including a new family-centred Cinderella and All of Us, a tribute to the late Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip, which promises to be a major crowd-pleaser that The Hip plan to attend themselves.

Shadow Theatre reaped the reward of their efforts 10 years in the making with their first full year in the Varscona Theatre.

Starting the year with the end of their 25th season and moving into their 26th, Shadow Theatre held some brilliant shows on the new stage, with more upcoming in the new year. Subscriptions were also up this year by 10 percent, showing an increase in Edmonton’s support for local theatre artists and their production crews.

Edmonton Opera also saw audience numbers grow this year, with Rossini’s Cinderella, Strauss’ Elektra, which boasted inaugural conductor Timothy Prior of Edmonton’s Symphony Orchestra, and Lilies—a transplant from Montreal and Canada’s first gay opera.

Consolidating all their old operations—including box office, admin, construction, costumes, and rehearsal—into one space has proven to be a healthy switch for the company that is now also enjoying the ability to share the space with other groups looking to rehearse.

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

Northern Light Theatre wrapped up their edgy 41st season with the gun-fired musical Bonnie & Clyde, and jumped headfirst into the 42nd with a controversial The Testament of Mary. Both shows had surprisingly high audience numbers, proving the Edmonton audience exists for plays that push the envelope. Undaunted and with a grain of salt, the season of “The virgin, the whore, and something in between” will continue into 2018 with Do This in Memory of Me, the story of a girl’s desire to do what only boys can and Slut, a comedic look at how women are pigeon-holed into one of two unsavoury categories. With Northern Light Theatre’s continuing push to feature women on stage in prominent roles, their performances prove to be ahead of their time.

Sierra Bilton sierra@vueweekly.com

2017 GALLERY RECAP

AGA’s Undaunted / Supplied by AGA

Turgor at Harcourt House / Daniel Evans AGA’s Turbulent Landings / Supplied by AGA

A look through some of the major changes and new updates that happened in 2017

E

dmonton’s arts have grown significantly in recent years, but 2017 marked some particularly special changes that have made arts more accessible and approachable in the city overall. Here are a few of the city’s influtential happenings and key players from the past year.

The Art Gallery of Alberta now boasts free admission for students and youth/children under 17, making some of the city’s biggest art exhibitions more accessible than ever before.

Udell Xhibitions traded hands from father to son this year, marking a new era in the galleries history of opening up to a slightly younger crowd that may also drink PBR. Their exhibitions this fall since the reopening have been promising, bringing a fresh take on the 124 Street walk.

Harcourt House’s Art Incubator Gallery has hosted some brilliant experimental exhibitions from local artists over the its first formal year and the Main Gallery has marked milestones for local and national artists with highly developed bodies of work. Marking 30 years in Edmonton’s art community next year, Harcourt has continually been on the razor sharp edge of new programming and education with no plans to stop now.

Architecture and design were added to Harcourt’s core exhibition programming this past year, allowing for more cross-artistic collaborations in the future.

2018 holds plans to redesign the first floor of the artist-run centre to hold a third gallery space for artist tenants, and other local and national artists, architects, and designers—proposed to be

known as “Koolhaus Gallery,” opening in September.

The Front Gallery switched spaces down the street, marking their 40-year presence in Edmonton’s gallery walk district.

Their new space at 10402 124 St. also allows them to support local musicians the first Saturday of every month, bringing the best of both worlds. dc3 Art Projects opened the city’s first ever art bookshop this year, creating easier access to the broader art community around the globe and some of the exciting new ideas and perspectives that are shifting within that community.

Mile Zero Dance has continually held up their vanguard reputation as leaders in the category of societal mirroring with their

many challenging pieces this past year. However, the studio also felt the continual exodus of talented performance artists moving away for training and more opportunities this year.

This included the departure of Ben Gorodetsky, mastermind behind the Dirt Buffet Cabaret series and Todd Houseman, a well-known actor in Edmonton’s Treaty Six lands. Next year promises more thought-provoking and unique performances, classes, and workshops.

The Nina Haggerty ended the year in a deficit for the first time in a decade. This was largely due to a heavy decline in funding from the provincial funding source of PDD (Alberta Disability Services). But with a newly approved government funding contract signed for three years, the tides have hopefully turned for

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

the city arts fixture and programming will continue to succeed.

Bearclaw Gallery has fostered some of Alberta’s notable Indigenous artists since the ‘70s— and 2017 was no exception.

Cree artist Jane Ash Poitras was appointed to the Order of Canada this year “for her contributions to Canada’s artistic landscape as an influential First Nations visual artist.”

Latitude 53 had some exciting exhibitions come into their space that used the building in new ways and split the gallery space more equitably. There are also plans in the works for 2018 to hold collaborative exhibitions that introduce artists to one another, challenging them to work with a space together.

Sierra Bilton sierra@vueweekly.com arts 7

BEST OF 2017

Patrons of the fringe / Supplied

REVIEWS FROM FRINGE 2017

Some of the best, worst and in-between from Edmonton’s landmark arts festival

My Love Lies Frozen in the Ice In 1897, a failed Swedish exhibition to the North Pole ends in nothing but frozen despair. Lead by scientist Salomon Andre, a team of explorers attempts to reach the North Pole by hot air balloon while leaving a woman by the name of Matilda who will not forget them. Even 33 years after they set out, Matilda still believes she will see her brother Salomon and her lover Nils again.

While the premise of the play seems like a performance that will leave you feeling morose, the actors from Dead Rabbits Theatre have fun and keep it somewhat lighthearted.

The doctors in Stockholm tell Matilda all hope is lost, but she won’t listen. Instead she hallucinates and is driven to the point of hilarious madness involving a polar bear. The transitions between scenes are impeccable

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and constructed from a single large white sheet that covers the stage. The sheet becomes mounds of snow, water, and at one point a wedding dress. It’s not often a play will take you from cheerfulness to sadness to contemplation in the span of an hour, but My Love Lies Frozen in the Ice does exactly that.  Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com

The Blood Countess The Blood Countess is a onewoman show that details the life of 16th century Hungarian aristocrat and supposed serial killer Elizabeth Bathory. The show begins in darkness, with the odd candle flickering across the stage.

Soon, you meet Bathory, who methodically glides across the stage in a red gown and white cap. She then starts her monologue, detailing the early years of her life, only breaking to promote the family’s vino, the Bathory Blood Wine. You can tell where writer and actress Sharon Nowlan is trying to take you. She wants you to decide if Bathory is guilty or not, or if she’s just a deeply disturbed woman who’s become a prisoner of her own thoughts. The problem is, Nowlan’s message gets lost in translation.

It’s hard to keep track of which time period she’s in and even harder to follow her train of thought when it’s delivered in such a monotone, text-driven way. There’s potential, no doubt, but it’s ultimately not fulfilled.

The highlight was the strange red light show near the end, and the end itself.  Kass Mitchell TK421 Is Dead This bizarre oddity is best appreciated if you’re an ardent Star Wars fan. Clad in navy jumpsuits with nothing but a crate, potted plant, and toaster for props, TK421’s duo performers embark on a seemingly abstract sci-fi art piece. The obscurity of this setup gives a curious vibe of Samuel Beckett meets H.P. Lovecraft, with its sparsity of dialogue and inclusion of one strange alien life form. As the story unfolds with increased smatterings of science fiction references, it becomes clear that the striking similarities to the plot of Star Wars cannot be a coincidence. Mentions of little boys winning spaceship speed-races, and planets of ice

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

and desert lay down the hints that we are in some way, in the Star Wars universe.

The protagonist’s profession as a garbage attendant—with few friends but a goose-necked, one-eyed alien for company— brings the most compelling evidence that we are, in fact, on the Death Star, awaiting Luke, Han, and Leia’s descent into the trash compactor. It’s a brilliant look into the bleak life of the more overlooked background characters in the franchise. It’s made all the more clever by the lack of immediately identifiable Storm Trooper uniforms, or any direct name-dropping of anything within the series itself until the very end. Anyone living under a rock the past 40 years unfamiliar with the space opera we all know and love may find this one hard to swallow, but die-hard Star Wars fanatics will be delighted with this stripped down, abstract take on the beloved classic.  Sophie Pinkoski Mike Delamont: The Devil If God is a Scottish drag queen, then the devil is a southern Ken Bone-lookalike with a lisp. Mike Delamont gives the devil his due in this wickedly-funny hour of merciless wit. “I’m not evil,” he explains, with his Ned Flanders cardigan and tie. “Maybe a bit of a dick.” Delamont’s devil kills, needing only a skeleton of a script to launch riffs both local (“Why would I go down to Georgia? That’s the Red Deer of America”) to religious (Old Testament God was a sonofabitch.

I loved him”). He answers one of his most persistent criticisms: that he wants gays in hell. “You ain’t got the gays, you ain’t got a party. You know what a party without gays is? The Tories.”  Josh Marcellin The Sinner’s Club A simple drunken house party soon turns into a hilarious accidental murder, combined with a demonic offering. Patty Swan is hosting a party and has just been told by a half-baked police officer that her “kind of” boyfriend has just died in a motorcycle accident.

Party guests, each with their own comedic intricacies start arriving and make light of the boyfriend death. An unexpected guest, who looks like The Addams Family’s Morticia, has an affinity for satanic rituals and H.P. Lovecraft and takes the comedic situation on laughable gory hell ride. The comedy within the play stems from vulgar bits about miscommunication and the depravity of every day common sinners.

Each person’s deepest darkest desires come out while people start dropping like flies. All the audience can do is watch, laugh, a be part of the demented fun.  Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com

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

DANCE 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

BALLROOM DANCE ASSOCIATION • Central Lions Recreation Center, 11113-113 St • 780.893.6828 • ebda.ca • An evening of ballroom, latin, country dancing • First Sat of every month, 8pm (doors)

CLARA'S DREAM • Jubilee Auditorium,

11455-87 Ave • Shumka's Nutcracker, "Clara's Dream" returns. A holiday classic, this production features ballet, folk dance, and character dance in a celebration of Tchaikovsky’s beloved score • Dec 29-30, 7:30pm, 2pm (Dec 30 only) • $20-$80

GALLERIES + MUSEUMS ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY • 10186-106 St • 780.488.6611 • albertacraft. ab.ca • Process; Thinking Through: artwork by Charles Lewton-Brain; Jan 20-Apr 21 ALBERTA LEGISLATURE AND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY VISITOR CENTRE • 9820107 St • 780.415.1839 • jeanette.dotimas@ assembly.ab.ca • assembly.ab.ca/visitorcentre/ borealis/LegionHalls.html • Legion Halls: photography by Tobi Asmoucha; Oct 13-Jan 2

ALLIED ARTS COUNCIL OF SPRUCE GROVE • Melcor Cultural Centre, 355th Ave, Spruce Grove • 780.962.0664 • alliedartscouncil.com • Novelty Show; Dec 4-Jan 19

ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA (AGA) • 2 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.422.6223 • youraga.ca • Turbulent Landings: The NGC 2017 Canadian Biennial: curated by Catherine Crowston, Josee Drouin-Brisebois and Jonathan Shaughnessy; Sep 30-Jan 7 • Monument: artwork by Dara Humniski and Sergio Serrano; Oct 14-Feb 19 • Calling Stones (Conversations): artwork by Faye HeavyShield; Oct 28-Feb 19 • WordMark: A New Chapter Acquisition Project; Oct 28-Mar 25 • WEEKLY DROP-IN ACTIVITIES: Tours for Tots, Every Wed, 10-11am • Youth Workshops, ages 13-17, Every Thu, 4-6pm • Kids’ Open Studio, Every Sat, 1-3pm • Exhibition Tours; Every Sat-Sun, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm • Art for Lunch; 3rd Thu of the month, 12-1pm • VIBE; 3rd Fri of the month, 5-9pm

com • Group Show: Includes new artists and their new works; Nov 9-Dec 31 • Giving Context: artwork by Steve Driscoll; Nov 25-Dec 30 • Raw Materials: artwork by Phil Darrah; Dec 14-Jan 6

PICTURE THIS! FRAMING & GALLERY • 959 Ordze Rd, Sherwood Park • 780.467.3038 • info@picturethisgallery.com • picturethisgallery. com • The Winter Art Show: artwork by Roger Arndt, Luke Buck, Charity Dakin, Trisha Romance and more; Dec 1-Feb 28 • 8555 Roper Road • PAA@gov.ab.ca • 780.427.1750 • culture.alberta.ca/paa/ eventsandexhibits/default.aspx • Open Tue-Sat, 9am

SNAP GALLERY • Society of Northern Alberta

BEWITCHING ELVIS • Jubilations Dinner

PROVINCIAL ARCHIVES OF ALBERTA

Print-Artists, 10123-121 St • 780.423.1492 • snapartists.com • Community Gallery: artwork

by Jonathan S. Green; Jan 5-Feb 10 • Main Gallery: Tara Cooper; Jan 5-Feb 10

TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE • 11211-142 St • telusworldofscienceedmonton.com • Daily activities, demonstrations and experiments • The Science Behind Pixar Exhibition; Until Jan 7 • POPnology Exhibition; Feb 9-May 6

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

ART GALLERY OF ST ALBERT (AGSA)

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

• 19 Perron St, St Albert • 780.460.4310 •

EDMONTON STORY SLAM • Mercury

artgalleryofstalbert.ca • Outrospectives: artwork

by Nathalie Daoust, Florin Hategan and Edwin Janzen; Dec 7-Jan 27

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

BLEEDING HEART ART SPACE • 9132-118 Ave • dave@bleedingheartartspace.com • Origin Stories: artwork by Jenny Hawkinson; Jan 8-27

Code Studio, 10575-115 St NW #204 • 780.349.4843 • judithgarcia07@gmail.com • flamencoenvivo.com • Every Sun until Jun 10, 11:30am-12:30pm

BOREALIS GALLERY • 9820-107 St • assembly.ab.ca/visitorcentre/borealis.html • Legion Halls: produced by the Canadian War Museum; Oct 13-Jan 2

MILE ZERO DANCE DROP-IN DANCE & MOVEMENT CLASSES • Spazio Performativo,

BRUCE PEEL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

10816-95 St • 780.424.1573 • mzdsociety@ gmail.com • milezerodance.com/classes • Mile Zero Dance holds a number of drop-in dance & movement classes for people of all experience levels & ages; Mon: Professional Technique (1011:30am), Contact Improv (7-9pm); Tue: Kids 6-10 (4:30-5:15pm), Toonie Yoga (5:30-6:45pm), Butoh (7-9pm); Wed: Noguchi Taiso (1011:30am); Thu: Preschool 3-5 (10-10:45am), Beginner Contemporary (5-6:15pm); Sat: House (7-9pm) • $15 (regular), $12 (members), 10-class cards available for $100

THE SASH MAKER • Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St • milezerodance.com • In collaboration with Aboriginal Arts Alberta, Rebecca Sadowski uses Metis traditional sash weaving as an entry point to exploring her own heritage through movement • Jan 19-20 • $15 or best offer at the door

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

SACRED CIRCLE DANCE • Riverdale Hall, 9231-100 Ave • Dances are taught to a variety of songs and music. No partner required • Every Wed, 7-9pm • $10

SUBARTIC IMPROV & EXPERIMENTAL ARTS • Spazio Performativo, 10816-95 St

• milezerodance.com • Co-curated by Jen Mesch and Allison Balcetis, these unique events combine forces of local and visiting artists, who share with the audience to a melange of dance, visual art, music, and text • Jan 12 • $15 or best offer at the door

• Lower level, Rutherford South, University of Alberta • bpsc.library.ualberta.ca • Salt, Sword, and Crozier: Books and Coins from the Prince-Bishopric of Salzburg (c.1500-c.1800); Jan 2-Feb 7

DC3 ART PROJECTS • 10567-111 St • 780.686.4211 • dc3artprojects.com • Isachsen: artwork by various artists; Jan 12-Feb 17 FAB GALLERY • Fine Arts Building Gallery,1-1 FAB (University of Alberta) • ualberta.ca/ artshows • MFA Sculpture: artwork by TJ McLachlan; Jan 2-13 • The Light Through the Window: artwork by Noemi De Brujn; Jan 2-13 • Feeling the Flesh of the Other as Our Own: artwork by Angela Marino; Jan 23-Feb 10 • Alcuin Awards for Book Design in Canada 2016; Jan 23-Feb 10

FRONT GALLERY • 10402-124 St • thefrontgallery.com • The Heritage Collection: artwork by Kari Duke; Jan 11, 7-9pm • Fallen Star Cars: artwork by Steve Coffey; Feb 8, 7-9pm

Supper x Club, 10765 Jasper Ave • Every Tue

TALES–Monthly Storytelling Circle • Parkallen Community Hall, 6510-111 St • Monthly Tellaround: 2nd Wed each month • Sep-Jun, 7-9pm • Free • Info: 780.437.7736; talesedmonton@hotmail.com UPPER CRUST CAFÉ • 10909-86 Ave • 780.422.8174 • strollofpoets.com • The Poets’ Haven Reading Series • Most Mon (except holidays), 7pm, Sep 18-Mar; presented by the Stroll of Poets Society • $5 (door)

CHIMPROV • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828101A Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Rapid Fire Theatre’s long form comedy show: improv formats, intricate narratives, and one-act plays • Every Sat, 10pm; Sep 10-Jun 9 • $15 (door or buy in adv at TIX on the Square) DIE-NASTY • Varscona Theatre, 10329-83 Ave • die-nasty.com • Live improvised soap opera.

Join the whole Die-Nasty family REBORN, for a whole season of great artists, earth-shaking discovery, glorious music, hilarious hi jinx...but mostly Machiavellian Intrigue • Runs every Mon, 6:30pm (doors), 7:30-9:30pm • Oct 23-May 29

EMPIRE OF THE SON • Citadel Theatre, 9828-101A Ave • citadeltheatre.com • A dynamic solo performance about an emotionally distant father whose legacy is felt beyond his lifetime • Jan 31-Feb 18

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF • Festival Place, 100 Festival Way, Sherwood Park • 780.449.3378 • festivalplace.ab.ca • The heartwarming musical story about fathers, daughters, husbands and wives, life, love and acceptance • Dec 15-30 THE HUMANS • Citadel Theatre, 9828-101A Ave • citadeltheatre.com • A family reunion at Thanksgiving causes tensions to rise to the surface as secrets and hardships are revealed • Jan 6-28

ONEGIN • Maclab Theatre at the Citadel, 9828-101A Ave • 780.425.1820 • A new indierock musical. Tells the story of Eugene Onegin, a wealthy Russian playboy who, bored with seducing women in Moscow, sees a chance for a change when he inherits a country estate. He soon becomes fast friends with Vladimir, his new neighbour, who introduces Onegin to the love of his life, Olga • Jan 17-28, 7:30pm (nightly), 2pm (weekends) • $17 OPEN JAM • Holy Trinity Church, 10037-84 Ave • 780.907.2975 • grindstonetheatre.ca • Facilitated by Grindstone Theatre. Swap games and ideas and get an opportunity to play. For those of all levels • Last Tue of each month

ORANGE IS THE NEW PINK • Jubilations Dinner Theatre, West Edmonton Mall, #2061, 8882-170 St • 780.484.2424 • edmonton. jubilations.ca • Piper is pretty in pink and the life of every party. But when this queen of the New York party scene takes it a bit too far, she’s forced to trade in the pink party dress for an orange prison suit • Oct 20-Jan 20 PURPLE PIRATE’S MAGIC PIRATE SHIP • Horizon Stage, 1001 Calahoo Road, Spruce Grove • 780.962.8995 • horizonstage.com • This voyage will have adults laughing and children leaping to their feet to volunteer with the world’s friendliest buccaneer, The Purple Pirate • Jan 29, 10am

SLUMBERLAND MOTEL • Varscona Theatre, 10329-83 Ave • 780.433.3399 • shadowtheatre.org • While overnighting in a seedy roadside motel, two down on their luck vacuum cleaner salesmen’s lives are changed by a mysterious woman • Jan 17-Feb 4

THEATRESPORTS • Citadel's Zeidler Hall, 9828-101A Ave • rapidfiretheatre.com • Improv • Every Fri, 7:30pm and 10pm • Sep 9-Jun 8 • $15

THEATRE 11 O'CLOCK NUMBER • Basement Theatre at Holy Trinity, 10037-84 Ave • grindstonetheatre. ca • This completely improvised musical comedy is based on the suggestions from the audience who will get to experience a brand new story unfold in front of them, complete with impromptu songs, dance breaks and show stopping numbers • Every Fri, Oct 13-Dec 15, 11pm AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS • Holy Trinity Anglican Church Sanctuary, 10037-84 Ave • trinityplayersyeg@gmail.com • In this one hour, family friendly opera we follow the epic

Clara’s Dream Jubilee Auditorium Dec. 29-30, 7:30 pm, 2 pm (Dec. 30 only) $20-$80 / Supplied

HUMAN ECOLOGY GALLERY • University of Alberta 1-15, Human Ecology Building • 780.492.3824 • Imagining a Better World: artwork by Nelly Toll; Sep 28-Mar 11 LANDO GALLERY • 103, 10310-124 St • 780.990.1161 • landogallery.com • Holiday Group Selling Exhibition: featuring Lando Gallery artists; Until the end of Dec

LATITUDE 53 • Latitude 53, 10242-106 St

METRO • Metro at the Garneau Theatre, 8712-109 St • 780.425.9212 • metrocinema. org • Visit metrocinema.org for daily listings • METRO RETRO: The Crow (Dec 28) • NEW YEAR’S DAY EVIL DEAD TRILOGY: Army of Darkness–25th Anniversary, Evil Dead II–30th Anniversary, The Evil Dead (1981) • REEL FAMILY CINEMA: The Wizard of OZ (Dec 30)

MUSÉE HÉRITAGE MUSEUM • St Albert Place, 5 St Anne Street, St Albert • MuseeHeritage.ca • 780.459.1528 • museum@ artsandheritage.ca •The Michel Band: curated by members of the Michel Band Council; Sep 19-Jan 7

SING-A-LONG-A SOUND OF MUSIC • Horizon Stage, 1001 Calahoo Road, Spruce Grove • 780.962.8995 • horizonstage.com • A host will lead the audience through a vocal warm up and give you a comprehensive guide to the accompanying actions for this sing-a-long movie event • Jan 20, 2pm

ROUGE POETRY SLAM HOSTED BY BREATH IN POETRY COLLECTIVE • BLVD

Theatre, West Edmonton Mall, #2061 8882-170 St • 780.484.2424 • edmonton.jubilations.ca • Samantha Stephens and her husband Darren are trying to live a normal married life, but Samantha’s witch mother, Endora, doesn’t make it very easy for them. Samantha throws a party and is greeted by the real Elvis • Jan 26-Apr 1

THE LISTENING ROOM • ATB Financial Art Barns, 10330-84 Ave • 780.471.1586 • In an isolated and post-apocalyptic desert, a group of four teenagers use radio telescopes to salvage fragments of earlier civilizations still ricocheting between stars, desperately searching for connections to a past that has faded from both memory and record • Jan 18-28

HARCOURT HOUSE GALLERY • 3 Fl, 10215-112 St • 780.426.4180 • harcourthouse. ab.ca • 1984 Cranes: artwork by Bonnie Patton; Dec 7-Jan 19 • Bandaneira: artwork by Jonas St. Michael; Dec 7-Jan 19

NW • latitude53.org • Persistence of Vision: artwork by Brandon A. Dalmer; Dec 8-Jan 20 • Latitude Invitational: by various artists; Dec 8-Jan 20

FILM

BACK TO THE 80S PART 2: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES • Mayfield Dinner Theatre, 16615-109 Ave • 780.483.4051 • mayfieldtheatre.ca • Join Bill and Ted in their time traveling phone booth as they blast back to the '80s to relive the bad hairdos, spandex pants, iconic characters and, of course, it’s most excellent mix-tape of memorable music. • Nov 7-Jan 28

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

FLAMENCO DANCE CLASSES (BEGINNER OR ADVANCED) • Dance

journey of the three quirky wise men following the star to visit the Christ child. On the way, they take refuge in the home of Amahl and his mother and miracles ensue • Dec 27-28, 6:307:30pm • $15 (adult), $35 (family, two adults + up to three children), $5 (single child); available at Eventbrite

PAINT SPOT • 10032-81 Ave • 780.432.0240 • paintspot.ca • NAESS GALLERY: The Aging Chalice: artwork by Sarah C. Louise Jackson and Sara Norquay; Nov 23-Jan 4 • ARTISTAN NOOK: Chapmans Create: artwork by Michelle and Josh Chapman; Noc 23-Jan 4 PETER ROBERTSON GALLERY • 12323104 Ave • 780.455.7479 • probertsongallery.

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

arts 9

BEST OF 2017

Trusty cinema reviewer Brian Gibson gives the low-down on his favourite films of the year of her final year of Catholic high-school in Sacramento only confirms this story as a marvelous coming-of-artist tale.

Loveless (Andrei Zvyagintsev) This allegory-meets-thriller bathes us in a family, and society, in meltdown. Slow, steady push-ins mirror in-wrought passions as the spiritual void of Putin-era Russia ripples out, out, out.

introspective, existential, and atmospherically arthouse than its replicantforefather, is haunted by allusions—to the Bible, Pygmalion and Galatea, Shelley’s “Ozymandias,” even Pinocchio.

Hover cars through a future where desire’s virtualized and biological love’s a strangely nostalgic new hope.

A Ghost Story (David Lowery) Reframes and re-views grief as dissociative, dislocating, time-looping, and allshrouding—especially for the lost one, lingering behind, draped in a sheet with forlorn eyeholes, waiting and waiting in the house that he last lived in. Waiting for ... solace?

Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan) A clock-ticking thriller of a war-retreat film, harrowing and harrying. Its minimalist approach (scant dialogue), maximalist scope (sweeping panoramas of: anxiously waiting soldiers, flotillas, a besieged town), and cross-cutting (through the span of a week and swaths of sea and sky) beach us among British forces’ great escape from the continent, June 1940.

My Life As A Zucchini (Claude Barras) All sweetness-and-dark, this stopmotion animation about orphans and abandoned children brings together puppets, crayon-colours, and hard-won sentiment. So much tender emotion’s baggage-packed into these 65 minutes.

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch) Day in, day out, Paterson, a bus driver in Paterson, NJ (the setting and title of William Carlos Williams’ epic poem), whittles away at his lines in a little notebook that his wife, an artist, encourages him to make copies of. An iridescent reflection of the quiet, steady work of poem-making. A big-screen study, in small moments, of serendipity, and a glittering distillation of Jarmusch’s wry, dry, urban-bohemian style.

City of Ghosts (Matthew Heineman) Undercover and gone-underground reporting, journalism battles extremism to the death. The leaders of Raqqa are being slaughtered silently, a citizengroup reporting on ISIS in their occupied hometown, who flee after one member’s killed. Moving among safehouses abroad, they continue marshalling reports of ISIS’s medieval brutalities. Rarely has the information-war seemed so urgent and necessary, so horrendously high stakes.

Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig) Screwball-comedy meets teen-picaresque in a California re-dreaming. Gerwig’s wry, wise, whimsical re-imagining 10 film

Lady Macbeth (William Oldroyd) Corset-grippingly restrained, this midVictorian thriller (based on a Russian novel) reimagines Shakespeare’s antiheroine. A slit-eyed, amoral gaze at one young wife wresting back power in straitened circumstances.

Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve) Villeneuve’s eerie-sublime sequel, more

Graduation (Cristian Mungiu) Innocence is lost as a father—working Romania’s quid-pro-quo system to help keep his daughter’s scholarship to an English university—must teach his child the corrupt way of their world. Shame, moral taint, and suspicion seep out as Mungiu knifes us up to the hilt in a society of cracked and cracking-apart façades.

The Other Side of Hope (Aki Kaurismaki) The Finnish master-chef cooks up deadpan comedy (including restaurant shenanigans) and refugee-drama as delectable fusion-food. Syrian migrant Khaled’s struggle to stay in a country so bureaucratically indifferent to him is told with quiet, searing power.

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

Honourable Mentions: After the Storm; Aquarius; The Salesman; Get Out; Divines; Wind River; Logan Lucky; Logan; mother!; The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki Special small-screen mention: Truecrime TV documentary-series The Keepers (Ryan White).

Brian Gibson film@vueweekly.com

BEST OF 2017

VUE STAFF AND CONTRIBUTOR FILM PICKS We’ve narrowed down our 2017 favourites from a landmark year of cinema

I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) We’ve come a long way since the 1960’s, right? Well, after watching this startlinglytimely documentary, you realize the problems that sparked the American civil rights movement are as real today as they were six decades ago.

I Am Not Your Negro is based on the late James Baldwin’s unfinished project Remember This House, his attempt to capture the historic, toxic blend of vicious American racism and the lives and deaths of the black civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evens and Malcom X. Beautifully narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the power of Baldwin’ s taut prose is devastating.

Slavery, Jim Crow, cartoonishly-racist portrayals of black people in movies and advertising—it all forms a shameful thread that connects with the fear and ignorance that divides black and white America to this day.

It’s a must-see.

Josh Marcellin The Big Sick (Michael Showalter) This movie could’ve been so bad. A sweet, romantic comedy about a guy falling in love with a woman in a life-threatening coma—it’s been done, right? Thankfully, we get a heartfelt and funny film exploring family, love and commitment. Starring comedian and Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick is the improbable but true story of how a relationship can develop in the unlikeliest of circumstance—say, when one half is unconscious.

Co-written by Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon (his real-life wife and the real-life inspiration for the woman in the coma), the film challenges romantic comedy tropes and manages to feel real.

Josh Marcellin

The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit) This film tells a simple story in such a quiet, unhurried way that watching it almost feels like meditation. Co-produced

by Studio Ghibli, The Red Turtle is a bittersweet experience that will linger for days. Entirely wordless, this beautifully and cleanly drawn work of art follows a man washing up on the shore of an uninhabited island—well, except for the crabs.

The deep rhythms of life flow here, as a woman, then a son, come into his life. As life does what life does and the son grows into a man, you sense the profound sadness and sweetness, the fleetingness, of a lifetime. The only thing you can do is try to find love and to pass that on to the next generation. The Red Turtle is a moving addition to the already legendary Studio Ghibli canon.

Josh Marcellin Get Out (Jordan Peele) Jordan Peele’s directorial debut Get Out gave the art of the thriller a desperately needed boost of adrenaline. Apart from the expertly crafted cinematography and stellar performances by the entire cast Get Out hits a certain mark that is seldom explored in filmmaking—social horrors. This is simply a film that has to be experienced.

Peele even has an entire saga planned around socially allegorical tense films, ensuring that this style of filmmaking isn’t going anywhere, and that’s some of the best news we’ve heard all year.

Jake Pesaruk Logan (James Mangold) How do you make an entire theatre of twenty-somethings and comic book nerds cry in unison? Put one of the most beloved

X-Men through a physical and emotional gauntlet and dangle certain doom in every scene. Director James Mangold single handedly pulled off something that the superhero genre desperately needed— focus. This isn’t a film full of explosions, aliens or post-credit plot stingers.

Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart deliver some of the best performances of their careers in their final turns as Wolverine and Charles Xavier, and newcomer Dafne Keen steals the show as Laura (a clone of Wolverine).

Logan may be the end of a hero’s story, but hopefully it’s the beginning of a new form of superhero film.

Jake Pesaruk Baby Driver (Edgar Wright) Director Edgar Wright has been supplying audiences with films that almost defy description. Each movie that he has made always evokes a sense of glee, even if bleak.

Baby Driver continues the director’s winning streak by providing what can only be described as a thinker’s popcorn movie. It’s fast, fun and action packed but underneath the initial layer of bravado lies what is clearly a director’s passion project.

Adopting a soundtrack driven pace, much like Guardians of the Galaxy the film chronicles getaway driver ‘Baby’ and his exploits working for a crime syndicate in Atlanta.

Staying true to Wright’s style Baby Driver is overflowing with beautifully shot cinematography and the best editing seen in action films to date.

Jake Pesaruk Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins) Warner Bros and DC Comics best move to date was letting Patty Jenkins take

the directing helm for Wonder Woman.

Jenkins has an eye for plot and her asthetic choice and tone for the lasso of truth wielding heroine was in good taste. The portrayal of the Amazonians was firece and stylistically sound and instead of having a stereotypic female hero, we have a stoic character who just happens to be saving the world.

Gal Gadot has found her home as Wonder Woman and it’s ashame that DC’s track record is in the toliet as of late, meaning we may not see a Wonder Woman two Even though Jenkins is game for a second film and it was announced for 2019, Justice League has put the company in the critic’s red so all other works remain to be be seen.

Stephan Boissonneault The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro) Guillermo del Toro has made every kind of movie from art-house trips to gothic freak horror, but his latest film The Shape of Water throws him into a newer realm—underwater monster love. Set in the early ‘60s, a mute janitor named Elisa (Sally Hawkins) meets a South American aqautic fiend called The Asset (Doug Jones) while working in an undergorund government sanctioned facility.

Elisa quickly falls for the fishman, but soon learns his imminent fate. The film is a love story, but it screams del Toro with vivid water imagery, a dim lit horror esque backdrop, and obscure humour on social settings. The film is an overview of del Toro’s take on love as well as a commentary on how humanity treats the outcasts of society.

Stephan Boissonneault

FRI, DEC 29–THUR, JAN 4

PRESENTS

THE BREADWINNER THUR @ 2:00, MON @ 1:00 THE FLORIDA PROJECT THUR @ 4:30, SAT @ 4:15, TUES @ 9:15

WOLFCOP SAT @ 9:00

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VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

film 11

FILM REVUE

Justin Timberlake and Kate Winslet in Wonder Wheel / Supplied

WOODY’S WONDER WHEEL Latest Woody Allen film features star-studded cast that includes Kate Winslet and Justin Timberlake Wonder Wheel Directed by Woody Allen Now playing 

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onder Wheel seems a semiapt metaphor for Woody Allen’s movies: another seems to come around each year, though they’re hardly revolutionary, let alone wondrous, anymore. His 48th feature in 51 years, set on Coney Island in the early ’50s, is less period piece than dramatic experiment— an O’Neill or Williams play tricked out in vivid film-finery. Despite a torrid performance by Kate Winslet, this pinwheel still sputters.

The frame-narrator is lifeguard

Mickey (Justin Timberlake), an aspiring playwright (and Allen-proxy) who warns us of approaching melodrama. Mickey’s having a fling with actress-turned-waitress Ginny (Kate Winslet), whose second husband Humpty (Jim Belushi) finds his daughter Carolina (Juno Temple) on their doorstep—she’s on the run from her gangster husband.

Ginny has her hands full with her own child, little Richie, who keeps setting fires.

Timberlake’s character is never

quite believable as a ’50s guy, with the script’s sometimes slack, too-talky dialogue not helping— it can sound a tad modern or clunky or both (“I want your input;” “It took a few days of summer sun to decompress”).

That gangster-husband subplot (reuniting Steve Schirripa and Tony Sirico, from The Sopranos, as mobsters) seems a convenient, formulaic way to spirit Carolina in, then dangle an axe overhead. And there

are other times when such playing with the sense of a play sucks too much life out of things—it’s not credible. For instance, that the gruff, ex-alcoholic Humpty, who hit Ginny when he drank, never so much as smacks anyone here, not even spanking unruly Richie, as his world spins off its axis.

And yet, all the knowing dramaness, revolving ’round Winslet’s desperate figure—Ginny lit, centrestage, with a warm golden-orange glow for a speech under the board-

ASPECT RATIO

John Cleese / Supplied

THE TRUE MEANING W

Monty Python alum reimagine classic tales in The Meaning of Life

ith the winter holidays nearly over, let’s look back more irreverently at Noel through a widescreen lens. Forget Canada’s Black Christmas (1974), slashing through the snow with its sorority-house murders. For Yuletide yuks— not horror-film yucks—that skewer the (retail) spirit of the holly-jolly season, the black12 film

Christmas-comedy of Monty Python’s penultimate scene in their final film, The Meaning of Life (1983), can’t be beat.

It’s a nastily catchy sing-a-long send-up of how American-led, super-white commercialism has been cheerily, emptily ching-ching-chinging in the season. It devilishly merges the child’s anticipation of that special morning of

gift-getting with adults’ hope for a life given to us after this one.

Some bourgeois Brits and Americans—reaped by his grimness after botulism (it was the canned salmon mousse) at a dinner-party—arrive at the afterlife.

They’re informed by the frontdesk receptionist of the merry ritual/torment: “everyday” is December 25. They enter a Vegas-

style show-palace where characters from the film’s sketches are assembled, happily awaiting yet another performance.

The pit orchestra swells; the spotlight falls, at the top of bright-white steps, on a supertanned Tony Bennett (Graham Chapman). Descending this stairway in heaven and smiling away, showing off his pearly-

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

walk at night. Within this rag-tag family living at such close quarters, the roller-coastering of this Stella Dubois-like woman’s emotions.

Ginny retreating into not just denial but performance after a horrible sin of omission is often strangely compelling. Amid the fading romance of this Brooklyn amusement park, there’s a wan lustre to the raging against the dying of the light by these weary, frazzled souls.

Brian Gibson film@vueweekly.com whites as whiter than white, he intones, “It’s truly a real honourable experience to be here this evening, a very wonderful and warm and emotional moment for all of us, and I’d like to sing a song for all [looking into the camera] of you”.

After that burst of fake genuineness, he starts crooning. Topless showgirls in angel-outfits, sporting cartoon-Snow White haircuts, do the dancing (one Snowgirl is Jane Leeves, later Frasier’s Daphne Moon). As this jingle tinkles on, we enter one TV set after another for the next verses, this tacky Disneyfied spectacle swallowing its own super-televised tail. Christmastime is TV-time (“There’s great films on TV: The Sound of Music twice an hour, and Jaws 1, 2, and 3”) and cool new gadgets-buying-time (three wise men sing, “There’s Sony Walkman headphone sets, and the latest video games”).

And so, the joke’s on the audience—on us, still lapping all this up. The extravaganza’s so generic, yet the tune’s ear-wormingly peppy, this ode to the mass-consumption of the season proving as vacuous and addictive as yet another, and another, and another big blow-out Christmas. So, everybody now: “It’s Christmas!

It’s Christmas in Heaven! / Hip hip hip hip hip hooray! / Every single day / Is Christmas Day!” Brian Gibson film@vueweekly.com

Left: A Tribe Called Red at Starlite Room / Dana Zuk Right: Alex Cuba at Arden Theatre / Marc J. Chalifoux

2017 VENUE RECAP

Edmonton’s music scene prospered in 2017 despite unfortunate circumstances

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his year began pretty quietly for Edmonton’s music scene, but later, an explosion of controversy and strangeness ensued.

The dollar was in a slightly better spot, meaning bigger shows were rolling through town but touring costs have never been higher. Mill Creek Cafe stepped in and took over throughout the year as The Sewing Machine Factory was handling liquor licensing and renovations.

The Starlite Room was taken over by local promoter ConcertWorks. Industry House opened and then closed its doors after patrons realized a shocking discovery. And finally ... The Needle shut its doors in the wake of sexual harassment claims from a Facebook post. It’s been a year for sure, and we wanted to see what a few venue owners thought of it.

Tab CA, manager of The Sewing Machine Factory Vue Weekly: What are some challenges Sewing Machine has had to overcome?

the Edmonton Fringe Festival, monthly all-ages events with a focus on youth artists and as always, tons of local and touring live music acts.

Tyson Cale Boyd, director and talent buyer of the Starlite Room VW: Are there any shows or experiences at Starlite that really stood out this year?

Tyson Cale Boyd: UP+DT Festival was it for me personally. It was a huge weekend for us to showcase the new lighting rig and PA that we had recently installed into the Starlite Room, but overall the vibe was off the charts. It was exciting to see the response and participation of so many folks who were attending, volunteering, and involved in the various capacities. It was very much a community event, and I am very looking forward to seeing it continue to grow.

VW: Has becoming the new owner of Starlite been a challenge?

Tab CA: Using Mill Creek Cafe as a temporary home for five months while working towards reopening the basement was a huge challenge for us. Turning a cafe into a DIY music space and bar was a huge exercise in patience and elbow grease. Figuring out the process of hosting all-ages shows was another big challenge we were really happy to overcome.

TB: Any transition has its challenges, however, this one has been relatively comfortable as our company ConcertWorks has been producing shows within the Starlite for several years now— we were already part of the ‘extended’ family, and we were familiar to most of the staff.

VW: What should people be excited for in 2018 at The Sewing Machine Factory?

VW: Are there any shows or experiences at Union Hall that really stood out this year?

TC: Diverse arts programming, the addition of new weekly events, our debut as a BYOV for

Andrew Devlin: 2017 was extra special for Union Hall, due to our licensing classification of

Andrew Devlin, general manager of Union Hall

a minors allowed theatre. This new business format has paved a path towards a broader range of artists and fan bases. Notable shows for 2017 include: Method Man and Redman (sold out), Simple Plan (No Pads, No Helmets…

Just Balls 15th Anniversary Tour, sold out, minors allowed), Rural Alberta Advantage (two sold out events) and more.

VW: What are some challenges Union Hall had to overcome this year?

AD: In 2017 some adaptations were needed to accommodate the Alberta-wide minimum wage increases, but the show must go on. Fortunately, this hurdle was overcome with hopes of continued local economic growth, which will allow us to produce a greater volume of events and shows for our community to enjoy in 2018.

Ben Sir, general manager of The Buckingham VW: Are there any shows or experiences at The Buckingham that really stood out this year?

Ben Sir: There’s a couple that really stood out to me in the last month. It was kind of in the outfall of everything that happened at The Needle, which was a really weird and complicated time for everyone. There’s this live podcast called Taggart and Torrens that’s this Canadian pop culture podcast and after this Needle stuff, everyone coordinated to have it at The Buck within like a day. It was a great night, but there’s this big asterix beside that with the reason for it happening in our room. It was pretty warming when we had this guy from Our Lady Peace and Jono-

vision singing “Ahead By A Century” in wake of Gord Downie’s death. It was a pretty heavy moment man, and we got to provide that experience for people.

This band we had called Iron Chic was probably my show of the year too. It was cool when during Rockin’ For Dollars we had The Flatliners come down.

They came from playing in front of 5,000 people to playing two of their own songs and a Sloan cover to a hundred kids.

VW: What are some challenges The Buckingham has had to overcome this year?

BS: You definitely can see with downtown and the arena proliferating that Whyte Ave has its challenges. Downtown people are obviously really enthused and truthfully, the fact that the Oilers are sucking this year makes quite a difference with all that enthusiasm. You can see on game nights that Whyte Ave. is a lot slower. We’re not a fulltime venue, but we offer specific shows so regardless, you’re going to have people coming. In recent years of venues shutting down, those were hits to the scene, but you always have people picking up the slack. Like, it’s awesome that Sewing Machine is back up and running and Starlite is run by a more independent company now. So there’s a lot of positives.

VW: What should people be excited for in 2018 at The Buckingham?

BS: I think we have refocused and now view ourselves as somewhere people want to put on a show. We’re a smaller venue, but also a launch pad. To see bands like The Velveteins, Altameda, Wares, and Marlaena

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

Moore that are all exploding, I think we’ve had a small part in providing a small place to cut their teeth.

So I really want to offer this space for other upcoming bands like Sister Ray, Feminal Fluids, there’s just so many, and I wanna use The Buck to keep that going.

Caitlin North, programming presenter at Arden Theatre VW: Are there any shows or experiences at the Arden that really stood out this year?

Caitlin North: William Prince put on a spectacular and very understated show a few weeks ago. Rose Cousins is always a hilarious and heartbreaking highlight, too.

VW: What are some challenges that The Arden had to overcome this year?

CN: The cost of being a touring artist is higher than it’s ever been and those costs come back on us as promoters (increased performance fees, etc.), so it’s a challenge to manage the costs while keeping ticket prices affordable for our patrons.

VW: What should people be excited for in 2018?

CN: There are a lot of great acts returning to the Arden in the second half of our season (Josh Ritter, Iris DeMent, Fortunate Ones) and a lot of new faces for our patrons, too (Lindi Ortega, The East Pointers). I’m also really looking forward to hearing from Frank Warren on February 3, the man and mind behind the social phenomenon that is PostSecret.

Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com music 13

TOP ALBUMS OF 2017

The National Sleep Well Beast 4AD Leave it to The National to make the perfect winter album, full of songs about dread, isolation, confusion, and guilt. The album opens with the haunting “Nobody Else Will Be There,” as lead vocalist Matt Berninger contemplates on not how to live his life, but withstand its many complexities. Next comes the explosive “Day I Die,” which contains one of the dirtiest, but operatic guitar leads I’ve ever heard. We have multi-instrumentalist Aaron Dessner to thank for that. Not to mention his minorkeyed delay riff on “Guilty Party.”

The debuting single “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness,” presented a more rock-oriented side to The National sound with its distorted guitar hook, reminiscent of the Alligator years.

And then songs like “Carin at the Liquor Store”—which might have one of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard with “I’m walking around like I was the one who found dead John Cheever”—appear and show The National has become

expert at interweaving multiform sounds comparable to a 30-piece orchestra and turning it into fiveminute songs of beauty.

To wrap up, ( I could dissect this album for much longer) the title track song “Sleep Well Beast,” has echoes of songs throughout the album. It’s almost written as a reprise for all of the songs, fading out into a white noise decay. If you ever get a chance to these guys live, drop everything and do it.

Grizzly Bear Painted Ruins RCA A Grizzly Bear song is like a building—each part, verse, or chorus is beautifully interwoven and layered, offering an architecturally vast chamber pop-psych sound. Painted Ruins, the newest album for the group in five years is a diverse listen that I highly recommend you listen to front to back more than once to truly appreciate its splendour. This record may be one of Grizzly Bear’s most elaborate albums to date. Each song has so many instrumental ele-

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ments that drone in and out, are stripped away slowly, and slowly decay. The vocals echo and reverberate throughout each song while being cloaked behind synth, watered and phasedowned guitar, and horns.

The song “Three Rings,” is probably the track that deserves the most praise. It constantly builds adding new instrumentation with every minute until the explosive outro with a jangle psych guitar hook that meets a heavy organ. It helps that every member of the band can play four to five instruments. It’s something Grizzly Bear has always had over other bands.

Mavis Staples If All I Was Was Black ANTI-Records Soul-blues gospel singer Mavis Staples has been making music since the late ‘60s and it’s high time we give her the recognition she deserves. Her 2016 album Livin’ on a High Note was fresh and powerful, harkening back to a simpler time she actually lived in. It was well received and allowed her to play and in some cases, headline a few big festivals.

Staples—along with her infectious neo-soul sound—caught the ears of many leading to collaboration songs with Arcade Fire, Gorillaz, and more recently, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.

Tweedy actually wrote a bulk of the songs and produced Staples’ latest album If All I Was Was Black, and it’s sweetly refreshing.

So many bands have been tapping into the ‘60s /’70s soul-blues era, but the 78-year-old Mavis Staples is

showing them how it’s really done.

The album is at times, a wonderfully hollow blues-soul with songs like “Peaceful Dream,” and “Little Bit,” focusing on the exalted instrumentation. But where the album really shines is when Staples unleashes the full potential of her voice, able to consume a room and demand attention in a matter of seconds.

Thundercat Drunk Brainfeeder Stephen Bruner, better known as Thundercat, is a living enigma in the music world. He first started out as the bassist for the hardcore thrash band Suicidal Tendencies and went on to help produce, record, and perform with the experimental electronic wizard Flying Lotus. Now he is one of the most sought out sessions bassists in the world. He released his third full-length album Drunk earlier this year, proving that he is still a bassist virtuoso capable of writing catchy, and rhythmically complex songs. On Drunk, he combines jazz fusion with an electronic R&B, creating a diverse record rippling with depth. Each song has its own quips and weird situations like the song “Tokyo.” There’s a stacked cast of musicians featured on the album all the way from Kenny Loggins on “Show You the Way” to Kendrick Lamar on “Walk on By.” Bruner’s voice is calming and soulful and of course, his bass riffs sound impossible to comprehend. Thundercat is easily one of the best bassists right now. A modern-day Victor Wooten while Drunk reinforces his title.

Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com

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

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VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

Protomartyr Relatives In Descent Domino Detroit’s Protomartyr keep its unbeatable streak alive. Louder and more vicious than their previous releases, Relatives In Descent moves with urgency through its twelve tracks delivering a clear message of disgust at the USA’s current state of affairs. On “Up The Tower,” frontman Joe Casey sings of overthrowing the throne while on “Windsor Hum,” he ponders a better life on the other side of the Detroit River.

Slates Summery New Damage Weaving guitars create an intense sonic output that immediately claws into your brain, paired with the churning rhythm section, the musicianship on Summery makes for an assault of the senses. This Edmonton staple band has released what is easily the most impressive album in its catalogue. Frontman James Stewart has never sounded better as he sings extremely personal songs about losing a loved one.

Sister Ray Untitled Double Lunch Vocals and guitar are the only instruments you’ll hear on this album and that’s all that’s needed to turn a casual listen into an obsession. Ella Coyes’ voice is utterly captivating as it trembles with intensity and raw power over simple guitar. She delivers heart wrenching songs that are improvised thoughts and ideas that you may never hear her speak (or sing) ever again.

King Krule The OOZ True Panther Sounds/XL Archy Marshall’s second release as King Krule is a masterpiece. A plethora of sounds and influences appear on The OOZ with this 23-year-old producer/ musician/genius pulling all the strings. Jazz, trip-hop, dub, punk and even R&B all permeate through as Marshall takes you on a 70-minute ride into his world of filth, loneliness and self loathing.

Jeff MacCallum cupsncakespod@gmail.com

Wares, righteously piloted by Cassia Hardy, is one of Edmonton’s most reliably exciting live acts. Hardy is fearless, often wading into the crowd with her guitar to sing right into your face—daring you not to feel her passion. This debut fulllength captures the power of her live show and is driven by Hardy’s exceptional guitar work: she can lull you before blowing you off your feet with a full-blast punk explosion, often in the same song. The music reflects a complex human being—from the blistering rock of “What You Want,” the impassioned acoustic longing on “Out All Night” to the building bouncy freak-out “City Kids.” No two songs are the same, but all are unmistakably Wares. It’s brave, powerful, Edmonton music that just plain rocks.

Kendrick Lamar DAMN. Top Dawg Entertainment DAMN. is the greatest rapper alive taking us on a victory tour.

Highlights? Front to back, this is Kung Fu Kenny at his leanest. He flips the brainy freejazz explorations of To Pimp a Butterfly in favour of spare, focussed production. He proves he can dominate any lane of hip-hop, cruising through pop collabs and autobiographical stories with scary ease. Sure, there are bangers—“DNA.” and monster single “HUMBLE.” are earth-shaking—but this being K. Dot, we get more. “FEEL.” and “FEAR.” dig deep into a complex mind grappling with the insane realities of today’s batshit reality. DAMN. is his third straight classic album,

along with Butterfly and Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, and it’s convincing evidence that Kendrick is the G.O.A.T. Josh Marcellin music@vueweekly.com

Dan Auerbach Waiting on a Song Easy Eye Sound The Black Keys’ frontman took a laid-back, traditional approach while putting together his second solo record. Described as a “love letter to Nashville,” Waiting on a Song was recorded with the help of several prominent artists Auerbach had befriended during his time living in the city. Stand-out tracks include “Malibu Man,” an ode to zen-like record producer Rick Rubin. The song soars with an opening string section before breaking down into a smooth bass riff, allowing Auerbach space to describe Rubin’s adventure of a life.

The first single, “Shine On Me,” is a feel-good sing-a-long that could’ve easily been written in the ‘60s or ‘70s. It’s this lighthearted glee that keeps Waiting on a Song fresh throughout the entire album. “Never In My Wildest Dreams” is a true highlight and possibly the greatest love song Auerbach has written to date, featuring soft acoustic guitar accented by subtle horns and endearing lyrics. Although he was snubbed by the Grammy committee, this may be one of the most genuine pop-rock records of our time.

Lee Butler lee@vueweekly.com

Wares Wares Self-released VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

music 15

ROOTS FOLK

POWER LEOPARD’S NEW SPOTS

Christian Hansen a.k.a. Baby Drayton / Supplied

Edmonton favourite Christian Hansen unveils his new solo project Baby Drayton

Thu., Dec. 28 (8 pm) Baby Drayton w/ Milk, and Panqueque Mercury Room, $10

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he name Christian Hansen still means something in the Edmonton music scene. During the fall of 2009, the dancepop group Christian Hansen & The Autistics’ Power Leopard dominated the radio and every teenager’s MP3 device. In 2012, Hansen moved the band to Toronto in hopes to reach a bigger audience, but he eventually stopped performing altogether and has now put the Christian Hansen project on an “indefinite hiatus.” Currently, he is focusing on his new acoustic roots-folk project, Baby Drayton.

“I basically got burnt out man, from doing the music thing,” Hansen says from his Toronto home.

“I was focusing on other stuff, but then all of a sudden I had these songs that were coming out. I picked up the guitar and started writing and a few months later I had a collection of these sparse acoustic songs.

It reminded me of the stuff 16 music

before Christian Hansen & the Autistics when I was back in Edmonton doing the folk thing.”

The new Baby Drayton material immediately presents a more serene sound for Hansen.

Songs like “The Hessian,” begin with a laid-back acoustic flair until being greeted by Hansen’s resonant voice. The lyrics are clear and welcome a listener’s reflection on each track.

“A lot of the Baby Drayton stuff is about strength, weakness, and riding the line on being good and bad, being lost,” Hansen says.

The project’s name comes from Molly Flood’s (Hansen’s wife and bandmate) family horse of the same name.

“They had two horses and they both passed away because they were life companions,” Hansen says. “Horses are incredible animals and I just felt like it was the right name.

Baby was a pseudo-nickname for a while and there’s no better name than an homage to a dead horse.”

One of the most popular and perhaps most curious songs is “Shia LaBeouf,” a three-and-a-

half-minute song where Hansen ruminates about his thoughts on the Hollywood actor and performance artist.

“I don’t know why, but for whatever reason, I’ve always been intrigued by him as an actor, but also for his personality,” Hansen says. “He’s part of the whole Hollywood thing, but yet, he does all these other things that are outside of the box. He has this performance art collective that he does where he does the ‘I’m not famous’ thing with the bag on his head.”

For Hansen, Labeouf is also the embodiment of riding the line and taking situations to the extreme.

“He has all this weird stuff with the law like getting drunk in public or getting arrested for some other crazy stuff,” Hansen says. “He’s kind of just like a loose cannon, but he seems to be a thoughtful guy deep down who has just been on the edge for too long.”

Hansen’s comment makes sense when you look at Labeouf’s quick jump into fame.

His breakout out role was in the Even Stevens, which went

on to be one of the most watched television series on the Disney Channel. Then he starred in Holes, Disturbia and Transformers, three of the highest grossing films of their years. Labeouf became a famous Hollywood movie star very quickly as a teenager.

It’s something Hansen can relate to. Right around the time Power Leopard came out, Hansen became “Edmonton famous,” known for his high-energy shows that featured crowd surfing, stage flips, and a whole lot of sweat.

“I guess I have the tendency to identify with Shia LaBeouf,” Hansen says. “When you kind of ride the line between going too far and not far enough—I feel like he embodies that. When you go too far you get in trouble, but if you’re not prepared to go that far, you’ll never be able to achieve the possible.

Personally, that has been my life for the past couple years.”

The music video for the song also features Shia Labeouf on the red carpet during the Toronto International Film Festival.

“We reached out to his people and asked if he wanted to be in

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

the music video,” Hansen says.

“Someone got back and said he would be way too busy with the movie, but because Molly (Hansen’s wife) is fearless, her and her friend kind of conned their way into the VIP section of the red carpet. She just blurted, ‘I wrote a song about you’ and being the guy he is, he said sing it to me.”

Hansen is beyond excited to share his new sound with Edmonton and also has plans to record a full Baby Drayton album in 2018 with an undecided release date.

“We’re doing videos for every song, but I wanna take my time with this and I’m at the point where I want people to like it, but I’m doing this for myself,” Hansen says.

So is the Christian Hansen project dead? That’s up to him alone.

“That’s not to say I’ll never make a Christian Hansen record again, but it just needed to be put on pause for a while,” he says. “At the show, I might play some classic Christian Hansen songs, but they will be Baby Drayton-ified.”

Stephan Boissonneault stephan@vueweekly.com

SOULFUL POP-ROCK

Major Love / Supplied

Upcoming BIG Events DEC 30

UFC 219

DEC 31

Dance, Dance Resolution NYE Party

JAN 3

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Screening w/ Success 5000

JAN 5

The Give ‘Em Hell Boys w/ Micah Erenberg

JAN 6

Canadian Coldwater Revival: CCR Tribute Show

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LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Colleen Brown organizes the musical pack to form Edmonton supergroup Major Love

Fri., Dec. 29 (8 pm) Major Love w/ Nature of and Eva Foote The Buckingham, $12

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ajor Love is a fateful fusion of Edmonton musicians Colleen Brown, Jesse and The Dandelions, and Scenic Route to Alaska’s three members. The supergroup takes the best of Brown’s songbird vocals, Scenic Route’s wide-open-road guitar tracks and upbeat drums, melding them with Jesse Northey’s glittery keys.

“I booked a bunch of shows just solo in Germany and the U.K. and right around that same time the Scenic Route to Alaska guys were just doing their first tour out there,” Brown says. “We ended up playing a show together in Shoreditch in London and I think we all looked at each other after the show and were like, ‘We should find a way to work together.’ It just seemed like a really good idea.”

Under normal circumstances, meeting some fellow Canadians or even Edmontonians abroad doesn’t mean your next thought is to jump up and start a band together, but this wasn’t a normal circumstance.

Bonding over pub beers, their

shared Edmonton origins, a love for wide-open ‘60s soul recordings and vintage Harmony guitars, the group hit it off and the rest was history.

Only one month later, a full set of bedtracks were recorded in Edmonton’s True North Studios, but Major Love’s debut album wasn’t ready yet.

Recording a full-length of tracks in Edmonton’s True North Studios only a month later in the summer of 2015, the album wasn’t touched again until the winters of 2016 and 2017 after the group played a folk festival in Ontario and met up with songwriter and producer Aaron Goldstein.

Goldstein jumped at recording Major Love in his newly minted studio out east; it was just a happy coincidence Major Love was sitting on a full set of bedtracks and concepts ready to be tweaked.

Soon after, Ontario musician Elijah Abrams (who Brown had been working with on her solo project) joined the force and things finally came together.

One of the benefits of having six members in a group is the amount of contact that equals. Another example of this for Major Love is its yet-to-be-released single “So Good,” which was mixed by gurus of pop-hit creation, Gus van Go and Werner F.

Just when you’d think Major Love’s much anticipated debut album was on the near horizon, the release has been pushed back to summer of 2018 because the band is now in the process of signing to a new label.

Long story short, their much anticipated album for 2018 has been in the works since 2015.

But this is how it goes as the unofficial second project for all of Major Love’s members. Getting everyone together with various touring and recording schedules is difficult at best, somewhat like trying to organize an orchestra that happens to play soulful poprock.

“It’s not always easy,” Brown laughs. “I’m still figuring out how it’s working, especially with the music industry shifting so much over a short period of time. It’s insane how much change has happened in the music industry especially with releasing albums versus singles or online versus physical. I am just learning to take it as it comes and try to make decisions as we go, to accommodate as much as we can.”

With more shows scheduled in the new year and singles to be trickled out as the months countdown to the new album, Major Love has good things on the way.

Sierra Bilton sierra@vueweekly.com

KS Call 780.481.YU For Tickets!

December 31ST

Dinner and Show $85 • Show Only $50 Some conditions may apply. Promotion subject to change without notice and AGLC approval.

cnty.com/edmonton

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

music 17

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

THU DEC 28

STARLITE ROOM The

SEWING MACHINE FACTORY

LB'S PUB The Ramifications;

Velveteins with Cayley Thomas, Morewine; 8pm; $12; 18+ only

Songs for iHumanity; 8pm; $15 (door); 18+ only

9pm; No minors

TAVERN ON WHYTE Open

On 11; 9pm; $10

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

SHERLOCK HOLMES– DOWNTOWN Andrew Scott;

with Garrett James; 6-10pm; All ages

WOODRACK CAFÉ Birdie on a Branch; 2nd Thu of every month, 7-8:30pm; No cover (donations welcome)

AUSSIE RULES KITCHEN & PIANO BAR Piano Show; Every

DJs

Thu, 8pm

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Thu

ARIA'S BISTRO Open mic

B-STREET BAR Karaoke; Every

Thu-Sat, 9:30pm BLUES ON WHYTE Jenie

Thai; 9pm BLVD SUPPER X CLUB B**ch A

Main Fl: Rock N' Roll, Funk & Soul with DJ Modest Mike; Every Thu; Wooftop Lounge: Dear Hip Hop with Freshlan; Underdog: Underdog Comedy Show

Little, Wine Alot (house, hiphop and reggae music); Every Thu; No cover

THE COMMON The Common

BORDERLINE SPORTS PUB

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

Karaoke/DJ; Every Thu-Sat, 9pm BRICK & WHISKEY PUBLIC HOUSE Big Rockin' Thursday

SHAKERS ROADHOUSE Stuck

Uncommon Thursday: Rotating guests each week

9pm SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM

Joanne Janzen; 9pm SIDELINER’S PUB Michael

Chenoweth; 9pm; $5 WILD EARTH BAKERY– MILLCREEK Live Music

Fridays; Each Fri, 8-10pm; $5 suggested donation

DJs

THE BUCKINGHAM Mitchmatic, Maggy France, Girls of Salzburg and Baby Jey; 9pm; $10 (door) FIDDLER'S ROOST Acoustic Circle Jam; 7:30-11:30pm

Blue with Selci and Laur Elle; 8:30pm; $10 (adv at YEG Live)

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

ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL Jimmy

GAS PUMP Live DJ; 10pm

with El Niven & The Alibi and friends; Every Thu, 8:30pm; No cover LB'S PUB Open Jam hosted

BORDERLINE SPORTS PUB

by Russell Johnston MERCURY ROOM Baby Drayton

with Milk and Panqueque; 8pm; $10 (adv) NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Thu open

stage; 7pm NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam

by Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers every Thu; 7pm

Karaoke/DJ; Every Thu-Sat, 9pm THE BUCKINGHAM Major Love with Nature Of and Eva Foote; 8pm; $12 (adv at YEG Live) CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK Grave

every Sat ON THE ROCKS RadioActive;

TAVERN ON WHYTE Soul,

9pm REC ROOM–WEST EDMONTON MALL The Nervous Flirts;

9:30pm; Free

ALIBI PUB & EATERY Rising

Star Showcase of Cooper Studios; Every Sat, 12-3pm ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL Jimmy

Whiffen; 8:30pm AUSSIE RULES KITCHEN & PIANO BAR Piano Show; Every

SEWING MACHINE FACTORY

That Dog Was A Band Now with Dawkins & Brown, Ben Hooke, Landon Bushell; 8pm; $10; 18+ only SHAKERS ROADHOUSE

Patrick Alexandre Trio; 9pm; $10 SHERLOCK HOLMES– DOWNTOWN Andrew Scott;

9pm SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM

of the Dog: Erin Ross; 4-6pm; no cover

Classical

Karaoke with live band, The Nervous Flirts; Every other Thu, 7pm

CASINO EDMONTON

BLUES ON WHYTE Lex Justice;

REC ROOM–WEST EDMONTON MALL Throwback Thursday

The Vinyl Countdown; 9pm; Free

Karaoke/DJ; Every Thu-Sat, 9pm

DENIZEN HALL Champ City

CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK Grave

9pm

CENTURY CASINO–ST. ALBERT

BORDERLINE SPORTS PUB

DJs

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Sat

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Duff

Robison; 9pm

Open mic; 7pm; $2

SEWING MACHINE FACTORY

HAVE MERCY Resident DJs

CASK AND BARREL John

SHAW CONFERENCE CENTRE

playing outlaw country, rock and retro classics; Every FriSat, 10pm; No cover

Guliak and Prairie Flounder; 4-6pm; Free CENTURY CASINO–ST. ALBERT

9pm; No minors

The Vinyl Countdown; 9pm; Free

LEAF BAR AND GRILL Karoake

CHVRCH OF JOHN Roses

Get Together AB 2017: Single Day; 8pm; $99 and up (Ticketmaster)

LB'S PUB Samantha King;

SHERBROOKE PUB Jam

at the Leaf; Every Fri, 9pm; Free

presents Promnite; 9pm; $20 (Eventbrite)

ON THE ROCKS RadioActive;

DENIZEN HALL Champ City

hosted by Rockin' Rod Jewell; Every Thu, 7-11pm SMOKEHOUSE BBQ Live Blues

every Thu: rotating guests; 7-11pm SQUARE 1 COFFEE Singer/

Songwriter Open Mic Hosted

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

Major Love The Buckingham Dec. 29, 8 pm $12 (adv)

/ Supplied

18 music

WINSPEAR CENTRE Salute to

Nighthawk; 9pm

Thursdays with JR; Every Thu, 9pm-1am Bummer Club, Swim, Fitness; 8pm; $10; 18+ only

Joanne Janzen; 9pm

Vienna New Year's Concert; 2:30pm; $49.50 and up

New World; 9pm

9pm

Soundtrack; Every Fri-Sat

REC ROOM–WEST EDMONTON MALL Notorious YEG; 10pm;

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Duff

Free RIVER CREE–The Venue

Hottest Disco Party with Boogie Wonder Band; 7-11:30pm; $36-$53; 18+ only ROSE & CROWN PUB Jake

Buckley; 9pm SANDS INN & SUITES Karaoke

with entertainment, Every Fri, 9pm

Robison; 9pm EMPRESS ALE HOUSE Bands

at the Empress; Every Sat, 4-6pm; Free; 18+ only HAVE MERCY Resident DJs

playing outlaw country, rock and retro classics; Every FriSat, 10pm; No cover HILLTOP PUB Open stage

hosted by Simon, Dan and Pascal; Every Sat, 4-7pm; Free

CASINO YELLOWHEAD Nearly

ROSE & CROWN PUB Jake

Neil Diamond ; 6pm (dinner), 9pm (show); $69.99 (includes GST and gratuity) CASK AND BARREL The

Motown NYE Party featuring DJ Modest Mike; 8pm; $10 (adv tickets available at yeglive.ca) CENTRAL SOCIAL HALL DOWNTOWN New Year's Eve:

Ring in 2018 at Central Social Hall Downtown Edmonton; 5-8pm (dinner), 9pm (party); $20-$50

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

THE COMMON Get Down

It's Saturday Night: House and disco and everything in between with Wright & Wong, Dane EL CORTEZ MEXICAN KITCHEN + TEQUILA BAR Resident DJs

playing the best in hip-hop,

9pm Joanne Janzen; 9pm

CROWN AND ANCHOR

SQUIRES PUB–DOWNSTAIRS

Robison; 9pm EL CORTEZ MEXICAN KITCHEN + TEQUILA BAR Neon NYE;

Skyy and Stars featuring DJ Rsquared; 9pm Merkules & Doom Squad NYE; 8pm; No minors

New Year's Eve Bash with Persons of Interest; 10pm STARLITE ROOM Rewind NYE

with Nazz Nomad, BlueJay, Ivardensphere, Borys; 8pm; $5; 18+ only ST. BASIL'S CULTURAL CENTRE Dinner to be

followed by music and dancing to the Emeralds; 8:30pm; $85 SUGAR SWING DANCE CLUB

New Year's Gala at Sugar Swing; 9pm; $45-$55 UNION HALL Midnight

HAVE MERCY Sister Mary

Madness Clubcrawl; 6:30pm • Countdown–NYE 2018; 8pm

Clarence presents "Hail Mary & Have Mercy" NYE Drag Show; $20-$60

URBAN TAVERN New Beers Eve Comedy Gala with DJ; 6pm; $10-$40

HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH A Pro Coro Canada's

MON JAN 1

New Year's Eve; 7:30pm; Tickets available via Pro Coro LB'S PUB New Years Eve

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ New Year's

Extravaganza; 6:30pm; No minors

Eve Party; 7pm

MOONSHINERS A Newsome

BLUES ON WHYTE Lex Justice;

9pm

New Year; 7pm; $20 (adv), $25 (door), $15 (BBQ)

BOURBON ROOM Theme Party:

ON THE ROCKS New Year's

Prohibition NYE. Dress to impress. Featuring live music from Crush; $75 (adv; dinner & show), $55 (adv, no dinner)

Eve with the Boom Booms; 9pm

THE BUCKINGHAM New Year's

Resolution; 9pm; Free

Eve featuring Chixdiggit with The Old Wives and Slight Brains plus guests; 8pm; $25 (adv)

REC ROOM–WEST EDMONTON MALL Dance Dance

CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK

Oil; 6pm; 18+ only

Eve with Blackboard Jungle;

SHERLOCK HOLMES– DOWNTOWN Andrew Scott;

Eve with One Horse Blue; 7pm; $40 (consult venue, limited amount of tickets); No minors

THE FORGE ON WHYTE

CASINO EDMONTON New Years

SHAKERS ROADHOUSE New Year's Eve featuring 7Even with Trainwreck; 6pm

SIDELINERS PUB New Years

99TEN Shout Out Out Out Out Part of: New Year's Eve 2017 with Tommy Grimes and guests; 9pm; $20 (adv)

Mourning Wood; 6pm; $15-$35

New Year's Eve with Black Thunder, Chronobot, Dead Fibres and more; 8pm; $20 (YEG Live), $18+ only

Years Resolution Party; 9pm (doors); $5 (adv, via website); includes no line no cover and a complimentary beverage

EVOLUTION WONDERLOUNGE

New Year’s Eve with Mad Bomber Society: Mad Bomber Society on the main floor & DJs in the Wooftop; 7pm (doors), 10:30pm (show); $25, includes an individual champagne at midnight

SEWING MACHINE FACTORY

COOK COUNTY SALOON New

SUN DEC 31

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE

Live entertainment by DANITA; $35 (adv), $40 (door)

SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM

$60 (6pm seating), $90 (8pm seating), $25 (10pm at the door for the midnight toast and dance)

ALIBI PUB AND EATERY NYE Live with El Niven & The Alibi; 8pm; No minors

Buckley; 9pm SANDS INN & SUITES LOUNGE

NYE BASH featuring PRISM and Lee Aaron; 8pm (doors); $69.95; No minors

DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Duff

northlands.com

Y AFTERHOURS Live DJs;

SAT DEC 30

featuring DJ DEFBOI; 8pm (doors); $10 (adv, in house or at YEGLive.ca); No minors

CENTURY CASINO–EDMONTON

Music DJ; 9pm-2am Every Fri-Sat

6pm (dinner), 9pm (band); $69.99 (includes GST and gratuity)

New Year’s Eve with The Shufflehounds; 9pm; $25 (adv at venue)

CARROT COFFEEHOUSE Live music every Fri; all ages; 7pm; $5 (door)

Soundtrack; Every Fri-Sat

Every Fri-Sat

Buckley; 9pm

Sat, 9pm

SANDS INN & SUITES Karaoke

motown, funk, R&B and more with DJs Ben and Mitch; every Sat; 9pm-2am Y AFTERHOURS Live DJs;

ROSE & CROWN PUB Jake

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair

with The Sissy Fits; 8:30pm; Free

THE PROVINCIAL PUB

Saturday Nights: Indie rock and dance with DJ Maurice; 9pm-2am

New World; 9pm

REC ROOM–SOUTH EDMONTON COMMON

Wong every Sat

THE PROVINCIAL PUB Video

BLUES ON WHYTE Lex Justice;

9pm

MKT FRESH FOOD AND BEER MARKET Live Local Bands

MERCER TAVERN DJ Mikey

Fridays with DJ Echo & Freshlan

THE ALMANAC Baby Boy

Fri, 9pm

with The New Haunts and Crash to Eden; 8pm; $10 (adv)

THE COMMON Quality Control

EL CORTEZ MEXICAN KITCHEN + TEQUILA BAR Resident DJs

HAVE MERCY Thigh Thursdays

MERCURY ROOM Mericana

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

with Remo, Noosh, Fingertips & guests; Underdog: Rap, House, Hip-Hop with DJ Babr; every Fri

FRI DEC 29

AUSSIE RULES KITCHEN & PIANO BAR Piano Show; Every

Homemade Jam; 3-7pm; Free

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: DJ Late Fee; Every Fri; Wooftop: Selection Fridays

Jam & Open Mic; Every Thu, 8pm

Whiffen; 8:30pm

LEAF BAR AND GRILL

dance and classics; Every Fri-Sat, 9pm; No cover

REC ROOM–SOUTH EDMONTON COMMON Dance Dance

Resolution; 9pm; Free RIVER CREE–The Venue Snake ROCKY MOUNTAIN ICEHOUSE

RMI presents NYE Secret Agent Video Dance Party

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Wooftop: Metal Mondays with

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

DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Substance with Eddie

Lunchpail TAVERN ON WHYTE Classic

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

TUE JAN 2 FIDDLER'S ROOST Fiddle Jam

Circle; 7:30-11:30pm GAS PUMP Karaoke; 9:30pm LB'S PUB Tuesday Night Open

Jam Hosted by Darrell Barr; 7-11pm; No charge SHAKERS ROADHOUSE Rod Jewell Band Open stage

DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Chris Bruce spins

britpop/punk/garage/indie; Every Tue EL CORTEZ MEXICAN KITCHEN + TEQUILA BAR Taco Tuesday

with resident DJs

WED JAN 3 BLUES ON WHYTE King

MuSKAfa; 9pm DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY Wed

open mic with host Duff Robison; 8pm GAS PUMP Karaoke; 9:30pm HAVE MERCY Whiskey Wednesdays Live Piano Karaoke featuring the Fab Tiff Hall; Every Wed, 8:30pm LEAF BAR & GRILL Wang Dang

Wednesdays; Every Wed, 7-11pm; Free ON THE ROCKS Karaoke Wednesdays hosted by ED; Every Wed, 9pm PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY

Stage; 7-11pm

HALL Acoustic Bluegrass jam presented by the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society; Guests and newcomers always welcome; every Wed, 7pm; $2 (donation, per person), free coffee available

HAVE MERCY Mississippi

THE PROVINCIAL PUB Karaoke

Monday Night Blues Jam hosted by the Dylan Farrell Ban; Every Mon, 8:30pm (sign up); No cover

SHAKERS ROADHOUSE

Metal Phil from CJSR's Heavy Metal Lunchbox DEVANEY'S IRISH PUB

Karaoke night; Every Mon, 9pm; Free FIDDLER'S ROOST Open

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

Wednesday Country Jam with 4 Dollar Bill TAVERN ON WHYTE Karaoke;

9pm

DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: DJ Late Fee; Every Wed

SIDELINER’S PUB Singer/

Songwriter Monday Night

VENUEGUIDE 99TEN 9910B-109 St NW, 780.709.4734, 99ten.ca ALIBI PUB & EATERY 17328 Stony Plain Rd THE ALMANAC 10351-82 Ave, 780.760.4567, almanaconwhyte. com ARIA'S BISTRO 10332-81 Ave, 780.972.4842, ariasbistro.com ATLANTIC TRAP & GILL 7704 Calgary Trail South, 780.432.4611, atlantictrapandgill.com AUSSIE RULES KITCHEN & PIANO BAR #1638, 8882-170 St, 780.486.7722, aussierulesedmonton.com B-STREET BAR 11818-111 Ave BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE 1042582 Ave, 780.439.1082 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ 9624-76 Ave, 780.989.2861 BLUES ON WHYTE 10329-82 Ave, 780.439.3981 BLVD SUPPER X CLUB 10765 Jasper Ave BORDERLINE SPORTS PUB 322682 St, 780.462.1888 BOURBON ROOM 205 Carnegie Dr, St Albert BRICK & WHISKEY PUBLIC HOUSE 8937-82 Ave THE BUCKINGHAM 10439 82 Ave, 780.761.1002, thebuckingham.ca

CAFFREY'S IN THE PARK 99, 23349 Wye Rd, Sherwood Park CARROT COFFEEHOUSE 9351118 Ave, 780.471.1580 CASINO EDMONTON 7055 Argylll Rd, 780.463.9467 CASINO YELLOWHEAD 12464153 St, 780.424 9467 CASK AND BARREL 10041104 St; 780.498.1224, thecaskandbarrel.ca CENTRAL SOCIAL HALL DOWNTOWN 10909 Jasper Ave CENTURY CASINO–EDMONTON 13103 Fort Rd, 780.643.4000 CENTURY CASINO–ST. ALBERT 24 Boudreau Rd, St. Albert, 780.460.8092 CHVRCH OF JOHN 10260-103 St, 780.884.8994, thechvrchofjohn. com COMMON 9910-109 St COOK COUNTY SALOON 8010 Gateway Blvd CROWN & ANCHOR PUB 15277 Castle Downs Rd DENIZEN HALL 10311-103 Ave, 780.424.8215, thedenizenhall. com DEVANEY'S IRISH PUB 1111387 Ave NW, devaneyspub.com DUGGAN'S BOUNDARY 9013-88 Ave, 780.465.4834

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

EL CORTEZ MEXICAN KITCHEN + TEQUILA BAR 8230 Gateway Blvd, elcortezcantina.com EMPRESS ALE HOUSE 9912-82 Ave NW ENVY NIGHT CLUB West Edmonton Mall, 8882 170 St EVOLUTION WONDERLOUNGE 10220-103 St FIDDLER'S ROOST 7308-76 Ave, 780.439.9788, fiddlersroost.ca THE FORGE ON WHYTE 10549-82 Ave (Whyte Ave) GAS PUMP NIGHT CLUB & BAR 10166-114 St HAVE MERCY SOUTHERN TABLE + BAR 8232 Gateway Blvd, havemercy.ca HILLTOP PUB 8220-106 Ave NW HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH 10037-84 Ave NW, 780.433.5530, holytrinity.ab.ca L.B.’S PUB 23 Akins Dr, St Albert, 780.460.9100 LEAF BAR & GRILL 9016132 Ave 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 MOONSHINERS 101 1Y4, 5202 50 St, Stony Plain

NAKED CYBERCAFÉ 10303-108 St, 780.425.9730 NORTH GLENORA HALL 13535109A Ave ON THE ROCKS 11730 Jasper Ave, 780.482.4767 PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL 10860-57 Ave THE PROVINCIAL PUB 160, 4211-106 St REC ROOM–SOUTH EDMONTON COMMON 1725-99 St NW REC ROOM–WEST EDMONTON MALL 8882-170 St NW RIVER CREE–THE VENUE 300 E Lapotac Blvd, Enoch ROCKY MOUNTAIN ICEHOUSE 10516 Jasper Ave ROSE AND CROWN 10235-101 St SANDS INN & SUITES 12340 Fort Rd, sandshoteledmonton.com SEWING MACHINE FACTORY 9560-82 Ave NW SHAKERS ROADHOUSE Yellowhead Inn, 15004 Yellowhead Trail SHAW CONFERENCE CENTRE 9797 Jasper Ave SHERBROOKE PUB 13160118 Ave NW SHERLOCK HOLMES–DOWNTOWN 10012-101 A Ave, 780.426.7784, sherlockshospitality.com

SHERLOCK HOLMES–WEM 8882-170 St, 780.444.1752, sherlockshospitality.com SIDELINERS PUB 11018-127 St SMOKEHOUSE BBQ 10810-124 St, 587.521.6328 SQUARE 1 COFFEE 15 Fairway Drive SQUIRES PUB–DOWNSTAIRS 10505-82 Ave ST. BASIL'S CULTURAL CENTRE 10819-71 Ave NW, 780.434.4288, stbasilschurch.com STARLITE ROOM 10030-102 St, 780.428.1099 SUGAR SWING DANCE CLUB 10019-80 Ave TAVERN ON WHYTE 10507-82 Ave, 780.521.4404 UNION HALL 6240-99 St NW, 780.702-2582, unionhall.ca URBAN TAVERN 11606 Jasper Ave WILD EARTH BAKERY– MILLCREEK 8902-99 St, wildearthbakery.com WINSPEAR CENTRE 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square; 780.28.1414 WOODRACK CAFE 7603-109 St, 780. 757.0380, thewoodrackcafe. com Y AFTERHOURS 10028-102 St, 780.994.3256, yafterhours.com

EVENTS

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

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

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

COLIN MOCHRIE AND DEBMCRATH • Shell Theatre, Dow Centennial Centre, 870084 St, Fort Saskatchewan • 780.992.6400 • shelltheatre.ca • Colin Mochrie from Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Debra McGrath from Little Mosque on the Prairie present their acclaimed one couple show based on their 27 years of marriage • Jan 31, 7:30pm

COMEDY FACTORY • Gateway Entertainment Centre, 34 Ave, Calgary Tr • Thu-Fri: 8pm; Sat: 7:30pm & 10pm (until Apr) • Brian Link; Dec 28-30 • Ethan Sir; Jan 5-6

COMIC STRIP • Bourbon St, WEM • 780.483.5999 • Jamie Lissow; Dec 27-31 • Steve Byrne; Jan 11-13

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT YUK YUK'S WITH MARCUS BEAUBIER • Yuk Yuk's at Century Casino Edmonton, 13103 Fort Road • 780.481.YUKS • yukyuks.com/edmonton • Dec 31, 10:30pm • $85 (dinner & show), $50 (show only)

RON & WAYNE'S END OF THE YEAR CLEARANCE SALE: AN EVENING OF COMEDY & MUSIC • Varscona Theatre, 10329-83 Ave • johnwaynejones11@gmail. com • Edmonton comedic stalwarts Ron Pederson and Wayne Jones are having a clearance sale on all their best jokes • Dec 28, 7:30-9pm • $20 (adv plus fees, at Eventbrite), $25 (door)

GROUPS/CLUBS/MEETINGS ADULT DANCE CLASSES • Quantum Leap Dance, 11232-163 St • 780.974.0309 • MON: Adult Tap, 7-8pm; Stretch & Strength with Jazz, 8-9:15pm • Wed: Floor Barre 6:45-7:45, Adult Ballet 7:45-9:15pm • Drop in Rate $15.75 (inc. GST); 5, 10, 15 Class passes available

AIKIKAI AIKIDO CLUB • 10139-87 Ave, Old Strathcona Community League • Japanese Martial Art of Aikido • Every Tue, Thu; 7-9pm

THE CARROT COFFEE FRIENDSHIP CLUB • Carrot Coffeehouse, 9351-118 Ave • Have a cup of coffee with 55+ individuals single, divorced, or widowed who are looking to make new friends with neighbours in our local communities of: Delton, Eastwood, Parkdale – Cromdale, Westwood, Spruce Ave, and Alberta Avenue • Every Wed, 11am

COFFEE WITH COPS • Carrot Coffeehouse, 9351-118 Ave • Edmonton Police Service invites the community to an open discussion • 1st Tue of every month, 10-11am DROP-IN D&D • Hexagon Board Game Café, 10123 Whyte Ave • 780.757.3105 • info@ thehexcafe.com • thehexcafe.com • Each night will be a single campaign that fits in

a larger story arc. For all levels of gamers and those brand new or experienced to D&D • Every Tue & Wed, 7pm • $5 (with drink purchase)

Low-cost, fun and friendly weight loss group • Every Mon, 6:30pm

DROP-IN LARP • Jackie Parker Park •

St. Jean: Pavillion McMahon; 780.667.6105 (Willard); clubbilingue.toastmastersclubs.org; Meet every Tue, 7pm

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

Radio Network, 9804 Jasper Ave • An evening of discussion surrounding Edmonton Opera's upcoming production of Gilbert and Sullivan's worldwide favourite operetta HMS Pinafore.

Learn more about our 1920s jazz-inspired concept and what to look forward to • Jan 17, 7pm • Free (register at Eventbrite)

TOASTMASTERS • Club Bilingue Toastmasters Meetings: Campus

• Fabulous Facilitators Toastmasters Club:

MONTHLY MEDITATION AND VEGAN BRUNCH • Padmanadi Vegetarian Restau-

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 • Generating Power Speakers: EPCOR Tower, 10423-101 St NW: Meeting will take place on the 8th floor, 780.392.5331 (Phil); 1st and 3rd Tue each month, 12:05-1:05pm • N'Orators Toastmasters Club: Lower Level, McClure United Church, 13708-74 St: meet every Thu, 6:45-8:30pm; contact vpm@ norators.com, 780.807.4696, norators.com • Norwood Toastmasters: Legion, 11150-82 St NW; Every Thu, 7:30-9:30pm • TM4PM Toastmasters Club: Scotia Place Conference Centre, Meeting Room B, 10060 Jasper Ave; 1022113. toastmastersclubs.org; Every Tue, 6:107:30pm • Y Toastmasters Club: Queen Alexandra Community League, 10425 University Ave (N door, stairs to the left); 780.463.5331 (Antonio); yclubtoastmasters@gmail.com; Meet every Tue, 7-9pm except last Tue each month

rant, 10740-101 St • info@vofa.ca • bit. ly/2hO97nq • First Sat of every month, 9am12pm • Free (confirm via Facebook or email)

YOGA, ART & WINE • 4 Points Health and

EDMONTON OUTDOOR CLUB (EOC) • edmontonoutdoorclub.com • Offering a variety of fun activities in and around Edmonton • Free to join; info at info@ edmontonoutdoorclub.com

FOOD ADDICTS • Alano Club (& Simply Done Cafe), 10728-124 St • 780.718.7133 (or 403.506.4695 after 7pm) • Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA), free 12-Step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, under-eating, and bulimia • Meetings every Thu, 7pm

LOTUS QIGONG • SAGE downtown 15 Sir Winston Churchill Sq • 780.695.4588 • Attendees can raise their vital energy with a weekly Yixue practice • Every Fri, 2-3:30pm • Free

NORTHERN ALBERTA WOOD CARVERS ASSOCIATION • Duggan Community Hall,

Wellness, 12406-112 Ave • Gentle fusion flow yoga and painting • First Sat of each month, 7-10pm • $45 (available at Eventbrite)

3728-106 St • nawca.ca • Meet every Wed, 6:30pm

LECTURES/PRESENTATIONS

OPEN DOOR COMIC CREATOR MEETINGS • Happy Harbor Comics,

ANITA SARKEESIAN: THE REAL WORLD OF ONLINE HARASSMENT • Chateau

10729-104 Ave • 780.452.8211 • happyharborcomics.com • Open to any skill level. Meet other artists and writers, glean tricks of the trade and gain tips to help your own work, or share what you've already done • 2nd and 4th Thu of every month, 7pm

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

PAINTING FOR PLEASURE • McDougall United Church, 10086 Macdonald Drive (south entrance) • 780.428.1818 • karenbishopartist@gmail.com • mcdougallunited.com • A weekly group for those who like to paint, draw or otherwise be creative on paper • Every Thu, 10am-noon RODA DE CAPOEIRA • Capoeira Academy, #103-10324-82 Ave • capoeiraacademy.ca • Brazil's traditional game of agility and trickery • Every Sat, 2:30pm • Free • All ages

SCHIZOPHRENIA SOCIETY FAMILY SUPPORT DROP-IN GROUP • Schizophrenia Society of Alberta, 5215-87 St • 780.452.4661 • schizophrenia.ab.ca • The Schizophrenia Society of Alberta offers a variety of services and support programs for those who are living with the illness, family members, caregivers, and friends • 1st and 3rd Thu each month, 7-9pm • Free

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

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

QUEER BEERS FOR QUEERS • Empress Ale House, 9912-82 Ave • With DJ Jos • Last Thu of every month • Free • 18+ only

TEAM EDMONTON • Various sports and recreation activities • teamedmonton. ca • Bootcamp: Garneau School, 10925-87 Ave; Most Mon, 7-8pm • SWIMMING: NAIT Swimming Pool, 11665-109 St; Every Tue, 7:30-8:30pm and every Thu, 7-8pm • WATER POLO: NAIT Swimming Pool, 11665-109 St; Every Tue, 8:30-9:30pm • YOGA: New Lion's Breath Yoga Studio, #301,10534-124 St; Every Wed, 7:30-9pm • TAEKWONDO: near the Royal Gardens Community Centre, 4030-117 St; Contact for specific times • ABS: Parkallen Community League Hall, 6510-111 St; Every Tue, 6-7pm and Thu, 7:15-8:15pm • SPIN: Blitz Conditioning, 10575-115 St; Every Tue, 7-8pm• VOLLEYBALL: Stratford Elementary School, 8715-153 St; Every Fri, 7-9 • MEDITATION: Edmonton Pride Centre, 10608-105 Ave;

Ave • 780.436.4460 • pixieglassworks.com/ pages/classes • Offering three levels in each of: hollow body work, implosions, sculpture, pipe-making and beads. Call to book • Every Mon, Wed, Thu, 6-9pm (no classes on holidays) • $150 (plus GST)

NERD NITE #39 • Westbury Theatre, ATB Financial Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave • edmonton.nerdnite.com • Featuring lectures: "Living organs, outside of your body! From preservation to organ repair" by Allan Wu and " WTF, Autonomous Vehicles won’t solve the world’s transportation problems?" by Megan Strickfaden • Jan 16, 8pm • $20 (adv) • 18+ only OPERA 101: HMS PINAFORE • CKUA

CANDY CANE LANE • 148 St, between 92 & 100 Ave • Laughing all the way with life-size Santas, reindeer, Christmas trees, snowmen, decorations and thousands and thousands of lights • Dec 8-31 • Donations for the Edmonton Food Bank

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR'S NEW YEAR'S DAY LEVEE • Government House,

Centre of Edmonton, 10608-105 Ave • 780.488.3234 • pridecentreofedmonton.org/ calendar.html • DROP IN HOURS: Mon-Fri 127pm; Closed Sat-Sun and holidays • YOGA: (all ages), 4th Mon of every month, for any stage • TTIQ: (18+ Trans* Group) 2nd Mon of every month, 7-9pm • TRANS YOUTH TALKING: (24 and under) 3rd Mon of every month, for trans youth and supportive people in their lives • FIERCE FUN: (24 and under) Alternating Tue, 7-9pm, games and activities for youth • JAMOUT: (12-24) Alternating Tue, 7-8:30pm, music mentorship and instruction for youth • TWO SPIRIT GATHERING: 4th Wedof every month, 6-8pm, gathering for First Nations Two Spirit people • MEDITATION: (all ages) 3rd Thu of each month, 5:30-6:45pm • MEN’S SOCIAL CIRCLE: (18+) 1st and 3rd Thu, 7-9pm, for anyone masculine-identified • WOMEN’S SOCIAL CIRCLE: (18+) 2nd and 4th Thu, 7-9pm, for anyone feminine-identified • MOVIES & GAMES NIGHT: Alternating Fri, 6-8:30pm • ARTS & IDENTITY: Alternating Fri, 6-8:30pm • CREATING SAFER SPACES TRAINING: Interactive professional development workshops, with full or half-day options • QUEER MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: (Youth: 12-24) (Adults-26+) Queer to Queer Mentoring

GLASSBLOWING CLASSES WITH PIXIE GLASSWORKS • Pixie Glassworks, 9322-60

SPECIAL EVENTS

G.L.B.T.Q SENIORS GROUP • S.A.G.E

PRIDE CENTRE OF EDMONTON • Pride

World of Science, 11211-142 St • 780.451.3344 • telusworldofscienceedmonton.ca/dark-matters • Battle for first place in the IMAX Theatre, test strategies at the Table Top Board Game Café, and prototype local student-made games. Also exploring the math, technology, and physics behind everyone’s favourite games • Jan 25, 7-10pm • $19.95 (adv), $25.95 (door)

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

GLOW IN THE DARK AXE THROWING

ILLUSIONS SOCIAL CLUB • Pride Centre, 10618-105 Ave • 780.488.3234 • pridecentreofedmonton.org • Crossdressers meet 2nd Fri each month, 7-9pm

DARK MATTERS GAME ON! • TELUS

YOGA WITH JENNIFER • 780.439.6950

EVOLUTION WONDERLOUNGE • 10220103 St • 780.424.0077 • yourgaybar.com • Wed: Monthly games night/trivia • Thu: Happy hour, 6-8pm; Karaoke, 7-12:30am • Fri: Flashback Friday with your favourite hits of the 80s/90s/2000s; rotating drag and burlesque events • Sat: Rotating DJs Velix and Suco Bldg, main floor Cafe, 15 Sir Winston Churchill Square • 780.4235510 (Sage) • tuff69@telus. net • Meeting for gay seniors, and for any seniors who have gay family members and would like some guidance • Every Tue, 1-4pm

Lacombe, 10111 Bellamy Hill Rd NW • Anita Sarkeesian is a media critic and the creator of Feminist Frequency, a video webseries that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives • Jan 24, 7-8:30pm • $10$75 (at Eventbrite)

3rd Thu of every month, 5:30-6:15pm • ALL Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre, 8468-81 St; One Sat per month 4:30-5:30pm BODIES SWIM:

• Jack Axe, 9785-45 Ave • 780.628.1874 • jack-axe.ca • Festive themed glow in the axe throwing • Dec 23-Jan 7

12845-102 Ave • 780.427.7243 • ltgov@ gov.ab.ca • lieutenantgovernor.ab.ca • The levee is an opportunity to meet the Lieutenant Governor, visit historic Government House and enjoy music and light refreshments • Jan 1, 1:30-3:30pm • Free

MAGIC OF LIGHTS • Castrol Raceway, AB-19, Leduc County • castrolraceway.com • A 2 km 'drive through' experience from the comfort of your own vehicle. Multiple holiday themes come to life with hundreds of thousands of sparkling lights • Dec 1-Jan 6 OPERA BRUNCH: HMS PINAFORE • Royal Glenora Club, 11160 River Valley Road • 780.429.1000 • Featuring fantastic food and intimate recitals by the artists starring in the upcoming production • Jan 21, 11am1:30pm • $85 (adult), $35 (child); online at edmontonopera.com

RUBABOO ABORIGINAL ARTS FESTIVAL • La Cité Francophone, 8627 Rue Marie-Anne Gaboury • albertaaboriginalarts. com • Rubaboo is a multi‐disciplinary festival, showcasing theatre, music, dance, visual art, food, and workshops. Rubaboo is the only major Aboriginal arts festival in Alberta, committed to giving artists a platform to bring audiences of all backgrounds together to enjoy the vast artistic expressions that exist in Aboriginal culture • Jan 29-Feb 3

SNOWSHOE & STARGAZE • Astotin Lake, Elk Island National Park • 780.922.5790 • bit. ly/2iZcFmp • Trek over snow and gaze into a star-filled sky. Following a short guided hike on snowshoes, attendees will enjoy snacks around a fire and learn about the night sky above • Jan 13; 7-9pm • $29.80 (book via phone) THURSDAYS TBD TO BE DISCOVERED • Legislative Assembly Visitor Centre, Edmonton Federal Building, Main floor, 9820-107 St • 780.427.7362 • assembly.ab.ca/visitorcentre/ events.html • Visitors can look forward to an array of guest speakers, film screenings, free concerts and more • Every Thu, Oct 5-Mar 1, 6-8pm • Free ZOOMINESCENCE, A FESTIVAL OF LIGHT • Edmonton Valley Zoo, 13315 Buena Vista Road (87 Ave) • 311 • edmonton.ca • For almost two weeks, the zoo will illuminate the spirit of winter with a spectacular exhibition of artistic light installations within the unique setting of the venue • Dec 26-31; 5-9pm • $5-$7.50 (Eventbrite)

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

VUECLASSIFIEDS

780.479-8667 (Bob) • bobmurra@telus.net •

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Child care need, 4 hours a day.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, while I am at work. $20 per hour, interested applicants please e-mail: danaestpowell@gmail.com

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

1600.

Volunteers Wanted

Can You Read This?

Help Someone Who Can’t!

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

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

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

2005.

Artist to Artist

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

Register in person, by phone or online.

Contact: 780.432.0240 email: accounts@paintspot.ca

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

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Are you in debt with your credit card? Consolidate your credit card for less with rates from 2.3% APR offer. Bad credit or low income okay.

Call 1-800-581-8288.

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ADULTCLASSIFIEDS

To Book Your Adult Classifieds, Contact James at 780.426.1996 or at adultclassifieds@vueweekly.com 9160.

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SUPREME SPA

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MASSAGE

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VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

SAVAGELOVE UNICORNS STATUS

I have been with my unicorn boyfriend for four months. The sexual chemistry between us is out of this world! I’m a woman who’s very open-minded when it comes to trying new things: I’ve had threesomes and foursomes, tried every toy on the market, done anal sex, BDSM, and many other things. He is sexually experienced, but he’s not open-minded. One thing he won’t do is kiss me after I’ve swallowed his load. We’ve been together only four months, so maybe I just need to wait and hope that he’ll come around.

Or is there something I can do to get him to try it?

CANT UNICORN MAN UP? If that’s the only thing he won’t do—if every toy on the market is on the table, along with threesomes, foursomes, BDSM, etc.—then he’s pretty adventurous. But if kissing after you’ve swallowed is the only mildly kinky thing you’ve attempted with him and it was a no, he may not be adventurous enough to deserve unicorn status. But I will say this in his defense … kissing someone who has just swallowed your load (or snowballing with someone who wants you to swallow your own load) presents a challenge for many men. Some silly straight men worry that tasting their own come will turn them gay or make them look gay— I’ve gotten letters from girlfriends who thought their boyfriends were gay because they were too willing to kiss them after a blowjob. But there are gay men out there who don’t want to deep-kiss the guy who just blew them—and they’re obviously not worried about turning gay (already are) or seeming gay (ditto). So what gives? Blame what’s known as the “refractory period,” CUMU. Immediately after a man ejaculates, his dick starts to go soft and he loses all interest in sex—hormones have been released into his bloodstream that short-circuit sexual arousal. Bodily fluids and orifices a man was happily lapping up or at a minute ago are suddenly repulsive, not because the dude is necessarily inhibited or insecure, CUMU, but because he’s having his period—his refractory period.

Dan Savage savagelove@vueweekly.com

SELF-LOATHING DOM

I’ve been seeing this guy who keeps making D/s-ish jokes and moves—he smacks my butt a lot, for example. When I let him know I like it, he’s suddenly not into it. He says it’s “disturbing” that I like what he’s been doing.

Two questions: (1) Smacking my butt is okay so long as I don’t want it? (2) Enjoying what he’s doing makes me a freak?

JOKING ABOUT CONSENSUAL KINKS Two options: (1) He goes in for domineering head games and “playful” violence because he’s abusive and controlling. (2) He’s got kinks, but he hasn’t managed to incorporate his kinks into his sex life in a healthy, consensual manner— and now that he knows you enjoy the same things he does (but you’re healthier about them than he is), he’s projecting his self-loathing onto you.

Either way, JACK, you’re going to need to DTMFA.

SCREENSHOT PORN

You recently said it’s okay to fantasize about other people so long as we keep it to ourselves. Social media and dating apps have given us access to tons of spank material, from that new crush on OkCupid to the (monogamously) married neighbour you always wanted to bang. In this era, we can see actual pictures of the people we’re fantasizing about more often than not. Facebook stalking for spank bank purposes is fine—we all do it—but does it cross a line to actually download the pictures for later?

I feel like it’s at least a little creepy to be taking screenshots of people’s photos. But as long as you’re the only one using your phone, what’s the practical difference between looking at Facebook and looking at saved screenshots?

SCREEN SHOT PORN AS NEW KONTENT

anal sex. Question: HOW DO I AVOID POOP LEAKAGE?!? The first time we had anal sex, my boyfriend came in my ass and then pulled out. Then we decided to go for a run. (We didn’t think it through, CLEARLY.) A few minutes in, I was leaking all over my pants. In short, GROSS. Obviously it wasn’t a good idea to go for a run afterward (NOTED), but what can I do in the future immediately after anal to avoid poopy come from leaking out of my butt?

ANAL NEWBIE AVOIDING LEAKAGE Yeah, don’t go for a run immediately after anal. Spend a few minutes on the toilet instead— bring your phone, post something to Instagram, let gravity do its thing. And that wasn’t poop leaking out of you on that run, ANAL, it was santorum— “the frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.”

INCAPABLE OF LOVE

No one aroused by BDSM could ever truly love someone, could they?

VIOLENCE ISN’T LOVE, EH?

Of course not, VILE. But only the Duggar girls and Princess Diana’s boys are capable of truly loving someone. The rest of us are just playing.

VANILLA

My boyfriend complains that our sex life is too vanilla. I want him to be satisfied, but he won’t tell me what else he wants to do.

Recently, he suggested an open relationship. I don’t want to be in an open relationship and I told him as much. But I’m fully open to being more kinky or whatever else he needs. I’ve tried mixing it up, but he just looks at me strangely and asks me to stop whatever I’m doing. Can I do anything to fix this? Any insight would be appreciated.

I’M NOT GOOD AT ACRONYMS He knows what he wants, and he can’t or won’t tell you. Either he can’t because he’s so sexually repressed that he’s incapable of pushing the words out of his mouth, or he won’t because his non-vanilla desires are so extreme as to be deal-breakerlevel repulsive to anyone who doesn’t share them. But complaining about your sex life without elaborating or giving you any constructive feedback at all is disqualifying assholery, INGAA. You’ll also have to DTMFA.

LIBIDO

I just read your reply to a woman who wrote to you regarding her partner’s lack of libido.

Although I found the article somewhat interesting, I would have preferred that a woman who was an actual lesbian was rendering advice to other lesbians. As a man, you are not qualified to deal out sex advice to women—especially to lesbians.

STATING THIS OBVIOUS POINT Take it away, Free Dictionary: “ad•vice: opinion about what could or should be done about a situation or problem.” The only qualification you need to give someone your opinion? Someone asked you for it. Full stop, STOP. So I’m going to continue giving advice to straight people despite not being straight, to lesbians despite not being a lesbian, to bisexuals despite not being bi, to trans people despite not being trans, to monogamous people despite not being monogamous. Hell, I sometimes give advice to Republicans despite not being a heartless idiot.

Give the gift of the magnum Savage Lovecast at savagelovecast.com! mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

ALBERTA-WIDECLASSIFIEDS •• AUCTIONS •• NEW YEARS DAY Antique Collector Auction! 11 am Monday, January 1, Wainwright Legion 1030-2 Ave., Wainwright, Alberta.

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BUTT FIRSTS

I am a 29-year-old straight woman on the West Coast in a new relationship. My boyfriend and I have just begun exploring

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

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FREEWILLASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I need more smart allies, compassionate supporters, ethical role models, and loyal friends, and I need them right now!” writes Joanna K., an Aries reader from Albuquerque, New Mexico. On the other hand, there’s Jacques T., an Aries reader from Montreal. “To my amazement, I actually have much of the support and assistance I need,” he declares. “What I seem to need more of are constructive critics, fair-minded competitors with integrity, colleagues and loved ones who don’t assume that every little thing I do is perfect, and adversaries who galvanize me to get better.” I’m happy to announce, dear Aries, that in 2018 you will benefit more than usual from the influences that both Joanna and Jacques seek.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the Scots language spoken in Lowland Scotland, a watergaw is a fragmented rainbow that appears between clouds. A skafer is a faint rainbow that arises behind a mist, presaging the imminent dissipation of the mist. A silk napkin is a splintered rainbow that heralds the arrival of brisk wind and rain. In accordance with the astrological omens, I propose we use these mysterious phenomena as symbols of power for you in 2018. The good fortune that comes your way will sometimes be partially veiled and seemingly incomplete. Don’t compare it to some perfect ideal. It’ll be more interesting and inspiring than any perfect ideal.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 2018, half-buried residues from the past will be resurfacing as influences in your life. Old dreams that you abandoned prematurely are ripe to be re-evaluated in light of what has happened since you last took them seriously. Are these good or bad developments?

It will probably depend on your ability to be charitable and expansive as you deal with them. One thing is certain: To move forward into the future, you will have to update your relationships with these residues and dreams.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Poet Diane Ackerman tells us that human tongues, lips, and genitals possess neural receptors that are ultra-responsive. Anatomists have given unsexy names to these bliss-generating parts of our bodies: Krause end bulbs, also known as bulboid corpuscles. (Couldn’t they have called them “glimmering rapture hubs” or “magic buttons”?) In any case, these sweet spots enable us to experience surpassing pleasure. According to my understanding of the astrological omens for 2018, Cancerian, your personal complement of bulboid corpuscles will be even more sensitive than usual. Here’s further good news: Your soul will also have a heightened capacity to receive and register delight.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Mise en place is a French term whose literal translation is “putting in place.” When used by professional chefs in a restaurant kitchen, it refers to the task of gathering and organizing all the ingredients and tools before beginning to cook. I think this is an excellent metaphor for you to emphasize throughout 2018. In every area of your life, thorough preparation will be the key to your success and fulfillment. Make sure you have everything you need before launching any new enterprise or creative effort.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Experimental composer Harry Partch played one-of-a-kind musical instruments that he made from objects like car hubcaps, gourds, aluminum ketchup bottles, and nose cones from airplanes. Collage artist Jason Mecier fashions portraits of celebrities using materials like noodles, pills, licorice candy, bacon, and lipstick tubes. Given the astrological configurations for 2018, you could flourish by adopting a similar strategy in your own chosen field. Your most interesting successes could come from using things as they’re not “supposed” to be used. You could further your goals by mixing and matching resources in unique ways.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I wish I could make it nice and easy for you. I wish I could proclaim that the forces of darkness are lined up against the forces of light. I’d like to be able to advise you that the opening months of 2018 will bring you a showdown between wrong and right, between ugliness and beauty. But it just ain’t that simple. It’s more like the forces of plaid will be arrayed against the forces of paisley.

The showdown will feature two equally flawed and equally appealing sources of intrigue. And so you may inquire, Libra, what is the most honourable role you can play in these matters?

Should you lend your support to one side or the other? I advise you to create a third side.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 2018, your tribe will be extra skilled at opening things that have been shut or sealed for a long time: heavy doors, treasure boxes, rich possibilities, buried secrets, shy eyes, mum mouths, guarded hearts, and insular minds. You’ll have a knack for initiating new markets and clearing blocked passageways and staging grand openings. You’ll be more inclined to speak candidly and freely than any other generation of Scorpios in a long time.

Getting stuck things unstuck will come naturally. Making yourself available for bighearted fun and games will be your specialty.

Given these wonders, maybe you should adopt a new nickname, like Apertura (the Italian word for “opening”), Ouverture (the French word for “opening”), Šiši

Rob Brezsny freewill@vueweekly.com

(Yoruban), Otevírací (Czech), Öffnung (German), or Kufungua (Swahili).

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I predict that the coming months won’t bring you the kinds of opportunities you were imagining and expecting, but will bring you opportunities you haven’t imagined and didn’t expect. Will you be alert and receptive to these sly divergences from your master plan? If so, by September of 2018 you will have become as smart a gambler as maybe you have ever been. You will be more flexible and adaptable, too, which means you’ll be better able to get what you want without breaking stuff and wreaking whirlwinds. Congratulations in advance, my daring darling. May your experiments be both visionary and practical. May your fiery intentions be both steady and fluidic.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Hungarian psychiatrist Thomas Szasz dismissed the idea that a person should be on a quest to find himself or find herself. “The self is not something that one finds,” he said. Rather, “it is something one creates.” I think that’s great advice for you in 2018, Capricorn. There’ll be little value in wandering around in search of fantastic clues about who you were born to be. Instead you should simply be gung-ho as you shape and craft yourself into the person you want to be.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Is there anything about your attitude or your approach that is a bit immature or unripe? Have you in some way remained an amateur or apprentice when you should or could have become fully professional by now? Are you still a dabbler in a field where you could be a connoisseur or master? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, the coming months will be an excellent time to grow up, climb higher, and try harder. I invite you to regard 2018 as the year of kicking your own ass.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 2018, one of your themes will be secret freedom. What does that mean? The muse who whispered this clue in my ear did not elaborate further. But based on the astrological aspects, here are several possible interpretations.

1. You may have to dig deep and be strategic to access resources that have the power to emancipate you. 2. You may be able to discover a rewarding escape and provocative deliverance that have been hidden from you up until now. 3. You shouldn’t brag about the liberations you intend to accomplish until you have accomplished them. 4. The exact nature of the freedom that will be valuable to you might be useless or irrelevant or incomprehensible to other people.

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

Matt Jones jonesincrosswords@vueweekly.com

“Weave Only Just Begun”--freestyle and challenging.

Across

1 Nutty person 12 Talk freely 15 Ziti and such 16 AP competitor 17 Genre for “The Breakfast Club” or “A Catcher in the Rye” 18 Cornelius of “Soul Train” 19 People and language in Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” 20 Waiting for a real person, maybe 22 “Imagine that!”

27 ___ Popken (plus-size clothing retailer; hidden in PULLABLE) 28 Abu Dhabi’s loc.

30 Secretly schemed against 33 Ice cream shop item 36 Lot for Londoners 37 Nut 41 Away from the workplace for good 43 Magician Harry, Sr. or Harry, Jr. 46 Designation ditched after smoking bans 47 Robert Indiana stamp insignia 48 Did some dirty dancing 51 Wipes clean 54 “Does that ring ___?”

57 Like a new coat, at first?

58 Acknowledges, with “to” 63 ___ heartbeat 64 Lacking feeling 65 Roofing sealant 66 1955 hit about coal mining

Down

1 Suffix after sand or Man 2 Director Egoyan 3 Army surplus store stuff 4 Kevin who played Dave 5 1980s teammate of Bird and McHale 6 Former UN Secretary General ___ Hammarskjöld 7 “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss” singer 8 Switch status 9 1950 film noir classic 10 Ad image 11 Genesis locale 12 Ballet star Nureyev

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13 Theater with a log rubbed for good luck 14 Odist with a type of ode named for him 21 “Sons of Anarchy” star Charlie 23 Noises from chopper blades 24 Old-school comedian Buddy 25 Bouncers ask for them 26 Tourist activity of declining popularity?

28 Bar code 29 Pie ___ mode 31 Musician on the road 32 “Gas Food Lodging” actress Skye 34 Rack contents 35 Tetra’s home 38 Looked after 39 Particle suffix, in physics 40 Warehouse qty.

42 AAA job 43 Messed up big-time 44 John Bobbitt’s ex-wife 45 2009 film set on the planet Pandora 49 Part of DKNY 50 Guy who was all thumbs?

52 Shield bearing Medusa’s head: var.

53 Apple tech support?

55 Attachment on property 56 Fords produced until 1991 59 ___ populi 60 Sinus specialist, for short 61 “___ Drives Me Crazy” (1989 #1 hit) 62 Bee chaser? ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords

CURTIS HAUSER

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018

at the back 23

TRIM SIZE: 9.45"W x 12.6" H,

JOHN FLUEVOG SHOES AV E N W AC R O S S F R O M T H E P R I N C E S S T H E AT R E · · F LU E VO G C O M

24 Make like a tree... and get out of here!

VUEWEEKLY.com | DEC 28, 2017 – JAN 3, 2018