vue weekly 770 Jul 22 - 28 2010 by Vue Weekly

INSIDE

COVER

#770 • Jul 22 – Jul 28, 2010

UP FRONT // 4/ 4 6 6 7

Vuepoint Dyer Straight ZeitGeist Bob the Angry Flower

DISH // 8/ 9 To the Pint

ARTS // 12/ 13 Prairie Artsters

FILM // 17 18 DVD Detective

MUSIC // 21/ 24 Enter Sandor 29 Music Notes 30 New Sounds 31 Old Sounds 31 Quickspins

BACK // 32

Draw: Edmonton's artist run centres—and you—collaborate on DIY festival

FILM

MUSIC

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

EVENTS LISTINGS 16 Arts 19 Film 22 Music 33 Events

Inception a fantastical crime thriller, but not deep

Said the Whale comes to love bicycles over buses

VUEWEEKLY.COM VUETUBE // The Famines

MUSIC

• VueTube the Famines FILM

• Sidevue Spy vs Spy: Brian Gibson uncovers what modern spy flicks reveal • Revue Josef Braun's 3-star review of When You're Strange: A Film About the Doors DISH The Famines play the Black Dog on Mon, Jul 26

2 // FRONT

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

• Dishweekly.ca Restaurant reviews, features, searchable and easy to use

FH;I;DJ;: 8O

=;J OEKH J?9A;JI JE:7O

9?HGK;:KIEB;?B$9EC -.&#*+'#.&&&

ALE2 – EDMONTON – ANN JRNL – 1 JUILLET (BANDEAU INSIDE) NO annonce : Publication : Format Fini :

Directeur artistique avec corr.

sans corr.

Demandeur avec corr.

sans corr.

025695

Date de Livraison : 25 juin 2010 Date de Parution : 1 juillet 2010 Couleur : CMYK

025695_ALE_EDM_1 juillet Vue Weekly 10.25” x 1.7”

Média avec corr.

sans corr.

Alliances corpo avec corr.

sans corr.

Linéature : 100 lpi. Safety : XXX Infographiste : Eric Linguistique avec corr.

NO1

Date de Création

N de Matériel

25/06/2010

ALE2-EDM-025695

sans corr.

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

FRONT // 3

EDITORIAL

Vuepoint To the poorhouse samantha power

// samantha@vueweekly.com

hile not as regressive or vilifying as Mayor Mandel's suggestion this time last year to fine panhandlers hundreds of dollars, the recent Have a Heart—Give Smart campaign is an interesting addition to the stigmatization of the poor and homeless in our city. The campaign serves to direct Edmontonians not to give to panhandlers, but instead direct their money to charities. The campaign press release states that designated street teams will be set up to collect money if the person approached feels they'd like to give immediately. This not only defines redundancy, but is nothing more than licensed panhandling, giving to someone you feel comfortable with and that's ultimately what this campaign is about—comfort. It's as if we're saying, "We don't want to see poverty and need on our streets and in our communities, go back downtown where we've ghettoized the services you need." The campaign itself, outside of serving to stigmatize a community of people, seems to serve little purpose. The

report at the community services department that initiated the campaign mentions that Edmonton has recorded 30 repeat panhandlers, a small number compared to other major cities. Edmonton also has support workers on the street working to connect the homeless and those in need with social work and services. The city has also implemented strategies to deal with aggressive panhandlers who, by definition, obstruct a person's passage or insult, threaten or coerce a person to give. So if we already have support workers reaching out to panhandlers, police to deal with aggressive assaults and we have the lowest rates of repeat panhandlers amongst cities, this campaign serves no purpose but to further the stigmatization against a group that needs our compassion and help. Executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association, Shirley Lowe gets to the heart of the matter: "The more panhandlers work a specific area, the more uncomfortable people become." And if panhandlers can teach us anything, it's that life is not always that comfortable. V

IssuE no. 770 // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010 // Available at over 1400 locations

10303 - 108 street, edmonton, AB T5J 1L7

t: 780.426.1996 F: 780.426.2889 E: office@vueweekly.com w: vueweekly.com Editor / Publisher MANAGING Editor associate mANAGING editor NEWS Editor Arts / Film Editor Music Editor Dish Editor Outdoor Adventure Editor EDITORIAL INTERN EDITORIAL INTERN Staff writer creative services manager production ART DIRECTOR Senior graphic designer WEB/MULTIMEDIA MANAGER LISTINGS

RON GARTH // ron@vueweekly.com EDEN MUNRO // eden@vueweekly.com BRYAN BIRTLES // bryan@vueweekly.com SAMANTHA POWER // samantha@vueweekly.com PAUL BLINOV // paul@vueweekly.com EDEN MUNRO // eden@vueweekly.com BRYAN BIRTLES // bryan@vueweekly.com JEREMY DERKSEN // snowzone@vueweekly.com KIRSTA FRANKE // kirsta@vueweekly.com LEWIS KELLY // lewis@vueweekly.com DavID Berry // david@vueweekly.com MICHAEL SIEK // mike@vueweekly.com CHELSEA BOOS // che@vueweekly.com PETE NGUYEN // pete@vueweekly.com LYLE BELL // lyle@vueweekly.com ROB BUTZ // butz@vueweekly.com GLENYS SWITZER // glenys@vueweekly.com

SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER LOCAL ADVERTISING CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING NATIONAL ADVERTISING ADMINISTRATION/DISTRIBUTION ADMINISTRATION/PROMOTIONS

ROB LIGHTFOOT // rob@vueweekly.com 780.426.1996 // advertising@vueweekly.com 780.426.1996 // classifieds@vueweekly.com DPS MEDIA // 416.413.9291 MIKE GARTH // michael@vueweekly.com AARON GETZ // aaron@vueweekly.com

CONTRIBUTORS Distribution

Mike Angus, Josef Braun, Rob Breszny, Gwynne Dyer, Jason Foster, Amy Fung, Michael Geist, Brian Gibson, James Grasdal, Joe Gurba, Michael Hingston, Whitey Houston, Angela Johnston, Ted Kerr, Maria Kotovych, Andrea Nemerson, Stephen Notley, Kelsey Stroeder Todd Broughton, Alan Ching, Barrett DeLaBarre, Mike Garth, Aaron Getz, Raul Gurdian, Justin Shaw, Dale Steinke, Wally Yanish

Vue Weekly is available free of charge at well over 1400 locations throughout Edmonton. We are funded solely through the support of our advertisers. Vue Weekly is a division of 783783 Alberta Ltd. and is published every Thursday. Vue Weekly is available free of charge throughout Greater Edmonton and Northern Alberta, limited to one copy per reader. Vue Weekly may be distributed only by Vue Weekly's authorized independent contractors and employees. No person may, without prior written permission of Vue Weekly, take more than one copy of each Vue Weekly issue. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40022989. If undeliverable, return to: Vue Weekly 10303 - 108 Street Edm, AB T5J 1L7

4 // FRONT

INSIDE // FRONT

UP FRONT

Dyer Straight

ZeitGeist

Bob the Angry Flower

GRASDAL'S VUE

PODCAST >> WHY PROTEST?

nternational political summits have developed a following of protesters. Citizens travel to place of the international meeting of world leaders to voice their concerns about the decisions being made. But with increased security measures and the stimga of violence, why would protesters go to all this trouble? This week on the Vue podcast we speak with an Edmonton activist who travelled to the Toronto G20 meeting to have her voice heard about why she went to all the effort and the risk. Check out vueweekly.com this Monday. Correction In our previous issue (July 15 – July 23, 2010) the article Environmental Fallout incorrectly quotes Adam Driedzic as saying tar sands operators would have to go through "due process" when it should read, "due diligence."

Letters VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

Vue Weekly welcomes reader response, whether critical or complimentary. Send your opinion by mail (Vue Weekly, 10303 - 108 Street, Edmonton AB T5J 1L7), by fax (780.426.2889) or by email (letters@vueweekly.com). Preference is given to feedback about articles in Vue Weekly. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.

FEATURE // US FOREIGN POLICY

Clarifications

Historian Juan Cole makes sense of US foreign policy Malcolm Azania // malcolm@vueweekly.com

or decades, the region where many assert civilization began has seemed hell-bent on becoming where it will end. Israel, Iran, Turkey, Iraq and their eastern neighbours—the area called "the fertile crescent"—seem every day more like an apocalyptic sickle. Speaking with a sense of calm about this house of dynamite is professor and historian Juan Cole. Cole in his clear, sometimes shockingly understated way, calls out the facts without the bombastic blowhard tactics that are typically mandatory for entering the media spotlight. Strangely, many American media outlets have embraced Cole anyway, including PBS's Lehrer News Hour, and Democracy Now to Anderson Cooper 360 and Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Having lived in the Muslim world for a decade and being fluent in Arabic, Farsi and Urdu, Cole is well-positioned to know whereof he speaks. As the author of Engaging the Muslim World and Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East, Cole believes the recent Mavi Marmara incident, in which Israeli commandos killed nine civilians on the Turkish aid vessel, has had a great impact on how

the world sees Israel. "The Israelis see themselves as an embattled democracy in the middle of a dictatorial Middle East, reasoning people in the Enlightenment tradition in the midst of religious fanatics, surrounded as if in a bunker, Davids confronting the Goliaths that have extremely sinister intentions towards them of a Nazi-like character." explains Cole. Corporate media has helped cement that image, despite "the ease with which Israel mopped the floor with the Egyptian armies in 1948, '56 and '67," says Cole. "What happened on the Mavi Marmara aid ship is that Israel became the Goliath ... In some ways, that image had already been built by the Lebanon and Gaza wars. It was an Israeli raid on a ship in international waters, and it was an attempt to enforce an illegal blockade of a civilian population." According to Cole that blockade causes food insecurity in Palestine. "About 10 percent of Gazan children are said by medical experts to be stunted by malnutrition ... That doesn't look like Israel standing for Enlightenment values and democracy. It looks like an overwhelming bullying power that's willing to punish children for political purposes. When this kind of thing

happens, it drives the right in Israel into more of a bunker mentality. They think people are already hating them and wanting to kill them, so they're not surprised at this hostility. But they can't see that they were actually pretty liked, and that they are now turning people against them." Making sense out of seemingly pointless conflict seems to be a major part of Cole's public work; by his own description, he's spent three decades putting "the relationship of the West and the Muslim world in historical context." So what does he make of the US/CanadaAfghanistan War? Why, after nearly a decade of war are Western powers still occupying "the graveyard of empires"? "I've talked to people in positions of power in Washington and they don't seem to be able to explain it very well," says Cole. He suspects that the Bush Administration, especially then-secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, were too locked into Cold War thinking, and that seizing Afghanistan was part of Russia-containment. "For them, going into Afghanistan was for some of the same reasons they're very interested in Poland and Georgia: keep Russia from re-emerging as a pure power by sur-

rounding it. They wanted to be players in Central Asia," with natural gas in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and oil in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. "For an energy-hungry country like the United States, having bases somewhere near all that black gold isn't a bad thing." Despite this, Cole believes the discovery of $1 trillion in Afghan mineral deposits is hype leaked for political purposes. "First of all, a trillion dollars in mineral resources in a whole country is nothing to write home about." He explains. "A medium-income country would have a GDP of $100 billion a year. At that rate, [this find] would be gone in ten years." Aside from being old and minor news, says Cole, the Afghan mother-lode can't justify the eventual hundreds of billions in treasure required to get it. And the US could not unilaterally expropriate the country's entire wealth, anyway, since he says the Chinese are also doing a lot of mining. "The whole thing doesn't make any sense. I think that story was deliberately leaked by the Pentagon in order to convince the Wall Street Journal to run the story, to convince corporate America that there's some reason for the US to be there, that there may be some profits to

be made for the private sector so as to shore up support for the war among the business classes."

it is difficult for local governments, health districts and other community service providers to respond effectively to shifting patterns of need or introduce changes—including cuts—that do the least harm or provide the greatest value for money." The Canadian Labour Congress is concerned about Canadian citizens who will not be heard in policy decisions through this move. "Equity-seeking groups, such as aboriginal communities, racialized workers, recent newcomers and low-income households are likely going to be counted out … again by this move," remarked Hassan Yussuff, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). "The result will be an incomplete picture of the country, the workforce and our communities."

CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch is concerned over the potential for lost context and accountability in news stories: "Journalists use census data every single day to give context to news stories and help Canadians understand their communities. Doing away with the mandatory long-form will effectively kill a source of information that makes governments more accountable and citizens better informed. This will be a blow to democracy." Conservative MP James Rajotte has submitted a question to Industry Minister Tony Clement, but Clement and his ministry have made no signs of revisiting the decision announced almost a month ago. Statistics Canada is currently widely regarded as one of the top statistics agencies in the world.

So if it's not for profit, and if the Bush era is over, why is Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama still sending wave after wave of soldiers? "Every time Afghanistan comes up they keep talking about the need to fight Al Qaeda and global terrorism, and yet they admit there virtually is no Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. So that can't possibly be the goal." Cole posits: "The goal is, I think, to stand up the Kabul government and have it not fall to its various kinds of insurgents. And if that's the goal, then you don't need 100 000 troops on the ground. What you need is a more targeted kind of military campaign. I don't deny the need for military intervention. You don't want Kabul falling to some of these seedy groups." Cole believes US presence in Afghanistan is treading into the territory of mission creep. "Once [the US] stood up a government in Kabul, it's embarrassing for a great power to have [their] allies hanged in public. And so they kind CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 >>

News Roundup THE PEOPLE VS JASON KENNEY

uly 24 has been declared by groups of citizens across the country as the People vs Jason Kenney Day. A national day of action has been organized to protest what many believe to be the most regressive Citizenship and Immigration Minister Canada has seen. The Calgary-Southwest MP has attracted a lot of controversy as Citizenship and Immigration Minister since being appointed to the position in 2008. Although denying his involvement, the citizenship guide put out by his department omits the rights of the LGBTQ community. He pulled Canada out of the Durban World Conference against Racism and assisted in preventing controversial British MP George Galloway from entering Canada for his support of Hamas. Kenney was first elected in 1997 as a Reform Party candidate. THE BIG PARTY

ollowing their six-month long Big Listen campaign, the Alberta Party looks to be ready to address the greatest criticism against them: moving from a debate society to becoming a political party. The Big Momentum, launched July 20, looks to focus on creating a

slate of candidates, campaign staff and volunteers, resources to cover travel expenses and raising the profile of Alberta Party leader Edwin Erickson. The party has set a fund-raising goal of $150 000. The Alberta Party is an amalgam of Green Party members who lost official status last year, including Alberta Party leader Edwin Erickson, who was the former Green Party's deputy leader. The Alberta Party merged with Renew Alberta, a centrist group that had been looking to form a political party. WATER IS A RIGHT

he universal right to water may be in the last stages of being approved by the United Nations General Assembly. The resolution is being presented by the Bolivian government, but, according to the Council of Canadians, Canada may be acting as a strong opposition by rallying other countries to weaken the wording. In 2008-09 Council of Canadians chair Maude Barlow served as the UN's Senior advisor on water. She believes the adoption of the statement by the GA is one of the most important things the assembly will do. "It's time politics caught up with reality," says Barlow, noting that nearly two billion people live in water-stressed areas of the world and three billion have no running water

within a kilometre of their homes. "It's time states finally recognize water as essential to life and a fundamental human right." According to UNICEF 50 percent of the developing world's population lacks water sanitation facilities and over 884 million people use unsafe drinking water. UNICEF and the World Health Organization define access to safe drinking water as within 1km from place of use and that 20 litres of water can be reliably obtained for a household per day. The draft resolution would recognize the human right to "safe and clean drinking water and sanitation" and would be voted on by the GA before the end of July. SHOW US THE NUMBERS

pposition to the federal government's slashing of the long-form census has slowly picked up momentum. Groups from the Canadian Association of Journalists, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Canadian Labour Council to the City of Edmonton have begun publicly decrying the removal of the long-form census. Armine Yalnizyan Senior Economist from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives believes the greatest harm will be to local government's policy decisions: "Without robust census data,

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

—samantha@vueweekly.com

QUOTE OF THE WEEK "If it wasn't for the census Jesus wouldn't have been born in Bethlehem." — Rick Mercer

FRONT // 5

COMMENT >> RELIGION AND THE STATE

COMMENT >> GEOGRAPHIC PROTECTION

Taking on the veil

Protecting the brand

European nations attempt to ban the full-face veil

Canada resists geographic protections

Soon after France's National Assembly male "modesty." passed a law making it illegal to wear a The principle of "modesty" was a way full-face veil in public, British MP Philip of controlling the behaviour of women Hollobone announced a private who had the power to upset the somember's bill that would make it cial order, so how poor women illegal for people to cover their behaved didn't matter. The early faces in public in Britain. NeiMesopotamian laws ordaining ther bill mentioned Muslims the veiling of women applied ly.com only to the wives of powerful by name, of course. eweek u v @ e gwynn Hollobone has previously men. Several thousand years e Gwynn called the Islamic veil "offenlater, Greek, Roman and Byzanr Dye sive" and "against the British way tine upper-class women still went of life," so we may safely assume veiled, while their poorer sisters that his bill is not aimed at people wearing moved freely with their faces uncovered. motorcycle helmets. We can also assume We cannot know what proportion of that it will never become law, for Britwomen in seventh-century, pre-Islamic ish immigration minister Damian Green Arabia went veiled, but until quite recently immediately replied that "telling people poorer and rural Arabian women, and espewhat they can and can't wear, if they're cially Bedouin women, covered their hair just walking down the street, is a rather but otherwise went unveiled. It seems a un-British thing to do." safe assumption that the situation was not Good. The last thing anybody needs is much different in the Prophet's time. for another major European state to copy I do not presume to interpret the the French initiative. But it cannot be deQuran, but its injunctions on veiling were nied that a great many Europeans feel simply an endorsement of existing social profoundly uneasy when they see these customs. I would also observe that most shrouded, masked women moving silently Muslim communities down through hisin their midst. tory have interpreted these customs as The veil is not Islamic at all. Indeed, it requiring the concealment of a woman's predates all the Abrahamic religions. hair but not her face. They all come from the Middle East, and Traditionally, only rich and powerful that's why they all—Jews, Christians and men's wives and concubines wore niqab Muslims—used to be obsessed with fe(a mask concealing all but the eyes) in most Muslim societies.

Canada is currently negotiating two actually has its origins in the German major international trade agreements city of Cologne. whose success may ultimately depend Canadian courts have grappled with on the level of protection provided a number of geographical indications to Parma ham. While it may seem cases in the past, including an attempt hard to believe, the Canada-European by the Italian authority that regulates Union Comprehensive Economic and "Parma" for cured ham to stop Maple Trade Agreement (CETA) and the AntiLeaf Meats from using the Parma Counterfeiting Trade Agreement trademark for some its meat (ACTA) are both facing increasproducts. The court sided with ing opposition based on Euthe Canadian producer, rulropean demands to expand ing that consumers would protection for "geographical not associate its meat with m ekly.co vuewe indications." products originating in Parmgeist@ el Geographical indications ma, Italy. a h c i M (GI) are signs used on goods, Geist frequently food, wine, or spirOver the past two decades, its, that have a specific geographiCanada has made significant changcal origin and are said to possess qualies to its own geographical indications ties, reputation or characteristics that system. These include taking many are essentially attributable to that popular terms including Chablis, Champlace of origin. Given the quality assopagne, Port, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Meciated with the product, proponents of doc, Grappa, Schnapps and Sambuca, GI protection argue that it is needed to off a generic list so that they could avoid consumer confusion as well as to enjoy new geographical indication proprotect legitimate producers. tection. Europe has the most extensive geoThe irony in Europe's zeal to protect graphical indication protections in the geographical indications within trade world. These include Protected Desagreements is that effect may be to ignation of Origin (PDO), which covstifle trade by stopping foreign comers agricultural products produced, petitors from marketing similar prodprocessed and prepared in a given ucts using names that are understood geographical area using recognized by consumers as generic descriptions. know-how; Protected Geographical InThe latest round of CETA negotiadication (PGI), which covers agriculturtions took place last week in Brussels, al products linked to the geographical with the GI issue (along with protecarea; and Traditional Speciality Guarantions for industrial designs that cover teed (TSG), which highlights traditional the fashion industry) a top priority for character, either in the composition or the European delegation. The Canameans of production. dian government unsurprisingly faces The net effect of the European system some opposition to the demands from is that hundreds of items enjoy special domestic producers. legal protection. In fact, the system is Similarly, the ACTA negotiations, which so extensive that the Canadian Associhave become increasingly acrimonious, ation of Importers and Exporters have have hit a major roadblock with the Euexpressed concern that CETA could ropeans demanding extensive new enlead to new restrictions on the use of forcement powers—including criminal words such as "pizza" or "feta." and civil penalties—for GI violations. The GI protection under European law The US and Canada have been resisting frequently clashes with the fact that the demand, leading Karel de Gucht, a for many consumers the GI has ceased European Commissioner, to warn last to be associated with a particular geoweek that this was a "red line" issue graphic region and is instead viewed as that could cause the EU to rethink the a generic term for a particular type of merits of the entire treaty. V product. For example, many consumers might Michael Geist holds the Canada Renot associate champagne wines with a search Chair in Internet and E-comspecific region in France, but rather to merce Law at the University of Ottawa, a particular kind of white wine. SimilarFaculty of Law. He can be reached at ly, the term "cologne," which is widely mgeist@vueweekly.com or online at used to refer to perfumed fragrances, michaelgeist.ca.

R DYEIG HT

STRA

So why have women in non-rich Muslim families living in major European cities now taken to wearing full-face veils or even burqas? Not a lot of women, to be sure: France estimates that only 2000 women go about fully veiled, and the real numbers for Britain are unlikely to be much different. But why are they doing it at all? Two generations ago, their grandmothers almost certainly did not. One reason is fear, on their own part or that of their husbands, that the majority

6 // FRONT

society's values are so powerful and seductive that good Muslims must be completely isolated from it. This also explains why you regularly see little girls as young as two or three wearing hijab (i.e. with their hair completely covered) in Paris and London: their parents believe that the habit must start very early if it is to withstand the majority society's influence. A second reason is defiance: think of it as a non-gay version of "we're out and we're proud. Get used to it." And both anecdotal evidence and personal observation suggest to me that a large proportion of the fully veiled women in Britain – maybe as many as half – are actually recent converts to Islam who grew up in the dominant post-Christian culture. Same for France. Converts often get carried away. So which part of this is a threat to public order? None of it, obviously. Why did a ridiculous law banning the full veil pass through the French parliament without opposition, whereas a similar bill will never reach the floor of the British House of Commons? Not because the French are more antiMuslim than the British, but because they are the heirs of one of the great battles between religion and the secular state. Britain hasn't seen such a battle since the 17th century, and the official religion just gradually retreated to the sidelines of modern life without a fight. The fight was long, bitter and much more recent in France, so the French state takes public displays of religious allegiance a lot more seriously. But it is still behaving stupidly. And what about Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland, where similar bans have been or are being discussed at the national level? They should be ashamed of themselves. V Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. His column appears each week in Vue Weekly.

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

ZEIT

GEIST

NEWS // TAR SANDS

Image consultant needed Rethink Alberta challenges Alberta's tourist industry lewis kelly // Lewis@vueweekly.com

f Premier Ed Stelmach's advertorial in The Washington Post earlier this month represented the opening salvo in the global battle over perception of the Athabasca tar sands, his opponents returned fire forcefully and caught Alberta's tourism industry in the fusillade. Corporate Ethics International, an environmental NGO based in San Francisco, unveiled its Rethink Alberta advertising campaign last week. CEI put up billboards in Seattle, Portland, Denver and Minneapolis labelling the tar sands "the other oil disaster" in reference to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. CEI also published a video layering images of the Rockies with footage of tailings ponds near Fort McMurray. Both billboards and video urge Americans not to visit Alberta until the industry cleans up. "The tar sands, taken as a whole, is the largest and probably most destructive project in the world," says CEI's Kenny Bruno. "What we're hoping is that Albertans will come together ... to bring reform to the industry, to clean it up and to stop its reckless expansion." CEI's efforts, predictably, drew condemnation from many Albertans— Stelmach held a news conference last Wednesday to counter some claims in the video, the Calgary Herald's editorial board penned a scathing denunciation of CEI's tactics and the Edmonton Journal ran irate letters from readers.

US FOREIGN POLICY

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 05

of became devoted to keeping the Kabul government from falling since it's a very rickety government. And finally, I think being in Afghanistan gives them a 'hand in' with Pakistan and India, which are nuclear powers." That "concern" comes with a major price for the Afghan people: 1074 civilians killed in the last six months. Cole estimates the total civilian body count since 2001 at around 18 000 people, and the same in wounded. Few countries, says Cole, currently suffer such high war-death tolls, although it's small compared that of Iraq or the Democratic Republic of Congo. "It's a horrible situation that comes on top of decades of war and poverty." says Cole. "Afghanistan is the fifth-poorest country in the world. The US, in deciding to pursue the counter-insurgency campaign, is putting more troops in, is engaging in bombing raids which seem to always be killing civilians or hitting wedding parties." Yet Cole does not think everything the US is doing is bad. The Obamites have delivered civilian aid via provincial

CEI issued a revised version of the video last Friday after its claim that tar sands development will destroy an area twice the size of England was contested. Bruno says the billboards will be seen by thousands of Americans each day. Raising the tar sands' global profile is one of the goals of the campaign. "Most Americans and most Europeans have not even heard of this," he says. The campaign comes at an inopportune time for the tourism industry. Cindy Ady, Alberta Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation, estimates that overall tourist visits to Alberta are down about eight percent from a typical year. This year's Stampede drew 40 000 fewer visitors than last year. One million Americans visit Alberta a year on average, and the tourism industry employs 100 000 people in the province. But at least one tourism business owner takes a philosophical view on the matter. "If it wasn't this group, there would be another group," says Len Grant, owner of KolorKard, a Calgary-based publisher that distributes postcards and calendars to tourist destinations around southern Alberta. "I don't praise them for doing what they're doing, but I think if they weren't doing it someone else would." Grant places the blame closer to home. "To not anticipate such a campaign is a failure on the part of the government and the Alberta oil industry," he says. "I fault them more than the backers of this ad campaign. You can anticipate something like this happening." It's going to happen again fairly soon,

as CEI plans to unveil new Rethink Alberta billboards in Britain in coming weeks. Britain, according to Ady, is a more important source of tourist dollars than America. Attacking one industry to get another one to change may seem counterintuitive to some—Syncrude and Suncor, after all, don't draw their revenue from anything connected to Moraine Lake or the Columbia Icefields. Bruno says CEI hopes to get the Alberta tourism industry to pressure the provincial government. "It would be to [the tourism industry's] benefit, to everybody's benefit, to pull together to pressure this industry and to pressure govern-

ment," he says. "They don't have to love Corporate Ethics International." It remains to be seen what impact, if any, the campaign will have on the tourism industry beyond generating press conferences and newspaper clippings. Grant expressed doubt that a substantial portion of tourists would be influenced by the ads. "There's a lot of information for people to consider when they're travelling to a location," he says. "This is only one little bit of the whole picture that people will be exposed to if they do any sort of research before travelling." Ady claims that most tourists in Alberta have never heard the words oil sands. She does concede that the

government should do a better job of getting its side of the argument heard. "It's naïve to think that you can sit back and people will understand you when other groups are going to try to get them to misunderstand you," she says. "We have to do our half of that work." Stelmach's Post ad, which cost the government $56 000, is presumably part of that work. Ady also cries foul at CEI's choice of target for its campaign. CEI is "throwing a hundred thousand people under the bus," she says. "It doesn't seem very fair to me, but that's not anything they're too concerned with." Grant takes it in stride. "It's not fair," he says of CEI's strategy, "but life isn't fair." V

BOB THE ANGRY FLOWER

reconstruction teams for community development and economic development, and are a major improvement over the Bushites, who made a mess of reconstruction while also mishandling the war. But Cole isn't impressed by the recent changing of the US guard in Afghanistan. Obama fired General Stanley McChrystal, replacing him with General David Petraeus, both advocates of COIN, the Counter-Insurgency Doctrine. "The Pentagon is alleging that it worked in Iraq," says Cole. "I have my doubts about that. But the idea that if you translate [COIN], that these Pashtun rural villages want [US] marines walking through their villages and that they would prefer the marines to their own cousins, the Taliban, if only they had a choice. Not in this world ... I think the big counter-insurgency campaign is likely to provoke a greater insurgency." So as the US bestrides the world like a colossus, its footsteps seem to be leaving craters. And with so many partisans foisting so many distortions, understanding this zone—before the doomsday calendar reads "today"—becomes more critical by the hour. V

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

FRONT // 7

INSIDE // DISH

DISH

Online at vueweekly.com >>DISH

Restaurant Reviews

Co Co Di

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

REVUE // EL RANCHO SPANISH RESTAURANT

Pleasant memories

($2.50 each). For the unversed, pupusas are stuffed corn tortillas, fried crisp and typically served with pickled cabbage and salsa on top. In many ways they are similar to green onion cakes (crisp on the outside, doughy centre) but the molten stuffing steps it up a notch. The pupusas we ordered were stuffed with mozzarella cheese, beans and seasoned pork. They arrived within minutes, but after diving into them I wish they had cooked for a minute or two longer. The outside of the pupusas only had a little color on them from being on the grill, and as we bit into them they still retained some of their uncooked, doughy consistency. The filling was moist, cheesy and flavorful but would have been showcased better had the pupusas been cooked a little longer. A little discouraged but still hopeful we forged on to the next appetizer.

El Rancho's authenticity is largely successful

MEANWHILE, BACK AT EL RANCHO >> The restaurant is only this empty when it's closed Kelsey Stroeder // kelsey@vueweekly.com

ike an itch that needs to be scratched, food cravings need to be met. My latest longing was for the flavours of Mexico, which I last tasted a couple months ago during my trip to the Mayan Riviera. Deciding it was time break our fast, my company and I ventured north to El Rancho Spanish Restaurant, which features Salvadorean and Mexican cuisine.

8 // DISH

We arrived on a warm, sunny Sunday evening and entered to find a casual setting inside. The interior of the restaurant was bright and spotless with coral coloured walls. A few tables were full with families casually enjoying their meals. I suspect the warm weather had lured some clientele away for the night, however there was a steady stream of locals popping in to pick up food to take out as we ate. As we examined the menu one ele-

// Bryan Birtles

ment stood out immediately; for meatfilled dishes El Rancho gives diners the choice of chicken or tofu. Personally, I felt a little let down not seeing more pork-centric items, as this often features big in authentic Mexican cuisine. However, on the bright side, this meant that I could bring my vegetarian friends here at a later date. Every meal dining out starts with high aspirations, so we decided to begin with the Salvadorean specialty, pupusas

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

Up next was an order of the tamales ($4.25 for two). These doughy delights can be difficult to get right as they often dry out. However, this was not the case at El Rancho as their tamales were perfection rolled up in a banana leaf. Unwrapping the package unveiled super-moist, fragrant dough that was filled with tender chicken, potatoes and garbanzo beans. To offset the softness of the tamales, the ubiquitous tomato sauce and pickled cabbage was provided, which proved the crunchy accompaniment that took these tamales to next level. If I lived in El Rancho's neighbourhood, I would be here eating these for lunch all the time, as there is no doubt that two of theses ample tamales would fill me up at a bargain rate. Some dishes are bound to be success-

ful as they feature a variety of textural and flavour components. El Rancho's camarones a la plancha ($10.95) was a great example of this. The smoky flavours of the grill enhanced the spicy rub on the outside of the shrimp. These tender morsels packed punch when it came to heat, so thankfully the dish was balanced out with slices of creamy avocado and sweet mango salsa. The firm but juicy shrimp were served on a bed of fresh lettuce, which added a delightful crunchiness. This dish covered all the great elements: salty, sweet, spicy, smoky, creamy and crunchy. The entrée that brought me back to Mexico was the enchilada Mexicana ($11.95). Two corn tortillas were filled with shredded chicken, and smothered with mole sauce. The mole sauce was one of the best I have tasted in the city and its rich smoky, nutty flavour reminded me of the mole sauce I tasted in the Mayan Riviera. Like the mole I had in Mexico, this sauce had a pleasant thick consistency that allowed you to coat every tasty scrap of chicken and tortilla. The enchiladas were served with rice and salad, and proved to be a great finale for an excellent dinner. Although the pupusas were not the best I've eaten, all the other dishes more than made up for their small flaws. I would gladly make the trek north to enjoy El Rancho's budget- and family-friendly restaurant. It will help fend off those cravings until I can return to Mexico. V WED – SUN (11:30 AM – 8 PM) El Rancho Spanish Restaurant 11810 - 87 St, 780.471.4930

BEER

The sweetness of tart

You'll either love it or hate it, but Lambic beer is worth seeking out I fell in love in 2007. Now, none of you need to rush off and send a worried email to my spouse about some kind of clandestine affair. She was there. There is no reason to worry because I fell in love with a beer. Possibly the weirdest, oddest, most challenging beer there is: Lambic beer. Allow me to explain. Lambic is an old, rare beer style that eschews most modern brew.com weekly ing methods to produce a t@vue thepin to flavour profile more related Jason to lemonade and wine than to Foster beer. It is a slowly dying art, with fewer and fewer traditional brewers producing it. It is uncompromising and decidedly uneconomical, which makes it a labour of love for those who do it. Lambic is spontaneously fermented, meaning rather than pitching a healthy amount of specific yeast, the brewer allows the unfermented wort to come into contact with the wild yeasts and bacteria that naturally reside in the air. It is then fermented in wood casks for long periods. At bottling time the brewer blends CANTILLON BEER >> Funny organisms, funny labels // Jason Foster vintages of different ages (usually one-, two-and three-year) to produce the debrewer of this family operation, Jean Van on Canada seven years ago when a shipsired flavour. They may also add fruit Roy, and the beer I sampled there turned ment to Ontario was refused because (sour cherries, raspberries, apricots or my beer world upside down. His beers of "unusual" organisms in the beer—the grapes). The name of the beer changes are tart, sour, earthy, sharp and refreshwild yeast. depending on what they do with it. If ing. I became a Lambic Lover. Sadly, upon Nine beer were in the shipment. I they add cherries, it is called Kriek, raspmy return home, I realized Edmonton quickly picked up one of each. Economy berries is Framboise and with no fruit it was barren of the stuff. I had to resort to alert—Cantillon is not cheap. The price is Gueuze. Traditional Lambic can only be bribing friends travelling to Belgium to ranged between $24 and $28 for a 750 brewed in the Senne river valley in Beltraffic supplies back for me. ml bottle. This may seem outrageous, gium, due to the particular combination With this backstory you can imagine but think about how much you might of micro-flora and fauna in the region. my excitement when a few weeks back spend for a bottle of really good wine or By the way, did I mention they add I was informed that a one-time shipment some single-malt scotch. stale, three-year old hops? of Cantillon had entered Alberta. This is Each beer, due to its fruit or unique proThere is a lot more beer geek talk I more than significant, it is earth shattercess, is quite different. However, they all could do to fully explain the oddity that is ing, for two reasons. First, Cantillon is share a couple of key characteristics, in Lambic, but I suspect you get the picture. tiny—I estimate they produce about 1/5 large part because most share the same The day I fell in love with Lambic was the the amount of beer as Edmonton's Alley base beer. All are dominated by a sharp morning I visited Brasserie Cantillon in Kat does (and Alley Kat is pretty damned CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 >> Brussels. My three-hour visit with the small, too). Second Cantillon gave up

TO TH

PINT

open seven evenings a week 780.482.7178 10643 123 street thebluepear.com

DINE IN / TAKE OUT A BOX ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

July 7, 2010

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

DISH // 9

PROFILE // CO CO DI

Call it a comeback Co Co Di returns in a new location Maria Kotovych // maria@vueweekly.com

tarting again after a tragedy can be difficult, but not necessarily so. Co Co Di restaurant, recently reopened on Jasper Avenue is bathed in the warmth of its red-and-gold décor; the street-lamp lights reminding me of sitting in an outdoor café. Owned by Ghada Ghazal and her husband, Riad, Co Co Di was previously in the KellyRamsey Block on Rice Howard Way. Due to water damage from the fire that ravaged that building, the restaurant in the original location closed. Uncertain about the historic building's future, but still wanting to continue with the business, the Ghazals searched for a new space for their restaurant. And on June 18, Co Co Di opened up again on Jasper Avenue. Ghazal says that beginning again hasn't been too difficult, at least not compared to starting the business originally. She notes that many regulars from the previous location are now coming to the new place. "At lunch, I had a couple of tables that surprised me, because lunch people have certain hours for lunch. I had

10 // DISH

BRAND NEW DIGS >> But Ghada Ghazal offers the same warm welcome at Co Co Di more than three tables from that location—they came here to have lunch," she says. Ghazal also observes that being on Jasper Avenue, surrounded by businesses and residential areas, has also helped

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

with the transition to a new space. "I never give up. When we started over there, nobody knew about the food that we were serving. It took maybe one year or two years for us to run it really right, the way it should be.

// Bryan Birtles

Right now, it's easier—we already have our customers. Most of them, when they know that we are here, they come, and we're going to get [some] from the neighbourhood, too." Regardless, losing the restaurant in

the original location has presented some challenges for the Ghazals. "It affected us a lot. We were there for almost 10 years," she continues. "Rice Howard Way is one of the best locations in downtown. It's the centre. It's the heart of the city." For the seven or eight staff members who worked with the Ghazals, the sudden unemployment wasn't easy, either, especially not in a recession. "They had no job for many months 'til they found a new job," she explains, adding that some of the original staff returned to work in the new location. As for the restaurant itself, moving has not meant massive changes, either. The menu is still the same, except for a few new items. And the belly-dancing entertainment nights and the shisha haven't disappeared, either. Co Co Di offers Mediterranean and Canadian food, but specializes in Lebanese fare. The Ghazals themselves arrived in Canada from Lebanon 10 years ago; even back in Lebanon, Riad had owned a restaurant. The Ghazals offered me a few dishes—I immediately dug into the hummus with my pita bread. Made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic and topped with olive oil, the hummus is one of the most popular dishes on the menu, Ghada explains. And I can see why—I cannot stop eating it as she talks. Then I dig into the chicken shawarma, another popular menu item. Both of these dishes satisfy the garliclover in me. Ghazal notes that other cultures near Lebanon have the same, or similar, food. Syria and Lebanon are neighbours, and eat pretty much the same things, she explains. The Greeks also have many of the same items, but with different names and spices, she continues. But this situation, of course, has led to inter-country discussions about which country invented which food, Ghazal chuckles. "The Greeks have hummus, the Turkish have hummus, most of the Middle

TO THE PINT

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

tartness and an earthy citrus quality. Hop bitterness is nonexistent and the malt qualities are subdued. The flavour is both complex and refreshing. What you most need to know is that most beer revolves around the dual spectrums of malt sweet and hop bitter. Lambic eschews both for sour tartness and fruit sweetness. I lack the space to describe all nine, so I will restrict myself to one—my personal favourite. Rose de Gambrinus is a Framboise, meaning it is blended with raspberries. It is a brilliant, gorgeous pink of such a hue that seems unnatural, but is not. Viney, soft-raspberry aroma hits the nose first and is then quickly overtaken by citrusy tartness. The flavour is multi-dimensional. Raspberry is obvious, with its acidic sweetness and seedy tannin. There is also a citrus tartness sweeping across the entire palate, along with some earth tones and a bit of oak. Mustiness and honey make up

East has hummus. But we say hummus is Lebanese!" she laughs. Ghazal recalls that arguments about hummus' origins even spurred a friendly contest between Lebanon and Israel. "In the Guinness Book [of World Records] there was a competition between Lebanon and Israel, because Israel says hummus is from them, and we say, 'No, it's ours.' They did a competition, and we won! We made the biggest hummus plate in the world, and we're in the Guinness Book [of World Records] now!" she laughs. "Hummus, falafel and tabouleh!" "This is funny, but this is nice—at least we compete in a safe way, peaceful way, not with fighting. I don't mind competing like that all the time," she laughs. "Not with bombs." V Co Co Di 11454 Jasper Ave, 780.425.1717

RECIPE Fatouche salad (courtesy of Ghada and Riad Ghazal)

Salad

Combine one handful each of: Chopped lettuce Tomatoes Cucumber Green peppers Red peppers Radish Parsley 1 tsp chopped mint (fresh or dry) 1 cup toasted pita bread Mix everything together

Dressing:

1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sumac Mix dressing, and add into the salad V

the under-strata. As I mentioned, this is no ordinary beer. The tastes and aromas are not found in regular brews. This is not a beer to be chugged after mowing the lawn; it demands slow, intentional appreciation. It is also not a beer for everyone. When you try it, you either hate it, as I did, fall in love. The shipment was not large, and so if you are curious enough to try it, you should check alberta-liquor-guide.com to find the stores that are stocking it. If you choose to try some Cantillon, I cannot say whether you will like it. Lambic is an issue of personal choice. What I can tell you is that when you drink Cantillon, you are undoubtedly drinking the world's best example of Lambic beer. No one does it more traditionally, and no one does it with more skill. We are so, so lucky to have it in this city. V Jason Foster is the creator of onbeer.org, a website devoted to news and views on beer from the prairies and beyond.

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

DISH // 11

INSIDE // ARTS

ARTS

Doug Stanhope

Online at vueweekly.com >>ARTS

Wormwood

Arts Reviews

Saint Aggie's '84

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

COVER // DRAW

Draw it yourself

Edmonton's artist-run centres—and you—collaborate on Draw interested folk and see what each has to offer for free. And, of course, once it hooks you, the staff and volunteers on hand will be happy to let you know how you can sign up for classes—and even, in certain cases, request them to host particular workshops that you'd like to participate in. "We truly are community organizations, and the community has a voice in what we do," points out Szul. "If there's a workshop or a class you want to see, something you're more interested in, we'd be happy to find a way to work it. That kind of input is possible with organizations like ours."

David Berry // david@vueweekly.com

or five years now, Latitude 53's Draw—previously known as the Draw-a-thon—has been one of the city's premier art events, bringing artists, aspiring artists and even just casual observers together for an all-day art party with DJs, bands, dancing, drinks, socializing and of course walls and walls of created-onthe-spot art. This year, though, Latitude has decided to make the event bigger than ever by incorporating all the city's artist-run centres—Harcourt House, the Society of Northern Alberta Print artists (SNAP) and the co-op Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta (FAVA)—for a one-day event that promises to trump anything that's come before it. Although Latitude has partnered with other institutions before—include Metro Cinema and FAVA for the hand-made Anime-a-thon and the Art Gallery of Alberta for the cut-and-paste College-athon—this year's Draw will not only bring together a wider group of allies but also mark the first time in a very long time indeed that Edmonton's artist-run centres have collaborated on a major event, and should serve as much as a coming-out party for some of the city's most vital institutions as a good time to be had by all. To help put you in the mood for the noonto-midnight affair, Vue Weekly presents four reasons—one for each participating organization—why you should spend some of your Saturday making art. It'll be fun The primary, well, draw of any Draw event is just the simple pleasure of it all. This year Draw will look to amp that up a little bit by spreading itself across three venues, each offering a unique take on the overall theme that's a bit related to their individual mandate. Things kick off at noon, when both Harcourt and SNAP open their doors for an afternoon of free-form workshops. Harcourt will be offering life-drawing sessions of both the nude and clothed variety, depending on how adventurous you're feeling, and within those will help introduce you to various methods of drawing, from the often-frightening blind sketch to the collaborative passaround NAME. SNAP, meanwhile, will be running nearly all of its impressive array of machinery, offering a chance to print your own text-based stuff on their letterpress, make an image on their lino box or embossment machines and even run off some prints on the ever-popular screen printing stations.

12 // ARTS

ALL TOGETHER NOW >> Draw aims to get you out and scribbling After 6 pm things head over to Latitude for something a little less formal. DJs from CJSR will be providing music and a bar will provide the libations while Latitude sets up the collage tables and opens up the walls: whether you want to collage with or hang some of your work from earlier in the day—part of the hope is that people will take each creation from one place to another and add to them—or start working on something new entirely is up to you. In amongst all the scissors and glue will also be some celluloid, as FAVA is running a film-scratching workshop, allowing you to do some of your own animation on film strips, which they'll also run through a projector. In short, over the course of the day you can do just about anything fun and art-related, which, as Harcourt House special events coordinator Maegan Mehler explains, is the ultimate goal of Draw. "Things like this let people know that anyone can make art, and everyone should feel good about it and feel free to make it," she says. "Maybe you don't have a desire to do it full time, or do shows or anything like, but it should be fun and feel good. Have a beer and draw: there doesn't need to be more to it than that." Support artist-run centres If you're a regular reader of Vue's pages, you're no doubt used to seeing the names

// Supplied

of all these organizations pop up, especially in exhibit reviews. But you might not be aware of how, exactly, their artistrun nature makes them different from some of the other galleries in town, whether commercial or public. "A lot of people, including people who are involved with the arts, don't know much about artist-run centres," admits Annalise Prodor, Latitude's outreach assistant and the person in charge of the overall organization of Draw. "We wanted to push the fact that we have these programs and spaces beyond commercial galleries." How do they differ? Most importantly, as the name implies, these organizations are all run by artists, and everyone from the executive directors responsible for their overall vision to the coordinators tracking down volunteers are practicing art in some capacity, which gives them insight that people like curators or commercial galleries don't necessarily share. Their focus is on helping artists grow and expand their practice, not necessarily on finding a buyer or providing historical context. "They have the experience of the struggle and all of that other stuff that comes along with it," explains Mehler, "They know what it's like to be an artist, they have the artists in mind all the time. Everything they do is to promote the artists

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

and do what we can to help them." This in turn lets the artists be a little more experimental, to try things that are a little more daring and aren't necessarily going to be red-tagged and shuffled off to someone's wall right away. That, explains SNAP executive director Anna Karolina Szul, is essential for the vitality of any artistic community. "Without artist-run centres, we'd find that the work created in our community would be stagnant and conservative," she points out. "Everyone would be worried about paying their bills, and not just creating art from whatever vein inspires them. There would be no room for experimental art without organizations like ours—[we have] a way of liberating what artists are willing to do and make." Try out the artist education programs Harcourt House, SNAP and FAVA all offer workshops and classes related to their particular expertise, and in most cases the events they're helping to run at Draw are condensed versions of some of the things you can come back and learn in a more in-depth way later. If you're a little bit nervous about plunking down money upfront, or even would just rather try things out in a little less formal setting, Draw is the perfect opportunity to join a few dozen other

Take the mystique out of art There's no getting around it: visual art can sometimes be an intimidating thing. Unless you were particularly interested as a younger person, odds are you didn't get much of an education in it, and the varying styles and practices, from hardcore realism to intense abstraction, can leave some people adrift (a fact which isn't always helped by a small but prominent number of art snobs). It needn't be so imposing, though: after all, it's all just visual representation—as long as you can see, you'll get something out of it. That point is driven home at Draw, where not only will there be artists on hand to offer some insight into their practice—Harcourt is even opening up some of its artists' studios so you can peak inside and talk to the artists—but you also get to try it out for yourself and gain some insight into the relatively simple processes that add up to something much grander. "If people go into a gallery thinking they're supposed to be looking at or thinking about things in a certain way, they're not taking it in, they're not giving it a chance," points out Mehler. "This can break down the barrier that art is supposedly something that's not reachable or acceptable for everybody. It lets people know that everybody can be doing it, or appreciating it." "People think 'gallery' and they don't want to go, they say they're not that into art, but once they get here, I think they see how easy and fun it can be, and want to come back," adds Prodor. "I think it can be scary and intimidating, but that's why these events have to happen." V Sat, Jul 24 (12 pm –12 am) Draw SNAP (10123 - 121 St), Harcourt House (10215 - 112 St), Latitude 53 (10248 - 106 St), Free

REVUE // ARTIST AS TEACHER/TEACHER AS ARTIST

Teacher feature

The AGA's instructors present their own works Amy Fung // amy@vueweekly.com

hile the majority of the public's attention has been focused on the AGA's exterior along with the exhibitions circulating through the city's new art institution, down below all the hubbub, the Singhmar Centre of Art Education has been keeping busy fulfilling the gallery's public education mandate. With smart classrooms and a community gallery no bigger than 400 square feet, the education centre is currently featuring a cross-range of works by the gallery's educators and instructors, many of whom are active local artists. With a range of media from more than

10 artists/educators, the exhibition is an eclectic showcase of what the gallery is capable of featuring in terms of educational programming. While often the education connects back to the exhibition programming, there is room to develop what the educators are professionally interested in. "What I found most interesting is how they are all completely different," says Jessie Beier, Education and Programs Manager of the AGA. "The different styles are reflective of the broad range of what our educators can teach, and what we can offer." From fine painting and drawing of familiar names such as Scott Cumberland and Brenda Kim Christiansen, to

mixed-media works by Dara Humniski and Dara Armsden, to cartoons by Spyder Yardley-Jones and photography by Elaine Wannechko, the show reads as eclectic, tied together by short personal statements answering how teaching influences their artistic practice. Similar to the set up of a faculty exhibition, this is as good a chance as any to do a survey glance at the different styles and levels offered by the gallery in terms of expectations for your practical art education. Demonstrating personal and professional teaching practices, the exhibition ends up stressing the artistic difference amongst their catalogue of teachers to the full benefit of the AGA's education centre.

With classes of all varieties constantly on the go, Beire would like to push the programming further to keep the spaces constantly in use, including expanding classes to include installation as well as performance art. For now, with a handful of shows under their belt, the TD Education Gallery acts as a much-needed community gallery, showing a broad range of artists, from Junior High School students inspired by the Yousuf Karsh photography exhibition, to the grad show for Victoria School 30 IB students, to senior artists during the recent Creative Age Festival. "A huge part of our mandate is public

education, and that includes children and adult learning. I'm always looking for ideas from local artists, because it's important to have a free space in this city to show work," says Beire, who also emphasizes the importance for those in each show to be part of the entire process from hanging the work to lighting to fully get the whole experience of putting together an art show. V Until Sat, Aug 7 (Free Admission Tue – Fri, 4 – 7 pm; Sat – Sun, 10 – 5 pm) Artist as teacher/Teacher as artist Works by AGA Educators and Instructors Art Gallery of Alberta (2 Sir Winston Churchill Square)

COMMENT >> VISUAL ART

Crowds make a city The lifeblood of any city lies in its streets, alleyways and sidewalks. The flow of traffic from the pedestrian and vehicular and everything in between has been mused upon as the rhythm of this modern life. If pressed, one can find a conglomeration of people m ekly.co in designated zones such as vuewe amy@ shopping malls, recreational Amy parks (on sunny days), mega Fung box stores or basically anywhere that supplies plenty of free parking. The flow of this city has unfortunately been shaped towards drivers, with many parts of the city inaccessible unless you drive or love riding the bus for hours at a time, and so that leaves very little faceto-face interaction between its citizens, giving sparse opportunities for physically seeing and hearing who we each are, what we look like, how we move, and answering the simple question of who actually makes up this city. For a region where there's only a few months out of the year where we can MUSICAL DETOUR >> SOS Fest shut down parts of Whyte Ave for a concert // Eden Munro comfortably walk outside, the recent temporary pedestrian conversions of very foundation for city life. necting people to the city. Plans to acti104 Street downtown and the main drag The recent weekend of SOS Fest vate Churchill Square with Tai Chi classes of Whyte Avenue changed the feeling of (Sounds of Strathcona Festival) shut to follow the well-used basketball nets living and being in this city, even if it was down Whyte Avenue on either side of and skate ramps isn't too bad an idea. for a brief moment. Calgary Trail and again the people came This goes back to urban theorist RoberThe warehouse district on 104 Street out in droves. The street filled with ta Brandes Gratz's notion that you have shuts down its streets every Saturday people for the free music performances to make a city for the people who live during the run of the downtown farmall day Sunday, and the reoccurring comthere, above and beyond making a city ers' market, and for the second year in ment heard throughout the day was, in the model of world cities, because it's a row, they extended that closure for "Wow, this looks like a real city!" always been the specific character of the an all-day/all-night block party on the local that resonates into a reputation same weekend as the Pride festival. And somewhat sadly, that statement is that draws life, visitors and commerce. For readers living anywhere but here, true. Walking through a sea of strangers The application of cookie cutter transthe concept of having a day out on a on a street in Edmonton is not a complants into homogenous cityscapes that sidewalk patio may seem trivial, if not mon feat, but it should be if we're ever pursue sprawling development rather mundane, but for those who wandered going to be a real city with its own identithan pedestrians has contributed to the around downtown that day, the treat of ty, concepts and style. For reasons from decay of city life, and for two weekends enjoying city life was a rare one. While safety to simple activity, people need this summer, there was a glimmer of there are scores of places, benches and to see each other out and about doing what this place could be. V green zones to wander and hang out in things and living their lives. Edmonton, there isn't always a crowd to Giving privilege to pedestrians and peAmy Fung is the author of lose yourself in, which arguably is the destrian activity is the first step in conPrairieArtsters.com

IE PRASITRERS

ART

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

ARTS // 13

PREVUE // DOUG STANHOPE

PREVUE // WORMWOOD

Hope against hope Early bird gets the Worm Stanhope still pushing boundaries Paul Blinov // paul@vueweekly.com

oug Stanhope has never minced his words. The brash stand-up routines and comedy he's known and acclaimed for is provocative, though that seems like putting it lightly: as a quick example, his contribution to the dirty joke biopic The Aristocrats was to tell his vulgar, descriptive tirade to a child. But Stanhope's work is also laced with moments of twisted smarts and blood-letting social commentary, if you can stomach the subject matter he uses to make his points. Not everyone can: Stanhope still sees walk-outs and booing at his shows, 20 years into his career. Not that he's phased by anyone else's opinions. "For me, I don't give a fuck about what other people think. If it were all easy, it would take all the sport out of it," Stanhope says over the phone from Montréal, a few days before the Canadian leg of his tour brings him out west. Stanhope's unfiltered opinion does pay the bills, but his attitude is far from put on: he's just as outspoken off stage. In a recent post on his website, he savaged an LA comedy class—and the concept of teaching comedy in general—harshly decrying what he saw as just another a method of parting fools with their money. "First of all, you can't teach a person to have a sense of humour if they don't," Stanhope explains. "Comedy's such an individual thing: it's not like acting, where everybody's going for the same part. Everyone's trying to be unique, and trying to have their own voice and when you try to teach them, you're

14 // ARTS

teaching them how to have your own voice." The way Stanhope sees comedy, there's only one way to hone comic chops, and it isn't by attending a weeklong class: it's putting in the time to figure out what works in front of an audience, tweaking as you go. "Trial and error, heavy on the error," he says with a laugh, about how his own development as a comic. "And failing, and seeing how I can still say what I wanna say the right way. I've had bits where it took me a year and a half to get the bit where it worked, because the point was something that needed to be said and that I wanted to say, and every which way I phrased it, it never worked. But I was tenacious and finally found the right way to word it." And the "right way," to him, is figuring out how to root even his blackest bits of comedy in some level of accessibility. "I'm most proud when I can make people laugh at stuff they would ..." he pauses, "I love the laugh that's a genuine, heartfelt laugh, followed by a, 'Oh my God, I can't believe I just laughed at that,' where it's too late. You're already guilty. Reason doesn't come into play until long after it's too late. "Those are the big victories. Where you get that one but where you go, 'Ah, jeez … I've found an angle on the most morbid, tragic, awful subject, and it's going to work.'" V Thu, Jul 22 (8 pm) Doug Stanhope With Rob Mailloux New City (10081 Jasper Ave), $25

Wormwood offers a sneak peek of the Fringe Kirsta Franke // kirsta@vueweekly.com

urreal SoReal Theatre has been around the block since 2004 when Jon Lachlan Stewart started it with his play Little Room. And as Edmonton's Fringe Festival prepares for its 29th year, Wormwood, a Surreal SoReal fundraiser, is offering an exclusive sneak peek at some of Edmonton's most promising local talents. The company has compiled eight plays by what it feels are some of this year's strongest local talents, allowing performers to test their work on audiences while raising awareness about the festival. "I really believe in sharing a lot more with the community and trying to promote smaller and bigger companies, and getting their name out there," Lachlan Stewart says, "because it's really hard to just start up for the first time with a show in the Fringe and get publicity." With segments performed from plays like Death: LIVE!, The Survival of Pigeons, Call Me a Liar, Tornado: A Musical Tragicomedy, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You, This Lime Tree Bower and HOBOHEME: The Musical, the fundraiser focuses on trying to persuade new Edmonton audiences to join the existing group of festival goers. "It takes building a community who is willing to invest in being groupies, invest in checking out theatre," Stewart admits. "It is a general live theatre problem. You need audiences who invest in going out and enjoying themselves and being a part of a community rather than sitting at home." While getting audiences to attend the Fringe hasn't been an issue with

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

DEARLY DEPARTED >> Parts of Death: LIVE! will be shown during Wormwood over 550 000 people setting foot on the grounds last year, there has been a consistent problem getting people to invest in tickets—With sales for 2009 at a record high for the Fringe, only 92 279 out of total attendees purchased tickets to actually see the performances. Still, Lachlan Stewart is confident that this year's Wormwood, along with other fundraising events will increase the mere 16 percent ticket sales and keep audiences interested in attending shows. "Luckily, we are in a city that is really aware of the arts during the Fringe," he says. "A lot of Edmontonians really associate themselves with the Fringe, which isn't the case in a lot of other cities ... we have a following building. We notice we can just put a show out there and there are people who support us

// Supplied

and who are part of an ongoing conversation as artists." Being a city that holds the second largest Fringe in the world and the largest in North America, Lachlan Stewart feels that Edmonton plays a very crucial role in supplying venues to showcase younger artists and new plays. "This is where new plays come from," Lachlan Stewart says. "They come from Fringes in Canada. This is what our identity in the national theatre community is: it's the Fringe." V Sat, Jul 24 (7 pm) Wormwood: A Surreal SoReal Fringe Fundraiser Featuring Death: LIVE!, Call Me a Liar, This Lime Tree Bower and more Roxy Theatre (10708 - 124 st), $10 – $12

PREVUE // SAINT AGGIE'S '84

The perils of high school

Saint Aggie's '84 blends adolescent apocolypticism and the Bard

WHEN TEEN ANGST COMES ALONG >> You must kick it. Kick it good David Berry // david@vueweekly.com

igh school is a time when a lot of people think their world is about to end, but for Chris Wynters, his experience at a boarding school in the mid1980s was overshadowed by the very real possibility that the entire world might soon be over. Smack in the middle of Reagan-era fears of nuclear war with the Soviet Union, he recalls a time when nearly all of his friends very truly believed they weren't going to live to reminisce about those good ol' days. "A lot of the kids I hung out with in the punk scene in Vancouver, we all just thought the world was only going to be around another year or two," Wynters explains. "In the fall of 1983, there was a movie that ABC aired called The Day After. While it wasn't really a great movie or anything, it was a really graphic depiction of a nuclear war happening. And it had a drastic effect on North America: a lot of people even believe that Reagan changed his foreign policy based on seeing that." Wynters has distilled his memories of that era—the fear, the music, the

// Supplied

usual romantic preoccupations of pubescence—and mixed them with a bit of Shakespearian comedy to come up with the cocktail that is Saint Aggie's '84, his newest musical. Borrowing the story from Love's Labours Lost, Saint Aggie's follows Hattie, the head girl at prestigious St Agatha's on Vancouver Island, and the vow she takes with her friends and fellow school captains to abstain from the opposite sex in favour of their studies. Beset both by her nervousness about the impending nuclear holocaust and the first-time arrival of boys at St Aggie's, Hattie isn't quite sure she'll make it through the school year. This isn't the first time Wynters has borrowed from Shakespeare, as his work on the celebrated The Winter's Tale Project can attest. And while he freely admits his admiration for the man, he also points out that he's hoping the freewheeling spirit of a Shakespearian comedy can help lighten the mood of the show's darker qualities. "It was a palpable fear, and that was the story I really wanted to tell," he says. "But I didn't just want to talk about my experience in high school,

and I also didn't want it to be this heavy thing. I think juxtaposing that with a kind of fun, romantic comedy really makes it a more substantial evening in the theatre." That will no doubt come in handy when Saint Aggie's finishes its short run as part of Arts on the Ave's Caught in the Act theatre series and takes off to its final destination (for now, at least), the Edinburgh Fringe. Though Wynters was commissioned to write the musical for that very venue by Strathcona High School, he still admits to a little nervousness about getting it up on the big stage. "I checked our venue a little while ago, and I think we're in number 111, or something like that," he points out. "It's huge, but I'm hoping that this will have some life beyond that, of course." V Wed, Jul 28 – Sat, Jul 31 (7:30 pm) Saint Aggie's '84 Directed by Linette Smith, Stephen Delano Music, book and lyrics by Chris Wynters Old Cycle Building (9141 - 118 Ave), $15

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

ARTS // 15

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

FILM STANLEY A. MILNER LIBRARY =\egf-

lgf Je ZYk]e]fl!$ / Kaj Oafklgf ;`mj[`add Ki /0(&,1.&/((( >ade >gjme2 K]ja]k g^ Çde k[j]]faf_k ^gddgo]\ Zq \ak[mkkagfk oal` _m]kl kh]Yc]jk Sat, Jul 31, 1:30pm

WHITEMUD CROSSING LIBRARY ),-

O`al]em\ ;jgkkaf_ K`ghhaf_ ;]flj]$ ,*))%)(. Kl /0(&,1.&)0** Flicka ?!$ ZYk]\ gf l`] fgn]d Eq >ja]f\ >da[cY Zq EYjq G @YjY Bmd *0

GALLERIES + MUSEUMS ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY

)()0.%)(. Kl /0(&,00&..)) YdZ]jlY[jY^l&YZ&[Y Feature Gallery: FOR THE LOVE OF CRAFT2 9;; e]eZ]j ]p`aZalagf3 until Sep 25 Discovery Gallery: AERIAL LANDSCAPES: 9jlogjck Zq ÇZj] Yjlakl Daf\Y E[:Yaf ;mqd]j3 Jul 24-Sep 4; gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 KYl$ Bmd *,& *%, he

ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA (AGA) Kaj

Oafklgf ;`mj[àdd Ki /0(&,**&.**+ BMO World of Creativity: PLAY ON ARCHITECTURE: ;àd\j]f k _Ydd]jq Sculpture Terraces: Ogjck Zq H]l]j @a\] Yf\ C]f EY[cdaf BUILDING ART: =\oYj\ :mjlqfkcq k h`glg_jYh`k g^ l`] Zmad\af_ g^ l`] F]o 9?9 TIMELAND2 *()( 9dZ]jlY :a]ffaYd g^ ;gfl]ehgYjq 9jl3 until Aug 29 THE ART OF WARNER BROS. CARTOONS3 until Oct 11 M.C. ESHCER–THE MATHEMAGICIAN3 until Oct 11 HAJ9F=KA¿K HJAKGFK2 9J;@AL=;LMJ= OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION3 until Nov 7 REFRAMING A NATION3 until Jan 30 RBC New Works Gallery2 FIRE: Ogjck Zq KYf\jY :jged]q3 until Aug 2 OUT ON LIMB2 HYjl g^ l`] *()( Ogjck >]kl3 until Jul 23 Film2 Achieving the Unachievable3 Fri, Jul 23$ /he3 ^j]]»j]k]jn] qgmj la[c]lk gfdaf] Yl qgmjY_Y&[Y Open StudioºAeY_afYjq 9j[àl][lmj]2 H`glg%;gddY_]2 Thu, Jul 22$ /%1he3 )*' )( 9?9 e]eZ]j! Studio Y–Walk2 HmZda[ 9jl =phdgjYlagfk2 Fri, Jul 23$ )%,he

AVENUE THEATRE 1(+(%))0 9n]

/0(&,//&*),1 Khadd&&&2 =\egflgf k ;geegf ?jgmf\ 9jlk Kg[a]lq =;?9K! ^]Ylmj]k Yf Yjl ]n]fl3 l`]j] ak Yf gh]f afnalYlagf ^gj Yjlaklk lg Zjaf_ Y ^]o ha][]k g^ ogjc& HYafl Yf\ ]Yk]dk hjgna\]\ kg l`Yl Yjl [Yf Z] eY\] lg dan] emka[& L`] egkl hghmdYj ha][]k Yj] k]d][l]\ lg Z] k`gof Yl 9n]fm] L`]Ylj] gj Omf\]j :Yj O`ql] 9n]! =n]jq *f\ Kmf

AXIS CAFÉ )(+,1 BYkh]j 9n] /0(&11(&((+)

9jlogjck Zq 9fYZ]d ImYf Until Aug 1

CARROT CAFÉ 1+-)%))0 9n] Yjlkgfl`]Yn]&

gj_'l`][Yjjgl' 9jlogjck Zq ;mjlak Bg`fkgf ;mjag ;YZaf]l2 B]o]dd]jq Zq ;af\q CajZq$ l`] OgeYf lg :dYe]3 kadn]j' Zjgfr] k[mdhlmj] b]o]dd]jq Zq KYf\jY HY]lk[`3 []jYea[ [Yjjgl em_k eY\] Zq Ea[`]dd] Oqffq[`mc 3 l`jgm_` Bmd ;Yjjgl NakmYd 9jlaklk ;gdd][lan] e]]lk l`] *f\ O]\ ]Y[` egfl`$ /%1he

CENTRE D’ARTS VISUELS DE L’ALBERTA 1)(+%1- 9n] /0(&,.)&+,*/

TANGENT2 ;gddY_] Yf\ Y[jqda[k Zq KqdnaY ?jakl$ hYaflaf_k Zq EY\]d]af] :]ddegf\$ B]jjq :]jl`]d]ll] Yf\ _m]kl Yjlakl ?Y lYf <gm[]l3 until Jul 27 SEVEN GENERATIONS2 9jlogjck Zq l`] ?]jnYak¿ >Yeadq2 HYaflaf_k$ k[mdhlmj]k$ ^mjfalmj]$ \]ka_f]j [dgl`af_ Yf\ Y[[]kkgja]k$ ]l[`af_k$ `Yf\%eY\] Zggck$ Zdm]k bYe$ `]jalY_] kfY[ck Yf\ egj]3 Jul 30-Aug 17

DEVONIAN GARDEN F g^ <]ngf gf `oq .(

9jlogjck Zq l`] e]eZ]jk g^ l`] HYjcdYf\ 9jl ;dmZ Jul 30-Aug 2, 10am-7pm

DON WHEATON YMCA )(*))%)(* 9n]$ =Ykl @YddoYq THE WORKS–CANVAS WORKS: 9jlogjck Zq Bmklaf K`Yo Until Aug 31

ELECTRUM GALLERY )*,)1 Klgfq HdYaf J\ /0(&,0*&),(* ?gd\ Yf\ kadn]j b]o]dd]jq Zq OYqf] EY[c]fra]$ BYf]l Kl]af Yf\ Yjlogjck Zq nYjagmk Yjlaklk Ongoing EXTENSION GALLERY 9ljame$ )kl >d$

=fl]jhjak] Ki$ )(*+( BYkh]j 9n] /0(&,1*&().. ]pl]fkagf&mYdZ]jlY&[Y'^Y[mdlq'_Ydd]jq&Ykhp THE WORLD OF TRUE COMMUNITY: H`glg_jYh`q Yf\ ojalaf_ YZgml `ge]d]kkf]kk Zq D]fggk] EYjlaYd Until Jul 28

GALLERY AT MILNER KlYfd]q 9& Eadf]j

DaZjYjq EYaf >d$ Kaj Oafklgf ;`mj[`add Ki /0(&1,,&-+0+ OBJECT 1.02 9ZkljY[l eap]\ e]\aY Yjlogjck Zq ;`mf_ ;`]mc @mf_ Until Jul 30

GALLERY IS–Red Deer 9d]pYf\]j OYq$ -)*+%,0l` Kl ,(+&+,)&,.,) _Ydd]jqak&Yjlk8qY`gg& [Y ECLECTIC COLLAGE: 9jlogjck Zq ?d]f\Y ?Yfr Until Jul 24 HARCOURT HOUSE +j\ >d$ )(*)-%))* Kl

/0(&,*.&,)0( Main Space2 HOME (IN)SECURITY: K]ja]k ^]Ylmjaf_ keYdd `ge]k l`Yl [gflYaf fYjjYlan] [dm]k l`jgm_` na\]gk Yf\ eafaYlmj] afklYddYlagfk Zq KqdnaY Ra]eYff Jul 29-Aug 28 Gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Jul 29, 7-10pm 9jlakl lYdc2 Thu, Jul 29, 6pm Front Room2 HYaflaf_k Zq dg[Yd Yjlakl HYmd :]jf`Yj\l Jul 29-Aug 28 Gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Jul 29, 7-10pm

HARRIS�WARKE GALLERY�Red Deer

Kmfogjck$ ,1*, Jgkk Kl$ J]\ <]]j ,(+&+,.&01+/ 11 RUMINATIONS2 <jYoaf_k Zq JY[`]d =nYfk Until Aug

16 // ARTS

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

6 J][]hlagf2 Fri, Aug 6, 6-8pm3 hYjl g^ J]\ <]]j¿k >ajkl >ja\Yqk

/0(&,++&),+( ka\]k`go_Ydd]jq&[Y 9>L=JOGJCK2 9jlogjck Zq Bm\] ?ja]Z]d Until Aug 29

JEFF ALLEN GALLERY KljYl`[gfY HdY[] K]fagj ;]flj]$ )(0+) Mfan]jkalq 9n] /0(&,++&-0(/ k]fagj[]flj]&gj_ STORIES: OYl]j[gdgmjk Zq CYj]f :ak`gh Until Jul 28

SNAP (Society of Northern Alberta Printartists) )()*+%)*) Kl /0(&,*+&),1* kfYhYjlaklk&

JOHNSON GALLERY Southside2 //))%0- Kl3

/0(&,.-&.)/) bg`fkgf_Ydd]jq&[Y Ogjck Zq 9ff E]dYm_`daf$ Bg] @Yaj]$ <Yn] Jahd]q$ Jg[`]dd] ;gd_Yf$ B]o]dd]jq Zq O]f\q Jak\Yd]$ hgll]jq Zq FgZgjm CmZg Northside2 ))0)/%0( Kl3 /0(&,/1&0,*,3 Ogjck Zq 9m\j]q H^Yffemdd]j$ <Yf :Y_Yf$ k]ja_jYh`k Zq AkYY[ :a_fYdd$ afc \jYoaf_k Zq BgYf :Yjjq$ hjaflk Zq Lgla$ hgll]jq Zq FgZgjm CmZg Through Jul

LATITUDE 53 )(*,0%)(. Kl /0(&,*+&-+-+ ProjEx Room2 NOT ANOTHER FUCKING LANDSCAPE: ;mjYl]\ Zq 9fl`gfq =Yklgf$ ^]Ylmjaf_ dYf\k[Yh] h`glg_jYh`q Zq RY[`Yjq 9qgll]$ L]\ C]jj$ 9ea] JYf_]d Yf\ EYjk`Ydd OYlkgf3 Curator's Talk: Zq 9fl`gfq =Yklgf2 Sat, Jul 31, 2pm Main Gallery2 H`glg_jYh`k Zq BgfYk Kl& Ea[`]Yd3 dggcaf_ aflg `ak jmjYd Im]Z][g[ak Yf\ ;YfY\aYf a\]flalq Jul 30-Sep 4 Gh]faf_ J][]hlagf2 Jul 30, 0he Artist talk Zq BgfYk Kl& Ea[`]d2 Jul 30, /he Z]^gj] l`] j][]hlagf! The Rooftop Patio Series: 9L: >afYf[aYd oal` Yjlakl K[gll KeYddogg\3 Thu, Jul 22, 5-9pm ;BKJ oal` Yjlakl EYj[ K]a_f]j3 Thu, Jul 29, 5-9pm Community Gallery: Summer Members' Series: E]]l l`] Yjlaklk ]Y[` L`m Yl l`] jgg^lgh hYlag3 Jul 21-Aug 14 ³ K[gll KeYddogg\2 Jul 21–24; EYj[ Ka]_f]j2 Jul 28-31 Collage Party: 9^l]j Y \Yq g^ \jYo ]n]flk Yl =\egflgf k Yjlakl%jmf []flj]k$ DYlalm\] -+ oadd Z] `gklaf_ Y [gddY_] hYjlq3 Sat, Jul 24$ .%1he Yf\ 1%)*Ye LOFT GALLERY 9& B& Gll]o]dd 9jlk ;]flj]$ -1(

:jgY\eggj :dn\$ K`]jogg\ HYjc /0(&1**&.+*, 9jlogjck Zq e]eZ]jk g^ l`] Kg[a]lq g^ O]kl]jf ;YfY\aYf 9jlaklk Gift Shop2 Al]ek Zq e]eZ]jk g^ l`] 9jl Kg[a]lq g^ KljYl`[gfY ;gmflq Until Jul 313 L`m -%1he$ KYl )(Ye%,he

MCMULLEN GALLERY M g^ 9 @gkhalYd$ 0,,(% ))* Kl /0(&,(/&/)-* WALDEN: 9 l]pl Yf\ aeY_] afklYddYlagf Zq Ea[`]dd] DYnga] Until Aug 15

MICHIF CULTURAL AND MÉTIS RE� SOURCE INSTITUTE 1 Eakkagf 9n]$ Kl 9dZ]jl

/0(&.-)&0)/. 9Zgja_afYd N]l]jYfk <akhdYq ?a^l K`gh >af_]j o]Ynaf_ Yf\ kYk` \akhdYq Zq ;]dafY Dgq]j Ongoing

MILDWOOD GALLERY ,*.$ ..--%)/0 Kl E]d

@]Yl`$ BgYf @]Yd]q$ >jYf @]Yl`$ DYjjYaf] GZ]j_$ L]jjq C]`g]$ <Yjd]f] 9\Yek$ KYf\q ;jgkk Yf\ Na[lgjaY$ Hgll]jq Zq FYZgjg CmZg Yf\ Na[lgj @Yjjakgf Ongoing

MODA BOHO )(*,1%1/ Kl 9 Fa_`l g^

@Ymflaf_ AeY_]jq2 H`glgk Zq <Yn] :go]jaf_ g^ @Ymflaf_ AeY_]jq Klm\agk Until Aug 15

MULTICULTURAL CENTRE PUBLIC ART GALLERY (MCPAG) -,))%-) Kl$ Klgfq HdYaf

/0(&1.+ 11+- THE LIGHT OF THE LAKELAND– COLOURS IN THE MOUNTAINS2 OYl]j[gdgmjk Zq HYlja[aY ;gmdl]j Jul 23-Aug 25 J][]hlagf2 Sat, Aug 21, 7:30-8:30pm

MUSÉE HÉRITAGE MUSEUM - Kl 9ff] Kl$

Kl 9dZ]jl /0(&,-1&)-*0 DG;9D D=FK=K2 FYlmj] h`glg_jYh`k Zq <Yn] ;gfdaf$ 9d Hghad$ Yf\ H]l]j KlY`d Until Aug 27

[ge DRAW2 )*%`gmj%dgf_ [gddYZgjYlan] \jYoaf_ hYjlq3 \Yqlae] ]n]flk Yl KF9H Yf\ @Yj[gmjl @gmk]$ oal` Yf ]n]faf_ hYjlq Yl alk ljY\alagfYd `ge]$ DYlalm\] -+3 Jul 24, noon-midnight

SPRUCE GROVE GALLERY E]d[gj ;mdlmjYd ;]flj]$ +-%- 9n]$ Khjm[] ?jgn] /0(&1.*&(.., Ydda]\Yjlk[gmf[ad&[ge BLACK AND WHITE2 9jlogjck Zq e]eZ]jk3 until Jul 24 BE STILL2 9jlogjck Zq <]dljY Hgof]q Jul 27-Aug 213 gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Aug 7, 1-4pm STOLLERY GALLERY FafY @Y__]jlq$ 1**-%))0 9n] /0(&,/,&/.)) YOU LOOKING AT ME?: Dafg[ml hjaflk$ k]d^ hgjljYalk Zq l`] FafY @Y__]jlq Yjlaklk Until Aug 5

STUDIO GALLERY )) H]jjgf Kl$ Kl 9dZ]jl

/0(&,.(&-11+ JUST MUSKEG2 HYaflaf_k Zq :jm[] L`gehkgf Until Jul 31

TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE EYj_Yj]l R]a\d]j KlYj L`]Ylj]$ ))*))%),* Kl /0(&,-)&++,, l]dmkogjd\g^k[a]f[]&[ge']\egflgf SULTANS OF SCIENCE: Afn]flagfk l`Yl LjYfk^gje]\ l`] Ogjd\3 until Sep 6 U2 at TWOS$ >mdd%<ge] =ph]ja]f[] k]l lg l`] emka[ g^ M*3 \aily until Sep 6 Horses–The Story Of Equus af AE9P TU GALLERY )(/)0%)*, Kl /0(&,-*&1.., lm_Ydd]jq&[Y UNDER CONSTRUCTION2 =n]jq KYl l`jgm_` l`] kmee]j e]]l$ nakal Yf\ oYl[` l`] Yjlakl Yl ogjc KYjY` ?m]f]ll]3 Sat, Jul 24, )(Ye%*he

VAAA GALLERY +j\ >d$ )(*)-%))* Kl

/0(&,*)&)/+) FIBRE OLYMPICS2 >aZj] Yjlogjck Zq l`] e]eZ]jk `ah g^ l`] @Yf\ O]Yn]jk$ Khaff]jk Yf\ <q]jk g^ 9dZ]jlY @OK<9! Bmd *1%9m_ *0 Gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 L`m$ Bmd *1$ /%12+(he

WEST END GALLERY )*+(0 BYkh]j 9n]

/0(&,00&,01* THE GARDEN COLLECTION2 Ogjck Zq ?j]lY ?mr]c$ ;Yjgd] 9jfklgf$ ;dYm\] 9& KaeYj\$ ;dYm\]ll] ;Yklgf_mYq Yf\ gl`]jk Until Jul 31

LITERARY AUDREYS BOOKS )(/(* BYkh]j 9n] /0(&,*+&+,0/ Ojal]j af j]ka\]f[]$ CYl` EY[d]Yf3 =n]jq Lm]%L`m$ )2+(%-he BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ 1.*,%/. 9n] /0(&,.1&0/-- Klgjq KdYe2 *f\ O]\ ]Y[` egfl`3 fg ]n]fl af 9m_mkl CARROT CAFÉ 1+-)%))0 9n] Yjlkgfl`]Yn]&gj_' l`][Yjjgl' Ojal]j k [aj[d] e]]lk ]n]jq Lm]$ /%1he ;jalaim] [aj[d] gf l`] dYkl Lm] ]Y[` egfl`

HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB )-)*( Klgfq HdYaf J\ /0(&1)-&00.1 =\egflgf Klgjq KdYe$ +j\ O]\ ]n]jq egfl` Fg [gn]j3 ^gddgo]\ Zq Y emka[ bYe

ROUGE LOUNGE )()))%))/ Kl /0(&1(*&-1(( Hg]ljq ]n]jq Lm] oal` =\egflgf k dg[Yd hg]lk

STANLEY A. MILNER LIBRARYʸ / Kaj

MUTTART CONSERVATORY 1.*.%

Oafklgf ;`mj[`add Ki /0(&,1.&/((( Centre for Reading2 >jge :ggck lg >ade3 ]n]jq >ja$ *he Teen Movie Scene2 egna] [dmZ ^gj l]]fk3 )kl Yf\ +j\ L`m ]n]jq egfl` Writers’ Corner2 =HD¿k Ojal]j af J]ka\]f[]3 `gklk Y \a^^]j]fl Yml`gj ]Y[` egfl`3 DYkl Kmf g^ ]Y[` egfl` Yl )2+(he

NAESS GALLERY–Paint Spot )((+*%0) 9n]

THEATRE

1.9 Kl /0(&/)0&(,0. EmllYjl;gfk]jnYlgjq&[Y EV*O*LU*TION2 Ogjck Zq l`] K[mdhlgj k 9kkg[aYlagf g^ 9dZ]jlY Mflad Sep 6 /0(&,+*&(*,( THE SKETCH: Ogjck Zq nYjagmk Yjlaklk3 until Jul 31 HAITI2 HYaflaf_k Zq @Yala [`ad\j]f3 until Aug 31

OLD STRATHCONA ANTIQUE MALL

)(+*+%/0 9n] /0(&,++&(+10 LOCAL ARTIST SHOWCASE2 H`glg_jYh`k Zq B]^^ KYnY_] Until mid Aug

ALL�STARS SHOW NYjk[gfY L`]Ylj]$ )(+*1%0+ 9n] JYha\ >aj] L`]Ylj] k >jaf_] hj]na]o kh][aYd hj]k]flYlagf g^ Giant Robot Yf\ Gordon's Big Bald Head Bmd *,$ ))he )( Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj]

PETER ROBERTSON GALLERY

THE AMBASSADOR’S WIVES NYjk[gfY L`]Ylj]$ )(+*1%0+ 9n] L]Yljg dY Imaf\a[afY hj]k]flk l`ak jYm[gmk Yf\ jgdda[caf_ hYjlq ha][] Zq Kl]oYjl D]egaf] Until Jul 24 )-% *. Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj]

PICTURE THIS GALLERY 1-1 Gj\r] J\$

FREEWILL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

)*+(, BYkh]j 9n] /0(&,--&/,/1 H`glg_jYh`k Zq OaddaYe 9f\]jkgf$ :jaYffY @m_`]k Yf\ Bgk]h` @YjleYf Gh]fk2 Lm]$ 9m_ + K`]jogg\ HYjc$ /0(&,./&+(+0 Ha[lmj]L`ak?Ydd]jq&[ge CANADA SCAPES AND SPACES2 9jlogjck Zq :j]fl @]a_`lgf$ <]Yf E[d]g\$ Bgff =af]jkk]f$ EmjjYq H`addahk$ :]jf Oadd :jgof$ =dka] :Y]j$ <geafa[c Eg\dafkca$ ?j]__ Bg`fkgf$ B]Yf H]l]jk$ 9m\j]q H^Yffemdd]j Yf\ Jg_]j <& 9jf\l L`jgm_` 9m_

PROFILES GALLERY�St Albert )1 H]jjgf Kl$

Kl 9dZ]jl /0(&,.(&,+)( REMAINS: 9jlogjck Zq <]YffY Jgod]q Yf\ 9jd]f] O]kl]f =nYfk3 until Jul 31 ARTernative2 >gj l]]fk3 Jul 29, 31; Drawing2 Jul 31, 1-4pm

PROVINCIAL ARCHIVES OF ALBERTA

0--- Jgh]j J\ /0(&,*/&)/-( THE ESSENCE OF HIS ART2 Fa[`gdYk \] ?jYf\eYakgf k mfÇfak`]\ hYkl]dk Until Aug 28

RED DEER MUSEUM ,-*-%,/9 9n]$ J]\ <]]j ,(+&+(1&0,(- j]\\]]jemk]me&[ge ALBERTA WIDE 2010: LOOKING FORWARD: until Sep 5 LANDMARKS: Until Aug 29 FROM RED DEER'S ATTICS: ;dgl`af_ [gdd][lagf Until Oct 12 ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM )*0,-%)(* 9n]

/0(&,-+&1)(( NATURAL SELECTIONS: JgqYd 9dZ]jlY Emk]me K[a]flaklk g^^]j nYjagmk na]ok gf 9dZ]jlY¿k Zag\an]jkalq3 until Oct 13 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR3 until Jan 9, 2011

ST ALBERT PLACE :Y[c hYlag$ @]jalY_] Lj$ - Kl 9ff] Kl$ Kl 9dZ]jl BUFFALO MOUNTAIN: >gmj dYj_] _jYfal] k[mdhlmj]k Zq 9Zgja_afYd Yjlakl Kl]oYjl Kl]af`Ym]j Until Sep 30 SCOTT GALLERY )(,))%)*, Kl /0(&,00&+.)1 k[gll_Ydd]jq&[ge SUMMER SALON I: 9jlogjck Zq Lge Oaddg[c$ ?]jYd\ >Ymd\]j$ K]Yf ;YmdÇ]d\$ BY[im]k ;d]e]fl Until Aug 7 SIDESHOW GALLERY 1.(1%0* 9n]

@]jalY_] 9eh`al`]Ylj]$ @Yoj]dYc HYjc ^j]]oaddk`Yc]kh]Yj]&[ge MACBETH: <aj][l]\ Zq Bg`f CajchYlja[c$ klYjk BYe]k EY[<gfYd\ Yf\ E]dakkY EY[H`]jkgf MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: <aj][l]\ Zq EYjaYff] ;ghal`gjf]$ klYjk :]daf\Y ;gjfak` Yf\ Bg`f MddqYll Until Jul 25 **&-( kaf_d]!' +- >]klanYd hYkk!' )- klm\]fl'k]fagj! Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj] Fg @gd\k :Yj\ ?YdY2 >mf\jYakaf_ _YdY ^]Ylmjaf_ L`] Kljaf_Z]Yf ImYjl]l Yf\ \aff]j$ ^gddgo]\ Zq l`] ÇfYd h]j^gjeYf[] g^ Macbeth; Jul 242 /-

GREASED BmZadYlagfk <aff]j L`]Ylj]$ *.1($ 000*%)/( Kl$ O=E /0(&,0,&*,*,')&0//&*),&*,*, Until Aug 15 ST. AGGIE’S 84: EDINBURGH PREVIEW Gd\ ;q[d]$ 1),)%))0 9n] Yjlkgfl`]Yn]&gj_ Emka[Yd Zq ;`jak Oqfl]jk$ hj]k]fl]\ Zq l`] KljYl`[gfY L`]Ylj] ;gehYfq& HYjl g^ ;Ym_`l af l`] 9[l L`]Ylj] K]ja]k gf ))0 9n] Jul 28-31, 7:30pm La[c]lk2 )- Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj] OH SUSANNA! SEASON FINALE NYjk[gfY L`]Ylj]$ )(+*1%0+ 9n] /0(&,++&++11 =mjg%klqd] nYja]lq kh][lY[d] Zjaf_k alk ))l` k]Ykgf lg Y [dgk] oal` l`] afka\] k[ggh gf `al k`gok ^jge l`] *()( =\egflgf >jaf_] >]klanYd& @gkl]\ Zq afl]jfYlagfYd _dYegmj%_Yd KmkYffY HYl[`gmda Yf\ =jgk$ ?g\ g^ Dgn] DYm_`k Emka[ ;g[clYadk La[c]lk Yl l`] \ggj klYjlaf_ Yl )(2+(he Sat, Jul 31, 11pm

THEATRESPORTS NYjk[gfY L`]Ylj]$ )(+*1%0+ 9n] /0(&,++&++11 JYha\ >aj] L`]Ylj] ]n]jq >ja until Jul 30, 11pm )( \ggj!' 0 e]eZ]j! Fg k`go Jun 25 WORMWOOD L`]Ylj] F]logjc$ )(/(0%)*, Kl

/0(&,-+&*,,( 9 kmjj]Yd >jaf_] ^mf\jYak]j ^]Ylmjaf_ l`]Ylj] hj]na]ok oal` emka[ Zq 9jaYf] EY`jqc] D]eaj] af l`] DgZZq Sat, Jul 24, 7pm )( klm\f]lk'>jaf_] Yjlaklk!' )* Y\mdl!

INSIDE // FILM

FILM

DVD Detective

Birdemic

The Kids are All Right

Online at vueweekly.com >> FILM

Spy vs Spy Brian Gibson uncovers what modern spy flicks reveal

REVUE // INCEPTION

Sweet dreams

Inception an unusually fantastical crime thriller, even if it doesn't go deep Josef Braun // josef@vueweekly.com

hey move through cities that fold in on themselves, that resemble immense cemeteries, that erode into seas; through zero-gravity hotel corridors, across bridges, between skyscrapers, over arctic tundra and into hidden chambers. The protagonists in Christopher Nolan's Inception are in many ways your archetypical assemblage of expert crooks convening for the perfect heist, speaking in action movie boilerplate, wearing nifty duds, yet here the crime unfolds not in some bustling metropolis but rather in the vast and intricate dream worlds of the mark ... or is it the dream of the criminal? If everyone's sharing the same dream, can the dream "belong" to only one of the dreamers? While we try to sort this all out we can marvel at the scenery. The worlds within worlds invoked here are overwhelmingly impressive in terms of scale. Nolan, a great craftsman, has been given the resources to dream, and he dreams very, very big. I'm not sure he dreams very deep. Master infiltrator Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is normally hired to extract information from the dreams he burgles, but a vaguely sinister, unfathomably affluent new client (Ken Watanabe) wants Cobb instead to plant information in his target's unconscious mind. The goal is to penetrate the dreams of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the son of a dying industrialist, and convince him to divvy up dad's monopoly. Cobb has something ugly in his past—

WHAT DREAMS MAY COME >> Inception dives into the unconscious mind, literally like all Nolan's protagonists, he's so ridden with guilt it's turning toxic—and remuneration includes his hassle-free passage home to the US, where he's a wanted man, so Cobb accepts, introducing the one-last-gig trope into Inception's genre touchstones. Cobb gathers his cohorts: the supporting ensemble includes an unusually stuffy Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bronson's charismatic Tom Hardy, Ellen Page, giving by far the film's most natural performance, and Dileep Rao, that annoying magical guy from Drag Me to Hell. Gradually

the group's adventure becomes less about messing with Fischer's business sense than it does staving off Cobb's inner demons. Cobb's been rattled by dream-encounters with his hysterical wife (Marion Cotillard), or at least his memory of her, with increasing frequency. He's apparently in danger of slipping into this permanent, gray matter-draining REM state forever. Or, you know, something really bad. Much time is spent establishing the rules of psychic corporate espionage—

// Supplied

the unspecified injections used to plunge participants into mega-sleep; the mental tricks required to navigate one's way through another's dreams without getting lost; the necessity of a dream architect, a sort of production designer of the future—though much of how this business fails or functions is nonetheless left pretty sketchy. Nolan seems more concerned with the idea of inner logic than he does in its actual exploration. Still, there are enough intriguing details—the reliance on personal totems to ground the dream-

ers, such as Cobb's tiny metal top, being chief among them—to satisfy one's sense of having entered a world with some reasonably consistent chains of cause and effect, and the final scene, a cliffhanger of sorts, works to the film's overall strengths. More distracting is the sheer chaste, aneurotic tidiness of Nolan's dream worlds, which bear little resemblance to the amorphous, murky, slippery dreams most of us experience, places far more vividly and idiosyncratically realized by filmmakers like David Cronenberg, Luis Buñuel, David Lynch, Richard Linklater or Andrei Tarkovsky, a key influence on Inception's morbid love story. The realms Inception traverses feel closer to some science fiction novelist's notion of virtual reality than they do to the places we visit in our sleep. But if these realms fail to resonate as a reflection of our dreams at least they provide terrain for an unusually fantastical crime thriller, one which revels in elegantly edited set pieces that each fit snugly into their respective slots in the writerdirector's intricate stratagem. Inception is an exhausting film—I think it kind of needs to be—and is more problematic the more you think about it. It's also easily the summer's most stimulating spectacle movie. V Inception Written and directed by Christopher Nolan Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt



REVUE // FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES

Conflict of interest

For the Love of Movies takes a disappointing look at film criticism Michael Hingston // michael@vueweekly.com

eople have been making movies now for over a century; for nearly as long, other people have been writing about them. Film and film criticism have evolved in tandem over the years, and their relationship has always been symbiotic, with good work in one medium generally begetting good work in the other. Ideally,

a smart review will make audiences smarter, who in turn will demand smarter movies to watch, as well as smarter critical analyses thereof. When it all comes together, discourse takes a glorious upward spiral. Sometimes, though, the relationship between the two is so close it's downright nepotistic. Take, for instance, Frank E Woods, who was in many ways the first American film critic, and who raved about DW Griffiths's

The Birth of a Nation in print while at the same time receiving a co-writing credit on the very same film. Or how about Gerald Peary, a critic and columnist for The Boston Phoenix, who now wades knee-deep into conflict-of-interest territory with his directorial debut, For the Love of Movies? The documentary attempts to explain both the history of American film criticism—98 percent of whose examples come from either Boston or

New York—and why criticism matters as a form. It doesn't really deliver on either end. Considering that its target audiences are cinephiles and other film writers, there's very little to chew on here; the movie feels like the kind of chatty, throwaway shoptalk you'd overhear in a screening room. Peary interviews many of today's most prominent critics, including AO Scott, Kenneth Turan, Roger Ebert (taped before he lost the abil-

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

ity to speak in 2006), Andrew Sarris, Lisa Schwarzbaum and John Powers. There's also, judging by the outfit changes, at least four or five sitdowns with Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman. But what does Peary ask them? I'm still not entirely clear. Not about the craft of writing a good review, and not why their profession matters in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 >>

FILM // 17

COMMENT >> DVD

The legend of Bluebeard Breillat gets blue in latest film

Does Catherine Breillat instinctively proves to be a parallel narrative, arrives think in pairs? There was something on DVD via Strand Home Video without dizzyingly baroque to the catalogue having ever enjoyed a theatrical release of sexual encounters in her internain Canada. tionally scandalous breakout Romance The source material for Breillat's latest (1999), while her brilliant follow-up, is the fairy tale first rendered into literaFat Girl (2001), felt pleasingly ture in the 17th century by Charles chamber-like by comparison. Perrault, who also delivered the Fat Girl itself became part beloved woman-in-peril fables of a pairing, since that film Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty was soon followed by Sex and Little Red Riding Hood m o .c ly eek Is Comedy (2002), which into posterity. Unlike those @vuew e v ti c vddete functioned as a fascinating d other stories, Bluebeard has d i v a D fictionalized meta-study of failed to find itself repeatedly Berry adapted into movies. The titular the making of a particularly arduous sex scene in its predecesserial wife-killer can be found lurksor. Now comes Bluebeard (2009) and, ing in the DNA of a handful of nasty while also a period piece, it feels as adult thrillers, but it doesn't seem very lean and efficient at 80 minutes as its malleable to the tirelessly sanitizing predecessor The Last Mistress (2007) forces of Disney. Yet as an allegory of felt luxurious at 115. Breillat's films possexual curiosity and feminine oppressess an unusual balance of incendiary sion rich in enduringly strange detail it subject matter and elegantly cool and seems tailor-made for Breillat, whose controlled mise en scène. It's intriguwork has brought continual rigour to ing that the sequencing of her output such themes, sometimes employing seems equally calculated for maximum scenes of explicit sex, sometimes not. If effect. That being said, this effect only Breillat's films are shocking it has more functions if people can actually see to do with what they imply about the Breillat's films. Bluebeard, which is itcrosscurrents of sex, power and genself another diptych, balancing one der than how they push the envelope narrative within a framing device that on anatomical depictions. If you think you've got Breillat pegged as a feminist, you should be equally aware of the fact that she's also labeled herself, quite accurately I think, as a Puritan. Bluebeard suggests that mortal punishment may indeed await young ladies who choose to penetrate the forbidden territories of Eros. In fact, the movie makes this suggestion twice!

DVCD TIVE

DETE

The dominant half of Bluebeard, set in what appears to be 17th century France, concerns a pair of sisters, the elder Anne (Daphné Baiwir) and the younger MarieCatherine (Lola Créton), forced to leave their convent when their father's death leaves their mother financially unable to continue their schooling. They return home, where the furniture is being carted away by debt collectors, mom boils their wardrobes in black, and the dinner menu consists of such humble fare as grass soup—there's an inspired black comedian behind these scenes, though humour is an aspect of Breillat's cinema that's often forgotten. Salvation of a most dreadful kind arrives in the form of a handsome young messenger inviting the bereaved family

18 // FILM

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

to a garden party held on the grounds of the wealthy and colossally corpulent Lord Bluebeard (Dominique Thomas). It's commonly whispered about throughout the county that Bluebeard has murdered each of his wives. The sisters go anyway. Marie-Catherine is fascinated by the gentle giant, who recalls Cocteau's Beast more than, say, Joseph Cotton in Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Bluebeard is equally drawn to the wide-eyed, optimistic and barely pubescent Marie-Catherine. She accepts his proposal of marriage. Among the most memorable images in Bluebeard are those of Bluebeard's immense paw hovering over Marie-Catherine's tiny hand, and of Marie-Catherine nestled like the tinniest sparrow in the crook of Bluebeard's elephantine arm. Other memorable images include a trio of paper doll-like corpses suspended from a ceiling, and the arguably gratuitous close-up of a decapitated duck, a phallic spinal stump wriggling from its neck. The other half of Bluebeard features another pair of sisters, the elder Marie-Anne (Lola Giovannetti) and the younger Catherine (Marilou LopesBenites), their costumes placing the period sometime in the middle of the 20th century, making their belated appearance something of a flash-forward. They sneak into the family's off-limits attic where Catherine finds a book and, much to her sister's repulsion—though, crucially, not her direct refusal—she begins to read the sordid story of Bluebeard aloud. Between passages they discuss somewhat related matters, including their humorously imaginative notions of what the term "homosexual" means. What's most interesting in these short, often sinisterly playful scenes isn't necessarily how they reflect a reading, both literal and analytical, of the movie's primary text, but how they contribute to a particular idea of sisterhood as a potentially volatile testing ground for the push and pull of adolescent transgression. And it is no surprise that in each case the younger, braver, potentially doomed sister is named after Bluebeard's writer/director. The original French title of Fat Girl, incidentally, was À ma soeur!. You've got to wonder just what it would be like to be Catherine Breillat's sister. The final minutes of Bluebeard make you glad you don't have first-hand experience. V

FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES << CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

grand cultural scheme. Mostly their off-hand anecdotes are used to illustrate a rather bumpy tour of the tastemaking critics of decades past, and the cinematic values they held: from Bosley Crowther's strict moral code to Pauline Kael's apolitical esthetics to Ain't it Cool News's Harry Knowles and the rise of the gut-level amateur reviewer. This is a useful timeline to keep in mind, but it still feels like an awful waste of several roomfuls of talent. The film could lop 10 minutes off its longwinded summary of the auteur theory—the idea that the director of a film is its true guiding force, which generated a decades-long rivalry between Sarris (pro) and Kael (con) starting in the 1970s—and instead tell us a little about the art of reviews as a form. Corny interstitial titles and narration like "It's an Internet world—log in, look around" aren't exactly helping the cause. No, Peary doesn't grill his peers about their relevancy in any way, which reflects exponentially back on his own film, and not in a good way. After all, he's made a movie about people whose job it is to write about movies, and he is, himself, one of those people. The temptation to navel-gaze is mighty indeed. (The Woods story mentioned above comes from Peary's film, though he doesn't seem to notice the irony.) Plus it puts me in the rather awkward position of having to add to the problem by writing an article about his movie about people who write articles about movies. Thanks a lot, Peary—feels like I'm trapped in an Escher painting over here. V Fri, Jul 23, Sat, Jul 24 (7 pm) For the Love of Movies Directed by Gerald Peary Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave)



FILM WEEKLY FRI, JUL 23 – THU, JUL 29, 2010

CINEPLEX ODEON SOUTH 1525-99 St, 780.436.8585

6094 Connaught Dr, Jasper, 780.852.4749

DESPICABLE ME (G) SAT�THU 1:30; DAILY 7:00, 9:15

INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 1:30, 6:35, 9:15

CINEMA CITY MOVIES 12 5074-130 Ave, 780.472.9779

KHATTA MEETHA (STC) Hindi W/E.S.T.

FRI�SAT 1:15, 4:45, 7:50, 11:00; SUN 1:15, 4:45, 7:50; MON�THU 1:15, 4:30, 7:50

MILENGE MILENGE (PG) Hindi W/E.S.T. DAILY 12:50, 4:00, 7:15, 10:00

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

SALT (14A) No passes FRI�TUE, THU 11:30, 12:45, 2:10, 3:45, 5:00, 6:50, 7:50, 9:45, 10:30; WED 11:30, 12:45, 2:10, 3:45, 6:50, 7:50, 9:45, 10:30

4:10, 6:45, 9:20

11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 3:00, 3:30, 4:15, 6:30, 7:00, 8:00, 10:15, 10:30

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 12:15, 3:15, 7:15, 10:10

DESPICABLE ME (G) DAILY 12:35, 3:40, 7:10

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 11:40, 2:15, 5:00, 7:40, 10:20

SPLICE (18A, disturbing content, sexual DAILY 4:05, 9:35

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language

9:00

SEX AND THE CITY 2 (14A sexual content,

not recommended for children) DAILY 12:55, 3:55, 6:50, 9:45

ROBIN HOOD (14A)

FRI 1:20, 4:15, 7:25, 11:15; SAT 1:20, 4:25, 7:25, 11:15; SUN�THU 1:20, 4:15, 7:25

LETTERS TO JULIET (PG)

FRI 1:50, 4:25, 7:20, 9:40, 11:55; SAT 1:50, 4:40, 7:15, 9:40, 11:55; SUN�THU 1:50, 4:25, 7:20, 9:40

IRON MAN 2 (PG violence, not recommend-

ed for young children) FRI�TUE 1:35, 4:30, 7:10, 9:50; WED�THU 1:35, 4:45, 7:15, 9:50

DATE NIGHT (PG sexual content, language may offend) DAILY 1:10, 7:30

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3D

(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

CINEPLEX ODEON NORTH 14231-137 Ave, 780.732.2236

RAMONA AND BEEZUS (G) No passes DAILY 1:00, 3:30, 6:30, 9:00

SALT (14A) No passes DAILY 12:10, 1:20, 2:50,

4:10, 5:30, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30, 10:40

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes DAILY 12:20, 1:10, 2:10, 3:40, 5:00, 6:15, 7:10, 8:30, 9:40, 10:30

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 1:40, 4:30, 7:20, 10:00 DESPICABLE ME (G) FRI�TUE, THU 12:30, 3:00, 5:20, 7:45; WED 3:00, 5:20, 7:45; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 11:40, 2:00, 4:20, 6:45, 9:15

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DAILY 7:50, 10:45

THE LAST AIRBENDER 3D (PG) Digital 3d DAILY 12:00, 2:30, 5:10, 7:40, 10:20 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG

violence) DAILY 12:50, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may offend) DAILY 1:30, 4:00, 6:40, 9:10

CYRUS (14A coarse language) DAILY 1:50,

4:15

KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse

language) DAILY 10:15

TOY STORY 3 (G) DAILY 11:30 TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 11:50, 2:20, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10

TOY STORY 3 (G) FRI�SUN, TUE�THU 11:45,

2:45; MON 2:00, 4:30

TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 12:40, 3:55, 7:05, 10:05

THE A�TEAM (PG violence, coarse language,

not recommended for young children) FRI� SUN, TUE, THU 6:35, 9:35; MON 7:25, 10:25; WED 10:40

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (18A substance

abuse, crude sexual content) DAILY 9:55

CITY CENTRE 9 10200-102 Ave, 780.421.7020

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 DESPICABLE ME (G) DAILY 7:10, 9:20; SAT, EDMONTON FILM SOCIETY Royal Alberta Museum, 102 Ave, 128 St, 780.439.5284

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

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes DAILY 11:15, 12:45, 2:30, 4:05, 6:30, 7:40, 10:00

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

INCEPTION: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE (PG violence) THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

may offend) DAILY 12:10, 3:10, 7:15, 9:50

TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DAILY 9:55 THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 12:50, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40

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

DATE OF ISSUE ONLY: THU, JUL 22 ONLY

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes THU,

JUL 22: 12:55, 3:35, 6:25, 9:05

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG) THU, JUL 22: 1:10

may offend) THU, JUL 22: 3:30, 5:30, 7:40, 9:35

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG

violence) THU, JUL 22: 1:45, 4:25, 7:05, 9:25

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) No passes THU, JUL 22: 12:45, 2:45, 4:50, 6:45, 8:40

LEDUC CINEMAS Leduc, 780.352.3922

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

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

violence, frightening scenes) FRI�TUE, THU 12:50, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50; WED 3:50, 6:50, 9:50; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 11:50, 2:15, 4:40, 7:10, 9:30

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) FRI�WED 1:45, THE LAST AIRBENDER 3D (PG) Digital 3d DAILY 12:30, 4:00, 7:20, 10:15

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG vio-

lence) DAILY 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may offend) DAILY 1:30, 4:20, 7:40, 10:20 TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 11:30,

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

WESTMOUNT CENTRE 111 Ave, Groat Rd, 780.455.8726

INCEPTION (PG violence) Dolby Stereo Digital,

No Passes FRI 7:20; Dolby Stereo Digital, No Passes SAT�SUN 12:30, 3:50, 7:20; Dolby Stereo Digital MON�THU 7:20

SALT (14A) Dolby Stereo Digital, No Passes FRI

7:00, 9:40; SAT�SUN 1:00, 3:35, 7:00, 9:40; MON�THU 5:30, 8:20

DESPICABLE ME (G) DTS Digital FRI 6:45, 9:10; SAT�SUN 1:15, 4:00, 6:45, 9:10; MON�THU 5:20, 8:10

RAMONA AND BEEZUS (G) DTS Digital FRI

6:35, 9:25; SAT�SUN 12:45, 3:20, 6:35, 9:25; MON�THU 5:10, 8:00

WETASKIWIN CINEMAS

6:45, 9:35

Wetaskiwin, 780.352.3922

SALT (14A) DAILY 1:10, 3:35, 7:10, 9:35

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

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

SALT (14A) DAILY 1:10, 3:35, 7:10, 9:35

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

9:40

7:00, 9:25

violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 1:05, 3:30, 7:05, 9:30

INCEPTION (PG violence) No Passes FRI�SUN

12:15, 3:10, 6:40, 9:20

4:50, 7:50, 10:45; THU 1:00, 4:00, 10:45

GARNEAU

may offend) FRI�TUE, THU 1:50, 4:25, 6:55, 9:25; WED 1:50, 4:25, 9:25

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG) DAILY 1:10,

WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.444.2400

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG violence, frightening scenes) No passes THU, JUL 22: 1:15, 3:25, 5:30, 7:35, 9:35

3:45, 6:35

SCOTIABANK THEATRE WEM

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes DAILY 11:30, 1:00, 3:00, 4:30, 6:30, 8:00, 10:00

BLACK FIELD (STC) DTS Digital, Stadium

violence) DAILY 12:45, 3:40, 7:05, 9:50

10337-82 Ave, 780.433.0728

THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (18A sexual

3:50, 10:10

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG

PRINCESS

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DAILY

TOY STORY 3 3D (G) Digital 3d, Stadium

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language

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

SALT (14A) No passes DAILY 11:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:45, 10:40; DAILY 12:40, 3:45, 6:45, 9:40

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

may offend) Stadium Seating, DTS Digital DAILY 12:15, 2:45, 5:20, 7:55, 10:30

4:10, 6:50, 9:30

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG violence)

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language

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

INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 6:45, 9:30; SAT,

SUN, TUE, THU 12:45, 3:30

RAMONA AND BEEZUS (G) No passes DAILY

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

4211-139 Ave, 780.472.7600

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

violence, frightening scenes) DAILY 12:30, 4:00, 7:30, 10:10

INCEPTION (PG violence) DTS Digital,

CLAREVIEW 10

SUN, TUE, THU 1:00, 3:00

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language may

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (18A, brutal violence, disturbing content) DAILY 6:45, 9:15; SAT�SUN 2:00

language) DAILY 1:10, 6:55

Seating WED 7:00

9:10; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU 1:15, 3:10

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) DAILY 7:00, 9:00; SAT,

SALT (14A) No passes DAILY 11:20, 1:50, 4:35, 7:30, 10:05

Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:05, 2:40, 5:15, 7:45, 10:20

Seating DAILY 12:50, 3:40, 7:10, 9:50

THE LAST AIRBENDER 3D (PG) DAILY 7:15,

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

DAILY 1:15, 4:00, 6:50, 9:35

KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) DTS Digital, Stadium Seating FRI�TUE 12:40, 3:50, 6:55, 9:35; WED�THU 12:40, 3:50, 9:35

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

RAMONA AND BEEZUS (G) No passes

SALT (14A) No Passes, Stadium Seating,

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

PARKLAND CINEMA 7

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

GROWN UPS (PG crude content, language

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (PG

FRI�SAT 9:00

SALT (14A) DAILY 6:45 9:15; SAT, SUN, TUE,

THU 1:45

Seating, Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:20, 3:30, 7:00, 10:15

Digital 3d, DTS Digital DAILY 12:10, 2:35, 5:00, 7:30, 10:10

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

1:10, 3:25; Movies For Mommies: TUE 11:00 am

violence) DAILY 1:00, 4:10, 7:05, 10:15

DESPICABLE ME (G) Stadium Seating,

FRI�SAT 7:00

SALT (14A) DAILY 7:10, 9:25; SAT, SUN, TUE, THU

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT (STC) Stadium

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

9828-101A Ave, Citadel Theatre, 780.425.9212

FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM (STC)

INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 7:30; SAT,

may offend) DAILY 12:20, 3:50, 6:55, 9:40

KNIGHT AND DAY (PG violence, coarse language) FRI�SUN, TUE�THU 12:50, 4:10, 7:30, 10:40; MON 4:00, 7:30, 10:40

METRO CINEMA

SUN, TUE, THU 1:50

THE LAST AIRBENDER 3D (PG) Digital

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (PG violence) FRI�WED 1:15, 4:30, 7:45, 10:45; THU 4:30, 7:45, 10:45; Star & Strollers Screening: THU 1:00

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

6601-48 Ave, Camrose, 780.608.2144

SUN, TUE, THU 2:10

3d DAILY 12:10, 3:20, 6:45, 9:30

SAT 1:45, 4:40, 7:00, 9:25, 11:40; SUN, TUE�THU 1:45, 4:40, 7:00, 9:25; MON 1:45, 4:40, 7:10, 9:25

DUGGAN CINEMA�CAMROSE

may offend) DAILY 7:05, 9:10; SAT�SUN, TUE, THU 2:05

THE KARATE KID (PG violence, not recom-

KILLERS (PG violence, coarse language) FRI�

SALT (14A) No Passes DAILY 2:00, 4:40, 7:10, 9:40

PREDATORS (18A gory violence) FRI�SUN,

TUE�THU 1:00, 4:00, 7:25, 10:25; MON 4:30, 8:00, 10:45

content)

RAMONA AND BEEZUS (G) DAILY 1:30,

INCEPTION (PG violence) No passes DAILY

JONAH HEX (14A, violence) FRI�SAT 1:40, 4:50, 7:35, 9:30, 11:25; SUN�THU 1:40, 4:50, 7:35, 9:30 mended for young children) FRI�SUN, WED 1:05, 4:20, 7:05, 9:55; MON�TUE, THU 1:25, 4:20, 7:05, 9:55

DESPICABLE ME 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY

RAMONA AND BEEZUS (G) No passes DAILY 11:50, 3:10, 6:30, 9:20

CHABA THEATRE�JASPER

1:00, 3:15, 4:30, 6:30, 7:50, 9:45; MON�THU 1:00, 3:15, 4:30, 6:30, 7:50, 9:45

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

INCEPTION (PG violence) DAILY 12:45, 3:40, 6:45,

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

FILM // 19

REVUE // THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

The chemistry of common life

The Kids Are All Right basks in the pleasure of an unconventional life gone domestic Josef Braun // Josef@vueweekly.com

or having been together for the better part of two decades, the ever-searching-for-organic-harmony aspiring garden designer Jules (Julianne Moore) and her no-nonsense Dr Nic (Annette Bening) are faring well. We meet them during what seems like a spell of routine marital fatigue, yet there's a sense that neither is willing to go too long without attending to the other's needs, whether that manifests through Nic giving Jules space to work through her spiritual issues or Jules performing cunnilingus on Nic while she watches hunky guy-on-guy porn, a quirk that makes for what's surely cinema's funniest lesbian love scene. Their teenage kids, meanwhile, are more than all right. Sure, Laser (Josh Hutcherson) hasn't yet found his calling and is into homoerotic wrestling with a homophobic

moron, while seemingly straight-laced Joni (Mia Wasikowska), readying herself for college, goes behind the moms' backs to track down the siblings' biological dad, but such minor transgressions reveal a perfectly healthy curiosity and robust sense of goodwill. So the stakes in The Kids Are All Right arise not through perilous character flaws or insurmountable familial feuds, but rather through the accumulation of smaller tensions as its story builds, specifically from the introduction of mystery sperm donor Paul (Mark Ruffalo) into the family dynamic. A sexy, scruffy restaurateur with a habit of avoiding interpersonal commitments, Paul's intrigued by his new friends, by the unexpected possibility of being a genuine dad, and, just maybe, by the even stranger possibility of luring Jules away. Director/co-writer Lisa Cholodenko chronicled women shedding off stolid conventional lifestyles to explore the cul-

tural fringe in High Art and Laurel Canyon. With The Kids Are All Right she now seems interested in seeing what happens when seemingly unconventional lifestyles have become entirely domesticated. Beautifully captured through sinuous, sun-soaked hand-held photography that seems always alert to the nuances of its superb cast, this film's family portrait is warm, fun and complicated, its politics left entirely implicit so that these characters can behave like real people instead of mouthpieces— if the film can do anything to persuade its opponents that gay marriage represents any sort of scourge to society, it's by letting this particular gay marriage simply exist up there on screen, warts and all. Moore and Bening are so good together that they can be bad to each other without our feeling as though their conflicts are dramaturgical conceits. When called upon to explain the kick they get from

David Berry // david@vueweekly.com

irdemic: Shock and Terror is one of those films that's not even just bad, it causes you to question some deep-seated beliefs about people: specifically, how on earth can our perceptions of things so wildly diverge? I just can't fathom any possible scenario where writer/director James Nguyen watched this film and decided that it even looked like regular film, never mind was good enough for him to proclaim himself the master of the romantic thriller. I understand how, say, Adam Sandler et al were lazy and sloppy enough to plop out Grown Ups, or how Michael Bay's esthetic is big and dumb enough that he thinks his explosion-and-cheesy-joke-fests qualify as good blockbusters. But Nguyen is that specially solipsistic kind of weirdo that could make a film as utterly inept as Birdemic and think he's got something special enough to drive around Sundance and advertise it himself. That has, of course, become its charm. Like Tommy Wiseau's The Room, Birdemic

20 // FILM

is gaining a cult following among ironic appreciators blown away by its almost hyperbolically comic ineptitude, hence its inclusion in Metro's regular Turkey Shoot feature. That's personally something I don't totally understand. Even accepting the fact that you'll probably get as much enjoyment from watching Birdemic as any number of competentlymade-but-mediocre movies, you're still rewarding ineptitude, if not outright craziness: money is pretty fabulously uninterested in why it's being given to someone, and Wiseau and Nguyen are now making careers out of the fact they never should have been let near cameras and actors in the first place, while those poor fools who took the time to tether themselves to reality and make something that's at least competent go back to their day jobs when the festival circuit is done. Sorry, I know I'm complaining about injustice in a review of a film about exploding CGI birds, but it's just kind of depressing to watch Wiseau become a household name while directors like ... OK, fine, sorry.

Opens Fri, Jul 23 The Kids Are All Right Directed by Lisa Cholodenko Written by Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg Starring Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo



VUE ONLINE

REVUE // BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR

Birdbrained

guy-on-guy porn, Moore mumbles something about the inauthenticy of most ostensible lesbian porn being an unsexy distraction, but there's no such distractions to be found in the employment of these two famous actresses, both of them married to men, playing a lesbian couple. Like Hutcherson and Wasikowska, they graciously fail to comment on the sexuality of these individuals, focusing rather on enriching the storytelling by giving the fullest possible life to these characters, whose dialogue, it must be said, isn't always very good, and occasionally slips into cliché. Ruffalo is wonderfully passive-aggressive as the interloper, soft-spoken, entirely sympathetic, yet often on the defense. "I'm a doer," he says in response to his lack of education. "I'm funny that way I guess." It's unfortunate that Paul gets sort of abandoned in the final act, because in the first two-thirds he's treated as an equal

within the film's ensemble, developing, making discoveries and having scenes of his own entirely outside of those pertaining directly to the family. Moving as gracefully as it does from one busy, diverting and thorny sequence to another, The Kids Are All Right only starts to reveal its shortcomings in this last section, when it starts too abruptly, somewhat forcedly shut all those doors it previously left wide open as it searches for resolutions that aren't entirely needed. So we should see this film not to anticipate closure but to bask in its transitory pleasures, which are plentiful. Kids grow up and leave home, bachelors get middle-aged and anxious, marriages get knocked around and need time to regain their senses. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the fleeting chaos before it all passes you by. V

Birdemic is horrific, so bad Turkey Shoot hosts Dave Clarke and Jeff Page probably wouldn't have to say anything to leave the audience howling. Star Alan Bagh can't even walk like a normal person on screen—he looks like a team of penguins with dementia are trying out their new human suit—and he's not even the most ridiculous part of the film. That would probably be the plot, which makes roughly as much sense as watching someone else's dream with a strobe light. Or possibly the long, inexplicable lectures on global warming. Or maybe dialogue that sounds ripped from an ESL textbook. Actually, its probably the CGI eagles whose quality could be outdone by most animated GIFs. Again, this is not just a bad movie: it's a movie that defies explanation. Probably even more so than The Room. You pretty much have to see it if you like this kind of thing at all. V Thu, Jul 22 (9 pm) Turkey Shoot: Birdemic: Shock and Terror Hosted by Dave Clarke, Jeff Page Directed by James Nguyen Starring Alan Bagh, Whitney Moore Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave)

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

Thu, Jul 22 (7 pm), Fri, Jul 23 & Sat, Jul 24 (9 pm) / When You're Strange: A Film About the Doors / Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave) Read Josef Braun's 3-star review at vueweekly.com/extras

INSIDE // MUSIC

MUSIC

Big Brother & the Holding Company

PREVUE // SAID THE WHALE

Whales on wheels

Said the Whale comes to love bicycles over buses

POP A WHALIE >> They rode to the photo shoot on bikes, honest david berry // david@vueweekly.com

f Said the Whale singer/guitarist Tyler Bancroft seems a bit more svelte than usual when he takes the stage next Thursday, you can probably thank the Malahat Review tour. Organized by fellow musician Jeremy Fisher, and also featuring Aidan Knight and Hannah Georgas, it was a 500 kilometre trek around some of BC's coastal islands—entirely by bike. Pumping pedals by day and playing wide-open pop-rock by night should be enough to exhaust even the hardiest souls, but according to Bancroft, if it was at all feasible, he'd probably rather tour by bike than cram into a van one more time. "I certainly appreciate hills a lot more," Bancroft says with a laugh. "But no, a couple days in was pretty rough, but I'm feeling pretty excellent now.

// Venessa Heins

It's actually a lot more comfortable to tour on a bicycle than to sit in a tour van every single day, feeling like shit, eating shit, then getting to the show and feeling like a big lump of nothing. At least our blood was pumping, and we got tired for a reason at the end of the day. I'd trade the tour van for bikes any day." Alas, Bancroft and his bandmates— fellow singer/guitarist Ben Worcester, drummer Spencer Schoening, bassist Peter Carruthers and keyboardist Jaycelyn Brown—will be piling back into the Said the Whale-mobile for their current western Canadian swing. They will have something they're hoping will help recharge the touring batteries, though: this swing is an all-ages tour, which Bancroft says carries a different kind of energy than the usual bar gigs. "The vibe is so different once you get

kids in there who aren't drinking, and are just there for the music—it's almost like they have a slightly inflated idea of how successful you are," he explains. "Like, I remember being 15 and I went and saw By Divine Right play at the PNE, and there was maybe 20 people there, but we just thought they were absolute rock stars: we had them signing autographs for us and everything. "But the reality was, they were probably just in a shitty van like we are, driving around not making any money and paying too much for gas." he continues. "But because of our perception of who they were and our dedication to their music, I was in awe of them the entire time." V Thu, Jul 29 (5 pm) Said the Whale With We Are the City, Aidan Knight Starlite Room, $15

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

MUSIC // 21

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

THU JUL 22 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Thu Night Jazz: Go-Do-Be; 7:30pm; $8 at yeglive.ca BLUES ON WHYTE Andrew "Jr Boy" Jones BOHEMIA Ramshackle Day Parade: Acid Attack, Young Planets, Psyrinx, and P.J. Butter and the Handsome Sandwich; no minors; 7pm: $5 (door) BRIXX BAR Radio Brixx with Tommy Grimes spinning rock and roll; 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

22 // MUSIC

CROWN PUB Crown Pub Latin/ world fusion jam hosted by Marko Cerda; musicians from other musical backgrounds are invited to jam; 7pm-closing DUSTER'S PUB Thu open jam hosted by the Assassins of Youth (blues/rock); 9pm; no cover DV8 Distant Calm, Promethean Labyrinth; 9pm-2am ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove Open Stage Thu: Bring an instrument, jam/sing with the band, bring your own band, jokes, juggle, magic; 8-12 EMPRESS ALE HOUSE Dave Lang and the Black Squirrels; 9pm ENCORE CLUB With A Latin Twist: free Salsa Dance Lessons at 9pm EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Open stage every Thu; 7-11pm

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

FESTIVAL PLACE James Clarke ( jazz piano); 7:30pm; $25 at Festival Place box office, TicketMaster HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB U22 Night: The Juice, Joe Nolan, Paul Cresey, Alanna Clarke; 7:30pm (door); $10 (door) HOOLIGANZ Open stage Thu hosted by Phil (Nobody Likes Dwight); 9pm-1:30am J AND R Classic rock! Woo! Open stage, play with the house band every Thu; 9pm JAMMERS PUB Thu open jam; 7-11pm JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Jason Wiltzen (acoustic rock singer/ songwriter); $10 JULIAN'S�Chateau Louis Graham Lawrence ( jazz piano); 8pm L.B.'S PUB Open jam with Ken Skoreyko; 9pm LIVE WIRE BAR Open Stage Thu with Gary Thomas LYVE ON WHYTE Slow Stinger, Calista, The Violet Hour; 8pm MARYBETH'S COFFEE HOUSE�Beaumont Open Mic Thu; 7pm NAKED CYBERCAFÉ Open stage every Thu; bring your own instruments, fully equipped stage; 8pm NEW CITY SUBURBS Hosted

by Rob Maillsoux , Doug Stanhope; 8pm; $25

NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by Wild Rose Old Time Fiddlers OIL CITY TENT EVENT USS, Hail the Villain, Hollerado; no minors; $24 at Oil City Roadhouse, TicketMaster RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�Rice Howard Way SafeFreight Breakfast, Honda Indy Ultimate Street Party: Luke and Tess Pretty at 4-6pm; Brent Parkin, Jimmy and the Sleepers at 6-9pm; free

STARLITE ROOM The Cat Empire, Daniel Wesley; 8pm; no minors; $25 at TicketMaster TAPHOUSE�St Albert Dead Eyes Open, Bogue Brigade, guests; 9pm; $10 WILD WEST SALOON Foxx Worthee WINSPEAR Michael Franti, Spearhead, KO; all ages; 8pm; $47 at the Winspear box office

DJs BILLY BOB’S LOUNGE Escapack Entertainment

RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�Sutton Place Hotel Mocking Shadows Rhythm and Blues Revue; 8:30pm-12:30; $10

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Big Rock Thu: DJs on 3 levels– Topwise Soundsystem spin Dub & Reggae in The Underdog

RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�Rose and Crown Dave Babcock and the Nightkeepers; 9pm; no cover

BRIXX BAR Radio Brixx with Tommy Grimes spinning rock and roll

RENDEZVOUS Desecrate the Gods, Grandmaster, Beyond Despondancy

BUDDY'S DJ Bobby Beatz; 9pm; no cover before 10pm CENTURY ROOM Underground House every Thu with DJ Nic-E

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

THE DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Thu at 9pm

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Thu Open mic comedy night

FILTHY MCNASTY’S Punk Rock Bingo with DJ S.W.A.G.

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

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

Rice Howard Way Honda Indy Ultimate Street Party: Dave Babcock and the Nightkeepers 4-6pm; Brent Parkin with Jimmy and the Sleepers 6-8pm; Oil City Sound Machine 8-10pm; free

Y AFTERHOURS Foundation Fri s

LUCKY 13 Sin Thu with DJ Mike Tomas

RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�Sutton Place Hotel Mocking Shadows Rhythm and Blues Revue; 9pm-1am; $10

ALBERTA BEACH HOTEL Open stage with Trace Jordan 1st and 3rd Sat; 7pm-12

NEW CITY SUBURBS Bingo at 9:30pm followed by Electroshock Therapy with Dervish Nazz Nomad and Plan B (electro, retro)

RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�Rose & Crown Dave Babcock and the Nightkeepers; 9pm; no cover

ON THE ROCKS Salsaholic Thu: Dance lessons at 8pm; Salsa DJ to follow

RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�Rusty Reed’s Big Hank Lionheart; 9pm; $5

PLANET INDIGO�St Albert Hit It Thu: breaks, electro house spun with PI residents

RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players; 9pm-2am

PLAY NIGHTCLUB Gameshow every Thu with Patrick and Nathan; 9pm

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Big Hank and a Fistfull of Blues

RENDEZVOUS PUB Mental Thurzday with org666

SASQUATCH GATHERING Johnny Quazar and the Swingbots, Brian Gregg, Wendy McNeill, Boogie Patrol; 7pm; $50 (adv) at Blackbyrd/$70 (gate); sasquatchgathering.com

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

SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco: Thu Retro Nights; 7-10:30pm; sports-world.ca 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 23

STARLITE ROOM Wolf Parade, Moools; 8pm; Sold Out STEEPS�Old Glenora Live Music Fri TAPHOUSE�St Albert Gazelle, Stereokill, Grave New World; 9:30pm (show); $10 TOUCH OFLovett CLASS�Chateau Louis Tim (pop/rock); 8:30pm

SAT JUL 24

180 DEGREES Dancehall and Reggae night every Sat

AXIS CAFÉ�Metro Room Kumon Plaza (pop), Jessica Jalbert, Jaded Hipster Choir , Bike Month; 8pm; $7 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair of the Dog: (live acoustic music every Sat); 4-6pm; no cover BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Range Road 251; 8pm; $10 at yeglive.ca BLUES ON WHYTE Andrew "Jr Boy" Jones BOHEMIA Rippin' It Doggystyle: monthly live metal show; no minors; 9pm; $5 (door) BRIXX BAR Bill Bourne Band, The Boudoirs, Nobody Likes Dwight; 9pm; $12 (door) CAPITAL X�Telus Stage Colin James, Odds; 8:30pm CARROT Open mic Sat; 7:3010pm; free CASINO EDMONTON Suite 33 (pop/rock) CASINO YELLOWHEAD X-Change (pop/rock) COAST TO COAST Live bands every Sat; 9:30pm

180 DEGREES Sexy Fri night

WILD WEST SALOON Foxx Worthee

AXIS CAFÉ Orbital City (rock), guests; 8pm; $10

WUNDERBAR Fleeting Arms (CD release party)

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Doug Andrew, Circus in Flames; 8pm; $10 at yeglive.ca

DJs

COMMONWEALTH STADIUM One Soul Thrust, Mindweiser, Greg Wood, Basler; 1pm; all ages; a concert for the Fallen Soldiers Memorial

AZUCAR PICANTE Every Fri: DJ Papi and DJ Latin Sensation

CROWN PUB The Alberia Playboys; 8pm-12

BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Connected Fri: 91.7 The Bounce, Nestor Delano, Luke Morrison

THE DRUID IRISH PUB Sat DJ at 9pm DV8 Enemyus, guests; 9pm

BAR�B�BAR DJ James; no cover

EDMONTON EVENT CENTRE Drake; 8:30pm (door); tickets at TicketMaster

BLUES ON WHYTE Andrew "Jr Boy" Jones BRIXX BAR Radioflyer and Violet Hour at 7pm; Options: with Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail at 10:30pm CAPITAL X�Telus Stage Kardinal Offishall, Karl Wolf; 8:30pm CARROT Live music Fri: all ages; Dave Von Bieker; 7pm; $5 (door) CASINO EDMONTON Suite 33 (pop/rock)

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

CASINO YELLOWHEAD X-Change (pop/rock)

BUDDY’S DJ Arrow Chaser; 8pm; no cover before 10pm

COAST TO COAST Open Stage every Fri; 9:30pm

CENTURY ROOM Underground House every Fri with DJ Nic-E

DV8 The Pine Tarts, Seven Story Redhead; 9pm

CHROME LOUNGE Platinum VIP Fri

ENCORE CLUB 4 Play Fri

THE DRUID IRISH PUB DJ at 9pm

GLENORA BISTRO Mike McCormick, Steve Badach; 8:30-10:3pm; $10 HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Leif Vollebekk, Erin Ross, Erin Mulcair, Landon R. Coleman; 7:30pm (door); $10 (adv) at YEG Live HYDEAWAY�Jekyll and Hyde The Boudoirs; 9pm RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�Rose and Crown Dave Babcock and the Nightkeepers; 9pm; no cover IRISH CLUB Jam session; 8pm; no cover IVORY CLUB Duelling piano show with Jesse, Shane, Tiffany and Erik and guests

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; 9:30pm (door); 780.447.4495 for guestlist NEWCASTLE PUB Fri House, dance mix with DJ Donovan

JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Drowning Ophelia (indie-rock); $10

NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE DJ Anarchy Adam (Punk)

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

PLAY NIGHTCLUB Pretty People Get Nasty with Peep n Tom, Showboy and rotating guest; DJS; every Fri; 9pm (door)

JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Neil Young (solo tour); Bert Jansch; 8pm; $75, $145, $255 at TicketMaster JULIAN'S�Chateau Louis Graham Lawrence ( jazz piano); 8pm LYVE ON WHYTE Hamburger (classic rock, top 40); $5 NEW CITY LOUNGE Mod Club: with Travy D and Blue Jay NEW CITY SUBURBS Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!: The Pink Party (costume dance party) ON THE ROCKS Bonafide with DJ; Keeping an eye out for MS; $20 (min donation) PAWN SHOP Grassroot Deviation, Hot Super Hot (CD release) RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�

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 ROUGE LOUNGE Solice Fri SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Fri Nights; 7-10:30pm; sports-world.ca STOLLI’S Top 40, R&B, house with People’s DJ 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

EMPRESS ALE HOUSE Amy Van Keeken's Rock 'n' Roll sing-along feat. Motown; 4pm GAS PUMP Blues Jam/open stage every Sat 3-6pm, backline provided GRANITE CURLING CLUB S.I.R.E.N.S. shaker: Big Brother and the Holding Company, Boogie Patrol, The Cameron Brothers, Twenty Two Foot Funk; 6pm (door); $30 at TicketMaster, Blackbyrd, Myhre’s Music HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Brad Kells (CD release), The Frolics, Carmen Lucia; 7:30pm (door); $10 (adv) HILLTOP PUB Open stage/mic Sat: hosted by Sally's Krackers Sean Brewer; 3-5:30pm HYDEAWAY Weekend Kids, Liv and Friends; 8pm RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL� Rose and Crown Dave Babcock and the Nightkeepers; 9pm; no cover IRON BOAR PUB Jazz in Wetaskiwin featuring jazz trios the 1st Sat each month; $10 IVORY CLUB Duelling piano show with Jesse, Shane, Tiffany and Erik and guests JAMMERS PUB Sat open jam, 3-7:30pm; country/rock band 9pm-2am

Theory (progressive/funk/rock), Call Before You Dig (alt/Indie/ rock); White Lightning (rock/ Indie/alt); 9pm (door); $10 (door)/$5 (adv) at Blackbyrd

PLAY NIGHTCLUB Every Sat with DJ Showboy; 8pm (door) RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL�Rice Howard Way Honda Indy Ultimate Street Party: Luke and Tess Pretty 9-11am; Brent Parkin 11:30am2pm; Dave Babcock and the Nightkeepers 2:30pm-4:30pm; King Muskafa 5-7pm; Jimmy and the Sleepers 7:30-10pm; free RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL� Sutton Place Hotel Race Week Closing night party: Mocking Shadows Rhythm and Blues Revue; 9pm-1am; $10 RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL� Rose and Crown Dave Babcock and the Nightkeepers; 9pm; no cover RACE WEEK MUSIC FESTIVAL� Rusty Reed’s Big Hank Lionheart; 9pm; $5 RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players; 9pm-2am SASQUATCH GATHERING Percussion jam with Drum Collider (noon), Tippy Agogo workshop, Billie Zizi Gypsy Jazz duo (2pm), The Time Flies, One Big Bicycle, The Vibe Tribe (5pm), Steven Johnson (during potluck); Dale Ladouceur (7pm), Carrie Graham, Preston Williams with Shiloh Lindsey and Ethan Collister, Althea Cunningham, Doug Andrew and Circus in Flames, The McGowan Family Band (midnight to close) RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Big Hank and a Fistfull of Blues STARLITE ROOM Oh Snap: Dubstep vs. Jungle 2, 16 Bit, Degree, guests; 9pm TAPHOUSE�St Albert Without Mercy, All Else Fails, Catalyst for Destruction, Silent Line, Ways to Kill, Until Dawn; 8pm (door), 9pm (music); $10 (adv)/$15 (door) TOUCH OF CLASS�Chateau Louis Tim Lovett (pop/rock); 8:30pm WEM�Newcap Stage Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA): local, up-and-comsing country music artists (RBC Emerging Artists Project); 2pm; every Sat until Sep 11 WILD WEST SALOON Foxx Worthee

DJs AZUCAR PICANTE Every Sat: DJ Touch It, hosted by DJ Papi BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sat DJs on three levels. Main Floor: Menace Sessions: alt rock/electro/trash with Miss Mannered 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

JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Devin Hart (contemporary jazz); $10

FLUID LOUNGE Sat Gone Gold Mash-Up: with Harmen B and DJ Kwake

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

FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro with DJ Damian

L.B.’S PUB 5 Wheel Drive; 9:30pm-2am

HALO For Those Who Know: house every Sat with DJ Junior Brown, Luke Morrison, Nestor Delano, Ari Rhodes

LYVE ON WHYTE Hamburger (classic rock, top 40); $5 MORANGO'S TEK CAFÉ Sat open stage: hosted by Dr. Oxide; 7-10pm NEW CITY LOUNGE Bogue Brigade, Alcoholic White Trash, Lesbian Fist Magnet, Fuquored O’BYRNE’S Live band Sat 3-7pm; DJ 9:30pm ON THE ROCKS Bonafide with DJ OVERTIME Jamaoke: karaoke with a live band featuring Maple Tea PALACE CASINO�WEM The Normals PAWN SHOP The Omega

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 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 Y AFTERHOURS Release Sat

SUN JUL 25 AVENUE THEATRE Breaking the Fourth Wall, Fall City Fall, As Bold As Lions, Lucid Skies; all ages; 6pm (door); $10 BEER HUNTER�St Albert Open stage/jam every Sun; 2-6pm 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 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Sun brunch: Jim Findlay; 10am-2:30pm; donations BLUE PEAR RESTAURANT Jazz on the Side Sun: Don Berner (Sax); $25 if not dining BLUES ON WHYTE Jason Buie B�STREET BAR Acoustic-based open stage hosted by Mike "Shufflehound" Chenoweth; every Sun evening CAPITAL X�Telus Stage George Canyon, Gord Bamford; 8:30 pm 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 Illusive Mind Gypsy Crew, Module, Flint; 9pm 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 and the Have-Nots; 3-7pm NEWCASTLE PUB Sun Soul Service (acoustic jam): Willy James and Crawdad Cantera; 3-6:30pm NEW CITY Open Mic Sun hosted by Ben Disaster; 9pm (sign-up); no cover NEW CITY LOUNGE Hip Pop, Tam Tam the Destroyer Tzadeka Run In Watta, guests; 9pm; $7 NEW CITY SUBURBS Queers Never Die!: DJ Tianna J, Capital City Burlesque!! O’BYRNE’S Open mic Sun with Robb Angus (Wheat Pool); 9:30pm-1am ON THE ROCKS Seven Strings Sun: Wednesday Morning Blues ORLANDO'S 2 PUB Sun Open Stage Jam hosted by The Vindicators (blues/rock); 3-8pm ROYAL COACH�Chateau Louis Petro Polujin (classical guitar); 5pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Rusty Reed's open stage; Sun 4-8pm SASQUATCH GATHERING Interactive rhythms of Drum Collider (noon), Tippy Agogo; song circle with Kaley Bird, Al Brant, Brian McLeod and Ido Vander Laan; Le Fuzz; closing set featuring artists from the weekend (5-7pm); $50 (adv) at Blackbyrd/$70 (gate); sasquatchgathering.com SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Co-op Live music every Sun; 2-4pm

DJs BACKSTAGE TAP AND GRILL Industry Night: with Atomic

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

MUSIC // 23

COMMENT >> MUSIC

No genre generation Every year, Toronto's Harbourfront Centre Mother roots than it does to Kid Koala. hosts a series of free concerts at a beauIt was a very '70s night in a festival tiful bandshell that backs right onto Lake that's supposed to have us looking forOntario. It's a fantastic place to see shows; ward, not back. the venue is intimate and, if you take your But that's the way things are nowadays, eyes off the stage and look behind you, right? I mean, folk festivals, electronic music you'll see boats on the lake, looking out to- festivals, jazz festivals, they're all just names. wards Toronto Islands. As the sun is setWhile these fests advertise themselves ting, the ambience is spectacular. to be genre specific, they're not. One weekend out of evHeck, back in the '70s, the Monery year is dedicated to the treux Jazz Festival in Switzerland Beats, Breaks and Culture made waves by booking big om festival, which in the past has meaty rock bands. Heck, the eekly.c w e u v @ steven brought together electronica fire that claimed the Montreux artists, hip-hop tacticians and Steveonr Casino was the genesis for Deep a lot of bass. Purple's "Smoke On the Water." Sand In previous editions of the festival, And it's just gone from there. Today, we've seen Juan Maclean, Zero 7 and Pre- for the most part a jazz or a folk or a world fuse 73. We've danced to MSTRKRFT as music festival is simply a music festival. In a they went behind the decks. world where kids load their iPods with JohnThis year, though, the Friday bill fea- ny Cash, death metal and hiphop, genres tured the Heavy and the Slew, a collabo- don't mean a thing anymore. ration between a couple of members of Really, the only Canadian major festival Wolf Mother and turntablist extraordi- that I can think of that stays somewhat naire Kid Koala. true to its roots is the Edmonton Folk MuThe Heavy is a very cool band; it plays sic Festival; pretty well the entire lineup very organic funk rock, influenced strongly is, well, at least somewhat rootsy. Same by Grand Funk Railroad. It's very groovy, can't be said for the Calgary Folk Music very danceable, but not at all ultramod- Fest, which is pretty well a free-for-all. ern or electronic. And the Slew's set, save This year's lineup included hip-hop — DJ for a few opening jams by KK alone with Logic — and Canada's own pop-ensemble six turntables, was basically a '70s-ish Led megagroup, Stars. Zeppelin jam with a few scratches for augHeck, Ontario's famed Mariposa Folk mentation. It's owes much more to its Wolf Festival, which celebrated its 50th anni-

ENTER

SAND

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 PLAY NIGHTCLUB Rotating Drag shows; every Sun; 9pm (door) RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Rusty Reeds Open Stage; 4-8pm SAVOY MARTINI LOUNGE Reggae on Whyte: RnR Sun with DJ IceMan; no minors; 9pm; no cover SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Sun; 1-4:30pm; sportsworld.ca WUNDERBAR Sun: DJ Gallatea and XS, guests; no cover

MON JUL 26 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sleeman Mon: live music monthly; no cover BLUES ON WHYTE Sean Carney CAPITAL X�Telus Stage Stereos, Down with Webster, Jhevon Paris; 7:30pm DEVANEY'S IRISH PUB Open stage Mon with Ido Vander Laan and Scott Cook; 8-12 NEW CITY This Will Hurt you Mon: Johnny Neck and his Job present mystery musical guests PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic instrumental old time fiddle jam hosted by the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Society; 7pm ROSE BOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE The Legendary Rose Bowl Mon Jam: hosted by Sean Brewer; 9pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Blue Mon: Jammin' with Jim Guiboche; 8pm-12

DJs

24 // MUSIC

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 NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE Daniel and Fowler (eclectic tunes)

TUE JUL 27 BLUES ON WHYTE Sean Carney BRIXX BAR Troubadour Tue: Ingrid Gratin, Mireille Moquin, hosted by Mark Feduk; 8pm; $5 (door) CAPITAL EX�TELUS Stage Sloan, Maurice; 8:30pm; all ages; free with gate admission CROWN PUB Underground At The Crown: underground, hip hop with DJ Xaolin and Jae Maze; open mic; every Tue; 10pm; $3

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

DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: CJSR’s Eddie Lunchpail; Wooftop: with DJ Gundam BRIXX BAR Troubadour Tue: The Balconies and Sean Brewer, hosted by Mark Feduk; 9pm; $8 BUDDY'S DJ Arrow Chaser; 9pm ESMERALDA’S Retro Tue; no cover with student ID FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Latin and Salsa music, dance lessons 8-10pm

DRUID IRISH PUB Open stage with Chris Wynters; 9pm; Jul 27 guest Michael Roste

NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE ‘abilly, Ghoul-rock, spooky with DJ Vylan Cadaver

DV8 Distant Calm, Promethean Labyrinth; 9pm

RED STAR Tue Experimental Indie Rock, Hip Hop, Electro with DJ Hot Philly

EDMONTON EVENT CENTRE Kubasonic, Haydamaky; all ages; 7pm; $35 at the Ukrainian Bookstore, ticketweb.ca HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB The Wilderness of Manitoba, The Mountains and the Trees, guests; 7:30pm (door); $8 (adv)/$10 (door); adv tickets at YEG Live L.B.’S PUB Ammar’s Moosehead Tue open stage; 9pm NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE Castle Greyskull, This City Defects, guests 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

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

WED JUL 28 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Glitter Gulch Wed BLUES ON WHYTE Sean Carney BRIXX BAR Really Good… Eats and Beats: DJ Degree every Wed, Edmonton’s Bassline Community; 6pm (music); no cover CAPITAL EX�TELUS Stage April Wine, Shawn Hlookoff; 8:30pm COPPERPOT RESTAURANT Live jazz every Wed night: Don Berner CROWN PUB Creative original

versary in 2010, proudly advertised that its lineup featured "folk, roots, acoustic, indie, folk rock, gospel, pop, blues, rock, jazz, soul, Americana, country, western swing, bluegrass, Latin, world, funk, cowboy, rockabilly, Celtic and more, there's plenty of great music for everyone!" Wow, how about inviting Children of Bodom? Then you'd have all the bases covered! What kind of festival would have '70s classic rock kings the Steve Miller Band and the Doobie Brothers on the bill? Well, that would have been the 2010 edition of the Montreal Jazz Festival. And the Slew, the '70s rock again, played the Edmonton Jazz Festival. The thing is, we don't have that many touring Lollapaloozas or Ozzfests anymore, where every band on the bill is familiar. Most Canadian grassroots festivals depend on faith from the attendees. Each attendee may have heard of a band or two on the bill, but trust the rest of the bill will be up his or her alley. So a musical curveball really can take people by surprise. Next year, though, I'm gonna wear a Slayer shirt to Breaks, Beats and Culture. Just in case a metal show breaks out. V Steven Sandor is a former editor-in-chief of Vue Weekly, now an editor and author living in Toronto.

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

EMPRESS ALE HOUSE Thea vs. Loki; 9pm EDDIE SHORTS Goodtime jamboree Wed open stage hosted by Charlie Scream; 9pm-1am FESTIVAL PLACE Patio Series: Phyllis Sinclair (Aboriginal), Alexander Chemist (pop, rock); 7:30pm $8 FIDDLER'S ROOST Little Flower Open Stage Wed with Brian Gregg; 8pm-12 GOOD EARTH COFFEE Breezy Brian Gregg; 12-1pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Early show: Ohbijou, Lisa Bozikovic, The Provincial Archive; 6pm (door); $10 (adv) at YEG Live; Late show: Open stage with Jonny Mac, 8:30pm, free LEVEL 2 LOUNGE Open mic LYVE ON WHYTE Zero Something, guests 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

Wed; hosted by Ernie Tersigni; 8pm

STEEPS TEA LOUNGE�Whyte Ave Open mic every Wed; 8pm TEMPLE Wyld Style Wed: Live hip hop; $5 WUNDERBAR The Burning Hell; 7pm (door)

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 Wind-up Wed: R&B, hiphop, reggae, old skool, reggaeton with InVinceable, Touch It, weekly guest DJs FLUID LOUNGE Wed Rock This IVORY CLUB DJ ongoing every Wed; open DJ night; 9pm-close; all DJs welcome to spin a short set LEGENDS PUB Hip hop/R&B with DJ Spincycle

PAWN SHOP Spark, Chad Cook, Big Daddy, DJ Omes

NEW CITY LIKWID LOUNGE DJ Roxxi Slade (indie, punk and metal)

PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic Bluegrass jam presented by the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society every Wed evening

NEW CITY SUBURBS Shake It: with Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail; no minors; 9pm (door)

RED PIANO BAR Wed Night Live: hosted by dueling piano players; 8pm-1am; $5 RIVER CREE Wed Live Rock Band hosted by Yukon Jack; 7:30-9pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Wed with Danny Coady Band SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Open Mic every Wed; 8-10pm STEEPS TEA LOUNGE� College Plaza Open mic every

NIKKI DIAMONDS Punk and ‘80s metal every Wed PLAY NIGHTCLUB Movie Night every Wed; 9pm (door) 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; 9pm2am; beatparty.net WUNDERBAR Wed with new DJ; no cover

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

MUSIC // 25

PREVUE //BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY

Big Brother's legacy lives on California rockers still fighting doublethink Mike angus mikeangus@vueweekly.com

orty-five years after forming, Big Brother & the Holding Company, the San Francisco psychedelic jam band that made Janis Joplin famous, returns to Edmonton for a rare show as part of the Summer Break Blues Fest. Guitarist and original founding member Sam Andrews continues to be the creative force behind the band, as well as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, soundtrack composer, painter and the glue behind Big Brother's longevity. Over the phone from his home in California—Andrews still calls San Fran home—he is candid, generous, gracious and warm. As a leader of the '60s psyche-

26 // MUSIC

delic movement, his contributions to the most exciting period of American popular music is legendary, and Big Brother's 1968 Cheap Thrills, recorded with Joplin, hit Billboard's top position in October that year and will always be remembered as one of the albums that defined that era. Looking back on that success, Andrews expands on its meaning. "It was wonderful. More than the number one record was being a part of the counterculture," he explains warmly, his enthusiasm still vibrant after four decades. "It was a huge movement of the 20th century, and it was great to not only be a part of it, but right at the beginning we were there before it started. We thought we were going to end the war in Vietnam, win women's rights, civil rights, gay rights, everything.

We thought we were going to solve all those problems—and we didn't—but the feeling was it could happen." This period at the top would only last a short while—Joplin would leave the band eight weeks later to front the Kosmic Blues Band with Andrews in tow. "Big Brother was a family for Janis and for all of us, and then she left that to become the boss of this 'organization' [Kosmic Blues Band] and we were all 'employees' so it was a real different quality," Andrews laments of his time away from Big Brother. "I should have stayed with Big Brother. Janis didn't need me ... that way we could have continued on without a break. But I was real curious; after all, Janis was really talented and I got along with her really well.

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

THEY'RE WATCHING YOU >> With intent to rock We sang and wrote songs together and we wanted to see what was going to happen." "But Janis didn't really know how to lead a band. She left [Big Brother] too soon—she probably should have left at sometime— but we had a number one album and she left in the middle of that, and I left with her, which was a mistake for both of us." Andrews goes on, "Then she found Full Tilt Boogie Band—full of Canadians, by the way, excellent musicians that would have been a really good family for her— but she died to soon." Andrews grief is still evident as he speaks about the short, bright period of Big Brother's legacy, so many years ago. "We made two albums after Janis left …

// Supplied

Be a Brother and How Hard It Is," he offers proudly. "We really learned how to play, and we played with some great players [that] still hold up today." "Of course I'm very proud of anything I did with Janis; it was a real privilege to play with her, she was really talented. I'm still today shocked even now when I hear those songs and think, 'That's such great singing. It's incredible.' It was a real privilege."V Sat, Jul 24 Big Brother & The Holding Company With Boogie Patrol, Cameron Brothers and 22 Foot Funk Granite Curling Club, $30

PREVUE // KUMON PLAZA

Plaza rock central

Local teenager experiments with electronica LEWIS KELLY // LEWIS@vueweekly.com

wo years ago this fall, local dancefloor demolitionists Shout Out Out Out Out played a raucous free show in Churchill Square. The large, appreciative crowd doubtless went home with many fond memories, but the gig's most important legacy might be the impression it made on a single fan. Dylan Khotin-Foote, then 14, decided after seeing the Shout Outs that night that he'd try his hand at electronica. "It kind of defined that I was going to start making electronic music," he says of the show. Now entering his senior year at Ross Shepard High School, KhotinFoote's emerging as a potential future star under the curious pseudonym of Kumon Plaza. He says his music career almost got started by accident. "This whole Kumon Plaza thing … I didn't really mean to have it out there," he admits. He initially posted a few songs on a MySpace page to make it easier to share them with friends. From there, things took off. "This has been a good few months," he says. "A lot of good things are happening." Good things like an an appearance on the podcast of indie tastemaker blog Pitchfork and signing to local label Old Ugly Records. Khotin-Foote also played at an Old Ugly showcase at the recent Sounds of Strathcona Festival, and will re-release his debut EP, Cliff, at Axis Cafe on Saturday. Under the influence of a piano-teaching grandmother, Khotin-Foote got started in music early. Though he's since switched from classical to electronic, he says he still writes songs on the stand-up piano in his house. The sound behind the hype feels

strange for an Edmonton artist; cerebral electronica is the domain of Europeans with expensive sunglasses, isn't it? If so, someone forgot to tell Khotin-Foote, whose soothing synthesizers and gentle rhythms can be downright hypnotic at times. The music feels like Ratatat with no guitar riffs, or maybe Holy Fuck played backwards at half speed. He describes his music as "Just kind of stuff to dance to, I guess, but it's not like full-out, hard-dancing kind of stuff. It's kind of laid-back." Khotin-Foote's music also exhibits a distinct video-game vibe at times—not terribly surprising considering its author won't be able to buy beer for another two years, but novel nonetheless. "I grew up playing a lot of video games," he says, citing the Nintendo 64 classic Ocarina of Time as a particular favourite. "I actually use a Gameboy to make a lot of my music." Inserting a hacked cartridge into the machine turns it into a four channel sequencer that KhotinFoote liberally mixes into his psychedelic techno mix. His long-term music goals, he says, don't include climbing the charts or even pursuing a music as his principal career. Khotin-Foote says he's thinking of becoming an audio engineer when he graduates high school next year. Still, he's interested in making music in the future. "I'm just going to keep making music. I'm planning to do it for a long time. I really enjoy it as a hobby, and I'm getting good reception." V Sat, July 24 (8 pm) Kumon Plaza With Jaded Hipster Choir and Jessica Jalbert Axis Cafe, $7

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

MUSIC // 27

PREVUE // LEIF VOLLEBEKK

Inland odyssey

Vollebekk's debut explores Iceland, Bob Dylan

BLACK ON BLACK >> Razors are tough to come by in Iceland MIKE ANGUS // MIKEANGUS@vueweekly.com

alking to Leif Vollebekk is like catching up with an old friend. The young singer-songwriter from Ottawa, now living in Montréal via Iceland has a warm, outgoing and friendly charm, even over the phone. Listening to Vollebekk on record however, carries even more familiarity. Achingly, he evokes Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen while echoing modern touches artists like Patrick Watson and Jeff Buckley. Having completed school in Ottawa and Iceland, as an artist he has graduated to Montréal, putting his youthful curiosity to tape with his debut, 2009's Inland. To put it simply, longing hasn't sounded this good in some time. "A few months before leaving for Iceland that I started listening to [Dylan's] Blonde On Blonde and Blood on the Tracks," he explains of his musical journey from 2006 to the present. "And so the soundtrack to me being away was Bob Dylan. He influenced me the most, but it was weird because I was away from North America, away from any city he would describe in a song." That, along with seeing Iceland's own Sigur Rós ("one of the best shows I'd ever seen"), gave him a perspective he realized he'd been missing in his hometown. "I felt like I was eavesdropping on something really special. I finally got some perspective," he reveals. With this new attitude, he returned to Canada, relocated to Montréal and committed 11 songs to tape at Breakglass studios, home to Wolf Parade, Patrick Watson and the Besnard Lakes. The result was Inland, a stunning collection of mostly acoustic songs that captivate from the first note through to

28 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

// Supplied

the last. There's a maturity in his writing and arranging of Inland that belies Vollebekk's age, and a confidence to the recording that sidesteps the fact that he banged it out in just over a week. "I really wanted to record it in 10 days, '60s style," the vinylphile explains. "I was pretty confident coming into the studio ... that the songs would be there." Combined with warmth, intimacy and the occasional full-band and string quartet arrangement, the album begs for the record player, pulling and pushing in equal measure, coming to the listener in waves. It's an experience best suited to all the attention and patience a listener can afford. To catch Vollebekk's live show, however, reveals the rawer experimental side of the energetic young artist. He's also a multi-instrumentalist, looping violin and bowed electric guitar for atmosphere and adventure. This year will take him across Canada and Europe, and in between he'll be back in the studio working on his next album. "I really liked Vic Chesnutt's last record, the sound was just exactly what I wanted [for the upcoming album]," he offers. "I don't know what it is, but there's something mysteriously honest about his records, this crazy energy. Like with Patrick Watson's records, they're so beautiful and you're really aware how amazing Breakglass [the studio] sounds, and I love that. But with these songs I'm working on, I just didn't want to have the studio help me; I wanted the studio to be more raw, for the songs to just happen." V Fri, Jul 23 (8 pm) Leif Vollebekk With Erin Ross, Erin Mulcair & Landon R Coleman Haven Social Club, $10

Mon, Jul 26 (10 pm) / The Famines The walls of Raymond Biesinger's Whyte Ave studio are still adorned with gig posters, postcards and other assorted art artifacts, remnants of his work as both an illustrator and a musician, but otherwise the usually packed space is barren. Gone are bookshelves and racks of art supplies and guitar cases, cluttered desks and the usually present drums of Famines bandmate Garret Heath Kruger. Those have been replaced by a large, empty space, which Biesinger now surveys, patiently and pensively. "Right now, there's this combination of things going on where the good, tangible things of Edmonton are right under my nose. Edmonton is showing me its best, and the joys of Montréal seem so distant and not under my nose that it's very easy to feel bummed out right now," he admits, his eyes, slightly shielded by half-hornrim frames, not giving away near as much as his voice. "In my mind, I'm thinking that so many people and the city are really getting their shit together, currently, so it's kind of depressing to leave." It's true: his upcoming show at the Black Dog, a place the Famines have torn up more than a few times in the group's two years in the city, will be Biesinger's last as a man who calls Edmonton home. Like many of Edmonton's finest, he's off for a slightly more bustling cityscape, new streets to inspire him. It wasn't a decision taken lightly—he speaks about Edmonton a bit like a dearly-departed relative, something fading but still inescapable—but in the end, restlessness and new experience won out. "There's always been this debate between trying to make the place you live into a place

Sat, Jul 24 (4 pm) / The Ways You probably recognize Howie Draper's name from all those national championships he's won coaching the University of Alberta's Panda hockey team, but did you know he also uses his voice for more than just demanding more hustle and insulting referees' mental capacity? For the last decade, Draper has also been using his sonorous pipes to front the Ways, Edmonton's answer to the question, "What would happen if you combined bright, '60s pop melodies with the edge of late-'80s punk?" With his bandmates guitarist John Wilson, bassist Geoff Gooding and drummer Wayne Arthurson, Draper will be celebrating the decade mark down at the Black Dog, although there's been no word on whether the stage will be decorated with his multitudinous championship banners or not. (Black Dog, Free) —David Berry

Fri, Jul 23 (6pm) / Dead Reckoning From their jam-space, the members of Edmonton metalcore band Dead Reckoning speak with all the excitement and frankness you'd expect from a young band. On the eve of the release of the group's new EP, Our Failed Resistance, the hardworking five-piece have committed the last year and a half to honing their chops while slowly building their own recording space, which served to produce the excellent debut. "It was recorded and mixed ourselves independently at our jam-space," drummer Curtis Chornohos explains over the phone. Mastered at Rain City Recorders in Vancouver (part of Jesse Gander's Hive Creative Labs), the six-song EP is the culmination of the past year spent writing and learning to capture the group's sound on its own terms. "Greg and I bring in songs, then work on arrangements together with the band," Sand explains of the writing process. "From there, Greg was interested in getting into recording, so he started buying gear on his own, and from there it was just recording and re-recording." With this weekend's shows successfully under its belt, Dead Reckoning will embark on its first tour of Western Canada, hoping to cash in on the hard work they members have invested so far.

Tue, Jul 27 (8 pm) / Ghosts of the Highway Don't take this the wrong way, but Ghosts of the Highway might be a little late for its show at the Rouge Lounge on Tuesday. The duo, which mixes Jeff Andrew's musical talents with the spoken-word work of shane avec i grec, plans on getting there in a decades-old Toyota 4Runner. As Andrew explains over the phone from Vancouver, the truck might be a bit past its best-before date. "It's been reliable, but lately it's been falling apart," he says. "Starter's falling off the motor. I've been in grease up to my elbows trying to bolt the thing back together." That slap-dash, DIY approach also shows up in Andrew's music, which he describes as "hobo-noir." It presents a street-level view of the world through fiddle and acoustic guitar and stories of poverty and hardship. His latest EP, Treehouses and Trainsmoke, even features chord changes in the liner notes to help others learn the songs. Like most of the music Andrew writes, the material on the EP draws inspiration from his extensive hitchhiking experience. If that sounds a little on the rough side, well, that's OK with Andrew. An engaging, rambling conversationalist, he unabashedly praises "hoboing." Hoboing, he explains, means "being out on the road and living the way you want to live. Making the world into what you want it to be rather than taking what's put before you and just trying to slot yourself into someone else's box." (Rouge Lounge, $10) —Lewis Kelly

"We just write as much as we can, play shows and try to get more exposure," Chornohos offers. "Now that we've got a fan base in Alberta, we're gonna try and get out there and put out this recording." (Avenue Theatre, $10) —Mike Angus

VUEWEEKLY.COM/VUETUBE

you want to be, or taking a slightly easier route and going to another place, where it already exists in the way you imagine it should be," he points out plainly. Biesinger has, if I may editorialize, done more than most to help shape his part of the city, from his spots in two of Edmonton's finest duos—the Vertical Struts being the other—to his regular illustrator meetings, from his work documenting the history of Edmonton music in chart form to his organization of the Royal Bison Craft and Art Fair, for years now the best place in the city to find some of Edmonton's best alternative arts and crafts. For a significant portion of Edmonton's younger artists, musicians and other scenesters, self included, he's been one of the leading lights, an all-too-rare example of what someone can accomplish in a city where desertion and renewal are the common experience. That's a designation that maybe leaves

Biesinger a bit uncomfortable: as you'll notice if you see him on the Black Dog stage, for all his unhinged theatrics, he is frequently withdrawn and aloof, too, more interested in the moment than what it might mean for others. He doesn't think too much of his contribution to the city, and attributes it more to a desire to make things interesting for himself and not being shy about putting himself out there that's lead to what he's given. "As long as one isn't nervous about what people might think, and as long as someone is willing to put themselves out there, it's amazing what one or two or three people can do when you take the initiative to organize something," he offers earnestly. "I've always felt that initiative and motivation are the rarest things in the world—screw diamonds, it's a willingness to start something." So you can see why Edmonton is losing something quite rare indeed. (Black Dog, Free) —David Berry

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

MUSIC // 29

ALBUM REVIEWS

New Sounds

The Joe PLAYFIGHT (Old Ugly) 

Mikey Maybe Chips + Pop (Old Ugly)  Mitchmatic Two Weeks Off (Old Ugly)  Roland Pemberton // roland@vueweekly.com

ast winter, I went to something called the Old Ugly Circus. It was a variety show featuring a local gang of weirdos at the Avenue Theatre. It was the coldest day of the year so nobody was really there. The point is, they still were. And so was the candy. I received a Halloween-sized bag of Reese's Cups for showing up. Somehow, this all seems to sum up this label perfectly: they harness cold sounds, Edmontonian conceits and a surprising sweetness, trading on lo-fi, emo (as in emotion) and rap, but always in an atypical way. These ranges are expressed on each of the rapping contingent of the label's new cassette releases. Top banana The Joe, for all his technical skills, has taken a turn for the endlessly jokey on PLAYFIGHT, rapping about wrestling with his siblings and not having any friends over commercial rap beats. Some of it is funny, some of it isn't. The focus of The Joe (and that of the label's other rappers) seems to be satirizing popular rap. "Without this Fire" (over a warbling Lil Wayne track)

in particular has great verses that focus on family discourse and feature intricate rhymes, but elsewhere "Hire Me," a screamed Lil Jon parody about job hunting, is unlistenable. I wish this album was done without the constant self-conscious need to reference what is being rapped over. The Joe can rap, so why can't he just be himself ? Mikey Maybe comes across as insecure, but perhaps that is the point. His cheeky, occasionally irritating eight-bit chiptune take on Southern rap halfstep isn't quite clear on what it wants to be. Does he want to be MC Paul Barman, a literate nerd rapper indebted to the foundation of rap weirdos before him? Or is he merely a satirist? His attempts (and those of The Joe) at parodying gangsta-rap posturing somehow skew away from the commentary he hopes for, boomeranging back to his own insecurities. "Sashimi" is the standout, but it's still cloying, emotionally bare and pop culture referential— like early Cuomo, but the music seems secondary. Over beats both original and borrowed ("On And On" cops a Jurassic 5 track, "This Is Me" makes good use of the backdrop from Scarface's "My Block"), Mitchmatic's confidence and composure on the mic shines through consistently, contrasting with his shy real-life personality. Though clearly indebted to the West Coast Good Life crew (Tha Pharcyde, Freestyle Fellowship, the aforementioned J5), the content is strictly Edmontonian: "D-Bags," featuring the other two posts of the OU rap triad, is a hilarious indictment of Whyte Ave nightlife. "Getting Ripped" is self-explanatory, a narrative rap about those same D-bags who work out to pull girls. He has managed to temper nerdy cultural examination with expressive, memorable performances; hopefully the rest of the crew can follow his lead. V

It Kills It Kills (Independent)  The post-rock postearth gravity of this debut record from Halifax's It Kills is nearly mythical in its control of lore. With a relatively sparse supply of instruments, the haunting trio peels the music out from under its ribs, carrying it like a bleeding torch, seasoned with all the pain and duty that such beauty demands in its conception. The music is an event unto itself: choral, majestic, harrowing—when it kills, it opens the gates of heaven. Joe Gurba

// joe@vueweekly.com

Cousin Harley It's a Sin (Little Pig) 

Paul Pigat is having himself quite the time: hot off the heels of his inspired solo acoustic project Boxfire Campfire, guitarist Pigat has returned to his rockabilly persona of Cousin Harley and created another epic album. It's a Sin, which features a blend of country, swing, jazz and a devil-maycare attitude, is a toe-tapping good time. The album is full of instrumental tracks, which might discourage some listeners, but the jams are really at the heart of the proceedings and way too tasty not to have been included. Jim Dean

// jim@vueweekly.com

Endless Boogie Full House Head (No Quarter) 

Well, it's certainly endless. The eight blues-rock songs on Full House Head are lengthy (closing track "A Life Worth Leaving" takes 22 minutes), but Endless Boogie doesn't do much with the expansive time it allots itself: nineminute opener "Empty Eye" finds the beginnings of a groovy blues progression and ... stays put. Same goes for most other songs: there's throaty shouting here and there, and decent soloing throughout, but Head may as well be a recorded basement jam for all the momentum it carries or builds. The five-minute "Tarmac City" and the minute-longer "Mighty Fine Pie" seem explosive in comparison, much stronger, more energetic takes on the same minimal sound. They hint that Endless Boogie's electric guitar jams might be better when condensed instead of expanded. Unfortunately, expansion is sort of their namesake. Paul Blinov

// paul@vueweekly.com

30 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

ALBUM REVIEWS Dead Prez Let's Get Free (Loud)

what the imperialists did to us with crack cocaine," Yeshitela says. On the third track, "They Originally released: 2000 Schools," Clayton Gavin, aka stic.man, describes his experiDead Prez's debut album ence at James S Rickards High om Let's Get Free, released in School in Florida: "I got my eekly.c w e u v @ angela 2000, is still relevant in the diploma from a school called a l e g An ton Rickards, full of teenage mothhip-hop scene today. Drake, the Canadian rapper and Deers and drug dealin' niggas. In Johns grassi: The Next Generation alum the hallways, the popo was always who experienced present, searchin' instant fame with through niggas' the release of possessions." his debut album The song goes Thank Me Later on to describe in 2010, arguably the public school paid homage to system as a "12Let's Get Free's step brainwash ubiquitous track camp" designed "Hip Hop" in his to pump out hit song "Over." workers who In response to will only be ex"Over," Dead Prez ploited down stuck to the duo's the road by their political roots bosses. and released the The antitrack "Far From establishment Over" on the STILL FREE >> Dead Prez is not over yet "Police State" 2010 album Revolutionary But Gangonce again opens with the wisdom of sta Grillz. The track uses the beat from Yeshitela: "The police become necessary "Over" while asking "What are we doing? in human society only at that junction in Oh yeah, what about let's get free?" human society where it is split between Though the duo—consisting of stic.man those who have and those who ain't got and M-1—does give Drake credit for not it." The song is an anthem against the selling crack, the members slam his pripolice state, which the pair blames for orities and those of other apolitical rapthe perpetual problems of poverty and pers with the line "I swear it feels like the injustice that cause women to be treated last few years in the mainstream everywith disrespect and black men to spend one's forgot about repping the cause." distressingly large amounts of their lives Let's Get Free is utterly sodden with in prison. Dead Prez's care for the cause. The al"Be Healthy" is a hit among vegans and bum begins on a chilling note with the vegetarians for its positive sentiments first track, "Wolves." The song samples about eating "no meat, no dairy, no a speech by Omali Yeshitela, leader of sweets / Just ripe vegetables, fresh fruit the African People's Socialist Party and and whole wheat," while George Orwell's founder of the Uhuru Movement to Animal Farm found new life in Dead Prliberate Africans. Yeshitela describes a ez's interpretation "Animal in Man." hunting method in which hunters use Let's Get Free is the kind of album you a bloody knife buried in icy ground to can revisit again and again. The beats trick wolves into killing themselves. never get old, the sentiments always feel The wolves lick the blade repeatedly, true and the politics remain relevant. unknowingly drinking their own blood, With the release of this album, Dead until they bleed to death. "That's Prez helped make it cool to care. V

OULNDDS

QUICK

HAIKU Bill Kirchen Word to the Wise (Proper)

SPINS

Roots folk royalty Elvis Costello guest song Worth iTunes dollar

.com weekly

s@vue

in quicksp

Whiteoyn Houst

Swollen Members Greatest Hits (Suburban Noize)

Rip a new anus? Why would I need to when they Already have two?

We Are The In Crowd Guaranteed to disagree (Hopeless)

Wildbirds & Peacedrums Rivers (TCG)

Trite teen emotions Slick teen bubblegum pop band Wants your allowance

Total jaw dropper Huge and small at the same time Like a wrestler's dick

Matt Boivert's Collective Unconscious Eponymous (Independent)

Friendly Rich The Sacred Prune of Rememberance (Pumpkin Pie)

I just can't decide Deep prognostications or Bong-induced claptrap?

Fucking amazing Like Richard Cheese on acid Fighting Esquivel

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

MUSIC // 31

HOROSCOPE ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

this exercise: Put aside all your ideas Revenge fantasies would pollute your about who your close allies are, and consciousness. I advise you to repress simply try to see the world as if lookthem. Wallowing in resentment would ing out of their eyes. Then imagine have an equally deleterious effect. how you could offer yourself to them Don't you dare give that emoas a brain-booster and hearttion a foothold. On the other strengthener. hand, fantasies of experiY encing pleasure and joy, ( Jun 21 – Jul OLOG m CANCER even if they're escapist A S T R 22) o .c ly k e we l@vue illusions, will tonify and In my astrological opinion, freewil invigorate your awareness. you should pay special attenRob y I recommend that you intion to whatever's embryonic Brezsn dulge in them at great length, in your life. You should rouse unleashing your imagination to exthe smartest part of your capacity plore a variety of blissful scenarios in for love and direct it with high-beam intremendous detail and with ingenious tensity toward burgeoning possibilities flourishes. that have recently germinated. There may come a time later in the process TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20) when you'll need to impose discipline If there were such a thing as the and order on your growing things, but Queen of Heaven— a living Goddess that's not what's called for now. Be exwhose presence both calmed and ex- travagant in your nurturing. cited you—and if this Queen of Heaven came to be with you right now, what LEO ( Jul 23 – Aug 22) would you say? Would you ask her to According to Hawaiian mythology, help you, and if so, how? I advise you the soul leaves the body during the to do this imaginative exercise some- night to seek the adventures known time soon. The time has come for you as dreams. During the next few nights, to receive a blessing from the highest I'd love for you to send your soul flyexpression of feminine power. ing out though your soul pit for some daring exploits that will revitalize GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20) your lust for life. Take your backlog What's up with your best friends? Ac- of stored-up tears along with you, and cording to my astrological intuition, at pour them down like rain on the secret least one of your good buddies is at a garden you've been neglecting. turning point in his or her long-range cycle, and could really use the deep VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22) reflection that you might provide. Try A woman I know was invited to a party

FREEW

32 // BACK

ILL

where she would get the chance to meet her favourite musician, Devendra Banhart. On her last look in the mirror before heading out the door, she decided that the small pimple on her chin was unacceptable, and gave it a squeeze. Wrong move. After it popped, it looked worse. She panicked. More squeezing ensued. Soon the tiny blemish had evolved into a major conflagration. Fifteen minutes later, defeated and in tears, she was nibbling chocolate in bed, unable to bring herself to face her hero with her flagrant new wound showing. The moral of the story: leave your tiny blemish alone.

LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

In the upcoming science fiction movie The Adjustment Bureau, Matt Damon plays a politician with big ambitions. Everything's going his way until he falls in love with a dancer. Then the representatives of a mysterious group intervene in his life, warning him that he'll never achieve his dreams if he stays with her. "We are the people who make sure things happen according to plan," they say. I'm happy to inform you, Libra, that this scenario is utterly make-believe. It is true, however, that if you don't have a master plan, then your destiny is more likely to be shaped by your conditioning and by other people's master plans. So get working! This is an excellent time to either formulate a master plan or refine the one you have.

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21)

The US is the planet's major player in terms of political, economic and military clout. China is rising fast as a competitor in those three arenas, but lags far behind in a fourth: "soft power," or cultural influence. As you enter a phase that will be favorable for enhancing your own leverage and authority, Scorpio, I suggest you put the emphasis on wielding "soft power." You'll accomplish more by charming people with your intelligence than by trying to push them or manipulate them.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

I think it would be healthy for you to wander out to a frontier and explore a boundary. You might even want to re-examine a taboo you haven't questioned in a while. I suspect that you would also learn a lot from gently pushing against a limit you've come to believe is permanent. I'm cautious about advising you to go further. If you get urges to actually transgress the boundary and break the taboo and smash through the limit, please do lots of due diligence. Know exactly what you're getting into and what the consequences might be.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

When mobs stage political demonstrations in Pakistan's biggest cities, they make sure that some of their signs are written in English. That way their protests are more likely to be filmed by news media like CNN and shown to

American audiences. Take a cue from that trick as you plan your actions, Capricorn. It won't be enough merely to say what you want to say and be who you want to be. You should tailor your messages to people who have the power to actually change what needs to be changed.

AQUARIUS ( Jan 20 – Feb 18)

I'm putting out a call to the rebel in your heart, the joyful, yearning rebel in your heart. I am asking this tender renegade to rise up against narcissistic behavior wherever you find it. Don't shout it down or try to shame it, though; rather, work around it through outrageous displays of empathy and radical acts of compassion and feisty outbreaks of wild kindness. Your job, according to my analysis of the astrological omens, is to be a one-person wrecking crew devoted to smashing the boring inertia of egotism with your zealous concern for the good of all.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

As the economic recovery lags, many frustrated job-seekers have decided to stop waiting around to be saved. As a result, entrepreneurship is thriving. I suggest you catch that spirit. In fact, I advocate a mass entrepreneurial uprising among Pisceans in the coming months. Even if you're already employed, it'll be prime time for you to create your own perfect gig or dream up a role that is designed for your unique talents. V

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

COMEDY BROOKLYN'S LOUNGE 1*).%+, 9n]fm]

/0(&**)&-..* Lm]k\Yq Fa_`l Dan] Yl :jggcdqf k2 Gh]f Ea[ ;ge]\q fa_`l3 YeYl]mjk Yf\ hjgk o]d% [ge] =n]jq Lm]3 02+(he Fg [gn]j

CENTURY CASINO )+)(+ >gjl J\ /0(&,0)&10-/ K`gok klYjl Yl 0he L`m%KYl Yf\ dYl] k`go Yl )(2+(he gf >ja%KYl3 )* L`m!' )1 >ja'KYl!

COMEDY FACTORY ?Yl]oYq =fl]jlYafe]fl ;]flj]$ +, 9n]$ ;Yd_Yjq Lj L`m$ 02+(he3 KYl$ 0he Yf\ )(he :jaYf Ogjc3 Jul 23-24 :gZ 9f_]da3 Jul 30-31 COMIC STRIP :gmjZgf Kl$ O=E /0(&,0+&-111 O]\%>ja$ Kmf 0he3 >ja%KYl )(2+(he @al gj Eakk Egf\Yq2 YeYl]mj [ge]\q fa_`l3 Egf\Yqk L`] :]kl g^ =\egflgf2 Dg[Yd LYd]fl Fa_`l3 Lm] C]ddq LYqdgj3 until Jul 25 @al gj Eakk Egf2 )( ;gea[k lYc] l`] klY_]3 Mon, Jul 26 :]qgf\ 9dl]jfYlan]2 KlYf\ mh [ge]\q oal` Y loakl3 Tue, Jul 27 Lge Kaeegfk$ Eac] @Yjjakgf Yf\ C]ddq Kgdg\mcY3 Jul 28-Aug 1 DRUID )).(. BYkh]j 9n] /0(&/)(&*))1 ;ge]\q fa_`l gh]f klY_] `gkl]\ Zq DYjk ;Ydda]gm =n]jq Kmf$ 1he HYDEAWAY�Jekyll and Hyde )(*(1%)(( 9n] /0(&,*.&-+0) Kmh]j 9o]kge] ;ge]\q hj]k]flk2 Oa^] :]Yl]j [ge]\q fa_`l - \ggj! Dan] [ge]\q ]n]jq Lm] NEW CITY )((0) BYkh]j 9n] /0(&/-.&(.(. f]o[alq[gehgmf\&[ge <gm_ KlYf`gh] oal` JgZ EYaddgmp Jul 22, 8-11pm *- Yl :jgof HYh]j La[c]lk Yl Zal&dq'Yq[_dp$ 0((&0+0&+((. NEWCITY LIQUID LOUNGE )((0) BYkh]j 9n]

F]o[alq MhklYajk Mf\]j_jgmf\ ;ge]\q Fa_`l hj]k]flk2 da]k l`] klYl] lgd\ qgm2 <ak]klYZdak`e]flYja% Yfake [ge]\q fa_`l )kl Lm] ]n]jq egfl`$ 1he

GROUPS/CLUBS/MEETINGS AIKIKAI AIKIDO CLUB )()+1%0/ 9n]$ Gd\

KljYl`[gfY ;geekmfalq D]Y_m] BYhYf]k] EYjlaYd 9jl g^ 9aca\g =n]jq Lm] /2+(%12+(he3 L`m .%0he

AWA 12�STEP SUPPORT GROUP :jY]ka\]

Hj]kZql]jaYf ;`mj[` Zkel$ F& \ggj$ . :]jfYj\ <j$ :ak`gh Kl$ Kaj Oafklgf ;`mj[`add 9n]$ Kl 9dZ]jl >gj Y\mdl [`ad\j]f g^ Yd[g`gda[ Yf\ \qk^mf[lagfYd ^Yeada]k =n]jq Egf /2+(he

CANADIAN MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

Kmal] 0(($ )((,-%))) Kl /0(&,),&.+)) >Yeadq kmhhgjl \jgh%af _jgmh ^gj l`gk] o`g Yj] kmhhgjlaf_ Yf Y\mdl ^Yeadq e]eZ]j danaf_ oal` Y e]flYd addf]kk =n]jq O]\$ .2+(%02+(he

EDMONTON BICYCLE COMMUTERS' SOCIETY :Y[c 9dd]q$ )((,/%0( 9n] @Yf\k%Gf :ac] EYafl]fYf[] K]eafYj =n]jq L`m .he - fgf%e]eZ]jk ]\egflgfZac]k&[Y

EDMONTON ESPERANTO SOCIETY )((*-% )(*9 9n]$ Je )0)*0 /0(&/(*&-))/ =n]jq >ja Yf\ l`] *f\ L`m g^ ]Y[` egfl`3 )*%)he EDMONTON GHOST TOURS /0(&*01&*((-

]\egflgf_`gkllgmjk&[ge Old Strathcona Walk: 9 _`gkldq ) `gmj oYdc l`jgm_` Gd\ KljYl`[gfY& <]hYjl ^jge l`] J]k[m]j KlYlm]$ OYdl]j\Yd] HdYq`gmk]$ )(+**%0+ 9n]3 Egf%L`m$ until Sep 2$ 12+(he3 )( U of A–History and Hauntings tour2 ]n]jq Thu until Aug 26, 7pm Garneau Walking Tour2 ]n]jq Wed, until Aug 25$ /he Medium Walk–Sixth Sense2 Jul 27, Aug 10, 24, 7pm

EDMONTON TRANSIT :mk ^jge l`] F g^ ;alq

@Ydd$ )(+9 9n] Z]lo 11 Yf\ )(( Kl @aklgja[Yd LjYfkal Lgmjk2 ?g ZY[c aflg =\egflgf¿k `aklgjq gf Y naflY_] )1.( Zmk oal` Y LjYfkal @aklgjaYf Yk qgmj _ma\] Until Aug 8 -% )( \]h]f\af_ gf lgmj! Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj]

FOOD ADDICTS Kl Dmc] k 9f_da[Yf ;`mj[`$ 0,*,%1- 9n] /0(&,.-&*()1'/0(&,-(&.)/1 >gg\ 9\\a[lk af J][gn]jq 9fgfqegmk >9!$ ^j]] )*%Kl]h j][gn]jq hjg_jYe ^gj Yfqgf] km^^]jaf_ ^jge ^gg\ gZk]kkagf$ gn]j]Ylaf_$ mf\]j%]Ylaf_$ Yf\ ZmdaeaY E]]laf_k ]n]jq L`m$ /he HOME�Energizing Spiritual Community for Passionate Living ?Yjf]Ym'9k`Zgmjf] 9kkakl]\

Danaf_ HdY[]$ ))),0%0, 9n] Home2 :d]f\k emka[$ \jYeY$ [j]Ylanalq Yf\ j]È][lagf gf kY[j]\ l]plk lg ]f]j_ak] qgm ^gj hYkkagfYl] danaf_ =n]jq Kmf +%-he

LILY SOCIETY ;]fljYd Dagfk K]fagj J][j]Ylagf

;]flj]$ )))+%))+ Kl Yjdk%dada]k&gj_ Dadq k`go Sat, Jul 24$ )%.he Yf\ Sun, Jul 25$ )*%,he

LOTUS QIGONG /0(&,//&(.0+ <goflgof HjY[la[] _jgmh e]]lk ]n]jq O]\ MUSICAL OUTDOOR YOGA CLASS

@Yoj]dYc HYjc Yl l`] Egl`]j Yf\ Lgl KlYlm] Z]% o]ddkgdmlagfk&ogj\hj]kk&[ge Qg_Y$ e]\alYlagf$ \jmeeaf_ Kmf$ Bmd *-$ *%,he >j]]

ORGANIZATION FOR BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE DISORDER (OBAD) K[`argh`j]faY Kg[a]lq g^ 9dZ]jlY$ *(($ )(.*)%)(( 9n]$ /0(&,-*&,..)3 Kmhhgjl _jgmh e]]lk )kl Yf\ +j\ Lm] ]Y[` egfl`$ /%1he ?j]q Fmfk @gkhalYd$ Je (.-)$ /0(&,-)&)/--3 ?jgmh e]]lk ]n]jq L`m3 /%1he

SOCIETY OF EDMONTON ATHEISTS KlYfd]q Eadf]j DaZjYjq$ Je .%/ E]]l l`] )kl Lm] ]n]jq egfl`$ /2)-he SUGARSWING DANCE CLUB GjYf_] @Ydd$

)(++-%0, 9n] gj Hd]YkYflna]o @Ydd$ )(0.(%-/ 9n] /0(&.(,&/-/* Koaf_ <Yf[] Yl Km_Yj >ggl Klgeh2 Z]_aff]j d]kkgf ^gddgo]\ Zq \Yf[] ]n]jq KYl$ 0he \ggj! Yl GjYf_] @Ydd gj Hd]YkYflna]o @Ydd

TOURETTE SYNDROME 9[Y\]eq$ Caf_

=\oYj\$ 0-*-%)() Kl$ FO \ggj )&0..&0*,&1/., Kmhhgjl e]]laf_k ^gj LK Y\mdlk Yf\ hYj]flk g^ LK ca\k )kl O]\ ]Y[` egfl`$ /he

WOMEN IN BLACK Af >jgfl g^ l`] Gd\ KljYl`% [gfY >Yje]jk EYjc]l Kad]fl na_ad l`] )kl Yf\ +j\ KYl$ )(%))Ye$ ]Y[` egfl`$ klYf\ af kad]f[] ^gj Y ogjd\ oal`gml nagd]f[]

LECTURES/PRESENTATIONS THE BUDDHA�PBS DOCUMENTARY ?Yjf]Ym Mfal]\ ;`mj[`$ ))),0 % 0, 9n] /0(&,.1&),,0 Hj]k]flYlagf Yf\ \g[me]flYjq khgfkgj]\ Zq l`] ;Y% fY\aYf =f_Y_]\ :m\\`ake 9kkg[aYlagf& N]f]jYZd]k E]ll]qqY F]hYd!$ Yf\ :g\`a gf] g^ l`] egfck ^]Ylmj]\ af l`] \g[me]flYjq! oadd Z] hj]k]fl L`m$ Bmd **$ .2+(he )( km__]kl]\ \gfYlagf!

HUMAN RIGHTS CAFÉ SERIES L`j]] :YfYfYk ;Y^ $ ;`mj[`add Ki$ 11)0%)(* 9n] b`[]flj]&gj_ )kl Kmf ]Y[` egfl` \aYdg_m] gf `meYf ja_`lk akkm]k >j]] WOMEN'S CYCLE CHARTING /0(&..0&**(( <ak[gn]j `go lg Y[[mjYl]dq a\]fla^q l`] hjaeYjq Yf\ k][gf\Yjq ka_fk g^ ^]jladalq lg kY^]dq KYl$ Bmd *,$ 1%))Ye gj L`m$ Bmd *1$ .%0he H`gf] lg hj]%j]_akl]j

QUEER AFFIRM SUNNYBROOK�Red Deer Kmffq% Zjggc Mfal]\ ;`mj[`$ J]\ <]]j ,(+&+,/&.(/+ 9^^aje o]d[ge] D?:LI h]ghd] Yf\ l`]aj ^ja]f\k$ ^Yeadq$ Yf\ Ydda]k e]]l l`] *f\ Lm]$ /he$ ]Y[` egfl` BISEXUAL WOMEN'S COFFEE GROUP 9

kg[aYd _jgmh ^gj Za%[mjagmk Yf\ Zak]pmYd oge]f ]n]jq *f\ Lm] ]Y[` egfl`$ 0he _jgmhk&qY`gg& [ge'_jgmh'Zo]\egflgf

BOOTS BAR AND LOUNGE )(*,*%)(. Kl

/0(&,*+&-(), *f\ L`m2 Addmkagfk Kg[aYd ;dmZ +j\ O]\2 =\egflgf Kg[a]lq *f\ Lm]2 =\egflgf JYafZgo :mkaf]kk 9kkg[aYlagf =n]jq >ja2 H`adgkg% h`q ;Y^ >ja'KYl <B K]PPPq K]Yf )(%+ Dgf_ O]]c]f\ Kmf\Yqk ^]Ylmj] l`] KlYj\mkl Dgmf_] oal` Eakk :aYf[Y Yf\ NYfalq >Yaj

BUDDYS NITE CLUB ))/*-: BYkh]j 9n] /0(&,00&//+. <B <mkl f Lae]3 Egf 1he <B 9jjgo ;`Yk]j3 Lm] 1he <B <mkl f Lae]3 O]\ 1he$ fg [gn]j Z]^gj] )(he <B 9jjgo ;`Yk]j3 >ja 0he$ fg [gn]j Z]^gj] )(he <B =Yjl` K`an]j f ImYc]3 KYl 0he$ fg [gn]j Z]^gj] )(he <B :gZZq :]Ylr3 Kmf 1he <jY_ Im]]f H]j^gjeYf[] K`go$ Kmf$ fg [gn]j Z]^gj] )(he EDMONTON PRIME TIMERS (EPT) MfalYj% aYf ;`mj[` g^ =\egflgf$ )(0(,%))1 Kl 9 _jgmh g^ gd\]j _Yq e]f o`g `Yn] [geegf afl]j]klk e]]l l`] *f\ Kmf$ *2+(he$ ^gj Y kg[aYd h]jag\$ k`gjl e]]laf_ Yf\ _m]kl kh]Yc]j$ \ak[mkkagf hYf]d gj hgldm[c kmhh]j& Kh][aYd afl]j]kl _jgmhk e]]l ^gj gl`]j kg[aYd Y[lanala]k l`jgm_`gml l`] egfl`& =2 ]\egflgfhl8qY`gg&[Y G.L.B.T.Q, AFRICAN GROUP Hja\] ;]flj]$ 1-,(%))) 9n] /0(&,00&+*+, E]]lk *f\ L`m ]n]jq egfl`$ .he GLBT SPORTS AND RECREATION l]Ye]\% egflgf&[Y Badminton, Co-ed: Kl& L`geYk Eggj] K[`ggd$ 1.)(%).- Kl$ [g]\ZY\eaflgf8l]Ye]\egf% lgf&[Y Badminton, Women's Drop-In Recreational: Gdan]j K[`ggd ?qe$ )(**/%))0 Kl3 ZY\eaflgf8 l]Ye]\egflgf&[Y Co-ed Bellydancing: Z]ddq\Yf[% af_8l]Ye]\egflgf&[Y Bootcamp: Dqffogg\ =d]e]flYjq K[`ggd Yl )-,-)%0, 9n]3 Egf$ /%0he3 Zggl[Yeh8l]Ye]\egflgf&[Y Bowling: =\ k J][ ;]flj]$ O]kl =\egflgf EYdd$ Lm] .2,-he Curling: ?jYfal] ;mjdaf_ ;dmZ3 /0(&,.+&-1,* Running: =n]jq Kmf egjfaf_3 jmffaf_8l]Ye]\egflgf&[Y Spinning: EY[=oYf ;]flj]$ )(1 Klj]]l Yf\ )(, 9n]3 khaf8l]Ye]\egflgf&[Y Swimming: F9AL hggd$ ))/.*%)(. Kl3 koaeeaf_8l]Ye]\egflgf& [Y Volleyball: Egl`]j L]j]kY =d]e]flYjq K[`ggd Yl 1((0%)(-93 9eakcaoY[aq 9[Y\]eq$ )() 9ajhgjl J\3 j][ngdd]qZYdd8l]Ye]\egflgf&[Y3 ngdd]qZYdd8 l]Ye]\egflgf&[Y QG?9 @Yl`Y!2 >j]] Qg_Y ]n]jq Kmf$ *%+2+(he3 Cgj]rgf] >alf]kk$ *(+$ )(-/-%))- Kl$ qg_Y8l]Ye]\egflgf&[Y

ILLUSIONS SOCIAL CLUB: CROSSDRESSERS /0(&+0/&++,+ e]]l egfl`dq Af^g2 _jgmhk& qY`gg&[ge'_jgmh']\egflgfWaddmkagfk

INSIDE/OUT M g^ 9 ;Yehmk ;Yehmk%ZYk]\ gj_YfarYlagf ^gj d]kZaYf$ _Yq$ Zak]pmYd$ ljYfk% a\]fla^a]\ Yf\ im]]j D?:LI! ^Y[mdlq$ _jY\mYl] klm\]fl$ Y[Y\]ea[$ kljYa_`l Ydda]k Yf\ kmhhgjl klY^^ +j\ L`m ]Y[` egfl` ^Ydd'oafl]j l]jek!2 Kh]Yc]jk K]ja]k& =2 co]ddk8mYdZ]jlY&[Y LIVING POSITIVE ,(,$ )(,(0%)*, Kl ]\e% danaf_hgkalan]&[Y )&0//&1/-&1,,0'/0(&,00&-/.0 ;gf^a\]flaYd h]]j kmhhgjl lg h]ghd] danaf_ oal` @AN Lm]$ /%1he2 Kmhhgjl _jgmh <Yadq \jgh%af$ h]]j [gmfk]ddaf_ MAKING WAVES SWIMMING CLUB _]g[ala]k&[ge'eYcaf_oYn]kW]\e J][j]YlagfYd' [geh]lalan] koaeeaf_& Kg[aYdaraf_ Y^l]j hjY[la[]k =n]jq Lm]'L`m PLAY NIGHTCLUB )(**(%)(+ Kl Gh]f L`m$ >ja$ KYl oal` <Bk 9d]pp :jgof Yf\ =\\a] LggfÈYk`

PRIDE CENTRE OF EDMONTON 1-,(%))) 9n]

/0(&,00&+*+, hja\][]flj]g^]\egflgf&gj_ Gh]f Lm]%>ja )%)(he$ KYl *%.2+(he D?:L K]fagjk <jgh% af2 =n]jq Lm]'L`m$ *%,he ;92 L`m /he Kmal Mh Yf\ K`go Mh2 99 Za_ Zggc klm\q _jgmh ]n]jq KYl$ fggf OgegfkhY[]2 e]]l )kl Kmf ]Y[` egfl`$ )(2+(Ye%)*2+(he LjYfk =\m[Ylagf'Kmhhgjl ?jgmh e]]l2 )kl'+j\ Kmf$ *%,he$ ]Y[` egfl`3 YdZ]jlYljYfk& gj_ E]f LYdcaf_ oal` Hja\]2 Kmf /he3 ^Y[adalYlgj2 JgZ O]ddk jgZo]ddk/0(8`gleYad&[ge @AN Kmhhgjl ?jgmh2 *f\ Egf ]Y[` egfl`$ /he LjYfk_]f\]j$ LjYfkk]pmYd$ Afl]jk]p Yf\ Im]klagfaf_ LLAI! 9dda% Yf[] kmhhgjl e]]laf_ *f\ Lm] ]Y[` egfl`$ /2+(he LjYfk_]f\]j$ LjYfkk]pmYd$ Afl]jk]p Yf\ Im]klagf% af_2 =\m[Ylagf$ Y\ng[Y[q Yf\ kmhhgjl ^gj e]f$ oge% ]f Yf\ qgml` >j]] hjg^]kkagfYd [gmfk]ddaf_ ]n]jq O]\ ]p[]hl l`] )kl O]\ ]Y[` egfl`3 /%)(he3 Yhhl hj]^]jj]\$ \jgh%afk o]d[ge] Qgml`KhY[]2 \jgh%af ^gj D?:LI ^gj qgml` mh lg *-3 Lm]%KYl$ +%/he

PRISM BAR )(-*,%)() Kl /0(&11(&((+0 O]\2 >j]] Hggd3 CYjYgc]$ 1he%ea\fa_`l L`m2 Hjake Hggd D]Y_m]3 /%))2+(he >ja2 Kl]Yc Fal]k3 -%1he3 <B Yl 12+(he ROBERTSON�WESLEY UNITED CHURCH )(*(1%)*+ Kl /0(&,0*&)-0/ Kgmd GMLaf_2 Yf D?:L%^g[mk]\ Ydl]jfYlan] ogjkàh *f\ Kmf ]n]jq egfl`$ /he3 ogjkàh Kmf$ )(2+(Ye3 h]ghd] g^ Ydd k]pmYd gja]flYlagfk o]d[ge]& D?:L egfl`dq Zggc [dmZ Yf\ Çde fa_`l& =2 bjYn]fk[jg^l8jom[&gj_ ST PAUL'S UNITED CHURCH ))-*.%/. 9n] /0(&,+.&)--- H]ghd] g^ Ydd k]pmYd gja]flYlagfk Yj] o]d[ge] =n]jq Kmf )(Ye ogjkàh! WOMONSPACE /0(&,0*&)/1, ogegfkhY[]&

[Y$ ogegfkhY[]8_eYad&[ge 9 Fgf%hjgÇl d]kZaYf kg[aYd gj_YfarYlagf ^gj =\egflgf Yf\ kmjjgmf\af_ Yj]Y& Egfl`dq Y[lanala]k$ f]okd]ll]j$ j]\m[]\ jYl]k af[dm\]\ oal` e]eZ]jk`ah& ;gfÇ\]flaYdalq Ykkmj]\

WOODYS ))/*+ BYkh]j 9n] /0(&,00&.--/ CYjYgc] oal` FYl`Yf3 Egf 0he EYjlafa Egf% \Yqk3 +he Qgm <gf l Cfgo ?Ye] K`go oal` HYlja[c Yf\ FYl`Yf3 L`m 1he Dgf_ AkdYf\ A[]\ L]Y3 L`m +he CYjYgc] oal` Egj_Yf3 O]\ /he CYjYgc] oal` C]naf3 Kmf 0he YOUTH INTERVENTION AND OUTREACH WORKER aKEKK$ M g^ 9 /0(%*,0%)1/) Hjg%

na\]k kmhhgjl Yf\ Y\ng[Y[q lg im]]j qgml` )*%*-3 qgm \gf l f]]\ lg Z] Ydgf]

YOUTH UNDERSTANDING YOUTH qmq]\e& [Y E]]lk ]n]jq KYl$ /%1he =2 af^g8qmq]\e&[Y$ L2 /0(&*,0&)1/)

SPECIAL EVENTS HERITAGE FESTIVAL @Yoj]dYc HYjc Jul 31Aug 2 >j]] ]n]fl3 ^gg\ la[c]lk2 *- +( la[c]lk' gf] k`]]l! Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj]

MOTORCYCLE SCAVENGER HUNT ;YhadYfg

EYdd$ kgml` hYjcaf_ dgl /0(&,-,&1/)( @mf\j]\k g^ eglgj[q[daklk _Yl`]j ^gj B]kka]¿k ;`Yaj%alq½& >mf\% jYak]j Z]f]Çlaf_ l`] Klgdd]jq ;`ad\j]f¿k @gkhalYd >gmf\Ylagf HYjla[ahYflk Yf\ gl`]jk oYflaf_ lg Yl% l]f\ l`] ^mf[lagf oadd e]]l Yl ;gd[`]kl]j @Ydd$ *+*)1 Lgofk`ah JgY\ -*($ K`]jogg\ HYjc$ ^gj Y ::I Yf\ `m_] kad]fl Ym[lagf Jul 24, noon La[c]lk2 *( ja\]j!' )( hYkk]f_]j! Yl l`] _Yl]$ YnYadYZd] Yl @Yjd]q <Yna\kgf Q]ddgo`]Y\ Lj!$ =[`g ;q[d]

TASTE OF EDMONTON ;`mj[`add Ki Jul

23-Aug 1 La[c]lk Yj] YnYadYZd] Yl Y )( \ak[gmfl */ Y k`]]l! until Jul 223 +( after Jul 22 Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj]

TEE OFF FOR WISEST! L`] Dafck$ Khjm[]

?jgn] /0(&,1*&)0,* e]d[gj&[Y'l`]dafck' oak]kl&mYdZ]jlY&[Y 9ffmYd ^mf\jYakaf_ _gd^ lgmjfYe]fl Wed, Jul 28$ /Ye [gflaf]flYd Zj]Yc^Ykl'j]_akljYlagf!$ 0Ye L]pYk K[jYeZd] )0 `gd]k!3 dmf[`$ kad]fl Ym[lagf Yf\ ^gjeYd hjg_jYe lg ^gddgo )/-

TRACK EDMONTON RUN, WALK WHEEL'ATHON @gf\Yq Af\q =\egflgf

JY[]ljY[c ;alq ;]flj] 9ajhgjl$ ;alq ;]flj] 9ajhgjl >mf\jYak]j ^gj l`] 9Yjgf Egk]j KhafYd ;gj\ Af% bmjq >gmf\Ylagf Yf\ l`] ?d]fjgk] J]`YZadalYlagf @gkhalYd >gmf\Ylagf hj]k]fl]\ Zq DYh l`] LjY[c =\egflgf Bmd *+$ .he *(%,- ]fljq ^]]3 af^g Yl =2 j]f]]`8^g[mk[ge&[Y

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

BACK // 33

COMMENT >> LGBT

All together now

Marginalized groups need to connect to fight for health Early in 2009 six queer Canadians filed will only worsen a bad situation. Accorda complaint with the Canadian Human ing to Health Canada "although they repRights Commission stating that the resent only 3.3 percent of the CanaCanadian healthcare system is hodian population, aboriginal persons mophobic. In their filing docucomprised five to eight percent ment they provided a list of of existing [HIV] infections and health issues affecting queer six to 12 percent of new HIV inm kly.co Canadians, including lower life fections." In 2008 gay, bisexual uewee v @ d te expectancy than the average and other men who have sex Ted Canadian, higher rates of subwith men made up 45 percent of Kerr stance abuse, depression, and innew HIV infections in Alberta, an inadequate access to care and HIV/AIDS. crease from the previous year. "Prior to While G20 countries work to make good 1996," reports AVERT, "females comprised on their pledge to cut deficits in half in the 14 percent of HIV diagnoses in the age next three years, a broad coalition needs to group 15 – 29, whereas in 2007 this proporact and raise awareness on how the G20 tion was 36 percent." It could be estimated negatively impacts health. that racailized people are also over repreLooking at current statistics, budget cuts sented in HIV cases, but not confirmed as

EERN Q UN TO MO

CLASSIFIEDS

ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ARTIST/NON PROFIT CLASSIFIEDS

EDUCATIONAL FILM AND TV ACTING Learn from pro's how to act in Film and TV Full-time training. 1.866.231.8232 www.vadastudios.com

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

MUSICAL INSTRUCTION MODAL MUSIC INC. 780.221.3116 Quality music instruction since 1981. Guitarist. Educator. Graduate of GMCC music program

NOTICES

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FOOD BANK

34 // BACK

It is not just through HIV rates that we know minorities are under attack in Canada. If we take a social determinants of health

ARTIST TO ARTIST

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

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

many test sites do not collect information on ethnicity—in many ways a practise that silences or disappears a group of people. Looking at this collection of statistics and considering the work of early AIDS activists you can understand the devastation they would feel of having worked to ensure those who came after would live longer and with less stigma only to have them harassed by police, suffering greater health risks and caught in judicial purgatory for exercising their democratic freedoms. What is the point of fighting for life when the quality of those lives is comprised?

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.

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

ARTIST TO ARTIST ARTSHab 1 studio apartment available Sep 1, $986 per month. Details at www.artshab.com or phone Jeff at 780.439.9532 / 780.690.9687 Night 32 Productions Inc. seeks a qualified screen writer for a TV pilot titled Ghostwater, a horror-cop drama. First draft has been written. Forward contact info and a sample of your work. Also looking for a comedy writer who understands bar and blue collar humor. Kevin Sisk, Associate Producer: drsiskphddd@msn.com The Canadian Liver Foundation is looking for a LOCAL ARTIST to help create a piece for our Masque Gala in early Oct. The piece will be given to the doctor we will be honouring at this year’s event as a thank you for their support of those affected by liver disease. Event is at the Muttart Conservatory on Oct 2. Info: Carmen Boyko, Canadian Liver Foundation T: 780.444.1547; toll-free: 1.888.557.5516; F: 780.481.7781 Wild Oranges Theatre Company is seeking male and female actors for support roles for a main stage Fringe play. Must be available on weekends for rehearsal and committed to 6 shows Aug 12 -22. Pls contact Kayla at kldbkr@gmail.com or 780.217.9994 Wanted, a few good men; Musicalmania needs strong male soloist (tenor) and chorus members for Fringe production. T: 780.460.2937 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

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

approach to looking at the quality of life for Canadians—the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age—then we see that the Government of Canada is putting our health at risk. The cuts to the Status of Women department, Jason Kenney's editing out of same-sex marriage in immigration documents, the ongoing treatment of aboriginals in Canada, the delisting of gender reassignment surgery and the handling of the G20 arrests and profiling of queer activists all point to the fact that our well being is being ignored. As queers in some cases we are under attack on multiple sides. Not just for our sexuality or our politics, but also for our economic beliefs, our gender, our skin colour, our background, our definition of family and so on. With this in mind, maybe it's time to pool resources and create our own reality to ensure that all peoples are being taken care of. In his book Pleasure Consuming Medicine Kane Race advances the idea of "counterMovements 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 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 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

public health"—a take off from Michael Warner's work on publics/counter publics. In an interview with activist Trevor Hoppe he discusses how creating counterpublic healthcare highlights the limitations of 'public' health care when dictated by a mainstream moral ideology as we have in Canada and points to the benefits of collective organizing, “So much health work and health education today advocates individual solutions to public health problems. But if we think about the early response to HIV/ AIDS, it is quite clear that much of its success depended upon creating a shared horizon of concern about the threat, as well as specific contexts of collective self-activity.” In truth we have to do both. We have to hold governments accountable—as not play into the neo-liberal dream that all individuals will just take care of themselves leaving governments to spend all our taxes on "security"—and we have to work together to ensure we all have the possibility for healthy vital lives. V

COMMENT >> ALT SEX

Buckets of fun

Make a list of things to do in bed Dear Andrea: Most strike me as not so much things I keep hearing people talking about the writer wants to do as things the "bucket lists," which are the writer thinks people ought to things you want to make sure want to do. Not so useful, you do before you die. Do you not so interesting. think most people have a As for sex lists, I can hardly "sex bucket list," and should allow myself to be quoted ly.com k e e w vue we? You would say it's good saying, "No, it is not good to altsex@ for you to try new things, Andresaon try new things," so I'm going wouldn't you? It seems like it to have to agree, as far as it Nemer would be fun at least. goes. Similarly, yes, I suppose Love, it could be fun to make such a list, Much Ado About To-Do Lists although personally making a sexual to-do list is not and never has been on Dear Ado: my list of things to do before I die. If you say so. Those lists all sound the Internet abounds with amateur and same to me: "sky-dive, live abroad, professionally produced sex-bucket climb Kilimanjaro ... blah blah blah." lists and they are uniformly depressing.

ALT.

SEX

ARTIST TO ARTIST 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 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 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

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 Alberta board development program recruiting volunteer instructors for not-for-profit organizations. Call 780.427.2001. Deadline: Oct 1

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

The Canadian Liver Foundation: looking for new members who can assist with fundraising and promotion of the Northern Alberta Chapter. Contact: Carmen Boyko T: 780.444.1547; Toll-free: 1.888.557.5516 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 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

Of course I do think any exercise that encourages one to examine long-held prejudices and long-lived preferences, and which might end up incubating a new sense of adventure and encouraging an expansion of horizons is all to the good. There is still something about the bucket list that bugs me though. Go ahead and try to write one, or pull some up, and you'll see that an awful lot of them go something like this: "Beach, park, airplane bathroom, supply closet, drive-thru at In-n-Out Burger ... " lists of locations, in other words, with little thought given to what you and your unspecified partner(s) is/are supposed to be doing once you get there.

These are just silly, like those little booklets with the smudgy line drawings of "500 Sexual Positions," which grow increasingly unlikely and potentially injurious as you page through. I just don't seriously believe that anyone really cares whether they die before they get a chance to do it on mule-back descending the Grand Canyon. Not all lists are utterly devoid of human occupants, of course, though those aren't much better: "Do it with another woman/man; do it with somebody much more experienced; do it with somebody much less experienced; do it with my boss; do it with somebody famous, do it with ... " Ugh. People are no more interesting than places when sorted into pre-set slots that way. There are, of course, ways in which the list can function as a useful exercise, but the concept as it's currently kicking around makes little if any dis-

tinction between pure fantasy (do it with Angelina and Brad at the same time) and possible-but-unlikely (do it with the hot neighbour who keeps giving you meaningful glances). An upside to the list is it could make you reflect on what you really want and what (if anything) you are willing to risk to get it. Similarly you could use your list as an opportunity for serious self-examination and emerge with a stronger sense of yourself as a sexual person. Do you need one purely faithful partner forever, or would you be much happier in a big polyamorous puppy pile? Is that actually sexual attraction you feel toward that same-sex somebody, or do you just like her shoes? Or, you know, not. Nobody's going to judge you for making a silly list of places or positions. Not unless you publish it, anyway. Love, Andrea

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 fmljatious meals (vehicle required) Weekdays 10:45am-1pm Lg Ykkakl af l`] cal[`]f O]]c\Yqk .Ye Yf\ *he3 k`a^l lae]k Yj] È]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

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

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FOOD BANK

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010

BACK // 35

36 // BACK

VUEWEEKLY // JUL 22 – JUL 28, 2010