2 // UP FRONT
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
COVER
INSIDE
IssuE no. 799 // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
UP FRONT // 4/ 4 5 5 6 7
VALENTINE'S STYLE
Vuepoint Issues News Roundup In the Box Dyer Straight
DISH // 8/ 9 Veni, Vidi, Vino 11 How to
You can't spend the whole day naked
// 12 SNOW ZONE
ARTS // 13 14 Hopscotch
FILM // 21 He Watch Channel Zero DVD Detective
MUSIC // 26/ 26 On the Record 30 New Sounds 31 Loonie Bin 31 Old Sounds 31 Quickspins
// 17 FILM ONLINE / HE WATCH CHANNEL ZERO
BACK // 33 34 Free Will Astrology 34 Lust for Life 34 Queermonton
LISTINGS 16 Arts 25 Film 28 Music 33 Events
TV-K-O? Is Lights Out Down For the Count?
// ONLINE AT VUEWEEKLY.COM 10303 - 108 street, edmonton, AB T5J 1L7 t: 780.426.1996 F: 780.426.2889 E: office@vueweekly.com w: vueweekly.com
IssuE no. 799 // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 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 PRODUCTION INTERN........................................ Elizabeth Schowalter // scho@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 Ricardo Acuña, Mike Angus, Chelsea Boos, Josef Braun, Rob Brezsny, Jim Dean, Pete Desrochers, Isabeau Doucet, Jenn Fulford Gwynne Dyer, Brian Gibson, Hart Golbeck, James Grasdal, Whitey Houston, Carolyn Jervis, Brenda Kerber, Maria Kotovych, Fawnda Mithrush, Stephen Notley, Mary Christa O'Keefe, Roland Pemberton, Mel Priestley, Bryan Saunders, Michelle Thomarat, LS Vors, Dave Young, Kirk Zembal Distribution Todd Broughton, Alan Ching, Barrett DeLaBarre, Mike Garth, Aaron Getz, Raul Gurdian, Justin Shaw, Dale Steinke, Wally Yanish
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VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
UP FRONT // 3
UP FRONT
VUEPOINT
GRASDAL'S VUE
SAMANTHA POWER // samantha@vueweekly.com
Denial of access "The great concern expressed by citizens is telling of how much the Internet has become an integral part of their lives." CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein may have been stating the obvious when he made these comments earlier this week, but its simplicity is quite revealing: Finckenstein probably doesn't do much Internet banking. As the head of the body in part responsible for regulation of the telecommunication sector, he seems suddenly woken up to the fact that Canadians now rely on the Internet for a number of crucial day-today activites. The entire debate around usage-based billing has become a sort of battleground for regulation of access to information and free speech. While we're caught up in the excitement of the Internet—the connectivity, increased interaction with politicians and media, and the immediacy of our involvement in events half way around the world—we forget that it can all be shut off, seemingly with the flick of a switch. Egyptians were cut off from the world when their voices were being heard over the digital wires. After WikiLeaks released one too many cables the American government downloaded the violation of expression and pressured corporations such as Ama-
YOURVUE
zon, Mastercard and Paypal to cut ties with the Internet whistleblower. These issues are no surprise to Internet activists, though, some of whom have been working on a bill of rights to the Internet. The main question: is the Internet a human right? It's not thought of in the same way as water: a person should have the right to access clean drinking water, and therefore a government has to figure out a way to provide it. But it's similar in the sense that the Internet has become a main venue for communication and expression, not to mention education. The UN lists the right to "freedom of opinion and expression, freedom to hold an opnion without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers." From that description the answer seems pretty obvious: denial of access is a violation of the right to expression. Where that denial of access begins, whether through untenable prices or increasing corporate and government interference, is the debate on the table. Here's hoping we can find the rules that favour people's right to expression, rather than corporate interests as we so often have in the past. 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
THIS WEEK
With resignation in the political air, who do you hope resigns next?
The CRTC and the Prime Minister's
Brian Mason 8.3%
Danielle Smith 50.0% Carl Benito 41.7% 4 // UP FRONT
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
VUEWEEKLY.COM
office are at odds over the recent decision to implement usage-based billing. Do you think Canadians should pay for the Internet based on how much they're using?
Yes. We're
charged for how much water and gas we use.
No. The Internet is
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VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
Listen at vueweekly.com/podcasts
COMMENT >> ALBERTA POLITICS
Issues
On the brink
Familiar politicians fail to help Haiti ISABEAU DOUCET // isabeau@vueweekly.com
B
aby Doc's shock return to Haiti may have raised a lot of eyebrows around the world, but he may not be the last exiled former president to make a surprise visit to this earthquake-stricken country. On Monday, after days of speculation and rumor, AFP reports that Haiti's government has issued a diplomatic passport to Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide was removed in a coup d'etat involving Western powers in 2004 and has been living in exile in South Africa ever since. His Fanmi Lavalas party still remains by far the most popular political group in the country but was excluded from running in the November 28 elections, a move widely interpreted here as a government attempt to retain power. Adding to the instability is outgoing President Rene Preval's announcement that he would stay on until May 14 if necessary. Following the announcement that a couple hundred protesters burned tires, and chanted "Preval must go" in front of the crumbling National Palace. Opponents see the offer as a violation of the constitution and want him replaced by a provisional government and call for new elections. Last week Haiti's electoral council announced it would accept international recommendations to eliminate the ruling party's candidate from the second round, but since then it appears half the council members did not approve the run-off decision, which needs a majority. Preliminary election results put the ruling party's candidate, construc-
tion official Jude Celestin in second place allowing him to go to the second round, leading to violent protests at the beginning of December and prompting international monitor, Organization of American States (OAS), to return and investigate the results. The chaos over voter registration and the continuing cholera epidemic,
The story remains the same
Nothing may change despite political shake up at the Legislature Ricardo Acuña // UALBERTA.CA/PARKLAND
Into this volatile mix, US Secretary
After almost 40 years of very predictable, business-as-usual politics in Alberta, now it seems everything is happening at once. Over the course of the last three weeks, the Premier announced his intention to resign in September, the Finance Minister and the Deputy Premier both resigned in order to launch leadership campaigns and the Leader of the Official Opposition announced that he will be resigning at the end of the spring session. At the same time, former Liberal MLA David Taylor joined the Alberta Party, which now brings the number of parties represented in the provincial legislature to four. But what does this all mean? The blogosphere and twitterverse have been abuzz with entries about change, and how this signals a new level of engagement by Albertans in the provincial political system. Certainly, there is movement and flux in the system right now at a level we have not seen in a very long time, if ever. But movement doesn't necessarily mean change. Consider, for example, a likely scenario on the right. Given the party's current concern with its right flank, it is quite likely that Ted Morton will be elected the party's new leader. Given that Morton and the Wildrose Alliance are cut of the exact same ideological fabric, it would be quite redundant to have a Morton-led PC party and a Smithled WA party running against each other in future elections. The result, as we saw play out federally between the Reform/Alliance party and the Conservatives, would almost certainly be an amalgamation of the two parties under one banner.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 >>
Would this result in significant change
It is highly unusual and perhaps unprecedented for any electoral authority to change the results of an election without a full recount. which has now killed around 4000, deterred many Haitians from going to the polls and by noon on election day, a majority of the candidates—including the 70-year-old front-runner and former first lady Mirlande Manigat, and popular compa musician Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly—had held an impromptu press conference calling for the annulment of the election. Rather than conduct a recount of the votes, the monitors conducted a statistical analysis based on a sample of 17 percent of the votes, coming to the conclusion that Martelly should replace Celestin in the second place by a margin of 0.3 percent.
Issues is a forum for individuals and organizations to comment on current events and broader issues of importance to the community. Their commentary is not necessarily the opinion of the organizations they represent or of Vue Weekly.
NewsRoundup SUSTAINABLE DOWNTOWN
Alberta's parks have been given a reprieve. Bill 29, which would have removed many of the protected-areas titles given to parks, has been removed from the upcoming spring session. Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation Cindy Ady explains it's to ensure proper consultation has occurred on the subject. In a recent "Park News" email, Minister Ady wrote, "While I had planned to bring park legislation back this spring, I will spend the time needed to address the main concerns raised by Albertans before moving forward with new legislation." Bill 29 was viewed by critics as a rushed effort that left too much up to ministerial discretion rather than protected in legislation. The Sierra Club Prairie chapter states that Alberta has yet to meet its own preservation targets. "One can go on the government website and find
Older neighbourhoods in Edmonton's core may be getting some strategic support from the city. A new task force appointed by Mayor Stephen Mandel will attempt to create a strategy of sustainability and renewal for Edmonton's mature neighbourhoods in the city's core. The committee, chaired by former councillor Michael Phair, contains a diverse membership, including provincial Minister of Education Dave Hancock, trustee with the public school board Catherine Ripley and several members of development firms such as Stantec as well as the deputy police chief. "One of the biggest challenges facing our city is the strain on core neighbourhoods where schools and communities need support to revitalize neighbourhoods," said Mayor Mandel. The city is meant to have a report completed to present to council by the end of the year.
The most likely scenario here is a complete vanishing of the Liberal Party as it
exists today, with the Alberta Party taking over its place in the legislature. But again, the question of what will change other than cosmetics must be asked. Certainly losing the "Liberal" label will result in more people looking at the Alberta Party as an alternative, but they will also suffer from the challenge of trying to develop coherent policy given a membership that spans from the centre to the far right, at least in terms of economic policies. Without a coherent platform, it will be difficult for this party to make significant gains in the legislature, and without a significant presence in the legislature, they are not likely to have any more impact on the province than the Liberals have in the last 10 years. As always, however, this is all just speculation. There is no doubt that a small window is opening whereby an engaged and informed population can take advantage of flux and uncertainty to completely remake politics in Alberta. The right combination of activism and participation by Albertans could spread out the votes enough to create a situation whereby a minority is elected in the next election, and that could make all the difference in the world. But this would require a level of engagement that Albertans have not shown in some time, and that none of the existing political parties have seemed very interested in nurturing. Although it makes for interesting times for political wonks, it is unlikely that the current movements in Alberta politics will result in anything other than cosmetic changes over the long term. Hopefully Albertans will prove me wrong. V Ricardo Acuña is the executive director of the Parkland Institute, a non-partisan public policy research institute housed at the University of Alberta.
SAMANTHA POWER // samantha@vueweekly.com
PROTECTING PARKS
applications to develop public land or even to buy public land, but none to protect it as new parks for our grandkids or for the habitat protection of endangered wildlife like caribou or grizzly bears," says Sam Gunsch of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club along with other environmental groups are planning to increase awareness around parks and Bill 29 to ensure proper dialogue occurs on any new legislation.
on the right of Alberta's political system? Cosmetically, maybe, but certainly not anything deep or meaningful. The bottom line is that the extreme right views espoused by both Morton and Smith (and incidentally, Ed Stelmach during his tenure as a member of the "deep six" in Klein's caucus), are really not new or different—we've been governed by them since 1993. What would be new about Morton/Smith policies of low taxes, increased privatization, sabotaging public health care, funding private schools, cutting income supports, and slashing royalties? Absolutely nothing. Premier Stelmach may be trying to paint himself and his party as moderates for the sake of demonizing the Wildrose Alliance, but his record and that of his government speaks for itself. There is no change on the horizon on this front. Many have also been pointing to the Alberta Party, and the current woes of the Alberta Liberal Party, as an indication that a new style of politics is taking root—one which will capture the imagination of cynical and frustrated Albertans and change our system as we know it. The rise of the Alberta Party is certainly a positive dynamic, as it shows an important level of engagement by a broad range of Albertans from around the province. For the most part, however, the movers and shakers in the Alberta Party are not new to the political system in this province. Many of them spent years working within the ranks of the established parties. And as the Liberals fade away in relevance, and the Conservatives look to the right, more and more people from both parties are jumping to the Alberta Party.
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
QUOTE OF THE WEEK "It's been a battle. It's about freedom, it's about choice and it's about people taking ownership of their own health, not having it imposed on them." —Anti-fluoride activist Fay Ash after Calgary city council voted to remove fluoride from the water Feb 8, 2011 Calgary Herald
UP FRONT // 5
IN THE BOX
DAVE YOUNG & BRYAN BIRTLES // INTHEBOX@vueweekly.com
Tons of pun fun, son
Sure the losses are piling up, but we've got wordplay and a little bitterness Time for the least objective Oiler update ever. Last week the Oilers began with a 3-1 loss to LA. LA must have cheated. The Oilers followed that up by losing 5-3 in St Louis (jet lag) and 4-3 in Columbus (back-to-back game, what can you do?). Then the Oilers continued the road trip into Nashville and embarrassed the Preds 4-0, just like a future dynasty team can, baby!
protect a lead through solid defensive play than it is to crash through another team's defence to return from a deficit. And while the Oilers aren't a lock for a win in any situation, it's interesting to note that of the team's 16 wins this year—I know, right?—the Oilers have scored first in 11 of them. That's 70 percent! BB
Score first, win later?
Did anyone notice that Cam Fowler is playing in Anaheim? It just makes sense, doesn't it? The FOWLer should be a DUCK. That got me thinking. Based on their names alone, the following players should be on the following teams:
Statisticians—and the amateur statisticians that most people call hockey fans—like to make a big deal about scoring first. It's usually a great predictor of success in a game, because it's easier to
And Bettman should run a casino
Miro SATAN should be a DEVIL. Martin ST LOUIS should be in ST LOUIS, DJ KING should be a KING and Paul RANGER? I think you follow. Hal GILL was born to be on the SHARKS. Filip KUBA, misspelling aside, should be an ISLANDer. If you're Vern FIDDLER, go to NASHVILLE. PAUL MARTIN and OTTAWA go together. Garth SNOW should join the AVALANCHE. If you are Patrick SHARP, be a SABRE. Cam BARKER sounds like a dog—or COYOTE. Alex is AULD like a SENATOR. ee cummings will never join the CAPS. And, if your name is DOOFUS McDINGBAT, you can join Brent BURNS and Matt COOKe on the CALGARY FLAMES, doo-
fus. Shoe fits, you know. DY A little recognition?
With the Heritage Classic coming up in a few weeks, perhaps the Oilers organization will finally start to get the credit it deserves for coming up with the idea of hosting outdoor hockey games at the NHL level. My New Year's Day used to be a glorious celebration involving Chinese food, Gatorade, plenty of Advil and reminiscences of whatever really crazy shit I got into the night before—like that time I did donuts in the university quad with a Jeep Cherokee, sorry!—but for the last few years it's been nothing but Advil and anger, so miffed am I that our organization gets brushed aside once a year whenever Mike Milbury talks about the previous outdoor games and fails to remember the first, and best, one. A ton of work went into the inaugural Heritage Classic, and that work gets forgotten every year when the NHL holds its now-annual outdoor game. Just because it's called something different doesn't
Welcome Back Coffer
ON THE BRINK
on Haiti to accept the changed result, that really makes a complete travesty of the democratic process," says Weisbrot.
<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
of State Hilary Clinton flew into Portau-Prince Sunday to meet with the main candidates, and warn Haiti's political leaders that Washington expects those international recommendations to be followed. "We want to see the voices and votes of the Haitian people acknowledged and recognized," she said at Port-auPrince airport on her arrival. Outside the airport, groups of protestors waved signs in English reading "Haiti Did Not Have Free and Fair Elections" and "Sham Elections." Speaking to Vue, Selvator Junior said "We would like Hilary Clinton to go inform President Obama of the will of the Haitian people, which is for the cancellation of the farce election on November 28 … to finally put an end to the chronic instability we suffer in this country by giving us new inclusive elections." Some analysts agree: "It is highly unusual and perhaps unprecedented for any electoral authority to change the results of an election without a full recount," said Mark Weisbrot, codirector of the Center for Economic Policy and Research which conducted an independent investigation of Haiti's election results. CEPR carried out a full recount examining more than 10 000 tally sheets and subjecting each of the top three candidates' vote totals in each voting booth to a statistical test for irregularities. The organization has criticized the conclusions of international monitors as arbitrary. "For a foreign mission to do so with such flawed methodology, and for foreign governments to then bring pressure
6 // UP FRONT
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
change the fact that we did it first. Let's make it right in—blech—Calgary. BB Continuing to silence his doubters, Shawn Horcoff's leadership remains an invaluable asset to the Oilers. Sure they're not in contention, but no one expected them to be. The Oilers do remain close in many games, the kids continue to improve, and his after-practice chat prior to the Nashville game is being credited with stoking the fires of the team and bringing back the winning spirit after four straight losses. Now if only he and Khabibulin could have a little one-on-one therapy session ... BB Oiler Player of the week
Devan Dubnyk: With Khabi playing Khrappi, Dubnyk has really stepped up his game. Plus he got his first NHL shutout! BB Tom Renney: Being there for the team in the face of family tragedy but knowing when to put family first. DY
Frustrations have never been higher in Haiti. Despite the global promise of 11 billion dollars in assistance from donor countries and over a billion more donated to relief organizations, many Haitians struggle to find shelter, clean water and food in displacement camps. The US alone is still withholding the promised $1 billion in reconstruction aid pledged last year, insisting the country implement the OAS's recommendations. A report released earlier this month found that one in two families reported not being able to feed their children for a full day the previous week. "With few work opportunities, aid assistance is necessary for most Haitians living in IDP camps," says Nicole Phillips, from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti which authored the report. The return of Jean-Claude Duvalier only adds to the political stalemate. Although charges of crimes against humanity and embezzlement of state funds have now been filed against a man many Haitians considered a brutal dictator, with so much uncertainty over the electoral process, his return to politics has not yet been ruled out. Last month, Aristide issued a statement once again calling for his desired return to Haiti, "To contribute to serving my Haitian sisters and brothers as a simple citizen in the field of education." Even if the political stalemate is broken, many Haitians will still feel disenfranchised, and the calls for Aristide's return are likely to continue. V
COMMENT >> DEMOCRATIC REFORM
Is this 1989?
Protests in Egypt could reverberate around the Arab world It was the Egyptian army's statement that army officers, in full uniform, among the brought it all back: "To the great people of protesters. It was going to be all right: the Egypt, your armed forces, acknowledging military wanted change just as much as evthe legitimate rights of the people ... have erybody else. Tahrir Square in Cairo today is not and will not use force against the Egypthe same: the army is with the people. tian people." In other words, go ahead The army statement in Cairo rang the and overthrow President Hosni death knell for Mubarak's regime, Mubarak. It's all right with us. even if he still insists that he will It reminded me of the day of stay in the presidential palace the first big anti-Communist until the election scheduled for om September. That won't happen. demonstration in Moscow in eekly.c w e u v e@ mid-1989. There had already A transitional government led gwynn e been non-violent demos in other by other people will organize Gwynn Communist-ruled countries like the election. But the echoes of an Dyer Poland and Hungary, but this was earlier revolution set me to wonderRussia. The enormous crowd filling the ing: is this the Arab world's 1989? broad Garden Ring Road was visibly nerIn 1989 the collapse of the old order startvous, and I was staying near the edge of the ed in the "satellite" countries, not in the Ruscrowd so I could dodge into a doorway if sian heart of the empire, just as the current the shooting started. revolt against the Arab status quo began in Then I noticed that there were Soviet Tunisia, a relatively small and marginal Arab
R DYEIG HT
STRA
country. The Eastern European landslide only started to sweep everything before it in November, 1989, with the fall of the Berlin Wall. So is Hosni Mubarak the Berlin Wall of the Arab world? He certainly could be, for Egypt is the most populous Arab country, and the tactics and goals of the Tunisian and Egyptian peoples closely resemble those of the peaceful revolutionaries of Eastern Europe in 1989. The Arabs, too, are successfully using non-violent tactics to bring irresistible moral pressure on tyrannical and corrupt regimes, and they are demanding just the same things: democracy, justice and prosperity. The non-violent formula worked in two to three weeks in Tunisia, and it looks like it will take about the same time in Egypt. At first the president is defiant and sends police thugs out into the streets to attack the protesters, but he cannot use massive
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
violence because he knows that the army would not obey a shoot-to-kill order. Much like in Eastern Europe in 1989. Then begins the retreat. First the president promises reforms. Then, when that doesn't work, he fires the entire government and creates a new cabinet (but it's still full of hated regime cronies). Then he promises to leave power at the next election, but argues that he must stay for the transition period to guarantee "stability." And finally, he gets on the plane and leaves. Tunisia has travelled that entire route since mid-December, and Egypt is passing through the next-to-last stage. Other Arab countries may be on the same road: the demos began in Algeria and Yemen in December. They're only three weeks old in Jordan, but the king has just fired the entire government and appointed a new cabinet with orders to carry out "true political reforms." Fully half the population of the Arab world might be living under different, more democratic regimes a year or two from now. The European 1989 delivered precisely
that in just two years; why can't the Arabs do the same? They can, of course, but the period after 1989 in Eastern Europe was not entirely happy. The immediate result, in most countries, was a fall in living standards, not a rise. One major country, former Yugoslavia, was torn apart by war. There were various smaller wars along the ethnically fractured southern borders of the former Soviet Union, and Russia ended up back under a gentler sort of authoritarian rule. The risks for the Arab world are comparable: short-term economic decline, civil war, and the rise of new authoritarian regimes, probably fuelled by Islamist ideas. Nothing's perfect. But what we are now witnessing in Tunisia and Egypt, and may also see elsewhere, is a great liberation not just from dictatorship, but from decades of corruption and despair. That's worth a lot. V Gwynne Dyer is a London-based journalist. His column appears every week in Vue Weekly.
UP FRONT // 7
DISH
Find a restaurant
ONLINE AT DISHWEEKLY.CA
I want to believe
// Bryan Birtles
The truth about Credo's coffee is quality and sustainability
Credo promises good coffee
LS Vors // vors@vueweekly.com
I
nformation is at our fingertips. We seek and obtain instant knowledge about navigation, weather forecasts, and the news; in fact, virtually no facet of everyday life escapes the influence of this hyper-aware age of information. The food industry is not exempt: consumers want to know where their meat was raised and how it was slaughtered, how far fruits and vegetables have travelled to the grocery store, whether their fish was captured through sustainable practices and if their grains were subjected to herbicides. This abundance of information underscores the backstory of what we eat. Coffee is an especially storied beverage, given recent emphasis on fair trade and sustainable farming practices. This tale of travel and the genesis of the coffee beans used are the cornerstone of Credo. Credo, which opened in June of 2009, occupies a well-lit nook on a recently reinvented stretch of 104 Street. Natural light streams in through the tall windows, casting diffuse light on the consistently full chairs and stools. A
8 // DISH
small team of baristas moves swiftly behind the counter, foaming milk for cappuccino and plating fragrant baked goods. Credo founder Geoff Linden has always loved coffee, and his interest in java progressed to visiting high-end coffee shops in Vancouver and identifying the relative paucity of similar venues in Edmonton. He contemplates the crowd of coffee quaffers and remarks, "This is my hobby gone wild. Coffee was always an interest, and I finally decided it was time to make it a reality." Linden's dream-turned-reality is part of the grand facelift of 104 st, a downtown block between Jasper Ave and 102 Ave. It is an urbane, pedestrian-friendly area that features salons, eco-friendly shops and wine bars. "This street has really come together," remarks Linden, "and Credo fits this neighbourhood. We are all independent, Edmonton-owned businesses, and we support each other." He adds that the downtown farmers' market provides Credo with additional pedestrian traffic. Linden gained knowledge of the coffee industry at Wicked Café in Vancouver, a city he cites as Canada's coffee capital. He notes, though, that one can
never be fully trained and that skill acquisition is an ongoing process. Credo's arsenal of equipment includes a La Marzocco espresso machine imported from Italy. "It is the best on the market," Linden explains, "it gives you fine-scale control of temperature, pressure and so
Shipments arrive once a week and sell out quickly." The general populace typically categorizes coffee flavour according to roast: light, dark, French, etc. Linden shuns this method of categorization and re-
We've been so fortunate. People have embraced what we've done. Working here, I see the best side of people. They are taking a coffee break, they are laughing and visiting. Interacting with customers is a highlight. forth." Drip coffee is made one cup at a time because, Linden states, "It's the simplest method and that way nothing sits around." All the coffee at Credo is sourced from Intelligentsia, a Chicago-based company that pioneered direct trade— interacting with farmers directly instead of with importers and exporters. "We use Intelligentsia beans because their first criteria are quality and sustainability," explains Linden. He adds, "We retail Intelligentsia coffee as well.
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
marks, "Describing a coffee according to a roast indicates the flavour of the roast, rather than that of the bean. We want to describe the full flavour of the bean itself." Hence, Credo provides a wealth of information about its beans: origin, harvest date and roast date. "We aren't just giving a 'best before' date," says Linden, "because the customer deserves much more information. This illustrates the relationship we've built with Intelligentsia and with coffee growers themselves."
Indeed, the wealth of information contained in Credo's coffee beans expresses itself as a fragrant, multi-faceted, rich mug of joe that sings of tropical sun and fertile soil. Linden anticipates a journey to a coffee plantation. "I look forward to getting to know the producers more, and learning even more about the coffeegrowing process." He cherishes Credo's success and remarks, "We've been so fortunate. People have embraced what we've done. Working here, I see the best side of people. They are taking a coffee break, they are laughing and visiting. Interacting with customers is a highlight." The origin of the word 'credo' is thought to be Latin and literally means, "I believe." Although this word tends to be used in a religious context, it also refers to any statement of belief or opinion. Linden has acted decisively on his belief that customers are entitled to the finest coffee available. Credo is the embodiment of this belief, and embodies the culinary "age of information." V Geoff Linden Credo Coffee 10134 - 104 St, 780.761.3744
WINE
Explore the Rhône
No need to go to Europe: the wine will come to you Our wine tasting group has officially kicked off 2011, giving us the opportunity to eat and drink the cold away. This particular session our focus fell on the Rhône Valley. Syrah and Grenache lovers hold onto your seats—especially after all the wine—as we explore the French region that winemakers all over the world try to replicate. Two minerally white wines typVIDI VENI, ical of the region started out the afternoon. Mineral characteristics come from the terroir m ekly.co vuewe the grapes are grown in, in this jenn@ case the stone and slate of the Jenn soil. The first was a 100-percent Fulford Marsanne with a pineapple and mineral nose, followed by a rich, soft palate with tons of minerality. The guest chair said it well when she mentioned how different and complementary the wine was when you tasted it with cheese. bursting with flavour and fruit from the Marsanne is a white grape varietal comGrenache-dominated wine. The soft, monly found in the northern part of the supple palates deliver spice and tons of Rhône Valley. Used in blending both red red fruit on the nose and palate. So easyand white wines, it's also found on its drinking, the bottle seems to just disapown. White blends are more commonly pear without the need for food, though produced in the Rhône, and our second they are easy to team up with a wide arwhite was a perfect example. This mineral ray of fare. bomb was a blend of five different grape varietals, including Marsanne and ViogA little bit about Grenache: plantings nier. Its lively minerality is complemented exist worldwide, and the grape produces by citrus fruits, and could be sipped alongspicy, fruity wines lacking in acid, tannin side a charcuterie plate. and colour. This is the very reason GrenNext, we came to the Côte du Rhône Vilache is so commonly found blended with lages. Côte du Rhône Villages is a quality grape varietals like Syrah and Mouveclassification that specifies that all grapes dre—the popular GSM blend—that offer come from only 90 authorized communes tannin, acid and huge colour extraction. within the Rhône. A French law which Crozes-Hermitage was our next stop on dictates the origin of agricultural prodthe Rhône wine trail, which is the largucts—the Appellation d'origine contrôlée est wine-growing region in the Northern or AOC—stipulates that these wines alRhône. By law, these wines are domiways consist of a base blend of mainly nated by Syrah, with small portions of Grenache, with Syrah and/or Mouvedre, Marsanne and Roussane in the blend. We and from there, other red grapes can be dove into this fruit-forward and complex blended in small quantities. wine, the licorice and red fruits combining Our two Côte du Rhône Villages were with subtle nuances of dried fruit.
VINO
// Chelsea Boos
From the Syrah-based wines of the North we continued our journey to the southern part of the Rhône, known for its wines made up of mainly Grenache, but almost always blended with Syrah and/or Mouvedre and Carignan. Specifically, we plunged into the prestigious commune of Gigondas whose Grenache-Syrah-Mouvedre blends offered jammy fruit, luscious spice and a rustic complexity. Thinking it couldn't possibly get any better, we explored the region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape including a rare opportunity to experience a 2005 alongside a 1996 vintage. Both wines were incredibly well made, with balance, structure and smoothness. While the 2005 vintage was more fruit-forward, the 1996 had that delicious, aged fruit. If you've not had the pleasure of tasting a Châteauneuf-duPape, I would add it to the list of mustdrink wines. If the Rhône section in your wine store is unfamiliar, or you haven't visited it as of late, it may be time to familiarize yourself with the amazing wine of the Rhône. V
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
DISH // 9
Sweet or savoury
// Bryan Birtles
Crepeworks a quick and different fast food option
Like a record baby, right round, round, round Maria Kotovych // maria@vueweekly.com
Y
ou're in a hurry. You're hungry. You want to grab some food really quickly, but you don't want to eat typical, greasy fast food. If you're on Whyte Ave, you can now add crêpes to your options. Stepping into Crepeworks on Whyte, Frank Sinatra's buttery voice serenades customers in the background while I await a friend. The restaurant's overall décor, with its red, white and grey interior, offers a bit of an '80s feel, but in a nontacky way. The place is spotlessly clean— the overall result is quite sharp.
Crepeworks offers both sweet and savoury selections—I want one of each, but in reverse order. Faced with a visually enhanced menu that offers 28 different selections, I need a bit of time to decide. The choice eventually happens. For my savoury crêpe, I go for a chicken caesar ($6.65); for my sweet one, I opt for the Strawberry Delight ($6.38). I also order an Americano ($1.80). The person making the food asks if I want both crêpes at the same time or if he should make me the dessert one when I'm finished my supper. I select the latter, grateful for the offer.
I watch the man pour the batter to make the crêpe itself; when it's done, he fills the large circle with chicken strips, lettuce, dressing, bacon bits and cheese. No croutons, though, which would have added an extra little touch. I certainly can't complain about the size of the crêpe, especially given the decent price. There's no shortage of chicken, and the other toppings help to stuff it full of flavour. The sauce itself seems a bit light on garlic, but it's not bland, either. Aside from eating the crêpe, having a nice espresso-based drink makes me feel a little bit French, too. As the man at the counter had prom-
h t-churc s o p a r o mer o bility t over-ta a g e n h a t h s ch ha r as a er's Whethe s repast, Brun ll about Lupp ou ad a glutton you. Re t week in... s l i a t a x cure wh lar cousin ne u p o more-p
10 // DISH
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
ised, he brings my Strawberry Delight when I finish round one. I generally prefer sweet crêpes to savoury ones, so I can't wait to tackle this one. Its size overwhelms me a bit, because I'm already feeling a bit full from the first one but I decide to give it my best go. The dough for this crêpe is exactly the same one as for the savoury one, and it's equally stuffed with innards: strawberries, strawberry sauce and chocolate sauce. And whipped topping. I tackle the beast, expecting to make a mess while eating, which I do. If the coffee went well with the first crêpe, it goes even better with the second. The place also offers
smoothies and gelato on the menu— while I'm not brave enough to attempt round three, I consider returning just for dessert another time. I'm happy that the fast-food options on Whyte are expanding. After all, the usual burger-and-fries combo can get old pretty quickly. And why go for greasy when you can go for sweet? Or savoury. V Mon – Thu (10 am – 9 pm); Fri – Sat (10 am – 11 pm); Sun (11 am – 7 pm) Crepeworks 10352 – 82 Ave, 780.484.7975
HOW TO
Pete Desrochers // Desrochers@vueweekly.com
How to make great meringue any fruit, frozen fruit and whipped cream to make a light and refreshing end to a meal, or it can be spread over a lemon meringue pie. Here are some tips for making great meringue:
Meringue-based desserts usually replace cake or short cake and can be shaped into little cups or similar to a deep dish pie crust. The trick is to get the surface crip and the center nice and chewy. Meringue shells can be filled with almost
1) Pre-heat your oven to 300 F. 2) Separate 3 eggs. Some people will tell you it's important to have the freshest eggs possible while others stress it's best to use old eggs. The truth is it doesn't matter one bit. but cold eggs separate more easily. 3) Make absolutely sure you don't get any yolk in your egg whites. If you like meringue, you might want to invest in an inexpensive egg separator. 4) Prepare your sugar. The best ratio is two ounces of sugar for every egg white. This might sound silly, but try putting the sugar in the sunlight or on top of
your stove. Warm sugar absorbs more easily, but you don't want it hot. 5) Put the egg whites into a mixing bowl and add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. Whisk at slow speed for two minutes, increasing to medium for an additional minute. 6) Whisk at high speed until the peaks are stiff, adding the warm sugar tablespoon by tablespoon. Don't throw in all the sugar at once. 7) Spoon the mixture onto baking sheets lined with wax paper and shape your meringue cups. 8) Place baking sheet in a fully pre-heated oven at 300 F then immediately turn the temperature down to 275 F. Bake for approximately 25 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 30 minutes, checking to see if the tops start to brown. 9) Turn off the oven, but leave the meringue inside until the oven is cold.
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FEB 16, 2011
Lemon Meringue Pie Filling Ingredients Juice and zest of two large lemons 4 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup sugar 3 tbsps cornstarch 2 tbsps flour 1/4 tsp salt 11/2 cups water Meringue Ingredients 4 egg whites 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 8 oz sugar
Directions Whisk the egg yolks, gradually ading 1/2 cup of warm sugar, then set aside. Whisk together 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Stir in water, the juice from lemons, and then the zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in 2 tbsps of butter and add the egg yolk mixture while continuing to whisk. Bring to a boil. Continue whisking until mixture is thick, but remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell. Create meringue using the steps above, but spread the meringue mixture over the pie, sealing the edges at the crust. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 F for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.
DISH // 11
On Greg
Tie: MINEDRD (Jaisel), Shirt: Acne (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods), Sweater: Peter Jensen (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods), Pants: Wings & Horns (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods), Shoes: Wings & Horns (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods)
On Jennifer
On Greg
Suit: Shades of Grey by Mirah Cohen (Jaisel), Shirt: Matinique (Jaisel), Shoes: Generic Surplus (Jaisel)
On Jennifer
Dress: Birds of North America (Meese), Shoes: Peter Jensen (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods), Jewellery: Natalia Brilli (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods)
Style Editor: Bryan Birtles Styling: Bryan Birtles Photography: Eden Munro Hair: Robbie Crosswhite of Antonio's Hair Design Models: Jennifer Kowton and Greg Mady Set & Props: Bryan Birtles, Chelsea Boos, Pete Nguyen, Pete's Mom, Elizabeth Schowalter
Skirt: Sessa Wearables (Meese), Shirt: Sophie D'hoore (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods), Shoes: Filipa K (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods)
12 // STYLE
On Greg
On Greg
On Jennifer
On Jennifer
Sweater: Penguin (Jaisel), Shirt: Hartwich (Jaisel), Jeans: Naked & Famous (Jaisel), Shoes: Creative Recreation (Jaisel) Jeans: Acne (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods), Sweater: SNS Herning (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods), Purse: WANT Essentials (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods), Jewellery: Fixation (Meese), Shoes: Comme des Garcons for Converse (Gravity Pope Tailored Goods)
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FEB 16, 2011
Pajamas: Mansilk (Night Owl Imports) Lingerie: Pleasure State (Night Owl Imports)
ARTS
"I saw this snippet of a scene with Cynthia Nixon and Tyne Daly and could just tell that the writing was brilliant." RABBIT HOLE AT THE WALTERDALE // PREVUE ONLINE AT VUEWEEKLY.COM
REVUE // THEATRE
REVUE // THEATRE
Communion focused and engaging
August: Osage County viciously funny
Paul Blinov
Paul Blinov
Family meltdown
Peace of mind
Three women try to transcend in Communion
// paul@vueweekly.com
'I
'T
t's not the darkness we fear, it's the light behind the door. It's not the answer we can't hear, it's the question we won't ask." It's this early monologue in Communion, given by Carolyn, a psychiatrist who is at wit's end, that seems to point towards the afterlife and the eternal question of what comes next. But Daniel MacIvor's script is less concerned with the great beyond than the time between then and now, and comes across as almost a parable on how to live that span with humanity and grace. I guess you could say it's about absolution, of sorts—not in the eyes of God, but one's own, quelling your own internal frustrations so you're ready for whatever's behind that door when it finally opens for you. Communion's a careful, weighed examination of three women reaching for that under the most strained, real circumstances. Theatre Network's production is potent. It's a tricky balance to find—emphasize too much, and you risk overstating it—but director Marianne Copithorne does a marvelous job of keeping it focused and engaging, zeroing in on the moments and revelations as they come. In its tale of three women each reaching interlocking personal crisis points and reaching out—Leda trying to reconcile with her daughter; her daughter, Annie, trying to pass along her religious husband's "powerful message"; Carolyn trying to find some shreds of self-worth in her job—the questions are big but the show never feels heavy. It's often hilarious.
// Ian Jackson, EPIC
// paul@vueweekly.com
Working on a simple, effective set, it's a credit to the trio of actresses that the looks, stares, fidgets and lengthy charged-up silences seem just as effective as the words they speak. Natascha Girgis, who plays Leda, fills the stage with silence soaked in crabby anger or through wickedly funny outbursts that eventually give way to something more desperate and heartfelt. With her, Act 1 is a brilliant performance of two extremes: for Girgis, it equates to a 30-minute monologue, punctuated occasionally with response—Kate Ryan's quiet, occasional interjections and muted emotional frustration building in the face of Leda's barrage—leaving silences brimming with equal parts tension and humour as she angrily squirms to get any hint of advice out of her psychiatrist. We see what she does in a far more difficult confrontation with her daughter Annie, now Ann, now married and now out of jail for a religion-fuelled attack on an abortion clinic. Sarah Sharkey finds
a winning balance between headstrong youthful defiance and carefully-hidden emotions. For her return, Ryan, the most restrained of all three, gives a carefully weighed performance that eventually opens into a purer vulnerability. The third act takes a bit of a dip, partly because Girgis is no longer on stage (honestly, she's a force), and partly because, after two emotionally-charged acts, we have two strangers that take their time getting to the point. It takes a while to get back onto that emotional track. But it does, and Communion's a smart, balanced and honest look at what it means to try and find peace of mind. It doesn't pander, or direct: it pacifies. V Until Sun, Feb 20 (8 pm) Communion Written by Daniel MacIvor Directed by Marianne Copithorne Starring Natascha Girgis, Kate Ryan, Sarah Sharkey Roxy Theatre (10708 - 124 st), $23 – $27
hank God we can't tell the future—we'd never get out of bed," says Violet Weston (Fiona Reid), the matriarch of August: Osage County, and someone who has enough trouble rising and shining without a mouthful of liquor and pills. Still, for the Weston family, it's a bang-on assessment: Every member of this family should've just pulled the covers up instead of gathering together in full. But they do, in the wake of aging patriarch Beverly (John Wright)'s disappearance. It's a catalyst for a family cataclysm: A big, middle-America family—13 characters, when marriages, children and a servant all get accounted for—with secret taboo indulgences that span the full wardrobe of closet skeletons—all trapped together in a big, three story set of a house that just doesn't seem big enough to hold them all. Tracy Letts's script is chockfull of acid-washed one liners, deep familial digs and vicious jabs on the power structures in the family dynamic as one tries to rise up and one tries to hold on, and Bob Baker's direction keeps it punchy and quick. All of which to say, August is really dark and really, really funny. It's the most vicious family comedy you'll see all year. It's big—three plus hours, including the two intermissions—but it really does need them, and moreso than with
any lengthy show I've seen, they whiz by: we have a bitter queen dragon, her equally acidic sister, three damaged daughters, an assortment of in-laws and a pot-huffing teen to deal with. The second act dinner scene is a masterclass in button pushing, with Reid digging her nails into anyone she can until it explodes into an allout family brawl. Reid's Violet, countered by Brenda Robins as daughter Barbara Fordham, are a particularly dynamic pairing (and, one could argue, the fighting-for-status crux here). But even if they make up the main struggle, the rest of the cast are all on point, and the other stories intwined strike a range of tones, vicious, funny, or heartwrenching in different ways— Ivy Weston (Kelly Fox)'s struggle with her secret finds a particularly tragic revelation. August: Osage County is already being imported the canon of contemporary theatrical classics. But more so than just living up to a reputation, it goes big and succeeds: family dysfunction is rarely this fun, and never while being so scathing. Schadenfreude has never seemed as sweet as it does in August: Osage County. V Until Sun, Feb 20 August: Osage County Written by Tracy Letts Directed by Bob Baker Citadel Theatre (9828 - 101A Ave), $50 – $71
PREVUE // DANCE
Winter in Italy
An Italian Evening gives February some European heat Fawnda Mithrush // fawnda@vueweekly.com
D
espite the uncharacteristic recent spate of warmth across the province, Alberta Ballet's artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre could still use an infusion of heat. "I have a winter jacket that's like a mattress with sleeves on it," he jokes, nodding to the upcoming presentation of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens as one that's sure to warm the cockles of our oddly-melting February hearts. The second-largest ballet company in Canada (Alberta Ballet ranks third), Les Grands Ballets has been absent from the prairie provinces for over a
decade, and now it returns with a night of dances conceived by intrepid Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti. "This is the return of one of Canada's great dance companies," Grand-Maitre says. "Their main objective is that they bring in the best ballets from Europe, and Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the hottest choreographers working in every country in Europe right now. He's just a phenomenal talent." Luckily enough, Edmonton audiences received an introduction to the sensual, theatrical works of Bigonzetti from the Brian Webb presentation of his Rossini Cards with Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal back in November. Four Seasons was created for Les
Grands Ballets in 2007, and with Cantata—a piece originally choreographed for Portugal's Ballet Gulbenkian in 2001—this Italian evening has become a signature presentation for LGBC. Four Seasons features three couples moving through the life cycle of romantic relationships and all the joys, conflicts and ultimate reflections therein, while Cantata travels to a village in Southern Italy. With 28 dancers and an on-stage four-piece band—Gruppo Musicale Assurd, which tours with Cantata whenever it is performed—Cantata is a rousing peek into the lives and emotions of
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
the villagers. "It's been five years with this evening, and we have been everywhere in Europe, in Germany, Spain, Israel, and Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Cairo," says Gradimir Pankov, artistic director of Les Grands Ballets. He says that though it's branded as an Italian evening, international audiences have been incredibly receptive of the choreography. "The dance and the vocabulary of Mauro Bigonzetti is very easy to understand—his work is very earthy, very close to the human experience," Pankov says. "You suddenly feel like you're in an old neighbourhood of Rome and there's a village dance going on, and
this feeling comes to life with astounding choreography. [Cantata] is one of my favourite dance pieces I've ever seen, not necessarily because of the level of choreography in it, but just the positive energy it gives to an audience and how it brings us back to the joy of life, and at the same time," Grand-Maitre says. "I think in the dead of winter, southern Italy will feel very nice." V Tue, Feb 15 & Wed, Feb 16 (7:30 pm) An Italian Evening: Four Seasons & Cantata Jubilee Auditorium (11455 - 87 ave), $42 – $102
ARTS // 13
PREVUE // THEATRE
Epic Dickens
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby spans three hours Paul Blinov
Nicholas Nickleby brings Dickens' novel to stage-life
// paul@vueweekly.com
rian Deedrick has a reputation for a healthy dose of theatrical chutzpa. As artistic director of the Edmonton Opera, his stake in the arts usually has him commanding a small, personal army of singers and extras on beautiful period sets, coaxing epic, soaring arias out of them with an experienced hand at crafting the most out of big emotions. As Studio Theatre's 2011 Mary Mooney Distinguished Visiting Artist, Deedrick— himself a U of A alumnus—has kept his return to a less-musical stage on the same scale with The Life and Adventures Nicholas Nickleby. "Opera is really big, and the emotions are big. You don't just love somebody in opera, you love somebody in opera," he notes, deepening his voice and stretching out the word. "And you just don't dislike somebody in opera, you are going to go out and overthrow all of Abyssinia because that person once called you a fat kid." Nicholas Nickleby fits into that frame, he says, in "the big emotions the big colours, the big stories, all of that, [which] makes it operatic, in a way." It's an adaptation of a 900-page Dick-
// Ed Ellis
B
ens novel, with a nine-hour stage version serving as the original template before being cut into its more managable three-hour take by Richard Ouzounian. Deedrick's using that shortened version, which is of course, still sizeable. But that, in a sense, is the point: he wanted to direct a show that gave the whole BFA acting class rich roles, not just a select few. "You know, so very often if you're doing a show, there's always one kid who
ends up carrying a tray at the end, 'cause there's not enough great roles going around," he says, "and I figure, when there's 110 characters, there's lots and lots to go around." That's not exaggeration. the characters in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby outnumber the cast of 16 by almost seven to one. Three main figures more or less unchanging, ground us—
HOPSCOTCH
"they've got characters that have an arc and a development," Deedrick notes— while the rest twirl through costumes and characters to flesh out the Dickensian world through a wide swath of figures. (Deedrick thinks there's 127 changes, though he's not positive). "This one gives them all wide-ranged, wacky things. The one who plays the horrible, sadistic, brutal Mrs Squeers appears later on as Madeline Bray, the lovely young woman with whom Nicholas falls in love." It's creating and staying true to the text, even if each minor character only stays for a fraction of the stagetime, that make it worthwhile, he notes. "It's the colours of the language," he says, "it's the inflections, it's that arched eyebrow of a Dickens character that makes that minute and a half with Ms. Nag on the stage all worthwhile." V February 10 – 19, (7:30 pm) The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Written by Charles Dickens Adapted by Richard Ouzounian Directed by Brian Deedrick Timms Centre for the Arts (87 ave & 112 st), $5 – $20
JOSEF BRAUN // JOSEF@vueweekly.com
Analyzing a blown mind Directors chime in on The Film That Changed My Life Something happens to us when we try to come to terms with formative experience. Some of us can articulate what constitutes the turning point in our lives. Some slip into reverie. Some are forced to acknowledge that there's nothing more ineffable than the things that set fire to our imagination. Can something that blows your mind be analyzed? Does the fact that it blows your mind not preclude the inability to do just that? These questions haunt The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on their Epiphanies in the Dark (Chicago Review Press, $18.95). They give you some idea of what works and what doesn't in this book of transcribed interviews conducted and edited by Robert K Elder. Some of the selections in The Film That Changed My Life are genuinely surprising, such as Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Pierce on The Godfather, or, most interestingly, documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney on Luis Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel. Gibney tells a nice story about his brief correspondence with Buñuel, and goes some distance toward explaining how he was influenced by Buñuel's cryptic surrealist techniques while commenting on the intermediary walking scenes in Buñuel's Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie: "It's like finding some random shot as a documentarian, and throwing it in there because it has some kind of power you can't quite
14 // ARTS
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
identify." Elsewhere, The Last Seduction director John Dahl recalls seeing A Clockwork Orange at a drive-in in Billings, Montana. "It was the first time I paid attention to the sets," he says, which probably tells us something about the cinema of Stanley Kubrick. Many choices however, especially those from directors with a large and familiar body of work, are more predictable—and why wouldn't they be? And who can blame Peter Bogdanovich if he doesn't have anything especially fresh to say about Citizen Kane? 8 1/2 changed Henry Jaglom's vocation from actor to director. Richard Kelly believes that "We get closer to Brazil with each passing week." Danny Boyle declares Apocalypse Now "a celebration of the destruction as well as a condemnation of its subject matter." Boyle laments the loss of the sort of quixotic ambitions that could drive a film during Francis Ford Coppola's salad days. He also claims cinema is fundamentally a medium designed for young men, which probably tells us something about the cinema of Danny Boyle. I wonder if The Film That Changed My Life mightn't have been better as a series of magazine pieces. Some of Elder's choices of interviewees might have seemed less puzzling in that context. (Bill Condon? Brian Hertzlinger?) It also might have forced him
to be a more judicious editor. There are numerous repetitions that sound fine in conversation but read as mere redundancy. There's also a lack of spontaneity in some pieces that I can only assume arises from Elder's insistence on using same questions every time out, whether or not they go anywhere. The best interviews in here are the ones that seem to indulge tangents—that's when Elder's subjects really come to life. I'm happy to report that two of the very best interviews are with Canadians, and I take comfort in knowing that both directors in question discovered the movie that changed their life while channel-surfing late at night for glimpses of accidentally uncensored nudity (something I myself have experienced—is this a Canadian thing?). Had he never seen L'âge d'or, Guy Maddin, a man not adverse to hyperbole, claims that he would have never picked up a camera. "It's just a love story," Maddin says, "every bit as surreal as a love story deserves to be." Atom Egoyan meanwhile is extremely sharp about Ingmar Bergman's Persona, describing its sculptural qualities, how it emphasized the friction in language and the role of the listener. He also says one thing in particular that nearly sums up the entire book: "We are never more alive, I think, as when we are trying to ascertain our relationship to something which is completely mysterious to us." V
REVUE // VISUAL ARTS
The science of art
Edith Krause's [a]drift exhibits the microscopic Carolyn Jervis // carolynjervis@vueweekly.com
E
dith's Krause's MFA graduate exhibition at the FAB Gallery brings into view some of the microscopic or otherwise barely visible tiny creatures with which we inhabit this planet. Artistic practice had to make space for a scientific one as Krause became acquainted with the tiny sea creatures showcased in her work through collecting and analyzing samples of plankton in Whaler Bay, BC. Plankton and other little living things of the oceans are commonly understood as critical to marine ecosystems and the undersea food chain. Krause exposes these creatures as
ARTIFACTS
something more: as elegant and provocative forms worthy of art homage and the careful gaze of gallery visitors. Krause creates some beautiful and engaging work, drawing upon and updating the age-old struggle to reconcile visual art and science. While a few works take this challenge too literally, such as [Scientific Method] under scrutiny in which you can view the collecting of plankton samples in the Petri dish under a microscope, it's worth going beyond the first room of the exhibition space and scrutinizing the artist's exquisite prints. Krause's [observation] interpretation series successfully employs technique, concept and form to animate oft-over-
looked miniscule sea life. Through holograph-like prints, these creatures are rendered with the illusion that they are living three-dimensional forms. For each image the artist has layered two prints on silk, raising the front one from the rear to create a sense of depth and movement as you walk around the image. This masterfully employed technique speaks to the multivalence inherent in visual observation and interpretation. The immaculately constructed images look so accurately rendered that one wonders if they could be used for scientific study. At the same time, it is fascinating to gaze at the beautiful, artfully made images just for the layers of form and the incredible care taken in
the mark making. It is as though the artist finds common ground between art and science in the very making of these works, as is made clear in the stunning [larval] series of woodcuts. They all appear to have been made with a remarkable dedication to order and rigorous attention to detail while in production in the artist's studio. Rather than leave each creature confined on a rectangular paper, the image is cut out along the edge of each form, presented as if floating off the wall, and the larvae seem more peculiar and autonomous for it. Artistic awe integrated with scientific precision is left on a high note in the final room, an installation in which
a projected image of miniscule creatures in action is reflected across every reachable surface by a central mirror ball. This is where Krause takes her ecological message home—tiny living things are revealed as the significant and fascinating organisms they are. This body of work acts as a reminder that we share a planet with such minute beings, and they are deserving of respect and consideration. V Until Sat, Feb 19 [a]drift Works by Edith Krause FAB Gallery (112 St & 89 Ave), University of Alberta
PAUL BLINOV // PAUL@vueweekly.com
// Ian Jackson, EPIC
Meltdown / Fri, Feb 11 (7 pm)
The Winterlight festival is stepping indoors for an evening—at least partially, anyway: Meltdown takes place in and around the Jubilee Auditorium. Featuring the art installations Winterlight's already becoming known for— this time, a wall of light made from dozens of film projectors (by Lindsay McIntyre, a hometown girl recently back from finishing off an MFA in film
from Montréal’s Concordia), and a lantern light installation from Dylan Toymaker—they've added indoor performances from local folk rockers the Low Flying Planes and vinyl spins from DJ River Valley Girl. All that, and a cup of hot chocolate, for free. (Though there is a cash bar, for those who wish to party a little harder). (Jubilee Auditorium [11455 - 87 Ave], Free)
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
ARTS // 15
ARTS WEEKLY FAX YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO 780.426.2889 OR EMAIL LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 3pm
DANCE ALBERTA BALLET BmZad]] 9m\algjame$ )),--%0/ 9n] /0(&,*0&.0+1 Four Seasons Yf\ Cantata Y[[gehYfa]\ Zq ?jmhhg Emka[Yd] 9kkmj\ Feb 15-16 ʸ Eq]j @gjgoalr L`]Ylj]$ 01((%)), Kl Simply the Best…Motown Meets Vegas: ^]Ylmjaf_ KgfaY F\gf_eg ng[Ydk! Yf\ \Yf[]jk ^jge l`] 9^jg%;YjaZZ]Yf <Yf[] =fk]eZd] Feb 18$ 0he +- Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj]
FILM DOC SOUP E]ljg ;af]eY$ ;alY\]d$ 10*0%)()9 9n] Music From the Big House; Feb 18$ /he3 )( Kadn]j K[j]]f Yf\ LYc] - hYkk]k Y[[]hl]\! DOWNTOWN DOCS KlYfd]q 9& Eadf]j DaZjYjq L`]% Ylj] ZYk]e]fl d]n]d! <g[me]flYja]k oal` Yllalm\] Invisible City *((0!3 k[j]]faf_ gh]fk oal` l`] YfaeYl]\ k`gjl Pierogi Punch; Feb 17$ .2+(he >j]] FROM BOOKS TO FILM SERIES KlYfd]q 9& Eadf]j DaZjYjq EYaf >dggj%9m\ag NakmYd Jgge! K[j]]faf_k g^ Çdek Y\Yhl]\ ^jge Zggck hj]k]fl]\ Zq l`] ;]flj] ^gj J]Y\af_ Yf\ l`] 9jlk ]n]jq >ja$ *he
GALLERIES + MUSEUMS AGNES BUGERA GALLERY )*+)( BYkh]j 9n] /0(&,0*&*0-, 9jlogjck Zq K[gll Hd]Yj Feb 19-Mar 4 Gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Feb 19$ *%,he3 Yjlakl af Yll]f\Yf[] ALBERTA CRAFT COUNCIL GALLERY )()0.%)(. Kl /0(&,00&..)) Feature Gallery: WHAT DO ARTS FUNDING CUTS REALLY LOOK LIKE?2 L`] ). =p`aZa% lagf3 until Mar 26 Discovery Gallery: 2010 ALBERTA CRAFT AWARD RECIPIENTS: Ogjck Zq CYljafY ;`Yq% lgj$ Eaf\q 9f\j]ok$ Yf\ KYe M`da[c3 until Feb 19 ALBERTA SOCIETY OF ARTISTS GALLERY OYdl]j\Yd] HdYq`gmk]$ )(+**%0+ 9n] /0(&,+1&*0,- OYdl]j\Yd] k hjg\m[lagf g^ The Rabbit Hole oal` dYf\k[Yh] Yjlogjck Zq DgjjYaf] K`mdZY Yf\ <]ZjY @gn]klY\ Until Feb 193 gh]f \mjaf_ h]j^gjeYf[]k Yf\ KYlmj\Yqk ART BEAT GALLERY *. Kl 9ff] Kl$ Kl 9dZ]jl /0(&,-1&+./1 F]o Yjlogjck Zq _Ydd]jq Yjlaklk Until Feb 28 ARTERY 1-+- BYkh]j 9n] KEGC=Q ;9:AF >=N=Jº RENDERINGS BY AN UNHINGED MAN2 9jlogjck Yf\ afklYddYlagfk j][j]Ylaf_ l`] Yjlaklk klm\ag'`ge] khY[] ALL THE PRETTY ONES: H`g]Z] KmjYfY%E]`al k ]ph]ja% e]flk oal` \jYoaf_ e]\amek$ \a_alYd j]kgmj[]k$ Yf\ emdlahd] dYq]jk g^ ljYfkhYj]f[a]k Until Mar 6 ART FROM THE STREETS�Red Deer ,1+-%-) Kl ART FROM THE STREETS2 ?jgmh k`go ^]Ylmjaf_ f]o ogjck Zq L`geYk >jYf[gak$ JYf\Ydd ;gmkafk$ Yf\ JgZ]jl >d]eaf_ ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA (AGA) * Kaj Oafklgf ;`mj[`add Ki /0(&,**&.**+ BRIAN JUNGEN: L`j]] k[mdhlmjYd afklYddYlagfk3 until May 8 Sculpture Terraces: Ogjck Zq H]l]j @a\] Yf\ C]f EY[cdaf BMO World of Creativity: PLAY ON ARCHITECTURE: ;`ad\j]f k _Ydd]jq HENRI MATISSE: A CELEBRATION OF LIGHT AND LINE: gh]faf_2 until Feb 13 LAURA ST PIERRE: URBAN VERNACULAR: until Feb 13 SYMBOLIST MUSE2 K]d][lagf g^ Hjaflk ^jge l`] FYlagfYd ?Ydd]jq g^ ;YfY\Y3 until Mar 13 WALTER J. PHILLIP: WATER AND WOODS: >]Ylmjaf_ oYl]j[gdgmjk Yf\ ogg\[mlk3 Feb 11-Jun 5 Chance and Contemporary Art3 D][lmj] Zq
16 // ARTS
<Yof 9\]k3 Feb 16$ /he3 ^j]] Studio Y Youth Drop-in2 Snip2 HYh]j ;ml%Gmlk Yf\ Kl]f[ad ;gddY_]2 Feb 11$ +2+(% -2+(he3 )( hj]%j]_akl]j Adult Drop-In2 Snip2 HYh]j ;ml%Gmlk Yf\ Kl]f[ad ;gddY_] gf Feb 103 Shape-shift2 9ZkljY[l K[mdhlmj] gf Feb 173 /he3 )-' )* e]eZ]j! Art for Lunch2 D]\[gj L`]Ylj] >gq]j3 ;YkmYd$ af^gjeYlan] \ak[mkkagfk YZgml l`] ]p`aZalagfk l`] +j\ L`m ]n]jq egfl`3 Feb 17$ )*2)(%)*2-(he3 ^j]]
ART GALLERY OF ST ALBERT (AGSA) HjgÇd]k! )1 H]jjgf Kl$ Kl 9dZ]jl /0(&,.(&,+)( THE WOODS ARE LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP: 9jlogjck Zq CYl`jqf EYfjq$ 9jd]f] OYkqdqf[`mc$ KmkYf ;YkYmdl$ Bm\al` EYjlaf$ Yf\ D]kd]q Jgq Until Apr 2 Artist at Heart: ;YhlanYlaf_ ;gddY_jYh`k3 Feb 19$ )(Ye%)*he3 )- Art Ventures2 O`Yl¿k :m__af_ Qgm7 º ;`ad\j]f Y_]\ .%)*3 Feb 19$ )%,he3 -'[`ad\ AVENUE THEATRE 1(+(%))0 9n] /0(&,//&*),1 Khadd&&&2 =\egflgf k ;geegf ?jgmf\ 9jlk Kg[a]lq =;?9K! ^]Ylmj]k Yf Yjl ]n]fl3 l`]j] ak Yf gh]f afnalYlagf ^gj Yjlaklk lg Zjaf_ Y ^]o ha][]k g^ ogjc& HYafl Yf\ ]Yk]dk hjgna\]\ kg l`Yl Yjl [Yf Z] eY\] lg dan] emka[& L`] egkl hghmdYj ha][]k Yj] k]d][l]\ lg Z] k`gof Yl 9n]fm] L`]Ylj] gj Omf\]j :Yj O`ql] 9n]! =n]jq *f\ Kmf CAFÉ PICHILINGUE�Red Deer ,1*0%-( Kl$ J]\ <]]j ,(+&+,.&(0)* 9jlogjck Zq Kcq Kl]n]fk Through Feb CARROT CAFÉ 1+-) ))0 9n] >]Ylmjaf_ >ad >jYk]j k Zggc$ How the Blacks Created Canada (oaf\go \akhdYq!$ hYaflaf_k Zq =dkY JgZafkgf Through Feb EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ 11+0%/( 9n] /0(&,+/&+../ 9jlogjck Zq dg[Yd Yjlaklk FINE ARTS BUILDING GALLERY <]hYjle]fl g^ 9jl Yf\ <]ka_f$ M g^ 9$ Je +%10 >af] 9jlk :d\_ /0(&,1*&*(0) THE ALCUIN SOCIETY AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN BOOK DESIGN IN CANADA [A]DRIFT2 Hjaflogjck Zq =\al` CjYmk] Until Feb 19 FRONT GALLERY )*+)* BYkh]j 9n] SALON SALE Until Feb 12 GALLERY AT MILNER KlYfd]q 9& Eadf]j DaZjYjq EYaf >d$ Kaj Oafklgf ;`mj[`add Ki /0(&1,,&-+0+ EXILE OF THE TREES2 HYaflaf_k Zq Ja[Yj\g ;ghY\g Until Mar 1 GALLERY IS�Red Deer -)*+ ,0 Kl$ 9d]pYf\]j OYq$ J]\ <]]j ,(+&+,)&,.,) EUPHORIA2 HYafl% af_k Zq Jacca J]fYj\ Until Feb 26 HAGGERTY CENTRE�Stollery Gallery FafY @Y_% _]jlq ;]flj] ^gj l`] 9jlk$ 1**-%))0 9n] /0(&,/,&/.)) 9jlogjck Zq EmjjYq 9dd]f Yf\ l`] FafY @Y__]jlq ;]flj] Yjlaklk [gdd][lan] Until Feb 28 HARCOURT HOUSE +j\ >d$ )(*)-%))* Kl /0(&,*.&,)0( Main Space2 LIFE-LINE2 AfklYddYlagf Zq dg[Yd Yjlakl K`]jja ;`YZY Front Room2 I MAKE MY OWN FRIENDS2 Dg[Yd Yjlakl ;qfl`aY >m`j]j Until Feb 12 HARRIS�WARKE GALLERY�Red Deer Kmfogjck$ ,1*, Jgkk Kl$ J]\ <]]j ,(+&+,.&01+/ READINGS2 HYaflaf_k$ k[mdhlmjYd ha][]k$ Yf\ Ydl]j]\ Zggck Zq J]\ <]]j Yjlakl$ KmkYf <]dYf]q Until Feb 11 HUB ON ROSS ART GALLERY�Red Deer ALL THE ART WE DO: ;gddYZgjYlagf g^ )( Yjlaklk Through Feb
;gmflq The Gift Shop2 9dkg ^]Ylmj]k mfaim] keYdd al]ek eY\] Zq Yjlaklk g^ l`] Kg[a]lq Until Feb 27
MCMULLEN GALLERY M g^ 9 @gkhalYd$ 0,,(%))* Kl /0(&,(/&/)-* H`glg%YZkljY[lk Zq <Yna\ :Yaf] Until Mar 13 MICHIF CULTURAL AND MÉTIS RESOURCE INSTITUTE 1 Eakkagf 9n]$ Kl 9dZ]jl /0(&.-)&0)/. 9Zgja_afYd N]l]jYfk <akhdYq ?a^l K`gh >af_]j o]Ynaf_ Yf\ kYk` \akhdYq Zq ;]dafY Dgq]j Ongoing MILDWOOD GALLERY ,*.$ ..--%)/0 Kl E]d @]Yl`$ BgYf @]Yd]q$ >jYf @]Yl`$ DYjjYaf] GZ]j_$ L]jjq C]`g]$ <Yjd]f] 9\Yek$ KYf\q ;jgkk Yf\ Na[lgjaY$ Hgll]jq Zq FYZgjg CmZg Yf\ Na[lgj @Yjjakgf Ongoing MISERICORDIA HOSPITAL ).1,(%0/ 9n] PHRASES TO PAINT BY2 DYj_] hYaflaf_k Zq OaddaYe ?& Hj]lla] Until Feb 25 MULTICULTURAL CENTRE PUBLIC ART GALLERY (MCPAG) -,))%-) Kl$ Klgfq HdYaf /0(&1.+&11+- 9jlogjck Zq Dm[q <gmdd3 until Feb 16 ;gddY_]$ eap]\ e]\aY hYaflaf_k Zq OaddaYe ImYkl3 Feb 18-Mar 163 gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Feb 20 MUSÉE HÉRITAGE MUSEUM�ST ALBERT - Kl 9ff] Kl$ Kl 9dZ]jl /0(&,-1&)-*0 PATTERNS IN GLASS2 E lak <]ka_f af :]Y\k3 until Jun 2011 St Albert History Gallery2 >]Ylmjaf_ Yjla^Y[lk \Ylaf_ ZY[c -$((( q]Yjk NINA HAGGERTY CENTRE'S STOLLERY GAL� LERY 1**-%))0 9n]$ /0(&,/,&/.)) SPIRIT RISING Until Feb 11 PETER ROBERTSON GALLERY )*+(, BYkh]j 9n] /0(&,--&/,/1 GHOST IN THE MACHINE2 9jlogjck Zq HYmd :]jf`Yj\l ?9L@=J JMEHD= >D=P 9F< FOLD: 9jlogjck Zq K[gll ;meZ]jdYf\ PICTURE THIS GALLERY 1-1 Gj\r] J\$ K`]j% ogg\ HYjc /0(&,./&+(+0 9jlogjck Zq L]jjq AkYY[ Until Feb 19
LITERARY AUDREYS BOOKS )(/(* BYkh]j 9n] /0(&,*+&+,0/ Bg[]dqf :jgof$ l`] f]o Ojal]j%af%J]ka\]f[] Yl 9m\j]qk :ggck ]n]jq Lm] Yf\ O]\ *%-he CARROT CAFÉ 1+-)%))0 9n] =\egflgf L]Ye KdYe Hg]lk Laladgh] Kgfm_Y$ A^]geY ;`ao]l]dm$ Hjaf[] 9da$ _m]klk Feb 18$ /he
HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB )-)*( Klgfq HdYaf J\ /0(&1)-&00.1 =\egflgf Klgjq KdYe Fg [gn]j3 ^gddgo]\ Zq Y emka[ bYe +j\ O]\ ]n]jq egfl`3 Feb 16$ /he ka_f%mh!3 /2+(he k`go! - j]_akljYlagf ^jge ojal]jk lg kmhhgjl l`] Kg[a]lq! Oaff]j oYdck gml oal` Ydd l`] Ym\a]f[] \gfYlagfk RIVERDALE 11)/%0/ Kl ;j]Ylan] Ogj\ BYe =n]jq +j\ Kmf g^ l`] egfl`$ .%)(he ROUGE LOUNGE )()))%))/ Kl /0(&1(*&-1(( Hg]ljq ]n]jq Lm] oal` =\egflgf k dg[Yd hg]lk STANLEY A. MILNER LIBRARY / Kaj Oafklgf ;`mj[`add Ki /0(&,1.&/((( Centre for Reading2 >jge :ggck lg >ade3 ]n]jq >ja$ *he Teen Movie Scene2 egna] [dmZ ^gj l]]fk3 )kl Yf\ +j\ L`m ]n]jq egfl` UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA @meYfala]k ;]flj] D%+ 9ml`gj$ KlY[q 9dYaeg k d][lmj]$ The Science and Aesthetics of Watery Creatures, or, Ranciére and Latour at Sea, =f_dak` Yf\ >ade Klm\a]k lYdc3 Feb 11$ +2+(%-he Hg]l$ GYfY 9nYkada[`agY]a$ j]Y\k af l`] =f_dak` Yf\ >ade Klm\a]k <]hYjle]fl3 Feb 15$ +he3 j][]hlagf lg ^gddgo UPPER CRUST CAFÉ )(1(1%0. 9n] /0(&,**&0)/, L`] Hg]lk¿ @Yn]f O]]cdq J]Y\af_ K]ja]k2 ]n]jq Egf$ /he hj]k]fl]\ Zq l`] Kljgdd g^ Hg]lk Kg[a]lq3 -
ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM )*0,-%)(* 9n] /0(&,-+&1)(( Wild Alberta GalleryºWILD BY NATURE2 =n]jq KYl Yf\ Kmf$ ))Ye Yf\ *he ILLEGAL KILLER TRADE; until May 1 HEART AND SOUL2 Im]Z][ ^gdc Yjl3 Feb 12-May 8 BETTER CHOOSE ME2 ;gdd][laf_ Yf\ ;j]Ylaf_ oal` LgZY[[g >YZja[ Fgn]dla]k3 Feb 19-May 1
THE 39 STEPS EYqÇ]d\ <aff]j L`]Ylj]$ )..)-%)(1 9n] /0(&,0+&,(-) 9\Yhl]\ Zq HYlja[c :Yjdgo$ \aj][l]\ Zq Bg`f CajchYlja[c& Eap Y @al[`[g[c eYkl]jha][] oal` Y bma[q khq fgn]d$ Y\\ Y \Yk` g^ Egflq Hql`gf Yf\ qgm `Yn] l`ak ^Ykl%hY[]\ o`g\mfal Feb 11-Apr 10
SCOTIA PLACE TOWER 2 )((.( BYkh]j 9n] 9jlogjck Zq LYqY Jgkk Until Feb 28 SCOTT GALLERY )(,))%)*, Kl /0(&,00&+.)1 SKY LIGHTS: DYf\k[Yh] hYaflaf_k Zq @adYjq Hjaf[]3 Feb 12-Mar 13 gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Feb 12$ *%,he3 @adYjq Hjaf[] af Yll]f\Yf[] >]Ylmjaf_ f]o Yjlogjck Zq EYjl`Y ;gd]3 Feb 15-19 SIDESHOW GALLERY 1.(1%0* 9n] /0(&,++&),+( HOME BREW: 9jlogjck Zq K]Yf Egfl_ge]jq Until Mar 19 SNAP GALLERY )()*+%)*) Kl /0(&,*+&),1* CUSTOMS: Hjaflogjck Zq Cae :Ym]j Mflad Mar 12 Gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Feb 24$ /he
JURASSIC FOREST/LEARNING CENTRE )- eafk F g^ =\egflgf g^^ @oq *09$ Lgofk`ah J\ -., =\m[Ylagf% ja[` ]fl]jlYafe]fl ^Y[adalq ^gj Ydd Y_]k
SPRUCE GROVE GALLERY E]d[gj ;mdlmjYd ;]flj]$ +-%- 9n]$ Khjm[] ?jgn] /0(&1.*&(.., WATER IN MOTION: >]Ylmjaf_ Yjlogjck Zq ;`jak ?Yna_Yf Mflad Feb 19
KIWANIS GALLERY�Red Deer J]\ <]]j DaZjYjq DEALING WITH DYMANS (CRIME DRAMA NOVEL): Ogjck Zq Bg[c EY[c]fra]
TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE ))*))%),* Kl /0(&,-)&++,, Margaret Zeidler Theatre2 HOLIDAY MUSIC MAGIC2 The Celestial Railroad, The Digital Universe (live show) and Secret of the Cardboard Rocket THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE EXHIBITION2 until May 1 IMAX Screen
LOFT ART GALLERY 9B Gll]o]dd 9jlk ;]flj]$ -1( :jgY\eggj :dn\$ K`]jogg\ HYjc /0(&1**&.+*, 9jlogjck Zq e]eZ]jk g^ l`] 9jl Kg[a]lq g^ KljYl`[gfY
VELVET OLIVE LOUNGE�Red Deer ,1*,%-( Kl$ J]\ <]]j ,(+&+,(&0*00 9jlogjck Zq EYjaYff] NYf\]jcd]q Through Feb
RED DEER MUSEUM ,-*-%,/9 9n]$ J]\ <]]j ,(+&+(1&0,(- A PROFOUND LEGACY2 K]d][% lagfk ^jge l`] E9? >ajkl FYlagfk 9jl ;gdd][lagf3 through Feb L@= F9JJ9LAN= IM=KL2 9jlogjck Zq 9Zgja_afYd Yjlaklk ^jge l`] [gdd][lagf g^ l`] 9dZ]jlY >gmf\Ylagf ^gj l`] 9jlk3 through Feb
JEFF ALLEN GALLERY KljYl`[gfY HdY[] K]fagj ;]flj]$ )(0+) Mfan]jkalq 9n] /0(&,++&-0(/ DYf\k[Yh] Yf\ hgj% ljYal hYaflaf_k$ [gddY_] Yf\ h`glgk Zq =darYZ]l` N]j`Y_]f Until Feb 23
LATITUDE 53 )(*,0%)(. Kl /0(&,*+&-+-+ Main Space2 FREQUENCY PAINTING: 12 TONES2 Kgmf\ eY% [`af]k l`Yl j]Y[l lg l`] egn]e]flk g^ ]n]jq nakalgjº]Y[` lgf] ak nakmYddq j]hj]k]fl]\ Zq Y hYll]jf3 Zq ?Yjq BYe]k Bgqf]k';dafc]j Projex Room2 TOO DRUNK TO FUCK2 \agjYeYk Yf\ \jYoaf_k g^ kmZmjZYf da^] Zq :jYf\gf 9& <Yde]j3 until Feb 12 53 Ways To Leave Your Lover2 9f 9fla NYd]flaf]k <Yq ^mf\jYak]j3 Feb 19
VAAA GALLERY +j\ >d$ )(*)-%))* Kl /0(&,*)&)/+) Gallery Space 12 DRESS UP GAMES: JgpYff] LYqdgj Gallery Space 2: IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME: 9jlogjck Zq <]ZjY :Y[`eYf Keal` Until Feb 18
TU GALLERY )(/)0%)*, Kl 5 ARTISTS, 1 LOVE: :dY[c @aklgjq Egfl` Yjl k`go [mjYl]\ Zq <Yjj]f Bgj\Yf Until Feb 19 U OF A MUSEUMS’ GALLERY A L=DMK ;]flj]$ 0/ 9n]$ ))) Kl TRANSCENDENCE: FOUR ARTISTS, FOUR CULTURES: >]Ylmjaf_ hjafl ogjck Zq KlYfak Yo >abY cgokca HgdYf\!$ Jqgba Ac]\Y BYhYf!$ OYdl]j Bmd] ;YfY\Y!$ EYmja[] HYkl]jfYc :]d_ame! Until Feb 19
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
THEATRE
ANOTHER HOME INVASION ;alY\]d Ja[] L`]Ylj]$ 10*0%)() 9 9n] /0(&,*.&,0)) Ja[] L`]Ylj] K]ja]k hj]k% ]flk l`ak gf] ogeYf k`go l`Yl ]phdgj]k l`] \]da[Yl] Yf\ j]Yd [`Ydd]f_]k g^ Y_af_ oal` `megmj$ Zq BgYf EY[d]g\& <aj][l]\ Zq Ja[`Yj\ Jgk]$ klYjjaf_ Fa[gdY DaheYf3 Y LYjjY_gf L`]Ylj] Hjg\m[lagf$ gja_afYddq [g%hjg\m[]\ oal` 9dZ]jlY L`]Ylj] Hjgb][lk& HYjl g^ l`] Ja[] L`]Ylj] K]ja]k3 ^gj eYlmj] Ym\a]f[]k& ;gfl]fl Yf\ dYf_mY_] eYq fgl Z] kmalYZd] ^gj Ydd hYljgfk Feb 12-Mar 6 AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY ;alY\]d K`g[lgj L`]Ylj]$ 10*0%)() 9 9n] /0(&,*.&,0)) :q LjY[q D]llk$ \aj][l]\ Zq :gZ :Yc]j$ klYjjaf_ >agfY J]a\ Yf\ :j]f\Y JgZafk& O`]f l`] dYj_] O]klgf ^Yeadq mf]ph][l]\dq j]mfal]k Y^l]j <Y\ \akYhh]Yjk$ l`] `ge]kl]Y\ ]phdg\]k af Y eY]dkljge g^ j]hj]kk]\ ljml`k Yf\ mfk]lldaf_ k][j]lk& =plj]e]dq kljgf_ dYf_mY_]$ eYlmj] l`]e]k$ kegcaf_ Until Feb 20 THE BARBER OF BARRHEAD O]klZmjq L`]Ylj]$ LjYf% k9dlY 9jlk :Yjfk$ )(++(%0+ 9n] Hj]k]fl]\ Zq =\egflgf Gh]jY Yf\ >jaf_] L`]Ylj] 9\n]flmj]k3 Y\Yhl]\ Yf\ \aj][l]\ Zq 9ff @g\_]k Feb 17-26 --&11% 0-&11 CHIMPROV NYjk[gfY L`]Ylj]$ )(+*1%0+ 9n] =n]jq KYl Yl ))he fg k`go gf l`] dYkl KYl g^ l`] egfl`! )(' - @a_` K[`ggd Klm\]fl! Yl LAP gf l`] KimYj]$ \ggj COMMUNION Jgpq L`]Ylj] )(/(0%)*, Kl /0(&,-+&*,,( L`]Ylj] F]logjc hj]k]flk <Yfa]d EY% [Angj k f]o hdYq$ \aj][l]\ Zq EYjaYff] ;ghal`gjf]$ klYj% jaf_ FYlYk[`Y ?aj_ak$ CYl] JqYf$ KYjY` K`Yjc]q& L`] klgjq g^ l`j]] oge]f$ ]Y[` Yl Y lmjfaf_ hgafl$ ]Y[` \]kh]jYl]dq k]Yj[`af_ ^gj e]Yfaf_ Until Feb 20 )-% */ DIE�NASTY NYjk[gfY L`]Ylj]$ )(+*1%0+ 9n] /0(&,++&++11 Dan] aehjgnak]\ kgYh gh]jY =n]jq Egf$ /2+(he3 mflad May 30 )* Y\n Yl LAP gf l`]
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SNOW ZONE Making tracks
Home sweet home away from home
Powder Mike skis Bridger Bowl, Targhee and Jackson Hole POWDER MIKE // POWDERMIKE@vueweekly.com
Powder Mike and his family are Edmonton-based skiers; his real job is a director of an Edmonton-based engineering company, but he's packed the family and equipment into a Class C Winterized Motorhome to spend three months touring the United States' finest ski spots. He's recording his travels for Vue Weekly.
W
hat is the true definition of a Canadian Snowbird? Answer: a family of four touring the major Western US ski resorts for three months in a motorhome! Yup, that is us, we left just after Christmas and made good time getting into Montana. Even though Castle Mountain and Whitefish Montana were tempting targets, they will have to wait for another trip with their relatively short commute from Edmonton. The first destination was Bridger
Bowl, located just north of Bozeman. It is a community-owned hill that has come to the attention of several major ski magazines for its abundant snow, cheap lift tickets and great terrain both in-bounds and side-country. We arrived in a snowstorm and conveniently parked right at the base. Quite the auspicious start on our quest to ski 25 resorts. Not so auspicious was getting up at 6 am the next morning to move the motorhome as the snowplows cleared the eight inches of fresh. Got back to sleep only to be awakened by the booms of the Avalanche patrol clearing the mountains before the hill opened. For a skier this is the perfect alarm clock. My family got their first taste of USA powder and we had a superb day, riding the new quad chair (interesting fact: the high speed lifts are not detachable. You step on a moving carpet to get up to speed with the chair), meeting the
locals and basically having the hill to ourselves. One of the rules for our trip was that all our ski days would be week days; why ski on the weekends when everybody else does? After skiing, we went to Bozeman and walked the historic main street. The street is a perfect mix of mountaineering, cycling, cross-country, candy and ski stores with authentic coffee shops and cool looking restaurants slotted in. Unfortunately we had to leave early as it was still snowing and we needed to get to Big Sky. The road to the resort is one hour south of town and up a major canyon. My wife sat in the back so she wouldn't have to see all the roadside crosses marking past incidents as we navigated the canyon. We arrived safely at the large base area and found a spot next to the snow-covered tennis courts. Too bad we forgot our rackets. The temperature plummeted to -25 C and the motorhome propane heater ran
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FEB 16, 2011
most of the night. No worries really, as we have been out in -40 C. As long as the propane vaporizes and the batteries have juice we are happy snuggled in our portable ski condo. Big Sky along with Moonlight Basin covers an entire mountain, and the sig-
nature lift and run is the tram to the top of Lone Peak and the descent down Liberty Bowl. The storm we drove through made for a great ski day, although the rocks took a nasty bite out of our skis. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 >>
SNOW ZONE // 17
MAKING TRACKS
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It soon became apparent why certain slopes still had sucker patches of powder on them. Yellowstone Club is adjacent to Big Sky and if you have a spare billion dollars you can buy a ski lodgesized house with your own lift in your backyard (it's true) and shred your own private mountain next to Lone Peak. We awoke to Avalanche booms (yes!) and skied the huge runs at Big Sky for two days before continuing south. The road skirts the western side of Yellowstone National Park and our destination was the town of West Yellowstone. Most roads are closed in the park for the winter so we took a classic 1950sera tracked snow coach into the geyser basin and cross-country skied the final three miles into Old Faithful. We felt a bit out of place as West Yellowstone is a major snowmobiling mecca and with the record snowfalls this year the streets had more skidoos on them than cars (es-
18 // SNOW ZONE
pecially in front of the local bar). From Yellowstone, I had been looking forward to going to Wyoming for many years. Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole are justifiably famous for the terrain and cold smoke powder. We arrived at Grand Targhee with a stop in Idaho Falls on the way to become members of the Idaho Falls Ski Club. If you want deals on tickets, this is it: $25 dollars to sign up and about $30-off daily at Targhee and $40-off at Jackson Hole. Our memberships would also pay off in Utah and the Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. Grand Targhee is the smaller cousin to Jackson Hole but the resort is amazing. Friendly, bearded old timers working the lifts, a classic two seat, wood bottom, no safety bar chairlift (plus some high speed ones), impressive views of the Grand Tetons and best of all, the lightest, fluffiest powder we have ever skied. The second day was stellar as it snowed all night and the hill was semi-crowded for the morning while the locals skied their powder stashes and then left by
noon. For the afternoon we had the Aspen glades all to ourselves. Reluctantly leaving Targhee we crawled up the impressive Highway 22 Teton pass while all the ski resort workers who can't afford to live in Jackson commuted west into Driggs, Idaho for the night. The town of Jackson is close to the ski hill but the best place to stay is Teton Village at the base of the hill. Parking the motorhome was a problem until we booked a single bed in the Hostel for three nights. Even though we didn't actually use the bunk for sleeping, the Hostel came with a free parking pass, Wi-Fi and, most importantly, a hot shower. Resort number 13, Steamboat, Colorado has been completed. It has been a busy three weeks since our last update which had us arriving in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Compared to the weather in Edmonton, the conditions in Utah and CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 >>
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FEB 16, 2011
FALLLINES Kokanee Freeride and the Hairfarmers This weekend on Saturday, February 12th, Lake Louise Resort will be hosting one heck of a party. In the morning and early afternoon you can enjoy some incredible snow conditions but starting around noon you'll want to drop by the Sitzmark lounge for Kokanee beer, Kokanee girls, prizes and party to the amazing music of the Hairfarmers. The Hairfarmers are from Whistler BC where they are known as the "quintessential ski town band." The group is busy, playing up to 300 gigs per year. During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver the band really cranked it into overdrive, playing 44 events in 28 days. I checked the band's calendar and this weekend alone it has two sessions in Whistler on Friday, Lake Louise Saturday afternoon and back to Whistler on Sunday night. Named Whistler's favourite band for seven years running, I'm betting the Hairfarmers really put on a show. Did I mention this was going to be a FREE event? Yup it's going to be free.
Coldsmoke Powderfest at Whitewater For the fifth year running, Whitewater Resort, located in southern BC's Kootenays, will be playing host to the Coldsmoke Powderfest, a backcountry touring festival. Starting on Friday February 25 and running right through to Monday, if you are a big fan of telemark skiing, this is one you dong want to miss. Included are ski clinics, Foto face-offs, a skigraphic competition and parties, many parties. For more information and some great package deals head for their website at coldsmokepowderfest.com.
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
HART GOLBECK // HART@vueweekly.com
One Heil of a Finish
Two weeks ago, Spruce Grove's illustrious freestyle mogul skier Jennifer Heil announced that this will be her final year of competition. Last weekend at Deer Valley near Park City, UT, she put a great big career ending exclamation point down, taking home gold medals in both the mogul and dual mogul events. This fall Heil, the poster child of Marmot Basin, intends to concentrate on completing her business degree at McGill University. Now that she's won every title possible—including World Championships and Olympic gold—her knees could probably use a bit of a break from the constant pounding. If you ever get a chance to see her ski, watch how steady her upper body remains as her legs piston up and down through the bumps. Every spring, Heil returns to her old stomping grounds, the slopes of Marmot Basin. I hope this year the crowds come out and acknowledge her great career. We'll keep you posted as to when she'll be cruising down the not-sobumpy Dromedary run.
SNOW ZONE // 19
MAKING TRACKS
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now Colorado have been easy to take: fresh snow, warm temps and blue skies. The three days at Jackson Hole were my highlight of the trip so far. My wife and daughters, however, rate Grand Targhee number one on their list. In the Daughter Ranking Index it is Grand Targhee (light cold smoke powder) number one, and then Snowbasin and The Canyons, UT. Jackson Hole and Teton Village. I've wanted to ski here all my life and it did not disappoint. The storm snow we skied at Grand Targhee doubly hit Jackson. We arrived the day later and everybody was still beaming. There was over 20 feet of snow, lots for everybody. The locals are smiling as Jackson Hole is experiencing the best start to a season ever. It began with a record opening, 10 feet of snow and the most terrain open, and has continued. Last season, the Western states as a whole had brutal snow in December, January and February. The good skiing did not start until March in most places. I read that the blame was placed on a single Wasatch backcountry skier who used coffee liquor as an offering to Ullr, the powder god. Due to Utah's restrictive liquor laws and store hours, the cheap liquor was all that was available and Ullr showed his wrath. This season amends were made early with painful sacrifices of single malt by the locals and the results have been impressive. Jackson Hole is known for its steep terrain and tram. It's the first time I've seen double-blue runs that would be black runs at other areas and then there are the blacks and—make no mistake—the double blacks. To try and make Jackson Hole more family friendly, the area has cut impressive cross-mountain traverse trails, but overall it is still an expert's mountain. The original 1966 tram was replaced in 2006 and the new 100-person tram is impressive. The girls were more impressed by the fresh Belgium waffles served hot in Corbet's Cabin at the top. After ensuring our waffle/sugar saturation levels were adequate, we skied the 4 139 foot vertical black and double blacks from top to bottom. The first day at any resort we try to catch every chairlift to get a feel for the hill and how to get around. Of prime importance is locating the lodges and on-mountain huts as the girls are also working on their hot chocolate sommelier tickets. Watch for the definitive upcoming guide to Ski Resort Hot Chocolate. We skied hard the whole day and clocked over 25 000 feet of vertical, not bad for little eight- and 11-year-old legs. The second day my wife and the kids stayed in the motorhome for a music practice/home-school day and I arranged a guide to explore the Jackson Hole backcountry. Since nobody else turned up it was only the guide and I. We did a warm-up flip in Cody Bowl and got some great turns through steep chutes and rollers and finished off in the glades. Then it was time to decide what to do next: The weather had been warm the day before, therefore zipper crust was on most South aspects. We decided to climb Cody Peak and ski the Four
20 // SNOW ZONE
Big Sky: on top of Lone Peak
Shadows couloir due to its north aspect. Boot-packed up some steep pitches, traversed the ridge in a semi-whiteout and then I skied the steepest couloir of my life. I love Jackson Hole. Skied another day at Jackson Hole and watched some of the hyper-fit randonee race participants skin up a couple thousand vertical, climb Corbet's Couloir and then race back down to do it again. I got the jimmy legs just skiing the downhill portion of the course later. Leaving our Jackson Hole parking space and hostel amenities, we temporarily headed north into Grand Teton National Park for a snow shoeing and cross-country skiing break. We had the whole Jackson Lake winter campsite to ourselves and surprised the Park Ranger that the crazy Canadians were winter camping in -20 C weather. Going South towards Utah, we made it as far as Lava Hot Springs, Idaho in a snow storm. The incredibly hot Yellowstone geothermal water bubbles out of the rock bottomed pools. The springs are renowned for odourless, mineralladen water that—according to one 30year pool veteran—prevents all types of medical and physical problems. I dunked my balding head a couple of extra times. We arrived in Ogden, Utah the next day to plus temperatures and defrosted the Motorhome after the cold of Montana and Wyoming. We had debated about a lone stop in Idaho at Sun Valley but the lure of the "Greatest Snow on Earth" State, Utah was strong. Perhaps we'll hit Sun Valley on the return. Everybody we met in Montana and Wyoming 100-percent guaranteed us that we would ski powder at Powder Mountain, our first stop in Utah. Not surprisingly they were right. Getting to the hill is another story, as the road up to the resort is the steepest, windiest road you'd ever want to drive a motorhome on. Two days later while descending, the brakes would be smoking in second gear. Powder Mountain is the anti-resort of the
Wasatch Mountains: basic amenities but extremely friendly people. The first morning we got a great deal with a local guide to take the whole family for the day including a cat ski lift up to the peak! Local knowledge found us all the hidden powder pockets and the cat powder run was the highlight. Went off on our own the next day and the girls got to ride their first Poma lift. We skied an area the size of Marmot Basin all to ourselves with powder runs through Aspen glades. As opposed to Big Sky/Moonlight Basin's advertising that they are the biggest in the States, Powder Mountain surpasses their acreage by 2000 acres (7000 total with another 7000 acres accessible backcountry). Even though the terrain is not Jackson Hole steepness, with fresh snow and whole valleys of aspen glades to ourselves, who was complaining? After surviving the steep road down from Powder we arrived in a snowstorm after a 30-minute drive across the valley to Snowbasin. Snowbasin hosted the 2002 Salt Lake men's/women's downhill and super Gs, but because there is no on-hill accommodation it is the sleeper, unknown resort of the Wasatch. The CEO of Sinclair Oil owns Sun Valley, Idaho and Snowbasin and for the Olympics he poured 180 million into Snowbasin, chiefly into the lodges, gondolas and, inexplicably, snowmaking. With $200K worth of copper eavestrough on each lodge, gold chandeliers, wool carpets, granite restrooms, stone fireplaces, massive log construction and the number-two-rated on-hill food, the resort facilities are totally over the top. With the great terrain and a foot of powder we were totally blown away skiing there, thus the number two ranking on the Daughter Index. With a great start at two of the leastknown Utah resorts we headed into Salt Lake City to stop at a friend's place and recharge for the resorts at Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, The Canyons, Park City and the number-one-rated resort in the States, Deer Valley. The weather would prove interesting, stay tuned. V
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
FILM
"At times you get to feeling like you’re watching Benny Hill with millionaire production design." DVD DETECTIVE: AMARCORD /ONLINE AT VUEWEEKLY.COM
FILM // ANIMATION
The magic of melancholy
The Illusionist a masterstroke of hand-drawn animation
More than sleight of hand Brian Gibson // brian@vueweekly.com
A
fter leaving France, the career of a middle-aged magician, Tatischeff, fades away slowly in the mists and rains of Scotland. And so, seven years after his delightfully loopy, France-toUSA, cyclist-meets-gangsters tale The Triplets of Belleville, Sylvain Chomet returns to centre-stage with The Illusionist, a magnificent mixture of the melancholic and the fanciful. The little touches of spirit and character are delightful, from shaggyhaired Highland cattle to a red-nosed Scot's kilt blowing up a wee bit high in the gusts coming over the sea. The animation—mostly hand-coloured line drawings offering a warm, washed look as sunlight dapples and streams over grass and roadways—is beyond lovely, but it's Chomet's love for Edinburgh that suffuses nearly every frame. (It's most obvious in the film's one small indulgence, a CGI-rendered shot flying up and over the city.) The streets, sidewalks, flats and shops of the capital, in all its 1960 details, make up a character we become more familiar with than Tatischeff himself. He's based, in gait and some mannerisms, on famous French comedian and director Jacques Tati (neé Tatisch-
eff). The script is one that Tati wrote but never produced; Chomet's adaptation blends curiously charming melancholy and slightly sentimental whimsy. In a nearly wordless film, the unstated father-daughter affection between Tatischeff (voiced, rarely, by Jean-Claude Donda) and Alice (voiced, rarely, by Eilidh Rankin), a young girl who insists on accompanying him to Edinburgh, isn't just sweetly subtle but tinged with heartbreak. This ethereal, elegiac tone—of the beauty and magic of life as a fleeting illusion, a wonder all the more amazing because of its temporariness— whispers the film along. Tatischeff performs his tricks for just a few people; acrobats paint a billboard. Down, caught on a breeze, flies by a window like snow; a book's fluttering pages write their own little shadowplay against the wall. There are a few gentle nods to Tati's work—a poster of Tati's Mon Oncle outside a theatre, a brief homage to a scene from Play Time—many subtle visual jokes, and some zippy comic moments, especially from three tumblers whose distinctive "Hup! Hup! Hup!" accompanies their every roll and flip. The magician, moonlighting at a garage, finds himself watching over
a big-finned Chevy for its owner, a gleaming-white-toothed Texan. Yet no character's cartoonish but instead defined with remarkable nuance by their sounds and movements. Alice finds herself in a modern-day wonderland, becoming an urbane lady as she tries on, Cinderella-like, shoes to step out in—into her new world and another small rung up the social ladder. Meanwhile, Tatischeff's quaint, gentlemanly act is being pushed out by the brash beat of Beatles-style rock. As entertainment becomes more commodified, electricity arrives on a remote Scottish island, and TVs flicker incessantly in an Edinburgh shop window, the old magic of hand-and-eye on a small stage is lost. The hand-drawn magic of animation, too, may one day be a thing of the past, but The Illusionist will remain a beautiful swan song and glorious masterstroke. V Opening Friday The Illusionist Written by Sylvain Chomet, Jacques Tati Directed by Sylvain Chomet Featuring the voices of Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin
TV-K-O? Is Lights Out Down For the Count?
Princess Theatre (10337 - 82 ave)
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
HE WATCH CHANNEL ZERO // ONLINE AT VUEWEEKLY.COM FILM // 21
FILM // METRO SHORTS
Expect the unexpected
... Or at least an anything-goes mentality at Metro Shorts Mel Priestley // mel@vueweekly.com
T
here aren't many places where one could reasonably expect to see something like claymation penguin pornography, but Metro Shorts just happens to be such a place. "The point is not to make something brilliant right out of the gate," explains Sam Varteniuk, member of Edmonton's Mostly Water sketch comedy troupe and host of Metro Shorts."It's about trying and getting better at it." Metro Shorts began several years ago as Metro TV, a project spearheaded by veteran sketch comedian Wes Borg (best known for his work with the local sketch comedy troupe, Three Dead Trolls in a
Baggie). The Shorts are now in their third season under Mostly Water's stewardship, and the upcoming screening is the third of five in this year's season. Metro Shorts is modeled on New York's Channel 101. Contestants submit fiveminute television shows which are then screened in front of a live audience that votes on its favourites; the top five shows progress to the next round, for which the filmmakers are required to create the next episode in the series. Metro Shorts loosely follows this structure. The films are screened in front of a live audience and a panel of judges, which is comprised of various members of the Edmonton theatre community the judges provide criticism while the audience votes on their
favourites—though due to the small number of entries, only three films are selected for advancement, rather than five. As well, Varteniuk notes that, though they tried to encourage filmmakers to create films that build upon previous stories and characters (as is done for Channel 101), most entrants create episodic one-offs. Experimentation and creativity abound in these films, and Varteniuk notes that they've seen a lot of shocking stuff—though he admits that the majority of films are either sketch comedies or animation. "I want to encourage people to submit anything," states Varteniuk. "Our only goal is to get people making some awesome shit, and get other people watching it." He goes on to state that Metro Shorts is a great event for emerging and established filmmakers alike, to meet others in the industry, get some exposure for their work and just generally experiment with the medium. "Everyone's got a camera in their pocket these days," says Varteniuk. "We're not uppity about things being filmed in HD, or having superior editing after-effects on them. Just tell a story!" V Sat, Feb 12 (8 pm) Metro Digital Shorts Presented by Mostly Water Theatre Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave) $8 – $10
The Roommate Now playing Written by Sonny Mallhi Directed by Christian E. Christiansen Starring Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly
The Roommate never gets beyond the front door of the dorm, let alone its title. If you guessed the "Roommate" is a scary person whom someone has to live with, congratulations! Your guess is more interesting than the movie's "plot." Because neither this flick nor its nutty inhabitant are smart, scary or— zzzzz. Huh? Sorry. Still got Pointless-Movie Sleepiness. Where was I? Oh yeah, at the "University of Los Angeles," where straight-from-Des Moines first-year Sara (Leighton Meester, seeming about as much from Iowa as Justin Bieber's from Burkina Faso) meets Rebecca (Minka Kelly). In the dead-space of one minute, Rebecca's developed a full-blown case of Hollywood Psychosis (symptoms: intoning "Tomorrow you're all mine" and "I always wanted a sister," staring weirdly into a mirror, liking a creepy modern painting, slashing a comfy chair's armrest, merging Single White Female and Basic Instinct in the dullest sex-murder scene imagia—zzzzz ... Wha? Oh, crap.). Rebecca's obsessive-possessive disorder doesn't explain her character's swings from Overprotective-Girl to Devious-Seductress. But all the female "friendships" here strut the fakey-psycho catwalk. And poor Rebecca's had a tough upbringing—forced to shop on
The Eagle Opening Friday Directed by Kevin MacDonald Written by Jeremy Brock Starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell
The expository titles that open The Eagle emerge from a haze of computerized mist, a figurative fog that envelops the ancient history about to be conjectured upon. Inspired by the legend of the Ninth Spanish Legion, the words tell of how in 120 AD, 5000 Roman soldiers journeyed into uncharted Northern Britain and vanished without a trace, along with their beloved standard, a silver eagle whose loss seems to have grieved Rome far more than that of its troops. But our story really begins 30 years later, with the arrival of centurion Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) at a remote, dilapidated garrison not far from the dreaded northern frontier. It seems an undesirable post, but Marcus Aquila has his reasons for being there: his father led the aforementioned ill-fated, now infamous, expedition. Based on Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 novel The Eagle of the Ninth, The Eagle may be set in Roman-occupied Britain, but its trajectory most closely resembles that of a revisionist Western, with its hero, devoted to his flag yet fundamentally an individualist of stoic integrity, traversing hostile terrain rife with primitive yet fierce aboriginal warriors in the name of some grandiose colonialist project. After an act of bravery lands Marcus Aquila a
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VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
Channing Tatum, Eagle hunting
damaged knee, a medal and an honourable discharge, he hears rumours of recent Eagle sightings up in the Highlands and vows to retrieve it, with only Esca (Jamie Bell), his noble native slave, as companion and guide. So this lone ranger and his Tonto go behind enemy lines, off the map, and into the vastness of Scotland's murky glens on what is surely a pointless quest, a journey into the heart of darkness for a hunk of metal, not even a person, though perhaps the real goal is to apprehend some obscure truth about a long-lost father and vindicate his tarnished legacy. Reuniting Last King of Scotland director Kevin MacDonald, scripter Jeremy Brock, and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, The Eagle is transporting and richly atmospheric, pulling you in on the strength of its storytelling and gorgeously rugged images, some illuminated only by flickering candles. A moonlight fight is more brutal for its gloom, as is the vision of barbecued invaders resembling rabid hippies and fighting like wild dogs, crazed with the rage of the colonized. Later on the Pict tribes are introduced, the tables
Rodeo Drive by her parents, who look like slowly melting wax-dolls of rich people. The blandest thriller unimaginable, The Roommate is like watching the vacuum of outer space on a screen for 93 minutes (though a decent movie could've been salvaged if about 92½ minutes had been cut). The story and direction are so lobotomized that only some evil Hollywood computer, using commercial-formulas and genre-algorithms, could have manufactured it. The "acting" involves adopting the pose most broadly appropriate to the scene. The "shots" are pore-drilling closeups or music-video imitations. Even porn scenarios are ripped off in the emptiest way possible, from "hot for teacher" to literal "lipstick lesbianism" (because nothing says sexy like cooing the name of your lipstick in a club's bordello-like bathroom: "Caffeinated cinnamon"). A "class" consists of half-witty lines uttered by prof and student. Every "spooky" scene's uncannily predictable, down to the instant a hooded figure will rip back a shower curtain, a hand will clutch a shoulder, or eyes will pop open. This is horror-hackwork unrelieved by over-the-topness or the slightest bit of humour. Not one character's memorable—no, wait. The kitten. That fluffy feline was the only interesting, threedimensional character going. Damn you, Roommate! Damn you to he—zzzzzz. Brian Gibson
// brian@vueweekly.com
turned, Marcus Aquila becomes the slave, and there's something transfixing in seeing this hulking hero kneel before lanky warriors who decorate themselves so as to look like they literally emerged from the surrounding stone, cold sea and hardscrabble. MacDonald refrains from any fashionable indulgence in gore, but reveals a deft understanding as to how to cultivate our anticipation of violence with close-ups of sharpened spikes spinning on the sides of cartwheels, or a knife about to plunge into a knee to perform surgery without anesthetic. Brock's dialogue however is often dry or simply too on the nose. Donald Sutherland turns up for a nice supporting bit, and there's a scene where he provides amusingly colourless colour commentary to the coliseum fight that introduces Esca: "Look at that. Look at that!" But what's spoken in The Eagle is secondary to what transpires, and the story itself is fascinating. At least for the first two-thirds. The film's last act is disappointingly stupid, though in hindsight isn't hard to see coming. I suppose it says something about how all of us, oppressed and oppressors both, are capable of heinous acts and old soldiers never lose their fire. If only the story didn't reward its genocidal Romans by feeding their vanity and idolatry. You can't help but imagine the alternate version where Marcus Aquila finds the lost eagle but it's been consigned to life as a rusty anvil or paperweight, or collecting dust in some closet where later humans will store forgotten bowling trophies and unwanted crock pots. Josef Braun
// josef@vueweekly.com
The Princess Bride
The inconceivable Princess Bride
Sat Feb 12 (7 pm); Sat Feb 12 – Mon Feb 14 (9 pm) Directed by Rob Reiner Written by William Goldman Starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave)
Once upon a time (1987), there was a comic fairy-tale, The Princess Bride, that became a legend in its own right, immortalized on lists of Funniest Movies and Greatest Film Love Stories. Adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel, the tale's told to a grandson (Fred Savage) by his grandfather (Peter Falk) and involves true love, the rescue of a kidnapped princess, swordplay, an ice-cold prince and a six-fingered count, and much kissing. Nearly a quarter-century later, held up to Time (that cruel mirror, mirror on the wall), The Princess Bride seems more like André the Giant's sweetly oafish character Fezzik—basically charming but lumbering along occasionally. Its strengths are still ob-
vious: some exuberant action scenes, some absurdist touches (including an elaborate suction-cup torture device and lines like "You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen"), Wallace Shawn's pompous schemer Vizzini, and the frame story, with the grandson becoming more and more caught up in the romance than he wants to admit. The story's mostly about the romance of stories. The grandson forgets his videogames as his grandfather's bedtime story sweeps him away. Farmboy-turned-swashbuckler Westley (Cary Elwes) tells us how he became that notorious legend, the "The Dread Pirate Roberts," as he forges on through the Fire-Swamp with his true love, Buttercup (Robin Wright). Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) repeats the story of vengeance that drives him ever onwards, seeking the man who slew his father. These stories, along with the asides and characters' meta-commentaries on the action we're seeing, make the movie a bit too talky. It also shows some of the shagginess and slackness of many '80s Hollywood movies. Mind you, with the post-LOTR self-
seriousness of today's fantasy-epics, the playfulness of The Princess Bride remains refreshing. And the frame-story lets adult viewers be amused by the child's increasing fascination with a mere story and so secretly but shamelessly enjoy the romance themselves. Still, even with a few wise nods at the typical treatment of princesses in fairytales, the romance remains conventional and overstated—Rob Reiner's next movie, the Nora Ephron-scripted When Harry Met Sally, would prove a much more charming tale of true love. For all its appealing qualities, The Princess Bride still seems fairly tame and commercially safe. In comparison with some of the Pythons' skits and films, its touches of medieval-era absurdity aren't much (though a cameo by Python-era comic Peter Cook offers some daffy British comedy). The movie's less playful, postmodern and complex in its narrative than Goldman's book, while some comic and quest elements don't quite fuse (especially when the kvetching humour of Billy Crystal's Miracle Max bubbles up). Still, The Princess Bride is worth re-viewing. After all, I'd forgotten its one dark nod to contemporary politics, meant as a comment on Vietnam in 1973 and a shot at the Soviets in 1987 but eerily warning Bush-era USA: "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders," crows Vizzini, "the most famous of which is 'never get involved in a land war in Asia.'" Who woulda thunk a fun fairy-tale flick could offer a powerful kingdom such prescient foreign-policy advice for living happily ever after? Brian Gibson
// brian@vueweekly.com
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
FILM // 23
Gnomeo & Juliet Opening Friday Directed by Kelly Asbury Starring James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham
Although undeniably raised up by an omnipresent sense of fun, everything in Gnomeo & Juliet seems begged, borrowed or banking on something from somewhere else. Beyond the Bard's overarching star-cross'd lovers plot—here, the Montague/Capulet feud gets colour-coded and set between the ceramic lawn-things of neighbouring Gardeners—the main point seems to be revisiting a well-worn take with Elton John producing alongside a half-dozen other well-known names (Michael Caine as Juliet's
protective father gnome, Jason Statham as Tybalt, Dolly Parton as the Dolly gnome and Patrick Stewart as a statue of Shakespeare himself, for starters), drawing on previous celeb status to bolster this up. The way they freeze up when humans appear nods to Toy Story; Hulk Hogan voices an ad for Lawnmowers that borrows the furious style of Powerthirst viral video of a few years back. Elton sings a new song, which is alright, and much of the remaining score is instrumental takes on previous Elton songs. The whole thing even ends with one of those everycharacter song and dance numbers that 3D animated films seem so partial too. So, Gnomeo & Juliet's the kind of movie to make a Matrix bullet-time joke. But at least director Kelly Asbury—who also helmed
Sanctum Sinking spelunkers in Sanctum
Now playing Directed by Alister Grierson Written by John Gavin, Andrew Wight Starring Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Ioan Gruffudd
A resentful teenager and his gruff but allknowing dad, an asshole financier and his girlfriend, and a cool guy who sort of looks like Richard Linklater penetrate deep into the virginal birth canal of the "mother of all caves" when a cyclone smashes their remote and fecund corner of Papua New Guinea and traps them inside with a dearth of supplies and no reason to be sure where the cave's barely passable crannies will lead them. "Soon as I leave the whole thing turns into a Mongolian cluster-fuck," says the asshole, in one of many flatly portentous and flamboyantly charmless moments leading up to disaster and rampant death. Another is, "What could possibly go wrong diving in caves?" Ask executive producer James Cameron, who's usually more comfortable at the top of the world, or even in outer space, yet
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VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
Shrek 2—has the vision and the decency to interrupt it to deliver another joke, instead of completely banking on over-used pop culture cliché. The fun, it seems, comes from being assuredly self-aware about the reference points being checked, and usually riffing on them a little instead of just banking on their inclusion to sell a joke. There's some details that do manage to give it a little colour of its own, like how they drag race lawn mowers in the back alley for bets, or Juliet's much simplified take on the "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" soliloquy. It still feels like a bunch of celebs mucking about together. But at least it genuinely seems like they're having fun. PAUL BLINOV
// PAUL@vueweekly.com
apparently managed to get sucked back into the abyss with this dud project by coscripter and real-life diving disaster survivor Andrew Wight and director Alister Grierson, who was on hand for the Avatar shoot and seemed eager to get his hands on Cameron's state-of-the-art 3-D cameras despite his not knowing where to put them. But 3-D, which so often detracts from rather than enhances live-action movies anyway, can't save Sanctum from sinking into a morass of cliché characters, uninspired imagery, and shouting, grunting, screaming, expletive and redundancy-riddled dialogue so bad that my fellow audience members were audibly sighing with relief at the tragic and grisly deaths of ostensibly sympathetic characters. As the weirdly female-heavy death toll steadily rises along with the water, the others start to wonder if dyed-in-the-wool caver Frank (Richard Roxburgh) is Captain Nemo or Lieutenant Bligh. Underloved son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) blames Frank for a fellow diver's death, then Frank turns around and blames Josh, then lots more divers die and the whole thing turns into a not especially compelling advocacy campaign for euthanasia. For a movie brimming with life or death scenarios and agonizing moral quandaries, it's almost impressive how boring Sanctum can be. There's only one character who isn't annoying but he's spitting up blood before we're even half-way out of there. The discovery of a Japanese tank is pretty cool, but having been stalled for the last 70 years it takes us nowhere. The father and son drama gradually resolves itself with the help of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, if you can believe it, but you probably can't. Like the characters, you'll mostly be begging for daylight. Josef Braun
// josef@vueweekly.com
FILM WEEKLY FRI, FEB 11, 2011 – THU, FEB 17, 2011 s
CHABA THEATRE�JASPER 6094 Connaught Dr, Jasper, 780.852.4749
THE DILEMMA (PG course language) FRI�SAT 7:00, 9:10; SUN�THU 8:00 BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) FRI�SAT 7:00, 9:10; SUN�THU 8:00
CINEMA CITY MOVIES 12 5074-130 Ave, 780.472.9779
PATIALA HOUSE (STC) Hindi W/E.S.T. DAILY 1:00, 3:55, 7:00, 9:50 SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) DAILY 2:00, 4:50, 7:40, 10:00 GULLIVER’S TRAVELS (PG) DAILY 1:45, 4:15, 7:30, 9:40 HOW DO YOU KNOW (PG coarse language) DAILY 9:55
SANCTUM 3D (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) Ultraavx FRI�SUN 12:10, 2:40, 5:00, 7:40, 10:30; MON�THU 1:15, 3:40, 7:15, 10:00 THE MECHANIC (18A brutal violence) FRI�SAT 12:45, 3:00, 5:30, 7:50, 10:05; SUN 12:45, 3:00, 5:30, 7:50, 10:00; MON�THU 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:05, 10:15 THE RITE (14A frightening scenes, not recommended for children) DAILY 9:50 NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) FRI�SAT 12:45, 3:30, 6:00, 8:25, 10:50; SUN 12:15, 2:55, 5:15, 7:50, 10:15; MON�THU 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:10 THE GREEN HORNET 3D (14A violence, coarse language) Digital 3d DAILY 2:00, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15 TRUE GRIT (14A violence) FRI�SAT 12:30, 3:00, 5:45, 8:25, 10:50; SUN, THU 4:15, 7:00, 9:30; MON�WED 1:45, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30; Star & Strollers Screening: THU 1:00 TRON: LEGACY 3D (PG) Digital 3d FRI�SAT 10:45; SUN�THU 10:05 THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) FRI�SAT 12:40, 3:10, 5:50, 8:35, 11:05; SUN�THU 2:00, 4:45, 7:20, 10:00
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA�VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER 3D (PG frightening scenes) Digital 3d DAILY 1:05, 4:25, 7:05, 9:35
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) FRI�SAT 12:20, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:30; SUN�THU 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:05
THE TOURIST (PG coarse language) DAILY 1:30, 4:20, 6:50, 9:20
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) FRI 12:00, 2:45, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45; SAT 2:45, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45; SUN 12:10, 2:45, 5:20, 7:45, 10:10; MON�THU 1:55, 4:30, 7:00, 9:25
BURLESQUE (PG not recommended for children, coarse language) DAILY 1:30, 4:05, 6:55, 9:25 HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (PG frightening scenes, violence, not recommended for young children) DAILY 1:10, 4:45, 8:00 MEGAMIND 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 1:15, 3:50, 6:45, 9:10 DUE DATE (14A crude content, substance abuse) DAILY 1:50, 4:40, 7:10, 9:45 LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (PG language may offend, substance abuse) DAILY 1:55, 4:35, 7:20 THE SOCIAL NETWORK (PG coarse language, substance abuse) DAILY 1:25, 4:00, 6:40, 9:15 ALPHA AND OMEGA (G) DAILY 1:35 WINTER'S BONE (14A) DAILY 3:45, 6:30, 9:00
CINEPLEX ODEON NORTH 14231-137 Ave, 780.732.2236
JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) Ultraavx, No passes DAILY 1:40, 4:30, 7:20, 10:15 THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) DAILY 1:10, 4:00, 6:50, 9:45
TANGLED 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI�SAT 12:15, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10; SUN 12:40, 3:10, 5:25, 7:50; MON�THU 1:05, 3:20, 5:35, 7:50 127 HOURS (14A gory scenes, disturbing content) FRI� SUN 12:50, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:15; MON�THU 1:00, 3:10, 5:10, 7:30, 10:00 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: NIXON IN CHINA (classification not available) SAT 11:00 ON THE DAY: THE STORY OF THE SPIRIT OF SCOT� LAND PIPE BAND (G) SUN 1:00
CITY CENTRE 9 10200-102 Ave, 780.421.7020
JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) No passes, Stadium Seating, Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:40, 3:30, 7:00, 10:00 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes, Stadium Seating DAILY 12:00, 2:35, 5:10, 7:45, 10:20 THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:10, 3:00, 6:40, 9:40
GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) Digital 3d DAILY 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:30, 9:50
SANCTUM 3D (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) Stadium Seating, Digital 3d, DTS Digital DAILY 12:50, 3:50, 7:25, 10:15
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes DAILY 12:00, 2:30, 5:10, 7:45, 10:20
THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) Stadium Seating, DTS Digital DAILY 12:05, 2:40, 5:05, 7:30, 9:50
THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) DAILY 1:40, 4:40, 7:50, 10:05
THE MECHANIC (18A brutal violence) Stadium Seating, DTS Digital FRI�SAT, MON�THU 12:20, 2:45, 5:15, 7:40, 10:25; SUN 12:20, 7:40, 10:25
SANCTUM 3D (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) Digital 3d FRI�TUE, THU 1:50, 4:45, 7:35, 10:10; WED 2:10, 4:45, 7:35, 10:10 THE MECHANIC (18A brutal violence) DAILY 2:00, 4:50, 8:00, 10:30 THE RITE (14A frightening scenes, not recommended for children) DAILY 7:40, 10:25 NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) FRI�TUE, THU 1:20, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40; WED 4:15, 7:00, 9:40; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00
NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) Stadium Seating, DTS Digital DAILY 12:25, 3:25, 7:20, 10:30 GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) Stadium Seating, Digital 3d, DTS Digital DAILY 12:15, 2:30, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) Stadium Seating, DTS Digital DAILY 12:30, 3:15, 6:50, 9:45
CLAREVIEW 10 4211-139 Ave, 780.472.7600
THE GREEN HORNET 3D (14A violence, coarse language) Digital 3d FRI�TUE, THU 1:00, 3:50, 7:15, 10:00; WED 12:00, 4:00, 10:00
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) FRI�SUN 9:20; MON� THU 8:05
TRUE GRIT (14A violence) DAILY 12:50, 3:45, 6:40, 9:20
NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) FRI 4:30, 7:10, 9:45; SAT�SUN 1:45, 4:30, 7:10, 9:45; MON�THU 5:30, 8:20
YOGI BEAR (G) DAILY 12:10 THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) DAILY 1:30, 4:20, 7:10, 9:55 THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) DAILY 12:40, 3:30, 6:30, 9:15 BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) FRI, SUN�THU 12:15, 3:40, 6:45, 9:30; SAT 3:40, 6:45, 9:30 TANGLED (G) FRI�TUE, THU 1:15, 4:10; WED 4:10; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: NIXON IN CHINA (Classification not available) SAT 11:00 DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (STC) WED 12:30, 6:30
CINEPLEX ODEON SOUTH 1525-99 St, 780.436.8585
JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) No passes FRI�SAT 12:00, 2:40, 5:25, 8:10, 11:00; SUN�WED 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; THU 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; Star & Strollers Screening: THU 1:00 THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) FRI�SAT 12:20, 3:00, 5:45, 8:30, 11:10; SUN�THU 1:30, 4:15, 7:30, 10:10 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) FRI�SUN 12:30, 2:40, 5:00, 7:30; MON�THU 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30 GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI�SAT 12:00, 2:10, 4:20, 6:30, 8:40, 10:50; SUN 12:00, 2:10, 4:20, 6:30, 9:00; MON�THU 2:10, 4:20, 6:30, 9:00 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes FRI�SUN 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:45, 10:15; MON� THU 1:00, 3:50, 6:40, 9:30 THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) FRI�SAT 12:00, 2:10, 4:20, 6:30, 8:45, 11:00; SUN 12:00, 2:30, 4:40, 7:30, 9:50; MON�THU 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 8:00, 10:10
THE MECHANIC (18A brutal violence) FRI 4:45, 7:30, 9:55; SAT�SUN 2:00, 4:45, 7:30, 9:55; MON�THU 5:45, 8:30 THE RITE (14A frightening scenes, not recommended for children) FRI 3:55, 6:35; SAT�SUN 1:10, 3:55, 6:35; MON�THU 5:15
THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) DAILY 6:55, 9:00; SAT�SUN, TUE 1:55 SANCTUM (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) DAILY 7:00, 9:20; SAT� SUN 2:00
EDMONTON FILM SOCIETY Royal Alberta Museum, 102 Ave, 128 St, 780.439.5284
PILLOW TALK (PG) MON 8:00
GALAXY�SHERWOOD PARK 2020 Sherwood Dr, Sherwood Park 780-416-0150
JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) No passes FRI�SUN 1:20, 4:10, 7:10, 10:00; MON�THU 7:10, 10:00 THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) FRI�SUN 1:35, 4:25, 7:15, 10:05; MON�THU 7:15, 10:05 GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI�SUN 11:50, 2:10, 4:30, 6:55, 9:20; MON�THU 6:55, 9:20 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes FRI�SUN 1:00, 3:50, 6:40, 9:30; MON� THU 6:40, 9:30 THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) FRI�SUN 1:45, 4:25, 7:30, 10:05; MON�THU 7:30, 10:05 SANCTUM 3D (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) Digital 3d FRI�SUN 1:30, 4:15, 7:20, 10:10; MON�THU 7:20, 10:10 THE MECHANIC (18A brutal violence) DAILY 9:25 NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) FRI�SUN 1:40, 4:20, 7:05, 9:50; MON�THU 7:05, 9:50 THE GREEN HORNET 3D (14A violence, coarse language) FRI�SUN 1:15, 4:05, 7:00, 9:55; MON�THU 7:00, 9:55 YOGI BEAR (G) FRI�SUN 1:50, 4:35, 6:50; MON�THU 6:50
JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) No passes FRI 3:50, 6:50, 9:35; SAT�SUN 1:00, 3:50, 6:50, 9:35; MON�THU 5:25, 8:10
DUGGAN CINEMA�CAMROSE 6601-48 Ave, Camrose, 780.608.2144
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) DAILY 6:50 9:10; SAT�SUN, TUE 1:50 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) DAILY 6:45 9:15; SAT�SUN, TUE 1:45 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) DAILY 7:05 9:05; SAT�SUN, TUE 2:05
GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI�SUN 12:00, 2:20, 4:40, 7:00, 9:20; MON�WED 1:15, 4:15, 7:00, 9:20; THU 1:15, 4:20, 7:00, 9:20 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes FRI�SUN 12:00, 2:40, 5:20, 8:00, 10:30; MON� THU 1:00, 3:50, 6:45, 9:30 THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) FRI�TUE, THU 2:00, 5:00, 7:45, 10:30; WED 5:00, 7:45, 10:30; Star & Strollers Screening WED 1:00 SANCTUM 3D (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) Digital Cinema DAILY 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:15 THE MECHANIC (18A brutal violence) FRI, SUN, TUE� THU 1:50, 4:50, 7:50, 10:20; SAT 1:00, 4:50, 7:50, 10:20; MON 1:00, 3:30, 7:50 THE RITE (14A frightening scenes, not recommended for children) FRI�SUN, TUE�THU 4:45, 7:40, 10:30; MON 4:45, 10:30 NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) DAILY 12:50, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 THE GREEN HORNET 3D (14A violence, coarse language) Digital 3d DAILY 12:45, 3:45, 6:45, 9:45 THE DILEMMA (PG course language) FRI, SUN�TUE, THU 12:40, 3:40, 6:40, 9:40; SAT 3:40, 6:40, 9:40; WED 12:40, 3:40, 9:40 TRON: LEGACY: AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE (PG)
TANGLED (G) DAILY 1:40 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: NIXON IN China (classification not available) SAT 11:00 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: DON CARLO EN� CORE (classification not available) MON 6:00
WESTMOUNT CENTRE 111 Ave, Groat Rd, 780.455.8726
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) Dolby Stereo Digital FRI 6:45, 9:30; SAT�SUN 3:35, 6:45, 9:30; MON�THU 5:20, 8:30 BARNEY'S VERSION (14A coarse language, sexual content, substance abuse) Dolby Stereo Digital FRI 6:30, 9:40; SAT�SUN 3:20, 6:30, 9:40; MON�THU 5:00, 8:10 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) DTS Digital, No passes FRI 7:00, 9:50; SAT�SUN 3:50, 7:00, 9:50; MON� THU 5:30, 8:20 BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) DTS Digital FRI 7:10, 10:00; SAT�SUN 4:00, 7:10, 10:00; MON�THU 5:10, 8:00
WETASKIWIN CINEMAS Wetaskiwin, 780.352.3922
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) FRI�SUN 12:55, 3:30; DAILY 6:55, 9:30 THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) FRI�SUN 1:05, 3:40; DAILY 7:05, 9:40 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) FRI�SUN 1:10, 3:25; DAILY 7:10, 9:25 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) FRI�SUN 1:00, 3:35; DAILY 7:00, 9:35
8712-109 St, 780.433.0728
GRANDIN THEATRE�ST ALBERT
Grandin Mall, Sir Winston Churchill Ave, St Albert, 780.458.9822
JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) No passes DAILY 1:45, 4:25, 7:00, 9:10 THE KING’S SPEECH (PG language may offend) DAILY 1:30, 4:15, 6:55, 9:10 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) No passes DAILY 12:55, 2:45, 4:30, 6:20, 8:05, 9:40 NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) DAILY 5:20, 7:20, 9:20 TANGLED (G) DAILY 1:10, 3:15 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) No passes DAILY 1:00 3:00, 5:00, 7:10, 9:15
LEDUC CINEMAS
Leduc, 780.352.3922
SANCTUM (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) DAILY 7:00, 9:35; FRI� SUN 1:00, 3:35 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) FRI�SUN 1:10, 3:25; DAILY 7:10 pm and 9:25 127 HOURS (14A gory scenes and disturbing content) DAILY 7:05, 9:40; FRI�SUN 1:05, 3:40 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) FRI�SUN 12:55, 3:30; DAILY 6:55, 9:30
METRO CINEMA
9828-101A Ave, Citadel Theatre, 780.425.9212
DEDFEST PRESENTS: A VALENTINE'S EVISCERA� TION (STC) FRI 7:00, 9:00 METRO SHORTS (STC) SAT 9:00 THE PRINCESS BRIDE (STC) SAT 7:00; SUN, MON 7:00, 9:00 ==
PARKLAND CINEMA 7
130 Century Crossing, Spruce Grove, 780.972.2332 (Spruce Grove, Stony Plain; Parkland County)
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) DAILY 6:55, 9:05; FRI�SUN, TUE 12:55, 3:05
GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI 4:15, 6:30, 8:50; SAT�SUN 1:50, 4:15, 6:30, 8:50; MON�THU 4:50, 7:50
THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) DAILY 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:15
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) DAILY 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30
ANOTHER YEAR (14A) DAILY 6:45, 9:15; SAT�SUN 2:00
SANCTUM 3D (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) Digital 3d FRI 4:20, 6:55, 9:30; SAT�SUN 1:40, 4:20, 6:55, 9:30; MON�THU 5:40, 8:25
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) Digital 3d, No passes FRI 4:00, 6:40, 9:15; SAT�SUN 1:25, 4:00, 6:40, 9:15; MON�THU 5:00, 7:40
JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) No passes FRI� TUE, THU 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:10; WED 4:10, 7:10, 10:10; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00
DAILY 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00
GARNEAU
GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) DAILY 7:05, 9:30; FRI� SAT SUN, TUE 1:05, 3:30
THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) FRI 4:10, 7:00, 9:40; SAT�SUN 1:20, 4:10, 7:00, 9:40; MON�THU 5:10, 8:00
WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.444.2400
THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) FRI�SUN 1:05, 4:00, 6:45, 9:35; MON�THU 6:45, 9:35
THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) FRI 4:50, 7:20, 9:50; SAT�SUN 2:10, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50; MON�THU 5:50, 8:40
THE GREEN HORNET 3D (14A violence, coarse language) FRI 3:45, 6:45, 9:25; SAT�SUN 12:50, 3:45, 6:45, 9:25; MON�THU 5:20, 8:15
SCOTIABANK THEATRE WEM
JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) DAILY 7:00, 9:15; FRI�SUN, TUE 1:00, 3:15; Movies for Mommies: TUE 1:00 127 HOURS (14A gory scenes and disturbing content) DAILY 6:45, 9:00; FRI SAT SUN, TUE 12:45, 3:00 NO STRING ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) DAILY 9:20; FRI�SUN, TUE 3:20 SANCTUM (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) DAILY 6:50, 9:25; FRI� SUN, TUE 12:50, 3:25 THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) DAILY 7:15, 9:10; FRI�SUN, TUE 1:15, 3:10 THE KING’S SPEECH (PG language may offend) DAILY 7:10; FRI�SUN, TUE 1:10
PRINCESS 10337-82 Ave, 780.433.0728
BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) DAILY 6:50, 9:10; SAT�SUN 2:00; No 6:50pm show on Wed , Feb 16 THE ILLUSIONIST (PG) DAILY 7:00, 9:00; SAT�SUN 2:30
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
FILM // 25
MUSIC
ON THE RECORD
eden munro // eden@vueweekly.com
Turn your lights down low The Sadies' Mike Belitsky looks back on Darker Circles
VUE WEEKLY: How long did it take to make Darker Circles, from the initial songwriting through to the end of the recording? MIKE BELITSKY: That is hard to say. We all are trying to keep ideas flowing at all times, but there was a feeling of urgency—for me anyway—about three months before recording. VW: What was the songwriting process like for the band on this record? Did the bulk of the writing take place individually or did everyone sit down together and work the songs out from the beginning? MB: Some of the songs were worked out to a certain degree in pre-production sessions with producer Gary Louris. One in Minneapolis, one in Toronto. Some of the others we worked on at Travis [Good]'s house. All the songs were still evolving in the studio, but some more than others. VW: What were the recording sessions like for this album? Did you record as a band live off the floor or did you piece it together one track at a time? MB: There was no set formula. The approach was dictated by the individual song.
26 // MUSIC
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
// Rick White
The Sadies have been barreling along for more than a decade now, and over the years the band has shown a remarkable ability to refine its sound. Collaborations with the likes of Neko Case may have branded the band with an alt-country tag for some, but the truth is much rounded than that. The group's latest record, Darker Circles, finds the Sadies rumbling through garage rock, drifting through psychedelic soundscapes lazily strumming folk chords and expertly picking fast runs, among more. Drummer Mike Belitsky spoke to Vue about the creation of Darker Circles.
Members of the darkest circle
VW: Were there any other songs written that were left off the album? MB: Yes, that is just the way it goes. Sometimes a song is strong on its own, but does not fit with the overall feel of the album VW: How did you decide which songs to include on the album? Did you have an idea of what you wanted Darker Circles to be when you started, or did the finished shape emerge as the writing and recording went along? MB: A bit of both. As the record started to come together the direction began to form and songs were created to fit that form. VW: You co-produced Darker Circles with Gary Louris. What does he bring to the creative process that made you want to work with him again? MB: He pushes each of us as songwriters and as musicians. He also brings his keen ear for vocals and he's able to get the best performances out of us without causing tension or hard feelings.
VW: If you were to trace the musical map that led you to Darker Circles, what would it look like? MB: Actually I'd say more like the West Coast from BC down to Southern California. BC provides the crops, Washington has the great history of garage rock and, well, OK, Hendrix was a good guitar player—Mitch Mitchell, his drummer, is one of my faves! Oregon provides the rainy weather that makes for introspective thoughts and then there's Northern Cali—San Francisco and all that great psychedelic music—then LA and the Byrds and Arthur Lee and LOVE and all the great bands from there. Let's not forget Bakersfield and of course Folsom Prison where Johnny Cash made that great album. V Mon, Feb 14 (8 pm) The Sadies With the Sheepdogs Avenue Theatre, $20
Cradle of Filth Tue, Feb 15 (6 pm) With Nachtmystium, Turisas, Daniel Lioneye Edmonton Event Centre, $41
When the town of Suffolk, England recently held an online poll to find its most iconic image, Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth emerged as a clear winner, thanks to a surge in votes via a social-media campaign from its fanclub. Known for its theatrical stage show, controversial merchandise and Satanic imagery, the extreme metal band is currently on tour supporting its ninth studio album, Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa. And while Filth was denied the icon award by the town's judges, guitarist Paul Allender understands the band's approach to blending art, shock value and the entertainment industry. "I think you've got to put a show on, because at the end of the day people have paid really good money to come see you. If you don't give them extra, we feel as a band that they're not getting their money's worth," he explains over
the phone. "The type of music we play—the shock factor, the horror factor, the imagery— goes hand in hand, it all has its right place. The music is just as important as what we look like on stage and videos, like the imagery we portray in albums, it's the whole thing that Cradle of Filth is all about." Having started its career with major labels Sony, then Roadrunner Records, the band is now signed to independent label Peaceville Records—a move that suits the band nicely, given some difficult years at major labels. "I think indie labels are better than majors, personally, because majors haven't got a friggin' clue what they're doing when it comes to music like we do," Allender points out. "We were with Sony and Roadrunner, and they were more interested just in Nickelback and stuff like that. They weren't interested in giving us any auditions because all they wanted to do was make money off Slipknot and Nickelback—which I can totally understand—but on an independent label, we have a lot more [opportunity]
Independent Filth
// James Sharrock
than we've ever had. "They've really supported us and pushed us. We've been on TV ... we've got three different versions of the album, with special-edition fan books and T-shirts. Roadrunner would've never done that. So it just goes to prove how an independent can be better than a major. They're going to work their damned asses off." Mike Angus
// mikeangus@vueweekly.com
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
MUSIC // 27
MUSIC WEEKLY FAX YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO 780.426.2889 OR EMAIL LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 3PM
THU FEB 10 ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE Jeff Morris and Erin Faught (folk/ singer-songwriter); 9:30pm11:30pm; no minors; no cover BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Jazz Thursday Nite: Thom Bennett's AB Trio; 8pm; $8/$5 with student card; third set free CAFÉ HAVEN Meridian Line (bluegrass/blues/country); 7pm; no cover CARROT CAFÉ Zoomers Thu afternoon open mic; 1-4pm CROWN AND ANCHOR Twenty One Seven; no cover THE DOCKS Thu night rock and metal jam DV8 The Hand that cradles the ROCK: Punk Rock Thu open mic night with Rod Gillis HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Elliott, Call Me Evil, Michael Dunn, Signal 7T7; 8pm (cover charge starts) HYDEAWAY�Jekyll and Hyde Open Stage Jam; all ages; 7pm J AND R Open jam rock ',n' roll; every Thu; 9pm JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Tim Harwill (country/rock); 8pm; $10 (door) L.B.'S Thu open jam with Kenny Skoreyko, Fred Larose and Gordy Mathews (Shaved Posse); 9pm-1am MARYBETH'S COFFEE HOUSE�Beaumont Open Mic Thu hosted by Bill Bonnah; 7pm NAKED CYBER CAFÉ Open stage; every Thu, 9pm; no cover NEST�NAIT Indie Night at the Nest: Sean Pinchin and Sarah Burton; 4;30pm; weekly free show NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by Wild Rose Old Time Fiddlers O'BYRNE'S Derina Harvey (Celtic/folk/rock); 8:15pm; no cover RIC’S GRILL Peter Belec (jazz); every 2nd Thu; 7-10pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Harpdog Brown, Graham Guest; $5 SECOND CUP�Varscona Live music every Thu night; 7-9pm WILD BILL’S�Red Deer TJ the DJ every Thu and Fri; 10pm-close
SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco: Thu Retro Nights; 7-10:30pm; sports-world.ca STOLLI'S Dancehall, hip hop with DJ Footnotes hosted by Elle Dirty and ConScience every Thu; no cover TAPHOUSE�St Albert Eclectic mix with DJ Dusty Grooves every Thu VINYL Fresh: The Mansion Industry Affair; invitation only
FRI FEB 11
WILD WEST SALOON Roger West
Classical JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Edmonton Opera: Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio; 7:30pm; sung in German, English supertitles
DJs 180 DEGREES DJ every Thu BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Tight Jams Thu: with Mike B and Brosnake; Wooftop Lounge: various musical flavas including Funk, Indie Dance/Nu Disco, Breaks, Drum and Bass, House with DJ Gundam; Underdog: Dub, Reggae, Dancehall, Ska, Calypso, and Soca with Topwise Soundsystem BRIXX Dex and Gorys Bingo Death Match BUDDY'S Thu Men’s Wet Underwear Contest with DJ Phon3 Hom3; 9pm (door); no cover before 10pm
ARTERY Rockin' Robin's SockHop: Featuring Sidney York (folk/rock; album pre-order concert), Kaley Bird, Beekeeper; 8pm; $8 (adv)/$12 (door) BLACKJACK'S ROADHOUSE Jaird; 9pm; no cover BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Oliver Swain (folk); 8pm; $15 BOHEMIA CAFÉ Pizzarrhea (CD release), Dutch Haywagon, Energetic Action, local DJs; no minors; 8pm (show); $5 (door) BRIXX Love at First Psyte, Illementree, Rae Mechanix, guests BUFFALO UNDERGROUND Holy Ghost (DJ show); $10 CARROT Live music Fri: all ages; Althea Cunningham (part of Black History month); 7pm; $5 (door) CASINO EDMONTON D.L.O (pop/rock) CASINO YELLOWHEAD The X-Band (Latin) COAST TO COAST Open Stage every Fri; 9:30pm
THE COMMON Cassette Club: with Shortround and Polyesterday; 8pm-1am
THE COMMON Step In The Name of Love: OL' Skool R&B Jam with Twist, Sonny Grimezz, Instigate; 9pm; $5 (door)
CENTURY ROOM Lucky 7: Retro '80s with house DJ; 7pm-close
CROWN AND ANCHOR Maple Tea; no cover
CHROME Every Thu: 123 Ko
CROWN Rellik, Mighty Mouth; 8pm
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 DRUID Dublin Thu: DJ every Thu at 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Thu FILTHY MCNASTY’S Punk Rock Bingo with DJ S.W.A.G. FLUID Thirsty Thursdays: Electro breaks Cup; no cover all night FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Requests with DJ Damian HALO Thu Fo Sho: with Allout DJs DJ Degree, Junior Brown KAS BAR Urban House: with DJ Mark Stevens; 9pm LUCKY 13 Sin Thu with DJ Mike Tomas ON THE ROCKS Salsaholic Thu: Dance lessons at 8pm; Salsa DJ to follow RENDEZVOUS Metal night every Thu
DEVANEY'S Derina Harvey (Celtic/folk/rock); 9pm; no cover DV8 TAVERN Hellpreacher, Black Dirt of The West; 9pm EARLY STAGE SALOON Jesse Dee and Jacquie B; 8pm EDMONTON EVENT CENTRE Steve Angello (dance/electronic); no minors; 9pm; $32 at Foosh FRESH START BISTRO Darrell Bar; 7-10pm; $10 GAS PUMP The Uptown Jammers (house band); every Fri 5:30-9pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Sean Pinchin (blues/folk), Sarah Burton, Ashley Sacha, Larry Coule; 8pm; $10 (adv) HYDEAWAY�Jekyll and Hyde HDH, Ellery Lane, The Mitts; 6:30pm IRISH CLUB Jam session; 8pm; no cover IVORY CLUB Duelling piano show with Jesse, Shane, Tiffany and Erik and guests
JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Bruce and Lori Mohacsy (jazz); $10 JEKYLL AND HYDE Every Fri: Headwind (classic pop/rock); 9pm; no cover JUBILEE AUDITORIUM WinterLight: The Low Flying Planes (folk), DJ River Valley Girl; 7-11pm; free LIZARD Rock 'n' roll open mic; every Fri, 8:30pm ; no cover MYER HOROWITZ The Deep Dark Woods (folk), Wool On Wolves, The Provincial Archive; all ages; 7pm; $17.50 (adv) at Blackbyrd, Listen, foundationconcerts.com O'BYRNE'S The Fabulous CanolaTones (blues); 9:30pm; no cover ON THE ROCKS Mourning Wood PAWN SHOP The Smoking 45s, The Preying Saints, Whiskey Wagon, Mark Berube RED PIANO Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players; 9pm-2am RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Johnny Quasar and the Swingbots; 9:30pm-1:30am; $10 ST BASIL'S CULTURAL CENTRE Full Moon Folk Club: Vishten; 7pm (door), 8 pm (show); $17 (adv)/$20 (door)/child under 12 ½ price (door only) SPORTSMAN'S Euphorias Edge (adult pop/rock); 9pm; no cover STARLITE ROOM Lysergik Funeral, In The Midst of a Murder, Dalmers Realm, Brought To You By STEEPS�Old Glenora Live Music Fri SUNNYBROOK HOTEL Mr Lucky (blues roots) WILD WEST SALOON Roger West WOK BOX Fri with Breezy Brian Gregg; 3:30-5:30pm YARDBIRD SUITE Canadian Jazz Series: Griffith Hiltz Trio; 8pm (door), 9pm (show); $14 (member)/$18 (guest)
Classical CONVOCATION HALL Early Music; 8pm $20 (adult)/$15 (student/senior) WINSPEAR CENTRE Love Will Keep Us Together: Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (performs songs of romance), Steven Reinek (conductor); 8pm; $24-$81 at Winspear box office
DJs 180 DEGREES Friday night DJ AZUCAR PICANTE Every Fri: DJ Papi and DJ Latin Sensation BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Connected Fri: 91.7 The Bounce, Nestor Delano, Luke Morrison BAR�B�BAR DJ James; no cover
9pm; no cover
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Every Friday DJs spin on the main floor, Underdog, Wooftop BLACKSHEEP Fri Bash: DJ spinning retro to rock classics to current BUDDY’S Fri: DJ Arrow Chaser; 8pm (door); no cover before 10pm BUFFALO UNDERGROUND R U Aware Friday: Featuring Neon Nights CHROME Platinum VIP Fri THE COMMON Step in the Name of Love: The OL’Skool R&B Jam Valentine’s Edition with DJs Twist, Sonny Grimezz and Instigate; $5 DRUID DJ every Fri at 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Fri EMPIRE BALLROOM Rock, hip hop, house, mash up; no minors FLUID Fridays: Hip hop and dancehall FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro with DJ Damian GAS PUMP Every Fri night with DJ Christian; 9:30pm-2am JUNCTION LGBT Community: Rotating DJs Fri and Sat; 10pm NEWCASTLE Fri House, dance mix with DJ Donovan NEW CITY LEGION Sick XXIV: Hard industrial with DJ Dervish, The Gothfather; 9pm; $5 OVERTIME SOUTH DJ Shnaw; 10pm; no cover 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 SUEDE LOUNGE Juicy DJ spins every Fri TEMPLE Options with Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail TREASURY In Style Fri: DJ Tyco and Ernest Ledi; no line no cover for ladies all night long VINYL Connected Las Vegas Fri: DJ Fashen; invitation only Y AFTERHOURS Foundation Fri
SAT FEB 12 ALBERTA BEACH HOTEL Open stage with Trace Jordan 1st and 3rd Sat; 7pm-12 ARTERY The Music Club: Kate Reid (folk); 7pm; $19 at the Artery, Myhre's, Permanent Records AVENUE THEATRE Raised Fist: one year anniversary party
BAR WILD Bar Wild Fri
BILLIARD CLUB Alex James (DJ/ pop/rock); 9pm; no cover
BILLIARD CLUB DJ Gangwar;
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair
Bruce Conte Sat, Feb 12 (7 pm) With Amos Garrett, Jimmy Guiboche & the Fender Benders Central Lions Rec Centre, $35 It's every musician's dream to be thought of as someone who can "bring the house down," but when the roof literally caved in on the Northgate Lions recreation centre, the show planned there featuring former Tower of Power guitarist Bruce Conte had to be moved to the Central Lions recreation centre. Let's hope that his rocking only brings the house down metaphorically. Early 1960s Bruce Conte teams up with his cousin Victor in a family rhythm and blues band in his hometown of Fresno, CA. Both Victor and Bruce would continue to play in the rhythm sections of local bands throughout junior high and high school.
28 // MUSIC
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
1969 Bruce Conte moves to San Francisco and joins the Loading Zone, a band that opened for some of the best the '60s had to offer, including the Grateful Dead, Cream and the Who. The Loading Zone also shared a rehearsal hall with Tower of Power and Conte became friends with the group's leader, Emilio Castillo.
the casino circuit.
1972 Emilio Castillo decided to shake up Tower of Power's lineup before recording the group's third album and Conte and fellow Loading Zone member Lenny Pickett joined up. Conte would play with the group until 1979, appearing on eight albums.
1997 Bruce Conte's first solo record, a jazz album entitled Right From My Heart, is released. Conte would go on to record three more solo albums: 1999's Rumour Has It, 2002's Bullet Proof and 2004's Shades of Blue.
1984 Conte began to play nine months out of the year for Hilton Hotels in Reno and Las Vegas with a band called Power Play. The band burned out within two years, but Conte continued to work on
2006 Conte rejoins Tower of Power and tours for 14 months. After the reunion, Conte moved to the Philippines.
1988 Selling his home in San Francisco and moving to Los Angeles, Conte began working with the group El Chicano, which he would continue doing for 10 years. He co-wrote several of the tracks on the group's 1998 album, Painting the Moment.
Bryan Birtles
// bryan@vueweekly.com
of the Dog: Trent Buhler and the Lucky Pennies (live acoustic music); 4-6pm; no cover
featuring Michael Bernard Fitzgerald; pre-show all ages show; 6:45pm; 7pm (show)
BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Valiant Thieves; 8pm; $15
SUNNYBROOK HOTEL Mr Lucky (blues roots)
BOHEMIA CAFÉ DJ Flowbee, Equatorial, Chester Field, guests; no minors; 8pm (show); donation
TEMPLE Step'd Up and Funk Bunker present Bass Kiss ft Von D, guests
BRIXX Greg Wood Band, Malibu Knights, Random Falter
WILD WEST SALOON Roger West
CASINO EDMONTON D.L.O (pop/rock)
WUNDERBAR The McGowan Family Band (12 year anniversary for Just For The Love); no minors; 10pm (show); $10 (adv)/$12 (door)
CASINO YELLOWHEAD The X-Band (Latin) CENTRAL LIONS RECREATION CENTRE Bouquet of Blues: S.I.R.E.N.S., Bruce Conte, Amos Garrett, Jimmy Guiboche and the Fender Benders; 7pm; $30 (adv)/$35 (door) at 780.439.7460, TicketMaster, Myhre’s, Permanent Records, Blackbyrd, door COAST TO COAST Live bands every Sat; 9:30pm THE COMMON The Goodlife Pres: Funk You: with Dr J, Dane Gretzky; 9pm; $5 (door) CROWN AND ANCHOR Maple Tea; no cover CROWN Acoustic blues open stage with Marshall Lawrence; every Sat; no cover DEVANEY'S Derina Harvey (Celtic/folk/rock); no cover DV8 TAVERN Utopian Skank, guests; 9pm EDDIE SHORTS Saucy Wenches every Sat EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Dana Wylie, Tim Chesterton (traditional folk music workshop; 1pm; $25 (adv) FESTIVAL PLACE Asani (Aboriginal women’s trio); 7:30pm; $18 at Festival Place box office FILTHY MCNASTY'S Hale Hale,, The Souvs; 4-6pm; free GAS PUMP Blues jam/open stage every Sat 3:30-7pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Dirty City Hearts (alternative/rock), Axiomatik, Automatic Everything; 8pm; $10 (door)
YARDBIRD SUITE The Best of Edmonton: Dino Dominelli Quintet (CD release); 8pm (door), 9pm (show); $12 (member)/$16 (guest)
Classical HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH Borealis: i Coristi Chamber Choir, Debra Cairns (conductor), Michael Kurschat (associate conductor); 8pm; $15 (student/senior)/$20 (adult) at TIX on the Square
JUBILEE AUDITORIUM Annual Gospel Concert; National Black Coalition of Canada; 7pm JULIAN'S�Chateau Louis One Man, One PianoBlues (classical/ jazz); 8pm; no cover MAX CENTRE�Drayton Valley 4801-43 St, Drayton Valley Trevor Panczak (country); 6pm; $45 (adv, incl dinner) MORANGO'S TEK CAFÉ Sat open stage: hosted by Dr. Oxide; 7-10pm O’BYRNE’S Stuart Bendall (pop/ rock) at 6:30pm; no cover ON THE ROCKS Mourning Wood PAWN SHOP Neon Nights: Riot on Whyte. One Day Late, Hollywood Assassyn, All Else Fails; 9pm RED PIANO Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players; 9pm-2am ROSSDALE COMMUNITY HALL
Valentine's: with the Solidarity Rock dance party: Fundraiser for punkrock in Cuba with DJs Mighty Romeo, Amy Van Keeken, Curtis Ross, Jonny O, BadNewsSuze; $5 (min donation)
RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Johnny Quasar and the Swingbots; 9:30pm-1:30am; $10 STARLITE ROOM Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Lyra Brown; no minors; $15 at TicketMaster, Blackbyrd STARLITE ROOM�in front Heavy Chevy Show (acoustic)
BLUES ON WHYTE Jesse Dee and Jacquie B; 9pm B�STREET Acoustic-based open stage hosted by Mike "Shufflehound" Chenoweth; every Sun evening CROWN Jam hosted by JTB every Sun until Feb 20 DEVANEY’S Celtic open stage: with Keri-Lynne Zwicker; every Sun, 5:30pm; no cover DOUBLE D'S Open jam every Sun; 3-8pm EDDIE SHORTS Acoustic jam every Sun, 9pm
HYDEAWAY New Sun Open stage jam
180 DEGREES Street VIBS Sat: Reggae night every Sat AZUCAR PICANTE Every Sat: DJ Touch It, hosted by DJ Papi BANK ULTRA Sold Out Sat: with DJ Russell James, Mike Tomas; 8pm (door); no line, no cover for ladies before 11pm BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sat DJs on three levels. Main Floor: Menace Sessions: alt rock/electro/trash with Miss Mannered; Underdog: DJ Brand-dee; Wooftop: Sound It Up!: classic Hip-Hop and Reggae with DJ Sonny Grimezz BUDDY'S Sat: Feel the rhythm with DJ Phon3 Hom3; 8pm (door); no cover before 10pm
THE COMMON The Goodlife Pres: Funk You!: strickly 45s and 12s with Dr J, Dane Gretzky; $5
JEFFREY'S CAFÉ Sandy Foster (Christian/jazz); 9pm; $15 (door)
BLUE PEAR Jazz on the Side Sun: Audrey Ochoa; 6pm; $25 if not dining
DJs
HOOLIGANZ Live music every Sat: Attention Deficit Disorder: River City Rat Band, Kristin 'Snooki' Ashmore, Jim Nowhere, Mister Whiz, Victoria Baldwin, Benjamin Gislason; $5 (door)
IVORY CLUB Duelling piano show with Jesse, Shane, Tiffany and Erik and guests
BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Sun Brunch: Jim Findlay Trio; 10.30am2.30pm; donations
WINSPEAR CENTRE Love Will Keep Us Together: Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (performs songs of romance), Steven Reinek (conductor); 8pm; $24$81 at Winspear box office
BUFFALO UNDERGROUND Head Mashed In Saturday: Mashup Night
IRON BOAR Jazz in Wetaskiwin featuring jazz trios the 1st Sat each month; $10
BEER HUNTER�St Albert Open stage/jam every Sun; 2-6pm
EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Country/ country rock Jam and Dance: hosted by Mahkoos Merrier, 2nd Sun every month, 1-5pm, admission by donation; YEG live Sun Night Songwriters Stage; 7-10pm
HILLTOP Open stage/mic Sat: hosted by Blue Goat; 3:30-6pm; Late show: Kyler Schogen Band
HYDEAWAY Valentine's Heart Attack: Colour In Conflict, Fiction Smiles, Scarlet Wings, The Vertigos; all-ages; 8-11pm; $10 at Blackbyrd
SUN FEB 13
DRUID Sat DJ at 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Sat EMPIRE BALLROOM Rock, hip hop, house, mash up FLUID Intimate Saturdays: with DJ Aiden Jamali; 8pm (door) FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro with DJ Damian GAS PUMP Every Sat night with DJ Christian HALO For Those Who Know: house every Sat with DJ Junior Brown, Luke Morrison, Nestor Delano, Ari Rhodes JUNCTION LGBT Community: Rotating DJs Fri and Sat; 10pm NEWCASTLE Top 40 Sat: requests with DJ Sheri
J AND R Open jam/stage every Sun hosted by Me Next and the Have-Nots; 3-7pm MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH Gospel Music Month: Come and hear gospel music every Sun Morning through Feb; 10:30am NEWCASTLE 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 ON THE ROCKS Seven Strings Sun: Shane Philip (blues/new age/ rock), Jeff Morris, Azure Drum Group; 9pm (door), 11pm (show); $10 (adv)/12 (door) ORLANDO'S 2 Open stage jam; every Sun, 4pm SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Co-op Live music every Sun; 2-4pm
Classical
ROBERT TEGLER STUDENT CENTRE Concordia Symphony Orchestra Concert; 2pm; $12 (adult)/$10 (student/senior) at TIX on the Square
DJs BACKSTAGE TAP AND GRILL Industry Night: with Atomic Improv, Jameoki and DJ Tim
STOLLI’S ON WHYTE Top 40, R&B, house with People’s DJ SUEDE DJ Nic-E spins every Sat TEMPLE Oh Snap! Oh Snap with Degree, Cobra Commander, Battery, Jake Roberts, Ten-O, Cool Beans, Hotspur Pop and P-Rex; every Sat VINYL Signature Saturdays: F**K Love an anti-Valentine's Day singles fest Y AFTERHOURS Release Saturdays
FLOW Stylus Sun
SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Sun; 1-4:30pm; sportsworld.ca
MON FEB 14 AVENUE THEATRE The Sadies (rock), The Sheepdogs; no minors; 8pm; $20 (adv) at foundationconcerts.com BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sleeman Mon: live music monthly; no cover BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Valentine's Day: Harpe Jazz with Jessica Bell; $65 (special 5-course menu and show) BLUES ON WHYTE Boogie Patrol (blues/gospel/R&B); 9pm DEVANEY'S Singer songwriter open stage hosted by Jesse D every Mon; 8pm KELLY'S Open stage hosted by Clemcat Hughes; every Mon; 9pm PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY
WED FEB 16 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Glitter Gulch Wed BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Jimbo Hepler; donations BLUES ON WHYTE Boogie Patrol (blues/gospel/R&B); 9pm CENTURY GRILL Century Room Wed Live: featuring The Marco Claveria Project every Wed; 8-11pm CROWN Wed Jam/open stage; 8pm
DJs
DEVANEY'S Open Mic hosted by Duff Robinson; 8pm; no cover
BAR WILD Bar Gone Wild Mon: Service Industry Night; no minors; 9pm-2am
EDDIE SHORTS Acoustic jam every Wed, 9pm; no cover
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Blue Jay’s Messy Nest: Mondays with DJ Blue Jay FILTHY MCNASTY'S Metal Mon: with DJ S.W.A.G. LUCKY 13 Industry Night with DJ Chad Cook every Mon NEW CITY LEGION Madhouse Mon: Punk/metal/etc with DJ Smart Alex
TUE FEB 15 BLUES ON WHYTE Boogie Patrol (blues/gospel/R&B); 9pm DRUID Open stage with Chris Wynters, guest Dave Laing; every Tue, 9pm; EDMONTON EVENTS CENTRE Cradle of Filth, Nachtmystium, Turisas, Daniel Lioneye (hard rock/metal); all ages; 6pm; $41 (adv)
ELEPHANT AND CASTLE� Whyte Ave Open mic every Wed (unless there's an Oilers game); no cover EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Wed Open stage with Randall Walsh; 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 Open stage with Jonny Mac, 8:30pm, free HOOLIGANZ Open stage Wed: with host Cody Nouta; 9pm MYER HOROWITZ THEATRE Straight No Chaser; 7:30pm; $32 NISKU INN Troubadours and Tales, Tim Harwill, guests; 1st Wed every month; 8-10pm
L.B.’S Tue Blues Jam with Ammar; 9pm-1am
O'BYRNE'S Guinness Blues Week: Barry Campbell (blues/R&B); 9pm; no cover
O’BYRNE’S Celtic jam with Shannon Johnson and friends every Tue, 9:30pm
OIL CITY ROADHOUSE Skrillex with Tommy Lee; 7pm
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 Open Stage with Moses Gregg and Grant Stovel SECOND CUP�124 Street Open mic every Tue; 8-10pm SECOND CUP�Stanley Milner Library Open mic every Tue; 7-9pm
SPORTSMAN'S Open stage hosted by Paul McGowan; every Tue, 9pm
SAVOY Reggae on Whyte: RnR Sun with DJ IceMan; no minors; 9pm; no cover
SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Sat; 1pm-4:30pm and 7-10:30pm
RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Little Charlie Trouble, Pete Eurland
OLIVETO RESTAURANT Love, Dinner Cabaret: Opera NUOVA; 5:15pm (door), 6pm (event); $80 at 780.487.4844, operanuova.ca
OVERTIME SOUTH DJ Shnaw; 10pm; no cover
RED STAR Sat indie rock, hip hop, and electro with DJ Hot Philly and guests
ROSE BOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE Acoustic open stage every Mon; 9pm
SECOND CUP�Summerwood Open stage/open mic Tue; 7:30pm; no cover
BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sunday Funday with Phil every Sun, 2-7pm; Sunday Night: Soul Sundays: '60s and '70s funk, soul, R&B with DJ Zyppy
PAWN SHOP SONiC Presents Live On Site! Anti-Club Sat: rock, indie, punk, rock, dance, retro rock; 8pm (door)
RED PIANO Valentine's Day: Jesse Peters Trio (3-course meal); 5:30pm (early); 7:45pm (late); $150 (couple; reserve)
MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH Music from Space: Pro Coro Canada, Richard Sparks; 7:30pm; $30 (adult)/$25 (senior/ student) at Winspear Centre box office
NEW CITY LEGION Black Polished Chrome Sat: with DJs Blue Jay, The Gothfather, Dervish, Anonymouse; no minors; free (5-8pm)/$5 (ladies)/$8 (gents after 8pm)
PALACE CASINO Show Lounge Sat night DJ
HALL Acoustic instrumental old time fiddle jam hosted by the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Society; 7pm
SIDELINERS Tue All Star Jam with Alicia Tait and Rickey Sidecar; 8pm
STARLITE ROOM The Finish Metal Tour 2: Finntroll, Ensiferum, Barren Earth, Rotten Sound; no minors; 8pm; $27.50 at Blackbyrd, Listen STEEPS�Old Glenora Every Tue Open Mic; 7:30-9:30pm WUNDERBAR Stuesdays: Every Tue Wunderbar's only regular DJ night YARDBIRD SUITE Tue Night Sessions: Thom Bennett Quartet; 7:30pm (door), 8pm (show); $5
Classical TRANSALTA ARTS BARNS– Westbury Theatre The Barber of Barrhead: Edmonton Opera and Fringe Theatre Adventures
DJs BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: alternative retro and not-so-retro Tue with Eddie Lunchpail; Wooftop: eclectic electronic sounds with DJ Mike Duke BRIXX Troubadour Tue: hosted by Mark Feduk, with Jimmy Zen and Nick Watt; hosted by Mark Feduk; 9pm; $8 BUDDYS Tue with DJ Arrow Chaser; free pool all night; 9pm (door); no cover
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 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 Gordie Matthews, guests SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Open Mic every Wed; 8-10pm WUNDERBAR Open mic every Wed, 9pm
Classical TRANSALTA ARTS BARNS– Westbury Theatre The Barber of Barrhead: Edmonton Opera and Fringe Theatre Adventures
DJs BANK ULTRA Rev'd Up Wed: with DJ Mike Tomas upstairs; 8pm BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: RetroActive Radio: alt '80s and '90s, Post Punk, New Wave, Garage, Brit, Mod, Rock and Roll with LL Cool Joe; Wooftop: Soul/ breaks with Dr Erick BRIXX Really Good... Eats and Beats with DJ Degree and Friends BUDDY'S Wed: DJ Dust 'n' Time; 9pm (door); no cover THE COMMON Treehouse Wed: Deep Grooves for the Soul; DIESEL Wind-up Wed: R&B, hiphop, reggae, old skool, reggaeton with InVinceable, Touch It, weekly guest DJs IVORY CLUB DJ every Wed; open DJ night; 9pm-close; all DJs welcome to spin a short set LEGENDS Hip hop/R&B with DJ Spincycle NEW CITY LEGION Wed Pints 4 Punks with DJ Nick; no minors; 4pm-3am; no cover NIKKI DIAMONDS Punk and ‘80s metal every Wed
CROWN Underground At The Crown: underground, hip hop with DJ Dirty Needlz; open mic; every Tue; 10pm; $3
STARLITE ROOM Wild Style Wed: Hip-Hop; 9pm
NEW CITY LEGION High Anxiety Variety Society Bingo vs. karaoke with Ben Disaster, Anonymouse; no minors; every Tue; 4pm-3am; no cover
STOLLI'S Beatparty Wed: House, progressive and electronica with Rudy Electro, DJ Rystar, Space Age and weekly guests; 9pm-2am; beatparty.net
RED STAR Tue Experimental Indie Rock, Hip Hop, Electro with DJ Hot Philly
TEMPLE Wild Style Wed: Hip hop with DJ Reno and guests
RED STAR Guest DJs every Wed
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
MUSIC // 29
NEWSOUNDS Colin Stetson New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges (Constellation)
I came away from a live show recently with an analogy I could use for performances I felt hadn't met their potential. The artist in question reminded me of a young mutant from an X-Men comic: they had access to extraordinary power but hadn't practised enough and couldn't adequately focus it in a way that could allow them to harness this untapped energy. Spectral and floating around them, their goal was just tantalizingly out of their reach. This, I imagine, must represent the opposite emotional range of Colin Stetson. With the second installment of his New History Warfare series called Judges, we find a musician in complete control of his instrument and the environment it inhabits. Animated, colourful and eccentric, Stetson has recontextualized the way saxophone playing will now be perceived with his dizzying take on experimental jazz. The most notable achievement on this album is the nature of the performances. Stetson recorded each song by playing continuously without effects, looping, overdubbing or manipulation. Flanked by over 20 mics attached to dif-
ferent parts of his saxophone, his throat and the room, elements of each singular performance are amplified and creatively mixed for a truly original, jawdropping experience. Also included are vocal turns by tenured performance artist Laurie Anderson and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden, but their contributions pale in the presence of Stetson's horn. The album's best vocals are those in which Stetson himself screams and squeals through his own playing simultaneously to apply even more melodic noise to his screeching wall of Ornette Coleman-esque caterwauling. This is an album, unlike most or perhaps any, that represents physical exertion and stress accurately through a sonic performance. Stetson's performances are hookier than conventional free jazz. Perhaps it's due to his recording with Arcade Fire, TV On the Radio and Yeasayer, but he seems to have an ear for melody and outré pop structure that seems to typically escape trained musicians of his level of talent. This balance informs songs such as "Red Horse (Judges II)," where an electronic-sounding beat is generated by the clicking of keys on the saxophone and interrupted by unearthly howls and didgeridoo-like bass notes. Colin Stetson forces you to feel what he is playing. He is a very visual performer, evoking horses and birds, seasons and human emotion, in ways that do not approach cliché. His jazz is the kind that appeals to a broad audience, is technically impressive yet doesn't feel above appeal. Anyone can appreciate a Guinness World Record or respect someone who runs marathons, thus we all must champion Colin Stetson for the feat he has achieved in creating Judges. Roland Pemberton
Fergus & Geronimo Unlearn (Hardly Art) On Unlearn, Fergus & Geronimo navigate smoothly between a myriad of pop varieties. The adhesive ingredient is the duo's dry sense of humour. The term "hipster" may be stigmatized these days but regardless, F&G evince the casual guitar sound and apathetic self-awareness characteristic of that caption. The dichotomy of the duo's vocals lends the most to that aural cool, one being a round talky voice intoned with a smirking sincerity and the other being a nasally punk yowl that gets the party started. Their musical sensibility betrays how well informed and conscious the two of them must be, anchoring a record that otherwise sounds blissfully spontaneous. Joe Gurba
// joe@vueweekly.com
Jack Marks Lost Wages (Independent) Drawing on the best of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, every track on Jack Marks' Lost Wages tells a story. Ranging from the serious and profound to the funny and the profane, the album is like a delicious buffet were you get a little taste of everything without filling up. Not blessed with the purest of voices, Marks relies on his wit and beautifully constructed imaginary landscapes to draw the listener in, and the band is extremely lively and tight, providing an effective canvas for Marks to paint on. Jim Dean
// jim@vueweekly.com
// roland@vueweekly.com
Daniel Martin Moore In the Cool of the Day (Sub Pop) In a surprise move by Sub Pop Records, Daniel Martin Moore's country gospel traditionals arrive with an unexpected endorsement. There is nothing hip or experimental about Moore's perfectly crafted Jesus songs, cast in an antiquated Americana diction. The soul is lifted and carried by each one of these songs, tastefully constructed from stand-up bass, piano, guitar, mandolin, banjo, cello, violin, vibraphone and DMM's beautiful, moss-soft voice. The highlight of the record is the gentle adaptation of "It Is Well With My Soul," done with such fragile devotion to his Lord, one can't help but feel moved. Joe Gurba
// joe@vueweekly.com
30 // MUSIC
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
LOONIEBIN Motorhead "Ace of Spades" (acoustic)
Another old dude reinvents an old tune as an acoustic ditty. This one's swampy as all hell and features a killer slide solo as well as Lemmy.
OLDSOUNDS The Louvin Brothers Satan Is Real (Capitol) Originally released: 1959
Lucinda Williams "Buttercup"
Solid, chugging, Crazy Horsetype rock. It feels a little like she's going through the motions here, though she does better at that than a lot of roots players pull off at their best.
Rhino Bucket "Her Way"
Rhino Bucket's been knocking off Bon Scott-era AC/DC since long before Airbourne got around to imitating the sound of the Brian Johnson days. The band gets it close in terms of twoguitar, three-chord action, but it rings fairly hollow.
Justin Bieber "U Smile" (acoustic)
I've got Bieber fever and it's making me sick to my stomach. Somebody should warn this kid about his chances of making it through child stardom unscathed.
Justin Bieber "U Smile" (800% slower)
Way better than the official release, and it should be heard in all its bizarrely slowed-down glory once, though upon second listen it still sucks in a very Enya sort of way. (bit.ly/bieberdrags)
Pushking "My Reflections After Seeing the 'Schindler's List" Movie"
Guitar wizard Steve Vai plays on this track off Russia's Pushkings' The World As We Love It: A Rock and Roll Journey. Um ... searching for something nice to say here. The name of the song is sort of interesting. Doesn't really make up for the cheeseball '80s rock sound, though.
Oh My Darling "What's Love Got to Do With It?"
Who says an unplugged jamboree can't have soul? Oh My Darling's fiddleand-pluckin' banjo version of the Tina Turner classic manages to give it a playfully old-time feel without losing the passion.
Buck 65 "Gee Whiz" (Feat. Nick Thorburn)
Like on his best cuts, here the Canadian shortstop-turned-rapper gets gruff about love. The simple twangy guitar beat colours Buck's stream-ofconsciousness flow, bolstered by one of the coolest scratch solos you'll hear for good long a while.
An emailed diversion that went viral early in the era of widespread Internet access consisted of a disparate bunch of album covers herded together under a disparaging or ironic subject line: "Most bizarre record covers EVER!!!" "Worst covers" or simply, "Hilarious." Most contributions were littleknown artists—an assortment of one-shot wonders, Europeans on shoestring budgets imitating American juggernauts, artists with cringingly outsized ambitions and, cruelly, the plain old funny-looking. Nestled among the uncomfortably sexualized chanteuses, elaborate haircuts and surreal conceits was a record bearing a dubious title and an image in which two inexplicably cheery white-suited country boys showboated in the foreground of a flame-riddled wasteland clearly meant to represent hell, presided over by a hastily drawn devil cut out of construction paper. This is one route through which new appreciators of the Louvin Brothers' Satan Is Real might have encountered the album, beckoned by its curious tableau. And then the jolting thrill of serendipity—plopping the discovery on the stereo expecting some cornball hick morality play and instead being gut-punched by the Louvins' haunting harmonies, Appalachian-rooted structures and
QUICKSPINS
forthright grappling with everlasting stakes. Another path would be via lineage: music geeks working backwards and sideways from admired artists or fellow connoisseurs, methodically exploring influences and tracing sounds back to the source. And the Louvins certainly had remarkable influence, first together and then, once the act broke up in 1963 and after elder brother Ira's death in 1965, Charlie alone. Elvis Presley toured with the Louvins, the Everly Brothers adopted their harmonic style, and Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris channeled their songs to new generations. Satan Is Real's initial track may not be enough to convince the casual listener it isn't novelty music: a voice-over follows the patter of folksy salvation testimonials, it's laced with heavy-handed church organ and it's positing a wildly unsophisticated theological worldview. Yet the characteristic Louvin elements are there—the tangling of the brothers' earnest voices, Charlie's near-liquid guitar, Ira's sprightly mandolin and their considerable conviction and charm—and as a listener follows them deeper into the album, theatricality of the opener falls away and all that remains is fervent genius that even the staunchest secularist will recognize as sublime. This is the sound of the part of us that's most deeply human, the contradiction of a soaring consciousness encased in a counterintuitive, often difficult, reality. At its best, "spiritual" art addresses this contradiction and transcends particular beliefs, expressing our horror at our frailty and animal natures and our hopes for permanence and comfort. Only by using our transient and imperfect bodies can we manipulate materials of our world to make creations that anticipate eternity and perfection. Death is real, and death called on Charlie on January 26. In losing the remaining Louvin brother, we've lost an artist of tremendous charisma, dexterity, knowledge and mastery. But the music the Louvins made while they walked the earth—and their influence on generations of artists across genres—remains. Mary Christa O'Keefe
// marychrista@vueweekly.com
WHITEY HOUSTON // QUICKSPINS@vueweekly.com
Us & Others Patchwork (Independent)
Siskiyou Siskiyou (Constellation)
Breathy soft-ish rock Pleasantly slick songwriting Makes me suspicious
Omni room mic plus Bangin' n' moanin' equals Beard-stroker classic
Layah Jane Honey (Grace Note)
Charles Bradley No Time for Dreaming (Daptone)
Jazzy falsetto A delightful chaser for Lyrical Xanax
Authentic old soul So real, it's kinda spooky Sounds like dead people
Raphaël Freynet Le Monde à Voir (Raphaelfreynet.com)
Kitten Sunday School (TCG)
Sweet, melodic pop Like francophone Eels maybe Anguilles peut-être
Can't review Kitten Without Karen O reference Yeah yeah yeah oh no
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
MUSIC // 31
BLACK DIRT OF THE WEST Fri, Feb 11 (9 pm) With Hellpreacher DV8
A testament to the idea that being a grown up doesn't have to mean being in your pajamas at eight and watching a rerun of Two and a Half Men before tucking into bed before 10, Black Dirt of the West is a band that doesn't so much refuse to grow up, but seeks to change what the definition of growing up is. Singer and guitarist Rick Overwater has long been used to doing things differently. His former band, the well-known cowpunkers Agriculture Club, defined guerilla touring all over Western Canada, with jaunts that would begin on a Friday after work and not end until the band's members were back at the office on Monday morning, haggard from the marathon drives made necessary by life on the Prairies. Overwater has transferred that get-up-andgo spirit into his new band. "There were a lot of times where I didn't miss a day of work but I toured all of Western Canada in a month and a half. I'd get on a plane after work to play New Music West in Vancouver and then get on another plane at four in the morning and be back at work the next day," Overwater explains. "I'm of the belief that you can have a balanced life in this day and age where you release good music—because you can do it cheaply and easily now digitally— and tour sporadically. I've developed this model that allows me to be a permanent
Finely aged Black Dirt
musician on a part-time basis." The part-time nature of the band's existence is about to get a shot in the arm, however, as Black Dirt of the West celebrates the release of its first seven-inch with a round of touring sure to piss off a few bosses and leave some frustrated spouses in its wake. The seven-inch was originally slated to be a full-length, but when it became clear that a lack of money would hamper the band's ability to finish it, Black Dirt decided to just go ahead and put the two songs it had already recorded onto vinyl. It's been a good decision, explains Overwater, because not only does the seven-inch encapsulate the band's dual nature in its dirty rock A-side and it's warbly, cow-punk B-side, it also lets some of the vinyl heads in the band see their name on a slab of wax. "A couple of the guys are 100 percent vinyl enthusiasts. Scoop, our bass player, his turntable is worth more than any one of the last
five vehicles I've owned," laughs Overwater. "It kind of worked out pretty good that the two songs we recorded first, it's almost a fluke because it does cover the spectrum of our sound. If I had to say which way we're skewed to we're skewed more to the rock side, but we do have that spectrum." Overwater never wanted growing up—or getting married, or having kids—to be the end of something good. It might be the end of youth—that's inevitable—but it doesn't need to be the end of fun. "My approach now is a bit more focused, but they're just the same things I've always had to do and not be the kind of artist that hangs it up. I think that's a sad thing; I think your children need to see that adulthood does not fucking suck and become un-fun," he says, but jokes, "Hopefully we don't dwell on the fatherhood thing too much— that's pretty un-rock 'n' roll." Bryan Birtles
// bryan@vueweekly.com
Straight No Chaser Wed, Feb 16 (7:30 pm) Myer Horowitz Theatre, $37.50 It seems like a simple enough idea: get a dozen university buddies with a penchant for singing a cappella (and maybe the odd drink) together and record an album of Christmas songs for kicks. Fast forward 15 years, and Straight No Chaser, a group that began as a seemingly frat party-like one-off has translated into a successful full-time job for its members, over 12 million YouTube hits and a fivealbum deal with Atlantic Records. "When [Straight No Chaser] started, they got albums and tours, and ... it got to the point where we couldn't have other
SKRILLEX Thu, Feb 17 (7 pm) With Tommy Lee Oil City Roadhouse, $24
Sonny Moore, the 23-year-old former lead singer of hardcore band From First To Last, has transformed into the rising star that is SKRILLEX. In only one year he has staked a sizable claim in the ever proliferating cloud of dance producers. His psychotic surgical attachment of numerous dance-music subgenres has attracted him all the right attention for the way SKRILLEX songs manage to bound from prosaic heights of angelic melody to heinous lows of bass driven horror. It's fitting, then, that his new EP on Mau5trap is titled Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.
32 // MUSIC
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
jobs—we didn't have time to do anything else," says Tyler Trepp, one the group's newer, youngest members. "This was basically a full-time thing, and that happened about two and a half years ago. We were recording With a Twist, we were touring and recording, and no one really expected it at all. We're very grateful to be doing what we love." With two Christmas albums under its belt, Straight No Chaser released a third album of non-holiday music last April, With a Twist—a collection of covers with unique arrangements that has taken the group across North America on a 75-city tour. "A lot of it is trial and error. On stage, if
it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't," Trepp laughs as he explains the dynamics and challenges of arranging songs for such a large and unique ensemble. "We see what the audience likes best. Of course, after every show we talk to them and they tell us what they liked, what worked and what didn't. "Ten guys having their own opinions is good and bad. We've got a variety of people from other musical backgrounds, so it can create a problem, too, because you've got 10 individuals trying to get something done, but the advantage is having a new, interesting take on a song."
"When your necessity level is up, you just have to do it, and some of the best products come up when you're on fire and you have to," Moore admits, explaining that nearly all of Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites was created front to back in only two weeks. "I actually got a call from my manager two weeks before the first of October and he said, 'Hey, I just got a call from Deadmau5's manager. Mau5trap wants to release an EP and put you on tour.' "I was like, 'Fuck, man, I have a rough of [the song] "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" that I sent to Joel a long time ago.' He'd mentioned to me that he wanted to release it, but we were just hanging out at a party so I took it with a grain of salt," he continues. "Then we randomly get this
call a couple months later saying, 'The tour starts October 2 and we want to fly you out that day and release the record to correlate with the tour.' And I'm like, 'I don't have an EP!' and I literally had two weeks to make it, mixed, mastered and done." The result reveals the craftsmanship Moore has honed since he was 14 when he was still producing tracks at home on Fruity Loops. The proof is in the pudding: the new SKRILLEX EP has no two songs that sound alike. Dancey enough for clubs and dynamic enough for headphones, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites has a wild centrifugal force born of Moore's spontaneous method.
Mike Angus
// mikeangus@vueweekly.com
Joe Gurba
// joe@vueweekly.com
EVENTS WEEKLY FAX YOUR FREE LISTINGS TO 780.426.2889 OR EMAIL LISTINGS@VUEWEEKLY.COM DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 3 PM
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WINTERLIGHT oafl]jda_`l&[Y 9 []d]ZjYlagf lYcaf_ bgq af =\egflgf k [daeYl] Yf\ ]fnajgf% e]fl3 mflad EYj - MELTDOWN: BmZad]] 9m\algjame$ )),--%0/ 9n]3 ^]Ylmjaf_ l`] ogjc g^ Yjlaklk Daf\kYq E[Aflqj]$ Yf\ <qdYf LgqeYc]j3 Kgml` DgZZq2 emka[ oal` L`] Dgo >dqaf_ HdYf]k ^gdc!$ <B Jan]j NYdd]q ?ajd3 >ja$ Feb 11$ /%))he3 ^j]] EADD ;J==C 9<N=FLMJ= O9DC2 Eadd ;j]]c JYnaf] HYjc3 mflad Feb 26$ ,%)(he KADN=J KC9L= >=KLAN9D2 @Yoj]dYc HYjc3 kcYl] jY[]k$ dan] h]j^gjeYf[]k$ Yk o]dd Yk kfgo Yf\ ^aj] k[mdhlmj]3 Feb 18-213 gh]faf_ []j]egfa]k2 Feb 18$ ))Ye3 Kfgo K[mdhlmj] ;geh]lalagf2 Feb 18-203 Oafl]j LjaYl`dgf2 Feb 20$ 12+(Ye3 hj]%j]_akl]j Zq >]Z )03 KcYlaf_ EYjYl`gfk2 Feb 19-203 hj]%j]_akl]j Zq >]Z )03 Cgjl]ZYYf2 Feb 19$ )he3 Fa_`l Ogjck af l`] HYjc2 _aYfl kfgo k[j]]f$ dan] emka[$ \Yf[]$ da_`l kh][lY[d]k3 Feb 18-20$ -&+(he3 >aj] K[mdhlmj]2 E]ea Ngf ?YrY [mjYl]k Kadn]j KcYl] k >aj] K[mdh% lmj] ]n]flk2 Feb 18-19; 9jl :mjf k[mdhlmj] Zmad\3 Feb 19$ 02+(he3 9jl :mjf ZdYr]2 Feb 203 k[mdhlmj]k Yj] k]l YZdYr] KYl ]n]faf_
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
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COMMENT >> LGBTQ
COMMENT >> ALT SEX
In need of space
Head to the streets
Space in Edmonton is a funny thing. Queer even. from what could be termed a drab or limited The landscape has shifted substantially over the nightlife, Beers for Queers remains a welcome last five years. The Roost closed its doors, which change. prompted a flux of attempted replacements and Regardless of scraps behind the scenes, it's clear relocations. Secrets closed, opened, moved and that Beers for Queers was just that. For queers. then closed. Prism opened and then moved to beIt's also clear that when an event succeeds become Junction, sliding into the space previously cause people want and need it, it's theirs alone. occupied by Boots 'N Saddle. Play opened That is not to sweep aside the importance and closed, Flash opened, Circles came of our emotional attachments to projects and went. Beers for Queers at the Emand investments, and the difficulty we press Ale House and Queers Never Die can experience in letting go. Recognizat New City became regular monthly ing those who wedge open spaces for m o .c ekly vuewe installments. Buddy's and Woody's others to inhabit allows us not only to @ e ll e mich remain themselves. With the recent show our gratitude for their efforts, but ichelle t M ra also allows us to consider potential oppassing of Dow Hicks, the owner of the Thoma Roost Night Club, memories of the longportunities for doing the same. time gay hub resurface. There were certainly multiple combinations of emotions when The With Queers Never Die as the only other estabRoost closed its doors: sadness, anticipation, poslished queer night, there seems to be plenty of sibly a jaded sense of relief for some? The emoroom (and demand) for additional queer events tions stirred by Dow's passing are much clearer. in Edmonton. The demand for a queer space, not It is certain that as a business owner and friend so much a gay bar, has been palpable in Edmonhe had an impact on innumerable queer lives in ton for some time. It is not uncommon to hear Alberta. musings about opening gay spaces, if only out of The birth of Beers for Queers at the Empress dissatisfaction with the current options. And that provided some necessary overflow for a brimis not to undermine what the current gay clubs ming queer community, if one can be said to exist. have to offer. My feeling is that it speaks more to But a recent dispute over the proper ownership a desire for fluid space and variety. Which leads of the title "Beers for Queers" has created tension us to the Playhouse. between supporters of the event, the bar and the The Playhouse is meant to serve as a queer, free organizers. Perhaps the anxiety surrounding the and open community space for whatever organizrights to Beers for Queers speaks to the strain ing, creating, collaborating or daydreaming that is over limited queer space in Edmonton, especially needed. The organizers involved in setting up the south of the river. For a night that was meant to space did it with significant realizations in mind. give queers some safe space to become a source Joshua Carter was quick to point out that "this of alienation or unease for those involved in its idea means nothing and goes nowhere if there's inception is undeniably unfortunate. But for the no one around to wash the dishes and take out many who have found the night to offer respite the garbage." V
I've always been cynical about Valentine's Day. It as the patron saint of lovers and his feast day a seems like a no-win proposition. When you don't celebration for them. So while the fertility rituals have a partner, you feel alone and depressed, in and the pagan goddesses were dropped, the conspite of your own or your friends' valiant efforts to nection to love still remained. The popularity and either subvert its meaning or ignore it altogether. manner of celebrating ebbed and flowed throughIf you do have a partner, you feel pressured to out the centuries but the themes of love, sex and make it the most amazing day ever and often end romance survived. up vaguely disappointed. Why do we do this to ourselves? I went in search of answers Today, it's easy to dismiss Valentine's Day as to how this all got started and after as we know it. But common holidays and finding out more about the origins of festivals exist for a reason: they give Valentine's Day, I may have changed my communities and whole cultures a way m o .c ekly vuewe mind about the whole thing. to mark things that are important to @ a d n bre Many historians believe the day starttheir lives. They unify societies and bond rendar B ed out as a Roman fertility rite called together over a shared experience. Kerbe If them Lupercalia. It took place on February 15 this day to celebrate love and romance— and was dedicated to the gods Lupercus and and let's not forget sex and fertility—has held Faunus. Half-naked young men would run through on through so many changes over more than 2000 the streets lightly whipping women with flails years, then it must mean something to us. The demade of goatskin to purify them from curses, bad sire for sex, love and intimacy is one of the very luck and infertility. On the day before Lupercalia, things that makes us human, so why wouldn't we love lotteries took place. The names of available have a holiday to celebrate it? But is our version young women were put into a jar and drawn out by of Valentine's Day an accurate reflection of that? the single men, determining their partners for the These are the things that connect us as people, so remainder of the festival. Some of these matches why celebrate with a holiday that so often divides lasted much longer than the festival and eventuus? Maybe it's time for a return to the holiday ritually led to marriage. In fact the day, February 14, als of Roman times where everyone was included was dedicated to Juno, the goddess of marriage. and where sex and fertility were celebrated openThe love lotteries were outlawed by the Pope in ly. Grab your goat-skin flails and I'll meet you in the fifth century and February 14 became the feast the street. day of St Valentine. It's widely believed that this If you'd like to get back to the original roots of particular St Valentine never actually existed, but Valentine's Day, the annual Lupercalia festival the story was well-known. In the third century AD, takes place in Edmonton from February 18 to 20. Roman Emperor Claudius II, seeking to bolster his This BDSM and kink conference named in honour army, forbade young men to marry. Valentine, it of the original Roman festival features workshops, is said, flouted the ban, performing marriages in play parties, and a vendors market. Tickets are secret. For his defiance, Valentine was executed available at lupercalia-edmonton.com. Goat skin on February 14, 270. St Valentine was regarded flails optional. V
It's about more than a bar
EERN Q UN TO MO
Celebrate the season of love by returning to its roots
LUST E LIF
FOR
FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 19) Before I loved you, nothing was my own," wrote Pablo Neruda to his lover in one of his sonnets. "It all belonged to someone else—to no one." Have you ever experienced a sense of being dispossessed like that, Aries? And have you ever fantasized that your emptiness could be remedied by the intimate presence of a special companion? I wish for you to have that consoling experience in the coming week. In fact, I predict it. TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20) You're very familiar with the inexhaustible longings that you harbour in your depths. Your primal hungers for love and connection are never far from your awareness. But the sad thing is that you often regard this as a problem—as a vulnerability that disempowers you. This Valentine season I'm urging you to see your enormous yearnings as strengths, as essential fuel for your vitality and to treat them as crucial ingredients in your lust for life. Many people are crippled by their lack of passion. You're lucky to be so well-endowed with desire. GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20) Here's my prescription for making best use of the current cosmic currents: Be enchanting, but in an understated way. Be slyly charismatic and innocently flirtatious and serenely wild. Show how sexy it is to be sublimely relaxed. Make judicious use of small acts of friendly mischief. Be affectionately
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unpredictable, always in the service of showing how much you care. CANCER (Jun 21 – Jul 22) Your love story has elements of a farce mixed with a soap opera, fairy tale and ghost story. For a normal human being, it might be too intense and convoluted to deal with. Luckily, you're not a normal human being these days, and you're not particularly in your right mind. That's why I say unto you: ride this snaky tale for all it's worth, as if you've been given an epic myth you can ponder and learn from for the next ten years. LEO ( Jul 23 – Aug 22) "I think, therefore I am," declared the philosopher Descartes. Couldn't he have equally said, "I feel, therefore I am" or "I sense, therefore I am"? During this Valentine season, I suggest that you put the emphasis on those other proofs of identity, not Descartes'. From what I can tell, intimacy is most likely to thrive if you liberate it from excessive thinking and lubricate it with generous amounts of trans-rational contact. For love's sake, empty your head of abstractions, opinions, and theories. Make lots of room for the aroma of freshly washed hair, the shuddering solace of moist skin, the wisdom of wandering hands and the telepathy of shared perceptions. VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22) What's the best way for you to celebrate the season of love? In ac-
ROB BREZSNY // FREEWILL@vueweekly.com cordance with the astrological omens, here's a good suggestion: Write haiku-like poems on scraps of red paper and leave them around for a special someone to find. You can borrow the following samples, adopted from the work of Raymond Roseliep: "mist on my mouth—air you touched"; "I tried to bring you that one cloud in this cup of water."; "love song: I enter your mirror." LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22) It's my astrological opinion that you need more jokes, comedy, and humor in your romantic adventures. If you're too serious about seeking the pleasures of love, you can't get what you want. To inspire your efforts, I present the winning entry from last year's Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. It was judged the worst possible opening line for a novel, but it's perfect fodder for the project I've assigned you: "For the first month of Ricardo and Felicity's affair, they greeted one another at every stolen rendezvous with a kiss -- a lengthy, ravenous kiss, Ricardo lapping and sucking at Felicity's mouth as if she were a giant cage-mounted water bottle and he were the world's thirstiest gerbil." SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21) This Valentine season, you have considerable potential to bring more lyricism into your close relationships. To stimulate you in that noble effort, I'm borrowing from the poetry of Andre Breton. See if
VUEWEEKLY // FEB 10 – FEB 16, 2011
you can adopt this style as you reach out to a person you'd like to be closer to: "Your neck is pearled barley. Your hair is a wood fire. Your mouth is a bouquet of stars. Your eyelashes are a child's first stroke of writing. Your eyebrows are the edge of a swallow's nest. Your shoulders are dolphins' heads under the ice. Your fingers? The ace of hearts. Your armpits? Beechnut and midsummer night. Your arms are the sea foam and flood gate foam. Your feet are bunches of keys." SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) "Love that stammers, that stutters, is apt to be the love that loves best," wrote poet Gabriela Mistral. Your job as a lover is not to be inflated with the perfect knowledge of how to proceed, not to stride forcefully into each romantic nuance with your confidence exploding, but rather to stumble along humbly, waging experiment after experiment, striving to kindle the spark, unleash the deluge, conjure the whirlwind, or whatever the idiosyncratic truth of the moment calls for. CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) Borrowing words from poet Amy Lowell, I've created the nucleus of a love note for you to use as your own. Feel free to give these words to a person whose destiny needs to be woven more intimately together with yours. "Your shadow is moonlight on a plate of silver; your footsteps, the seeding-place of lilies; the mys-
tery of your voice, a chime of bells across the windless river air. The movement of your hands is the long golden running of light from a rising sun. Young horses are not more limber than your thoughts. I dare to reach to you. I dare to touch the rim of your brightness." AQUARIUS ( Jan 20 – Feb 18) When some Westerners hear the term "tantra," they think it's a New Age code word for lavish sex. But in its original form, tantra is a philosophy that advocates spiritual union with all of creation, not just erotic union. Tantric practitioners might engage in metaphorical "love-making" with lizards, birch trees, clouds and quirky friends, among other wonders. I recommend that you experiment with this perspective, Aquarius. I bet you'll find that cultivating lusty compassion for the entire world will enhance your personal intimacy with the people you care about. PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) In many weddings the love birds have sealed their vows with a chaste kiss—a formal gesture that wasn't imbued with much spontaneous passion. But in a recent marriage ceremony I attended, the new husband and wife showed little inhibition at the climax. They French-kissed in a prolonged embrace that also included ample groping. In the coming week, I urge you to put yourself as much as possible in situations where you can express that kind of free-wheeling spirit.
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one 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 ARTICULTURE ART EXHIBITION: with VASA, SAPVAC, AGSA and the City of St Albert are accepting submissions from visual artists who live, work or play in St Albert to present during a four day arts festival (Articulture, Apr 7-10); Deadline: Feb 28, 4pm; info: Samantha Williams T: 780.459.1755, 3075; E: swilliams@st-albert.net. 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) 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
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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
ARTIST TO ARTIST The Alberta Screenwriters Initiative: The Alberta Association of Motion Picture and Television Unions (AAMPTU) seeking submissions of feature film scripts of any genre (max length, 250 pgs), from Alberta based screenwriters. Deadline: Mar 14; info: contact Nicholas Mather at 780.422.8174, writersguild.ab.ca Call for entries: 2011 Dreamspeakers; fill out a Submission Form; Deadline: Feb 28, 2011; Info E: info@dreamspeakers.org McMullenGallery: Seeking proposals for the exhibition year May 2012 – April 2013; deadline: Mar 31, 4pm; info at capitalhealth.ca
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"When myriad artists attack the homogeneity of the streets to conjure their own alternate realities, we do not discredit their accomplishments with the failure of their dreams, but rather value them for the beauty of their vision." —Carlo McCormick, Trespass: A History Of Uncommissioned Urban Art Amid the decrepit facades of vacant buildings in a neglected neighbourhood, a simple valentine appears, carrying a transformative message: Love. The medium is mundane. It is printed by an ink-jet printer on an eight-and-a-half by 11-inch sheet of paper and stapled to a pole on 95 Street and 118 Avenue. This intersection, according to Darren Boisvert of the Rat Creek Press, is
host to the highest concentration of reported assaults in Alberta Avenue. By beautifying this often-violent corner, the artist is combating a trend of hostility and hatred. The piece is not only adorning the street, but also inspiring people caught up in the daily dramas of their lives. It reminds them about the universal meanings of the word—compassion, tolerance and joy—by creating something that appeals to our collective conscious. Beautification is a word that is thrown around a lot in conversations about the inner city. Although organized efforts are crucial to the renewal of decaying urban areas, grassroots efforts to beautify a community are what really bring a neighbourhood to life. V
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