Vue Weekly Issue 769 July 15 - 21 2010 by Vue Weekly

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VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

INSIDE

COVER

#769 • Jul 15 – Jul 21, 2010

UP FRONT // 4/ 4 6 7 9

Vuepoint Dyer Straight ZeitGeist Bob the Angry Flower

DISH // 10/ 11 Veni, Vidi, Vino

ARTS // 12/ 13 Hopscotch

FILM // 15 18 DVD Detective

MUSIC // 19/ 24 Enter Sandor 29 Music Notes 30 New Sounds 31 Old Sounds 31 Quickspins

BACK // 32

Musician's Survival Guide: it's a jungle out there, learn how to equip yourself

UP FRONT

FILM

32 Free Will Astrology 34 Queermonton 35 Alt.Sex.Column

EVENTS LISTINGS 14 Arts 17 Film 22 Music 33 Events

Legal questions in the Syncrude duck trial

Cyrus tries both conventional and akward comedy

VUEWEEKLY.COM VUETUBE // SOS Fest

MUSIC

• Slideshow SOS Fest, Old Wives, Old Sins • VueTube SOS Fest

ARTS • Slideshow AGA Refinery party

FILM

• SideVue Sweet dreams are made of film: Brian Gibson awakens to the convincing power of a good dream sequence

DISH

• Dishweekly.ca Restaurant reviews, features, searchable and easy to use SOS Fest ran July 9 – 11 in Old Strathcona

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

FRONT // 3

EDITORIAL

INSIDE // FRONT

UP FRONT

Dyer Straight

ZeitGeist

Bob the Angry Flower

GRASDAL'S VUE

Vuepoint

Flying to oblivion samantha power // samantha@vueweekly.com

he legitimacy and effectiveness of Canada's Senate is always up for debate. But every so often this non-elected body can prove to be useful, if not expressly helpful to opposition parties in making points of principle and stopping particularly egregious policy, especially when budgets are at stake. This past week, the Senate met to pass the budget—a controversial budget which had already undergone contentious debate with attempts to remove sections regarding the privatization of Atomic Energy of Canada, privatization of Canada Post's international operations and drastic restructuring of environmental assessments. According to Liberal senators, these provisions did not exist in the original budget bill, but were put in the 900-page document to pass through the Senate unannounced to Canadians. Through contentious and lengthy debate on each of these issues, which remained in the budget, it might be expected that the passing of the budget IssuE

no. 769

itself could be used as a final attempt to defeat these issues. That significance and opportunity was not lost on Senators who had every obstacle thrown in front of them to prevent their attending, from back problems to brain surgery. Well, except for seven Liberal senators who found the complications of airline travel too much to arrange a flight to attend the vote. The bill passed 48-44, and with five Conservative senators missing, the participation of the absent Liberals would have made the difference. The defeat of this budget at the Senate level would not only have been crippling to the Conservatives, it would have led quite quickly to an election— something the Liberals, as they depart on their cross-Canada road trip, are not ready for. But, when the election does eventually come around, this same party will make claims, as every opposition party does, that they have done everything in their power to take this Conservative government to task on the issues that Canadians care about. Let's hope when these claims are made, as we cast our vote, we all remember who couldn't change their flight plans to cast theirs. V

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Attending a protest, you're approached by police to present identification. What are your rights and responsibilities? What are the rights and responsibilities of the police? We talk to Carole Aippersbach, public legal education lawyer with the Legal Resource Centre of Alberta. Aippersbach explains the ins and outs of laws regarding your rights to free speech. Check out vueweekly.com/extra for this week's podcast about freedom of speech and civil liberties.

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VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

FEATURE // ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

Environmental fallout

What does Syncrude's guilt in the deaths of 1600 ducks mean for environmental law? samantha power // samantha@vueweekly.com

ix months after over 1600 ducks had been found dead on Syncrude's Aurora tailings ponds, no action had been taken. Government charges had not been laid, no investigation was announced, and while non-profit organizations brought continued attention to the issue, no action was being taken. In talking with his coworkers at the Sierra Club and Ecojustice, Jeh Custer knew a law had been broken and decided to take it on himself. "We had been talking about how an environmental protection law had been broken," Custer explains. With the help of some legal expertise from EcoJustice and a shoe-string budget, Custer launched a private prosecution against the multi-million dollar oil company. It's that decision which led to last month's ruling finding Syncrude guilty of failing to prevent toxic substances from coming in contact with birds in the region. "It's good to know Syncrude is guilty and it's official now that they're a corporate criminal," says Custer. "I hope it sets a precedent where governments

are failing to protect the best interests of the people, and enforce environmental protection laws." "The trial revealed a lot of the flaws in the government's regulatory regime." Greenpeace campaigner Mike Hudema explains. For environmentalists and environmental-law experts the case is a monumental decision in holding corporations accountable to the law created to protect the environment. Adam Driedzic, staff counsel at the Environmental Law Centre in Edmonton, explains this was a case of an operator not complying with laws that already were in place and that enforcement is really the issue at hand: "One of the things that needs to change is the discretionary enforcement. Both the province and the feds have stronger environmental powers than we've seen used." Driedzic points to past incidents of animal deaths in the tailings ponds, as well as the continued environmental record of Canada internationally. Currently at the international level Canada has twice as many environmental complaints filed by citizens as the US does. The Commission for Environmental Cooperation, created as part

of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation to assist in the enforcement of environmental law, has 27 citizen submissions bringing attention to environmental enforcement issues here in Canada, one of which is against the tar sands. For Hudema, who observed the majority of the trial, the most revealing element of the case was when the federal prosecutor argued that not only was Syncrude guilty of failing to prevent contact of toxic substances with the surrounding environment, a strict reading of the federal migratory birds act meant tailings ponds should not exist in the region at all because of their damage to the surrounding environment—something Syncrude used to foretell the end of the tar sands industry. The argument this ruling would bring down the tar sands industry is not only viewed as hyperbolic by both Hudema and Driedzic, but they're reluctant to predict that this will impact environmental enforcement at all. "What it should lead to is a much more thorough investigation into the tar sands industry and more stringent regula-

tions and environmental enforcement and monitoring. But we're not seeing that," explains Hudema. "At the end of the day Syncrude will pay some sort of fine, or creative sentencing, but business will go on." At the court level Driedzic doesn't believe there will be a mass movement of every operator being shut down, as Syncrude hyperbolically predicted during their defense. "There's not necessarily increased chances of future convictions, because each operator will be able to argue due process on their behalf," says Driedzic. Driedzic and Custer are in agreement that this case will have two possible impacts. First, sentencing could put some weight behind the guilty verdict. With great flexibility at his disposal, the judge could impose some hefty fines, anywhere from $800 000 into the millions. (As the legislation is based on convictions on a per incident basis, each bird could be interpreted as an individual incident.) Unfortunately, it could also turn out to be a negotiated sentence, what Hudema terms, "creative sentencing," which would result in donations to a research group on a much smaller level. Driedz-

ic is hopeful the fine will be enough to deter future violations. "The sentence needs to deter future harms, because that's the point of environmental law," he says.

replacement of full-time jobs lost during the economic downturn. A report released last week by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business indicated Alberta business owners in several key economic sectors, including agriculture, construction and hospitality, continue to maintain low levels of confidence in the nation. As unemployed Albertans exhaust their Employment Insurance benefits, many are turning to welfare to get by. Since 2008, social assistance caseloads have gone up by 50 percent to over 40 000 cases. According to the Government of Alberta, the province has not seen income support caseloads this high since 1997. "This government is creating a social crisis by going against all available economic wisdom—cutting spending when they should be investing, cutting training programs when they should be placing a premium on job growth." concludes McGowan.

Trade Agreement (CETA), the Council of Canadians will be lobbying members of the European Parliament in an effort to end the negotiations. The deal, says the Council, will encourage the privatization of water services domestically, extend NAFTA's investor protections to EU firms and impose spending limits on cities. "EU trade negotiators are working on behalf of powerful water and other service companies who see trade agreements as a way to liberalize public services worldwide. Their goal, shared by the Harper government, is privatization," says Meera Karunananthan, Council of Canadians water campaigner. Along with its demand for a halt to the CETA talks, the Council wants to see the mandate given to negotiators and a commitment to revoke the investor-state dispute process from all free-trade agreements signed by Canada. They are also calling upon the Harper government to permanently remove water from the scope of trade agreements and to support a United Nations declaration that water is a fundamental human right. The Council of Canadians is a member of the Trade Justice Network, a growing collection of environmental, labour and civil society organizations concerned with the scope and secrecy of the Canada-EU free trade negotiations.

Where the greater gain could be is the incidents of citizen-initiated enforcement cases. "This was a massive victory for public participation," says Driedzic. While the Attorney General has the decisive say in how private prosecutions go forward, the fact that the trial resulted in a guilty charge may encourage the legitimacy of citizen-initiated prosecutions. "Unfortunately in Alberta we have a federal and provincial government who seem unwilling to take these corporations to court when they break environmental laws, so it becomes inherent on the citizens to take these cases to court," explains Hudema. "The guilty verdict means there is a bit of a precedent set for these cases to go forward." Custer is equally subdued in his predictions: "This is a good thing in moving forward environmental justice and there's still obviously a lot of work to do, but it's a step in the right direction." V

News Roundup WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE

ith the provincial government expected to release new legislation regarding water allotments and usage, environmental and public service advocates have been active in bringing attention to water issues in Alberta. A new coalition, uniting under the banner "Our water is not for sale," is focusing on the idea that water must be prioritized for ecosystems and basic human needs. The concern stems from several government-commissioned reports indicating the Alberta government will propose drastic changes to the water act and create a deregulated market for water in the province. Alberta has operated under the "First in time, first in right" water laws since

1894. The coalition explains there's no arguing the laws need to be updated. "There's no doubt that our water allocation system can't handle the pressures we're seeing, and needs to be updated," says Scott Harris, prairie regional organizer with the Council of Canadians. "But government plans to simply let the market decide who has access to water and who doesn't—at the same time as they remove much of the government oversight—will make the situation worse, not better." The coalition is clear that a resource as critical as water cannot be left to the market. "Farmers know better than anyone how critical water is," says Doug Scott, Alberta board member with the National Farmers Union. "Albertans understand the importance of local food production, and don't want to see a

QUOTE OF THE WEEK "If this chemical is not a problem, why is it our lungs are burning. Are you trying to tell me these chemicals are not causing our throats to burn?" — Peace River area resident Richard Langer in response to a foul odour mysteriously present in the area. The Edmonton Journal

system where Alberta's farmers will be forced to compete for water on the open market with large corporations with deep pockets." The coalition includes Public Interest Alberta, the Sierra Club Prairie, Keepers of the Athabasca, Duncan First Nation and the Alberta Federation of Labour among many others. New legislation regarding water allotment is expected to be under discussion in the fall sitting of the legislature. ALBERTA JOB GROWTH LAGS

hile the rest of Canada is enjoying increases in full-time employment, Albertans continue to feel the effects of an ongoing jobs crisis, according to the Alberta Federation of Labour. During the month of June, unemployment in the province increased from 6.6 percent to 6.7 percent and 9600 full-time jobs were lost. Youth unemployment (15 – 24) remains high at 11.7 percent and aboriginal off-reserve unemployment remains at 15 percent, unchanged from a year ago. Gil McGowan, president of the AFL, places the blame squarely on the provincial government's shoulders. "Alberta was one of the only jurisdictions in the industrialized world to refuse to invest in economic stimulus," he says, suggesting that this leaves us lagging behind in economic recovery and the

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

THE EU WANTS CANADA'S WATER

ederal, provincial and territorial trade negotiators are in Brussels this week participating in the fourth round of trade talks with their EU counterparts. While negotiators hammer out the details of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and

samantha power

// samantha@vueweekly.com

FRONT // 5

COMMENT >> RWANDA

The loneliest job

Difficult choices for Rwanda's Paul Kagame Did Paul Kagame really stop the genoway very quickly. It peaked in 1994. cide in Rwanda 16 years ago, or did he This past will not leave Rwanda alone. just interrupt it for a while? That quesThe very words "Tutsi" and "Hutu" have tion frightens him so much that he will now been banned in Rwanda, but a minnot risk everything on the outcome of a isterial investigation in 2008 found antidemocratic election. Tutsi graffiti and harassment of Tutsi Kagame is running for re-election to the students in most of the schools that presidency of the traumatized Cenwere visited. The army is exclusively tral African country next month. Tutsi and the government almost If economic success automatientirely so, because Kagame cally brought political sucdoes not really believe that cess he would be a shoo-in: this generation of Hutus can ly.com be trusted. Rwanda's economy grew by eweek u v @ e gwynn 11 percent last year. But in e Gwynn fact, his resounding election To make his position even r Dye victory in 2003 was the result more precarious, Tutsi solidarity of ruthless manipulation, and this is breaking down. The arrests, exone will be the same. ile and attempted assassination of variIn recent months, opposition party ous generals may be in response to real leaders in Rwanda have been arrested plots. Most Tutsi generals belong to the and charged with denying the genoNyiginya clan, which traditionally procide. An opposition newspaper was vided the country's king. Paul Kagame is banned and its co-editors attacked from the Umwega clan, and some of the (one died, one survived). Leading genNyiginya think that power has remained erals in the Rwandan army have been in the wrong hands for too long. arrested or have fled into exile. (One It is an awful situation, and Kagame was wounded last month in an athas only one strategy for avoiding a retempted hit in South Africa.) So is Kagturn to genocide: hang onto power, and ame over-reacting? Maybe. hope that rapid economic growth and If you cut Paul Kagame open, you the passage of time will eventually blur would find engraved on his heart Wilthe identities and blunt the reflexes that liam Faulkner's terrible truth: "The past have made this generation of Rwandans is never dead. It’s not even past." Oneso dangerous to one another. tenth of Rwanda's population—at least His model is Singapore, an ethnically 800 000 people, Tutsis and those who complex state that avoided too much tried to protect them—were murdered democracy during the early decades of by their neighbours, mostly with maits dash for growth. If Rwanda could chetes, only 16 years ago. become the Singapore of Central AfNot nearly enough time has passed yet rica, then maybe its citizens would for generational turnover to take the eventually come to believe that their edge off the grief and the hate. Everystake in the country's new stability and body pretends it's over, but of course it prosperity was more important than isn't. How could it be? the history. But Singapore did not have Kagame's whole life has been shaped so far to travel, and its history was not by genocide. He grew up in Uganda, drowned in blood. where his parents fled when an earlier The logic of Kagame's strategy obliges wave of violence killed about 100 000 him to stay in power: his first duty is to Tutsis in Rwanda in the early 1960s. He Rwanda's Tutsis, at least half of whom became the leader of the Rwandan Pahave already been murdered. But he triotic Front, a mainly Tutsi exile orgamust provide prosperity to the Hutu manization dedicated to overthrowing the jority too, in order to reconcile them to Hutu extremists who ruled the country, Tutsi survival, and his relatively corrupand he led the RPF army that marched in tion-free government has made impresto stop the great genocide of 1994. sive progress towards that goal. He knows, of course, that Tutsis and Nevertheless, in a free election today Hutus are not really separate ethnic most Rwandans would vote along ethgroups. All of Rwanda's 19 major clans nic lines. His Rwandan Patriotic Front includes both Tutsis and Hutus. They would instantly be replaced by a Hutuspeak the same language and they live led regime of unknowable character and in the same villages. The term once dispurpose. He dares not risk it, so real detinguished cattle-herders from farmers, mocracy is not an option. and later the wealthy from the poor. If Paul Kagame is now killing opposition Rich Hutus could become Tutsis, but journalists and dissident generals, then the Tutsis naturally always remained a he is making a dreadful and probably faminority of the population. tal mistake, but it may not be him. In the He also knows, however, that the coruthlessly Machiavellian world of Rwanlonial authorities exploited those class dan politics, other possibilities also exist. differences and gave the Tutsis political Either way, he has the loneliest, scariest authority over the Hutus in return for job in the world, and he must know that their loyalty. By the later 20th century the odds are long against him. V the Tutsis and Hutus had become ethnic groups for all practical purposes, with a Gwynne Dyer is a London-based journalconstant undercurrent of resentment by ist whose articles are published in 45 the Hutus against the Tutsis. After indecountries. His column appears each week pendence in 1960, the killing got underin Vue Weekly.

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VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

COMMENT >> INTERNET LAW

frame 40%

Top designe r names from Denma rk, German y and France

ISPs not broadcasters

this saturday 8:30 am - 5:30 pm

ISPs must not become creator groups

Last year, the Canadian Radio-television and thus exempt from liability. and Telecommunications Commission In considering whether ISPs can be released its new media decision, which treated as broadcasters, the court adaddressed the prospect of increased opted a similar analysis, stating, "A CRTC regulation of Internet activities. person whose sole involvement is to After days of hearings and thousands provide the mode of transmission is not of pages of submissions, the commistransmitting the program and hence, sion side-stepped the pressure to is not broadcasting." "do something," maintaining a hands-off approach and puntThe case is a huge win for ing the most contentious isthe ISPs and—subject to om sue—the prospect of a new an appeal to the Supreme .c ly k e vuewe levy on Internet providers to Court of Canada or a legislamgeist@ l e fund Canadian content—to tive change—puts an end to Micha the courts. the ISP levy plan. The immeGeist The Internet levy proposal rediate reaction from the creator ceived strong support from several groups seeking the levy suggested Canadian creator groups, who argued that given the video content streamed The ISPs were online, ISPs should be viewed as broadcasters within the Broadcasting Act. By understandably treating ISPs as the equivalent of conelated at the ventional broadcasters, they would be decision. required to contribute to the Act's policy objectives, which include promotion and support for Canadian content. The ISPs unsurprisingly opposed the proposal, maintaining that they are that both are possible, as some indimere conduits in the transmission of cated they are examining grounds for video content. They argued the levy appeal, while others took the decision proposal was illegal since they are to mean that a change to the law was regulated under the Telecommunicanow a necessity. tions Act as telecom companies, not The ISPs were understandably elated broadcasters. at the decision, yet there was some The two sides faced off at the Fedcautionary wording from the court, eral Court of Appeal earlier this year which emphasized the ruling was conand last week a unanimous court sided ditional on ISPs remaining contentwith the ISPs, ruling that providing acneutral. Should ISPs play a more active cess to broadcasting is not the same as role, their ability to claim mere conduit broadcasting. It concluded that so long status would be lost and their role reas ISPs maintain a content-neutral apassessed. proach, they fall outside of the BroadThat language provided a helpful recasting Act and should not be expected minder that ISPs who violate net neuto play a role in promoting the policies trality norms by engaging more directly found in the legislation. in the content that runs on their netThe court relied heavily on a 2004 works run the risk of not only violating Supreme Court of Canada decision the Telecommunications Act, but also that examined many of the same issues falling within the Broadcasting Act and through the lens of copyright law. In facing a host of new rules and costs. In that case, the court was asked to deterlight of this decision, the temptation to mine whether ISPs could be forced to prioritize content may be tempered by pay royalties for music communicated the bigger costs that could come with on their networks by subscribers. Canturning an ISP into a broadcaster. V ada's highest court said no, ruling "an Internet intermediary [who] does not Michael Geist holds the Canada Reitself engage in acts that relate to the search Chair in Internet and E-comcontent of the communication, but conmerce Law at the University of Otfines itself to providing 'a conduit' for tawa, Faculty of Law. He can reached information communicated by others" at mgeist@vueweekly.com or online at was not a communicator of the content michaelgeist.ca.

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FRONT // 7

COMMENT >> ALBERTA'S POLITICAL PARTIES

Issues

Issues is a forum for individuals and organizations to comment on current events and broader issues of importance to the community. Their commentary is not necessarily the opinion of the organizations they represent or of Vue Weekly.

Who was David Swann talking to? Ricardo Acuña // Ualberta.ca/parkland

Last week Alberta Liberal leader David Swann published an open letter to "progressive political parties" under the heading "Let's talk." The letter, published as a fullpage ad in both the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald, invited Alberta progressives to work with the Liberals to find common ground and focus on co-operation rather than partisanship in a bid to unseat the Conservatives from power. This was not surprising, and it is not new—there have been numerous attempts over the years to develop co-operative strategies between the Liberals and NDs, and these have now grown to include the fledgling Alberta Party, and all of the folks involved in the Reboot Alberta and Democratic Renewal Project processes. This is the first time that the idea has come so publicly and from the leadership of a party, but some form of it or another has been around since the Liberals first re-entered the Alberta legislature in the 1986 election. What caught my attention about David Swann's letter, however, was not the invitation itself, but rather the use of the word "progressive." It caught my attention because, these days, everyone seems to be

using the word, but no one ever provides a definition of it. The Alberta Party had a significant part of its roots in the Reboot Alberta and Renew Alberta movements, both of which espoused a new type of politics for progressive Albertans. The New Democrats have often referred to themselves as the only progressive party in the legislature. The governing party has the word progressive in its name, and even Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Alliance have, on occasion, referred to their policies as progressive. But what does the word mean? And more importantly, is there actually enough political momentum behind progressive policies that David Swann's pitch for a big progressive tent might actually make sense? I went online to try to find a definition of the word, and came up with the understanding that, in politics, progressive means "favouring or promoting reform," or "promoting policies that are new or different from what currently exists." Armed with that definition I set out to see which of Alberta's political parties and movements actually meet that criteria, and to ultimately determine exactly who David Swann was talking to. First, a working definition of the status

quo is needed before we find out who wants to change them. In broad terms what we have in Alberta today is a party whose policies are focused on maximizing the exploitation of Alberta's oil and gas resources and following a fiscal policy of low royalties, low taxes, zero deficits, privatization of public services and low public spending. So which of Alberta's current parties qualify? The folks over at the Alberta Party, despite their roots in the progressive Reboot Alberta movement, have recently shunned the word. In their response to David Swann's open letter they make it clear that they do not want to "alienate" any part of the political spectrum and that their big tent will include members of the Conservative Party. By definition, their desire to include folks from across the political spectrum means that they are not progressive, and their letter leaves no doubt that they do not consider themselves as such. The Wildrose Alliance's basic premise seems to be that they would implement the same policies of the current government, only more so. By definition, therefore, they cannot be considered progressive either. That leaves the New Democrats. For years the ND's have advocated progres-

sive taxation, reduced dependency on oil and gas, higher royalties, increased funding to public services and an end to privatization. On all fronts these policies are clearly different from the current government. The party has always claimed to be the progressive alternative in Alberta, and the definition we are using would appear to confirm that. Perhaps the most interesting thing in this whole exercise, however, has been the fact that at the same time as the Liberals are looking to build a big tent for progressive Albertans, their policies show themselves to be decidedly unprogressive. Their positions in the legislature have shown them to be in favour of low taxes, low royalties, continued dependence on oil and gas, zero deficits and some degree of privatization. There is enough congruence between their current policies and the government's that they themselves fail to meet the basic definition of progressive. In short, therefore, the Liberals' use of the word progressive seems like an attempt to co-opt a word for the sake of appearing to be something they are not. All of the other parties in the legislature seem clear on where they currently stand, and what their policies mean. For that rea-

son, the Liberals' attempt to bring them together under a progressive banner was bound to fail from the start. If the goal of the Liberals' efforts is simply to unseat the government then they should say so. If, however, as their letter states, their goal is to unify progressive-thinking Albertans, then they need to spend a significant amount of time assessing their own policies to first determine if they're the best ones to do this. Is there a large number of progressive Albertans currently looking for a political home? Absolutely. Is there also a large number of centre-left to centreright Albertans looking for a political home? Absolutely. The Liberals need to figure out which group it is their policies represent, and then go about the hard work of organizing and representing them. Dr Swann's letter accomplishes neither of those. In fact, it just demonstrates how confused the Liberal Party of Alberta has become, and how far they have to go if they are to make themselves a credible political alternative in time for the next election. V Ricardo Acuna is the Executive Director for the Parkland Institute, a non-partisan public policy research institute housed at the University of Alberta.

FEATURE // US SOCIAL FORUM

Change in the heart of decay Detroit hosts the second US Social Forum Malcolm Azania // malcolm@vueweekly.com

etroit's a city ravaged by downsizing, outsourcing and deindustrialization. It's gone from a population of two million people and half the global automotive workforce nearly a century ago to a mere 800 000 people orbiting a decaying core today. But it's this Detroit that hosted the American pro-democracy movement, delivering 15 000 people to 1062 workshops at the United States Social Forum, proving not only that another world is possible, but that Motor City know-how could help construct it. "It's literally ground zero for the neoliberal crisis," says Lester Kenyatta Spence. A 41-year-old Detroit native and award-winning assistant professor of Political Science at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University, Spence's work has appeared everywhere from The Washington Post to The WEB Dubois Review. He's been

8 // FRONT

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

a guest on C-Span, PBS and National Public Radio. "If another world is possible," Spence explains, "what that world looks like is going to be ferreted out first in cities like Detroit." Despite his hometown love, Spence agrees with certain Mexican USSF delegates that Detroit looks shockingly like a Mexican city, given its stunning collapse. "The centrepiece of Detroit, architecturally, is a building called the Renaissance Centre," which Spence says seemed designed to wall it off from the rest of the city, specifically, Spence believes, to wall the city off from the Black population. Looking at the fortress when it was built, Spence immediately was reminded of the structures that housed the Morlocks, the devolved, feral humans of Wells' post-apocalyptic Time Machine. "Morlocks," says Spence, "are exactly how the power structure CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 >>

US SOCIAL FORUM

rally and get caught up in the spirit, after that it dissipates."

views African-Americans. And that's when Detroit looked like it was on the way back [economically], when it had well over a million people, and you didn't have blocks upon blocks upon blocks of empty land. Now it's a lot worse." Detroit's graduation rate is the lowest in the country from a school system that still trains workers for an industrial base that long since abandoned Detroit.

From global movements to local growth, an unsuspecting revolutionary topic was found in urban gardening. While for the average citizen, urban gardening doesn't exactly conjure the spectre of Che Guevara, hundreds of USSF delegates attended workshops on it. Spence isn't surprised. "Detroit is in the middle of what we call a 'food desert.' Even though the population is about 800 000 on the books, I think there are maybe only one or two major grocery stores in the city." Despite this Detroit has advantages to urban gardening. Unlike in larger urban centres like New York, residents can access resources for urban gardening. "Even if you're living in public housing, you’ve got enough land in your back yard to plant a garden. So, it's about creating public gardens that can both fulfil a material need, but also can get people to work the land together, [and] create a shared political consciousness ... to wean them off of the State and these corporate institutions, to learn how to provide for themselves." Despite all of this momentum, the US Social Forum flew largely under the radar for all media. "I was on a liberal-to-left black talk show in Chicago, and they hadn't even heard of it," says Spence. Instead right and left media focus on the Tea Party, "a really, really, really small group of seemingly disenfranchised, well-off white men ... They had this idea of what America was, and they had this bill of goods that was their entitlement, and that thing is being taken away from them. That actually is a story, but it’s not as big of a story as the attempt to generate alternatives, and it’s really just a sign of how backward our media is that these guys get way more coverage than the literally thousands upon thousands of young political organizers who are really interested in making the world a better place." V

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

It's this blight and betrayal, Spence says, that offers attendees at the social forum the chance not only to witness neoliberalism at work, but to glimpse a heroic history: a city of unionization and labour radicalism, of anarchist cells, and as Spence describes a “really, really, really rich history of black nationalist and black radical organizing. So Detroit has historically been a hub of attempts to figure out the best set of institutional arrangements that would provide the best benefits for the largest number of people. And that, to me, is what the USSF is about." The US Social Forum, only in its second year, offers an opportunity not only to discuss and witness problems, but to actually create change. "This huge group of young, radical leftists—they not only believe in this other world, they're actually working to create it." Spence describes. "It was one of the most astounding experiences I've had in the last 10 years." Workshops focused on the transformation of protest and mobilizing citizens to political action. "Nationally, when we think of protest politics, we tend to think of these tired tactics that are holdovers from the civil rights movement, like marches, rallies and boycotts. Boycotts actually work in some limited cases, but the marches and rallies, what they really are effective in doing is bleeding energy off. So the energy that you'd have to organize around an issue, once you go to that march and

BOB THE ANGRY FLOWER

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

FRONT // 9

INSIDE // DISH

DISH

Online at vueweekly.com >>DISH

Restaurant Reviews

Veni, Vidi, Vino

Check out our comprehensive online database of Vue Weekly’s restaurant reviews, searchable by location, price and type.

PROFILE // DAHLIA'S MEDITERRANEAN BISTRO

Delicate flower

Dahlia's goes Mediterranean by way of Montréal Sharman Hnatiuk // sharman@vueweekly.com

hen my garlic-loving friend told me I had to come to one of Edmonton's newest Mediterranean bistros with her, well, I was more than just a little excited. The two of us have been scouring Edmonton for affordable tasty treats of every ethnic variety for years; she assured me Dahlia's was a true gem. Fadi Smaidi is the owner/operator behind Dahlia's Mediterranean Bistro. Smaidi, who was born in Montréal to Lebanese parents, recalls peeling potatoes when his parents started Boustan restaurant when he was just eight years old. Boustan, which has been graced by everyone from players on the Montréal Canadiens to Pierre Trudeau, is one of the most famous places to indulge in Lebanese cuisine in the historic French Canadian city. Fast forward 22 years and Smaidi has brought his wealth of knowledge—as well as his recipes—to Edmonton. Dahlia's is an open-style bistro serving up healthy homemade meals in the building directly north of MEC on 124 Street. Every day Smaidi whips up two soups; the one constant is his tasty lentil soup, a recipe that reminds him of his mom every morning. The bistro

AUTHENTIC AND DELICIOUS >> Dahlia's inviting interior has a simple selection of fresh Mediterranean salads and shawarmas complemented by a selection of sandwiches with authentic Montréal meats. Since Jacquie is a regular, she knew exactly what she wanted. I, on the other hand, wanted to try everything. Smaidi presented us with an assortment of dishes to sample including falafel balls with a tahini dip ($4.95), baba ghanouj served with pita bread ($4.95), and

// Bryan Birtles

tabouli—a healthy traditional Lebanese salad made from parsley ($3.95). All cheap. All homemade. All delicious. Jacquie, sporting a seven-month baby bump, devoured the chicken shawarma she ordered for us. The chicken was tender and the homemade garlic sauce was so good I was licking it off my fingers. And yes, for those who are used to the authentic shawarma, Smaidi serves it with authentic purple pickled turnip.

Smaidi explains that even though the bistro only celebrated its first birthday this May, lunchtime is busy at Dahlia's. With the revitalization of the Jasper/124 Street area, even Saturdays have been busy. In addition to take-away and its sitdown customers, the bistro is busy catering. Dahlia's now delivers downtown for just $2.50 on a minimum $10 order, a venture that is keeping Smaidi's staff busy.

What got my mouth watering were stories of the TGIF special—Meatball Fridays. Smaidi worked in an Italian restaurant in New York City and took with him a legendary meatball recipe when he left. One Friday he whipped them up for Dahlia's, and there was no turning back. "The staff at Mousy Brown's across the street grab take-away daily. One came over and went back to the salon raving about the meatballs and they came and cleaned me out. They begged me to make it a regular thing and Meatball Friday was born" laughs Smaidi. Smaidi started making 30 large meatballs (two per order with pasta, $10.95), but demand has forced him to increase his meatball-making quota. "Last week I made 70 and was sold out of orders by 1 pm," he explains. "Now I have people calling to reserve orders to make sure I save them meatballs. People are going crazy over them!" Smaidi is a Montréal import that is making the Edmonton culinary scene on 124 Street a lot tastier. I'm tempted to write his mother to thank her for lending her boy and recipes to Edmonton. Dahlia's Mediterranean Bistro is a spot worth stopping by. V Dahlia's Mediterranean Bistro 10235 - 124 St, 780.488.7656

REVUE // GA YA KOREAN RESTAURANT

A fine balance

Ga Ya encapsulates the evenhandedness of Korean cuisine LS Vors // vors@vueweekly.com

alance is a tenet of Asian cuisine. This includes balance of flavour, texture and appearance. The incendiary wasabi and cool rice of sushi, the crunch of nuts and tender noodles in pad thai, and the gossamer clouds of beaten egg that drift serenely in hot and sour soup exemplify this concept. These examples represent Japan, Thailand and China, respectively. The cuisine of Korea similarly epitomizes balance, but remains lesser-known to Western audiences. Indeed, Korean restaurants have yet to devolve into all-youcan-eat buffets, and instead manifest themselves as small, locally owned eateries that understand the concept of bal-

10 // DISH

ance, rather than mere quantity, of food. Several Korean spots even out the dearth of mass-market smorgasbords; among them is Ga Ya Korean Restaurant. Ga Ya occupies a cozy pink and black room near the university campus. A half-dozen small tables leave little room to maneuver, but evoke a sense of intimacy and comfort. The frequent dialogue among the diners and staff implies a rapport that only evolves with repeat customers. The menu is succinct, but includes numerous Korean standards. We select bul go gi ($10.95), stone bowl bee bim bob ($11.95) and duk maan doo gook ($10.95). Two small banchan (side dishes) immediately appear. One is kimchi, the quintessential Korean pickle, which features napa cabbage and

assertive red chilies. The other, kongnamul, consists of cold bean sprouts dressed lightly in fragrant sesame oil. This duet of hot and cold demonstrates the kitchen's sense of balance and sets the precedent for subsequent dishes. Korean cuisine features seven basic flavours: soy sauce, hot peppers, sesame oil, ginger, scallions, garlic and toasted sesame seeds. Each dish is nuanced by different ratios of these ingredients. Bul go gi includes beef, sliced thin and stirfried with carrots and cabbage. Bul go gi is traditionally prepared on the grill, but the skillet is a handy and able substitute. A snowy hillock of short-grain rice is a blank canvas, awaiting decoration by the palette of veg and protein. The meat is

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

tender and bespeaks a sweet marinade of sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. It benefits from a judicious shot of hot sauce that complements the dish's duality of savoury and sweet. Stone bowl bee bim bob is, as its name suggests, served in a heavy stone bowl. This bowl is heated to the extent that its contents cook on contact. Here, a rice base cradles julienned zucchini and carrot, bean sprouts and ground beef, and is crowned by a fragile fried egg and a scatter of toasted sesame seeds. Proper procedure for this dish is to stir all ingredients together and season as desired with vivid crimson hot sauce. Ga Ya's interpretation of this dish is one of textural complexity. The rice at the bottom becomes crisp from the bowl's residual heat, but the vegetables' tender-crisp integrity remains intact. The silky egg contributes flavour and its adhesive tendencies facilitate ease of manipulation with chopsticks. Duk maan doo gook is a bracing soup

adorned with scallions. Its smooth, golden broth demurely hints of ginger. Sizeable dumplings that superficially resemble tortellini recline with ivory slices of glutinous rice cake. The dumplings contain immaculately tender minced beef and additional scallions, and veritably burst with the juices of their surroundings. It is a deeply satisfying equilibrium of gentle broth and meaty substance. Balance—to the point of cliché—characterizes Asian cuisine. Every cliché, however, finds its roots in truth. For balance in cuisine, truth is when flavour, texture and appearance converge and contribute to a grander entity, while each ingredient retains its individual essence. True balance clearly flourishes in the cozy rose-hued room that is Ga Ya. V MON – FRI (11 AM – 7:30 PM) Ga Ya Korean Restaurant 11147 - 87 Ave 780.439.4978

WINE

Stemware 101

The shape of the glass can change the character of the wine

FLUTES AND COUPES >> Car, wind instrument, or wine glass?

// Supplied

Last week a friend and I were enjoying a All wine glasses will have a base, a glass of wine on a Whyte Ave patio stem, and a bowl, with the excepwhen a young gentleman walked tion of some fashionable deIDI by and proclaimed to his buddy, signers making stemless tumV , I N VE "Man, did you see those weird blers. This is a certain point glasses they were drinking of contention, as the stem is om eekly.c out of? I should order a beer designed to keep your hand w e u v gus@ mikean in one of those!" away from the bowl. Aside e k i M While wine glasses (or stemfrom unsightly fingerprints, Angus ware) isn't a mystery to most of the warmth of your hand craus, the comment got me thinking dling the bowl can actually warm that beyond the basic shape, there is a up your wine, thereby changing the ideal certain science to the appreciation of cool temperatures of white wines and wineglass design, and while it may borlighter reds like Pinot Noirs. der on "cork dork" territory, it might be The shape of the bowl is the most obviworth some consideration. ous difference, and the variety reflects

characters that are specific to the varietals they hold. The shape will direct the wine into your mouth in different fashions, which will help exhibit its aromas more effectively. Red wine glasses, for example, generally have larger bowls for exposing more of the wine's surface to air, which helps develop or "open up" the wine's character. This is similar to decanting, though on a much smaller level. The tapered rim helps keep the aromas while funneling the juice to the back of your throat in the case of Bordeaux like Cabernets and Merlot. In contrast, a Burgundy glass is for lighter wines such as Pinot Noir, keeping the wine to the tip of the tongue where the sweetness can be savoured. Conversely, a white wine glass is generally smaller, allowing the aromas to be enjoyed while maintaining a cooler temperature. Smaller still are sparkling and dessert wine "flutes" which will maintain carbonation and encourage the drinker to savour it in smaller sips, as dessert wines and ports are quite sweet. Obviously, nine times out of 10 your choice of wine glass will depend on taste, style and price tag, but for those wine drinkers looking to maximize their experience, experimenting with stemware is a fun and rewarding challenge. V

VINO

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JUL 21, 2010

DISH // 11

ARTS

Online at vueweekly.com >>ARTS

Arts Reviews Find reviews of past theatre, dance and visual arts shows on our website.

REVUE // THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS

Bigger is better

Best Little Whorehouse struggles to live up to its own larger-than-life world banter of two folks with a long history.

David Berry // david@vueweekly.com

Things do, fortunately, pick up in the second act, beginning with a terrifically fun rendition of "The Sidestep," with Gary Carter nailing the greasy puffery of a politician dangerously close to having to make a decision. For the most part, though, this is also a quieter and more melancholy act, and the slower pace fits better with this cast's talents. Fontaine gives "Good Ol' Girl" a bit of a sad bastard vibe that helps to overcome some of the flatter aspects of his relationship with Miss Mona up to that point, and the whorehouse goodbye "Hard Candy Christmas" brings out the best of the female ensemble, although damned if I know exactly what that expression is supposed to mean. The first act still drags too much for the production to be completely saved, but at least they end on a high note. V

y reputation, Texas is a place of big, boisterous types, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas does nothing to disavow that particular mark: from side-stepping politicians to crusading reporters to the flamboyant whores themselves, there's hardly a person who isn't larger than life, with the bluster to match their personality. Consequently, it's the Walterdale production's biggest flaw that it can't quite live up to the world the script creates. The struggles become evident early on, in the form of opening numbers "20 Fans" and "A Lil' Ole Bitty Passant Country Place": meant to both set the tone and introduce us to the Chicken Ranch, the titular, long-tolerated whorehouse quick to become the center of a moral controversy, they both suffer from singers who get overpowered by the live music behind them. That's no small issue considering the latter is sung by Miss Mona (Mary E Stevenson), who has to carry a lot of the early going, to say nothing of getting us on the side of the whorehouse. David Johnston's moral crusader Melvin P Thorpe has much more charisma—and not just because of his sequined suits—to

SEX IN THE STATE >> Glitz and glam at the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas say nothing of Andrea L Graham's housemaid Jewel, who gives the act's best vocal performance in "24 Hours of Lovin'." The down-home twang of the music is enough to give the numbers some energy, if not heaps of personality, but what's created there is generally doused

// Douglas Dollars

by performances that tend to be a halfbeat behind where they should. There are some welcome exceptions—Kate Toogood really gets the awkward humour of new prostitute Shy, and Clyde Rigsby and Robert MacDougall have a certain crotchety charm as a couple of

town leaders—but most of the first act is typified by the relationship between Mona and Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd (Dan Fontaine): they obviously like each other's company, but the just-off notes of their conversation feels more like idle porch-talk between strangers than the

Thu, Jul 8 – Sat, Jul 17 (8 pm) The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Directed by Kristen Finlay Book by Larry L King, Peter Masterson Music and lyrics by Carol Hall Walterdale Playhouse (10322 - 83 Ave), $14 – $18

REVUE // FROM THE HUMAN BODY

Student bodies

From the Human Body shows U of A students balancing technique and concept Amy Fung // amy@vueweekly.com

aving received a sneak peak earlier this semester of the University of Alberta sculpture studio, and having caught several of these undergraduates' work during NextFest's "New Edmonton Artists," it would appear the next wave of Edmonton's sculpture students has dramatically embraced the creative possibilities inherent in contemporary sculpture. Returning to the figurative, along with installation-based presentations of pieces in various media from touches of steel, to treated wood, light weight plaster and even rice paper, the works gathered together for From the Human Body are a welcome change in breaking out the U of A's reputation as an abstract steel yard. Informed by courses and techniques

12 // ARTS

taught by celebrated artists Isla Burns and Royden Mills, who both work in, but are not limited to, steel, the approach to sculpture evidently returns to a basic foundation of portraiture and formal transformation. Mills, who serves as both friend and mentor to his students, notes, "We're trying to encourage them during these years of development to have a solid grounding in the figure, and have self confidence in knowing they can do a classic portrait if they like, but shortly after that, we are encouraging them to develop personal expressions, self-investment and conceptual development in setting their own parameters for making work that has pertinence for people living in our contemporary world." Showing in commercial spaces the Peter Robertson Gallery and The Front Gallery, both located just a few doors down from each other at the west bend of Jasper Av-

enue, the majority of works are done by third-year students, which is surprising considering the level of sophistication inherent in many of the works. For example, upstairs in Peter Robertson Gallery, Jennifer Konanz's small works of treated and untreated paper cast over seemingly found objects held resonance. "You & Me," which features an object clearly tempered with thought and process, sits on top of two stacks of real and worn 4" x 9" mail envelopes. Pushing the concept of the pedestal to a new reality where nothing is stable or permanent, sculpture's preciousness and fragility is held up by something equally perishable and dependent. Downstairs, Carly Greene and Jessica McCoy vie for your attention with their preoccupations on the handsome aspects of natural wood grain, touching upon elements of surprise and formali-

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

ties. McCoy is one familiar name from the "New Edmonton Artists" show, who had works throughout the main foyer of Enterprise Square including the piece "Procession," featured in the middle of Peter Robertson Gallery. With a small blackened pond upon the top face of the large lain lumber along with crafted handles on either end, McCoy suggests something beyond the immediate association of its title to death, opening up imagery of transformation through the Narcissus myth, and redefining the solemnness of a formal procession through sheer formal play. While the students' voices and styles are still rapidly changing and developing, there appears to be greater attention to experimentation and risk taking within the form, consequently revealing a maturity far beyond their years. Breaking out of the moulds, literally, of past forms and theories, the overall tone of

this exhibition is one that balances conceptual process with formal techniques. As this is only the second year BFA undergraduates have been featured along the Gallery Walk in recent memory, the first being a partnership through Front with Peter Robertson coming aboard this year, the exhibition is a great opportunity for the students to develop their skills in a professional context. "We put them into these positions where they have to act like real professional artists, because they need to gain respect and support from people early in their careers," Mills shares. "The public, as well as friends and family, need to view them as artists now, as they will be hard times ahead, as to get to the top of your fields, you are going to have to pay your dues." V Until Sat, July 17 From the Human Body sculpture works by students of the University of Alberta Peter Robertson Gallery (12304 Jasper Avenue) and Front Gallery (12312 Jasper Avenue)

COMMENT >> BOOKS

A postmodern plea I think I underlined more passages in my like to read, and might want to find out copy of David Shields' Reality Hunger: who wrote something especially juicy so A Manifesto (Knopf, $28.95) than any as to follow our interests.) other book I own. This initially struck Reality Hunger contains 618 texts, writme as inherently impressive, until I ten or selected by Shields, designed to noticed how many of these pascollectively argue our living in a sages seemed familiar, those period in which, to paraphrase stray lines that echo Roland Michael Moore's Oscar acBarthes, Walter Benjamin, or ceptance speech, quoted by kly.com Shields, we hunger for reality WG Sebald, or the paragraph e e w e h@vu of dictums taken directly hopscotc because our daily lives are so Josef from another manifesto, that inundated with fiction, ie: poliof the Dogme 95 movement. I tics, advertising, junk journalism. Braun make a habit of learning as little We crave art and entertainment about a book before reading it as posthat responds to and interacts with the sible, so forgive me for being slow on the real. We embrace whatever promises to uptake. Though it's no secret, I didn't clue deliver it: memoirs, sample-heavy hipinto the fact that not only does Shields inhop, YouTube karaoke, reality TV. Yet clude un-attributed quotations in Reality Shields assures us, quite rightly, that realHunger but that such quotes, sometimes ity, or at least randomness, has been infilaltered by Shields, constitute the bulk of trating the artifices of art for millennia— the book, which is about a lot of things— even the Bible is a work of assemblage. far too many things, in fact, to be a coSomething Shields doesn't explain is how herent manifesto—but is perhaps above exactly one is supposed to find their dose all, or at its best, a defence of collage of unfiltered reality through programs and appropriation as a fecund and arguthat are painstakingly designed works of ably unavoidable MO for artists. (Shields' wish fulfilment, soap opera by another sources are listed in the back of the book, name. Shields is anti-narrative, but reality though he urges us to rip those pages out TV appeals to viewers precisely because and ignore their content in the spirit of ... of its resilience of classical narrative. Dewell, we'll get to that. The problem with spite his inclusion of a tired reexamination this isn't that readers are such sticklers of the James Frey controversy and a For for copyright law but that we, you know, Dummies history of DJ culture, Shields

HOP H C SCOT

is obviously a smart, immensely curious guy with an impeccable radar for cultural shifts, and Reality Hunger is a fun, oddly breezy, engrossing read. But while the argument being built here—an extension of Jonathan Lethem's landmark essay "The Ecstasy of Influence," published in Harper's in 2007—is fascinating, it's also a mess. Nearly everything intrigues, yet little holds up to close scrutiny. Manifestos require monsters to rally against, preferably ones long embedded in the establishment. Shields' main monster, after copyright law, is the novel, and his criticisms of it yield this book's most overpowering wafts of horseshit. He champions personal essayists over novelists because they "keep looking at their own lives from different angles." Yet dozens of the authors whose work Shields upholds as helping to sate our reality hunger write books we still call novels—the list includes Proust, Joyce and Beckett—while there's surely no limit to the number of personal essays out there that are both crap literature and complete failures at critical selfexamination. Uninterested in the fiction part of fiction, Shields wants to do away with reading "700 pages" of story—an exaggeration, since few contemporary novels are even half that length—and

REVUE // ORION YOU CAME AND YOU TOOK ALL MY MARBLES

just get to the point already. But what is the point of a novel, and can it be distilled without losing its resonance? What exactly is a novel anyway? What's a memoir? And what the hell is "reality" supposed to be? Is there really more of it in The Bachelor than in Moby Dick? Is Lil Wayne more in touch with it than Gabriel García Márquez? For the record, Shields, directly or indirectly, asks similar questions. The mystery is how can he ask them and still arrive at some of the halfbaked conclusions he posits. It doesn't sound as provocative, but in many respects Reality Hunger is basically a fresh plea to continue applying rigour to the postmodern project, especially if we boil postmodernism down to staying alert to form and accident and a willingness to negotiate the fourth wall. Shields asks: "Is there a sense in which a writer's vision gets more thoroughly and beautifully tested in a book of linked stories than it does in a collection of miscellaneous stories or in a novel? ... I'm thinking of Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time, Kundera's The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son." You'll note that two of Shields' examples were called novels by their authors. Anyway, I like this question very much and, having already read and enjoyed two of these titles I decided to read the third. I bought a dog-eared copy of A Hero of Our Time years ago, my knowledge of Lermontov limited to the facts surrounding his untimely death and references to him made

by Solyony in Three Sisters. Plus, I liked his moustache. The hero in question is Pechorin, an officer and a pretty nasty piece of work: romantic, manipulative, charismatic, cynical, unable to empathize with others, exhausted by life's disappointments: "One just goes on living out of curiosity, waiting for something new. It's absurd and annoying." How emblematic Pechorin is of mid-19th century Russian society I'm unsure, but regarding Shields' question about linked stories, A Hero of Our Time does seem to reach its heights of character development and social critique through the deployment of varied anecdotes and genres. We learn about Pechorin through stories told by a man who once knew him, by a fleeting encounter with a writer, by news of his fate and by his (edited) journals, which describe a love affair, a duel and, in the book's chilling final chapter, an evening spent debating determinism and death with a man about to die. Once you've read this slim but rich novel it becomes impossible to imagine how this character in all his complexities could be conveyed without Lermontov's pattern of hearsay, memory, and private rumination, of external and internal portraiture. So all credit to Shields for, however it might contradict his thesis, pointing out the links between literary works of 1992, 1979 and 1840, and for getting me to finally read a masterpiece that's been sitting on my shelf since about 1994. V

SLIDESHOW >> REFINERY PARTY

Strange new world

Kira Henehan's debut digs into a fun but difficult world of its own Michael Hingston // michael@vueweekly.com

ira Henehan's debut novel, Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles, is an exercise in what you might call straight-faced psychedelia. It's a detective novel, but any Sherlock Holmes-style sleuthing on the reader's part will inevitably come to naught. Here, evidence is hard to recognize. The narrator, a woman named Finley, is a patently self-deluded amnesiac, and the world the book takes place in is so off-kilter that nothing can be safely assumed. For instance, the action happens in a region composed entirely of gravel, metres and metres deep; dozens of abandoned golf carts dot the bumpy landscape. The weirdness of these things is not remarked upon. Is any of this stuff significant to the mystery—something involving a bowling alley, a community theatre production of Lolita and eerily lifelike fingersized puppets? Not particularly. In this book the question "why?" is seldom asked, and never answered. Henehan is not interested in causes, only effects. This isn't necessarily a complaint. After all, every book teaches you how to read it, and Orion rarely feels like it's escaped from the author's loopy-but-

singular vision. In other words, the chaos is controlled; whether it's satisfying is another matter. The book functions as Finley's official report about this particular mission, and she tries her very best to be rigorous and objective at all times. She's a real stickler, to her boss and co-workers' unending chagrin. There are a bunch of reasons objectivity turns out to be an impossible task, but the main trouble is that Finley tries so hard to be thorough that she ends up including all sorts of useless details. This is the Tristram Shandy paradox: in trying to describe everything, Finley ends up describing nothing. Pretty soon her supposedly air-tight report has lapsed into tangents, guesswork and strings of long, completely imaginary flashbacks. Still, she maintains a professional tone—"for this is not after all a traipse through a meandering wood nor a lark through a bubbling brook but a report, in fact, digressions notwithstanding." Finley herself is a thoroughly likable concoction, mixing feminine wiliness with a martian's lack of social grace. To her, every conversational silence is a battle of endurance. She carries a spray bottle with her at all times, because she

knows men are attracted to "an overall sense of just-having-lifted-oneselffrom-a-dip-in-the-lake dampness." At the same time, her memory loss—she remembers nothing of her life before Binelli recruited her, and only retains vestigial hatreds of Russians and a girl wearing blue—makes her a fundamentally tragic figure. She has a head of unappealingly red hair and, for some reason, yellow eyes. We root and mourn for Finley in equal doses. Orion as a whole is a similar blend of comic absurdism and inscrutable logic. It's plenty of fun to get swept up in the current, but I'm not sure you come away with all that much once the ride is over. In the end, Henehan's most hard-won success might actually work against the book's efficacy: by so thoroughly cutting ties to the world as we experience it, she's crafted a replacement that we're not all that invested in. It's almost too easy to wave goodbye. V Now available Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles By Kira Henehan Milkweed Editions

Fri, Jul 9 / Refinery Party / Art Gallery of Alberta

272 pp, $19.50

See more photos of the Refinery Party on vueweekly.com

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

ARTS // 13

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

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14 // ARTS

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INSIDE // FILM

FILM

Sorcerer's Apprentice

Online at vueweekly.com >> FILM

DVD Detective

Sweet dreams are made of film

Predators

Brian Gibson awakens to the convincing power of a good dream sequence

REVUE // CYRUS

Father versus son

Cyrus caught between conventional comedy and the piercingly awkward kind tility barely contained into clandestine "fuck yous" and emotional subterfuge. This scene is absolutely funny, especially given Reilly and Hill's easy talent, but it more openly demands to be taken as such, its beats a little broader and more familiar, which robs it of some of the emotional honesty that the other scene can build. That kind of interplay never really lets up in the film: there are moments when it seems ready to jump one way or the other, to either be a muddled, messy adult relationship comedy or a comic battle of wills and wits between two funny guys, but it never genuinely commits to one or the other. I personally think the former would have been a bit richer, but it also would have been fun to see the latter, especially since the Duplasses seem perfectly capable of conventional comedy, and Reilly and Hill have a real mutual loathing chemistry. Mixed as it is, though, it creates some great moments, but has trouble adding them up to a cohesive whole. V

David Berry // david@vueweekly.com

or their last film, Baghead, Jay and Mark Duplass sought to marry their intentionally aimless and intimate style—you could call it mumblecore, but please don't—to a more established genre, in that case horror. There's something similar at work in their latest, Cyrus, about recovering divorcee John (John C Reilly) butting heads with the eponymous son (Jonah Hill) of his budding new romance Molly (Marisa Tomei): really what they're trying to bring together is their brand of piercingly awkward comedy with the more nakedly crafted, directly funny Hollywood variety, the kind of films we're more used to seeing people like Reilly and Hill in. The hybrid isn't quite as successful this time out. I think that mostly has to do with the similarity of the genres: the effect is kind of the same, but the rhythms are so different that when they're blended, they become dissonant. The Duplasses are masters of ambiguous mood, filling their films with scenes where the atmosphere is as dependent on what you're bringing to it as what they're putting into it: there's a really brilliant one in Baghead involving a come-on that gets rejected that is hilarious, painfully awkward and utterly de-

MOTHER OR WIFE? >> Competition over Molly rages in Cyrus pressing, depending on which character you're identifying with. The Hollywoodstyle comedy, even the really good stuff, doesn't have any space for that: it's supposed to be funny, not heartbreaking or horrifying or tragic or anything like that. Think of the naked break-up scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall—it's brilliant,

// Supplied

but it never for a second wants you to feel sad for the guy, or anything but how funny it is that his dick is out during such an intense moment. So Cyrus has a lot of scenes that work individually, but feel out of place when they're juxtaposed with each other. An opening

party scene, with John flailing around trying to mingle, treads a space between pathetically funny and kind of depressing, and when he finally meets Molly, who just kind of digs his honesty, we can share a bit in his triumph of being normal. Later on, we get a scene with John and Cyrus subtly dueling for Molly's sympathy, their hos-

Cyrus Written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass Starring John C Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei Garneau Theatre (8712 - 109 St)



REVUE // JOURNEY FROM ZANSKAR

Bottomless pit-stop

Zanskar's perilous journey hardly seems as such David Berry // david@vueweekly.com

rederick Marx made his name with Hoop Dreams, and he returns to the subject of youngsters being taken away from their families and childhoods in an effort to better themselves in Journey From Zanskar: A Monk's Vow to Children, though of course under vastly different circumstances. Zanskar is a remote area of India's Kashmir region that nevertheless remains closely tied to its historical Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Thanks to years of border disputes with both China and Pakistan, as well as the region's relative minority status compared to surrounding Muslims and Hindus, it remains

woefully undeveloped, without so much as a direct road to the nearest cities, never mind any other kind of public works. Due to the lack of any kind of educational facilities, the elders and monks of Zanskar have become increasingly nervous over the years that their way of life, in particular their language, is slowly disappearing. Most of the villagers who live in Zanskar are illiterate, as there's not scads of need for books in a region where a person might make the treacherous trip through mountain passes to another city once in a lifetime. As such, the only way to get their children any kind of education is to send them off through those very same passes, either to a slightly larger city not

too far south, or off to one of India's many Tibetan monasteries. Journey From Zanskar examines one such undertaking, from the promise made by one of the monks to the Dalai Lama through the delicate task of convincing the children's families that it's a good idea to send their child away for most of their pubescence to the actual ordeal itself. The main problem is that, despite our being repeatedly told that there's an awful lot of conflict here, none of it really seems to materialize. When the villagers are deciding which children get to go, there really doesn't seem to be much argument, save for one grandmother who is very upset CONTINUED ON PAGE 17 >>

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

ROAD TRIP >> Children set out to preserve their culture

// Supplied

FILM // 15

REVUE // THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE

By the spellbook

Luminous special effects don't hide a formulaic story

BALLS OF FIRE >> Nicholas Cage and Alfred Molina in The Sorcerer's Apprentice Josef Braun // josef@vueweekly.com

althazar (Nicolas Cage) had been searching for the "Prime Merlinian" for 1270 years and in all that time never caught wind of this invention called shampoo. He did however develop a liking for ultra-long rawhide trench coats and other such comic-

// Supplied

book goth super-stylings and at some point wisely chose to base himself in New York City, a place where one can go out wearing such flamboyant vestments without drawing too much unwanted attention. Balthazar was biding time running a grimy midtown antique shop when he first met Dave (Jay Baruchel) back in 2000, but Dave was just a little kid then and not quite ready to assume his duties as savior of the world. Ten years later Dave's grown into a nerdy genius physics major at NYU, and when Balthazar's old nemesis Horvath (Alfred Molina) is resurrected from a pillar of roaches, Dave's belated date with destiny finally arrives. He's taken under Balthazar's wing, ordered to wear pointy shoes and learns how to make molecules vibrate faster and cough up plasma bolts and fireballs, both of which, it should be said, look pretty awesome. Indeed, the fairly seamless parade of luminous special effects in Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice is by far the best thing in the movie, whose story is entirely mechanical, formulaic enough that you can take naps and not miss a thing, and whose performances range from pleasant to annoying. Director John Turteltaub's been making movies for all ages for ages, among them Cool Runnings, 3 Ninjas, Disney's The Kid and both National

16 // FILM

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

Treasure movies, which I guess is where he became pals with Cage, who repeatedly flings his locks and trench coat but isn't let off the leash enough here to be very interesting even as pure camp. Canada's own Baruchel meanwhile delivers hunchy, squirmy, fidgety affectations that seemed fairly purposeful in The Trotsky but here just get distracting and oblivious to the vibe conjured by his collaborators, especially his token love interest (Teresa Palmer). You have to wonder, did they bother to ask Michael Cera? In any case, Turteltaub doesn't give his actors enough space to fully play the comedy, but he keeps things jumping at least, letting our eyes roam all over as, for example, we watch a Chinese dragon careen through Chinatown or a brassy bull bash up Battery Park. Yet for all the expensive location work there isn't a single scene in The Sorcerer's Apprentice that actually resembles New York in the slightest. Too bad, since all that hocus-pocus would probably feel more magical if it were unleashed in settings that felt more like real life. V The Sorcerer's Apprentice Directed by John Turteltaub Written by Matt Lopez, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard Starring Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel



JOURNEY FROM ZANSKAR << CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

by the fact that she'll likely never get to see her grandchildren again; everyone else seems to accept that this is for the greater good. That's even more true when it comes time to make the actual trek. Driving the rough roads that are available seems the least desirable: not only are they circuitous, but they offer particular challenges, include the threat of religious fanatic brigands who might rob or kill the group on the western pass, and the possibility of inclement weather stranding them on the eastern pass, the second highest mountain pass in the world. They initially try to hike through the shortest available pass, which is entirely undeveloped, but the snow turns out to be too much for their pack animals, so they turn back. Lest this seems like a disaster, they end up going the eastern route, but despite warnings that everyone could die, we don't even see much of the evidently uneventful journey: not long after they rent a bus, they're celebrating their arrival at the school. And so what's supposed to be an epic journey seems about as straining as a family road trip, albeit with larger consequences. Truthfully, this seems more like an infomercial for the foundation set up to help the Zanskar region build their own schools, plugged at the end, than a truly compelling film in its own right. V Thu, Jul 15–Sat, Jul 17 (7 & 9 pm) Journey from Zanskar: A Monk's Vow to Children Directed by Frederick Marx Narrated by Richard Gere Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave)



FILM WEEKLY FRI, JUL 16 – THU, JUL 22, 2010 s

CHABA THEATRE�JASPER 6094 Connaught Dr, Jasper, 780.852.4749

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG) DAILY 1:30 INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 1:30, 6:35, 9:15 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG violence) DAILY 7:00, 9:15

CINEMA CITY MOVIES 12 5074-130 Ave, 780.472.9779

MEL KARA DE RABBA (STC) FRI�SAT 1:00, 4:00, 7:45, 11:00; SUN�THU 1:00, 4:00, 7:45 MILENGE MILENGE (PG) Hindi W/E.S.T. DAILY 1:15, 4:20, 6:55, 9:35

SPLICE (18A, disturbing content, sexual

content)

violence, frightening scenes) No passes DAILY 12:15, 3:15, 7:15, 10:10

DESPICABLE ME (G) No passes FRI�WED

12:30, 3:40, 6:40, 9:20; THU 3:40, 6:40, 9:20; Star & Strollers Screening: THU 1:00

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes DAILY 11:40, 2:15, 5:00, 7:40, 10:20

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DAILY 1:00, 4:00, 7:10, 10:00

THE LAST AIRBENDER 3D (PG) Digital 3d DAILY 12:10, 3:20, 6:45, 9:40

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG violence) DAILY 12:15, 1:15, 3:40, 4:30, 7:05, 7:45, 10:05, 10:45

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may offend) DAILY 12:20, 3:50, 6:50, 9:30

KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse language) DAILY 12:50, 4:10, 7:30, 10:40

TOY STORY 3 (G) DAILY 11:45, 2:45 TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 12:40,

DUGGAN CINEMA�CAMROSE 6601-48 Ave, Camrose, 780.608.2144

INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 6:50, 9:05; SAT,

SUN, TUE, THU 1:50

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG vio-

lence) DAILY 6:45, 9:15; SAT�SUN, TUE, THU 1:45

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 6:55 9:00; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 1:55

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may offend) DAILY 7:05, 9:10; SAT�SUN, TUE,

THU 2:05

DESPICABLE ME (G) DAILY 7:10, 9:20; SAT,

SUN, TUE, THU 2:10

EDMONTON FILM SOCIETY Royal Alberta Museum, 102 Ave, 128 St, 780.439.5284

ANCHORS AWEIGH (PG) MON 8:00 GALAXY�SHERWOOD PARK 2020 Sherwood Dr, 780.416.0150 Sherwood Park 780-416-0150

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 6:55, 9:05; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 12:55, 3:05; Movies for Mommies: TUE 11:00 am

THE LAST AIRBENDER 3D (PG) DAILY 7:15, 9:10; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 1:15, 3:10 DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) DAILY 7:00, 9:00; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 1:00, 3:00

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language

may offend) DAILY 7:05, 9:15; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 1:05, 3:15

TOY STORY 3 (G) DAILY 7:10, 9:25; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 1:10, 3:25

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG

violence) DAILY 6:50, 9:20; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 12:50, 3:20

PRINCESS 10337-82 Ave, 780.433.0728

THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (18A sexual

violence, coarse language) DAILY 6:50, 9:20; SAT�SUN 2:30

THE GIRLS WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE

(18A, brutal violence, disturbing content) DAILY 6:45, 9:15; SAT�SUN 2:00

FRI�SAT 1:55, 4:30, 7:25, 9:45, 12:05; SUN�THU

3:45, 7:15, 10:20

KILLERS (PG violence, coarse language) FRI�

recommended for young children) FRI�SAT, MON� THU 1:10, 4:20, 7:50, 10:40; SUN 1:10, 4:20, 10:40

11:15, 12:45, 2:30, 4:05, 6:30, 7:40, 10:15; SAT� THU 11:15, 12:45, 2:30, 4:05, 6:30, 7:40, 10:00

THE KARATE KID (PG violence, not recom-

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

violence, frightening scenes) No passes DAILY 12:30, 4:00, 7:10, 9:55

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes DAILY

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (18A substance

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d, No

INCEPTION: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE (PG

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DAILY 1:20,

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG vio-

1:55, 4:30, 7:25, 9:45

SAT 1:45, 4:40, 7:10, 9:25, 11:40; SUN�THU 1:45,

4:40, 7:10, 9:25

MARMADUKE (G) DAILY 1:25, 4:35, 6:50, 9:00

SEX AND THE CITY 2 (14A sexual content,

THE A�TEAM (PG violence, coarse language, not

mended for young children) FRI�TUE, THU 11:50, 3:10, 6:35, 9:50; WED 11:50, 3:10, 9:50

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes FRI

abuse, crude sexual content) DAILY 7:20, 10:25

passes DAILY 11:30, 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:25

ROBIN HOOD (14A) DAILY 1:20, 4:15, 7:05,

WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2010 (Clas-

4:25, 7:30, 10:10

LETTERS TO JULIET (PG) FRI�SAT 1:50,

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: MADAMA BUTTERFLY ENCORE (Classification not avail-

2:45, 6:50, 9:15

not recommended for children) DAILY 1:05, 4:05, 7:00, 10:00

9:55

4:25, 7:20, 9:40, 11:55; SUN�THU 1:50, 4:25, 7:20, 9:40

IRON MAN 2 (PG violence, not recom-

mended for young children) DAILY 1:35, 4:45, 7:15, 9:50

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TAT� TOO (18A sexual violence, disturbing content) FRI�SAT 2:00, 5:00, 8:00, 11:15; SUN�THU 2:00,

5:00, 8:00

sification not available) SUN 6:00

able) WED 6:30

CITY CENTRE 9 10200-102 Ave, 780.421.7020

INCEPTION (PG violence) DTS Digital, Stadium

12:15, 3:30, 6:45, 9:30

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG violence,

recommended for young children) FRI�SAT 4:30, 9:30, 11:50; SUN�THU 4:30, 9:30

frightening scenes) No passes, DTS Digital DAILY 1:00, 3:55, 6:45, 9:45

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3D

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG) Dolby Stereo Digital, Stadium Seating, Digital 3D DAILY 12:05, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25

11:45, 12:30, 2:10, 3:00, 3:50, 6:15, 6:45, 7:15, 9:40, 10:10, 10:40

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

violence, frightening scenes) No passes DAILY 1:30, 4:20, 7:30, 10:15

DESPICABLE ME (G) No passes DAILY 12:40, 3:10, 5:30, 8:00, 10:25

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d, No

passes DAILY 11:40, 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DAILY 1:50,

4:50, 7:50, 10:45

THE LAST AIRBENDER 3D (PG) Digital 3d DAILY 12:00, 2:30, 5:10, 7:45, 10:30

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG violence) FRI�TUE, THU 12:10, 1:10, 3:20, 4:10, 6:20, 7:10, 9:15, 10:00; WED 12:10, 3:20, 4:10, 7:10, 9:15, 10:00; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00 GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may offend) DAILY 1:20, 4:00, 6:50, 9:20

CYRUS (14A coarse language) DAILY 1:40, 4:15,

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may

offend) Stadium Seating, DTS Digital FRI�SUN, TUE 12:15, 2:45, 5:20, 7:55, 10:30; MON, WED �THU 12:15, 2:45, 10:30

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DTS Digital,

Stadium Seating, No passes FRI�SUN 12:40, 3:50, 6:55, 9:35; DTS Digital, Stadium Seating MON�THU 12:40, 3:50, 6:55, 9:35

TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d, Stadium Seating DAILY 12:50, 3:40, 7:10, 9:50

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG violence)

Dolby Stereo Digital, Stadium Seating DAILY 12:25, 3:30, 6:30, 9:25

CLAREVIEW 10 4211-139 Ave, 780.472.7600

TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Reald 3D DAILY 1:40, 4:10,

6:50, 9:30

KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse language) DAILY 9:55

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may offend) DAILY 1:50, 4:25, 6:55, 9:35

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG violence) DAILY 12:30, 3:30, 7:05, 9:50

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG) DAILY 1:10, 3:45,

6:40, 9:00

6:45, 9:20

KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse language) DAILY 1:00, 3:40, 6:30, 9:10

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) No passes

TOY STORY 3 (G) DAILY 11:30 TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 11:50, 2:20, 5:00, 7:40, 10:20

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: MADAMA BUTTERFLY ENCORE (Clas-

sification not available) WED 6:30

CINEPLEX ODEON SOUTH 1525-99 St, 780.436.8585

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes DAILY 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 3:00, 3:30, 4:15, 6:30, 7:00, 8:00, 10:15, 10:30

may offend) DAILY 12:10, 3:10, 7:05, 9:50

KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse

DESPICABLE ME (G) No passes, Dolby Stereo

CLASH OF THE TITANS (PG nudity, not

14231-137 Ave, 780.732.2236

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language language) DAILY 1:10, 3:40, 6:55, 9:40

may offend) DAILY 1:05, 7:30

CINEPLEX ODEON NORTH

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG

Seating, No passes DAILY 12:00, 12:30, 3:20, 4:00, 6:40, 8:00, 10:00

DATE NIGHT (PG sexual content, language

(PG violence) Digital 3d FRI�SAT 1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:10, 11:35; SUN�THU 1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:10

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG) DAILY 12:00, violence) DAILY 1:00, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15

Digital, Stadium Seating, Digital 3D FRI�SUN 12:10, 2:35, 5:00, 7:35, 10:10; MON�THU 12:10, 2:35, 5:00, 7:35, 10:10

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes DAILY

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY GARNEAU 8712-109 St, 780.433.0728

CYRUS (14A coarse language) DAILY 7:00, 9:00; SAT�SUN 2:00

GRANDIN THEATRE�ST ALBERT Grandin Mall, Sir Winston Churchill Ave, St Albert, 780.458.9822

FRI�SUN 1:20, 4:00, 6:40, 9:00; Digital 3D MON�THU

1:20, 4:00, 6:40, 9:00

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DAILY 1:20,

4:10, 7:45, 10:40

THE LAST AIRBENDER 3D (PG) Digital 3d DAILY 1:10, 4:00, 7:10, 9:40

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG

violence) FRI�TUE, THU 1:15, 3:15, 4:15, 6:30, 7:15, 9:30, 10:15; WED 1:15, 3:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:45, 10:15

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may offend) FRI�TUE, THU 1:30, 4:20, 7:40, 10:20; WED 4:20, 7:40, 10:20; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00 KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse language) FRI�SUN, TUE�THU 12:30, 3:40, 6:40, 9:20; MON 12:30, 3:40, 10:45

TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 11:30,

2:00, 4:45, 7:30, 10:10

mended for young children) DAILY 12:15

abuse, crude sexual content) FRI�SAT, MON�THU 1:50, 4:50, 7:50, 10:45; SUN 12:00, 2:30, 10:45

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG vio-

sification not available) SUN 6:00

offend) DAILY 3:30, 5:30, 7:40, 9:35

lence, frightening scenes) No passes DAILY 1:15, 3:25, 5:30, 7:35, 9:35

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG vio-

lence) DAILY 1:45, 4:25, 7:05, 9:25

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) No passes DAILY 12:45, 2:45, 4:50, 6:45, 8:40

LEDUC CINEMAS Leduc, 780.352.3922

INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 12:45, 3:35, 6:45,

9:35

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG vio-

lence) DAILY 12:55, 3:40, 6:55, 9:40

DESPICABLE ME (G) DAILY 1:00, 3:25, 7:00, 9:25 THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 1:05, 3:30, 7:05, 9:30 METRO CINEMA 9828-101A Ave, Citadel Theatre, 780.425.9212

TURKEY SHOOT: BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR (STC) THU 9:00

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes DAILY 11:45, 2:15, 4:40, 7:20, 9:45

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG violence,

1:00, 3:15, 4:30, 6:30, 7:50, 9:45

lence, frightening scenes) No passes DAILY 12:45, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (18A substance

WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE: A DOCUMEN� TARY ABOUT THE DOORS (14A nudity) THU

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes DAILY 12:00,

violence) No passes DAILY 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG) DAILY 1:10

DESPICABLE ME (G) No passes FRI�SUN 2:00, frightening scenes) No passes DAILY 12:50, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40

11:30, 1:00, 3:00, 4:30, 6:30, 8:00, 10:00

THE KARATE KID (PG violence, not recom-

12:55, 3:35, 6:25, 9:05

JOURNEY FROM ZANSKAR: A MONK'S VOW TO CHILDREN (STC) FRI�SAT 7:00, 9:00

4:45, 7:15; MON�THU 2:00, 4:45, 7:15

WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.444.2400

INCEPTION (PG visolence) No passes DAILY

FRI�SUN 1:30, 4:15, 7:10, 10:00; MON�THU 1:30, 4:15,

7:10, 10:00

SCOTIABANK THEATRE WEM

7:00

PARKLAND CINEMA 7 130 Century Crossing, Spruce Grove, 780.972.2332 (Spruce Grove, Stony Plain; Parkland County)

INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 6:45, 9:30; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 12:45, 3:30

WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 2010 (ClasTHE BIG FOUR: ANTHRAX, MEGA� DETH, METALLICA, SLAYER ENCORE (Classification not available) MON 6:30

WESTMOUNT CENTRE 111 Ave, Groat Rd, 780.455.8726

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG vio-

lence) DTS Digital FRI 6:30, 9:25; SAT�SUN 12:15, 3:20, 6:30, 9:25; MON�THU 5:10, 8:00

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG) Dolby Stereo

Digital FRI 7:00; SAT�SUN 12:30, 3:40, 7:00; MON� THU 5:30

DESPICABLE ME (G) No passes, DTS Digital FRI 7:15, 9:40; SAT�SUN 12:45, 3:50, 7:15, 9:40; MON�THU 5:20, 8:10

KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse language) Dolby Stereo Digital FRI�SUN 9:55; MON�THU 8:30 INCEPTION (PG violence) Dolby Stereo Digital, No passes FRI 6:50, 10:10; SAT�SUN 12:00, 3:30, 6:50, 10:10; MON�THU 5:00, 8:20

WETASKIWIN CINEMAS Wetaskiwin, 780.352.3922

DESPICABLE ME (G) DAILY 1:00, 3:25, 7:00, 9:25

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may offend) DAILY 1:10, 3:35, 7:10, 9:35 INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 12:45, 3:40,

6:45, 9:40

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 1:05, 3:30, 7:05, 9:30

FILM // 17

COMMENT >> DVD

Of housework and rocket belts Judging by the dedication at the end of like her biggest problem might just be the The Maid (La nana), writer/director Sesame old dread of another year that gets bastián Silva does actually have a lot all of us: she is embarrassed by the famof love and respect for the women ily's rather modest birthday celewho devote their lives to takbration—a cake, some presents ing care of households that and dishes Raquel will have to aren't their own. Which isn't wash herself—but we also see .com that they have a genuine affecto suggest that The Maid is weekly e u v @ tive somehow a looking-down- dvddetec tion for her, save maybe the elDavid the-nose portrait of some kind dest daughter, who is convinced Berry of underclass—if anything, it is Raquel doesn't like her. Still, outsympathetic with the struggles of side of one very sharp reminder that its main character to the point of making Raquel is not "one of the family," and some you wonder why anyone would be willing early morning vacuuming for revenge, evto undertake such a career. I hope for their erything seems more or less normal for an sake as much as his that they never had upper-class family and their servant. to deal with the existential crisis faced by Things quickly start to unravel, though. Raquel (Catalina Saavedra), the maid reDizzy spells and the occasional bout of ferred to in the title. fainting, which at first don't have an obviComing up on her 20th year working for ous source, lead the family to think it may the same family, as well as her 41st birthfinally be time to get their maid some help. day when Raquel is introduced, it seems While Raquel is laid up, another girl is

DVCD TIVE

DETE

brought in, and it's not long before things really go off the rails. Raquel doesn't take kindly to the assistance: though at first she limits herself to just hectoring and dismissing her co-worker, eventually things get outright hostile, with Raquel locking the new maid out of the house and dumping her beloved cat over the garden walls. This behaviour continues with that maid's replacement, a shrill old crone who seems at first like she might bully Raquel into submission but who's quickly getting the same passive aggressive treatment, including excessive scrubbing of virtually any surface she touches. Raquel is just fundamentally incapable of letting anyone close to her family, and is equally put off by the former's ingratiating qualities as the latter's gruff ones, though there's the distinct feeling that she'd be fighting with anyone brought in to wear a uniform and do the dishes. That's put to the test with the ar-

rival of Sonia (Anita Reeves), a relentlessly compassionate, happy-go-lucky sort who wears down Raquel simply by rolling with her little jabs: when it's Sonia's turn to get locked out the house, she just sunbathes nude, which has Raquel nearly doubled over in laughter. It's through this relationship that we really start to understand Raquel. Up until now the balance has been mostly on comedy, albeit with sharp moments of pathos, but seeing Raquel interact with someone who's more or less an equal pushes this sharply towards something a bit deeper. There's the distinct sense that Raquel is the way she is because she's never had any kind of life of her own: she was only 20 years old when she started with the family, after all, and as much as they say she's a part of the family, the reminders that she's not actually, are continuous, whether spoken or not. Her lack of personality is driven home by her tendency to repeat what other people say as her own: Raquel really doesn't seem to know what drives people to anything, so she just parrots what they have to say when she's in a similar situation. Sonia's prodding finally sees her start to define herself beyond her employer's walls, and The Maid ends hopeful that Raquel seems

to be getting on her feet. Paul Schneider's Pretty Bird, on the other hand, is a pretty bleak world. Fictionalizing a true story about three unlikely partners who got together to build a rocket belt—a jet-pack like device that could mean personal flight—its moments of triumph fleeting, weighed down by the overbearing flaws of its heroes. Curtis Prentiss (Billy Crudup) is one of those relentless dreamer types who seems to think all problems can be solved by thinking more positively; Rick Honeycutt (Paul Giamatti) is a rocket scientist whose misguided ego and years of other people taking credit for his work have left him with a massive chip on his shoulder; Kenny (David Hornsby) is a pushover who believes too much in Curtis's sloganeering. Pretty Bird is essentially a story about how human frailty is the biggest obstacle towards any progress, but it suffers a bit from characterizations that are a bit too broad. The fact that it's universal makes me think that Schneider might be the one to blame: he has Crudup giggle like a schoolboy almost incessantly, and Giamatti is never really allowed to be anything other than apoplectic. The lack of subtlety makes it hard to care about the characters, and without that, Pretty Bird doesn't have enough else going on to get off the ground. V

REVUE // PREDATORS

Hunt or be hunted Predators offers shallow merit Brian Gibson // brian@vueweekly.com

f "pleasantly" can be applied to a movie full of carcasses, then Predators is a pleasantly decent reboot. Although it's really a videogame setup (group of armed specialists fight aliens, moving from one battleground/showdown/level to the next), the script's kept terse and tight enough to give the movie some zip. It's obvious why a motley crew of killers has been dropped on a strange planet, but director Nimród Antal still builds some suspense by tracking the group through ominous landscapes (jungle, rock pools, misty forest) and offering small oddities (the sun not moving; a leaf spinning on still water) before the first creatures show up. And they're not even the title baddies. The story's sometimes a sleeker beast than those predators, because the movie suffers from overkill when they appear. Seven gun-toting humans are up against cloaked, heat-seeking, laser-sighting, electropulse-firing, wristblade-popping hunter aliens looming seven feet tall and weighing as much as two UFC fighters. But, naturally, the predators prefer to best their quarry in hand-to-hand combat, underestimate human cunning, etc. (Although why, if the predators mimic and adapt quickly, do they still inefficiently lumber about and roar to the sky? Another question is what any survivors eat on this "game preserve." Roasted-predatoron-a-spit rationed over months?) The uneasy co-operation among the prey darkens when the leader, a mer-

18 // FILM

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

cenary (Adrien Brody), offers his more callous philosophies to the steely sniper (Alice Braga) and the rest. Brutal Darwinism hits home after the group finds the predators' gory flay-ground—not so different from our abattoirs or warzones. This scant difference between alien and human killers ("we're the monsters of our own world") isn't delved into enough, though, and Laurence Fishburne, in what could've been a disturbing role as scavenging survivor Noland, ends up getting wasted (literally). Worst, the chase scenes are none too scary, paling next to any comparable sequence in Alien one through four, though there's an eerie battle—in a meadow, the Yakuza assassin goes samurai sword to wristblade with a predator as the wind waves through the long grass. And there's an old-school predator 1.0, at least, its mandibles clacking. So, beyond the green blood and decapitations (and there're lots of those), if Predators had plunged deeper into the bloodsport-honour-hunting, kill-or-bekilled psyche of both sides, this could've been a truly jolting reboot in a summer of ho-hum retreads. But no doubt they're saving some gutsier, grittier thoughts for us to chew on in the sequel. V Predators Directed by Nimród Antal Written by Alex Litvak, Michael Finch Starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga

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INSIDE // MUSIC

MUSIC

26 29

Enter Sandor

The Cat Empire

Online at vueweekly.com >>MUSIC Slideshow SOS Fest, Old Wives, Old Sins VueTube SOS Fest

Music Notes

MUSICIAN'S SURVIVAL GUIDE // F&M

Music is war

F&M offers some tips for surviving the front lines Ryan Anderson // Special to Vue Weekly

This week's cover model is Ryan Anderson of F&M, an Edmonton-based group led by Ryan and his wife Becky. F&M has been gradually working its way through the war zone that is today's music business. With a third album set for release this fall, one would think that Anderson has learned a thing or two in his time touring across this country and as far away as Europe, and so Vue Weekly asked him for some tips to making your way in the music world today.

he music biz is a blast but it's a mess and only the strong survive. F&M is a shy, quiet, yet determined group. We're also getting ahead, I believe, because we make music we love, we're big on working, learning and sharing, and we've figured out that music is not a competition. Here are some suggestions and thoughts F&M has on getting ahead: The Music. Don't pander, don't suck, get better and write music you like. Listen to feedback. We all get defensive, but try to hear what others are saying while maintaining your vision and in-

tegrity. Also, learn how to give feedback. Sandwich the constructive feedback with a positive on each end. Take responsibility. If people don't attend your show, what can you do differently? Don't blame the promoter, the media or other bands, and never the audience. Play better and do better next time. Life isn't fair and people aren't perfect— what do you need to do to succeed? Find a mentor. Glen Erickson of Shameless Records Canada has helped guide F&M's career. Look up the word "sycophant" and then find the very opposite. Negative musicians suck. Run from those who use the word "can't" and whine a lot. And don't slag other bands. Jealousy is not attractive and won't get you ahead. Every opportunity is a good opportunity. Empty room in Kamloops? No sweat, impress the sound guy who then facebooks that people missed a great show. Next time 30 people will be there, and so on. Take Lessons. Ariane Mahryke Lemire

told me to take vocal lessons. I had two choices: get mad or explore that feedback. I've now been working with the amazing Anna Beaumont (performer and vocal coach—google her!) for a while. I record the lessons and do a lesson every day, even on tour. I have more range and can sing four-hour sets if need be. Thank you Ariane and Anna! Practise, practise, practise. Practise on your own, and with the band. And practise well. Practising crap makes you a master of crap! Focus on arrangements, on the small transitions, on the beginning and on the end, etc. (ie, don't just run through songs). Play every show like it's your last. Never phone a show in no matter how lame it seems. My music-snob non- player friend Nevin told me recently he was tired of a local alt-country band acting road weary and annoyed to be performing. That's a great observation. Sometimes the only thing you can control is you. At NXNE this year, F&M flew in from our West Coast tour with hours to spare. None of our gear made it, but we didn't panic and we politely asked

our handler to try and track down some gear. She did. The Wheat Pool walked off their own stage and raced across town to bring us additional gear ... and stood in the front row and cheered us on. Thank you again Wheaties, you're real gentlemen. If you can control how you respond you'll find that others respond a lot better to you and solutions are found. Get out of town. If you actually want a career in rock music you have to tour. A local crowd is no indication of how good you are for various reasons. Touring forces you to get better and actually gets you ahead. Transportation. Transportation is a huge question among bands actually touring. Find a band of similar size that genuinely tours and ask what they use or recommend. F&M uses a Roadtrek 200 Van (google it) so we always have a green room. Paul Bellows and James Murdoch co-own a small bus that they've outfitted for their purposes (a mattress, fish cooler and a beer fridge, I believe). Daniel Moir is taking the train using a VIA Rail program he researched where you play on the train for food, your bed and transportation on the train. Shout Out Out Out Out has a huge band and tour a fair amount, in what Lyle Bell describes as your standard band van. The Old Wives punk band toured as a four-piece and just got back from the USA using a GMC Safari (which is tight!) without

a trailer. Remember to get something safe and reliable as you are transporting your talent and your gear—without these there is no show. Good songs silence crowds. Don't turn up the amps, turn down the amps. If your songs are good the crowd will shut up and listen. If they're not good songs, then louder volume will just irritate everyone that much more. Getting your name out there. Getting media and industry folk's attention is not a one-shot deal. There's no magic meeting and no one's waiting to make you a star. There are books on this huge topic, and you should look them up. It's a process where if you keep at it and keep everyone comfortably in the loop and your music is good, you'll get attention. Be diligent and assertive but not desperate. Ask Questions. I never mind answering occasional emails. I won't do the work for you, but I can guide you. We worked hard for this, and learning is part of the process! Asking questions is a sure way to get ahead—we always do. In the end, have fun! Becky and I were chatting with Ayla Brook, I was explaining that we tour as a trio (without drums and bass) because of the cost. His response: "Yeah, but drums are fun!" Music is a business ... but it's also about fun. Have fun! V

RYAN'S GIG BAG You don't need much but this is what I carry to the side of the stage with me. From left to right, top to bottom.

• Music - People always ask what I'm listening to. I often have my favourite new CD to share with others, and right now it's local cellist Josephine Van Lier's four-CD solo Bach recording. Brilliant, buy it! Classical music will enrich your life and make you better. • Used Strings - If I break a string on stage, I use old strings because they're tried and true. I can change a string while telling a story. • Musician Earplugs - These are moulded to fit my ears and allow some frequencies in while blocking out the damaging loudness. I don't wear them on stage but rather when the other acts play. I feel way better in the morning and I don't strain my voice as much. • Different coloured pens - For making on-the-fly posters, set lists, lyrics and even autographs (most of my CDs are black so a silver pen is handy). • Gum - First impressions. I stole this pack from Eden's desk at Vue ... he'll never notice that it's gone. • Keys? Nope, Alarm system - Protect your gear. • Throat Coat Tea - Smoking and drinking before a show doesn't help. Switch to this if you sing for a living.

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

• Tylenol/Gravol/Benylin/Immodium Self-explanatory. Have them on you as sickness always comes at the worst time. • Slippery Elm Lozenges (as well as singer spray) - If you lose your voice use these from any natural store. Avoid sugary formulas— they will dry your voice out. • iPhone - Hype schmype! I have vocal exercises on this, and do the mileage, take calls, record, tune my guitar and check email. Life is easier with it. • F&M CD - I always have an F&M CD and business cards on me. The CD should be open for those important contacts. • CREDIT CARD - If you're touring you'll need a credit card for a lot. Talk to your bank about options. We use a VISA points card. • TOOLS - Needle-nose pliers and mini screwdriver. • Extra batteries - Should be on stage with you. • Flushable baby wipes - are a godsend. Sometimes it's your only shower for a while. • Matches - You never know. • Duct Tape - Music will make you a MacGyver! • Aveda Lip Balm - Microphones kill my lips and this stuff works well!

MUSIC // 19

20 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

MUSICIAN'S SURVIVAL GUIDE // THE MODERN LABEL

Brave new world

Record labels look to diversification as a way to stay viable Bryan Birtles // bryan@vueweekly.com

ecord companies are built upon a suspect business model that runs rampant in the media business. Instead of each release making a modest profit, record companies—not to mention movie studios, book publishing houses and a myriad of other, similar industries—have long relied on the massive profits of one huge hit to cover the losses of a series of flops. This model, which endured for decades, finally became untenable in the late-'90s when file-sharing services allowed consumers to get music for free, and cheap and plentiful CD burners allowed people to manufacture their own discs. Services such as the infamous Napster clogged the networks of college dorms and the suburbs, profits declined steeply at major and independent labels, and the music industry faced a brave new world. At first, the record companies fought back in the courts. A series of high-profile lawsuits were filed by the Recording Industry Association of America on behalf of the rights holders whom the association represents. These suits had the wrong effect: instead of scaring downloaders into submission, they often brought scorn from music fans as the most high profile of them involved the well-funded industry organization attempting to gain restitution from minors, college students and other sympathetic defendants. By late 2008, the RIAA announced it would cease to bring lawsuits against illegal downloaders and instead would attempt to work with Internet Service Providers to stem the tide. But nothing has yet worked to get record sales back to anywhere near where they were in 1999, just prior to the atomic bomb that Napster and other P2P file-sharing networks dropped on the industry. In the meantime, labels are changing the way they do business, in an effort to keep their heads above water. Massive layoffs at the major labels and the shuttering of smaller ones has been the effect of the rapid changes to the way the industry operates, but these changes raise the question, "What is the state of the modern record label today?" Diversification has become the buzzword in the music industry as labels

attempt to capitalize on the elements of the music business that weren't their province even 10 years ago. The increased proliferation of what are known as "360 deals" in the last decade has changed the way business is done. Instead of an artist employing a different company for his or her music publishing, distribution and management, a single company will now take care of all of those elements, in addition to merchandising and concert promotion— two lucrative elements that are not subject to downloading. "The physical product has definitely dwindled ... I'd say 50 percent over the past 10 years," explains John Dunham, promotion and marketing at Universal Music Canada. "That said, we're still realizing ways to get the bottom line taken care of through legal downloads, ring tones for phones, ring tunes. We're also branching out into merchandising and doing merch for quite a few of our domestic acts. We have 360 deals with bands like Stereos where we're covering everything from the distribution of CDs to management to booking. Those are all avenues we're taking to hopefully stay above water." The 360 deal is an endeavour that is gaining steam amongst major labels, and the business model is working both ways, with labels starting management and production arms, and production companies—the highest profile perhaps being Live Nation—creating record labels, but having a holistic structure has long been the province of smaller independent labels like the Toronto-based Six Shooter Records. Founded as a label by Shauna de Cartier in 2000, Six Shooter got its start as a way to put out records for the Luke Doucet-fronted band Veal—a band managed by de Cartier—which was having trouble finding the right label. Though Veal broke up, Six Shooter's first official release would prove to be Doucet's debut solo album, 2001's Aloha, Manitoba, and Doucet continues to be managed through Six Shooter's management arm. De Cartier sees plenty of advantages for both artist and label to take a holistic approach to an artist's career. "The pie has shrunk so much in music that in order to be a priority [with a label] you need a company that works with you on a holistic level on your entire career," de Cartier says. "If you have a label that's

not your management company they'll give you a push around the time the record comes out and that push might last six weeks or three months but that doesn't last for the full length of an album cycle—it might be two years until you put out another record. When those functions are intertwined, a manager works with you all the time—there's no break, it's just constant. So when you go on your third tour of a record, if your management company and label is the same, chances are that label will support that tour through marketing initiatives, whereas if they were separate companies it would be very rare for a label to support that third tour—or even a second tour." But the changes that the Internet has wrought can't simply be fixed by labels moving into new areas of the music business—something has to be done to change the fact that sales of recorded music are too low for the industry to properly function. Sales being what they are permeates aspects of the industry that consumers think little about, and those sales have an ongoing effect on the viability of an artist not just in the short term but over the length of their career. Dunham cites chart positions as one of the things being affected by the function of the Internet in the dissemination of new music. Whereas he used to be the one bringing a hot new single to a radio station, that station may have found the single on the Internet months ago in a leaked version and added it to the playlist immediately—an act that has a catastrophic effects on the way the industry functions. "If radio station X adds a single from an artist two or three months earlier than we were targeting, it affects the national chart number. What we focus on is getting all the radio stations to add the single at the same time so the chart number goes up steadily, and those chart numbers affect [how] the next single from the artist [does on the charts]," he says, shedding light on the domino effect that bad chart numbers caused by the sporadic addition of a single to radio playlists can have on an album—such as record stores stocking less of it and its sales coming out flat. "If the record comes out and it only charted at a low number, people think it won't sell well." The idea that getting into the promo-

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

tional side of the music industry will save labels is also suspect as a long-term strategy as sales dwindle across genres and generations, and artists that haven't been on the road in years are forced back onto it because their back catalogues no longer generate the income they're used to—which has the effect of crowding the marketplace and stretching consumer dollars. "The live sphere is very competitive; you have all the old people dusting off their rhinestones and getting out there and everybody having to tour," says de Cartier. "People say, 'Oh it's fine to steal music because you can always tour,' but not everybody can tour. People get sick, or they have babies, or they die and then what about their families? Touring is one aspect of making money but it shouldn't be the only one." Copyright laws in Canada don't currently prohibit file sharing, but a new law on the table has de Cartier hopeful that things will change sooner rather than later—even if, as she notes, the proposed law only prohibits file sharing and doesn't contain any provisions for penalties for misuse of intellectual property. "I think we're in the dark period of the wild wild west and I don't know how long it's going to take and I don't know if me and all the independent companies like me will be able to survive through this time," she says. In the meantime, smaller local and regional labels continue to pop up, lured by the lower cost of the means of production afforded by bedroom studios and the increased competitiveness of the manufacturing sector, aided by globalization. These much smaller labels are incredibly successful on their own terms—terms which include doing what they do strictly for the love of music, with no hope of making a living off the music industry. Founded in the Summer of 2004, Pop Echo Records remains one of Edmonton's best-known boutique labels, home to local artists such as Outdoor Miners, the Whitsundays and Tim Gilbertson. The label focuses on limited-run projects by bands it loves as well as quirky special editions through its newest venture, 99 sevens, a collaboration with music blog Weird Canada which sees an artist release a seven-inch in a limited run of 99 copies, available at one show only.

Label founders Travis Dieterman, Graham Johnson and Jeremy Franchuk started Pop Echo hoping it would resemble Factory Records in terms of its artist-friendly ethos and its success, but quickly found that starting a mega-successful label is not as easy as putting out what they thought was the hottest track on the planet and watching it sell out. Still, explains Dieterman, the label has paid for itself for six years and though the founders all have day jobs, the label provides satisfaction for its owners in addition to its value as a place to hear music not being put out by anyone else. "We've never taken pay from it in six years. At first that was, of course, the plan, but it just wasn't a feasible thing. We went into it having no idea at all about running a record label. We thought we would put out the records, they'd all sell out and it would be easy money, but that's not so," he laments. "Starting out we thought we could be a national player, compete with Mint and Paper Bag and all those kinds of labels, but we just don't have the resources or the money to compete with that. In the last two years we've really shifted the focus of the label from trying to do big, national releases to just doing smaller, more regionally-focused releases." That shift has meant that in the last couple of years Pop Echo has done considerably better than when it started out—though the dream of being the next Factory Records is a distant one. Still, for the three founders, the satisfaction of putting out good looking releases by artists they love is enough for them to keep going. The majors and larger independents don't have the same luxury, however, and diversification remains the best chance for survival—apart from a sea change in both copyright laws and consumer attitudes towards intellectual property. De Cartier's hopes that this is simply a dark period for the music industry, that artists and managers and labels will soon emerge into a new dawn, remain tempered by the near-constant shuttering of labels and record stores, as well as the fact governments move slowly and change won't come tomorrow. "The Internet is revolutionizing how we live. We're still figuring that out—it's still in its adolescence. I think as a society we will figure it out," she says, but adds, "I'm not holding my breath." V

MUSIC // 21

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

THU JUL 15

JULIAN'S�Chateau Louis Graham Lawrence (jazz piano); 8pm

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE The Good Brothers; 10pm; no cover

L.B.'S PUB Open jam with Ken Skoreyko; 9pm

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Thu Night Jazz: Don Berner; 7:30pm; $8

LIVE WIRE BAR Open Stage Thu with Gary Thomas

BLUES ON WHYTE Toby

LYVE ON WHYTE Gazelle, guests

BRIXX BAR Radio Brixx: rock and roll with Tommy Grimes; 8pm CHRISTOPHER'S PARTY PUB Open stage hosted by Alberta Crude; 6-10pm COLAHAN'S Back-porch jam with Rock-Steady Freddy and the Bearcat; every Thu 8pmmidnight COMMONWEALTH STADIUM Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Kid Rock; 7pm; tickets at TicketMaster CROWN PUB Crown Pub Latin/world fusion jam hosted by Marko Cerda; musicians from other musical backgrounds are invited to jam; 7pm-closing DOWNTOWN PARTY TENT Big Boi (of Outkast); 8pm DUSTER'S PUB Thu open jam hosted by the Assassins of Youth (blues/rock); 9pm; no cover DV8 Alley Cat Blues; 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove Open Stage Thu: Bring an instrument, jam/sing with the band, bring your own band, jokes, juggle, magic; 8-12

MARYBETH'S COFFEE HOUSE�Beaumont Open Mic Thu; 7pm MOTION NOTION FESTIVAL Main Stage: Paperkrayne, Erebus, MissDVS, Fergie, Cruzae vs Tristan Newton, Sundrop, Schwag Dankus; 5pm-5:30am; more music in the Woods and on the Beach; motionnotion. com NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Open stage every Thu; bring your own instruments, fully equipped stage; 8pm NEW CITY LOUNGE The Bonspiels, SSRI’s, No Knives, Gold Rush

CENTURY ROOM Underground House every Thu with DJ Nic-E THE DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Thu at 9pm FILTHY MCNASTY’S Punk Rock Bingo with DJ S.W.A.G. FLUID LOUNGE Girls Night out FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Requests with DJ Damian GAS PUMP Ladies Nite: Top 40/ dance with DJ Christian HALO Thu Fo Sho: with Allout DJs DJ Degree, Junior Brown KAS BAR Urban House: with DJ Mark Stevens; 9pm LEVEL 2 LOUNGE Absolut Thu: with DJ NV and Joey Nokturnal; 9:30pm (door); no cover LUCKY 13 Sin Thu with DJ Mike Tomas NEW CITY SUBURBS Bingo at 9:30pm followed by Electroshock Therapy with Dervish Nazz Nomad and Plan B (electro, retro) ON THE ROCKS Salsaholic Thu: Dance lessons at 8pm; Salsa DJ to follow PLANET INDIGO�St Albert Hit It Thu: breaks, electro house spun with PI residents

CARROT Live music Fri: Karen Porkka; all ages; 7pm; $5 (door) CASINO EDMONTON Colleen Rae and Cornerstone (country rock) CASINO YELLOWHEAD Souled Out (pop/rock) CENTURY CASINO Raul Malo; $29.95/$39.95 at TicketMaster and Century Casino COAST TO COAST Open Stage every Fri; 9:30pm DOWNTOWN PARTY TENT Wolfgang Gartner; info@ Thetent.ca DV8 All the King's Men, LadyKillers; 9pm (door); $10 ENCORE CLUB 4 Play Fri GIBBONS HOTEL Mr Lucky (blues/roots); 9:30pm-1:30am; no cover GLENORA BISTRO Lauren Busheikin; 8:30-10:30pm; $10 HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Toast, Evening Hymns, The Afterparty, Eric's Clapton; 7:30pm (doors); $10 (adv) at YEG Live HYDEAWAY�Jekyll and Hyde 19th birthday: Bo Sr. (solo piano sing-along), Headwind; 7pm IRISH CLUB Jam session; 8pm; no cover

RIC’S GRILL Peter Belec (jazz); every Thu; 7-10pm

RENDEZVOUS PUB Mental Thurzday with org666

JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Diana Stabel (pop/rock singer/soingwriter); $10

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Big Dave McLean (preview show); no cover

SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco: Thu Retro Nights; 7-10:30pm; sportsworld.ca

JEKYLL AND HYDE PUB Every Fri: Headwind (classic pop/rock); 9pm; no cover

SECOND CUP�Varscona Live music every Thu night; 7-9pm SPORTMAN'S LOUNGE Hipcheck Trio and guests (jazz, blues) every Thu; 9pm Through June and July

HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Sean Hayden, The Ray Elliott Band, Jenie Thai; 7:30pm (door); $10 (adv) at YEG Live

UNION HALL Bon Jovi (after concert party); performance by Crash Karma; $10 (door)

HOOLIGANZ Open stage Thu hosted by Phil (Nobody Likes Dwight); 9pm-1:30am

WUNDERBAR Stacey Lloyd Brown, guest

JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Karl Schwonik (horn based jazz quintet) with Remi Bolduc; 8pm; $10

BURNSY O'FLANNAGANS– Leduc The Good Brothers; no cover; 10pm

NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by Wild Rose Old Time Fiddlers

TAPHOUSE�St Albert Kobra and the Lotus, Guardians of Power, Mortillery; 9:30pm; $10

JAMMERS PUB Thu open jam; 7-11pm

Bon Jovi), One Way State

BUDDY'S DJ Bobby Beatz; 9pm; no cover before 10pm; Shiwana Millionaire Wet Underwear Contest

PROHIBITION Throwback Thu: old school r&b, hip hop, dance, pop, funk, soul, house and everything retro with DJ Service, Awesome

ENCORE CLUB With A Latin Twist: free Salsa Dance Lessons at 9pm

J AND R Classic rock! Woo! Open stage, play with the house band every Thu; 9pm

and roll

WILD WEST SALOON DLO

DJs BILLY BOB’S LOUNGE Escapack Entertainment BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Big Rock Thu: DJs on 3 levels– Topwise Soundsystem spin Dub & Reggae in The Underdog BRIXX BAR Radio Brixx with Tommy Grimes spinning rock

STOLLI'S Dancehall, hip hop with DJ Footnotes hosted by Elle Dirty and ConScience every Thu; no cover WUNDERBAR DJ Thermos Rump Shakin' Thu: From indie to hip hop, that's cool and has a beat; no cover

FRI JUL 16 180 DEGREES Sexy Fri night ARTERY Lily Fawn and her Lullaby Band, Smokey (Field and Stream), Awesome Hots; 9pm; $10 (adv)/$12 (door); tickets available at theartery.ca AXIS CAFÉ Darryl Matthews Blues, In Limbo; 8pm; $10; $15 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Mark Davis with Sherri Lee Wisor; 8pm BLUES ON WHYTE Toby BRIXX BAR JFR Project, The Malibu Knights (Commonwealth winners for

IVORY CLUB Duelling piano show with Jesse, Shane, Tiffany and Erik and guests

JULIAN'S�Chateau Louis Graham Lawrence (jazz piano); 8pm LYVE ON WHYTE Line of Sight MOTION NOTION FESTIVAL Phonotactic live-pa, Erebus, Mazik, Christian J vs Big Daddy, Lo Progression, k3v, Groovy Cuvy dvdj set, Kristoff, Organic Manic, Blue Lunar Monkey live-pa; 12pm-6:15am; more music in the Woods and on the Beach; motionnotion. com NEW CITY LOUNGE Mod Club: Travy D, Blue Jay NEW CITY SUBURBS Stomp Records Tour: The Beatdown, The Resignators, Whiskey Wagon, Utopian Skank ON THE ROCKS Exit 303 PAWN SHOP Consonance (CD release) RADWAY Grand North American Old Time Fiddle

Contest: Friday jam session; wildrosefiddlers.org RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players; 9pm-2am RIVER CREE Nicole Rowley, Erika Noot, Nick Tostowaryk, Bernard Quilala, Joy Quilala (piano); 8pm; $10 at TIX on the Square ROSE & CROWN PUB Greg Demchuk and the Du-Rite Aces; 9pm; no cover RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Big Dave McLean; 9pm; $5 STARLITE ROOM Brash Tax, The Party Martyrs, Micelli; 9pm STEEPS�Old Glenora Live Music Fri TAPHOUSE�St Albert Crash Karma, Longway Down; $15 (adv)/$20 (door); 9pm (show) TEMPLE Options: with Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail; 9pm TOUCH OF CLASS�Chateau Louis Christine Horne (pop/ rock); 8:30pm WUNDERBAR Almanac, Fun Cars, JonComyn WILD WEST SALOON DLO

DJs AZUCAR PICANTE Every Fri: DJ Papi and DJ Latin Sensation BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Connected Fri: 91.7 The Bounce, Nestor Delano, Luke Morrison BAR�B�BAR DJ James; no cover BAR WILD Bar Wild Fri BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Fri DJs spin Wooftop and Main Floor: Eclectic jams with Nevine–indie, soul, motown, new wave, electro; Underdog: Perverted Fri: Punk and Ska from the ‘60s ‘70s and ‘80s with Fathead BOOTS Retro Disco: retro dance BUDDY’S DJ Arrow Chaser; 8pm; no cover before 10pm CENTURY ROOM Underground House every Fri with DJ Nic-E CHROME LOUNGE Platinum VIP Fri THE DRUID IRISH PUB DJ at 9pm EMPIRE BALLROOM Rock, hip hop, house, mash up; no minors ESMERELDA'S Ezzies Freakin Frenzy Fri: Playing the best in country FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro with DJ Damian GAS PUMP Top 40/dance with DJ Christian LEVEL 2 LOUNGE Formula Fri: with rotating residents DJ's Groovy Cuvy, Touretto, David Stone, DJ Neebz and Tianna J;

VENUE GUIDE 180 DEGREES 10730-107 St, 780.414.0233 ARTERY 9535 Jasper Ave AVENUE THEATRE 9030-118 Ave, 780.477.2149 AXIS CAFÉ 10349 Jasper Ave, 780.990.0031 BANK ULTRA LOUNGE 10765 Jasper Ave, 780.420.9098 BILLY BOB’S Continental Inn, 16625 Stony Plain Rd, 780.484.7751 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE 1042582 Ave, 780.439.1082 BLACKJACK'S 2110 Sparrow Driv, Nisku, 780.955.2336 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ 9624-76 Ave, 780.989.2861 BLUES ON WHYTE 10329-82 Ave, 780.439.3981 BOOTS 10242-106 St, 780.423.5014 BRIXX BAR 10030-102 St (downstairs), 780.428.1099 BUDDY’S 11725B Jasper Ave, 780.488.6636 CASINO EDMONTON 7055 Argylll Rd, 780.463.9467 CASINO YELLOWHEAD 12464153 St, 780 424 9467 CHATEAU LOUIS 11727 Kingsway, 780 452 7770 CHRISTOPHER’S 2021 Millbourne Rd, 780.462.6565 CHROME LOUNGE 132 Ave, Victoria Trail COAST TO COAST 5552 Calgary Tr, 780.439.8675 COLAHAN'S 8214-175 St, 780.487.8887 COPPERPOT Capital Place, 101, 9707-110 St, 780.452.7800

22 // MUSIC

CROWN AND ANCHOR 15277 Castledowns Rd, 780.472.7696 CROWN PUB 10709-109 St, 780.428.5618 DIESEL ULTRA LOUNGE 11845 Wayne Gretzky Drive, 780.704. CLUB DEVANEY’S IRISH PUB 9013-88 Ave, 780.465.4834 DOWNTOWN PARTY TENT 10765 Jasper Ave DRUID 11606 Jasper Ave, 780.454.9928 DUSTER’S PUB 6402-118 Ave, 780.474.5554 DV8 8307-99 St, DV8TAVERN.com EARLY STAGE SALOON 4911-52 Ave, Stony Plain EDDIE SHORTS 10713-124 St, 780.453.3663 EDMONTON EVENTS CENTRE WEM Phase III, 780.489.SHOW ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove 121-1 Ave, Spruce Grove, 780.962.1411 ENCORE CLUB 957 Fir St, Sherwood Park, 780.417.0111 FIDDLER’S ROOST 8906-99 St FILTHY MCNASTY’S 10511-82 Ave, 780.916.1557 FLOW LOUNGE 11815 Wayne Gretzky Dr, 780.604.CLUB FLUID LOUNGE 10105-109 St, 780.429.0700 FRESH START CAFÉ Riverbend Sq, 780.433.9623 FUNKY BUDDHA 10341-82 Ave, 780.433.9676 GAS PUMP 10166-114 St, 780.488.4841 GIBBONS HOTEL 5010-50 Ave,

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

Gibbons, 780.923.2401 GOOD EARTH COFFEE 9942108 St HALO 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.423. HALO HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB 15120A (basement), Stony Plain Rd, 780.756.6010 HILL TOP PUB 8220-106 Ave, 780.490.7359 HOOLIGANZ 10704-124 St, 780.452.1168 HYDEAWAY 10209-100 Ave, 780.426.5381 IRON BOAR PUB 4911-51st St, Wetaskiwin IVORY CLUB 2940 Calgary Trail South JAMMERS PUB 11948-127 Ave, 780.451.8779 J AND R 4003-106 St, 780.436.4403 JEFFREY’S CAFÉ 9640 142 St, 780.451.8890 JEKYLL AND HYDE 10209-100 Ave, 780.426.5381 KAS BAR 10444-82 Ave, 780.433.6768 L.B.’S PUB 23 Akins Dr, St Albert, 780.460.9100 LEGENDS PUB 6104-172 St, 780.481.2786 LEVEL 2 LOUNGE 11607 Jasper Ave, 2nd Fl, 780.447.4495 LIVE WIRE 1107 Knotwood Rd. East MARYBETH'S COFFEE HOUSE–Beaumont 5001-30 Ave, Beaumont MORANGO’S TEK CAFÉ 10118-79 St

MOTION NOTION FESTIVAL Bent River Ranch, Drayton Valley NAKED CYBERCAFÉ 10354 Jasper Ave NEWCASTLE PUB 6108-90 Ave, 780.490.1999 NEW CITY 10081 Jasper Ave, 780.989.5066 NIKKI DIAMONDS 8130 Gateway Blvd, 780.439.8006 NORTH GLENORA HALL 13535109A Ave O’BYRNE’S 10616-82 Ave, 780.414.6766 ON THE ROCKS 11730 Jasper Ave, 780.482.4767 ORLANDO'S 1 15163-121 St OVERTIME Whitemud Crossing, 4211-106 St, 780.485.1717 PAWN SHOP 10551-82 Ave, Upstairs, 780.432.0814 PLANET INDIGO�Jasper Ave 11607 Jasper Ave; St Albert 812 Liberton Dr, St Albert PLAY NIGHTCLUB 10220-103 St PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL 10860-57 Ave PROHIBITION 11026 Jasper Ave, 780.420.0448 RADWAY Hwy 28 NE of Edmonton, 780.942.3690, wildrosefiddlers.org REDNEX BAR�Morinville 10413100 Ave, Morinville, 780.939.6955, rednex.ca RED PIANO BAR 1638 Bourbon St, WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.486.7722 RED STAR 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.428.0825 RENDEZVOUS 10108-149 St

RIC’S GRILL 24 Perron Street, St Albert, 780.460.6602 ROSEBOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE 10111-117 St, 780.482.5253 ROSE AND CROWN 10235-101 St RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES 12402-118 Ave, 780.451.1390 SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment 12336-102 Ave, 780.451.7574; Stanley Milner Library 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq; Varscona, Varscona Hotel, 106 St, Whyte Ave SIDELINERS PUB 11018-127 St, 780.453.6006 SPORTSWORLD 13710-104 St SPORTSMAN'S LOUNGE 8170-50 St STARLITE ROOM 10030-102 St, 780.428.1099 STEEPS�College Plaza 11116-82 Ave, 780.988.8105; Old Glenora 12411 Stony Plain Rd, 780.488.1505 STOLLI’S 2nd Fl, 10368-82 Ave, 780.437.2293 TAPHOUSE 9020 McKenney Ave, St Albert, 780.458.0860 WHISTLESTOP LOUNGE 12416132 Ave, 780. 451.5506 WILD WEST SALOON 12912-50 St, 780.476.3388 WINSPEAR CENTRE 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square; 780.28.1414 WUNDERBAR 8120-101 St, 780.436.2286 YESTERDAYS PUB 112, 205 Carnegie Dr, St Albert, 780.459.0295

9:30pm (door); 780.447.4495 for guestlist

THE DRUID IRISH PUB Sat DJ at 9pm

NEWCASTLE PUB Fri House, dance mix with DJ Donovan

DV8 Jones Bones, The Piss Offs, Subsistance; 9pm

NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE DJ Anarchy Adam (Punk)

GAS PUMP Blues Jam/open stage every Sat 3-6pm

PLAY NIGHTCLUB The first bar for the queer community to open in a decade with DJ's Alexx Brown and Eddie Toonflash; 9pm (door); $5; playnightclub.ca

GIBBONS HOTEL Mr Lucky (blues/roots); 9:30pm-1:30am; no cover

REDNEX�Morinville DJ Gravy from the Source 98.5 RED STAR Movin’ on Up Fri: indie, rock, funk, soul, hip hop with DJ Gatto, DJ Mega Wattson

GLENORA BISTRO Amy Campbell; 8:30-10:3pm; $10 HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Aperture, Stone Iris, No Witness; 7:30pm (door); $10 (adv) at YEG Live

ROUGE LOUNGE Solice Fri

HILLTOP PUB Open stage/mic Sat: hosted by Sally's Krackers Sean Brewer; 3-5:30pm

SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Fri Nights; 7-10:30pm; sports-world.ca

IRON BOAR PUB Jazz in Wetaskiwin featuring jazz trios the 1st Sat each month; $10

STOLLI’S Top 40, R&B, house with People’s DJ

IVORY CLUB Duelling piano show with Jesse, Shane, Tiffany and Erik and guests

STONEHOUSE PUB Top 40 with DJ Tysin TEMPLE Options Dark Alt Night; Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail; 9pm (door); $5 (door) WUNDERBAR Fri with the Pony Girls, DJ Avinder and DJ Toma; no cover Y AFTERHOURS Foundation Fri

SAT JUL 17 180 DEGREES Dancehall nd Reggae night every Sat ALBERTA BEACH HOTEL Open stage with Trace Jordan 1st and 3rd Sat; 7pm-12 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair of the Dog: (live acoustic music every Sat); 4-6pm; no cover BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Big Hank and the Blue Hearts; 8pm; $15 BLUES ON WHYTE Toby BRIXX BAR The British Columbians, Wool on Wolves, Sunset Trip; 9pm CARROT Open mic Sat; 7:3010pm; free CASINO EDMONTON Colleen Rae and Cornerstone (country rock) CASINO YELLOWHEAD Souled Out (pop/rock) CENTURY CASINO Blue Oyster Cult; $39.95/$49.95. Ticketmaster and Century Casino COAST TO COAST Live bands every Sat; 9:30pm CROWN PUB Acoustic Open Stage during the day/Electric Open Stage at night with Marshall Lawrence, 1:30pm (sign-up), every Sat, 2-5pm; evening: hosted by Dan and Miguel; 9:30pm-12:30am DOWNTOWN PARTY TENT LMFAO; info@Thetent.ca

JAMMERS PUB Sat open jam, 3-7:30pm; country/rock band 9pm-2am JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Marco Claveria (Latin); $15 JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Arnel Pineda, Rachelle Ann Go, Ammo Band; 6pm

American Old Time Fiddle Contest: contest open to fiddlers of all ages; 10am; wildrosefiddlers.org RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players; 9pm-2am RIVER CREE�The Venue Peter Frampton RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Big Dave McLean STARLITE ROOM Kriticos (CD release), Enduring the Fall, Kryosphere; 9pm TAPHOUSE�St Albert Guerrista, Waiting for Sunday, Radioflyer; 9:30pm (show); $10 TEMPLE Oh Snap: with Degree, Cobra Commander, Battery, Jake Roberts, Ten-O, Cool Beans, Hotspur Pop, PRex; 9pm TOUCH OF CLASS�Chateau Louis Christine Horne (pop/ rock); 8:30pm WEM�Newcap Stage Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA): local, up-and-coming country music artists (RBC Emerging Artists Project); 2pm; every Sat until Sep 11 WILD WEST SALOON DLO

NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE Punk Rawk Sat with Todd and Alex NEW CITY SUBURBS Black Polished Chrome Sat: industrial, Electro and alt with Dervish, Anonymouse, Blue Jay PAWN SHOP SONiC Presents Live On Site! Anti-Club Sat: rock, indie, punk, rock, dance, retro rock; 8pm (door) PLANET INDIGO�Jasper Ave Suggestive Sat: breaks electro house with PI residents RED STAR Sat indie rock, hip hop, and electro with DJ Hot Philly and guests RENDEZVOUS Survival metal night SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Sat; 1pm-4:30pm and 7-10:30pm STOLLI’S ON WHYTE Top 40, R&B, house with People’s DJ TEMPLE Oh Snap!: Every Sat, Cobra Commander and guests with Degree, Cobra Commander and Battery; 9pm (door); $5 (door) WUNDERBAR Featured DJ and local bands

BEER HUNTER�St Albert Open stage/jam every Sun; 2-6pm

AZUCAR PICANTE Every Sat: DJ Touch It, hosted by DJ Papi

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Who Made Who–The Rock and Roll Resurrection: The Maykings (revive The Who), The Dirty Dudes (revive AC/ DC); 10pm; no cover

NEW CITY LOUNGE Guardians of Power, Bastard Son, Shotgun Dolls NEW CITY SUBURBS Black Polished Chrome Sat: electro/ alt/industrial with DJs Blue Jay, Dervish, Anonymouse O’BYRNE’S Live band Sat 3-7pm; DJ 9:30pm ON THE ROCKS Exit 303 OVERTIME Jamaoke: karaoke with a live band featuring Maple Tea PALACE CASINO Moscow Dynamo PAWN SHOP Undiscovered Singing Competition RADWAY Grand North

BUDDY'S DJ Earth Shiver 'n' Quake; 8pm; no cover before 10pm CENTURY ROOM Underground House every Sat with DJ Nic-E EMPIRE BALLROOM Rock, hip hop, house, mash up ENCORE CLUB So Sweeeeet Sat ESMERALDA’S Super Parties: Every Sat a different theme FLUID LOUNGE Sat Gone Gold Mash-Up: with Harmen B and DJ Kwake FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro with DJ Damian HALO For Those Who Know: house every Sat with DJ Junior Brown, Luke Morrison, Nestor Delano, Ari Rhodes LEVEL 2 LOUNGE Signature Sound Sat: with DJ's Travis Mateeson, Big Daddy, Tweek and Mr Wedge; 9:30pm (door); $3; 780.447.4495 for guestlist NEWCASTLE PUB Top 40 Sat: requests with DJ Sheri

O’BYRNE’S Open mic Sun with Robb Angus (Wheat Pool); 9:30pm-1am ORLANDO'S 2 PUB Sun Open Stage Jam hosted by The Vindicators (blues/rock); 3-8pm RADWAY Grand North American Old Time Fiddle Contest: contest open to fiddlers of all ages; 10am; wildrosefiddlers.org ROYAL COACH�Chateau Louis Petro Polujin (classical guitar); 5pm

SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Co-op Live music every Sun; 2-4pm

DJs

MOTION NOTION FESTIVAL Sundrop chill-set, Michael Garfield acoustic guitar, Blue Lunar Monkey live-pa, chill, Anahata live-pa, Bluetech livepa, Adham Shaikh live-pa w John, Wilkinson drums & didj, Jay Michael, James Katalyst, Chris Organix, Akhentek, Sons Of Aurora, Ace Ventura live pa & dj; 12pm-7:30am; more music in the Woods and on the Beach; motionnotion.com

NEW CITY Open Mic Sun hosted by Ben Disaster; 9pm (sign-up); no cover

SUN JUL 18

L.B.’S PUB No Foolin'; 9:30pm2am

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sat DJs on three levels. Main Floor: Menace Sessions: alt rock/electro/trash with Miss Mannered

NEWCASTLE PUB Sun Soul Service (acoustic jam): Willy James and Crawdad Cantera; 3-6:30pm

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Rusty Reed's open stage; Sun 4-8pm

WUNDERBAR Art Walk Acoustic Afternoon

MORANGO'S TEK CAFÉ Sat open stage: hosted by Dr. Oxide; 7-10pm

MOTION NOTION FESTIVAL Rickie Orion, Paul Who vs Trevor Galore, Erin Eden, Chris Komus live-pa, Michelle C, Cary Chang vs David Stone, Crystal Method, Psy Amigos; more music in the Woods and on the Beach; motionnotion. com

Y AFTERHOURS Release Sat

JULIAN'S�Chateau Louis Dennis Begoray (jazz piano); 8pm

LYVE ON WHYTE Line of Sight

and the Have-Nots; 3-7pm

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Sun Brunch: PM Bossa; 10am2:30pm; donations BLUE PEAR Mike Lent (bass); 6-9pm; $25 (if not dining) BLUES ON WHYTE National Treasure B�STREET BAR Acoustic-based open stage hosted by Mike "Shufflehound" Chenoweth; every Sun evening CROWN PUB Latin/world fusion jam hosted by Marko Cerda; musicians from other musical backgrounds are invited to jam; 7pm-closing DEVANEY’S IRISH PUB Celtic Music Session, hosted by KeriLynne Zwicker, 4-7pm DV8 Skullhammer, Archspire, Nylithia, Black Axis; 9pm-2am EDDIE SHORTS Sun acoustic oriented open stage hosted by Rob Taylor HYDEAWAY Sun Night Songwriter's Stage: hosted by Rhea March J AND R BAR Open jam/stage every Sun hosted by Me Next

SUTTON PLACE HOTEL Temporary Foreign Workers Party: Tumbao Vibe at 6-9pm, $10 (free to Temporary Foreign Workers and guests); Late show: R&B Reggae Soul Jam with Mocking Shadows Rhythm and Blues Revue at 9pm-12, $10 WUNDERBAR It Kills!

DJs BACKSTAGE TAP AND GRILL Industry Night: with Atomic Improv, Jameoki and DJ Tim BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sun Afternoons: Phil, 2-7pm; Main Floor: Got To Give It Up: Funk, Soul, Motown, Disco with DJ Red Dawn BUDDY'S DJ Bobby Beatz; 9pm; Drag Queen Performance; no cover before 10pm FLOW LOUNGE Stylus Sun NEW CITY SUBURBS Get Down Sun: with Neighbourhood Rats SAVOY MARTINI LOUNGE Reggae on Whyte: RnR Sun with DJ IceMan; no minors; 9pm; no cover SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Sun; 1-4:30pm; sports-world.ca WUNDERBAR Sun: DJ Gallatea and XS, guests; no cover

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

MUSIC // 23

COMMENT >> ECONOMICS OF MUSIC

Track-tracking

Americans move towards more accurate music metrics Yes, we can follow the gate receipts of mean to the economy as a whole. major concert tours on Billboard. Sales of "Improved measures of intellectual proprecords are tracked. But what about the enerty linked with measures of economic tire music industry as a whole? performance would help the US GovernFor example, when a sports team tries to ment understand the role and breadth of sell a community on the idea it needs intellectual property in the American a new arena, it will speak of its toeconomy and would inform policy tal economic benefit to the city and resource decisions related to in which it plays. Hotel stays, intellectual property enforcerestaurant visits, souvenir ment," states the report. kly.com sales, parking revenues. It all "Once that framework is esuewee v @ n e stev gets lumped in there. tablished, ESA (Economics and n Steveor Statistics Administration) will But outside of tickets, merSand chandise and record sales, the test the feasibility of developing record industry doesn't track itself improved intellectual property meawith the same kind of fervour. What are sures and, if those measures can be develthe knock-on effects that a vibrant music oped, they will be linked to measures of community brings to the economy as a economic performance. The resulting analywhole? So many things to consider—the sis and datasets will then be made public." rentals of rehearsal spaces to the renting of equipment for tour shows to paying Basically, the US government wants to the sound people, security and the roadfigure out if there is a way to actually count ies. There's the manufacturing of vinyl and the dollars that copyright holders bring to CDs. Heck, gas and oil for the tour van. the economy. If their copyrights are better And, with music sales continuing to protected, just how much more will that slump, the bigger question: what is the mean to the economy? Will greater record overall cost of the music-industry slump sales lead to more ticket sales for bigger to the economy? shows and longer tours? Will more online A key part of the US 2010 Joint Strategic sales lead to more jobs for the people workPlan on Intellectual Property Enforcement, ing in Internet-based businesses, or at least a policy paper issued by the Obama adminhelp Apple and Amazon's bottom lines? Afistration in late June, is a promise that the ter all, they are American companies. government south of the border will try Now, the report does state that the Amerito figure out just how much intellectualcan government wants to ramp up pressure property producers, including the music biz, on countries (including us here in Canada;

ENTER

SAND

MON JUL 19 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sleeman Mon: live music monthly; no cover

NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE Daniel and Fowler (eclectic tunes)

TUE JUL 20

BLUES ON WHYTE Andrew "Jr Boy" Jones

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Glitter Gulch: SunParlour Players

DEVANEY'S IRISH PUB Open stage Mon with Ido Vander Laan and Scott Cook; 8-12

BLUES ON WHYTE Andrew "Jr Boy" Jones

NEW CITY This Will Hurt you Mon: Johnny Neck and his Job present mystery musical guests

BRIXX BAR Troubadour Tue: with Ido Van Der Laan and The First Man, hosted by Mark Feduk; 8pm

PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic instrumental old time fiddle jam hosted by the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Society; 7pm

CROWN PUB Underground At The Crown: underground, hip hop with DJ Xaolin and Jae Maze; open mic; every Tue; 10pm; $3

PROHIBITION Chicka-Dee-Jay Mon Night: with Michael Rault

DRUID IRISH PUB Open stage with Chris Wynters, 9pm

ROSE BOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE The Legendary Rose Bowl Mon Jam: hosted by Sean Brewer; 9pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Race Week Blues Jam SUTTON PLACE HOTEL Alberta Diabetes Foundation fundraiser with the Mocking Shadows Rhythm and Blues Revue; 7-10pm; $10 donation

DJs BAR WILD Bar Gone Wild Mon: Service Industry Night; no minors; 9pm-2am BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Eclectic Nonsense, Confederacy of Dunces, Dad Rock, TJ Hookah and Rear Admiral Saunders BUDDY'S DJ Dust 'n' Time; 9pm FILTHY MCNASTY'S Metal Mon: with DJ S.W.A.G. FLUID LOUNGE Mon Mixer LUCKY 13 Industry Night with DJ Chad Cook every Mon

24 // MUSIC

L.B.’S PUB Ammar’s Moosehead Tue open stage; 9pm NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE Tonstartsbandht, Run, DMT, Radians O’BYRNE’S Celtic Jam with Shannon Johnson and friends OVERTIME Tue acoustic jam hosted by Robb Angus RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Tue Open stage acoustic session with Marshall Lawrence; Tue 8pm-12 SECOND CUP�124 Street Open mic every Tue; 8-10pm SECOND CUP�Stanley Milner Library Open mic every Tue; 7-9pm SIDELINERS PUB Tue All Star Jam with Alicia Tait and Rickey Sidecar; 8pm SPORTSMAN'S LOUNGE Open Stage hosted by Paul McGowan and Gina Cormier; every Tue; 8pm-midnight; no cover STEEPS�Old Glenora Every

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

the Americans have been flagging us as a piracy wasteland for a while now) that hurt US intellectual property providers, from medical researchers to musicians. But armed with a stat book filled with doom and gloom measured to the nearest cent, it's a lot easier to justify using the stick rather than the carrot. Look, we all know that the spiraling auto industry has decimated Detroit, making it one of the fastest-shrinking cities in North America. But what does a shrinking music industry mean for US cities that depend so much on it, like Austin, Texas? In 2006, Belmont University and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce did a study that found the music biz was worth US$6.38 billion to Music City, USA. But that's as good as we've got. And will this mean that, down the road, maybe the Canadian government will get StatsCan on this? The real big revelation, though, is that a report like this changes the way the government sees musicians. They aren't hobbyists with the rare exception who goes on to fame and fortune. A valuation of the music biz will show that there are way more out there than the public knows about who play to make a living, or as legitimate second jobs. V Steven Sandor is a former editor-in-chief of Vue Weekly, now an editor and author living in Toronto.

DJs

jamboree Wed open stage hosted by Charlie Scream; 9pm-1am

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: CJSR’s Eddie Lunchpail; Wooftop: with DJ Gundam

FESTIVAL PLACE Patio Series: Blake Paul, Peatbog Faeries (Celtic fusion); 7:30pm $8

BRIXX BAR Troubadour Tue: The Balconies and Sean Brewer, hosted by Mark Feduk; 9pm; $8

FIDDLER'S ROOST Little Flower Open Stage Wed with Brian Gregg; 8pm-12

BUDDY'S DJ Arrow Chaser; 9pm

GOOD EARTH COFFEE Breezy Brian Gregg; 12-1pm

ESMERALDA’S Retro Tue; no cover with student ID

HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Open stage with Jonny Mac, 8:30pm, free

Tue Open Mic; 7:30-9:30pm

FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Latin and Salsa music, dance lessons 8-10pm NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE ‘abilly, Ghoul-rock, spooky with DJ Vylan Cadaver PROHIBITION Tue Punk Night RED STAR Tue Experimental Indie Rock, Hip Hop, Electro with DJ Hot Philly

WED JUL 21 ARTERY MorLove, plus poetry by RadaR BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Glitter Gulch Wed

LEVEL 2 LOUNGE Open mic NEW CITY Circ-O-RamaLicious: Gypsy and circus fusion spectaculars; last Wed every month NEW CITY SUBURBS Punk Rock Pub Wed OVERTIME Dueling pianos featuring The Ivory Club PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic Bluegrass jam presented by the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society every Wed evening PROHIBITION Wed with Roland Pemberton III

BLUE CHAIR CAFE Heart and stroke fundraiser with Brent Parkin (solo performance); 8pm; $8; part of Race week music Fest

RED PIANO BAR Wed Night Live: hosted by dueling piano players; 8pm-1am; $5

BLUES ON WHYTE Andrew "Jr Boy" Jones

RIVER CREE Wed Live Rock Band hosted by Yukon Jack; 7:30-9pm

BRIXX BAR Really Good… Eats and Beats: DJ Degree every Wed, Edmonton’s Bassline Community; 6pm (music); no cover

ROSE AND CROWN PUB Dave Babcock and the Nightkeepers; 9pm-1pm; no cover; part of Race week music Fest

COPPERPOT RESTAURANT Live jazz every Wed night: Mike Rud Trio

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Wed with Danny Coady Band

CROWN PUB Creative original Jam Wed (no covers): hosted by Dan and Miguel; 9:30pm12:30am

SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Open Mic every Wed; 8-10pm

EDDIE SHORTS Goodtime

STEEPS TEA LOUNGE�College Plaza Open mic every Wed;

hosted by Ernie Tersigni; 8pm STEEPS TEA LOUNGE�Whyte Ave Open mic every Wed; 8pm TEMPLE Wyld Style Wed: Live hip hop; $5

DJs BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Wed Nights: with DJ Harley BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Blue Jay’s Messy Nest Wed Night: Brit pop, new wave, punk, rock ‘n’ roll with LL Cool Joe BRIXX BAR Really Good... Eats and Beats with DJ Degree and Friends BUDDY'S DJ Dust 'n' Time; 9pm; no cover before 10pm DIESEL ULTRA LOUNGE Windup Wed: R&B, hiphop, reggae, old skool, reggaeton with InVinceable, Touch It, weekly guest DJs FLUID LOUNGE Wed Rock This IVORY CLUB DJ every Wed; open DJ night; 9pm-close; all DJs welcome to spin a short set LEGENDS PUB Hip hop/R&B with DJ Spincycle NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE DJ Roxxi Slade (indie, punk and metal) NEW CITY SUBURBS Shake It: with Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail; no minors; 9pm (door) NIKKI DIAMONDS Punk and ‘80s metal every Wed RED STAR Guest DJs every Wed STARLITE ROOM Wild Style Wed: Hip-Hop; 9pm STOLLI'S Beatparty Wed: House, progressive and electronica with Rudy Electro, DJ Rystar, Space Age and weekly guests; 9pm-2am; beatparty.net WUNDERBAR Wed with new DJ; no cover

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

MUSIC // 25

PREVUE // THE CAT EMPIRE

What's new, pussy cat?

Genre-spanning band returns with a new album after some time off Bryan Birtles // bryan@vueweekly.com

quintessential live band, Australia's the Cat Empire built a career on being the band that could keep the audience dancing well into the night, and being able to do that night after night, seemingly indefinitely. But after almost a decade of relentless touring around the world, the genrestraddling band found itself worn out, unable to continue with the pace it had set for itself, desperate for a break. "We toured so much in the past and there was just a point in time when some of us in the band had just had enough, I guess, of touring, because it was just sort

of ruling their lives a bit too much," explains Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala, the Cat Empire's turntablist. "Sometimes you lose direction in your personal life and in your own space." A well-deserved rest without any plan of what to do afterwards proved to the band's members that they were still excited about the band, still interested in seeing what new directions it could go in. To that end, the Cat Empire came together in the studio to record its newest album, Cinema, without any preconceived notions of what it would be. What the band ended up with was an album written quite a bit differently than previous efforts: instead of the songs being brought to

the band by vocalists Harry Angus or Felix Riebl, the group worked collaboratively. The band also had an album with a significantly darker tone, one that reflected a new maturity and a deeper emotional heft. "I'm not sure if it's the willingness to open up—maybe you just are a bit more emotional or a bit more in touch with your emotions as you get older," Khadiwhala explains of the new subject matter. "I'm 29 and Felix and I are the oldest in the band, but we've been together for just over nine years so it's a much more mature step for us. We just wanted to write really good songs and enjoy playing them rather than being some amazing party band that ENERGIZER FELINES >> The Cat Empire recharges its batteries picks and chooses its genres from all over the world and plays them in a certain way. I think we're quite over that kind of vibe that we had in the old days." And while the band may not be embracing the exact same vibe it once did, the Cat Empire is back on the road, keeping the party going until the wee hours again—something that wouldn't have been possible without taking some time off.

26 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

// Supplied

"That brought a different spirit and a new energy to the band," Khadiwhala concludes about the band's break. "That's when we thought we should make a new record because we were in a new headspace, confident we could still do something well." V Thu, Jul 22 (8 pm) The Cat Empire Starlite Room, $30.75

PREVUE // AMY CAMPBELL

Creative control

Singer-songwriter prizes artistic integrity lewis kelly //lewis@vueweekly.com

my Campbell writes sombre, lyrical folk songs, and she knows that shuts the door on a certain kind of musical career. "Commercial radio is never going to get behind what I do," she says. And she's fine with itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Campbell pursues her art first and foremost as an end in itself. Though hardly a destitute bohemian, she places fidelity to her artistic vision above mass appeal. Her long-term goals tend more towards finding the funding for another record more than seeing her face on a billboard or a single atop the charts. Not that she's an artistic hermit or anything. Campbell still wants to be heard (she's even got a realistic, mature attitude towards file sharing), but she's not willing to consciously alter her creative process in hope of finding a bigger audience. "I can't un-ring the bell once I've been inspired. I can't un-have the idea," she says. When working out an idea, Campbell says she rarely thinks of audience reception. "The process of creating work has never really been motivated or not motivated by how people are going to take it in. That's a terrible thing to say, because I do want people to be able to enjoy it," she says. But the driving force behind her music is "creating something that I think strives for excellence, strives for artistic cohesion, integrity, something that I am proud of. "I just hope that some people will get it or will care. When you make something and you put it out there,

they're almost two completely separate events." Campbell still considers her audience, of course. Her acoustic guitar and poetic vocals evoke memories of classic folk singer-songwriters, ensuring anyone with an ear for melody and an open mind can enjoy her live show. "I think there are people who just want to listen to a song and enjoy it on a musical level," she says. "I've always tried to walk a line of creating something that can be both particular and general. I want to give people more than one avenue into it. " Campbell's music rewards sedulous listening with thematically tight, stimulating reflections on the nature of travel, homesickness, responsibility and history. Often she uses the personal pronoun when describing the feelings or experiences of a lyric character. She says she's OK with people conflating her with her creations. "I know it's too fine a distinction to ask somebody to make to understand that this is a character, and some of the things that happen to the character are the same as me, and I'm saying 'I' and 'me,' but you should know that at home I'm a different person," she says. "If their experience is heightened by attaching it to me as a person, they're welcome to. I wish that I could have that much control over how the audience is going to take in the work, but I never will. No artist ever does." V sat, july 17 (8:30 pm) amy campbell glenora bistro, $10

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JUL 21, 2010

MUSIC // 27

SLIDESHOW >> SOS FEST

JProcktor // jprocktor.com

SOS Fest / Shout Out Out Out Out with Cadence Weapon / Sun, Jul 11 / Whyte Ave More of JProcktor's photos at vueweekly.com

28 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JUL 21, 2010

US IC

Thu, Jul 22 (8 pm) / Michael Franti Sometime in 2000, Michael Franti decided to stop wearing shoes. Apparently he wears flipflops when boarding a plane or eating in a restaraunt and goes

Fri, Jul 16 (9 pm) / Crash Karma With frosted tips and lyrics redolent with generic angst, self-styled supergroup Crash Karma seems to be stuck in the '90s. Fitting, since its ranks include ex-members of Our Lady Peace, the Tea Party, and I, Mother Earth. Journey back to the world of Seinfeld, Bill Clinton and OJ Simpson—if you dare! (The Taphouse, St Albert, $18.50)

Thu, Jul 15 (12 pm) – Mon, Jul 19 (12 pm) / Motion Notion One or two nights on the club floor per week satisfies the dance needs of many. For those who need more than 48 hours to shake all the junk out of their trunk, we present Motion Notion, four full days of body movin', turntables and dubious fashion choices. Three stages near the Bent River Ranch in Drayton Valley will feature acts like Blue Lunar Monkey, the Crystal Method, Paperkrayne, Phonotactic and festival founder James Katalyst, while wholly mysterious and somewhat sinister Renegade Stages will host anyone with a turntable and neon hair. The most rebellious renegades will win tickets to Motion Notion 2011. Camping, rafting and the suggestively-named Sheesha Lounge all offer recovery avenues for those who shake and bake past the point of comfort. (Bent River Ranch, Drayton Valley, $100 – $200)

barefoot all other times. Will one of Edmonton's most prestigious concert halls force Franti to change from soul man to sole man? The only way to find out is to head to the Winspear next Thursday. (Winspear Centre, $47)

Fri, Jul 16 (9 pm) / Brash Tax Tickets for this gig would be substantially cheaper, but these local rockers play such an impetuous, hasty brand of punk that The Man slapped an extra levy on the tickets. That, or the band placed a thumb tack where no thumb tack should have been. (Starlite, $12)

Thu, Jul 22 (8 pm) / Hail The Villain Now that R Kelly's "Ignition" has forced the phrase "after-party" into everyday lexicon, it seems they pop up everywhere. Apparently, they can even happen before the actual party. Witness the Official Boonstock Afterparty, featuring tattooed troublemakers Hail the Villain, along with Hollerado and USS, and slated to end right before Boonstock itself begins on Friday. Maybe it's an afterparty for the pre-party. A prafterparty, if you will. (Oil City Roadhouse, $20) —LEWIS KELLY

SLIDESHOW >> SOSFEST

Eden Munro // eden@vueweekly.com

VUEWEEKLY.COM/VUETUBE

SOS Fest / Boogie Patrol (top), the Fugitives (bottom) / Sun, Jul 11 / Whyte Ave

The inaugural Sounds of Old Strathcona Festival featured bands from a myriad of genres performing in venues around the Whyte Ave area. Check out Vue's video coverage to see what all the buzz was about.

More of EDEN's photos at vueweekly.com

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

MUSIC // 29

ALBUM REVIEWS

New Sounds

Hot Hot Heat Future Breeds (Dine Alone) 

Bryan Birtles // bryan@vueweekly.com

fter two albums on major label Warner Brothers—through its subsidiary Sire Records—Vancouver-by-way-of-Victoria band Hot Hot Heat was in need of a reboot. Whereas the band's early output stretched the limits of what punk rock could be, its major label efforts seemed to recede into a cocoon of safe structures and diminished tones; the guitars and synths had had their edges dulled and even Steve Bays' characteristic voice took on a more melodic tone instead of the urgent, rabid-rooster crow heard on the band's Sub Pop releases. The will to return to the band's roots peeked its head out from behind the slick production at times during Hot Hot Heat's major-label forays—a somewhat flatter re-recording of Le Le Low's "5 Times Out of 100" on 2007's Happiness Ltd. Is perhaps the best example— but the fact that Hot Hot Heat was once an entity that pushed the envelope was seemingly forgotten. Future Breeds seeks to recapture the vast amount of frenetic energy that would have been required to propel the band into the

public eye from as unlikely a place as Victoria, home to newlyweds and the nearly dead. (As a curious aside, Future Breeds is the first full-length the band has put out that doesn't feature its members on the cover—perhaps another clue that the band intends for this album to be seen as a departure) In this regard, the album does a passable job. As reboots go, this one is closer to Batman Begins than Ang Lee's Hulk, but while Future Breeds sees the band free to show off some of its harder edges, it lacks focus. Album opener "YVR" feels like a call to arms that sets the album off on the right foot, but the album stumbles on the acoustic tinged second song "21@12" and this pattern continues throughout the rest of the album—moments of brilliance trade off with ones that are somewhat featureless. Whereas a song like "Implosionatic" sounds like a futuristic funeral dirge from outer space—awesome—"Zero Results" meanders aimlessly around a series of uninspired riffs, never quite finding the point or any reason for urgency. "JFK's LSD" begins with a sputtering synth line that sounds like the car you drove in high school coughing itself to life before the song blasts into one of the catchiest hooks on the album, but soon after "Buzinezz as Usual" brings the party down with some rather plain blues piano. This isn't to suggest that the band should rewrite Make Up the Breakdown over and over—far from it. But where Hot Hot Heat used to excel at making songs that were somewhat dangerous, that straddled the line between the naked aggression of punk, the fey heaving of a crowded dancefloor and bald sexuality, its current reluctance to venture into territory that might make someone uncomfortable castrates its ability to take risks with its music and therefore its ability to make a real impact. V

D-Sisive Vaudeville URBNET  D-Sisive's new Urbnet release, Vaudeville, is a slow, yawning collection of dissonant rap yarns that wind tighter and tighter around the listener as the album carries on. The lecturing tone of Vaudeville is present throughout, even over the occasional major-chord rasta-shuffles such as "Never Knew Me" and "Scaredy Cat." The underlying music is outstanding and the songwriting is thick. The dominant tone is one of disenfranchisement often delivered in second and third person narratives that are often melodramatic. If that's your thing, here's a better, more artistic and Canadian Eminem for you. Joe gurba

// joe@vueweekly.com

Windsor for the Derby Against Love Secretly Canadian 

Windsor for the Derby digs deep into its bag of tricks and emerges with this breathtaking mutant. We have here limbs of country, pop, electronica and folk all grafted into a solid trunk of early '90s post-rock transcendentalism. For WFTD, Against Love is a gauze-wound hybrid of more than a decade of musical exploration. You would imagine the results to fit awkwardly but the record is truly seamless. The old-Polaroid quality of the entire album is so emotionally magnetic that Against Love begins to negate its own thesis statement. Joe GUrba

// Joe@vueweekly.com

The Boyfriends Lead & Follow Independent 

The hooks are big and bright on the Boyfriends' debut album, a blast of '90s-influenced primary-coloured poprock, but the voices can't always keep up: singers Marshall Watson and Jamie Faulds seem more suited to smaller, more intimate moments, while the band is at its best when it's blazing full speed ahead for the catchiest thing it can find. This can distract from what's otherwise top-notch pop, but when they come together this is a romantic, brainy little album that's as clever as it is cute. david berry

// david@vueweekly.com

30 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

Ridley Bent Rabbit On My Wheel Open Road  Rabbit On My Wheel shamelessly indulges in every annoying pop-country music trope in existence: entirely conventional instrumentation, bolo ties and schmaltzy lyrics about well-trodden themes like women, booze, loneliness and heartbreak. It succeeds by executing its insidious agenda better than anything you can hear on mainstream county radio today. An immaculate sound mix, moving vocal harmonies and rippin' six-string and pedal-steel solos combine with Bent's trademark raspy, thin singing and elegant songwriting to make this an album that without doubt achieves what it sets out to do. You can debate whether Bent's target is one worth aiming for, but not whether he hits his mark. Lewis kelly

// lewis@vueweekly.com

Villagers Becoming a Jackal Domino 

Villagers is a Domino recording artist from Ireland named Conor O'Brien. The songs on Becoming a Jackal are entirely his. Listening to his music, it doesn't take long to realize that this is a songwriter who is extremely deliberate. These fine-tooth songs are masterfully scripted, not one note out of place, not one instrument admitted without intense deliberation. Becoming a Jackal has some of the cleanest, most exact folk compositions I've heard in a long time. If you appreciate a messier, more spontaneous sound, this album isn't for you. But if you're all about Alexi Murdoch or Glen Hansard or perhaps even Nick Drake, definitely take a listen to this record. Joe gurba

// joe@vueweekly.com

Herbie Hancock The Imagine Project Sony Music 

Hancock features a slew of guests on his latest adult contemporary "project"—a covers album paying tribute to revolutionary folk and rock songs of the '60s. The blend of hippie nostalgia guest vocals is sort of a deadweight on Hancock's own legendary talent. A tiresome hope-inspired Democrat-convention wrap party. jonathan busch

// jonathan@vueweekly.com

ALBUM REVIEWS The Cure Disintegration (Elektra)

can come out of the mind of someone who is obviously in an intense kind of love just grants everything more Originally released: 1989 weight. It's the difference between a sullen teenager comWhen Robert Smith first plaining about his parents and handed in Disintegration, the a married man confiding his om .c ly k e vuewe album that would become unshakeable dread and ennui. david@ the Cure's magnum opus, This sense begins immediDavidy Elektra's executives were nearately with "Plainsong," which Berr appalled: they deemed it comshould be the example held up mercial suicide, whenever anythinking that abone calls music solutely nobody atmospheric. would want to Lyrically pretty listen to the band simple, though who had recently with an unmisstarted scoring takable creephits with upbeat ing sadness, it stuff like "Friday is made by its I'm in Love" get plodding but exall down and pansive synths, dreary. Ignoring which take over how much that like night fallmisunderstands ing across the the band, these prairie. I don't guys must know know that I've even less about ever heard more teenagers: melan- DISINTEGRATION >> Is the cure emotion wrung choly melodrama has never been a parout of a digital instrument, and it sets ticularly tough sell. the mood perfectly. The Cure is of course so good at that For its maturity, that mood is still one that its name has become kind of a shortthat constantly flirts with going over the hand for a type of mopey goth rock and top, that treats every little thing like it the sad sappy suckers that listen to it. might be the end of the world (hence, But for as much as Disintegration is the again, its popularity with teenagers). absolute zenith of that particular style, it "Pictures of You," which immediately also needed the other Cure, that happyfollows "Plainsong," is a break-up song go-lucky band with its bouncing hooks, that could nearly double as a suicide to really drive it home. Tucked away note, although the reverbed pluck of the among the decidedly disillusioned tone guitars and synth washes again set the of the album is "Lovesong," a romantic mood ideally, and keep it feeling like a ballad whose sentiments drift somewhole lot, but not too much. "Prayers for where between overwrought teenage Rain"'s lyrics wouldn't be too out of place love note and painfully sincere wedding in an angry nu-metal song, but Smith's vow, but which is also the most emtiondelivery—part snotty punk, part bridge ally open song here, Smith mostly conjumper—and the spacious arrangement tent to couch his feelings in imagery and again rescue it from excess. metaphor elsewhere. Like some of the That, ultimately, seems to be DisintegraCure's earlier work, its juxtaposition only tion's calling card: painful, powerful emomakes the mood of Disintegration even tions delivered with the perfect pitch, stronger: if it was nothing but downer somewhere exactly between speaking synthscapes, it would be much easier to plainly and overselling it. No wonder the dismiss, but that this kind of bleak world record company missed it. V

OULNDDS

HAIKU Heart Sounds Until We Surrender (Epitaph) 90s bands I hate I can now conveniently Hate again today

QUICK

SPINS

quicksp

ekly.co

uewe ins@v

Whiteoyn Houst

Kevin Rudoplh To The Sky (Cashmoney)

I guess he made it Now he can afford to buy Solid gold sidechains

Peggy Sue Fossils and Other Phantoms (YepRoc)

Jason Blaine Sweet Sundown (E1)

Precious girly folk Emotive and quite good but Vagina required

Heartthrob country star He's just a teenage girl's dream, Music fan's nightmare

Ross Neilson & The Sufferin Bastards Redemption (Bootsoup)

Stornoway Beachcomber's Windowsill (4AD)

Live to tape Blues-rock Like regular Blues-rock but More proud of itself

Plaintive and classy But oddly uplifting like Magic suspenders

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

MUSIC // 31

PREVUE // MITCHMATIC

Verbal acrobat

Local rapper reconciles shyness with backflips omar mouallem // omar@vueweekly.com

uring his first concert, in 2008 at the short-lived Black Spot Cafe, Mitchmatic, then 18, rapped his first song with one hand in his pocket. Mitchmatic is naturally a shy guy who speaks in quiet, brief phrases. Furthermore, his demeanour was amplified by the fact that he'd accidentally become the centre of attention: his friend, rapper The Joe, billed him on the show as a "special guest" and kept it a secret from everyone, including Mitch, until a week prior. To boot, Mitch's older brother, now New York rapper Teddy Holtby (aka Well-Put), was supposed to perform, but was too sick to show up. In his absence, Teddy's fans became Mitch Holtby's closest listeners. When the beat to one of his songs intensified, indicating the chorus should have arrived, Mitch retrieved his pocketed hand, gestured for the small audience to part to the side, and then did a back flip off the stage. "That's the chorus," he explained. Occasionally, Mitchmatic still employs the "flip chorus," a skill he learned out of boredom in his hometown, Clearwater, BC, where he flipped

off cars to impress friends. Mostly now, his go-to concert spectacle is live beat-making on an MPC sampling machine he bought off eBay. "It's my fail safe," he explains. "If they're not impressed by my rapping ... which they usually are." Mitch catches himself in a rare moment of ego: "Don't print that," he says. Mitch has a lot of musical talent to be proud of, and even cocky about if he wants. When he's not rapping, flipping or sampling, he's playing piano, which, he says, "My mom tried to teach me, but I quit after the first lesson and learned it myself." Given that his mom is a music teacher and his father a "jazzophile," it's no surprise that he and his three siblings (Teddy, Beth Holtby and Jessica Holtby) are all singers, songwriters and instrumentalists. "We all take influences from my dad's tastes in jazz," he says. Since his first concert, Mitch has been a regular on the local music scene, mostly doing regular shows organized by Old Ugly Records. He's also become a member of Chop Shop, an instrumental hip-hop supergroup made up of local producers and rappers ReDef,

KazMega and Joey Dats. But the show on Sunday, opening for '90s hip-hop legends Souls of Mischief, is the first time Mitch gets to precede high-profile artists. About a month ago, Mitch sent Tim Baig of Urban DNA a copy of his new, download-for-free mixtape, Two Weeks Off. Days later, the promoter booked him. It's more than just Mitch's talent that got him the gig. There are a lot of very good rappers in Edmonton, but none with the sort of early-'90s style that Mitch has honed—a perfect fit for fans of Souls' '93 to Infinity. Even his name is an homage to Nas's 1994 classic, Illmatic. It's as if Mitch had started and stopped listening to rap at age four. "I'm most inspired by music of that era ... I feel like rap had soul back then," he explains. "Not even in lyrics, but the way they used their voices like instruments. Now, rapping sounds like chanting." And then, sensing hubris, he says, "But not all of rap. There's some good stuff nowadays." V Sun, Jul 18 (9 pm) mitchmatic With souls of mischief Pawn Shop, $15

HOROSCOPE ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

news: The US has over 94 000 highly "Thou shalt not kill" is a crucial rule for trained human beings in Afghanistan you to follow, and not just in the whose express purpose is to deliteral sense. According to my stroy Al-Qaeda. I bring this up reading of the astrological as a prod to get you to quesomens, you should also be tion your own allotment of Y G LO O extra vigilant as you avoid martial force, Gemini. You R T m AS ekly.co more metaphorical kinds of definitely need to make sure vuewe l@ il w e fre destruction. Please be careyou have a lavish reserve of b o R y fighting spirit primed to serve ful not to unleash ill-chosen Brezsn your highest goals. Just make words that would crush someone's spirit. To put this all in a sure, please, that it's pointed in the more positive frame: It's time for you right direction. to engage in a reverent and boisterous celebration of life, nurturing and foster- CANCER ( Jun 21 – Jul 22) ing and stimulating everywhere you go. "Give us this day our daily hunger," prayed French philosopher Gaston TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20) The Bachelard. I suggest you use his formubaseball game was over. TV announc- lation as your own in the coming week, er Mike Krukow was describing the Cancerian. It's the high season for your "ugly victory" that the San Francisco holy desires: a time when your mental Giants had just achieved. The team's and physical health will thrive as you efforts were sloppy and chaotic, he tune in to and express your strongest, said, and yet the win counted just as most righteous longings. much as a more elegant triumph. He ended with a flourish: "No one wants LEO ( Jul 23 – Aug 22) to hear about the labour pains; they I recently wrote about Christopher just want to see the baby." That's my Owens, lead singer of the band Girls, message to you this week, Taurus. All and how he wore pajama bottoms durthat matters is that you get the job ing a show he did in San Francisco. A done. It doesn't matter whether you reader named Eric was disgusted by look good doing it. this, seeing it as evidence that Owens is a self-indulgent hipster. "Just another GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20) spoiled trust-fund kid, whose excesHere's the really good news: CIA direc- sively privileged life has given him the tor Leon Panetta says there are fewer delusion that he's uninhibited." With a than 100 Al-Qaeda combatants in Af- little research, Eric would have found ghanistan. Here's the utterly confusing the truth: Owens was raised in an abu-

FREEW

32 // BACK

ILL

sive religious cult by a single mother who worked as a prostitute to earn a meager living. I bring this to your attention in hopes it will inspire you to avoid making any assumptions about anyone. More than ever before, it's crucial that you bring a beginner's mind to your evaluations of other human beings.

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22)

I want to see your willpower surge and throb and carry you to a ringing triumph in the next two weeks, Virgo. I hope to be cheering you on as you complete a plucky effort to overcome some longstanding obstacle; as you rise up with a herculean flourish and put the stamp of your uniqueness on a success that will last a long time.

LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

The Italian word terribilità was originally used by art critics to describe the sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo. According to various dictionaries, it refers to "a sense of awe-inspiring grandeur," or "an astonishing creation that provokes reverent humility." In my astrological opinion, terribilità is a prerequisite for the next chapter of your life story. You need be flabbergasted by stunning beauty. Where can you go to get it? A natural wonder might do the trick, or some exalted architecture or works of art or music that make you sob with cathartic joy. For extra credit, put yourself in the path of all the above.

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21)

In a favorable review of Badger Mountain Riesling wine, Winelibrary.com said, "The sweet succulent aromas of bosc pears are woven with lilacs and just a hint of petrol." Petrol? The commenter seems to suggest that greatness may contain a taint, or even that the very nature of greatness may require it to have a trace of something offensive. I'm guessing that'll be a theme for you in the coming week.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

During the grace period you're currently enjoying, you have a talent for tuning in to the raw potential of whatever situation is right in front of you. That's why your spontaneous urges are likely to generate fun learning experiences, not awkward messes. It may therefore seem like your progress will be easy, even a bit magical. Some people may regard your breakthroughs as unearned. But you and I will know that you're merely harvesting the benefits that come from a long period of honing your powers.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

A few single friends of mine use the dating site OkCupid to meet potential lovers. One woman recieved the following notice: "We are pleased to report that you are in the top half of OkCupid's most attractive users. Your new elite status comes with one important privilege: You will now see more

attractive people in your match results. Also! You'll be shown to more attractive people in their match results. And, no, we didn't send this email to everyone on OkCupid. Go ask an ugly friend." According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Capricorn, you will soon receive a metaphorically comparable message, not from OkCupid, but from the universe itself.

AQUARIUS ( Jan 20 – Feb 18)

The liberation movement kindled in the 1960s wasn't all fun and games. It ushered in expansive new ways of thinking about gender, race, sexuality, spirituality, music and consciousness itself, but it was fueled by anger as well as by the longing for pleasure and meaning and transcendence. A key focus of the rage was opposition to the Vietnam War. Can you think of a comparable prod in your personal life, Aquarius? A gnawing injustice that will help awaken and feed your irresistible drive to emancipate yourself?

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Here's a thought from Piscean poet W.H. Auden: "The image of myself which I try to create in my own mind in order that I may love myself is very different from the image which I try to create in the minds of others in order that they may love me." If what Auden describes is true for you, I suggest you try this experiment: Merge the two images; see if you can make them the same.

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VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

BACK // 33

COMMENT >> LGBT

Sucked dry

Eclipse catalyzes critical reflection There is a new flavour of Froster at your queers of any sort. With Edward the neighbourhood Mac's store: a Twilightmoral vampire, Jacob the sexy shapethemed pomegranate concoction, shifting werewolf and Bella the meant to simulate the crimson unremarkable and sought-after fuel of Stephanie Meyer's vamheroine, the film traces out pire heroes. As religious a the tired lines of the heteromoment as one might have sexual love triangle with a om at Mac's (save, perhaps, for protractor’s precision. This, eekly.c w e u v lucas@ the hangover pilgrimage for the third film of the series, Lucas d Gatorade and pizza pops), the reintroduces viewers to Bella's r o f Craw existence of this product is just desire to convert into a vampire, another sign of the cachet held by and with Edward's tortured desire the commercial enterprise of Twilight. for her but reluctance to lead her into With this, it is now possible to not only un-human existence, especially via sex, read, watch, sleep and eat Twilight, but which would apparently do her great we can now suck it. damage. Indeed, like the beverage, the empire's On this level, the tale valorizes the delatest film, Eclipse, seems at first glance ferral of desire, plays into fear-mongering to offer scant sustenance to critical about contagion, blood, and self-control,

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HELP WANTED Change your life! Travel, Teach English: We train you to teach. 1000’s of jobs around the world. Next in-class or ONLINE by correspondence. Jobs guaranteed. 7712-104 St. Call for info pack 1.888.270.2941

Call to Artists, Musicians, Writers, Performers for Expression of Interest. Deadline: Jul 31, 2010 “Art in Our Park” Festival & Art Sale | James Ramsey Park (Edmonton), Sat, Sep 18

The Cutting Room is looking for Assistants and Stylists Please drop off your resume at 10536-124 Street

Art Gallery welcoming artwork for display and sale. Expressionz is a meeting place for all modes of creative expression. We hold workshops, a weekly open stage, events and have space for meetings, healing practices. Located south of Whyte Ave at 9938-70 Ave. For info or to add your name to the list of artists E: expressionzcafe@gmail.com; T: 780.437.3667

MODAL MUSIC INC. 780.221.3116

Movements Dance is accepting applications for Dance Instructor for its 2010/2011 season. Applicants should have an extensive background in West African and Caribbean dance with a min of 5 yrs experience. For info call 780.415.5211

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Old Strathcona Antique Mall: Any artist or musician interested in hanging art or performing in monthly showcases contact Jenn@oldstrathconamall.com; visual art will showcase for one month

Quality music instruction since 1981. Guitarist. Educator. Graduate of GMCC music program

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Need a volunteer? Forming an acting troupe? Want someone to jam with? Place up to 20 words FREE, providing the ad is non-profit. Ads of more than 20 words subject to regular price or cruel editing. Free ads must be submitted in writing, in person or by fax. Free ads will run for four weeks, if you want to renew or cancel please phone Glenys at 780.426.1996/fax 780.426.2889/e-m listings@vueweekly. com or drop it off at 10303-108 St. Deadline is noon the Tuesday before publication. Placement will depend upon available space

Wanted, a few good men; Musicalmania needs strong male soloist (tenor) and chorus members for Fringe production. T: 780.460.2937

MUSICAL INSTRUCTION

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and, with Jacob's native heritage, reproduces the equation of aboriginal people with somehow more primal or animal instincts and urges. Those sides of the film, much like the slushie, are syrupy, cheap and best taken with either a grain of salt or a handful of Tums. Laughably overwrought denial/morality narratives aside, let's move on to the steamier love scene of the film. Setting: a tent in the woods. Scenario: some new evil vampires are after Bella. She is in hiding with Edward, but due to the Edmonton-like winter temperatures and Edward's inherent vampire inability to produce heat, Jacob must crawl into her sleeping bag and spoon her from behind as Edward watches on. Few times has Eve Sedgwick's theory of "homosociality",

Common Law Copyright Notice CNN – 195011217004BFF All rights reserved re; common-law copyright of tradename/trademark, LARRY EDGAR ZACHOW© as well as any all derivatives and variations in spelling of said trade-names/trademarks – Copyright 1950 Larry-Edgar: Zachow. Unauthorized use of LARRY EDGAR ZACHOW© is strictly prohibited and is so indemnified and held harmless by Debtor, i.e. “LARRY EDGAR ZACHOW ©” in Hold-harmless and Indemnity Agreement No. 195011217004BFF.

Call for entries: 2011 Dreamspeakers; Deadline: Mar 31, 2011; Info E: info@dreamspeakers.org. Send entries to: Attn: Executive Director, Dreamspeakers Festival Society, 8726-112 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T5B 0G6 Expressionz Café, 9938-70 Ave, looking for visual artists and artisans for weekly art market and rotating gallery space. T: 780.437.3667; W: expressionzcafe.com

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

which describes the ways in which men indirectly relate to each other through women, literally using women as conduits and alibis for their male-charged economies of desire and selfhood, come so fully alive. No coincidence, then, that Sedgwick's book is called Between Men– precisely where women, including Bella, are positioned. This scene is the one occasion in the film in which Edward and Jacob let down their aggressively-masculine stances towards each other. Spoken in soft tones over Bella's sleeping body, they admit that if only they were not natural-born enemies, if only things were different, (pregnant pause) then they might really have liked each other. Sometimes it's the haunting presence/absence of queerness that tells us more than queer sex: here, the men connect to each other, show vulnerability and reveal the sexually-charged roles that the other plays in Edmonton Writer in Exile Committee invites applications for its PEN Canada Writer in Exile residency in 2010-2011. Deadline: Jul 31; Info at WritersGuild.ab.ca Allied Arts Council/Spruce Grove Art Gallery: call for Alberta artists 55 and over to participate in the 2010 Senior Art Show. Deadline: Sep 17. 780.962.0664, E: alliedac@shaw.ca Actors to meet monthly to work on scenes and monologues with optional coaching from professional director and actor. email: elaine.elrod@telus.net Night 32 Productions Inc. seeks a qualified screen writer for a TV pilot titled “Ghostwater” a horror-cop drama. The first draft has been written. Please contact Kevin Sisk, Associate Producer at drsiskphddd@msn.com with contact info and sample of your work

their respective architectures of desire. But not when the woman is actually awake , of course; then there is attention and valour to be won. Duh, dude! In a similarly "homosocial" fashion, myriads of woman-based forums and fan groups abound. A critical mention of Edward apparently earns bloggers and critics thousands of words of angry critique from those quarters. I don't suppose many of those folks are hunched over Vue, scrutinizing Queermonton, but I hope they are. I wonder what it means that Edward's jealous and devoted character is thought to be so dream-worthy, so out of step with what is available in our culture. Is he really? Let me know! In the meantime, I'm flipping through the long history of explicitly queer vampire narratives, pondering the infectionpanic of this blood-focused tale, Googling for Twilight slash fiction, and sitting back and taking a long slow sip. V

COMMENT >> ALT SEX

Medicine for the whole or the one Dear Readers: cure these things, they just give temporary This week's letter of interest is a well-com"help" that you pay for in side effects, cardiac posed rant against my supposed blind derisks and possible worsening of the condivotion to Western medicine, ignorance tion over time. Take away the drug, and of same and lack of understanding you still have the problem... There is of the holistic approach to coma cure for HSDD, and it is called plaints such as hyposexual deeducation, lifestyle, diet and sire disorder. The letter is quite emotional healing, not your bekly.com long, so here are some of the loved Flibanserin. uewee v @ x e alts good parts: Ayurveda, a 5000-plus-yeara e r And son old science has an entire limb of Nemer I am an Ayurvedic practitioner (trapractice devoted to "Vajikarana" or ditional Indian medicine) and so, am aphrodisiac science which increases obliged to look at things holistically—from overall reproductive health, not just inflathe perspective of the WHOLE person, not tion of the vagina and emotional manipulajust their vaginas. From this perspective, tion via antidepressant technology. HSDD is just a name given to the complaint Our "drugs" are herbal formulas that can of low libido which could be caused by anybe tailored to the specific individual and thing from poor diet to bad relationship to have been in use for thousands of years; not hormonal imbalance to stressful work-life a "one-size-fits-all" approach that will leave and everywhere in between. Drugs don't the users immune-depleted.

ALT.

SEX

MUSICIANS Professional metal band seeks dedicated guitarist and bass player. No coke heads etc Call Rob 780.952.4927 Seeking folk/bluegrass/improv/country type small string band to work with me on some cool innovative performances. Must be willing to try new takes on some traditional work. 780.239.5758 Metal band All Else Fails seeking drummer. Committed, dependable, financially stable and able to tour often. Seedy@allelsefails.ca or Mitch@780.707.3908 Harmonica player, vocalist, percussionist, front man. 30 yrs experience. Available for live sessions or road work. Serious inquiries only, please. J.B. 780.668.8665 We are a party / wedding band that already has over 10 gigs booked. Looking for a lead guitarist to fill out our sound. Call 780.271.0030 today! Pro level trio require experienced drummer. Please be able to rehearse at least once/wk and have an upbeat attitude. T: 780.299.7503

VOLUNTEER Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, need volunteers to help immigrant children and youth of all ages–volunteer in a homework club. Phillip Deng at 780.423.9516, pdeng@emcn.ab.ca Do you remember someone who believed in you when you were a child? Be that person in a child's life today. All it takes is one hour a week, which may not be much to you but will make all the difference in the life of a child. Be a Big Brother or Big Sister! Be a Mentor! Call Big Brother Big Sister today. 780.424.8181 Volunteer website for youth 14-24 years old. youthvolunteer.ca The Edmonton Immigrant Services Association is looking for volunteers to help with its New Neighbours, Host/Mentorship, Language Bank, and Youth Programs. Contact Alexandru Caldararu (Volunteer Coordinator) at 780-474-8445 or visit: eisa-edmonton.org for more info Join the Freewill Shakespeare Festival as a volunteer for its 22nd season, until Jul 25. Troy O’Donnell 780.425.8086, E: volunteer@freewillshakespeare.com Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is looking for volunteers for the 2010 Fringe, Aug 12-22; Info: fringetheatre.ca/volunteer Grow a Row with Edmonton Meals on Wheels; local gardeners and farmers to donate their fresh produce 780.429.2020 for info; Katherine Dalusong E: katherine. dalusong@mealsonwheelsedmonton.org Edmonton Immigrant Services Association: looking for volunteers to help with Youth Tutoring & Mentorship, New Neighbours, Language Bank, and Host/Mentorship programs. Contact Alexandru Caldararu 780.474.8445; W: eisa-edmonton.org

HELP SUPPORT THE YOUTH EMERGENCY SHELTER SOCIETY Programs for youth; 780.468.7070; yess.org

Mechanics needed: The Edmonton Bicyle Commuters' Society operates a volunteer-run community bike workshop called BikeWorks, 10047-80 Ave (back alley), also accepting bicycle donations; E: volunteer@edmontonbikes.ca; W: edmontonbikes.ca The Candora Society of Edmonton–Board Recruiting; candorasociety.com; promotes positive growth in the lives of women, children/families in Rundle/ Abbotsfield communities. Info: Elaine Dunnigan E: edunnigan@shaw.ca Mediation & Restorative Justice Centre Edmonton: Vol Facilitator Recruitment 2010; mrjc.ca/mediation/volunteering/complete a volunteer application form; 780.423.0896 ext. 201 Volunteers instructors needed–Tap Dancing, Line Dancing and Calligraphy. Wed: kitchen helper, Fri: dining room servers; Wed evening dinners: dishwashers, kitchen prep and servers. Mary 780.433.5807 People between 18-55, suffering from depression or who have never suffered from depression are needed as research volunteers, should not be taking medication, smoking, or undergoing psychotherapy and not have a history of cardiovascular disease. Monetary compensation provided for participation. 780.407.3906 Volunteer at ElderCare Edmonton: help out with day programs with things like crafts, card games and socializing. Call Renée for info at 780.434.4747 Ext 4 Volunteer with Strathcona County RCMP Victim Services Unit and assist victims of crime and trauma. Call Katie at 780.449.0183 Volunteers required for studies at UofA. Call 780.407.3906; E: UofADep@gmail.com. Reimbursement provided U of A is seeking major depression sufferers interested in participating in a research study. Call 780.407.3906; E: UofADep@gmail.com The Support Network: Volunteer today to be a Distress Line Listener. Apply on line thesupportnetwork.com or call 780.732.6648 The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts: looking for artists to provide mentorship to our artists with developmental disabilities. Share your talents and passion while gaining work experience. Info: Anna at volunteer@ninahaggertyart.ca Meals on WheelsºNgdmfl]]jk f]]\]\ Lg \]dan]j nutritious meals (vehicle required) Weekdays )(2,-Ye%)he Lg Ykkakl af l`] cal[`]f O]]c\Yqk .Ye Yf\ *he3 k`a^l lae]k Yj] ^d]paZd] /0(&,*1&*(*( S.C.A.R.S.: Second Chance Animal Rescue Society. Our dogs are TV stars! Watch Global TV every Sat at 9:45 AM where new, wonderful dogs will be profiled. scarscare.org CNIB's Friendly Visitor Program needs volunteers to help and be a sighted guide with a friendly voice. If you can help someone with vision loss visit cnib. ca or call 780.453.8304 Bicycle Mechanic volunteers for Bissell Centre community homeless or near homeless members on Mon, Wed, Fri, 9am-12pm. Contact Linda 780.423.2285 ext 134 Dr.’s Appointment Buddy–Accompany new refugee immigrants to their medical appointments to give support and assist with paperwork. Thu, 10:30am2:30pm. Transportation not required. Leslie 780.432.1137, ext 357

If you want to empower women, don't push drugs; push health, self-acceptance and self-love.

OK, hang on there. We misunderstand each other. Keep in mind here that Flibanserin doesn't work, hence is not beloved by me or anyone else. What's really important to restate for the record, should anyone be keeping one, is this: Women's libidos are turning out, to the surprise of no-one, to be rather ... complicated and so far refractory to attempts at chemical interventions. We know this. We have said this. I have said this. My Ayurvedic friend is completely correct when she says that many physical and emotional stressors can affect a woman's libido, few if any of which can be addressed by a simple rearrangement of neurotransmitters. But if you truly believe in a holistic approach to sexual health, you have to add

those neurotransmitters to the equation, and if they are not skipping merrily across the synapses the way they are supposed to, no amount of yoga and yogurt is going to make sex happen. That's where a drug like Flibanserin (if it worked, which it doesn't) could be useful. Moreover, desire, like many other feelingstates, is part of a complex feedback loop: not wanting sex makes you dread being asked, so you avoid, or even worse, begin to resent your partner, which makes you not want any. Anything that can replace that loop with its happy-go-lucky twin is all to the good. It would be silly to reject a feedbackloop-interrupting drug on the basis that it doesn't address problems way beyond the reach of any medicine, like a bad boss, an untenable schedule, or, um, patriarchy. Western medicine may often overlook the

importance of well-being, self-acceptance, love and fresh vegetables in its pursuit of mechanistic fixes for poorly understood problems. Doesn't mean it doesn't work, although it surely does have its limits. I am more than happy to concede that a more holistic approach would vastly improve Western medicine. While we're at it let's have an end to misogyny and sexual double standards and Bulimia-inducing standards of beauty. I do not expect a one-size-fits-all drug to, in fact, fit all. I do think a brain-chemistry drug could have a salutary effect on brain chemistry, however. And, not to put too fine a point on it, I would expect an approach like yours to be more effective than any drug for complaints of the soul, but I am taking my infected toe to Dr Western, MD. Love, Andrea

The Learning Centre Literacy Association: seeking an artist or arts & crafts person who would be willing to commit 2 hrs weekly to the instruction of their passion to adult literacy learners in the inner city. Denis Lapierre 780.429.0675, dl.learningcentre@shaw.ca P.A.L.S. Project Adult Literacy Society needs volunteers to work with adult students in the ESL English as a Second Language Program. Call 780.424.5514; training and materials are provided BISSELL CENTRE Community in need of basic daily items, please bring: coffee, sugar, powdered creamer, diapers, baby formula to Bissell Centre East, 10527-96 St, Mon-Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm

SERVICES NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS Help Line 24 Hours a Day–7 Days a Week If you want to stop using, we can help Local: 780.421.4429/Toll free: 1.877.463.3537 Have you been affected by another person's sexual behaviour? S-Anon is a 12-Step fellowship for the family members and friends of sex addicts. Call 780.988.4411 for Edmonton area meeting locations and info, sanon.org SACE–Public Education Program: Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (sace.ab.ca) provides crisis intervention, info, counseling, public education. T: 780.423.4102/F: 780.421.8734/E: info@sace.ab.ca; sace.ab.ca/24-hour Crisis Line: 780.423.4121 Are you an International Medical Graduate seeking licensure? The Alberta International Medical Graduates Association is here to help. Support, study groups, volunteer opportunities–all while creating change for tomorrow. aimga.ca

Want to stop smoking? Nicotine Anonymous meetings: 7pm, every Wed, Ebenezer United Church Hall, 106 Ave, 163 St. Contact Gwyn 780.443.3020

ADULT STEAMWORKS GAY & BI MENS BATHHOUSE. 24/7 11745 JASPER AVE. 780.451.5554 WWW.STEAMWORKSEDMONTON.COM THE NIGHT EXCHANGE Private Erotic Talk. Enjoy hours of explicit chat with sexy locals. CALL FREE* NOW to connect instantly. 780.229.0655 The Night Exchange. Must be 18+. *Phone company charges may apply

HAD ENOUGH? COCAINE ANONYMOUS 780.425.2715

IS DRINKING A PROBLEM? A.A. CAN HELP! 780.424.5900 Want to stop smoking? Nicotine Anonymous meetings: 7pm, every Wed, Ebenezer United Church Hall, 106 Ave, 163 St. Contact Gwyn 780.443.3020 Jewish Family Services Edmonton/TASIS (Transforming Acculturative Stress Into Success): A free program aimed at minimizing culture shock and displacement for trained professional immigrant women. T: Svetlana 780.454.1194

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Keiskamma Art Project: women and men from the villages of South Africa’s Eastern Cape province need donations of fabrics to create felted and embroidered goods. Need: fine, open weave cottons, silks (silk ponge, silk chiffon, silk gauze), rayon, viscose; fabric pieces larger than a 2" square. Deliver to 13604-108 Ave before Jul 15. Info E: wendy4keiskamma@yahoo.com

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VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010

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VUEWEEKLY // JUL 15 – JUL 21, 2010