2 // UP FRONT
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
COVER
INSIDE
IssuE no. 795 // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
C-c-cultural C-c-climate
UP FRONT // 4/ 4 6 7 7
Vuepoint Dyer Straight In the Box Bob the Angry Flower
How Edmonton's artists survive the winter in the Great Indoors
// 10
DISH // 8/ 9 Veni, Vidi, Vino
SNOWZONE
ARTS // 15 17 Hopscotch
FILM // 24 27 DVD Detective
MUSIC // 29/ 34 New Sounds 35 Old Sounds 35 Quickspins 36 Music Notes
BACK // 37
// 19 VUETUBE
38 Free Will Astrology 38 Queermonton 38 Lust for Life
LISTINGS 18 Arts 28 Film 30 Music 37 Events
Deep Freeze Winter Festival WATCH CHELSEA'S SHORT FILM vueweekly.com/vuetube
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IssuE no. 795 // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011 // Available at over 1400 locations Editor / Publisher.......................................... RON GARTH // ron@vueweekly.com MANAGING Editor............................................. EDEN MUNRO // eden@vueweekly.com associate mANAGING editor................... BRYAN BIRTLES // bryan@vueweekly.com NEWS Editor........................................................ SAMANTHA POWER // samantha@vueweekly.com Arts / Film Editor........................................... PAUL BLINOV // paul@vueweekly.com Music Editor....................................................... EDEN MUNRO // eden@vueweekly.com Dish Editor........................................................... BRYAN BIRTLES // bryan@vueweekly.com creative services manager.................... MICHAEL SIEK // mike@vueweekly.com production.......................................................... CHELSEA BOOS // che@vueweekly.com ART DIRECTOR....................................................... PETE NGUYEN // pete@vueweekly.com Senior graphic designer........................... LYLE BELL // lyle@vueweekly.com WEB/MULTIMEDIA MANAGER........................ ROB BUTZ // butz@vueweekly.com LISTINGS ................................................................ GLENYS SWITZER // glenys@vueweekly.com
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COVER PHOTO EDEN MUNRO // eden@vueweekly.com CONTRIBUTORS Mike Angus, David Berry, Chelsea Boos, Josef Braun, Rob Brezsny, Alexa DeGagne, Erika Domanski, Gwynne Dyer, Cam Fenton, Jenn Fulford, Brian Gibson, Hart Golbeck, James Grasdal, Joe Gurba, Michael Hingston, Carolyn Jervis, Brenda Kerber, Omar Mouallem, Carolyn Nikodym, Stephen Notley, Mimi Williams Distribution Todd Broughton, Alan Ching, Barrett DeLaBarre, Mike Garth, Aaron Getz, Raul Gurdian, Justin Shaw, Dale Steinke, Wally Yanish
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
UP FRONT // 3
UP FRONT
EDITORIAL
Vuepoint Stand by and watch samantha power // samantha@vueweekly.com
D
espite heavy media commentary surrounding the Prime Minister’s cabinet shuffle last week, few mentioned he chose not to appoint a full-time minister responsible for Status of Women Canada (SWC). After ejecting Helena Guergis from cabinet in April, Harper assigned the portfolio to Edmonton-Spruce Grove MP Rona Ambrose, who also serves as Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Regional Minister for Northern Alberta and Minister for Western Economic Diversification. Given that the Conservatives have spent five years systematically dismantling the state mechanisms put in place to advance women's equality, it might be a blessing in disguise that Harper doesn't feel the portfolio warrants full-time attention. Within months of their 2006 election victory, Harper's government removed the word "equality" from SWC's mandate and slashed its budget by 39 percent. Bev Oda, the minister responsible at the time, told the House of Commons this was entirely justifiable since Canadian women had achieved equality. Since then, defunding the Court Challenges Program, cancelling federal-
YOURVUE
provincial child care agreements, eliminating the Gender Equality unit in the Human Rights Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and refusing to implement pay equity legislation have made the Harper government's strategy relative to women's equality clear: deny the problem exists. In some ways, Canadian women have moved beyond parity. We attend university in greater numbers than men and make up the majority of law and medical school graduates. However, universityeducated women working full-time still earn 30 percent less than their male counterparts. And, while women now constitute 52 percent of the workforce, the wage gap hasn't budged from 72 percent since 1999. Equality for Canadian women remains a long way off—farther still for aboriginal, racially-marginalized, disabled and poor women. Despite this reality, organizations that have worked for decades to advance women's social, economic and political equality have been effectively neutered. That Harper pursues his anti-equality agenda should surprise nobody. That the media and the public seem resigned to simply stand by and watch should be cause for concern. V
Your Vue is the weekly roundup of all your comments and views of our coverage. Every week we'll be running your comments from the website, feedback on our weekly web polls and any letters you send our editors.
WEBPOLL RESULTS
"[The] homeless and the unfortunate people will get pushed to God knows where else in the city and accessibility and the cost to live in the downtown core will skyrocket."
THIS WEEK:
Increased walkability and living space
The final piece of Edmonton's downtown plan was approved Monday. What do you think will contribute most to downtown revitalization? COMMENT FROM WEBPOLL:
GRASDAL'S VUE
Increased office space
0%
83.3%
Decreased number of parking lots
11.1%
Other
5.6% 1. Yes, it will provide great economic benefit. 2. No, it's a waste of money. 3. Cars? Awesome.
"Need a better balance of people downtown."
4 // UP FRONT
The Edmonton Indy returns. Are you glad to see it back?
Check out vueweekly.com to vote and give us your comments. VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
No refuge
New Parks Act opens protected land to development Cam Fenton // FeNTon@vueweekly.com
L
egislation that the Sierra Club and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society called "the worst conservation legislation to come forward anywhere in Canada in a decade" is headed back to the Alberta legislature this spring. The Alberta Parks Act (APA) was suspended on November 25 after criticism from politicians, environmental groups and Alberta residents concerned that the act will open up provincial parks and other protected areas to unprecedented development. The government claimed to be reviewing the legislation and seeking input for amendments. According to an email update from Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation Minister Cindy Ady's office, the government is preparing to bring back the legislation, and critics are preparing to continue the fight. According to Sam Gunsch, an organizer with the Sierra Club in Alberta, there has been little to no consultation with Albertans, either in the original drafting of the APA, or since its suspension. Additionally, the Alberta Wilderness Association told Minister Ady in a letter sent in early December that the APA is "so fundamentally flawed that it will need a great deal more than 'amendments' to make it in
any way acceptable." The APA proposes to "streamline and consolidate" three existing pieces of parks legislation: the Provincial Parks Act, the Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act, and the Black Creek Heritage Rangeland Trails Act. According to the provincial government this is needed to "balance conservation and recreation objectives," but critics view it as scaling down protection and opening up protected areas for development. "Alberta is leading the way backwards under Minister Ady's leadership, downgrading protection of nature and wildlife in Alberta's parks and wilderness areas," Gunsch said. This consolidation would scale down the seven existing categories for protected areas in Alberta into two, something the government claims will simplify land management and protection. Critics argue that this new classification system significantly scales back protections, pointing out that those areas currently with the strongest protections— such as wilderness areas and ecological reserves—are to be eliminated and replaced. As Gunsch explains "nature and wildlife in 'protected areas' will not be the first priority in guiding management decisions ... [the APA] is regres-
sive, going backward decades." In addition to the downgrading of protections, another major point of contention is the power granted to the Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation for land management by the APA. Provisions in the act grant the minister expanded discretionary powers to make decisions on how parks are zoned, used and regulated. Critics argue that this grants too
changes it comes with a caveat, that this only applies to those sites outside of provincial parks. Len Mitzel, MLA for Cypress/Medicine Hat explained in an interview that "Right now, most provincial parks do not allow any private development ... For Dinosaur Park, for instance, it would allow for condos, service stations, and would add to the economic development of the region." In the eyes of many conservation groups,
This new classification system significantly scales back protections, pointing out that those areas currently with the strongest protections—such as wilderness areas and ecological reserves—are to be eliminated and replaced. much power to the minister and cabinet to make decisions on Alberta’s parks out of sight of Albertans, and without an adequate public consultation process. One of the most controversial points of the APA has also been a debate around what it could mean for parks with global significance, such as Dinosaur Provincial Park, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the APA website states that UNESCO sites are not impacted by the proposed
these moves are not, as the government explains, attempts to simplify the parks system for Albertans, but a shift from prioritizing protection to prioritizing financial gains. "With the legislation now making tourism and recreation as important purposes as protection of nature in Alberta's protected areas, the minister can cite that as rationale for deciding that tourism resorts, for example are justifiable under the law's mandate," Gunsch explains.
NewsRoundup EDUCATION INQUIRY
T
he inquiry into the Northland School Division has returned its report one year after Education Minister Dave Hancock shut down the division and fired the school board. The inquiry into reports of financial mismanagement, poor student performance and board micromanagement returned over 48 recommendations, but the Alberta government will implement only one at this time. Hancock now believes there needs to be greater involvement by the communities in the
Northland district to ensure change in the system actually occurs. "Clearly, communities need to be involved in determining the governance of their schools." stated Hancock in a government press release. "Working with Northland's communities is fundamental to developing a transformative solution." The Northland School Division serves 23 communities, many of which are Metis, Aboriginal and Inuit students. Hancock believes the changes to the Northland School Division are key to providing a better education for Aboriginal students.
SAMANTHA POWER // samantha@vueweekly.com
"The changes recommended for Northland set the stage to transform Aboriginal education—not only in the division, but elsewhere in the province." The majority of recommendations focused on the governance of the school division and improved student results. With 23 board members at the time of dissolution, the report recommends moving to nine members for the region, encouraging greater parental involvement in education and increasing Aboriginal content in the curriculum.
PARKING STALLS
A
six-month pilot project that allows commuters to reserve and pay $42 a month for reserved parking spots at four LRT stations should be scrapped, says at least two members of city council. Commencing January 1, reserved parking is available to ETS customers at Clareview, Belvedere, Stadium and Century Park LRT parking lots. While the project has been a near sellout at the Century Park station, most of the stalls reserved for paying customers elsewhere have been sitting empty. Councillor Bryan Anderson, who voted to support the project, told CTV he would like to see the program cancelled after just two weeks. Councillor Ed Gibbons, who always opposed the project, told the station
Conservation groups are calling not only for the APA to be pulled off the table, but also for the government to take steps to strengthen and expand wilderness protection to be representative of the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity's target of 17 percent land protection in representative ecological regions. Currently, land protection is below two percent in Alberta's grassland, parkland and foothills regions. Earlier this week, Minister Ady also announced plans to allow private campgrounds in provincial parks in Alberta. "If somebody can bring to us a solid plan, there are private campground opportunities," she explained, hinting that a bill would be presented to the legislature in the fall. According to an email sent from Minister Ady's office on January 4, "She will continue to work with Albertans on Bill 29, the Alberta Parks Act, before further debate in the legislative assembly," but critics are skeptical, and point to an already strong call from Albertans to scrap the act. "[The] AB government sees industrial or tourism development as priorities for all lands in Alberta," Gunsch stated. "No lands or wildlife habitat is safe. Not even in protected areas now under Bill 29." V
A HUNGRY WORLD
T
he Worldwatch Institute released its annual State of the World report. The report focused on agriculture as the key to stability, stopping climate change and reducing poverty. The report points out it's been nearly half a century since the agricultural Green Revolution and nearly 925 million people are still undernourished. Worldwatch Institute president Christopher Flavin states, "We need the world's influencers of agricultural development to commit to longstanding support for farmers, who make up 80 percent of the population in Africa." "Roughly 40 percent of the food currently produced worldwide is wasted before it is consumed, creating large
opportunities for farmers and households to save both money and resources by reducing this waste," according to Brian Halweil, Nourishing the Planet co-director. Solutions to the global food problem include co-op programs to prevent over-harvesting, preserving indigenous livestock adapted to local conditions, education on preparing local food supplies, and greater gender equity. Sixty to 80 percent of farm workers in subSaharan Africa are women, but do not have the same access to government and community leaders as men. The State of the World 2011, Nourising the Planet is being released to government ministries, agricultural policymakers and stakeholders worldwide.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK he doubts the program will be cancelled, although he wishes it could be. Eugene Pawliuk, who lives near the Stadium station, concurs. He says people who don't want to pay at the station are parking on the residential side streets, leaving residents with no place to park. "They don't enforce the residential parking restrictions during the day and we're having to park blocks away from our house," Pawliuk explained.
The city hopes revenue from the program could be used to offset costs for ongoing maintenance of parking lot operations. Pawliuk wonders why, if that was the case, the city contracted out the operations to Impark. "If they are that concerned about revenue, maybe they can start fining all the people parked in front of my house," he suggested. MIMI WILLIAMS
// MIMI@vueweekly.com
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
"It's not going to work for an old white guy to go into a community and say, 'This is what's going to be good for them.' " Dave Hancock on the Northland School Division Inquiry results which affect over 1200 Aboriginal students Edmonton Journal January 11, 2011
UP FRONT // 5
COMMENT >> FOOD POLITICS
Much worse than expected
Food riots are only the beginning for a world food shortage If all the food in the world were shared out evenly, there would be enough to go around. That has been true for centuries now: if food was scarce, the problem was that it wasn't in the right place, but there was no global shortage. However, that will not be true much longer. The food riots began in Algeria more than a week ago, and they are going to spread. Dur.com weekly e@vue ing the last global food shortgwynn e age, in 2008, there was serious Gwynn r e rioting in Mexico, Indonesia and y D Egypt. We may expect to see that again this time, only bigger and more Global food production will drop as our population reaches seven billion widespread. Most people in these countries live in a cash economy, and a large proportion live in cities. They buy their food, they don't food prices now are at an all-time high. a drought, and if we start having problems grow it. That makes them very vulnerable, "We are entering a danger territory," said with winter kill in the northern hemisphere because they have to eat almost as much Abdolreza Abbassian, chief economist at for the wheat crops." After the loss of at as people in rich countries do, but their inthe Food and Agriculture Organization, on least a third of the Russian and Ukrainina comes are much lower. January 5. The price of a basket of cereals, grain crop in last summer's heat wave and The poor, urban multitudes in these oils, dairy, meat and sugar that reflects the devastating floods in Australia and Pakicountries (including China and India) spend global consumption patterns has risen stan, there's no margin for error left. up to half of their entire income on food, steadily for six months, and has just brocompared to only about 10 percent in ken through the previous record, set durIt was Russia and India banning grain exthe rich countries. When food prices soar, ing the last food panic in June, 2008. ports in order to keep domestic prices down these people quickly find that they simply "There is still room for prices to go up that set the food prices on the international lack the money to go on feeding themmuch higher," Abbassian added, "if for examselves and their children properly—and ple the dry conditions in Argentina become CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 >>
R DYEIG HT
STRA
Missing memorial
A new park proposal may displace social worker's memorial MIMI WILLIAMS // MIMI@vueweekly.com
A
proposed plan to redevelop Mary Burlie park has been met with mixed reaction in the inner city. Situated in the southern part of Chinatown— just north of the former CN overpass on 97 Street—the park was developed to honour the long-time Boyle Street social worker who passed away in 1996. Often the site of illegal drug use and alcohol consumption, the park is currently also home to the Vision of Hope monument, commissioned to commemorate the victims of the Montréal Massacre and unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the shooting. The Chinatown and Little Italy Business Association, concerned that residents and visitors to the area are afraid to use the park—which has been the site of at least one homicide—have proposed that the park be closed in order to develop a Chinese heritage centre and garden project. The concept proposes that the site be enclosed to create an area for quiet contemplation and that an admission fee be charged to enter the park. Like her mother did, Burlie's daughter Stephanie works at the Boyle Street Co-op. Stephanie says she felt a real sense of loss when she read about the plan in the Edmonton Journal last week "My mother didn't seek out honours or accolades; however, when the city decided to honour her by building the park, we were quite honoured," she said in an interview. "News that they would take that honour away causes me and my family to feel a real sense of loss." Ratan Lawrence, the association's executive director, said she was taken aback by Stephanie's comments. "To have such a memorial there where people are afraid to go is not an honour to Mary Burlie," she said. Lawrence says she has been working with merchants and property owners in the area for a number of years developing the proposal, but acknowledges a better job could have been done in reaching out to Mary’s family and the community. The community seems receptive. Thim Choy is president of the Boyle Street Community League and was a
6 // UP FRONT
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
friend of Mary Burlie for over 40 years. He would like to see the park moved to Boyle Street. "Mary worked with the people on 96 Street. We need to honour her legacy and if that means finding a more suitable location for her park, then that's what we need to do, and I would be honoured to welcome it to the new Boyle Street Community League site," he said. Choy says relocation discussions continue as the community league has to be moved to make way for the new YMCA. Richard Sanders, pastor at Shiloh Baptist Church and Mary’s son-inlaw, agrees with Choy. "My first initial thought was that this was not good," he explained, adding that he is having second thoughts. "Mary spent a great number of years working with the impoverished in our community.
Mary spent a great number of years working with the impoverished in our community. It is hard for me to accept that it is suitable to honour her and the victims of the Polytechnique massacre in a park like that. It is hard for me to accept that it is suitable to honour her and the victims of the Polytechnique massacre in a park like that." Sanders said he is now warming to the idea of moving the park as part of the downtown revitalization project. He agrees that perhaps the greatest legacy to Mary might be that the community finds a way to compromise on the issue while continuing to honour his mother-in-law. Stephanie Burlie hopes the community will show up to remind City Council of Mary's impact when the matter is brought before them. The proposal will be presented to council's executive committee on January 26 at 9:30 am. V
COMMENT >> HOCKEY
DYER STRAIGHT
Fall stars
<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
All Star talk dominates a morose column
Water finds its own level. So did our Oil pick teams. Instead of East/West or Eulast week. The Oilers put the brakes on rope/North America, the teams will be a seven-game losing streak by being just drafted by two panels of three captains one goal better than the New York Islandeach (which the All Stars will privately ers, who were also one point behind the choose) on Friday, January 28. The draft Oilers in NHL standings at faceoff time is billed as new NHL executive Brendan (it ended with a 2-1 win). Then the Oilers Shanahan's idea and does sound like faced a much better team in Vancouver the kinda plan Shanny would dream up. and were outclassed 6-1. The CaA big stink-eye goes to nhl.com nuckleheads were on a 12-0-2 writers Dave Lozo and Dan streak at the time; the Oilers Rosen, who held a mock draft just added to it. The Oilers using the same rules the continued their new losing om team captains would have to .c ly k e ewe ox@vu streak in Dallas, fighting hard follow (all three goalies have intheb oung & Y e v but falling 3-2. to be chosen by Round 10 and a D s e tl Bir all six d-men need to be picked Bryan Leave Grapes Alone! by Round 15 of 18). In their obI'm not a big fan or defender of Don viously amateurish mock draft, Ales Cherry—the guy has proven himself on Hemsky was picked last. Boo to Lozo a number of occasions to be a xenophoand Rosen. Boo. DY bic, sexist, slightly senile old man—but the press has been unfair towards him in Free ideas, NHL execs! Come get 'em regards to the comments he made about Thinking of the All-Star game draft (my the Russian World Juniors team. When wife actually thought it was a neat inCherry quipped, "I can't stand people who novation and she hates hockey) gave me can't stand liquor," in regards to the besome ideas to give pizzazz (Zip! Razzle haviour of the Russian team after it won dazzle! Jazz hands!) to the telecast. the tournament—unruly behaviour that 1) The set should look like a basement got the team kicked off a Delta Airlines or den, just like the rooms we all gather flight that was to take them home—he in to do our own sports drafts. Or a pub. was being more charitable than usual. Complete with a homemade board to Kind, even. That team's members were put names up. out of control, acted dishonourably and 2) Maybe have a celebrity ride shotgun should have been more careful, espewith each team to crack wise and give cially considering the legal drinking age witty advice as picks are being made. in New York State is 21 and all players Free advice: Kevin Smith, Denis Leary, in the World Juniors must be under 20. Mike Myers (despite Love Guru) and Printing Cherry's comments verbatim Steve Carell are all hockey fans and and not providing any context is a nasty funny. This is the NHL and it will be on business, akin to misquoting him. BB Versus so we may have to settle for Full House's Dave Coulier and some jackass Hey now. You're an All-Star from a reality show. Kudos to Ales Hemsky for being the to3) Don't just stop at letting the players ken Oiler named to the All-Star roster. pick their teammates. Let them also pick We'll have our most exciting player in which rookies will have to sing the anthem. the showcase. It was also good to see This shit just flies out of my head for Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall added to free. Genius. DY the Rookie roster. The Oilers are the only team with more than one of the 12 Rookies in the group. DY OilerS Player of the week
IN THE
BOX
market soaring. Most countries cannot insulate themselves from this global price rise, because they depend on imports for a lot of domestic consumption. But that means that a lot of their population cannot buy enough food for their families, so they go hungry. Then they get angry, and the riots start. Is this food emergency a result of global warming? Maybe, but all these droughts, heat waves and floods could also just be a run of really bad luck. What is nearly certain is that the warming will continue, and that in the future there will be many more weather disasters due to climate change. Food production is going to take a big hit. Global food prices are already spiking whenever there are a few local crop failures, because the supply barely meets demand even now. As the big emerging economies grow, Chinese and Indian and Indonesian citizens eat more meat, which places a great strain on grain supplies. Moreover, world population is now pass-
ing through seven billion, on its way to nine billion by 2050. We will need a lot more food than we used to. Some short-term fixes are possible. If the US government ended the subsidies for growing maize (corn) for "bio-fuels," it would return about a quarter of US crop land to food production. If people ate a little less meat, if more African land was brought into production, if more food was eaten and less was thrown away, then maybe we could buy ourselves another 15 or 20 years before demand really outstripped supply. On the other hand, about a third of all the irrigated land in the world depends on pumping groundwater up from aquifers that are rapidly depleting. When the flow of irrigation water stops, the yield of that highly productive land will drop hugely. Desertification is spreading in many regions, and a large amount of good agricultural land is simply being paved over each year. We have a serious problem here. Climate change is going to make the situation immeasurably worse. The modest
warming that we have experienced so far may not be the main cause of the floods, droughts and violent storms that have hurt this year's crops, but the rise in temperature will continue because we cannot find the political will to stop the greenhousegas emissions. The rule of thumb is that we lose about 10 percent of world food production for every rise of one degree Celsius in average global temperature. So the shortages will grow and the price of food will rise inexorably over the years. The riots will return again and again. In some places the rioting will turn into revolution. In others, the rioters will become refugees and push up against the borders of countries that don't want to let them in. Or maybe we can get the warming under control before it does too much damage. Hold your breath, squeeze your eyes tight shut and wish for a miracle. V Gwynne Dyer is a London-based journalist. His column appears every week in Vue Weekly.
BOB THE ANGRY FLOWER
Future considerations
At some point this year, team management is going to have to take a long hard look at trading away some players who aren't necessarily a part of the team's oft-mentioned five-year plan. The two most likely to come up are Penner and Hemsky. With a glut of talented wingers coming up in the Oilers' system and a dearth of quality centres and defencemen, coupled with the fact that either of Hemsky or Penner would make nice additions to any team looking to make a dent in the playoffs, the return on investment could be vast. And with Penner's inability to work hard every game and Hemsky's increasing propensity for injury, the two could be liabilities if re-signed at the end of next season, when both contracts expire. I'm not saying I want to see either of them go, I'm just saying we gotta think about what's best for the team. BB Pick me! Pick me!
I'm jazzed about the new format being rolled out for the All-Star game to
Devan Dubnyk: Nearly impossible to pick a player of the week in a week like this, but Dubnyk stood his ground against the Isles, allowing the Oilers to steal a win from a classic rival. BB Ales Hemsky: Named to the AllStar team. Had the lone Oiler goal in Vancouver. DY
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
UP FRONT // 7
DISH Pressing ahead
Sandwich shop owners began as foodie novices RECIPE The Golden Bear
(courtesy of Gavin Fedorak, Grant Fedorak and Scott Gordon)
Ingredients
Smoked Chicken Granny Smith Apple Cinnamon Brown Sugar Brie Cheese Spinach Sweet Fig Jam
Prepare Roasted Apples
1) Peel one Granny Smith Apple 2) Cut in half and remove core 3) Slice each half into approximately six pieces 4) In a bowl, sprinkle apples with brown sugar and cinnamon and toss until coated 5) Spread on a baking tray and bake for nine minutes at 350 C
Grant Fedoruk, Gavin Fedoruk and Scott Gordon went from full court presses to pressing sandwiches // Bryan Birtles
Bryan Birtles // bryan@vueweekly.com
W
hat do you get when you combine three university-educated, twentysomething guys, their love of eating and not much in the way of culinary expertise? You get Press'd, The Sandwich Company, of course. Press'd, the trendy new sandwich shop located in City Centre West is the one that almost always sports a lineup be-
tween the hours of 11:30 am and 1 pm every day, the one that you can smell miles—well, pedways, anyway—away, the one that has been open since early September and the one that owner Gavin Fedorak describes as being "like nothing else in downtown Edmonton." Of course, their culinary prowess was limited before they decided to open Press'd. Collectively, they've learned a lot about sandwiches, and how to make a really good one, in the last 18 months. "But
we've always loved food and we eat it—a lot," grins Scott Gordon, another one of the owners. Press'd is the brainchild of Fedorak and Gordon. As the story goes, the two were University of Alberta Golden Bears basketball players who, after a game in Phoenix one day, wandered into a sandwich shop to squelch their hunger. From that moment on, their definition of what a good sandwich should be was forever changed: the sandwiches they consumed were so good, so fresh and so unlike anything they'd ever experienced here in Edmonton that they simply couldn't forget about them. Both went on to become chartered accountants and both started working downtown, but they kept reminiscing about those sandwiches. Gordon says it didn't help that, whenever they went to grab something for lunch, "There was a lack of good quality, healthy food that we could get for a reasonable price." The plan was always to open a business of some sort and this seemed like the right opportunity to bring the type of sandwich that they were still pining for to Edmonton. So they recruited Gavin's brother, Grant Fedorak, and voilà: Press'd. So what makes Press'd so unique? Gordon thinks it's the hand-rolled bread they bake fresh each and every day. "Really, it's the bread that makes our sandwiches great. It's not the only thing, of course, but it's a big part of it. I mean, we make all our own bread." Actually, Grant makes most of the
8 // DISH
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
bread right now, although they're in the process of hiring another baker. "Yeah, I start sometime between 3:30 and 4:30 most mornings. And I bake bread—lots and lots of bread. We literally make all of our bread from scratch." Press'd sandwiches all start off with that made-from-scratch, freshly baked bread—white, whole wheat, pumpernickel rye or focaccia. That bread is then sliced, by hand. "It makes every sandwich somewhat different—and unique. You're never going to get exactly the same sandwich," explains Grant. "Even if it's the same kind of sandwich that you ordered yesterday." Gordon explains that no matter what goes into your sandwich, the ingredients are all some of the best out there and everything is treated with care. "We slice all our own meat and cheese, and that way they're as fresh as possible. We even slice up all the veggies every day." "We always start with whole fruits and veggies," Grant adds, "and everything we use is top-quality. We try to get the best stuff we can find. And our deli meats are all gluten- and MSG-free." Finally, Press'd sandwiches are, well, pressed. "They're not paninis, they're pressed sandwiches," Gavin explains. "Our bread can take the weight of the press. That means our sandwiches aren't all smushed together and they're not just a half-inch thick. The process we use maintains the integrity of the ingredients." The end result is a sandwich that is lightly toasted on the outside and slightly warm on the inside—and it still looks like a sandwich.
Building the Sandwich:
1) Start with two pieces of freshly baked bread, 3/4-inch thick 2) Spread sweet fig jam on bread 3) Add thinly-sliced chicken and fresh spinach; 4) Slice brie cheese into 1/4-inch thick slices and add approximately 1 ounce 5) Add five or six slices of freshly roasted apple Heat in microwave for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes or until brie is melted. Place on hot sandwich press for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes or until bread is toasted. V Even though Press'd is located in a fast food court, Gavin, Grant and Gordon don't consider their sandwiches fast food. "We're more involved than fast food," says Gordon. "We do the prep of a full-service restaurant. Fast casual would be a better description." "Our service is also more personal than what you'd get at a fast food place," adds Grant. "Right now I personally watch each and every sandwich that goes out." Add to that environmentally friendly packaging and seating that's roomy enough you can actually bend your elbows and you have Press'd. All from a group of guys who didn't know that much about food— other than eating it, that is—just 18 months ago. V Gavin Fedorak, Grant Fedorak and Scott Gordon Press'd, The Sandwich Company City Centre West, 780.909.6959
WINE
Bubbling through
Turning to sparkling wine to beat the cold
// Chelsea Boos
VIDI Adventure, mystery and roChampagne seems to embody VENI, mance, isn't that what all the the romance and sophisticaladies want? The James Bond tion of the world of sparm ekly.co movies that are now cult claskling wine, like James Bond's vuewe @ n n je sics could lead one to think so adventurous pursuits, good n n Je as well. Known for his suave, bubbly can lead one all over Fulford the globe. lady-killer charm, 007 always had one well-proven method: bubCava—which means cellar—is bles. A fixture in pop culture since the what the Spaniards call sparkling wine 1960s, James Bond has been styling the which is made in the region of Catalonia. ladies for over four decades with bubbly A luscious combination of native grape often in tow. So what does James Bond know that we don't? Throughout his cinematic career, 007 was an expert at most things, especially in the eyes of the ladies and in his knowledge of the power of the fizz. To start, it's important to know that Champagne can be classified as sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is classified as Champagne. Champagne is the cool region of northern France where the grapes have to be grown and the sparkling wine made in order for it to officially be Champagne. Although
VINO
varietals, this bubbly can have varying degrees of sweetness and a complexity in style that is similar to Champagne. Both Champagne and Cava are made in a traditional method called methode champenoise where the bubbles arise due to in-bottle fermentation, which is where their similarities in flavour come from. The softer bubbles of the Italian delight called Prosecco are created using the Charmat process where the fermentation takes place in a stainless steel tank under pressure. Many countries have their own classifications including the more obscure sparkling wine from Germany and Austria called Sekt, which is available either dry (trocken) or semi-dry (halbtrocken). Cap Classique is what the South Africans call their bubbles, usually made from Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc. Other regions of France producing sparkling wine are called either Cremant or Mousseaux. Although Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Canada produce a small amount of sparkling wine, California has taken over New World production with French Champagne houses starting up secondary wineries in the United States. Even though the deep freeze has set upon us for another couple of months, why not have an adventure and make it spark with a touch of bubbly. Check around with wine boutiques for upcoming sparkling wine and Champagne tastings in January and the local wine bars for their niche accents of bubbly from around the globe. V
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
DISH // 9
THE GREAT INDOORS
cultural climate
Edmonton's artists fight through the din of chattering teeth Bryan Birtles // bryan@vueweekly.com
E
dmonton is a city of extremes; from the stifling dry heat of the summer months to the cabin fever-inducing, solitary cold of the winter and all the rain and bluster in between, the weather in this northern burg can feel relentless. Instead of declaring a city emergency when 20 centimetres of snow drops over the weekend, however, this city plods along in its workman-like way: if the car won't run then it's time to take the bus or walk, and if the jacket won't cut the cold then it's time for another sweater. As the cold seeps through our clothes and into our bones, so too does it seep into the consciousness of the people of Edmonton, reflected back at us by our artists. Whereas art from other countries reflects the truth of other peoples' experiences, local art is important for the way it reflects and makes sense of the dark wasteland that surrounds us for nearly half the year. "It takes a certain kind of person to live here. There's a certain kind of grit you have to have to go through your daily life," explains Amy van Keeken, a member of the Secretaries and a collaborator on last summer's That's Edmonton For You, a show about the city for which she penned the blues riff-driven "Northern City." "I wanted to make a tough rock song because that's one way I feel tough, is being able to live here, thrive here and create here." For Alice Major—Edmonton's first poet laureate and a founding member of the city's Stroll of Poets, whose work often reflects the reality, the history and the geology of life in Edmonton— it would be unthinkable to live in this city and not have its personal rhythms reflected back to its citizens. Consuming the myriad of art from places like America gives a view of the world far different from our own, and that can leave a person feeling unrooted. "I think that would be a very serious problem if there were no artists here expressing our reality," Major explains. "I often think of what kind of a brain disconnect it must be if you live in a remote Arctic community and you're fed television shows from California; that's the kind of disconnect you can get on a lesser scale here in Edmonton, so you need poets and painters and storytellers and musicians who are making our reality for us and for the rest of the world too." There is a charm to winter that people
10 // THE GREAT INDOORS
from other parts of the world don't get to experience. There's a simplicity in being forced inside, a resigned familiarity each time the mercury drops low enough to turn the furnace on and the warm air starts flowing out of heat registers. There's a stark beauty in the way frost applies itself in patterned layers to house windows, and a sense of accomplishment when it is removed from car windshields. These experiences seep into the collective unconscious of the city, creating solidarity between Edmontonians and with the place itself. For artist and musician Nickelas Johnson—whose work celebrates a romanticized northwestern Canada through images of
The winter can even serve as a jumping-off point for creativity: when you're stuck at home on the third day of a blizzard, it's hard not to start looking within yourself for inspiration. "Winter is beautiful, so it's inspiring; the cold can be beautiful, even the wind, the sun on the snow, that's inspiring to me," says van Keeken. "It can affect your mood so you might write certain kinds of songs in the winter. Winter's kind of introspective, I guess, for me. It feels different than in the summer, it's a different feeling and a different energy." Introspection is a necessary process for art and Edmonton provides plenty opportunities for it. The nights that stretch on from well before dinner into
ally stay home and write that book and there was something about being able to do that through the winter months that was enormously productive. [It was] reflective, something about the light, and the quiet—that muffled quality to our winter days." For Johnson, it sometimes seems like the winter is the only time of year he ever gets any work done. "Having such a limited amount of summertime, I don't wanna sit in the house and make shit. I wanna go outside and enjoy the warmth," he says. "As much as I honestly do enjoy the winter, you can't sit outside all day and read a book. You've gotta do something to keep yourself from going nuts, so I
"Winter is beautiful, so it's inspiring; the cold can be beautiful, even the wind, the sun on the snow, that's inspiring to me." lumberjacks, explorers, fur traders and animals—that solidarity is inspiring. For him, the fury of nature is an exciting time, a moment that binds together the people of this city. "When the weather gets extreme there's something of a freedom I find in that," he says. "It's like everyone is fighting against the same thing all of a sudden and it's great—traffic laws stop mattering and everyone's just trying to not die."
the mid-morning, the constant need to escape the cold, the isolation that develops from being housebound for days on end, all of these things mix up to make a specific way that Edmonton's artists create. "My most recent book was written over the winter, and it was a book about the death of my parents," reflects Major. "I was very fortunate to get a grant from the Edmonton Arts Council and I had several months in which I could actu-
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
find it's much more productive for me. I do very little in the way of painting in the summertime." For van Keeken, the experience is similar: with winter being such a perilous time to attempt a tour through Canada's icy and remote geography, the season becomes one of creation instead of performance. "I definitely feel more like staying inside and creating than I do going out and performing," she says. "My bands
don't tour very much in the winter because it's treacherous, so it makes it easier to stay at home and record. Lots of people record in the winter and then tour in the summer." But for all of its loneliness-inducing cold and snow, winter does have a way of accentuating the feeling of community in Edmonton, not only in its camaraderie-inducing, shared experiences of trying to survive, but also in its "Oh, get on with it" attitude. "The Secretaries last year played the Olympic torch relay in January outside, which was crazy; it was so cold that my guitar wouldn't stay in tune, the horns couldn't even play because they got stuck because they were frozen—it was really cold," recounts van Keeken. "The organizers didn't even think twice about having us play outside; anywhere else in the world this would be a full-on countrywide emergency because it's -20, but here we were just playing outside." "We are a very intrepid bunch," says Major, of Edmontonians' willingness to brave the elements to hear from the city's artists. "I remember when the Stroll of Poets had their 12 nights of poetry smack in the middle of winter and the places would be jammed, people turned out to events. They may turn out late and take up a lot of room in our parkas and make the place feel more jammed, but we get out." "I think there's a sense of pride in our ability to withstand it; you meet people who live in warmer climes and they come up and they go, 'Oh it's so cold, I can't fucking stand it,' and I just go, 'Yeah, it's cold, but I can stand it, and we're all just a bunch of wussy artists too,'" laughs Johnson. "I do think there's a solidarity, a sense of pride, that comes out of that." This dark place we call home may have its disadvantages, but within its furious weather and isolating location is a certain strength that this city's artists can draw on. Without them, our reality would never be reflected back to us and we would find ourselves untethered from our reality when things don't happen at the same time they do on American television: when the leaves change in September instead of October; when we're playing hockey outside in November instead of touch football. But its effects are also what builds a strange camaraderie. Being snow bound doesn't necessarily mean you're alone—it can also mean you're bound together by snow. V
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
THE GREAT INDOORS // 11
DIY meets WTF
Regretsy offers true crafters a place to vent samantha power // samantha@vueweekly.com
S
taving off the winter crazy can become difficult for those of us trapped in snow and work. Long months getting up to pitch dark mornings only to return home in an equal darkness can lead to a person going a little stir crazy. So we often start looking to create a few new projects—sewing, cooking, trying your hand at woodcarving—and the depths of January become an opportunity to start on that project you've always wanted to try. Our need to exercise our creativity is not new, but the ability to share our creations with the world is something the Internet has made a lot easier. And that's not always a good thing, as April Winchell knows. Owner and editor of the Internet phenomenon Regretsy, Winchell has found everything through her near daily travels through the crafters' marketing site Etsy—buttons glued onto combs, staples protruding from unorganized creations, hot glue, sparkles—and with its mandate to illustrate "Where DIY meets WTF" Regretsy showcases everything from bandages adorned with rhinestones to a plethora of
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
vagina-inspired art. The website, born of Winchell's love of the weird and wacky, skyrocketed to success. "It struck a nerve for a lot of reasons that weren't clear to me at the time, but that I understand now, and within four days it had 90 million hits. It became one of the top 5000 sites in the US in a few days. I was inundated with emails and offers, people trying to buy the site outright, book deals and people wanting to be my literary agent." But Winchell's love of devouring the strange creations on Etsy kept the site in her hands and its open-door comment policy quickly led to an unintended consequence: the site became a place for Etsy-lovers to blow off some steam. "You have real artists out there being buried by people gluing crap to other crap and there's no place to talk about it." Winchell explains. The idea that everyone can be a successful crafter is perpetuated by Etsy's "no-negativity" policy and Winchell quickly saw that Regretsy became an unintended home for people to vent about the pervasive non-crafters, plagiarists and resellers on Etsy.
A selection of vagina necklaces for your, um, enjoyment?
"I don't think resentment and bad feelings just disappear if you can't express them, and, strangely—not that I planned it—it became a place where people could vent." says Winchell. But it's not just Etsy that creates this pervasive "accept all" attitude toward crafts. "Handmade has become a brand," says Winchell. "An obnoxious brand—it's really not any different than a mall, and in a way it's a little bit worse because it's assumed to have a moral authority and it's confusing. There are so many levels of ego. It's a much bigger issue than I thought, what people feel compelled to say and why they feel they have to be nice." Winchell's experience combing through Etsy and creating Regretsy has given her a unique perspective on the handcrafters' existence in a commodified world. "We've always had the belief that we could create and be creative people," she says. "We all got bad sweaters from our grandma, or toilet paper cozies, or people made us awful cake. We've all been on the receiving end of a creative endeavour that was not successful. I think it's human that we want to be creative.” Winchell suggests that where the problem arises is in the idea that we can all be successful at creating art: "I think what's become problematic is that Etsy has sold this lie that anybody can supplement their income or quit their day job." But that's also where a lot of the fun comes in. Winchell's acerbic wit is a real wake up call to people who think they can glue three buttons on a hair comb and sell it for five dollars, which is something Winchell has seen. "There's stuff that makes me angry and is pure garbage. I reserve my contempt for things like that, just stapled together glued together, just pure crap," she says. "I feel like the people you make fun of have to be asking for it in some way. I don't go after people with mental or physical disabilities. To me what's funny are people who are misguided."
Based on Regretsy's success, people seem to appreciate the opportunity for criticism, though the site does far more than simply criticize. Through the legal threats and acerbic comments, Winchell's love for the unconventional is a driving force behind the site. Spending almost every day on the site she also spends a lot of money on crafters who present an interesting view of the world. Her recent list of top buys in 2010 highlights the quirky view she shares with many of Regretsy and Etsy lovers. Antique plates with Star Wars characters, a caftan made of a blanket illus-
We all got bad sweaters from our grandma, or toilet paper cozies, or people made us awful cake. We've all been on the receiving end of a creative endeavour that was not successful. I think it's human that we want to be creative. trated with numerous dog faces, or a cross-stitched "Bless This House," with the TV show's curmudgeonly lead stitched in place of a home. "I love all of those things," she confesses. "It's all really well made, even though it's peculiar. That's what Etsy is for, the stuff that is real and thoughtfully made that you can't find anywhere else." And that's the role crafting and the art of the handmade has filled for centuries—creating those things we can't find anywhere else. Whether it's a daddle, a saddle for kids to comfortably play horse with dad, or zombified antique dolls, creativity is an unending process, but it's one that many may come to regret putting in the public sphere. V
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
THE GREAT INDOORS // 13
THE GREAT INDOORS // FLOWCHART
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
ARTS
THEATRE // REVUE
A soaring epic
Spiral Dive a gritty, rare chance to take in a true epic guarded love who just wants him to "Kill Germans. Make their mothers weep." And Part Three, the highlight, brings it all into a mesmerizing, harrowing conclusion: the allies are winning the war, but chaos is everywhere, violence closing in on the squandron on all fronts. Their tragedies and triumphs aren't national; they're private, human, more sinking-feeling-in-the-gut than standing proud at arms. As Jack, Blake William Turner's wide eyed determination is ideal for guiding us through their eventual narrowing; in a multitude of other character roles Caley Suliak, Jeremy Baumung, Bryan D Webb all make a mostly empty stage and feel full and imbue a few props with lively vitality.
An epic in the best sense of the term Paul Blinov //paul@vueweekly.com
T
hough currently enjoying its first mainstage run with Workshop West, the complete Spiral Dive trilogy still shares some common ground with its Fringe beginnings: like a day at the Fringe, it's something best enjoyed immersing yourself in for a full day. I don't mean that as a slight to the parts that make up the whole: Kenneth Brown's three-episode war epic—a true epic, in the best sense of the term—is a
dark, gritty, rare chunk of theatre that’s necessarily thick cut, and best enjoyed as a complete arc: being divided into three may be of necessity, but taking in all three gives Spiral Dive a chance to intensify properly in your mind. Epics like this can't be crammed into 90 minute run-times. They need to take to the sky, and here you have the rare chance to follow (there's one more 3-plays in a day date: Sunday, January 23rd, starting at 2 pm). Part One introduces Jack Harding, a small town Alberta kid with an inno-
cent love of flight, so unassuming for what's to come: here we start with the intoxicating rush of flight, and end with his first brush of indescribable horror of war. "It's fun. Repeat after me: It's fun," spouts a more adjusted wingman to Jack after his first kill (and, immediately before that, watching his first friend get chopped apart by machine gun fire). He isn't convinced. Part Two is more political, more world-wearying; we see the inner workings of the squad, a grimmer look at the war itself and a fuller picture of the mystery surrounding Eva, Jack's
Spiral Dive isn't so much a war story as a story about the horrors of war. The difference is how much stage time Brown, as playwright and director, allots to the mess hall rather than the front lines, to the 48-hour leaves than the frantic minutes of warfare. He reveals the microbattles fought within squadrons, between the greedy and refugees, and the lengths some have to go to survive. There's lots of dark humour scattered throughout all three parts, but you're always on edge; scenes of moderate spirits often get ambushed by far darker mood. Brown's original draft of Spiral Dive was a novel, and those literary origins show in Brown's heavily narra-
tive script: there are beautiful streams of words, and there are lines that just don't slip off the tongue, even with as talented as cast as this, and moments where the high-altitude drama crosses melodrama's choppy borders: the first two parts, curiously, end on moments that seem more like forced "endings" than sentimental conclusions. But really, that seems like nit-picking in the big picture: this is physical gritty theatre, sparse but engaging, and embodied with its original cast who've been versed in this material for five years. The series-climaxing dogfight—the squadron goes over enemy lines for one hour, shooting whatever they may—is the breathlessly visceral sort of thing you just lose yourself in the chaos of. It's exhilarating. Jack goes home, and tells his parents about his time away. The real stuff, though, he can’t speak of. Having followed Jack through it all, you can hardly blame him. V Thu, Jan 6 – Sun, Jan 23 (7:30 pm) All three PARTS shown on Sun, jan 23 (2 pm) Spiral Dive Trilogy Written & Directed by Kenneth Brown Starring Blake William Turner, Caley Suliak, Bryan D Webb, Jeremy Baumung La Cité Francophone theatre (8627 - 91 St), $20 – $25 per episode For episode schedule go to WORKSHOPWEST.ORG
BOOKS // REVUE
Werewolves and lollygagging
Patton Oswalt's Zombie Spaceship Wasteland beneath his talent Michael hingston // michaelhingston@vueweekly.com
P
atton Oswalt has long had a reputation as an unusually literate stand-up comic. True, his interests veer far more lowbrow than high, but the 41-yearold Virginian's psyche is so obviously branded by the formative genre novels and comics of his youth that occasionally he'll even forego a punchline or two onstage just to namedrop some of his favourites. There's a moment on his bravura 2007 album Werewolves and Lollipops where Oswalt mentions his love for the sci-fi writers HP Lovecraft and Harlan Ellison—and is met with a rare moment of silence from the audience. They have no idea who these guys are, but you get the sense Oswalt doesn't care. It matters to him, and that's enough. So a book makes perfect sense: a
chance for Oswalt to stretch his legs a little, move away from the demanding laughs-per-minute quota and let his ever-nimble, ever-fiery mind hum at its own sustained pace. Unfortunately, Zombie Spaceship Wasteland is not that book. The most glaring problem is that it doesn't feel like a project that Oswalt has spent years, or even very many months, crafting. In fact, it doesn't feel like it was his idea at all. I'm willing to bet that it was instead pitched to him—and, not wanting to recycle old material, but not having a full-length book project readily at hand, either, Oswalt instead rifled through an old notebook or two and transcribed 180 pages' worth of bullet points. Sometimes the result is inspired, like the title essay, where Oswalt posits that all teenaged nerds latch onto one of three crucial storylines: zombie (where
society is simplified down to a core group of archetypes/survivors), spaceship (where society is replaced by a brand-new world), or wasteland (where society is obliterated altogether). These decisions, he argues, fundamentally shape the rest of those people's lives. Zombies constantly roll their eyes at how stupid their fellow humans' pursuits and neuroses are. Wastelands tend to wear backpacks and trench coats—because "[a]t any time, [they] suspect they're going to need to grab whatever's at hand and head for the horizon." But too many of the pieces are little more than a premise with a few colourful turns of phrase sprinkled on top. Again, you're reminded of a handwritten list in Oswalt's Moleskine. How else to explain the pseudo-intellectual parsing of a bunch of fictional hobo songs? The series of inappropriate greeting cards?
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
Or the illustrated comic about vampire hipsters, which ends with the surprise appearance of a character called Fat-Positive Gay Frat Werewolf ? It's all the more frustrating because Oswalt is exactly the kind of comic you wish would occasionally let his guard down a little. There are a few memoir-ish pieces in Zombie Spaceship Wasteland that make feints toward vulnerability—including an origin story of sorts, involving Philip K Dick, REM and Adventures in Babysitting, set at the decrepit movie theatre Oswalt worked in as a teen—but even during these quieter, more melancholy moments he's pulling his punches. Symptomatic of this are the recurring "Full Disclosure" gags, where Oswalt lists the things he did on the Internet while procrastinating writing the chapter you've just read. While funny, these bits are ultimately hollow, and self-defeating to boot—they undercut whatever seriousness Oswalt might have been halfheartedly aiming for. He's not just keeping you at arm's length; in most cases he's actively pushing you away.
By this point, Oswalt has a substantial fan base—thanks to wide-ranging work in the alternative comedy world, as well as providing the main voice in Pixar's Ratatouille and his long-running stint on TV's The King of Queens—and many of them will probably snap this book up. But they're right to expect better. This kind of tossed-off material is, frankly, beneath a man of Oswalt's talent and craftsmanship. (If there are any skeptics out there still dubious of his skills, look up his ecstatic, polysyllabic screed against the KFC Famous Bowl; if this bit were plainly transcribed it'd still be head and shoulders above most of the content here.) I have no doubt Oswalt has at least one genuinely heartfelt book inside of him. Maybe with Zombie Spaceship Wasteland out of his system, we'll get to see it sometime soon. V Now Available Zombie Spaceship Wasteland By Patton Oswalt Scribner 208 pp, $27.99
ARTS // 15
VISUAL ARTS // REVUE
Familiar decay
Similar themes get disparate explorations at Harcourt House Carolyn Jervis // carolynjervis@vueweekly.com
H
arcourt House's two current exhibitions, Cynthia Fuhrer's I Make My Own Friends and Sherri Chaba's Life – Line, tackle themes of the familiar and of decay in disparate ways. Fuhrer uses the familiar artistic medium of clay to render 10 elegant white busts. These gleaming and often polished-looking sculptures become familiar as you inspect their austere sleeping faces in the cold grey exhibition space. While the cool indifference of their closed eyes is consistent, the interaction between the sleekly modeled faces and the rough textured clay of their necks varies. One work has tiny pebbles of clay that circle the neck to create a rough and dramatic collar (with the addition of two bulbous half moons of hair, this bust looks like it could be Queen Elizabeth I), and is a reminder of that human imperative to search for concrete meaning in abstracted forms. Some of the sculptures would be less discordant if the rough and smooth textures visually connected more clearly. However, the single face that was disfigured by the artist through abstraction— the cutting out of large chunks from an otherwise elegantly imagined face— shows Fuhrer's competence in pushing this play with rough and smooth to a place of further ocular delight. Chaba's Life-Line instantly evokes the familiar Prairie experience of driving down any highway and pondering what lies within one forgotten derelict barn or another. The assortment of unusual and archaic rusted-out tools have been repurposed by the artist, seemingly reassembled to make ready for a non-existent task that doesn't need doing. These forgotten things get the temporary happiness of being laid on the art gallery altar for the looking of keen eyes. This is a great exhibition to visit with someone who struggles with non-representational art and is always searching for the use value of such objects. A distinct pleasure in visiting this show is attempting to identify these recently adopted objects, attempting to name all of the possible uses for all of the
One of Cynthia Fuhrer's busts from I Make My Own Friends
wrenches in the grainy photograph depicting a decaying plywood tool board with each rusted out object in its place. Another joy is found in trying to decide what new task has been imagined in the creation of the bizarre composite tool forms. And in these explorations of visual culture is an easily discernable but no less satisfying overarching theme. These objects evoke a way of life that is also being left behind in falling-apart barns and sheds in the face of new technology and disappearing family farms. In this bright graveyard is an environmental message as well, present in the crunch of broken clay underfoot, the meticulously constructed twig and steel
ARTIFACTS The High Level Bridge screening & fundraiser / Sat, Jan 15 (8 pm) Trevor Anderson's The High Level Bridge—a darkly funny, touching tribute about the iconic bridge's psychic residence within our city—has spent the better part of the year racking up some serious acclaim: namely, a screening at the Toronto International Film Fest and an Honourable Mention nod for Best Short Film from the American Film Institute. Now it's been accepted into the even-more-prodigious Sun-
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
dome, and other organic elements present in the strange assortment of objects. Like the lifestyle the tools are a stand-in for, the clay and rock and branch are a reminder of the other kinds of life that also pay the price in an age of growing corporate farms, feedlots and processing plants, making way for monoculture crops, fertilizer run-off and nutrient-poor soil. V Until Sat, Feb 12 I MAKE MY OWN FRIENDS WORKS BY CYNTHIA FUHRER LIFE – LINE WORKS BY SHERRI CHABA HARCOURT HOUSE (3rd floor, 10215 - 112 St)
PAUL BLINOV // PAUL@vueweekly.com
dance; not too shabby for a movie with $500 budget and volunteer help. Plane tickets to Utah aren't cheap, though, so Anderson and co have been experimenting with funding. On indiegogo.com, they've set up an exchange of sorts: any donation you give gets returned to you in the form of gifts (and that warm, gooey feeling of having helped some local artists strut their stuff on the international stage). The gifts range from thank yous on their website, The High Level Bridge pins or posters,
or hand-knit toques screen-printed with the movie's crest (those ones literally hand made; supplies are in short supply on the toque front). They've already surpassed their modest goal there, but it's still short of the the funding they need, so Anderson's throwing a party at the Artery: silent auction, a screening of High Level, and DJ-led dancing until the early hours—like Electric Circus, but with a cause. (The ARTery [9535 Jasper Avenue], suggested donation $10; search High Level Bridge on indiegogo.com)
COMMENT >> BOOKS
Without telling
Paul Bowles' autobiography deepens his mysteries There's an incident described in Paul quipped that Bowles should have titled his made traveling sound, something in his stoBowles' autobiography Without Stopautobiography Without Telling, referring to ries remained seductive. He certainly made ping, relayed without sentiment or much Bowles' indefatigable reticence regarding me want to go everywhere. elaboration, in which the author flips his sexuality. But Without Stopping actua coin as a method of deciding beally tells us a lot about this very particu"You don't take a honeymoon alone," he tween two actions: heads he sets lar, very peculiar man, especially his interrupted. off for Europe as soon as posenduringly hazy sense of volition "You might." She laughed shortly. sible, tails he overdoses on and sense of the fluidity of self. —"Call at Corazón" barbiturates. Bowles doesn't That troublesome "I" referred to m recall having had the idea to above tells us something about It's easy to emphasize Paul Bowles' ekly.co vuewe josef@ do this, only suddenly, comthe narrator of "You Are Not I," weirdness—we're talking about a guy f Jose pulsively, performing the act. an escapee from a mental instituwho took an extraordinarily long time to Braun "It occurred to me," he writes, tion who seems to undergo some differentiate between the sexes as a boy, "that this meant that I was not the sort of psychic transference by placing and one who happily married a woman I I thought I was or, rather, that there a stone in her sister's mouth. I read Without despite the fact that both he and Jane was a second I in me who had suddenly Stopping only after reading Bowles' more Bowles seemed primarily if not excluassumed command." Whichever "I" took famous works, namely the novels The sively homosexual. But I think Bowles' command of Bowles' life at such turnSheltering Sky and Let It Come Down and manner of grappling with ambivalence ing points was clearly drawn to games of chance, and at times to outright danTo be sure, it only deepens the mysteries ger—yet perhaps this "I" had a sharper surrounding Bowles' life and work. eye for the odds. Had Bowles found tails, and had he followed through with its dictates, he would have died far too young, far in advance of most of the those incredible short stories, and found in both his personal life and his fiction is journeys and friendships with famous it to be easily one of the most vivid and what resonates so intensely with readand talented people that would bless fascinating items in the canon, though to ers. Those characters who most resemble his life, far in advance of becoming the be sure, it only deepens the mysteries surBowles seem perpetually torn between celebrated composer and fiction writer rounding Bowles' life and work. The couple companionship and solitude. In an espeso many cherish. But Bowles got heads, traversing the Sahara in The Sheltering Sky cially memorable chapter of The Shelterwent to Europe and many other, much find only death or perdition; the widower ing Sky, Port returns at night to a desostranger places, married a woman who in "Pages From Cold Point," who relocates late, beautiful place he'd visited earlier in would also prove a marvelous, eerily him and his son to a remote island so as to the day with Kit. By returning alone and like-minded writer, produced a great escape what he deems a doomed and groin secret he seems to be correcting the deal of music and wrote or translated tesque civilization, finds that what's most earlier, shared and somehow flawed expea good number of books, and lived unrepulsive about the life he's left behind has rience of the place. Yet Port isn't tempted til the age of 88. Last December 30 he been following him all along. Nearly everyto abandon Kit—he wants to keep sharwould have turned 100. So this is a bething Bowles published reads like a warning ing things with her, even at risk of spoillated happy birthday. to Westerners to stay home, yet Bowles, ing some of them. Perhaps this tension raised comfortably—if under the terror of a is itself desirable. Perhaps, for all its deAs usual I reminded myself that since nothreportedly draconian father—in the Eastern tached, quietly unnerving qualities, The ing was real, it did not matter too much. US, cultivated a legacy as the quintessential Sheltering Sky is simply an accurate por—Without Stopping expatriate, always seeking roads less travtrait of marriage. It is, in any case, as good eled and living out much of his life in North a place as any to discover Bowles if you've William Burroughs, who came to know Africa. He couldn't bear staying home. Thing never read him. That or The Delicate Prey Bowles in Tangier in the 1950s, once is, however terrifying or fraught Bowles and Other Stories. V
HOP H C SCOT
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
ARTS // 17
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18 // ARTS
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
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SNOW ZONE Hot diggity dog
Ski movie time machine
Three surprising winners when it comes to ski films
Terror and T&A: Ski films come in a variety of shapes Carolyn Nikodym // carolyn@vueweekly.com
O
n the podium of ski flicks, Hot Dog ... The Movie doesn't belong on the bronze side, nor on the silver side, but right in the middle, sporting the gold. It has some great skiing footage, a decent—if clichéd—storyline, and 1982's Playmate of the Year, Canadian Shannon Tweed, in one of her few "legitimate" movie roles. For the uninitiated, the story goes like this: Harkin Banks is a ski bum who wants to prove himself at Squaw Valley's freestyle competition. Young, handsome and quite the ripper, Harkin quickly finds himself in a love triangle with two blondes (enter Tweed), and finds his skiing archnemesis in Rudi. It should be said that freestyle comps back in the '80s weren't quite the huck-fests that they are these days. The ballet footage (youtube. com/watch?v=kKxuSejr2Y8) is one of the things that makes Hot Dog so freaking rad. It often gets overshadowed by the Chinese downhill, which really is just an early version of ski cross, but watching jocks pirouette
on skis is really unparalleled. Although Hot Dog came out over 25 years ago, trailing on the heels of other jiggling sex comedies like Porky's, it still inspires the notion that heading for the mountains means heading for the, ahem, "hills" in young, straight men. Earning the silver is Aspen Extreme. Starring a pre-Due South Paul Gross, the film follows best buddies TJ and Dexter who leave their dead-end jobs in Detroit to try their hand at teach-
is more of the sidekick. He's kind of goofy and more down home. TJ wants, more than anything, to be a writer and get published in Powder magazine, but Dexter doesn't have any big dreams like that. Both TJ and Dexter experience growing pains trying to negotiate the Aspen scene and have a serious falling out. But some friendships are worth repairing. Like Hot Dog, Aspen Extreme has some great skiing footage. There is an insane scene of TJ picking his way down a frozen waterfall. While this feat was
Released in the early '90s, there are still plenty of neon ski suits and shoulder pads, but if you can look beyond that, [Aspen Extreme] also has a real story—sort of a Top Gun on skis. ing ski school in Aspen, Colorado. Released in the early '90s, there are still plenty of neon ski suits and shoulder pads, but if you can look beyond that, the film also has a real story—sort of a Top Gun on skis. TJ is the humble big shot—good looking and talented skier—while Dexter
handled by Paul Gross's character, it was extreme skiing pioneer Doug Coombs who handled the stunt. The bronze goes to the recent thriller Frozen. True, it's a bit of a dark horse in this competition (pun absolutely intended). If you can make it through
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
the film's beginning, with its cheesy dialogue and very boring riding footage (you'll see more interesting novice turns from a chairlift), what follows is harrowing. Frozen tells the story of three friends stuck on a lift after the hill closes down. They don't just have to make it through one night, either, as this resort only runs Friday to Sunday, and this is Sunday night. Yes, it is somewhat implausible that in such a case there wouldn't be a surefire mechanism in place to clear the hill and lift, but writer/director Adam Green does handle this conundrum, knowing full well that human error does happen—especially on the last day before days off. And this is beside the point, really. Where the movie really succeeds is playing on the fear that all chairlift riders have had. Whenever the lift stops, each and every person on it looks down and wonders if a jump off would be possible. In the end, Frozen is an intriguing character study. Its success could lie in that the film was shot entirely on location on a chairlift at a real resort—the shivering and numb-lip conversation is authentic, and the young actors rise to the challenge. V
Skiing has appeared on silver screen since movies began—sometimes in a starring main role, but mostly as a bit part—and in all kinds of genres. Popeye, the Pink Panther and Goofy have all tried their hand at the sport. Goofy in "The Art of Skiing" from 1941 might contain the first (and only?) footage of someone sleeping with skis. James Bond loved skiing so much that it was used in five different 007 films: On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, A View to a Kill and The World is Not Enough. Former heartthrob and skiing aficionado Robert Redford brought the elite side of the sport to the screen in Downhill Racer back in 1969 (which is also the year he bought the land that would become Sundance). The film chronicles David Chappellet's stab at Olympic gold—which, at the time, was laughable as Europeans dominated the sport. Apparently the IOC wouldn't let filmmakers take footage during Olympic events, so cast and crew used handheld cameras to film on the sly, giving the Olympic scenes a more documentary feel. French-Canadians beat Hollywood to the ski sex-comedy punch by more than a decade with Après-Ski (1971), which chronicles the sexual conquests of a ski instructor and includes a nude ski scene. Powder Heads (1980) tried to marry frat-house humour with skiing, inspired by the success of Animal House. The story follows a merry bunch of ski bums on their trek to Marmot Basin in Jasper, but it isn't long before they head south for a bigger resort. There were a handful of films released over the last few decades—Out Cold, Winter Break, Frostbite, Ski School, Ski Patrol— which in terms of story line and ski footage aren't really worth the celluloid they were printed on. The most recent attempt was, of course, Hot Tub Time Machine. Filmed in Vancouver and Fernie, the movie has very little actual skiing footage. Disappointing, as John Cusack is quite the skier. That being said, HTTM is a definite tip of the hat to the '80s in film, made successful by stronger acting and writing than most of the aforementioned attempts. It has no hopes, however, of stripping Hot Dog of its gold standing. It'll be fun to see what does. V
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
SNOW ZONE // 21
214 cms+
and still snowing!!
Come enjoy Alberta’s best snow conditions! Grab your
Abominable Snowballs
'Mostly gay' ski trip celebrates its fourth year of skis and parties Bryan Birtles // bryan@vueweekly.com
'M
y enthusiasm for trying to organize the gays—which is kind of like herding cats, but somebody's gotta do it—is something I enjoy doing which is why I don't mind putting in a little extra effort." Now in its fourth year, Snowballs— described as a "mostly gay" ski trip by co-organizer Mike Stansberry—will once again hit the slopes of Banff in late January and will make its first trek to Jasper for that city's Pride Weekend lue in mid-February. Stansberry and co-orrrain • best va e t t s e b • w o n best s ganizer Aaron Churchill first organized Snowballs to fill the void left by an earlier gay ski trip's demise. Start your alpine adventure "Aaron and I years ago went on the Visit www.castlevacations.ca Friends of Dorothy ski trip, and for a number of years nobody in Edmonton was organizing a fabulous ski trip where we'd met tons of friends and had a great time, so one day we decided that Mid-week Cat Skiing Adventure we could do it," explains Stansberry. *valid any time of the season Tues, Wed & Thursday nights only from "We have the skills and energy to put 1 Day Full Mountain Lift Ticket this together so we went for it." 1 Day Powder Stage Coach Cat Skiing 2 Nights Hotel Room Accommodations & 2 Breakfasts Snowballs might be billed as a ski per person Per person/ per night. Based on Twin/Dbl share. Pre booking required. Based on availability. /per night trip, but to hear Stansberry describe it might lead one to believe that it's more Reservations 1 888 627 5121 like a non-stop party with a little skiing visit www.powderstagecoach.ca thrown in for good measure. The trip has proven to be such a party over the years that for this Snowballs, Calgarybased gay DJ group Strobelight Produc&05B'HF 0LG:HHNB9XH%:B35,17 LQGG 30 tions has rented out Banff's Dancing Sasquatch Party Palace to give that city a gay nightclub, if for one night only. "It starts on a liquor-licensed party bus, we leave Friday around 6 o'clock in the evening, do a quick dinner break and on the Banff trip we'll do a quick stop in Calgary to pick up partiers—I mean skiers," laughs Stansberry. "The next day we provide a fabulous continental breakfast on the way to the hill, we ski Lake Louise on Saturday, when
boards, friends & family & head to Castle! skicastle.ca
Alberta’s Only Cat Skiing
$211 .25*
22 // SNOW ZONE
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
// Pete Nguyen
we get back we have a little bit of downtime where we mostly gather at the hot tub—I call it gay soup. Then there's a group dinner reservation and then we're onto the Saturday night party." But as Stansberry explains, the trip has more meaning than simply being a good time: it also helps strengthen the ties within the gay community. Though laws protect sexual minorities and gay marriage has come to Canada, not everyone feels that they can express themselves fully within the context of the larger, heteronormative culture. "I think it's not about just the trip itself—it's about knowing that you're in an environment where it's safe to be yourself. In a lot of situations if you
go on another bus tour trip, sure you'd have a great time but you don't get the chance to always fully be yourself," says Stansberry. "It's more of a sense of camaraderie you get on Snowballs. I've met a lot of really good friends on the trip and I think other people would tell you the same." V Fri, Jan 28 – Sun, Jan 30 Snowballs Banff, AB snowballs@teamedmonton.ca Fri, Feb 11 – Sun, Feb 13 Snowballs Jasper, AB snowballs@teamedmonton.ca
FALLLINES
HART GOLBECK // HART@vueweekly.com
just nicely for the upcoming Jasper In January Festival, that runs from January 15 through to January 30." We were pretty ecstatic that we didn't turn around at Stony Plain when conditions got a little dicey.
Blizzard blankets Marmot Basin
Skiers and boarders can Cross at Lake Louise
// Mike Gere
It may not have been the smartest move to cruise down the Yellowhead towards Jasper on Friday night: the road was snow packed, ditches littered with vehicles and highway jitters were apparent as drivers continually hit their brakes for no apparent reason. My buddy Ric and I were in a big Dodge 4x4 and we motored on, finally arriving at 10:30 pm. At one point it was snowing so hard that several drivers missed the turnoff into the Jasper town site, but we spotted it and headed in for a much-deserved cocktail at Papa George's. The next morning the images of the harrowing drive were immediately replaced by 40 cm of fresh powder on Marmot Basin's slopes. No lift lines and pow everywhere you went. A short seven-minute ride up the Canadian Rockies Express chair dropped you right into the middle of ungroomed bliss. Unfortunately, the deep stuff was working overtime on our thighs and the lack of lift lines was not much of an advantage on this day because we needed to take several breaks. Brian Rode, Marmot's VP of Marketing, was not concerned about the days lack of skiers and boarders, but he was rather ecstatic, saying, "Every once in a while you have to take a hit when road conditions are harrowing, but this welcome winter blast will set them up
On January 29 and 30 Lake Louise is hosting the first in a series of amateur Skiercross and Boardercross events that are open to the general public. Skiers will challenge the course on Saturday, followed by snowboarders on Sunday. Cost is $40 per participant to enter one of six categories based upon age and sex. Make sure you have a certified helmet because they are mandatory for all racers. Racing will be in a "Lance Chance Qualifier" format where four competitors take to the course at the same time and the top two finishers of each race carry on while the bottom two head into the alsoran brackets. At the end of the day you'll have competed in anywhere from two to eight races. There's even a one-hour slot each morning for training runs so you can case out the banks and bumps before getting into the race. If interested, check out the events section on the Lake Louise web site for all the details. V
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JAN 19, 2011
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FILM
When do you cross that unseen line between the mainstream and the offbeat—and can you get back? Sidevue Online AT VUEWEEKLY.COM
Hail to the kid
A first week roundup of Metro Cinema's Chaplin retrospective Brian Gibson // Brian@vueweekly.com
C
omedy, like a pleasant fantasy, doesn't have to end perfectly happily—great expectations can be downgraded to good ones, wild-eyed dreams detoured into still-sunny realities and the best be made of the little you have. As the first week of the Chaplin retrospective at Metro shows, film comedy's greatest star and director ever (see sidebar) reeled mischievously through the '20s and '30s. His trampledon but tramping-on outsider both survived and reflected an American Dream battered by the First World War, resurgent in the Roaring Twenties, then drained by the Great Depression.
The Kid With "The Idle Class" Sat (7 pm), Sun (2 pm), Mon (7 pm)
The scruffy Tramp gets a sidekick in The Kid (1921; ), Chaplin's first full-length, screening with short "The Idle Class" (1921; ). The subplot, following the child's abandonment and the career success of his stillregretful mother (Edna Purviance), shows Chaplin's talent for concise and nuanced drama, plus his experimentation with montage, before Eisenstein. The kid (Jackie Coogan, the first child-star after this film) becomes both the Tramp's protégé and better half in some delightful street and domestic scenes. A growing sentimentalization of children mixes with a down-to-earth attitude, in a dramedy that doubles as criticism of the state's interference in personal happiness (a know-better doctor calls in the haughty head of the "County Orphan Asylum" to break up the Tramp and his kid). "The Idle Class" is American society's crème-de-la-crème as a stagnant pool. The
A two-week Charlie Chaplin retrospective starts this weekend at the Metro
rich are a drinking husband and neglected wife (Purviance). After golf-course antics, the lookalike Tramp ambles into a costume party and is taken for her bibulous husband. As the husband tries to wrench off the visor on his knightcostume and rescue his damsel from the lowly tramp, social class is revealed as a farcical masquerade.
A Woman of Paris With "Sunnyside" Sun (7 pm), Tue (9 pm)
A Woman of Paris (1923; ), with "Sunnyside" (1919; ), was a melodrama loved by the press but shrugged off by the public—stinging Chaplin deeply—likely because Chaplin doesn't appear (only in an unrecognizable cameo as a railway porter). This high-society film, about a country girlturned-city mistress (Purviance), was groundbreaking in its realism. Purviance is superb as the cool, urbane courtesan, her wry grin masking much. The bittersweet ending finds ladies making a space for themselves without rakish or super-chivalrous men. Three years after American women got the vote, this
story's as feminist as a '20s picture could get in its depiction of a girl, her desperate dream dashed, becoming a woman hardened by cruel social circumstances. "Sunnyside," full of romantic reveries, also pokes at pious convention. Iris-shot into the church-centred village of Sunnyside on a Sunday morning, we're among chin-bearded men who, in the dreamy eyes of Chaplin's handyman, don't follow the above-bed placard "Love Thy Neighbor"—the handyman's literally ass-kicked around by his boss. In contrast with the factory-world of Modern Times 17 years later, wild nature keeps breaking into civilization. Goats bleat behind a piano to puzzle the playing handyman; an ill city-slicker's examined like a horse; a cow pops by so the handyman can milk his coffee (a scene reworked for Modern Times dream-sequence).
The Gold Rush With "A Days Pleasure" Sat (9 pm), Mon (9 pm)
The Gold Rush (1925; ), with "A Day's Pleasure" (1919; ), is the highest-grossing silent comedy ever and legendary for its whimsical "Dance of the
Rolls"—the Tramp gives new meaning to "you are what you eat," since he has the rolls high-stepping as he would: splayfooted. It's just one comical course in a film that, while taking some shine off the prospector's dream, is mostly about hunger. Georgia Hale, as a saloon girl, has a gleam in her eye to rival the Tramp's, and her commanding dismissal of a boorish man's advances is silent-drama characterization at its finest. Never has a socialclimbing happy ending seemed sweeter or more deserved. "A Day's Pleasure" sees Chaplin as the father of a middle-class family, out for a car-ride and pleasure-cruise. It's a master-class in movement, from father and mother (Purviance) dancing boppily on the swaying ship to the queasy doziness that soon overcomes the passengers. Through his character, Chaplin variously shows off his ragdoll-limpness, dervish energy and obliviousness to authority. The middle-class dream of greater leisuretime and more social mobility sputters and starts, from the shaky Model T to the seasick sail.
The Circus With "Pay Day" Fri (7 pm), Sun (9 pm)
The Circus (1928; ), screening with "Pay Day" (1922; ), is less richly layered and satirical than Chaplin's next four films. But the bigtop tale has some striking vérité-style shots and offers smooth comic somersaults between leaps into metacomedy and meta-Chaplinness. The Tramp, fleeing a policeman, runs into the ring and, in a riff on the populist appeal of Keystone Kops chases and Chaplin's own popularity as a born entertainer, his genuine cop-chase-robber scene is a big hit. The ringmaster—abusive to his daughter (Merna Kennedy)—enlists the accidental star. He's funny only when not trying, removing the rote from routines and replacing schtick with slapstick. In Chaplin's humanist-romance, leftist-working man approach, the Tramp threatens to quit not for money but so the father won't strike his daughter again. The
film's ultimately about American Dreamringleaders' exploitation of natural talents, so degraded they don't realize their own worth. "Pay Day" is about the few highs and many pitfalls of working-class life (stifled, as is some of the short's energy, by the stereotype of a stalking, shrewish wife). The Tramp, working construction, where he's a balletic whiz at piling bricks, nearly falls down on the job thanks to the site's zippy elevator, gets dragged around in another man's coat and tumbles out of a streetcar.
Modern Times Fri [9 pm], Sun (4 pm), Tue (7 pm)
Modern Times (1936; ) is the Tramp's last trip and Chaplin's American Dream-deadened-by-mechanization masterpiece. Its first half seems like Chaplin comically reworking Metropolis. The legendary caught-in-the-gears scene is a literalization of man-trapped-bymachines but also a symbol of Chaplin as film itself, fed through a projector's wheels and sprockets. Paulette Goddard's wondrously fierce and then charming as the Gamine, while the most sexual joke is also the film's most disturbing social-criticism—the Tramp's so robotomized by the assembly-line, he chases a woman to wrench the bolt-like buttons on the front of her dress. Joyfully, we're left with the Tramp and Gamine's bright, free, spirited bodies, prevailing over the factory's cold, slavish, tick-tock metal machinations. And so film's most famous anarchic outsider took his final, splay-footed steps into the sunset. But with a partner on his arm—after all, the great, grinding American Dream, in Chaplin's twinkling eyes, only really needed to be a small, sparking connection between souls. V Fri Jan 14 – Tue Jan 18 The Films of Charlie Chaplin (Week 1) Written and directed by Charlie Chaplin Featuring: Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan, Georgia Hale, Merna Kennedy, Paulette Goddard Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave)
SEVEN REASONS FOR THE GREAT DIRECTOR Genius, Chaplin's career suggests, is luck plus hard work and painstaking care. Right Wrongs Chaplin's early London years were a harsh Dickensian childhood: he and brother Sydney were abandoned by their father after their mother had an affair; their mother struggled with mental illness; the boys lived in a Poor Law School for more than two years, in and out of back rooms with their mother, and with their alcoholic father for a time. But their experiences of hunger and deprivation were turned by Chaplin into adult comedy rich in poverty, pathos, political fire and the individualstruggling-to-get-by, an especially potent mix come the Great Depression.
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Right Time Born in 1889, Charles Spencer Chaplin was the son of a singer and an actress in a stage entertainment world about to be transformed by moving pictures. He first went on stage at five; by 17, he'd had extensive experience in music-hall theatre, including a 30-month tour of England as Billy the page-boy in Conan Doyle and William Gillette's Sherlock Holmes. Right Place A music-hall star in England by the 1910s, Chaplin went overseas to tour the US. In 1913, while in Philadelphia, he was offered a contract by the new Keystone Film Company of Los Angeles. It was the
time movie-makers fled west from New York, avoiding Thomas Edison and his enforced camera-patents, to settle in a village (population 5000 in 1910) north of LA—Hollywood. Right Traditions Irish-Canadian Mack Sennett, Keystone's head, had a stable of circus- and vaudeville-trained actors, put out two movies a week and demanded quick improvisational comedy grounded in a workingclass world. While Chaplin learned much from the method, he also felt the need to establish a new character not so easily cut in editing—in the first week of January 1914, he emerged from the wardrobe-shed in the costume of the Tramp.
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
Right System The rising star system meant Chaplin could sign better (and more lucrative) contracts for increasing directorial freedom. He bought the plot for his own studio—used his whole career—at the corner of Sunset and La Brea in 1918. In 1919, his cofounding of United Artists with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and DW Griffith ensured his complete filmmaking independence. And by the 1920s he had become the first global celebrity. Right Timing Chaplin developed an impeccable sense of not only comic timing—mixing improvisation with careful choreogra-
phy—but also musical timing; by 1930, with the arrival of sound, Chaplin played slyly with sound effects and composed the scores himself. He dealt with talkies first by having the Tramp speak playful nonsense at the end of Modern Times, then leaving the Tramp to the silent-era and moving on to loudly denounce Nazism and tyranny in The Great Dictator. Righting Imperfections Long before Stanley Kubrick, Chaplin was an incredibly painstaking director. For instance, he spent more than 21 months working on City Lights (504 preparation days, 179 shooting days) and did 300 takes for the famous final scene of him meeting the flower-girl. V
Rabbit Hole
Opening Friday Directed by John Cameron Mitchell Written by David Lindsay-Abaire Starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Diane Wiest Princess Theatre (10337 - 82 Ave)
Rabbit Hole begins eight months after affluent suburban New Yorkers Becca (Nicole Kidman, also the film's producer) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) lost their four-year-old Danny to a car accident, so the more flamboyant displays of grief have receded, and the couple is now entrenched in establishing a new status quo, grudgingly accepting, or at least pretending to accept, that life somehow goes on. Because the object of loss is already absent, our story, adapted by David Lindsay-Abaire from his own play, can focus more closely on the mid- to long-term effects of Danny's death on his parents' marriage. While Becca appears determined to assume control of the situation and coolly
Not even back rubs and Al Green help
goes about redistributing Danny's things, Howie gets up nights to watch home movies and resolves to continue with group therapy, even after Becca dismisses some fellow grieving parents' attempt to find consolation in religious thinking (a scene that's probably devastating for the couple on the receiving end, but is unnervingly amusing for the rest of us). Their sex life has evaporated and shows no sign of return, despite Howie's plying of Becca with back rubs and Al Green. The question swiftly arises as to whether or not Becca and Howie's relationship can endure such a catastrophic rupture.
Soon Becca is stalking a teenage boy (I initially thought, and sort of hoped, that it was because the boy looked like the teenaged version of Danny, but the truth is slightly less neurotic) while Howie enters into a precarious friendship with someone from group (Sandra Oh). These relationships, not extramarital exactly, but rather extradomestic, seem designed to imbue both characters with intricate psychologies, and the performances, from Kidman especially, who's always so good with these sorts of icy emotional renegades, are richly layered. Nonetheless, the writing leaves the couple
in general, and Howie in particular, feeling more like sketches than full characters, their vagueness exacerbated by the film's broadly conceived design elements, the almost uniformly drab grays and beiges of the couple's clothing and home décor, or details like the art photos of empty cavities of buildings mounted on their otherwise sparely adorned living room. Thankfully, Rabbit Hole is festooned with a supporting cast who supply such colour and funk so as to set Becca and Howie's ostentatiously muted realm into relief. Oh injects some terrific deadpan comedy, sometimes without saying a word—just catch the look on her face when, having smoked a bowl before group one night, she tries not to crack up over another man's catalogue of miseries. It's also nice to see Giancarlo Esposito turn up as the musical dad to Becca's unborn niece, even if he barely gets to speak. But the biggest acting treat comes from Diane Wiest as Becca's mom Nat, who so desperately wants to comfort her daughter but is most often pushed away. In her worn-out old sweaters, Nat clearly
lives somewhere on the opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum from Becca and Howie, but Wiest wisely eschews from "playing" Nat's class, just as director John Cameron Mitchell eschews from over-emphasizing it. Wiest instead relishes in Nat's earthiness and middling ability to disguise her true emotions, even when she's deliberately trying to keep potentially spiky moments cheerful, as in the scene where Becca's sister Izzy is celebrating her birthday in a bowling alley and Becca gives her a fancy set of towels instead of something that might acknowledge Izzy's advanced pregnancy. Even the way Wiest lets out this forced-excited little "Aw!" when the gift is unwrapped—like a little burp accidentally let loose in public—before suddenly retreating, provides her scenes in Rabbit Hole with such texture, warmth and a welcome untidiness. It goes to show how sometimes the investments a film makes in its background can make so much richer all that passes in its foreground. Josef Braun
// josef@vueweekly.com
Barney's Version Opening Friday Directed by Richard J Lewis Written by Michael Konyves Based on the novel by Mordecai Richler Starring Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike
Our first encounter with Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is him dialing a phone at some ungodly hour, treading in a halfempty bottle of scotch. The purpose of the phone call is to try and get ahold of his ex-wife, though he'll happily take the opportunity to needle her new husband to the point of causing a heart attack before he gets back to his drink and his reminiscences over old photos. And that is basically our eponymous Barney: a largely unrepentant asshole, sure, but one whose prickliness and lack of impulse control is a poor defence for a soul that's a little too sensitive for the world he lives in.
In that, Barney is some resemblance for his creator, Mordecai Richler, on whose novel the film is based. Not that I know if Richler was an asshole, but his wit hews closely to Barney's general disposition: acerbic but affirming, the eager harrumph of a man who had high expectations for life and was frequently disappointed. Director Richard J Lewis and screenwriter Michael Konyves at least know enough to not mess with that spirit. Beyond capturing a few moments, though, the pair behind this don't bring much to the table. They are singularly bad at suggesting emotional tenor with visual language: Richler's characters are chatty, sure, but in the books at least you get into their heads—that's hard for a film to do, but not as impossible as the lack of effort here suggests. Lewis and Konyves at least seem aware that everyone from their source author to their
cast has far better instincts than they do, and the pleasures that come are mostly from one or the other. Tonally, the most laudable thing is just how much of a schmuck they let Barney be (again, deference to Richler here, but credit for not soft-peddling it). He rarely gets a redeeming moment, and rarer still one that isn't followed up by some shitty thing to do: witness his second wedding where, right after he stands up to his snooty father-in-law, he dances off to flirt with a new girl that's captured his fancy. This amoral view of Barney makes his eventual downfall cut that much deeper: even an asshole can have horrible things happen to him, and the conclusion leaves no doubt that, however cantankerous, it's hard to watch anyone evaporate into the slow-consuming abyss that is our birthright. David Berry
// david@vueweekly.com
Country Strong Now Playing Written and directed by Shana Feste Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw and Leighton Meester
Imagine Britney Spears circa 2007 in cowboy boots, trying to prove she's fit to be an American sweetheart again, and you have Kelly Canter, Gwyneth Paltrow's character in Country Strong. Drunk and drugged, Kelly—six-time Grammy winner and seven times platinum—fell off a Dallas stage, miscarried her pregnancy and turned herself into a tabloid freakshow overnight. But after a year of rehab, her husband, James (Tim McGraw), sets up her comeback tour, probably about a year too soon. The Canters' marriage is about as hollow as a country guitar. Joining them on the Road to Divorce Tour '11 is Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund), Kelly's rehab sponsor who happens to be a real honkytonk talent, and Chiles Stanton (Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester), another fledg-
ing singer with an incredible talent for forgetting her own songs. At first, Chiles, as a character, just functions to fuel Beau's disdain for everything wrong with saccharine pop-country music. Her entrance under his skin, and ours, is as irritable as a dentist's drill, but that personality is quickly jilted when writerdirector Shana Feste makes a human being out of her. She's suddenly vulnerable, warm, sometimes the only sane voice in the caravan. I wondered if her first scene as a pompous southern belle was just first-draft residue. McGraw also has to endure Feste's initial halfhearted commitment to his character's capabilities and excellently restrains himself in the thick of melodrama, something his co-stars should have done. Noticeably, the country superstar is the only one from the ensemble that doesn't sing in the film. It must be opposite day, because Paltrow, Hedlund and Meester all prove to be true talents behind a microphone and perform genuinely good tunes.
But no matter how lost I got in the music, it was hard to ignore the fact that putting Chiles and Beau on tour is like booking talent from an American Idol audition lineup to open for Faith Hill. And how quickly the youngsters catch celebrity, casually absorbing interest from paparazzi and shrill fans despite not having a single, a YouTube video or even proper representation. It reduces the movie's premise to a Disney-esque fantasy. All it's missing is a fairy godmother. In addition, there are many other unrealistic notions: some tour venues are Rexall Place-sized, others are more like Myer Horowitz; Kelly is usually ravaged in public, but she can walk right into a watering hole, get sozzled and pole dance? With such good music Country Strong could have been the country and western Grease. Instead it's sunk by a flimsy script enforcing clichés and histrionics. Omar Mouallem
// omar@vueweekly.com
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
FILM // 25
Around the year in 52 films A 2011 film preview Brian Gibson // brian@vueweekly.com
I
t's that time and space again, to look ahead to the most intriguing films soon swimming against the mainstream. There'll be long-awaited new works from revered auteurs, a twoheaded Brontësaurus, Cronenberg's Freudian slip and a Payne-ful return. (Note: official release dates are for New York, LA and, usually, major Canadian cities; films often hit Edmonton two weeks later. All should reach disc within four months of opening.) January It's Another Year and another film from ever-reliable Mike Leigh. Tom and Ger-
ri (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen) are married, middle-aged and content, yet attract wounded souls to their house over four seasons. Derek Cianfrance sends the critically-loved Blue Valentine, its time-shifting narrative starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as a couple whose marriage cracks apart. Jeff Nichols' (Shotgun Stories) newest, about a man whose apocalyptic dreams have him questioning his sanity, premieres at Sundance—Take Shelter should see wider release by autumn. A magician's career drains from continental Europe into rainy Edinburgh in Triplets of Belleville director Sylvain Chomet's animated draft of a Jacques Tati screenplay, The Illusionist. Rachid Bouchareb returns to the lives of
Franco-Algerians in Outside the Law, his post-WWII sequel to Days of Glory. Bouchareb's previous, London River, about a Muslim man and Christian woman searching for their children after the 2005 London bombings, screens at Metro January 29. There's Palestinian director Elia Suleiman's latest darkly comic take on the Israel-Palestine standoff, The Time That Remains. And Dogtooth, Yorgos Lanthimos' remarkable family-as-compound-cult film, finally hits disc at month's end. February Jeff Malmberg's acclaimed documentary of an assault survivor's therapy through miniature-model art set in a Second World War-like world, Marwencol, plays at the Metro February 4–7. The eerieness of planning for a future beyond our species settles over Into Eternity, Michael Madsen's sci-fi but true documentary about the world's deepest shaft—a storage chasm for nuclear waste in Finland. Hirokazu Kore-eda's (Nobody Knows) calm, Ozu-like study of a family, Still Walking, visits disc come February 11. Pablo Trapero's Carancho stars Ricardo Darín as a lawyer chasing ambulances in a nasty demi-monde where car accidents are staged for insurance fraud. Also arriving is Xavier Beauvois' Cannes-hit story of Trappist monks in Algeria awaiting their fate at the hands of terrorists, Of Gods and Men. And two of South Korean director Lee Changdong's films topped recent lists of mostwanted but unreleased recent features, but with Secret Sunshine recently out in the US and Poetry slated for early February, both will now hit disc. March – May Kim Jee-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters) raises hairs in March with I Saw The Devil—a secret agent, after his fiancée's savagely murdered, plunges towards monstrousness himself in the quest for vengeance. A rather more repressed and corset-restrained drama, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) goes big-screen again. This time it's by Cary Fukunaga, whose debut, gritty immigrant-drama Sin Nombre, impressed many. And twisting the romance in his own peculiar, does-art-forge-or-fudge-life? way is Iranian cinemaster Abbas Kiarostami. His Certified Copy, set in Tuscany, tosses together a French antiques dealer (Juliette Binoche) and the author of a book
26 // FILM
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
on copies in art (William Shimell). Denis Villeneuve's Incendies adapts Wajdi Mouawad's scorching play about twins travelling to the Middle East to uncover their dead mother's secrets. Takashi Miike (Audition) sends out 13 Assassins in 1844 Japan as Seven Samurai-style, scything swordsmen assemble—the climactic battle lasts 45 gorious minutes. And Kelly Reichardt takes a West turn after the brilliant Wendy and Lucy. Festival-rave Meek's Cutoff, again starring Michelle Williams and working from a screenplay by Jon Raymond, trundles along as pioneers lose their way on the Oregon Trail in 1845. May means Cannes premieres of auteur offerings that roll out here come film-fest-September and beyond. The Dardennes' latest social-realist work, about an orphanage runaway, should debut. Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In sees a plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas) hunting down those who raped his daughter. Gus Van Sant's quirky teen-romance Restless, starring Henry Hopper and Wasikowska, should come out. After seven years, Pawel Pawlikowski (My Summer of Love) returns with his adaptation of The Woman in the Fifth, featuring Ethan Hawke and Kristin Scott Thomas. After nine years, acclaimed Scottish auteur Lynne Ramsay (Morvern Callar) returns with her adaptation of We Need To Talk About Kevin, about the mother (Tilda Swinton) of a boy behind a school-shooting. Rumoured for Cannes last year was greatest-living-American-auteur Terrence Malick's fifth in 40 years, the saga of a boy who, once a man (Sean Penn), is able to reframe his harsh father (Brad Pitt) within the cosmic order. Tree of Life finally lands May 27 (meanwhile, Malick's finished shooting his next). The best of the rest of the year Steve McQueen (Hunger) serves up Shame, about a sex-addicted thirtysomething (Michael Fassbender) whose life crumbles as his younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in. Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank) brings her grittiness and authenticity to Emily Brontë's wrathful teen-romance Wuthering Heights—it's the first adaptation with the dark-skinned Heathcliff of the book. Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) tackles Jack Kerouac's classic On The Road. Canadian maestro David Cronenberg should turn heads with his examination of Freud (Viggo
Mortensen) and Jung (Fassbender) in A Dangerous Method. Sarah Polley invites us to Take This Waltz, a love-torn dramedy starring Seth Rogen. Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know) takes us into The Future, a magic-realist story of a couple trying to pursue their dreams a month before taking care of a terminally-ill cat. And Thomas McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor) gambles on Win Win—Paul Giamatti is an attorney, moonlighting as wrestling coach, suddenly given a shot at a double payday. Bennett Miller (Capote) throws us Michael Lewis' Oakland baseball-management story, Moneyball, with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. Wry comedy returns when Alexander Payne, seven years after Sideways, bequeaths The Descendants, wherein a land-baron (George Clooney) tries again with his daughters in Hawaii. And You Can Count On Me director Kenneth Lonergan's accidentaftermath drama Margaret, snared in legal disputes for five years, is supposed to reach cineplexes at last. Pablo Larrain (Tony Manero) again dissects '70s Chile with Post Mortem, the tale of an autopsy-reporter during the Pinochet coup. Tomas Alfredson turns from vampire chiller Let The Right One In to Le Carré's espionage thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Lone Scherfig (An Education) reviews 20 years in the life of two star-crossed Edinburgh graduates in One Day. Peter Mullan (The Magdalene Sisters) offers another harrowing story with the school-bully memoir Neds. And much higher up the social ladder is the first in 13 years from that chronicler of the haute-bourgeoisie, Whit Stillman (The Last Days of Disco), currently filming Damsels in Distress. Almost no time or space for Errol Morris' doc on a beauty-queen turned kidnapper and rapist, Todd Haynes' HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (starring Kate Winslet), John Sayles' PhilippineAmerican War picture, Luc Besson and Michelle Yeoh's biopic of Aung San Suu Kyi, or Bruce Robinson and Johnny Depp's adaptation of Hunter S Thompson's The Rum Diary. Let alone Wong Kar-wai's look at Bruce Lee's teacher, Tarsem Singh's "Caravaggio meets Fight Club" take on Greek myth, Steven Soderbergh's two thrillers, Haywire and Contagion, and Martin Scorsese's 3-D kids' film, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, due December. V
COMMENT >> DVD
Monkey and me
Robinson Crusoe isn't alone on the red planet will have to learn English.
Robinsons Crusoe says hello to his little friend
There exists in so much science fiction landscapes that expand and undulate, a fantasy of heroic, ennobling lonelitraversed by balls of fire that meander ness, of entire planets available just the terrain like wandering bison. Early for you to explore, or perhaps for you on we're offered a rather long sequence and an unobtrusive little companion, during which Draper silently makes his a robot, say, or a primate. Special effirst baffling geological discoveries. fects pioneer-turned-director ByThere is then a subsequent scene ron Haskin's wonderfully imagiwhere Draper simply describes native Robinson Crusoe on all of them into his recordMars (1964) begins with ing device. The movie takes US astronaut Commander its sweet time, it's true, but m ly.co "Kit" Draper (Paul Mantee) it's never hard to watch, beeweek u v @ e ctiv crashing on the red planet. dvddete ing so vibrantly visualized f e s Jo It proves just barely inhabitand so dramatically scored Braun by Van Cleave, whose themes able, a world of desert canyons and columns of flame, like Death reminds me of some of the muValley meets Kuwait after the first Gulf sic Howard Shore composed for David War. Draper has lost his one and only Cronenberg. If you happened to have shipmate, Colonel Dan (Adam West, a seen Cast Away (2000) you might recouple of years shy of Bat-fame), who call that the best parts of the movie by it seems to me may have quite posfar were just Tom Hanks wordlessly nesibly also been his secret lover, and gotiating his survival on the desert isle. from whom he's inherited Mona, a There's a somewhat similar dynamic at feisty little monkey in an orange space work here, a focus on tasks, labour and suit who does all sorts of very funny reward. Long stretches of the movie little monkey things but is clearly no resemble a fake documentary, an epireplacement for a buddy, colleague or sode of Intergalactic Geographic, if you boyfriend. Fortunately, Draper is fit, rewill, yet with enough time Draper will sourceful, endlessly curious and, most inevitably discover that he's not alone, of all, lucky. that like Daniel Defoe's hero he gets Fascination with Mars overpowers his own Friday (Victor Lundin), an alien grief or despair, its glowing, oxygen-rich who looks a lot like an ancient Egyprocks like hot potatoes, its subterratian with immaculate grooming, and nean deposits of pastel-coloured stuff, whose language sounds not unlike Naits peculiar vegetation, which Draper huatl. However, like the archetypically consumes and gradually converts into asinine American abroad, as soon as very silly-looking tunics and Robin Draper learns that Friday can talk he Hood hats, and most of all its gorgeous immediately assumes his new friend
DVCD TIVE
DETE
There's a wealth of future-retro imagery to enjoy here—the tape decks, pulsating radar and buttons like Starburst candies—but the esthetic of Robinson Crusoe on Mars is far too magnificently realized to be reduced to kitsch, and its science is actually remarkably sound given what we knew about Mars at the time, and some of Draper's equipment, such as his portable video camera unit, are positively prescient. The special effects are fluid and striking, like those mining ships that appear in the Martian sky with unnerving swiftness, though they look an awful lot like the terrifying Martian ships that arrived to slaughter the citizens of Earth in Haskin's earlier War of the Worlds (1953). Not least among the movie's most impressive elements are its sounds, such as that of Draper's ship rocketing through space at unfathomable speed in the very first scene. It's reason alone to seek out the movie on Criterion's brand-new blu-ray edition, along with its terrific documentary explaining the movie's relative scientific verisimilitude, and a cute music video for a song about the movie composed and performed by Lundin, whose lyrics imply that maybe he really wanted to play the lead. V
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
FILM // 27
FILM WEEKLY FRI, JAN 14, 2011 – THU, JAN 20, 2011
fend, substance abuse) DAILY 1:50, 4:25, 7:15, 9:55
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (PG coarse language,
substance abuse) DAILY 1:35, 4:10, 7:05, 9:30
CINEPLEX ODEON NORTH
14231-137 Ave, 780.732.2236
THE TOURIST (PG coarse language) DAILY 7:40, 10:05 BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) DAILY 12:30, 3:20, 6:45, 9:20
TANGLED 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 1:20, 3:50, 7:15,
s
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse
language) Digital 3d, No passes DAILY 12:45, 3:40, 6:40, 9:30
9:50
6094 Connaught Dr, Jasper, 780.852.4749
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse lan-
recommended for young children) DAILY 8:15
CHABA THEATRE�JASPER TRUE GRIT (14A violence) FRI�SAT 7:00, 9:00;
SUN�THU 8:00; SAT�SUN 1:30
TANGLED (G) FRI�SAT 7:00, 9:00 SUN�THU 8:00;
SAT�SUN 1:30
CINEMA CITY MOVIES 12 5074-130 Ave, 780.472.9779
YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA (STC) DAILY 1:00, 4:30, 8:00
BURLESQUE (PG not recommended for children,
coarse language) DAILY 1:30, 4:05, 6:55, 9:25
FASTER (14A brutal violence) DAILY 1:25, 4:30, 7:35, 9:50
LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (18A coarse lan-
guage, sexual content) DAILY 1:45, 4:00, 6:50, 9:15
UNSTOPPABLE (PG coarse language) DAILY 1:55, 4:35, 7:25, 10:00
MORNING GLORY (PG mature subject matter, coarse language) DAILY 1:05, 3:55, 7:20, 9:45 DUE DATE (14A crude content, substance abuse) Daily 1:40, 4:40, 7:05, 9:30 RED (14A violence) DAILY 1:15, 4:15, 7:10, 9:40 LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (PG language may of-
guage) Ultraavx, No passes DAILY 1:45, 4:50, 7:45, 10:30
THE DILEMMA (PG course language) No passes FRI� TUE, THU 1:30, 4:30, 7:10, 10:00; WED 4:30, 7:10, 10:00; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00 SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) DAILY 2:10, 5:10, 8:00, 10:25
COUNTRY STRONG (PG coarse language, substance abuse) DAILY 1:00, 4:00, 6:50, 9:40
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HAL� LOWS: PART 1 (PG frightening scenes, violence, not
CINEPLEX ODEON SOUTH 1525-99 St, 780.436.8585
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language) No passes Fri-Sat 12:00, 2:45, 5:30, 8:15, 11:00; SUN�THU 1:30, 4:30, 7:15, 10:00
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language) Digital 3d, No passes FRI�SAT 11:45, 2:30, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45; SUN�THU 2:00, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15
LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not recommended for young children) DAILY 2:00, 5:00, 7:50, 10:20
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language)
TRUE GRIT (14A violence) DAILY 1:10, 4:10, 7:00, 9:45 YOGI BEAR (G) DAILY 12:50, 3:10, 6:15 TRON: LEGACY (PG) Digital 3d DAILY 1:15, 4:15,
THE DILEMMA (PG course language)
7:20, 10:15
THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) DAILY 1:40, 4:20, 7:30, 10:10 CHRONICLES OF NARNIA�VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER (PG frightening scenes) DAILY 1:50, 4:40
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) Digital Cinema FRI�TUE, THU 12:40, 3:30, 6:30, 9:15; WED 3:30, 6:30, 9:15; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00
Ultraavx, No passes FRI�SAT 11:30, 2:15, 5:00, 7:45, 10:30; SUN�THU 1:00, 4:00, 6:45, 9:45
No passes FRI�SAT 12:30, 3:00, 5:45, 8:30, 11:05; SUN� THU 1:45, 4:15, 7:15, 9:50
SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) FRI�SAT
1:00, 3:15, 6:15, 8:40, 11:15; SUN�THU 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:15
COUNTRY STRONG (PG coarse language, substance abuse) FRI�SAT 11:45, 2:25, 5:05, 7:50, 10:30; SUN�THU 1:30, 4:20, 7:05, 9:45
BARNEY'S VERSION (14A coarse language, sexual
content, substance abuse) FRI�SAT 12:30, 3:45, 7:00, 10:00; SUN�THU 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15
LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not
recommended for young children) FRI�SAT 11:30, 1:45, 4:00, 6:15, 8:40, 11:05; SUN�WED 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00; THU 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00; Star & Strollers Screening: THU 1:00
TRUE GRIT (14A violence) FRI�SAT 12:30, 3:00, 5:45, 8:25, 10:50; SUN�THU 1:45, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30
YOGI BEAR 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI�SAT 12:30, 2:30, 4:30;
SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) FRI 4:50, 7:15, 9:40; SAT�SUN 1:45, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40; MON�THU 5:50, 8:35
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) FRI 3:40, 6:30, 9:15; Sat-Sun 12:50, 3:40, 6:30, 9:15; MON� THU 4:45, 7:45 THE DILEMMA (PG course language) FRI 4:30, 7:10, 9:50; SAT�SUN 1:40, 4:30, 7:10, 9:50; MON�THU 5:30, 8:20 THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language) Digital 3d FRI 3:45, 6:40, 9:30; SAT�SUN 1:00, 3:45, 6:40, 9:30; MON�THU 5:20, 8:10
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) FRI 4:10, 6:50, 9:25; SAT� SUN 1:20, 4:10, 6:50, 9:25; MON�THU 5:10, 8:00
DUGGAN CINEMA�CAMROSE 6601-48 Ave, Camrose, 780.608.2144
YOGI BEAR (G) 3D TUE, SAT , SUN 2:00 SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) DAILY 7:00, 9:00
TRUE GRIT (14A violence) DAILY 6:55, 9:15; TUE, SAT�SUN 1:55
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language) DAILY 6:45 9:20; TUE, SAT, SUN 1:45
LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not
recommended for small children) DAILY 7:05, 9:25; TUE, SAT, SUN 2:05
THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) DAILY 6:50 9:10; TUE, SAT, SUN 1:50
GALAXY�SHERWOOD PARK 2020 Sherwood Dr, Sherwood Park 780-416-0150
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language)
Digital 3d, No passes FRI 4:05, 7:00, 10:00; SAT�SUN 1:15, 4:05, 7:00, 10:00; MON�THU 7:00, 10:00
THE DILEMMA (PG course language) No passes FRI
4:20, 7:15, 10:10; SAT�SUN 1:35, 4:20, 7:15, 10:10; MON� THU 7:15, 10:10
SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) FRI 4:30, 7:05, 9:55; SAT�SUN 1:45, 4:30, 7:05, 9:55; MON�THU 7:05, 9:55
7:00; TUE 9:00; WED 6:30
SCIENCE IN THE CINEMA PRESENTS: EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (PG coarse language) THU 6:30
MONSIEUR VERDOUX (STC) THU 9:00
PARKLAND CINEMA 7 130 Century Crossing, Spruce Grove, 780.972.2332 (Spruce Grove, Stony Plain; Parkland County)
GREEN HORNET (14A course language and violence) DAILY 7:00, 9:20; SAT�SUN, TUE 1:00, 3:20
THE DILEMMA (PG course language) DAILY 6:55,
9:30; SAT�SUN, TUE 12:55, 3:30
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) DAILY 7:10, 9:15; SAT�SUN, TUE 1:10, 3:15
YOGI BEAR 3D (G) DAILY 6:45, 9:00; SAT�SUN,
TUE 12:45, 3:00
YOGI BEAR 2D (G) SAT�SUN, TUE 12:50, 3:10 LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not
recommended for young children) DAILY 7:05, 9:05
TANGLED (G) SAT�SUN TUE 1:05, 3:05 TRUE GRIT (14A violence) DAILY 7:15, 9:25; SAT�
SUN, TUE 1:15, 3:25
PRINCESS 10337-82 Ave, 780.433.0728
127 HOURS (14A gory scenes, disturbing content)
DAILY 7:00, 9:00; SAT�SUN 2:30
RABBIT HOLE (PG mature subject matter) DAILY 7:10, 9:10; SAT�SUN 2:00
SCOTIABANK THEATRE WEM WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.444.2400
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse
language) Digital 3d, No passes DAILY 12:30, 1:30, 3:30, 4:30, 6:30, 7:30, 9:30, 10:30
TRON: LEGACY (PG) Digital 3d FRI�SAT 11:30, 2:20,
LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not
recommended for young children) FRI 4:35, 7:10, 9:50; SAT�SUN 1:55, 4:35, 7:10, 9:50; MON�THU 7:10, 9:50
THE DILEMMA (PG course language) No passes FRI 1:10, 4:10, 7:05, 10:10; SAT�THU 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:10
THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) FRI�SAT 12:40, 3:15, 5:50, 8:35, 11:05; SUN�THU 2:00, 4:45, 7:20, 10:15
TRUE GRIT (14A violence) FRI 4:40, 7:30, 10:10; SAT�
1:50, 4:50, 7:50, 10:20
YOGI BEAR 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI 4:15, 7:00, 9:20; SAT� SUN 1:50, 4:15, 7:00, 9:20; MON�THU 7:00, 9:20
substance abuse) FRI�TUE, THU 12:40, 3:40, 6:40, 9:40; WED 3:40, 6:40, 9:40; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00
SUN�THU 1:00, 3:00, 5:00
5:10, 8:00, 10:50; SUN�THU 1:00, 3:45, 6:40, 9:30
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA�VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER (PG frightening scenes) FRI�SAT 12:40; SUN�THU 1:30
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend)
FRI�SAT 11:45, 2:25, 5:00, 7:45, 10:20; SUN�WED 1:30, 4:45, 7:45, 10:15; THU 4:45, 7:45, 10:15; Star & Strollers Screening: THU 1:00
THE TOURIST (PG coarse language) FRI�SAT 3:25, 5:45, 8:10, 10:30; SUN�WED 4:15, 7:20, 10:10; THU 4:15, 10:10
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content,
not recommended for children) FRI�SAT 12:00, 2:45, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45; SUN�THU 1:55, 4:30, 7:00, 9:25
TANGLED 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI�SAT 12:15, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:45; SUN�THU 1:05, 3:20, 5:35, 7:50, 10:05
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (PG frightening scenes, violence, not recommended for young children) Digital Cinema FRI�SAT 6:30, 9:45; SUN�THU 7:00, 10:10
EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE
SUN 2:00, 4:40, 7:30, 10:10; MON�THU 7:30, 10:10
TRON: LEGACY (PG) Digital 3d FRI 3:50, 6:50, 9:45; SAT�SUN 1:00, 3:50, 6:50, 9:45; MON�THU 6:50, 9:45 THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse)
FRI 4:05, 7:20, 10:05; SAT�SUN 1:20, 4:05, 7:20, 10:05; MON�THU 7:20, 10:05
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) FRI 4:00, 6:45, 9:35; SAT�SUN 1:05, 4:00, 6:45, 9:35; MON� THU 6:45, 9:35
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content,
not recommended for children) FRI 4:10, 6:55, 9:40; SAT� SUN 1:25, 4:10, 6:55, 9:40; MON�THU 6:55, 9:40
GARNEAU
8712-109 St, 780.433.0728
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) DAILY 6:50, 9:10; SAT� SUN 2:00
GRANDIN THEATRE�ST ALBERT
Grandin Mall, Sir Winston Churchill Ave, St Albert, 780.458.9822
(14A) THU 7:00
CITY CENTRE 9 10200-102 Ave, 780.421.7020
DATE OF ISSUE ONLY: THU, JAN 13
BARNEY'S VERSION (14A coarse language, sexual
LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not recommended for young children) No passes THU, JAN 13: 1:35, 3:35, 5:35, 7:30, 9:20
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language)
YOGI BEAR (G) No passes THU, JAN 13: 12:55, 2:35, 6:55 HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (PG frightening scenes, violence, not recom-
content, substance abuse) DTS Digital, Stadium Seating DAILY 12:05, 3:10, 6:30, 9:45
DTS Digital, Stadium Seating, Reald 3d DAILY 12:40, 3:40, 7:00, 9:55
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend)
mended for young children) THU, JAN 13: 4:15, 8:30
Dolby Stereo Digital, Stadium Seating DAILY 12:00, 3:00, 6:40, 10:00
HOW DO YOU KNOW (PG coarse language) THU,
TRUE GRIT (14A violence) Dolby Stereo Digital,
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS (PG) THU, JAN 13: 12:45, 2:30,
LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not
TANGLED (G) THU, JAN 13: 1:00, 3:05, 5:10, 7:00, 8:55
Stadium Seating DAILY 12:15, 3:15, 7:15, 10:20
recommended for young children) DTS Digital, Stadium Seating DAILY 12:25, 2:55, 5:25, 7:55, 10:30
SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:10, 2:35, 5:10, 7:35, 10:10
THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) DTS Digital, Stadium Seating DAILY 12:30, 3:30, 6:45, 9:30
JAN 13: 1:25, 3:55, 6:45, 9:00 4:15, 6:00, 7:40, 9:20
LEDUC CINEMAS Leduc, 780.352.3922
SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) SAT�SUN 1:10, 3:25; DAILY 7:10, 9:25
TRUE GRIT (14A violence) DAILY 7:00, 9:35; SAT�SUN 1:00, 3:35
TRON: LEGACY 3D (PG) Digital 3d, Digital Presenta-
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language)
THE DILEMMA (PG course language) DTS Digital,
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content,
tion, Stadium Seating DAILY 12:20, 3:20, 7:05, 10:05
Stadium Seating DAILY 12:50, 3:50, 7:20, 10:15
CLAREVIEW 10 4211-139 Ave, 780.472.7600
THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) FRI 4:20, 7:00, 9:45; SAT�SUN 1:30, 4:20, 7:00, 9:45; MON� THU 5:25, 8:15 YOGI BEAR 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI 4:25, 6:55, 9:10; SAT� SUN 2:00, 4:25, 6:55, 9:10; MON�THU 5:00, 7:40 TRON: LEGACY 3D (PG) Digital 3d FRI 3:50, 6:45, 9:35; SAT�SUN 12:45, 3:50, 6:45, 9:35; MON�THU 4:50, 7:50
LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not recommended for young children) FRI 4:40, 7:20, 9:55; SAT�SUN 1:50, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55; MON�THU 5:40, 8:30 TRUE GRIT (14A violence) FRI 4:00, 6:35, 9:20; SAT� SUN 1:10, 4:00, 6:35, 9:20; MON�THU 5:15, 8:25
28 // FILM
A WOMAN OF PARIS/SUNNYSIDE (STC) SUN
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
Digital 3D SAT�SUN 12:55, 3:30; DAILY 6:55, 9:30
not recommended for children) SAT�SUN 1:05, 3:35; DAILY 7:05, 9:35
METRO CINEMA
9828-101A Ave, Citadel Theatre, 780.425.9212
DOC SOUP: SONS OF PERDITION (STC) THU 7:00 TURKEY SHOOT: XANADU (STC) THU 9:00 THE CIRCUS, WITH PAY DAY (STC) FRI 7:00; SUN 9:00
MODERN TIMES (STC) FRI 9:00; SUN 4:00; TUE 7:00 THE KID/THE IDLE CLASS (STC) SAT 7:00; SUN 2:00; MON 7:00
THE GOLD RUSH/A DAYS PLEASURE (STC) SAT 9:00; MON 9:00
SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) DAILY COUNTRY STRONG (PG coarse language,
LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not recommended for young children) DAILY 1:40, 4:40, 7:40, 10:15 TRUE GRIT (14A violence) DAILY 1:20, 4:20,
7:20, 10:15
TRON: LEGACY (PG) Digital 3d DAILY 2:00, 5:00, 8:00
THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance
abuse) FRI�SUN, TUE�THU 1:45, 4:45, 7:45, 10:30; MON 12:30, 3:30, 10:30
TRON: LEGACY 3D AN IMAX 3D EXPERI� ENCE (PG) DAILY 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 CHRONICLES OF NARNIA�VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER 3D (PG frightening scenes) Digital 3d DAILY 12:30, 3:20
THE TOURIST (PG coarse language) Digital Cinema DAILY 6:30, 9:20
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing
content, not recommended for children) FRI�TUE, THU 12:50, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50; WED 3:50, 6:50, 9:50; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00
TANGLED 3D (G) FRI, SUN�WED 12:45, 3:45,
6:45, 9:10; SAT 12:45, 3:40, 6:45, 9:10; THU 12:45, 3:45, 9:30
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: DON PASQUALE ENCORE (Classification not available) MON 6:30
EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) AD� VANCE (14A) THU 7:00
WESTMOUNT CENTRE 111 Ave, Groat Rd, 780.455.8726
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) Dolby Stereo Digital FRI 6:30, 9:25; SAT�SUN 12:45, 3:35, 6:30, 9:25; MON�THU 5:00, 8:00 TRUE GRIT (14A violence) Dolby Stereo Digital FRI 6:45, 9:35; SAT�SUN 1:00, 3:45, 6:45, 9:35; MON�THU 5:10, 8:10 BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing
content, not recommended for children) DTS Digital FRI 7:15, 10:00; SAT�SUN 1:15, 3:55, 7:15, 10:00; MON�THU 5:30, 8:30
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language)DTS Digital FRI 7:00, 9:50; SAT�SUN 12:30, 3:20, 7:00, 9:50; MON�THU 5:20, 8:20
WETASKIWIN CINEMAS Wetaskiwin, 780.352.3922
SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) SAT�SUN 1:10, 3:25; DAILY 7:10, 9:25
TRUE GRIT (14A violence) DAILY 7:00, 9:40; SAT�SUN 1:00, 3:40
THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse)
SAT�SUN 1:05, 3:35; DAILY 7:05, 9:35
THE GREEN HORNET (14A violence, coarse language) Digital 3D SAT�SUN 12:55, 3:30; DAILY 6:55, 9:30
MUSIC
S
itting down with Joe Gurba, the Edmonton rapper otherwise known as The Joe, it's easy to keep the conversation flowing: from his favourite rappers to his period of being fed up with rap, his hippie-commune childhood to his conversion to Christianity, Bob Dylan to Busdriver, or his label mates on his artist label Old Ugly. The kid is all over the place. The hard part is keeping the energetic artist on point about the release of his upcoming record Float or Flail— even the timeline of it is hard to keep track of. "Half that album was written in late 2006, the other half in 2008," he explains. "For that year in between [2007], I didn't buy a rap record for eight months. I started listening to experimental hip hop and getting back into folk music from my childhood—everyone from Bob Dylan to Pantera ... so some of those songs are five years old! Those songs are good, and they're really fun to play, they have good choruses ... [2009's] Ut Oh had none of that," he points out, before adding, "Some of those songs, I just wrote verses so I had a reason to play the beats at a show. These are the songs I got popular with in Edmonton."
Not your average Joe Joe Gurba is set to Float or Fail with his new album
What The Joe was getting vibed off: 2006/'07 1. Busdriver, Fear of a Black Tangent: avant garde, intelligent, hella rhymey and nerd swagged from LA to the icy outter moons of rap originality.
by Mike Angus
2. M83, Before the Dawn Heals Us: a canon to the clouds, balancing spinning plates of austerity, elation and quietude like a russian pilgrim jesus prayer on slow burn. 3. Prefuse 73, One Word Extinguisher: bad-ass glitch hop, this record kicked my ass every time I rode public transit. I wanted nothing more than to buy beats from this genius. 4. Edan, Primitive Plus: I learned inflection from this guy. Half of Float or Flail was directly inspired by Edan's complete jettison of continuity in favour of his whatever, rap-for-fun, ethic.
A quick timeline: Float or Flail was recorded in 2008, but Gurba was unable to finance its release. In order to fund FOF properly, he quickly recorded and released Ut Oh. The success of Ut Oh having paid for FOF, he's set to finally release it. Confused? "It's a very backwards thing," Gurba confesses. "It feels like going a certain direction with Ut Oh and then having to backtrack down a road to Float or Flail ... I just wanted to show everyone I was a good rapper, so [FOF] was long rhymes, really fast, complicated flows, the content isn't as important as just showing you how good I can rap," he states, without any sense of undeserved ego. "I like rap because there's so much room for the personality to come through. Some of the greatest musicians, their personalities are so important. If Dylan's personality wasn't there, or Bowie's, they'd be gone ... but the people who have this strong, interesting personality, they can't help but bring that out, and that's what's great about rap," he muses. "It's a vessel for personality, and that's why I think I can do well at rap. At the end of the day, I can be a good rapper or a bad rapper, it wouldn't matter. As long as I have an interesting personality, I'm not afraid to be a little vulnerable. Ultimately, I'd like to compare myself more to someone like David Bowie than ... some famous rappers." V
5. Lady Sovereign, Vertically Challenged: I'm almost embarrassed of this one, but her little EP came out of Britain and right into my loins. All I wanted was that bass.
What The Joe gets vibed to now: how things have changed 1. Mount Eerie / The Microphones: Phil Elvrum's signature folk noir has changed the way I listen to music. So full of the elements, his music moves and breathes, transforming to greet me anew again and again. 2. múm, Finally We Are No One: My constant companion on Greyhounds, trains and aeroplanes. I want nothing more than to be lullaby'd. This is why God made múm. 3. Daniel Johnston, Songs of Pain: Childish naivety and lunatic sincerity that continues to make me question everything about art and what it means to be an artist. 4. Built To Spill, There's Nothing Wrong With Love: Sincerity, sincerity, sincerity, genuine sincerity. Corny? Perhaps at times. But oh so sincere.
Fri, Jan 14 (8 pm) The Joe With Mitchmatic, Bike Month, Raccoon Suit Haven Social Club, $8
In his own words
// Eden Munro
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
5. Bob Dylan, Blonde On Blonde: Old faithful standby. I can always count on Bob's ballads to carry me out of darkness when lingering gloom clouds my periphery. V
MUSIC // 29
MUSIC WEEKLY FAX YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO 780.426.2889 OR EMAIL LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 3PM
THU JAN 13 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Jim Findlay Trio; 8pm; $8/$5 (student); last set free BLUES ON WHYTE JK and the Static BRIXX BAR Victoria Baldwin, Ingrid Gatin, Mateo Tomlinson and Kaley Bird; 8pm (door); $8 (door) CAFE HAVEN�Sherwood Park Thu Night Music: Joal Kamps (CD release); 7pm CARROT CAFÉ Zoomers Thu afternoon Open Mic; 1-4pm COLAHAN'S Back-porch jam with Rock-Steady Freddy and the Bearcat; every Thu 8pmmidnight CHRISTOPHER'S PARTY PUB Open stage hosted by Alberta Crude; 6-10pm CROWN PUB Crown Pub Latin/world fusion jam hosted by Marko Cerda; musicians from other musical backgrounds are invited to jam; 7pm-closing THE DOCKS Thu night rock and metal jam DUSTER'S PUB Thu open jam hosted by the Assassins of Youth (blues/rock); 9pm; no cover DV8 Open mic Thu hosted by Cameron Penner/ and/or Rebecca Jane EDMONTON EVENT CENTRE Rick Ross, Emre; tickets at Queue and Sophia's (Whyte Ave), Rain Salon (WEM), Soular (WEM), Shadified Salon (Northgate), Restricted Elite (Kingsway, Londonderry) HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB The Matinee, The Gastown Royals, The Brandon Baker Trio; 7:30pm (door); $10 (door) HOOLIGANZ Open stage Thu hosted by Phil (Nobody Likes Dwight); 9pm-1:30am HYDEAWAY�Jekyll and Hyde All ages jam
J AND R Open jam rock ',n' roll; every Thu; 9pm JAMMERS PUB Thu open jam; 7-11pm L.B.'S PUB Thu open jam with Kenny Skoreyko, Fred Larose and Gordy Mathews (Shaved Posse); 9pm-1am LIVE WIRE BAR Open Stage Thu with Gary Thomas MARYBETH'S COFFEE HOUSE�Beaumont Open Mic Thu; 7pm NAKED CYBER CAFÉ Open stage; every Thu, 9pm; no cover NEW CITY LEGION Canyon Rose Outfit, guests NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by Wild Rose Old Time Fiddlers; 7-10pm; 780.484.3801
CHROME LOUNGE Every Thu: 123 Ko CENTURY ROOM Underground House every Thu with DJ Nic-E THE COMMON So Necessary Thu: Hip hop, classic hip hop, funk, soul, r&b, '80s, oldies and everything in between with Sonny Grimezz, Shortround, Twist THE DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Thu at 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Thu
DJs BILLY BOB’S LOUNGE Escapack Entertainment BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Big Rock Thu: DJs on 3 levels–Topwise Soundsystem spin Dub & Reggae in The Underdog BUDDY'S Thu Men’s Wet Underwear Contest with DJ Phon3 Hom3; 9pm (door); no cover before 10pm
COAST TO COAST Open Stage every Fri; 9:30pm
TREASURY TREASURY In Style Fri: DJ Tyco and Ernest Ledi; no line no cover for ladies all night long THE VENUE�RiverCree Julio Iglesias; 8pm; $59.50
WILD WEST SALOON Lori Kole
GAS PUMP Ladies Nite: Top 40/ dance with DJ Christian
FESTIVAL PLACE Cafe Series: Sultans of String (world); 7:30 pm; $18
WOK BOX Fri with Breezy Brian Gregg; 3:30-5:30pm
HALO Thu Fo Sho: with Allout DJs DJ Degree, Junior Brown
FRESH START BISTRO Kyler Schogen; 7-10pm
DJs
KAS BAR Urban House: with DJ Mark Stevens; 9pm
HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB The Joe (CD release and birthday party); Bike Month, Mitchmatic, Raccoon Suit; 7:30pm (door); $8 at YEG Live
FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Requests with DJ Damian
LUCKY 13 Sin Thu with DJ Mike Tomas NEW CITY LEGION Good Good Things Thu: with Schnaw and Squirrelly B; 4pm-3am; 9pm (DJs); no cover ON THE ROCKS Salsaholic Thu: Dance lessons at 8pm; Salsa DJ to follow
SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco: Thu Retro Nights; 7-10:30pm; sports-world.ca
WINSPEAR CENTRE Tales from Ukraine: Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Lucas Waldin (conductor), Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton, Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company; 8pm; sold out
CASINO YELLOWHEAD Robin Kelly
STEEPS�Old Glenora Live Music Fri
EMPIRE BALLROOM Felix Da Housecat
FLUID LOUNGE Girls Night out
SECOND CUP�Varscona Live music every Thu night; 7-9pm
Classical
CASINO EDMONTON Suite 33
STARLITE ROOM Designer Drugs, Jokers of the Scene, Jesse Jamz, guests; 9pm (door); tickets at Foosh, Blackbyrd
WILD BILL’S�Red Deer TJ the DJ every Thu and Fri; 10pm-close
RENDEZVOUS PUB Mental Thurzday with org666
WILD WEST SALOON Lori Kole
CARROT Live music Fri: all ages; Michael Reinhart, Mateo Tomlinson, Ingrid Gatin; 7pm; $5 (door)
RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES The Normals; $10
DV8 TAVERN First Metal Show of 2011: Helltrack
FILTHY MCNASTY’S Punk Rock Bingo with DJ S.W.A.G.
RIC’S GRILL Peter Belec (jazz); every Thu; 7-10pm
WILD BILL’S�Red Deer TJ the DJ every Thu and Fri; 10pm-close
BRIXX BAR Early Show: Call Apollo, Burnt Force Charm, 7pm (door), $10 (door); Late Show: Options with Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail; 10pm (door), $5 (ladies free)
STOLLI'S Dancehall, hip hop with DJ Footnotes hosted by Elle Dirty and ConScience every Thu; no cover
HYDEAWAY Bayonets, The Fucking Lottery, Book Of Caverns, Slow Hand (members of Gift Eaters, Wolfgoat); local artists selling artworks; 8pm (door), 9pm (music); $8 (door), proceeds to Cross Cancer Institute IRISH CLUB Jam session; 8pm; no cover IVORY CLUB Duelling piano show with Jesse, Shane, Tiffany and Erik and guests JEFFREY'S CAFÉ June Mann Quartet ('70s pop and jazz classics); $10
TAPHOUSE�St Albert Eclectic mix with DJ Dusty Grooves every Thu
JEKYLL AND HYDE PUB Every Fri: Headwind (classic pop/ rock); 10pm; no cover
FRI JAN 14
LIZARD LOUNGE Rock 'n' roll open mic; every Fri, 8:30pm ; no cover
BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ LRT Lionel Rault Trio, with Don Marcotte and Marc Ladouceur; 8pm; $10 BLUES ON WHYTE JK and the Static BOHEMIA Arts Birthday: Agaperaygunexperiment, flEm (beams concert); Anti Propaganda Collective (perfomance), Scarleyt Eyeben (apparatus poetry), Hair Fashion with Bobby Pins Hair Studio, Holly Anne Brake, Cheri Howard, Rebecka Pichoch; no minors; 8pm (door), 9pm (show); $10/$5 (beam and bohemai members)
NEW CITY LEGION F.D. Jones Soap Company, Ball and Chain, Black Dirt Of The West ON THE ROCKS Love Junk, DJs PAWN SHOP Randy Graves, E-Town Beatdown, The Great Valley RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players; 9pm2am RENDEZVOUS PUB Poison Fantasy, Dissonance, Corpus Malignus; a memorial to Tony Bush; $8 proceeds to family
AZUCAR PICANTE Every Fri: DJ Papi and DJ Latin Sensation BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Connected Fri; 8pm BAR�B�BAR DJ James; no cover BAR WILD Bar Wild Fri BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Fri DJs spin Wooftop and Main Floor: Eclectic jams with Nevine–indie, soul, motown, new wave, electro; Underdog: Perverted Fri: Punk and Ska from the ‘60s ‘70s and ‘80s with Fathead BLACKSHEEP PUB Fri Bash: DJ spinning retro to rock classics to current BUDDY’S Fri: DJ Arrow Chaser; 8pm (door); no cover before 10pm CENTURY ROOM Underground House every Fri with DJ Nic-E CHROME LOUNGE Platinum VIP Fri THE COMMON Boom The Box Fri: nu disco, hip hop, indie, electro, dance with weekly local and visiting DJs on rotation plus residents Echo and Shortround THE DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Fri at 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Fri EMPIRE BALLROOM Rock, hip hop, house, mash up; no minors ESMERELDA'S Ezzies Freakin Frenzy Fri: Playing the best in country
VENUE GUIDE ARTERY 9535 Jasper Ave AVENUE THEATRE 9030-118 Ave, 780.477.2149 BANK ULTRA LOUNGE 10765 Jasper Ave, 780.420.9098 BILLY BOB’S Continental Inn, 16625 Stony Plain Rd, 780.484.7751 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE 1042582 Ave, 780.439.1082 BLACKSHEEP PUB 11026 Jasper Ave, 780.420.0448 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ 9624-76 Ave, 780.989.2861 BLUE PEAR RESTAURANT 10643123 St, 780.482.7178 BLUES ON WHYTE 10329-82 Ave, 780.439.3981 BOHEMIA 10575-114 St BRIXX BAR 10030-102 St (downstairs), 780.428.1099 BUDDY’S 11725B Jasper Ave, 780.488.6636 CAFÉ HAVEN�Sherwood Park 9 Sioux Rd, Sherwood Park, 780.417.5523 CAFÉ LEVA 11053-86 Ave, 780.479.5382 CASINO EDMONTON 7055 Argylll Rd, 780.463.9467 CASINO YELLOWHEAD 12464153 St, 780 424 9467 CHRISTOPHER’S 2021 Millbourne Rd, 780.462.6565 CHROME LOUNGE 132 Ave, Victoria Trail COAST TO COAST 5552 Calgary Tr, 780.439.8675 COLAHAN'S 8214-175 St, 780.487.8887 THE COMMON 10124-124 St CROWN PUB 10709-109 St, 780.428.5618 DIESEL ULTRA LOUNGE 11845 Wayne Gretzky Drive, 780.704.
30 // MUSIC
CLUB DEVANEY’S IRISH PUB 9013-88 Ave, 780.465.4834 THE DOCKS 13710 66 St, 780.476.3625 DRUID 11606 Jasper Ave, 780.454.9928 DUSTER’S PUB 6402-118 Ave, 780.474.5554 DV8 8307-99 St, DV8TAVERN.com EARLY STAGE SALOON 4911-52 Ave, Stony Plain EDDIE SHORTS 10713-124 St, 780.453.3663 EDMONTON EVENTS CENTRE WEM Phase III, 780.489.SHOW ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove 121-1 Ave, Spruce Grove, 780.962.1411 ELEPHANT AND CASTLE�Whyte Ave 10314 Whyte Ave ENTERPRISE SQUARE 10230 Jasper Ave, 780.435.9569 EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ 9938-70 Ave, 780.437.3667 FESTIVAL PLACE 100 Festival Way, Sherwood Park, 780.449.3378 FIDDLER’S ROOST 8906-99 St FILTHY MCNASTY’S 10511-82 Ave, 780.916.1557 FLOW LOUNGE 11815 Wayne Gretzky Dr, 780.604.CLUB FLUID LOUNGE 10105-109 St, 780.429.0700 FRESH START BISTRO 484 Riverbend Rd, 780.433.9623 FUNKY BUDDHA 10341-82 Ave, 780.433.9676 GAS PUMP 10166-114 St, 780.488.4841 GOOD EARTH COFFEE HOUSE 9942-108 St HALO 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.423. HALO
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB 15120A (basement), Stony Plain Rd, 780.756.6010 HILL TOP PUB 8220-106 Ave, 780.490.7359 HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH 10037-84 Ave HOOLIGANZ 10704-124 St, 780.452.1168 HORIZON STAGE 1001 Calahoo Rd, Spruce Grove, 780.962.8995 HYDEAWAY 10209-100 Ave, 780.426.5381 IRON BOAR PUB 4911-51st St, Wetaskiwin IVORY CLUB 2940 Calgary Trail South JAMMERS PUB 11948-127 Ave, 780.451.8779 J AND R 4003-106 St, 780.436.4403 JEFFREY’S CAFÉ 9640 142 St, 780.451.8890 JEKYLL AND HYDE 10209-100 Ave, 780.426.5381 JUNCTION BAR AND EATERY 10242-106 St, 780.756.5667 KAS BAR 10444-82 Ave, 780.433.6768 L.B.’S PUB 23 Akins Dr, St Albert, 780.460.9100 LEGENDS PUB 6104-172 St, 780.481.2786 LEVEL 2 LOUNGE 11607 Jasper Ave, 2nd Fl, 780.447.4495 LIVE WIRE 1107 Knotwood Rd. East LIZARD LOUNGE 13160-118 Ave MARYBETH'S COFFEE HOUSE–Beaumont 5001-30 Ave, Beaumont MORANGO’S TEK CAFÉ 10118-79 St NAKED CYBERCAFÉ 10354 Jasper Ave
NEWCASTLE PUB 6108-90 Ave, 780.490.1999 NEW CITY LEGION 8130 Gateway Boulevard (Red Door) NIKKI DIAMONDS 8130 Gateway Blvd, 780.439.8006 NISKU INN 1101-4 St NORTH GLENORA HALL 13535109A Ave O’BYRNE’S 10616-82 Ave, 780.414.6766 ON THE ROCKS 11730 Jasper Ave, 780.482.4767 ORLANDO'S 1 15163-121 St OVERTIME Whitemud Crossing, 4211-106 St, 780.485.1717 PAWN SHOP 10551-82 Ave, Upstairs, 780.432.0814 PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL 10860-57 Ave REDNEX BAR�Morinville 10413100 Ave, Morinville, 780.939.6955 RED PIANO BAR 1638 Bourbon St, WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.486.7722 RED STAR 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.428.0825 RENDEZVOUS 10108-149 St RIC’S GRILL 24 Perron Street, St Albert, 780.460.6602 ROBERTSON�WESLEY UNITED CHURCH 10209-123 St, 780.467.6531 ROSEBOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE 10111-117 St, 780.482.5253 R PUB 16753-100 St , 780.457.1266 RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES 12402-118 Ave, 780.451.1390 SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment 12336-102 Ave, 780.451.7574; Stanley Milner Library 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq; Varscona, Varscona Hotel, 106
St, Whyte Ave SECOND CUP�Sherwood Park 4005 Cloverbar Rd, Sherwood Park, 780.988.1929 SECOND CUP�Summerwood Summerwood Centre, Sherwood Park, 780.988.1929 SIDELINERS PUB 11018-127 St, 780.453.6006 SPORTSWORLD 13710-104 St SPORTSMAN'S LOUNGE 8170-50 St STARLITE ROOM 10030-102 St, 780.428.1099 STEEPS�College Plaza 11116-82 Ave, 780.988.8105; Old Glenora 12411 Stony Plain Rd, 780.488.1505 STOLLI’S 2nd Fl, 10368-82 Ave, 780.437.2293 TAPHOUSE 9020 McKenney Ave, St Albert, 780.458.0860 TRANSALTA ARTS BARNS 10330-84 Ave TREASURY 10004 Jasper Ave, 7870.990.1255, thetreasurey.ca UNCLE GLENNS 7666-156 St, 780.481.3192 WHISTLESTOP LOUNGE 12416132 Ave, 780. 451.5506 WILD BILL’S�Red Deer Quality Inn North Hill, 7150-50 Ave, Red Deer WILD WEST SALOON 12912-50 St, 780.476.3388 WINSPEAR CENTRE 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square; 780.28.1414 WOK BOX 10119 Jasper Ave WUNDERBAR 8120-101 St, 780.436.2286 Y AFTERHOURS 10028-102 St, 780.994.3256, yafterhours.com YESTERDAYS PUB 112, 205 Carnegie Dr, St Albert, 780.459.0295
FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro with DJ Damian GAS PUMP Top 40/dance with DJ Christian JUNCTION BAR AND EATERY LGBT Community: Rotating DJs Fri and Sat; 10pm NEWCASTLE PUB Fri House, dance mix with DJ Donovan 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 TEMPLE Options: alternative with Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail TREASURY Treasury In Style Fri: DJ Tyco and Ernest Ledi; no line no cover for ladies all night long Y AFTERHOURS Foundation Fri
SAT JAN 15 ALBERTA BEACH HOTEL Open stage with Trace Jordan 1st and 3rd Sat; 7pm-12 ARTERY Sundance Fundance: Dance party and screening of The High Level Bridge; 8pm BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair of the Dog: Erin Ross (live acoustic music every Sat); 4-6pm; no cover BOHEMIA Dance Party: with DJs Daylene, Hondo, Ian, Bran Dee, Lex; no minors; 8pm (door), 9pm (music); donation BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Christina with Lorna Lampman; 8pm; $12 BLUES ON WHYTE JK and the Static BRIXX BAR Freshman Years, Social Threat, Color in Conflict; 9pm (door); $12 (door) CAFÉ LEVA The Alberia Playboys (lues roots) CARROT Open mic Sat; 7:3010pm; free CASINO EDMONTON Suite 33 CASINO YELLOWHEAD Robin Kelly COAST TO COAST Live bands every Sat; 9:30pm THE COMMON Danksoul presents Welcome: Dane and Bron, Kenzie Clarke, Kinsella; 9pm (door); $5 (door) CROWN PUB Acoustic blues open stage with Marshall Lawrence; every Sat; no cover EDDIE SHORTS Saucy Wenches every Sat FESTIVAL PLACE Front Porch Roots Revue I (folk); 7:30 pm; tickets: $36 (table)/$34 (box)/$30 (theatre) FILTHYS MCNASTY'S Swear by the Moon, Brandon Baker; 4-6pm; free show GAS PUMP Blues jam/open stage every Sat 3-6pm, backline provided HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Brendan Kelly w/ Colin Close, guest; 7:30pm (door); $10 (door) HILLTOP PUB Open stage/mic Sat: hosted by Sally's Krackers Sean Brewer; 3-5:30pm HORIZON STAGE The Shirleys; 7:30pm; $25 (adult)/$20 (student/senior)/$5 eyeGO 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
JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Billie Zizi and the Gypsy Jive; $15 L.B.’S PUB Sat Jam with Gator and friends at 4:30-8:30pm; Darrell Barr and Mark Puffer at 9pm-2am; $10 MORANGO'S TEK CAFÉ Sat open stage: hosted by Dr. Oxide; 7-10pm O’BYRNE’S Live band Sat 3-7pm; DJ 9:30pm ON THE ROCKS Love Junk, DJs PAWN SHOP LA Riots RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players; 9pm-2am RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Sat jam; 3-6pm; evening: Hot Cottage; $15 STARLITE ROOM Silent Line (CD release), Built on Despondancy, World Class White Trash, Watership Down; 8pm (door); $12 (door) TRANSALTA ARTS BARNS Northern Lights Folk Club: Blue Bird North (Karla Anderson, Rob Heath, John Wort Hannam, John Mann); $18 WILD WEST SALOON Lori Kole
Classical WINSPEAR CENTRE Symphony for Kids: Roald Dahl’s Little Red Riding Hood; Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Lucas Waldin (conductor), Doug McKeag and Onalea Gilbertson (storytellers), The Old Trout Puppet Workshop (puppets); 2pm; $13-$17 (child)/$21-$29 (adult) at Winspear box office
DJs AZUCAR PICANTE Every Sat: DJ Touch It, hosted by DJ Papi BANK ULTRA LOUNGE We Own the Night: All new DJs, all New Music Upstairs: Top 40, Dancehall, Hip Hop with DJ Phixion, DJ GQue, DJ Utz; Downstairs: Electro Dub Step, house with Castro Got Astronaut BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sat DJs on three levels. Main Floor: Menace Sessions: alt rock/electro/trash with Miss Mannered BLACKSHEEP PUB Sat DJ BUDDY'S Sat: Feel the rhythm with DJ Phon3 Hom3; 8pm (door); no cover before 10pm CENTURY ROOM Underground House every Sat with DJ Nic-E
SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Sat; 1pm4:30pm and 7-10:30pm STOLLI’S ON WHYTE Top 40, R&B, house with People’s DJ TEMPLE Oh Snap! with Degree, Cobra Commander, Battery, Jake Roberts, Ten-O, Cool Beans, Hotspur Pop, sPRex; every Sat Y AFTERHOURS Release Sat
SUN JAN 16 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 Trio; 10am-2:30pm; donations BLUE PEAR RESTAURANT Jazz on the Side Sun: Mike Lent; 6-9pm; $25 if not dining BLUES ON WHYTE JK and the Static B�STREET BAR Acoustic-based open stage hosted by Mike "Shufflehound" Chenoweth; every Sun evening CROWN PUB Latin/world fusion jam hosted by Marko Cerda; musicians from other musical backgrounds are invited to jam; 7pm-closing DEVANEY’S IRISH PUB Celtic open stage: with Keri-Lynne Zwicker; every Sun, 5:30pm; no cover
EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ YEG live Sunday Night Songwriters Stage; 7-10pm HYDEAWAY New Sun Open stage jam 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; every Sun, 3-6:30pm O’BYRNE’S Open mic; every Sun, 9:30pm-1am
EMPIRE BALLROOM Rock, hip hop, house, mash up
SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Co-op Live music every Sun; 2-4pm
JUNCTION BAR AND EATERY LGBT Community: Rotating DJs Fri and Sat; 10pm NEWCASTLE PUB Top 40 Sat: requests with DJ Sheri NEW CITY LEGION Black Polished Chrome Sat: with DJs Blue Jay, The Gothfather, and Anonymouse; no minors; free (5-8pm)/$5 (ladies)/$8 (gents after 8pm) PALACE CASINO Show Lounge Sat night DJ PAWN SHOP SONiC Presents Live On Site! Anti-Club Sat: rock, indie, punk, rock, dance, retro rock; 8pm (door) RED STAR Sat indie rock, hip hop, and electro with DJ Hot Philly and guests RENDEZVOUS Survival metal night every Sat
DEVANEY'S IRISH PUB Breezy Brian Gregg hosts singer songwriter open stage every Mon; 8pm PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic instrumental old time fiddle jam hosted by the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Society; 7-10pm ROSE BOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE Acoustic open stage every Mon; 9pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Charlie Trouble with Pete Turland
DJs BAR WILD Bar Gone Wild Mon: Service Industry Night; no minors; 9pm-2am BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Eclectic Nonsense, Confederacy of Dunces, Dad Rock, TJ Hookah and Rear Admiral Saunders 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 LEGION Madhouse Mon: Punk/metal/etc with DJ Smart Alex
TUE JAN 18 BRIXX BAR Troubadour Tue: with Sean Brewer, Erica Viegas, Matt Machete, host Mark Feduk; 8pm (door); $5 (door)
ORLANDO'S 2 PUB Open stage jam; every Sun, 4pm
HALO For Those Who Know: house every Sat with DJ Junior Brown, Luke Morrison, Nestor Delano, Ari Rhodes
BLUES ON WHYTE Morgan Davis
EDDIE SHORTS Acoustic jam with Rob Taylor; every Sun, 9pm
DRUID IRISH PUB Sat DJ at 9pm
FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro with DJ Damian
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sleeman Mon: live music monthly; no cover
BLUES ON WHYTE Morgan Davis
ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Sat
FLUID LOUNGE Sat Gone Gold Mash-Up: with Harmen B and DJ Kwake
MON JAN 17
DOUBLE D'S Open jam every Sun; 3-8pm
ON THE ROCKS Seven Strings Sun: Prairie Nights, In Limbo, Tiff Hall
ESMERALDA’S Super Parties: Every Sat a different theme
s
Classical HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH Johann Sebastian Bach: Scona Chamber Singers, Scona Early Music Ensemble, John Brough (conductor); 7pm; $20 (adult)/$15 (student/senior) at the door ROBERTSON�WESLEY UNITED CHURCH Brilliant Baroque: Alberta Baroque Ensemble, Robin Doyon (trumpet); 3pm; $25 (adult)/$20 (senior/student) at Gramophone, TIX on the Square, door
DJs BACKSTAGE TAP AND GRILL Industry Night: with Atomic Improv, Jameoki and DJ Tim BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sun Afternoons: Phil, 2-7pm; Main Floor: Got To Give It Up: Funk, Soul, Motown, Disco with DJ Red Dawn FLOW LOUNGE Stylus Sun SAVOY MARTINI LOUNGE Reggae on Whyte: RnR Sun with DJ IceMan; no minors; 9pm; no cover SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Sun; 1-4:30pm
CROWN PUB Underground At The Crown: underground, hip hop with DJ Xaolin and Jae Maze; open mic; every Tue; 10pm; $3 DRUID IRISH PUB Open stage with Chris Wynters; every Tue, 9pm; with guest Brandon Edward Baker L.B.’S Tue Blues Jam with Ammar; 9pm-1am NEW CITY LEGION High Anxiety Variety Society Bingo vs. karaoke; no minors; every Tue; no cover O’BYRNE’S Celtic jam with Shannon Johnson and friends every Tue, 9:30pm PADMANADI Tue open stage with Mark Davis; all ages; 7:3010:30pm R PUB Open stage jam hosted by Gary and the Facemakers; every Tue, 8pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Triple Grief SECOND CUP�124 Street Open mic every Tue; 8-10pm SECOND CUP�Stanley Milner Library Open mic every Tue; 7-9pm SECOND CUP�Summerwood Open stage/open mic Tue; 7:30pm; no cover SIDELINERS PUB Tue All Star Jam with Alicia Tait and Rickey Sidecar; 8pm SPORTSMAN'S LOUNGE Open stage hosted by Paul McGowan; every Tue, 9pm 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 BUDDYS Tue with DJ Arrow Chaser; free pool all night; 9pm (door); no cover FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Latin and Salsa music, dance lessons 8-10pm RED STAR Tue Experimental
Indie Rock, Hip Hop, Electro with DJ Hot Philly
WED JAN 19 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Glitter Gulch Wed BLUES ON WHYTE Morgan Davis BRIXX BAR Really Good… Eats and Beats: DJ Degree, friends; every Wed music starts at 6pm; $5 CROWN PUB Creative original Jam Wed (no covers): hosted by Dan and Miguel; 9:30pm12:30am EDDIE SHORTS Acoustic jam; every Wed, 9pm; no cover ELEPHANT AND CASTLE� Whyte Ave Open mic every Wed (unless there's an Oilers game); no cover EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Wed Open stage; 7-11pm; admission by donation FIDDLER'S ROOST Little Flower Open Stage Wed with Brian Gregg; 8pm-12 GOOD EARTH COFFEE HOUSE Wed with Breezy Brian Gregg; 12-1pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Open stage with Jonny Mac; every Wed, 8:30pm, free HOOLIGANZ Open stage Wed: with host Cody Nouta; 9pm NISKU INN Troubadours and Tales, Tim Harwill, guests; 1st Wed every month; 8-10pm PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic Bluegrass jam presented by the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society; Slow pitch for beginners on the 1st and 3rd Wed prior to regular jam every Wed, 6.30pm; $2 (member)/$4 (non-member) 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 Gord Mathews SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Open Mic every Wed; 8-10pm STARLITE ROOM Sarah Harmer; 7pm (door); sold out STEEPS TEA LOUNGE�College Plaza Open mic: with Layne L'Heureux every Wed, 8pm TEMPLE Wild Style Wed: Hip hop open mic hosted by Kaz and Orv; $5 WUNDERBAR HOFBRAUHAUS Open mic every Wed, 9pm
DJs BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Rev'd Up Wed: with DJ Mike Tomas upstairs; 8pm 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 BUDDY'S Wed: DJ Dust 'n' Time; 9pm (door); no cover 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 NIKKI DIAMONDS Punk and ‘80s metal every Wed NEW CITY LEGION Wed Pints 4 Punks with Dj Nick RED STAR Guest DJs every Wed STOLLI'S Beatparty Wed: House, progressive, electronica with Rudy Electro, DJ Rystar, Space Age, guests; 9pm-2am
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
MUSIC // 31
National Treasure
Might as well jump
Wed, Jan 19 (9 pm) With Joe Nolan Wunderbar Former Edmonton residents Jesse Dee and Jacquie B moved to Wells, BC earlier this year, shacking up with Ory No'man. Kindred spirits, it wasn't long before a new rock group—with influences ranging from the Grateful Dead to Wilco mixed into something the band calls vintage cream—was born in the form of National Treasure. Jacquie B spoke to Vue about the group's beginnings and its future. Vue Weekly: How did National Treasure come together? Jacquie B: We all met at the North Country Fair in 2008—instant friends and shared a workshop stage. We kept in touch and met again at Sasquatch Gathering in 2009 where we all jumped up on stage and played a set at 2 am after the Crazy Storm. The fun factor was obvious. We knew we had something. Ory, Jesse and I decided to go on tour across Canada October/November of that year. A six-week tour which brought us from Edmonton to St John's, Newfoundland and back. We played together and started referring to ourselves as one act rather than two separate—it worked and folks loved it. On that tour, Ory was buying a house in small town Wells, BC. Jesse and I were debating leaving the city anyhow and Ory invited us to move in with him, and so we did in February of 2010. And there was born the beginning of our creative journey together as National Treasure. We cook and make music together, and during the winter months we tour often as a trio. Ory works in Banff in the summertime and meets up with us when he can for festival gigs and the odd summer show. VW: How does National Treasure differ from your duo? JB: It differs for one in that it's not just our music, but Ory's too—an expansion of both sounds with added textures (accordion, lead guitar, three-part harmonies, piano, percussion, harmonica) and quirky stage banter of course! The
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
writing is evolving to suit a fuller sound, more with a band in mind. VW: What has the experience been like creating something new and unique out of two established groups? JB: Playing each other's music is refreshing in a creative kind of way in that we're making music that we as individuals wouldn't necessarily write, pushing our boundaries and comfort zone, realizing tendencies in our own styles and learning new ways of creating. Ory would never write a song like "Serenity Now," but he sure does wail on that harmonica in a way he wouldn't do on "Move Mountains" (one of his songs). It just opens everything up. VW: How does the creative process work in this particular format? JB: We write separately: Ory upstairs playing the chords of a song over and over and letting the lyrics come, us downstairs noodling on a groove and sticking words on it to find the right melody, structure, harmony. We come to each other with the songs when they are pretty much complete and start working out instrumentation and such. We try not to have the same thing going on, keep it new and interesting, dynamic. We have yet to co-write together, but that is definitely something we hope to do someday. VW: Are there plans for an album in the near future? JB: Definitely! We've decided to finish up our individual projects which are near completion before jumping into a joint National Treasure record. National Treasure is a project band—Jesse Dee & Jacquie B are still touring heavily as a duo and sometimes four-piece band without Ory. It's important that Jesse and I have something that is representative of what we do because of that fact. Also, Ory is on the verge of finishing his first studio offering and it's important for him to see that through. But on the same token, both our records have each other all over them, including drummer Matt Blackie, making them pretty much National Treasure endeavors! Eden Munro
// eden@vueweekly.com
Sarah HArmer
far-so-good progress. "Every level of government has rejected this massive quarry proposal, but the company is still pushing it to a lengthy and costly hearing." So while she's keeping her ear to the ground on that front, right now Harmer's
and hang out and jam Friday nights?' kind of thing, and then we did a bunch of shows," Harmer explains, of how she came to provide rhythmic muscle to Music Maul, her friend Trevor Henderson's band. "They're kind of a recording
I do a lot of driving between Kingston and Toronto, and I love certain anthemic tunes that really sound great.
I know what you did last summer: Harmer plays the Folk Fest
Wed, Jan 19 (sold out) Thur, Jan 20 (7 pm) With Gentleman Reg Starlite Room, $29.50 It doesn't feel quite right to call Sarah Harmer a political artist, but her pen has always possessed more of a sharp, observational edge than the average songwriter. Right from the beginning— the bleary, poverty-line living detailed in "Basement Apartment"—Harmer's coloured the problems she sees in the world with a more personal minutae, not so much raising a middle finger to the institution as graffiti-ing on its gray walls, drawing attention to her discourse through art instead of outrage. It should come as no surprise, then, that
Harmer would eventually end up dipping more deeply into proper activism: after wrapping up touring behind her Polaris Prize-nominated I'm a Mountain, Harmer eased off her musical duties for a while to co-found Protecting Escarpment Rural Lands, a grassroots environmental campaign devoted to protecting Mount Nemo Plateau—near her childhood home in Burlington—from having a 30metre hole blown in its top for a quarry. In "Escarpment Blues" on Mountain, she wrote about it directly: "If they blow a hole in my backyard / Everyone is gonna run away / The creeks won't flow to the Great Lake below / Will the water in the wells still be OK?" "Right now we're in the middle of a hearing," Harmer explains of the group's so-
heading back out on the road, returning to quintessential Canadian songstress status to tour Oh Little Fire, her first album in half a decade. Though she's been more focused on conservation issues the past few years, Harmer's quick to point out that the time between albums also saw her spend some quality time behind a drumkit. "It was one of those 'wanna come over
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
project, they don't do a lot of shows, but they were starting to ... I wasn't really considered, to myself, an actual drummer, so these guys, they took me on as an underling. It was just fun. It was like hanging out with my buddies." Her time spent behind the kit seems an obvious influence on Little Fire: Music Maul's track "Silverado" earned a place
on the album, bolstered with backing vocals from Neko Case (a return favour for Harmer singing on Case's Middle Cyclone), and Harmer plays drums on a trio of songs. But overall Fire's much more of a full-band, sonic experience than the cabin-porch acoustics of I'm A Mountain (though "New Loneliness" certainy shares that acoustic bedrock): the whole thing's bolstered by colourful electric guitar, Wurlitzer and brass, and fully fleshed out rhythm sections. It's an album designed with the highway in mind. "I do a lot of driving between Kingston and Toronto, and I love certain anthemic tunes that really sound great," Harmer says. "That was one goal I had for the record. The last album didn't have any drums on it, and was a totally different kind of thing. And so for this one, I wanted to have a really solid rhythmic foundation." PAUL BLINOV
// PAUL@vueweekly.com
MUSIC // 33
NEWSOUNDS Various artists A Canadian Celebration of the Band (Sony)
Eden Munro // eden@vueweekly.com
T
ribute albums tend to be in for a rough ride right from the start, the spectre of the original artists hanging overhead. Add to that the sense of disconnect that comes from using different artists on every song, and the road gets rough very quickly. In the case of Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of the Band, Hudson himself counters some of that disconnect and provides a welcome thread of continuity throughout the 18-song album, performing on each track with guests that the keyboardist handpicked himself. Still, 18 tracks is a long time to hold a common theme with a single group at the heart of the sound, so there's a considerable distance to cover here, and the results are always solid, but sometimes predictable. Blues singer Danny Brooks opens things up with the lesser-known "Forbidden Fruit" off of 1975's Northern Lights - Southern Cross, and it's an admirable choice for an opener, avoiding the big guns in favour of attempting to cultivate a more specific mood for the album as a whole. Unfortunately, the take adds nothing to the original: it's an expertly
played showcase for Brooks, but it lacks the tumbling collaborative spirit of the Band's version. The case is similar for Chantal Kreviazuk on "Tears of Rage," a tune with plenty of space for her to roll her vocals all over it, making it a far less emotional roller coaster than the late Richard Manuel's take on the Band's 1968 debut album. Likewise, Peter Katz tackles "Acadian Driftwood" in a respectable-but-unspectacular showing, and the Sadies hit strong with "The Shape I'm In," though while it's an excellent fit for the group it sounds more like the players are having a little fun in the garage rather than attempting to put their own mark on the song. Other spots on the album can be a little more cringe inducing: Rock Star: INXS cast-off Suzie McNeil barrels through a bar-band blues/modern-rock disaster on "Ain't Got No More" while Great Big Sea imbues "Knockin' Lost John" with the band's particular brand of easy-listening Atlantic sounds and the Road Hammers turn "Yazoo Street Scandal" into a newcountry blues grind. Despite the low- and mid-lights, though, there are a few gems scattered about here: sparks appear when the Sadies team up with Neil Young for a sharp go at "Wheel's on Fire," taking a Crazy Horse-like approach that gives the song a stomping backbone, and Blue Rodeo finds a delicate balance between its own sound and the Band's, turning in a restrained performance of "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)," similar to what Kevin Hearn & Thin Buckle pull off on "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere." The strongest moments on the album come in the form of two of the most understated tracks: Cowboy Junkies on "Clothes Line Saga" and Mary Margaret O'Hara & the Sadies on "Out of the Blue." On each of these songs the artists find a way of giving new life to the songs, so much so that the issue of topping the original never even comes into play, the renditions simply standing tall all on their own. V
Gorillaz The Fall (EMI)
The Fall, Gorillaz' (mostly) iPad-crafted album sounds like a set of b-sides from the Plastic Beach sessions: heavy electro sheen is clearly still what bandleader Damon Albarn's experimenting with. Written and recorded on the band's month-long North American tour, The Fall feels more like a series of songwriting exercises than a fully conceived album (hence why it's online for free, I suppose), but Albarn's a strong enough songwriter to polish up a couple of gems: the snarky synth that kicks "Revolving Doors" into rotation and the slowdance jam "Bobby In Phoenix" stand above. Most of the rest sound like rough cuts worth refining. (Streaming now on thefall.gorillaz.com) Paul Blinov
// paul@vueweekly.com
The War On Drugs Future Weather (Secretly Canadian)
Future Weather comes out of the gate with "Baby Missiles," a genuine psych jamboree with Elvis-like scatting to delayed, decayed and gauzed-out harmonicas 'n' banging saloon pianos, all tied down to a boot-kicking rockabilly beat. From there we dip into "Comin' Through," a countrywave narrative where you begin to truly experience singer Adam Granduciel's rich texture and Americana timbre, not unlike that of Jim James. As the album saunters on, the songs get progressively more distant, hazy and obscured, both musically and lyrically. It is like watching a pioneer fading into the sunset, leaving us in the dust. Joe Gurba
// joe@vueweekly.com
Young Prisms Friends For Now (Kanine)
Young Prisms is a very loud, very deliberate band that toys with noise the way photographers toy with lighting. I'll spare the Young Prisms any comparisons because, unlike many shoegazing contemporaries, it sounds like the band's ultimately reaching for something of its own. There are times on Friends For Now when the sawtooth clamour can get repetitive and even aggravating, but the lofty heights ascended on songs like "Stay Awake," "Breathless" and "In Your Room" create sanctified glimpses of beauty. Song after song, what is lost in repetition and indiscernible lyrics is gained back by the auras sculpted from the showers of sound. Joe Gurba
// joe@vueweekly.com
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
Miss Quincy Your Mama Don't Like Me (Independent)
Miss Quincy has a voice that cuts through the air, lungs heaving the words like a turn-of-thecentury songstress come to Technicolor life. At times, there's a theatrical edge to the sound—it's hard to avoid when the music is submersed in a sound so far removed from today's pop starlets—but it's tough to argue against the way Quincy drives home a line like "Loving married men and whisky is like dragging a dead horse around." There's plenty of space in the soundscape to capture the atmosphere, the instruments all twisting and turning around each other in a lively sonic dance. Eden Munro
// eden@vueweekly.com
OLDSOUNDS Slow Fresh Oil
White Trash on Black Laquer (Green Pepper) Originally released: 1998
Carmen Townsend Waitin' and Seein' (Company House)
Carmen Townsend hammers a fairly solid rhythm out of her guitar on the opening track here, though it sounds a little dated—sort of like she's been listening to a lot of lateera grunge. There are a few more of those types of songs—the muddy bottomed rumble of "Hands and Mouths" and the rolling "Open Sea"—and while they're all expertly performed there's not a lot of urgency to them. Where Townsend comes into her own is when she starts picking on her acoustic guitar, channeling her inner Jimmy Page on "Nothing Lasts Forever," and pairing the acoustic with a driving stomp on "Start All Over." It's not quite enough to beat the grungy doldrums, though. Eden Munro
// eden@vueweekly.com
LOONIEBin Britney Spears, "Hold it Against Me": The chorus is lightweight pop—"If I said I want your body now / Would you hold it against me"—but the verses are built on a dark synth rumble that conjures images of AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" in some really weird alternate universe. Dark stuff. Avril Lavigne, "What the Hell": And at the other end of the pop-starlet spectrum, Lavigne is embracing an evermore bubblegummy sound. Sticky, but not in a good way. The Don Berner Sextet, "The Road to Banff": Take a right at Cowtown and drive straight on to morning—or for an hour or so, anyway. If you spot a roadside jazz lounge on the way, stop in. If not, play this song.
It would be wrong to say that a single person could be the lifeblood of the music scene here in Edmonton—there's a pretty tangled web here—but there can be little doubt that Brent Oliver has done more than his fair share in strengthening its foundation. To many of today's up-and-coming artists Oliver is the promoter who was steadfastly dedicated to offering support to new bands even while he was bringing plenty of impressive names both new and old to town. But Oliver is also a musician himself, most visible of late playing bass in Ayla Brook's band, but with many recordings in his past, one of the most interesting being a 1998 LP from Slow Fresh Oil. Looking back on White Trash on Black Laquer now, it's one of those albums that seems oddly perfect, a culmination of what had come before it and a glimpse of what was to come down the road in the aftermath. There were the pop melodies and harmonies that both Oliver and fellow Slow Fresh Oiler Lyle Bell had already demonstrated in bands like the Maybellines and Molly's Reach (respectively), but Slow Fresh Oil was something different, unbottling a serious willingness to work against-the-grain.
QUICKSPINS
The result of that mindset was White Trash on Black Laquer, packed full of short, miniblasts of pop and punk and rock and even some loopy electronics. Battered what-the-fuck lyrics in "Math Against Tyranny" crash up against rumbling bass grooves in the same song, followed by the straight ahead pop melody of "(Brain) Don't Fail Me Now," only to careen into the explosive what-the-fuck vocals of "Now, You Got Me Where You Want Me, Now," ending side one on an uncomfortable note—a confusing wrap-up to a complex mix of sounds. Side two is no easier to get a fix on, with plenty more of those what-the-fuck moments mashing up elements that probably don't belong together: the slick vocal running into an apocalyptic blues ending on "It's Nice to See That You Still Don't Care," followed immediately by "Third in a Series of Four" with its spoken/shouted refrain of "You make me drink" on top of a groove that wouldn't seem so mean if it wasn't drenched in feedback. After growing up in the scene and then helping the scene itself to grow, Oliver is departing for a new job in Winnipeg and it seems somehow appropriate that Slow Fresh Oil came back together to see him off with one last live show: White Trash is a tough record to tackle, and it's not easy to pin Oliver down either. In fact, he's very much like the all-overthe-map sound of Slow Fresh Oil—artist, family man and friend are just a few of many descriptions that are apt, yet none tell the whole complicated story. Brent Oliver will be sorely missed. The Edmonton music scene has long swirled around him, in large part because he's always barreled ahead with an uncompromising dedication to music and the city. It's a sad day to see him go, though surely he's laid the groundwork for a legacy that will find young promoters and musicians banding together and fighting to make this the best music scene posible, just as Oliver did for so many years. Still, those are some big shoes to fill. V Eden Munro
// eden@vueweekly.com
WHITEY HOUSTON // QUICKSPINS@vueweekly.com
Amos Lee Mission Bell (Blue Note)
Toro Y Moi Underneath the Pine (Carpark)
Panty moistener For old old old white ladies Those va-jays are dry
Pumpin' comps begone This sounds like Eddie Hazel Thieving Mayfield's "chops"
Various artists 30 bands you've never heard of (Little Whore Records)
R. Kelly A Love Letter Christmas (Jive)
Totally freaky Like a fake leg on a dwarf But twice as sexy
I missed this last week But it's piss-yer-pants awesome Late Sexmas present
Destroyer Kaputt (Merge)
Atlas Sound Bedroom Databank Vol 1 - 4 (Atlas Sound)
You can't hate Bejar A Canadian treasure Long may you run, Dan
Download them for freeeeee Find out just how good he is When barely trying
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
MUSIC // 35
MUSICNOTES Society—is the most mixed bag of artistic pursuits you could hope for in our fair burg—in a good way. Combining an avant garde concert with performance art, poetry and a hair fashion show, Ahead of Time has plenty of bases covered. (Bohemia Café)
Designer Drugs / Fri, Jan 14 (9 pm) If you've ever showed up at an after-hours club in this city you may have thought that designer drugs were already here. If you're already into designer drugs, you might also be down with New York City DJ duo Designer Drugs which will be coming to Edmonton in support of the group's new album Hardcore/Softcore. After gaining fame within the dance music world for wild remixes of artists such as Mariah Carey, Annie, Thieves Like Us, Little Boots and more, Hardcore/Softcore marks the debut album for Designer Drugs. (Starlite Room, $19 – $35) Ahead of Time / Fri, Jan 14 Billed simply as an "art event," Ahead of Time—presented by the Boreal Electro Acoustic Music
Bluebird North / Sat, Jan 15 (8 pm) Based on and endorsed by Nashville's famous Bluebird Café—which helped launch the careers of the likes of Garth Brooks, Ashley Cleveland and Pam Tillis—Bluebird North features some of Canada's finest songwriters giving intimate performances and telling the backstorys to their songs. Featuring Rob Heath, Karla Anderson, John Wort Hannam and John Mann. (Arts Barns, $22)
An Evening With Chopin / Sat, Jan 15 (7:30 pm) & Sun, Jan 16 (2 pm) Presented by Citie Ballet, An Evening With Chopin presents some of the work of choreographer Waldemar Bartkowski and guest company, the Youth Ballet of Saskatchewan. (Timms Centre for the Arts, $15 – $55)
The Shirleys / Sat, Jan 15 (7:30 pm) More than simply an a capella septet, Vancouver-based the Shirleys are more like a singing activist group with significantly more vocal chops than the Raging Grannies. Having performed at the World Peace Fo-
rum, the World Urban Forum and co-produced a fundraiser for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the Shirleys are bringing the group's humanity-focused songs—sung in seven languages—to Spruce Grove. (Horizon Stage, $20 – $25) Suburban Syndrome / Sat, Jan 15 (8 pm) If you like to groove but you also like to fist pump, then Edmonton's Suburban Syndrome might be just the thing. Playing a singular form of groove metal, the band seeks to break society free of its "suburban syndrome" by giving its music away, hoping that by providing its art free of charge it can break society's consumeristic bonds. (Starlite Room, $12)
"I love that my third-time-pregnant wife is here to listen to songs that I didn't write about her, that I wrote about my ex-girlfriend from 15 years ago. That's great." —Brent Oliver, introducing Slow Fresh Oil's "Natalie 2B"
We'll miss you Brent! 36 // MUSIC
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
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COMMENT >> LGBTQ
COMMENT >> ALT SEX
No more 'us vs them'
How much is too much?
While on a trek through the land of '90s queer theopopulated by gun-registry-hating, big-oil-loving hory, I tripped over Cathy J Cohen's article "Punks, Bullmophobes. It has been tempting to define ourselves daggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential as one united community in opposition to the nonof Queer Politics?" Writing in 1997, Cohen was conqueers who, by lowest common denominator, are tributing to the critique against queer scholarship thought to be heterosexuals. and activism that had been gaining momentum in Following this impulse, however, leads to dangerNorth America since the early '90s. She argues ous outcomes. As Cohen warns, confining sexualthat queer theory failed to live up to its ity politics to a battle between "us and them" self-proclaimed potential as the ultimate assumes both sides to be internally homonon-assimilationist, anti-heteronormative geneous groups. It seems more strateand anti-racist, feminist, workers' movegic to present the social movement as ment. According to Cohen, by 1997 the united and coherent. But this approach kly.com e e w e vu alexa@ queer movement was nothing more than inevitably masks the diversity and intera x Ale e an anti-heterosexual academic experiment nal conflicts that exist in LGBTQ commun DeGag populated by racist, classist individuals. nities such as Edmonton's. And as Cohen Queer theory and activism had only managed observed, it leads to the exclusion and silencto define itself by what it was not: heterosexual. ing of certain populations within the movement. I told myself that queer theory and activism has Edmonton's LGBTQ community's strength comes never been as short-sighted and exclusionary as Cofrom its self-examination and even its in-fighting. Withhen described, and that, queer theory and activism has in Edmonton's LGBTQ community activists and groups learned from its mistakes and evolved since its near have worked to demonstrate that we do not all toe self-destruction in the late '90s. But by the end of the the same political line, we do not have the same social article, Cohen had completely won me over. First, she and economic needs, and we do not all experience our argued that queer theory needs to engage with all sexusexuality and its oppression in the same way. alities, sexual identities and practices. Doing so reveals Edmonton's LGBTQ community needs to be able the power-laden nature of sexual identity and practices to have honest debates about divergent visions for on all points on the spectrum. Second, she argued that LGBTQ social justice: to keep up with changing reany queer social justice project is shallow if it does not alities both within and outside the actual movement; include serious considerations of race and class. to attune to individuals or groups that are slipping through the cracks, shut out or pushed out of the The queer movement may be founded on a politics movement and community; and ultimately, to either of acceptance and social justice for all, but in many evolve as a movement or come to terms with the fact ways, the movement is still struggling with the probthat the movement has caused change (both positive lems Cohen, and others, have raised. and negative) and has now run its course. V Fifteen years after the crisis in queer theory and activism, maybe it is time for a queer gut-check Alexa DeGagne is a PhD student in the department within our Edmonton community. Alberta's LGBTQ of Political Science at the University of Alberta. Her community is assumed to have a common and forresearch focuses on American LGB and queer politimidable enemy: the Conservative government and cal organizations. She works with several Edmonton its constituents. As the myth goes, Alberta is a conqueer groups including the Community Response servative province with a Conservative government, Project, Peace by Piece and CJSR's Gaywire.
Dear Brenda: I just bought my first vibrator and I love it! I'm worried that I could be using it too much, though. I've never had sex. If I keep using my vibrator, will it make it harder for me to enjoy sex with a boyfriend when I do get there? How much is too much? Overstimulated
EERN Q UN TO MO
responds to you and may surprise you. It's a very different experience with a lot of sensory input, so I doubt that you have to worry about preferring a toy to all of that.
The only small caution I would give you is to switch things up with the toy. I don't believe you can get addicted to a sex toy, but you Dear Overstimulated: can become very accustomed to it. If you We definitely get two conflicting mesalways play with the toy in exactly the sages about sex toys. On one hand we same way and bring yourself to orgasm m hear, "Sex toys rock! Everybody has a with the same toy, same setting, same ekly.co e w e u @v brenda vibrator, you should really have a vibraposition, you do run the risk of condia d n Bre er tioning your brain and body to respondtor!" And on the other we hear, "Be careKerb ful! If you use that thing too much you ing only to that stimulation. You may be won't be able to enjoy 'real' sex." So what loving everything that's going on with your does that mean? There's still an idea that toys are partner but your brain will be saying, "Well, this a second-rate option either for people who can't find a partner or for people who don't know how Using a vibrator, or any to do it right. But using a vibrator, or any other other toy, to explore your toy, to explore your own body and your sexual responses, can actually make sex with a partner betown body and your sexual ter. Toys can help you to become more comfortresponses, can actually make able with your body and can help to know what sex with a partner better. the pathway to pleasure and orgasm feel like for you. All of this knowledge will make you a much more active partner in sex. You'll know what you like and will be able to guide and suggest, instead is all very nice, but it's not the thing that gets me of laying there hoping your partner knows what off." The simple, and fun, solution is to vary your will turn you on. play. Change the settings on the toy, try different Using toys with your partner can also open up positions like rubbing against it instead of holding new worlds of experiences to explore and it can it and try masturbating without a toy from time to make those very difficult conversations about time. That will allow you to recognize that there sexual wants and needs easier by giving you someare lots of ways to get off and hopefully the many thing to focus the conversation on. things that you do with a future partner will be Having sex with a vibrator is not better than havsome of them. V ing sex with a person—it's different. The physical sensation of vibration might be stronger than what Brenda Kerber is a sexual health educator who has a person can do, but it can only do one thing at worked with local not-for-profits since 1995. She a time. A partner has an entire body, 10 fingers, is the owner of the Edmonton-based sex-positive a tongue, hot breath, a voice, soft skin. A partner adult toy boutique, The Traveling Tickle Trunk
LUST E LIF
FOR
FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19) What empire are you building, Aries? As you gaze out upon your realm, are you content with the way it's evolving? Judging from the current astrological omens, I'd say it's an excellent time to ponder questions like those. And if your inventory reveals that you're missing some pieces of the big picture's puzzle, I suggest you set out on a quest to locate them.
through-too-much-movement" than get bogged down in "principled sluggishness." But while that's how you are when you're at your peak, you can also be susceptible to the dark side of this talent. Sometimes you abort a potential breakthrough by prematurely fleeing a useful but difficult scene. I suspect you may be prone to that kind of behaviour right now. My advice: Be skeptical of your escape reflex.
TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20) In a famous psychology experiment, test subjects watched a video of six people passing basketballs to each other. Their assignment was to count how many passes were thrown and caught by the three people wearing white shirts, while ignoring passes between the three wearing black shirts. Midway through the video, a person wearing a gorilla suit ambled into the scene and quickly departed. Half of the test subjects did not notice this intrusion. They were too focused on the task of counting the passes made by the players in white. In the coming week, I expect that you will experience at least one similar trick. Look for the unexpected.
CANCER ( Jun 21 – Jul 22) In her poem "Heathen," Lesley Wheeler describes a young boy who puts his ear up against his mother's ear "so that the god in your head can talk / to the god in mine." The coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to try something similar with people you care for. It's a ripe moment to raise the stakes in your intimate life and to retire the familiar stories you and your allies are in the habit of exchanging so that you can tune in to the deeper hum of each other's wilder truths.
GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20) Astrologer Hunter Reynolds says that when you are at your best, you Geminis specialize in "enlightened impatience." You don't tolerate boring experiences just because they're supposed to be good for you. You'd rather "err on the side of learning-
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LEO ( Jul 23 – Aug 22) There's a guy on the Internet—calls himself Tian—whose mission is to correct Westerners who misunderstand and misuse Chinese characters. Many people who write to him for advice are Americans who suspect the Chinese characters they got tattooed on their flesh don't mean what they intended. For example, Tian informed one person that a tattoo whose character supposedly says "to learn as much as possible" actually means
ROB BREZSNY // FREEWILL@vueweekly.com "empty, hollow, bare, deserted." In the coming days, make sure you're not under a misapprehension about what you're taking on and taking in. Choose only the very best imprints—and verify that they are what you think they are. VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22) I regard 2011 as an excellent time for you to cultivate your unique but latent talents. With that in mind, consider these thoughts. Ernest Hemingway said a person had to have "the guts of a burglar" to develop his or her talent. And here's novelist Erica Jong: "Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow that 'talent' to the dark place where it leads." PS: If you do venture into those dark places, you'll eventually uncover 10 suns' worth of illumination. LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22) Back in 1962, an American company named Corning created a product so revolutionary, no one could figure out how to exploit it in practical ways. It was "Gorilla glass," a glass that's so strong it's almost impossible to break or even scratch. Only recently has it found a commercial application, first in cell phones and other mobile devices and next in a new generation of ultra-thin TV screens. I foresee a comparable development in your immediate future, Libra: some ahead-of-its-time breakthrough you made a while ago that can finally be used to improve your life.
VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011
SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21) When I arrived at my acupuncturist's waiting room, there were just two magazines on the table next to my chair: The celebrity rag People Style Weekly and the spiritually oriented Shambala Sun. The first offered articles on "hot new handbags and shoes under $99." The second provided a "guide to mindful living," with advice about how to get centred, focused, and relaxed. I thought that was metaphorically similar to the choice you will face in the coming week. It's up to you: which way do you want to go? SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) I can almost categorically guarantee that in 2011 you will have no encounters with fire demons, wart-ridden vampires, wayward werewolves or extraterrestrial robots. But I can also assure you that the lack of crazy encounters does not mean your life will suffer from blahs or boredom. On the contrary, I think this could be one of your most interesting years in a decade. To prepare yourself, make sure you don't unconsciously equate adventure with chaos; imagine what it would be like to experience mystery and intrigue that uplift you. CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) "Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past," said comedian Lily Tomlin. I recommend that you make this a keynote during the next six months. You will have the best opportunity
you've had in a long time to put some of your unsettling memories to sleep for good. This is your big chance to graduate from old anxieties that can never be resolved. You're finally ready to declare your independence from messy burdens and maddening riddles that have haunted you. AQUARIUS ( Jan 20 – Feb 18) If you want to be healed, whether from a physical malady or a psychic wound, there's one prerequisite you have to meet: you have to be willing to learn a lesson that your suffering has invited you to study. I would go so far as to say that no one, no matter how skilled a healer, can help cure you until you have taken that first step. So what teaching is it that you would need to explore in order to transform your distress into wisdom? PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) Are you fully prepared to collect the elegant prize you were guaranteed before you were born? From what I can tell, your self-doubts are still more substantial than your self-worth. And as long as that holds true, you will continue to hold your just rewards at bay. Let's make it your project in the next three weeks to elevate your levels of self-worth. It doesn't mean you'll have to completely shed your self-doubts. All you need to do is adjust the ratio so it's at least 51 percent to 49 percent.
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Want to be part of Edmonton's New Art community collective? Send info ASAP to d_art_man@hotmail. com for jury in upcoming show
Volunteer Lunch Deliverer/Driver: If you're available Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm, 1-2 days/week, be part of the team. Mileage reimbursed for delivery routes. T: 780.429.2020, E: emow@mealsonwheelsedmonton.org; W: mealsonwheelsedmonton.rog
Call for submissions: artists, digital musicians, and proposals. "TechArt International 2011". Send CV, images, project description to d_art_man@hotmail.com
Volunteer For Northern Light Theatre: In 2011 T: 780.471.1586: E: nlt.publicity@telusplanet.net
Expressionz Café: looking for family friendly performers and presenters for the monthly marketplace at 9938-70 Ave. Info E: expressionzcafe@gmail.com
Depression sufferers needed: Low energy, interest, drive? Trouble sleeping or concentrating? Researchers at U of A need your help/ Call 780.407.3906
Expressionz Café: looking for visual artists and creative business/wellness, green vendors for the Monthly Marketplace. Located south of Whyte Ave, 9938-70 Ave. Info/book vendor space E: expressionzcafe@gmail.com
Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse seeks two volunteers who want experience in visual arts administration: Artisan Coordinator, and Window Gallery Coordinator; E: Lorraine Shulba at lshulba@shaw.ca for info/apply
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 Call to local artists, musicians, performers for Yuk Yuk's new "Thursday Night Variety Show". Call 780.481.9857 and ask for Chas or email: chaz_beau@ hotmail.com for info
Top acting training Apply today! www.topactingschool.ca
MUSICIANS
HELP WANTED
Call for submissions: artists, digital musicians, and proposals. "TechArt International 2011". Send CV, images, project description to d_art_man@hotmail.com
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
Morango's Tek Café is looking for bands and musicians for shows on Friday nights....contact Dr. Oxide at ..... doctoroxide@shaw.ca
The Cutting Room is looking for Assistants and Stylists Please drop off your resume at 10536-124 Street
MUSICAL INSTRUCTION
Vocalist wanted – Progressive/Industrial/metal; age 17-21. Contact justinroyjr@gmail.com
COSMOPOLITAN MUSIC SOCIETY Opportunity
for amateur adult musicians and singers to learn and perform concert band and choral music under professional music direction. Contact Darlene at 780.432.9333; generalmanager@cosmopolitanmusic.org
MODAL MUSIC INC. 780.221.3116 Quality music instruction since 1981. Guitarist. Educator. Graduate of GMCC music program
ARTIST TO ARTIST
ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ʸ ARTIST/NON PROFIT CLASSIFIEDS
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 Expressionz Café is looking for café and special concert events volunteers. T: 780.437.3667. General kitchen help: front of house, food prep, baking, etc. Shifts available Mon-Fri, 9am-12pm, 11am-2pm, 1-4pm, and evening shifts for special concert events (Wed-Sun 6-10pm)
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
Free art demo Saturdays: Naess Gallery–Paint Spot, 10032-81 Ave, 780.432.0240
Any artist, musician, or performance artist interested in being featured for the Local Art Showcase @The Old Strathcona Antique Mall, please be inspired to contact Jenn@oldstrathconamall.com
EDUCATIONAL
Calling all Snow Angels: The City of Edmonton would like to encourage you to participate in an act of generosity: become a Snow Angel for a senior who has trouble shoveling their walkways. If someone has been a Snow Angel to you or someone you know, nominate them for recognition and prizes. Info: edmonton.ca/environmental/ capital_city_cleanup/snow-angels.aspx
VOLUNTEER Volunteer website for youth 14-24 years old. youthvolunteer.ca
CALLING ALBERTA YOUTH! YES GRANTS Youth Environmental Stewardship grant for youth between the ages of 16-26. If you have a project or idea on how to improve Alberta’s environment you may be eligible for a grant of up to $5000 to bring your idea to life, and make a lasting positive change in your community Info/application at www.albertaecotrust.com/yes Application deadline: Jan 31, 2011
SHARE THE WARMTH � WINTER LIGHT
Warm socks, mittens, parkas, scarves and toques are redistributed to people in need, and to agencies that serve the inner city community. Items should be clean and warm. Donations for Share the Warmth will be accepted at the Winter Light office and festival sites, and at Snow Valley, The United Way will take them through their Coats For Kids program. Drop-off your new or used coats at any Page the Cleaner location. coatsforkids.ca
YOUR BEST PICKUP LINE LOCAL CHAT. TRY IT FREE : code 2315
780.413.7122 1.900.451.2853 (75 min/$2495) www.cruiseline.ca Purchase time online now!
backwords Sometimes beauty is found close to home. This thought comes to me in the same place that most of the ideas I have do, at Vue Weekly, my home away from home. My office is in the Western Supplies Limited Building, located in the warehouse district on the north part of downtown that used to serve the bustling CP and CN railways along 104
chelsea boos // che@vueweekly.com
Street. It was built in 1927, and Vue made this historical building its home after renovations in 2002. It's tempting to fly the coop looking for tropical vistas, but for those of you caught in Edmonton's icy grip like me, think of the things that make this city beautiful. You'll find it's a lot easier to love it when you stop hating it. V
The Candora Society of Edmonton–Board Recruiting; candorasociety.com; promotes positive growth in the lives of women, children/families in Rundle/Abbottsfield communities. Info: Elaine Dunnigan E: edunnigan@shaw.ca Volunteer Meal Deliverer/Driver: "Life is a Highway" why not volunteer to be in the driver's seat? Come make a difference every day. Volunteer with Meals on Wheels as a driver. Call 780.429.2020 The Learning Centre Literacy Association: Seeking volunteer tutors to help adults develop reading, writing, math skills. Require High School reading, writing, and/or math skills; openness to tutor and learn with adults with various life experiences, including homelessness. Locations: Boyle Street Community Services and Abbottsfield Mall. Contact: Denis Lapierre, DowntownCentre, 780.429.0675, E: dl.learningcentre@shaw.ca; Susan Skaret, Abbottsfield Mall Centre, 780.471.2598, E: sskaret@telus.net 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
SERVICES Depressed? Anxious? Emotions Anonymous: 12 step support group to help people learn emotional wellness, to live with unsolved problems, to help people cope better with life's issues; call Ruth 780.436.2951 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 S-Anon: 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
ADULT Eight Minute Date: 4th Annual Animal Attractions Speed Dating Events at the Valley Zoo! Friday Feb 11, 2011 Ages Groups: 22-23, 33-44, 45-55. Saturday Feb 12 Age Groups: 28-38, 39-49 & 50-60. To purchase your $40 ticket on-line visit www.eightminutedate.ca or tickets will be available Wed Jan 19 from 8:15-9:30pm at The Docks in Londonderry Mall or call for info 780.457.8535 Eight Minute Date - Speed Dating at The Dock's Bar January 19, 2011 - $40 for speed dating, a beverage & appetizers. Age Groups: 27-40 and 42 to 54. You must pre-register at www.eightminutedate. ca or call 780.457.8535 ExXxclusive 40 Something Petite Companion SeXXXy 5 foot - 90 lb Brown Eyed Brunette, Available Daily 9am-7pm by Appt Only 780.887.4989 - Jackie James No blocked/private calls or text, please 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
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VUEWEEKLY // JAN 13 – JAN 19, 2011