vue weekly 801 feb 24 2011 by Vue Weekly

2 // UP FRONT

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

COVER

INSIDE

IssuE no. 801 // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

UP FRONT // 4/ 4 5 5 6 6 9

Speaking the truth

Vuepoint Issues News Roundup Dyer Straight In the Box Bob the Angry Flower

DISH // 10/

Amy Goodman has a revolutionary idea for media: tell the truth

// 8 SNOW ZONE

11 Veni, Vidi, Vino

ARTS // 13 16 Hopscotch

FILM // 18 19 DVD Detective

// 12

MUSIC // 23/ 29 Music Notes 30 New Sounds 31 Loonie Bin 31 Old Sounds 31 Quickspins

BACK // 33 34 Free Will Astrology 34 Lust for Life 34 Queermonton

LISTINGS 16 Arts 22 Film 24 Music 33 Events

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IssuE no. 801 // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 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 ILLUSTRATION JILL STANTON // www.jstanton.ca CONTRIBUTORS Ricardo Acuña, Mike Angus, Chelsea Boos, Josef Braun, Rob Brezsny, Alexa DeGagne, Gwynne Dyer, Brian Gibson, Hart Golbeck, James Grasdal, Joe Gurba, Michael Hingston, Whitey Houston, Brenda Kerber, Fawnda Mithrush, Stephen Notley, Mel Priestley, LS Vors, Dave Young Distribution Todd Broughton, Alan Ching, Barrett DeLaBarre, Mike Garth, Aaron Getz, Raul Gurdian, Justin Shaw, Dale Steinke, Wally Yanish

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

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

UP FRONT // 3

UP FRONT

VUEPOINT

GRASDAL'S VUE

Domino effect samantha power

// samantha@vueweekly.com

Thousands of people line the streets, protest signs in hand, leaving behind their jobs and standing with their friends and family to demand results from their leader. If Libya, Tunisia or Egypt came to mind, you're not even thinking about the right side of the world. Tens of thousands of people have gathered in the state capital of Wisconsin to demand, well, the status quo. If Wisconsin Governer Scott Walker has his way, the rules of collective bargaining in the US will forever change and thousands of workers in the state are not willing to let that happen. Walker believes to save the budget from a 137 million dollar deficit and a projected 3.6 billion dollar shortfall over the next two years public sector workers must take a pay cut, but they must also begin contributing more to their pensions, 5.8 percent, and double their contributions to their health care coverage. The thing is, public sector unions have begun to agree to some of these terms, and Wisconsin is not even facing the budget deficits many other states are. Wisconsin unemployment rates are below the national average and worker pension funds are healthy. So why then are thousands of workers on

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the streets? In the words of Gerald W McEntee, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, "Instead of trying to work with public employees at the bargaining table, they've decided to throw away the table." Walker's asking unions to accept that they can no longer bargain for their health care, working hours and vacation rights. He wants workers to have control to negotiate only basic wages. So while the people of Northern Africa have taken their countries back and stand at the precipice of democracy, residents of the mid-west are fighting to hang on to a hard-won right to have a say in their work environment. The problem though, is not limited to Wisconsin, and, unlike Tunisia, if Walker's move has a domino effect it will be a step backwards for democracy across the country. Ohio, Tennessee and Indiana are only a few of the states that have started to make moves down Walker's path. And if Walker is successful, it may have impacts on Obama's ability to negotiate the upcoming federal budget. As the first American state to recognize collective bargaining rights, there's a lot at stake if its Governer has his way, because if Wisconsin protesters fail to stop Walker, collective bargaining rights across the US may go with them. 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.

THIS WEEK The province has decided subsidized housing will no longer be centralized in Edmonton's downtown and north side. Six projects will be constructed outside of inner-city and distressed neighbourhoods.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

VUEWEEKLY.COM

Check the Vue Weekly website every week for new podcasts on current events. Recent podcasts include interviews with local activists and academics on the situation in Egypt and interviews with members of the Alberta Party about their new legislative agenda.

Do you agree with the province's plan to spread out subsidized housing? •Yes, it's good city planning •No, it will negatively affect communities Check out vueweekly.com to vote and give us your comments.

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VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

Listen at vueweekly.com/podcasts

COMMENT >> ALBERTA ECONOMY

Issues

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

Theory into practice

New upgrader project puts government theory to the test Ricardo Acuña // UALBERTA.CA/PARKLAND

At a time when governments around the world are trying to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and seeking to invest in known economic multipliers like infrastructure and public services, the Alberta government has, once again, taken a big step in the opposite direction. Last week Premier Stelmach publicly announced what he appears to hope will be his legacy project: the Redwater upgrader deal. Northwest Upgrading Inc, a Calgary-based upgrading and refining company, will work with Canadian Natural Resources Ltd to build a new upgrading facility in Redwater, about 45 kilometres outside of Edmonton. The upgrader will mostly refine tarsands bitumen into ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel, but also other refined petroleum products. What makes this different from some of the other upgraders that are currently being built in Alberta is that the government actually has a significant part in this little arrangement. Most of the bitumen to be processed in the first phase of this project, 37 500 barrels per day, is actually being supplied by the Government of Alberta.

The Bitumen Royalty In-Kind (BRIK) program, introduced as part of the new royalty regime in 2009 gave tarsands operators the option of paying their royalties in bitumen instead of in cash. Many have taken the government up on this, and it is this bitumen that the government will be having refined at the new upgrader. The upgrader will be designed to capture a significant portion of the carbon dioxide it produces. That carbon dioxide will then be shipped down a 240 kilometre pipeline to existing oilfields around Alberta. That pipeline will be built by Enhance Energy Inc, with financial support from the province's two billion dollar carbon capture and storage fund. The theory is that once it reaches its destination, the carbon dioxide will be injected into old oil fields, keeping it out of the atmosphere, and helping bring previously unreachable oil up to the surface. It's a significant project, and the general ideas it was founded on seem to make sense. For years groups like Parkland Institute have said that upgrading bitumen here rather than shipping it to the US would benefit our economy, create more long-term jobs and help diversify us away from simply mining. This project

is based, at least in theory, on that premise, and the idea that government has a role to play in that process. Of course, the other general idea is the concept that carbon storage can help us reduce our impact on the environment while at the same time helping us get more oil out of the ground—also a noble idea which would seem, at least on the surface, like something of a win-win. Unfortunately, there is often a significant gap between a good idea in principle and a workable policy in practice. In this case, the level of financial risk being assumed by the government may prove the first barrier. Success depends entirely on the price difference between the refined product and the raw bitumen being high enough that the government will be able to cover the refining and still generate a profit. That's a significant risk given the daily fluctuations in the value of both bitumen and diesel—a risk being assumed entirely by the government in this venture given that it has guaranteed the refining fee it will pay the companies running the upgrader. The second gap is the fact that the government has committed $495 million to the construction of the carbon dioxide pipeline. The refinery will make money

off the carbon dioxide it sells, and the oil companies will make money off the extra oil they are able to extract. Success for the government is premised on the viability of carbon storage itself—an unproven technology at this scale, and one which many scientists and geologists have already warned the government will not work. In other words, this investment will likely turn out to be a straight subsidy to profits by the oil industry, with nothing to show in the areas of public good or environmental benefits. The government does point to increased future royalties from enhanced oil extraction as a direct benefit of this scheme, but they ignore the reality that a significant portion of those royalties will actually be given right back to the companies as a result of the royalty breaks for conventional oil that have been put in place over the last year. The financial gain for the province will be minimal thanks to the government's incredibly weak royalty regime. In the end, and despite the fact that the ideas on which this venture is premised make it sound like a win-win-win arrangement, the reality is that the project will end up costing the government at least

NewsRoundup BLAME THE BOYS A recent study by the Institute of Statistics and Economics in France shows that men are larger polluters than women. The margin is slim, with men putting out 39.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide a year and women creating 32.3 kilograms. Similar studies in Germany, Sweden and Finland have echoed the results. Researchers believe the main causes are modes of travel—where men take REMOVING THE RULES Deregulation may be eroding Canadians' health and safety according to a new paper from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Deregulation has been happening consistently in health care sector, food and safety as well as trade resulting in dangerous conditions which contribute to situations such as the Walkerton water scandal in 2000, Quebec's overpass collapse in 2006 and the Maple Leaf tainted meat problem in 2008. The CCPA cites the main problem as pressure from corporations to lift regulations in order to increase efficiency or reduce costs.

half-a-billion dollars, create a new level of financial risk for the government, put a new upgrader in an area that's already feeling the environmental impacts of the industry, have no positive environmental impacts, and make the provincial economy and government coffers more dependant than ever on the energy industry. The only sure winners in this thing are the oil companies which, quite frankly, don't need the help. In a time of continued economic uncertainty, good ideas are not enough. They must be thought through to their logical conclusions, and analyzed within the larger social, economic and environmental contexts. Those contexts dictate that today, instead of giving more money to the oil industry and becoming more fossil-fuel dependant the government should be investing in people and public services, and building workable alternatives to fossil fuels. Once again our provincial government has gotten it wrong, and Albertans will pay the price today and in the future. 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

POOLED PENSIONS A POOR PLAN more trips in cars and airplanes—and eating habits, with men eating more meat. Women make higher use of public transportation and plan their travel around the needs of others to accomodate multiple-person transportation. The study focused on measuring carbon dioxide output of 10 daily habits. Researchers recommend public policy to stop climate change focus on areas of transportation and eating habits.

The Canadian Labour Congress has released its results after studying the federal government's proposed pooled pension plan. The CLC believes the federal government would be well advised to stay away from the idea and stick to increasing contributions to the current CPP program. The pooled registered pension plans are privately administered and do not require contributions from employers. The federal government proposed them as a method to provide more flexible pension plans that

wouldn't overburden employers in a time of recession. The CLC's study determined that the management and operating costs of the pooled plans would be higher than the current CPP Investment Board. The federal government has been in the process of renewing and redeveloping a national pension plan program since 2009. The CLC has been advocating a greater contribution from employers and workers as a solution to the growing need for pension planning.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"This throne speech is in fact maybe the last will and testament of this government" —NDP opposition leader Brian Mason on Premier Stelmach's Speech from the Throne delivered Feb 22 iNews 880 Feb 23, 2011

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

UP FRONT // 5

COMMENT >> INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Libya and Bahrain

Gaddafi does not have the same options as other Arab nations Watching the extraordinarily rambling and to close its hospitals and schools. Evrepetitive speech by Colonel Moamerybody will fall into a poverty so mar Gaddafi's 38-year-old second deep that it will take 40 years to son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, on Libclimb back out. The Americans yan television on Sunday night, and the British will take over I couldn't help being struck by the country. There will be a .com weekly how ignorant the man was. great plague, and it will rain e@vue n n y w g e According to Saif, the protests frogs and spiders. n n y Gw in Libya are the work of drunks, I made up that last bit, but he Dyer really said the rest of it. How can criminals and foreigners who had been paid to destabilize the Libyan he imagine that Libyans will simply state. ("At this time drunks are driving tanks swallow this stuff? The regime doesn't let in central Benghazi.") If everybody does not them travel and state censorship is fierce, rally around the regime, there will be a terbut Libyans are literate people and they are rible civil war. ("We are a tribal people.") The not fools. Saif's threats will not persuade country will break into a dozen separate them–and neither will his promises. emirates, all foreign investors will leave, and He offered the concessions that are typithe oil will cease to flow. cal at this stage in the collapse of an Arab Bereft of its oil income, Libya will have regime. There will be a great public consultation to discuss the country's future, including a new constitution. Salaries of government employees will be doubled. If the people will just stop protesting, everything can change–except, of course, the regime itself. Gaddafi's son's speech sounded just like the final television speeches made by Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia's ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali before they fled their respective capitals, so it probably won't be long now. The Gaddafi regime has already lost control of the eastern part of the country,

R DYEIG HT

STRA

and on Sunday the street protests spread west to Tripoli. Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, heir to the throne of Bahrain, is playing a very different game. It was he who ordered the army to leave Pearl Square in Manama, the capital, on Sunday, two days after four protesters were killed and 231 wounded in a military night attack to clear the square. He understands that the survival of the monarchy now depends on persuading the majority of Bahrainis that the promise of fundamental reform is real. He doesn't yet control the riot police, who wounded several dozen more people with shotgun fire before they abandoned the square to the returning protesters on Sunday. So he hasn't yet won the battle within the royal family over what to do next—but he probably will, for it faces the threat of a republican revolution in Bahrain. The great difference between Gaddafi in Libya and the ruling families of all the other oil-rich Arab states is that they have the option of retreating into constitutional monarchy. Gaddafi can only rule or flee, but the al-Khalifas can make a deal. The opposition parties have agreed to open talks with Prince Salman if he meets their demands: the current government must resign, political prisoners must be re-

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6 // UP FRONT

leased, and the killing of protesters must be investigated. All those things will happen, and then the haggling will begin. The protesters do not want more killing and they certainly don't want to damage the tiny country's wealth. (Bahrain's 800 000 residents enjoy a per capita annual income of $25 000). But they do want an end to the disadvantages suffered by the 70 percent Shia majority in a state ruled by a Sunni royal family. They also want a real democracy, not the current halfway house. Such a regime would be a frightening anomaly in a region otherwise ruled by absolute monarchies, but retaining Bahrain's royal family would mollify the neighbours greatly. In Bahrain there is unlikely to be any further bloodshed, and the outcome will probably be a constitutional compromise. In Libya, however, there might be more blood and no compromise. As Saif al-Islam Gaddafi warned in his epic rant: "You will see worse than Yugoslavia ... The army is not the army of Egypt or Tunisia. They will support Gaddafi to the last minute ... Sixty years ago they defended Libya from the colonialists; now they will defend it from drug addicts. We will fight to the last man and woman and bullet." Or alternatively, the regular army may simply force Gaddafi's praetorian guard to surrender in Tripoli, as it has apparently already done in Benghazi. It could be over in Libya quite soon, as the old Arab order continues to unravel. Gwynne Dyer is a London-based jounralist. His column appears every week in Vue Weekly.

DAVE YOUNG & BRYAN BIRTLES // INTHEBOX@vueweekly.com

Better days

Oilers finally stepping into spoiler role Oiler fans have been treated to what is hopefully a little glimpse of things to come. The Oilers followed up a 4-1 win over Dallas with a 4-1 win over Les Habs (and eight or nine thousand Oiler fans dressed up as Canadiens fans for the night). That two-game winning streak was increased to a three-game winning streak with a 5-3 come-from-behind win over visiting Atlanta. The streak, however, ended with a 4-1 loss in Minnesota— home of Oiler losses. "Empty your mind of all thoughts" –Lao Tzu

Last week Ales Hemsky went on a bit of a tear (are you watching, NHL scouts?) with four goals and five assists over the last six games. He was even named the Third Star of the Week by the NHL, proving that the league hasn't forgotten us entirely. Sure, two of Hemmer's four goals were scored on the empty net (one against Montréal and one against Atlanta two days later) but it's just nice to see the Oilers scoring empty-netters. Opposing teams only pull their goalies when you are winning, thus an empty net goal is a unique barometer of success. The Oilers have already scored six into the "yawning cage" this season. Last

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

year, they only scored two. DY The best things in life are three

Good things come in threes, everybody knows that. So after three wins at home—the first time that's happened since last year—and Taylor Hall's first career hat trick, it's exciting to wait for the next good thing that's bound to come our way. I had an inkling that Souray might finally cease to be the Oilers' problem, but that didn't come to pass. Perhaps Tambo will pull the trade of the century on deadline day? Maybe Bettman will change the rules so that the last place team gets a bye to the Stanley Cup Finals? The possibilities are endless. BB Empty facts

All that talk of Hemsky's empty-net goal streak led me to look into the phenomenon. Here's some empty stats: -Pavel Bure had nine empty-net goals during the 99-2000 NHL regular season. No player has scored more than six in one year since then. -The Blackhawks scored five empty-netters on Montréal during the final game of the 1969-70 season. The Habs pulled the goalie halfway through the third period in a desperate attempt to score three

goals. Those goals were needed (win or lose) to achieve a standings tie-break and make the playoffs. The Habs failed. -Kelly Buchberger had three EN goals in 97-98, the most scored by an Oiler in one season since that year. Hemsky and Taylor Hall both have two thus far this year. DY Beer shponshors of the ... wha?

Not that it affects the Rexall Place beer lineup any, but it's interesting to note that Molson has become the "official" beer of the NHL. Molson is synonymous with hockey in this country, from the old Molstar productions that released Don Cherry's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em series to Molson Hockey Night in Canada—a phrase I still catch myself saying years after the company stopped being a sponsor—but now the brand will be ubiquitous. And hopefully American arenas will be able to taste the sweet, sweet nectar that we so lovingly refer to as "heroin beer" in these parts. BB Oiler Player of the week

Taylor Hall: Who else? The kid showed that he can win games all by himself if he needs to. This bodes well. BB Ales Hemsky: Playing well enough to up his trade value, no? DY

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

UP FRONT // 7

BREAKING BARRIERS Amy Goodman sees a challenge to the corporate-run media, and likes it samantha power // samantha@vueweekly.com

here's a prescient chapter title in Amy Goodman's most recent book, Breaking the Sound Barrier. The independent journalist and host of Democracy Now declared in June of 2007: "The time is right for a new Pentagon Papers." The organization that would deliver on her call officially launched that same year. WikiLeaks would soon release information that Americans previously had no access to. Thousands of documents on the decisions about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and internal cables between foreign diplomats and the US State Department. It was the largest release of information since the 1971 leak of the Pentagon Papers and accomplished what Goodman believes the media's job is: to hold people in power to account and bring forward voices that are not heard. Today, Goodman believes WikiLeaks delivered the same shock to a failing system that the Pentagon Papers did 40 years ago. While mainstream and corporate-owned outlets are questioning their relevance, Goodman sees an opportunity for the voices that have been shut out. Breaking the Sound Barrier documents some shocking betrayals on the part of the media— what she named the "Craven servility to the [former] Bush administration." The media developed a liking for war analysis and, in the post 9-11 world, quickly jumped on board a war message. Goodman details the over 393 interviews done on mainstream news channels in the run up to Colin Powell's speech for the war to the UN. Of those, three were done with anti-war analysts even though, as Goodman points out, the call for peace was at its height with millions of people across the world protesting a war in Iraq. Today, those voices are being spread without the help of television news networks. And while mainstream media is left shaken by the release of WikiLeaks and the growth of social media and citizen journalism, Goodman sees it as evidence that the state of media censorship may be starting to change. She points to the recent revolution in Egypt as a key example. "Letting people speak for themselves is key to the success of new media," she says before citing several examples of Egyptians using any tools available to spread their ideas. "Asmaa Mahfouz, the 26-year-old woman who posted video on her Facebook page, who called on people to stand with her in Tahrir Square to protest police brutality." Mahfouz's video was posted one week before the popular protests came to a breaking point on January 25. "It's remarkable what young people have done in Egypt," Goodman says. "Ultimately it's the people at the centre of this revolution and rebellion. They're using whatever tools they can."

8 // UP FRONT

// Jill Stanton

Social media happens to be one of those tools providing a key advantage to citizens: time. "It's amazing what can happen in 18 days," Goodman says, referencing the time it took for Tunisian citizens to rise up and overthrow nowousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In comparison to the 20 months it took whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg to find a newspaper willing to print his Pentagon Papers, the quick responses that social media facilitated demonstrates that advances in communication are a growing tool to help spread stories. But while the power and speed of social networking was revealed through the recent Egyptian revolution, a consistent danger was also demonstrated: on January 27 the Egyptian government effectively turned off the Internet to its citizens. Many Egyptians, and on-the-scene reporters like Democracy Now's Sharif Abdel Khouddous, were able to get around the shutdown by rigging their own systems, but for many it cut off the instant communication within their own country. Egyptians turned to more traditional methods such as printing pamphlets, and many claim the shutdown is what caused Egyptians to keep coming to Tahrir Square: they were looking for information. But like traditional media, it's the ownership structure that may have proved a strong pressure point contributing to the shutdown. The UK company Vodafone, which was one of the only companies to provide Egypt's Internet service, was instrumental in shutting it down when former president Mubarak sent the order. The same could be witnessed in the US when WikiLeaks continued to release thousands of cable messages from the

US State Department. Mastercard, Visa and PayPal all shut down their support for WikiLeaks by ending the ability to donate to the company through their outlets online. "Absolutely it's a problem," Goodman explains, seeing how the impact of corporatization has affected citizen access to information. "But, ultimately, at the heart of this revolution is people using any tools they can." And the growth of citizen journalism, social media and the WikiLeaks information may be putting pressure on corporate outlets to tell the whole story. As the driving force behind Goodman's journalism reveals, the media's job is to find the voices that are not being heard. Often we are not moved by the shouts of a million protesters, but by the story of one person. As Goodman writes in Breaking the Sound Barrier, "When you hear someone speaking from his or her own experience, it breaks down stereotypes that fuel hate groups that divide society. The media can build bridges between society ... " With the lack of diversity in media and a general failure to represent people, Goodman wonders where the great discussions to find solutions will be found. She compares the media to a worldwide family kitchen table: "Where will innovative thinkers, grassroots activists, human rights leaders and ordinary citizens come together to hash out solutions to today's most pressing problems?" V Sat, Feb 26 (7 PM) Edmonton Public Library welcomes Amy Goodman Telus Centre (University of Alberta campus 111 St and 87 Ave), Free

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

// Chelsea Boos & Samantha Power

BOB THE ANGRY FLOWER

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

UP FRONT // 9

DISH

Find a restaurant

ONLINE AT DISHWEEKLY.CA

Minimalism

Corso 32 succeeds without bells and whistles LS Vors // vors@vueweekly.com

he term minimalism has many interpretations. In music, it implies a reductive style that emphasizes simple tones and rhythms, eschewing traditional orchestral complexity. Minimalist sculpture and painting features simple, impersonal forms that lack the emotional subjectivity typically associated with these media. Minimalism in a culinary context combines aspects of minimalist music and art. It shuns ostentatious signage, the visual assault of cluttered decorations on walls, and unnecessarily complex preparation and presentation. Corso 32, one of Jasper Avenue's newest eateries, embodies the minimalist approach to dining. Corso 32 derives its name from Chef Daniel Costa's father's former address in the tiny Campagnian village of San Pietro Al Tanagro. Its signage is appropriately subtle—white letters on a glass door. This door opens onto a narrow, stone-floored room with stark white walls and dangling light fixtures that mimic bare incandescent light bulbs. Visual artwork is palpably absent from the walls, though a mural-sized black and white photo of Costa's Italian progenitors occupies one wall. The tables are wooden and small, and are spaced remarkably close together. It is not a room for the claustrophobic and imparts the feeling of communal dining, whether or not one wants it. Corso's menu changes frequently and is not strictly Italian, though pasta and insalati are nods to Costa's ethnic roots. The menu, like the décor, includes nothing superfluous and is a brief collection of starters, mains and dessert. We select arancini ($10)— deep-fried rice balls from Sicily—as an appetizer. Corso 32 reinvents these steaming, crisp spheres by stuffing them with slices of earthy shitake mushroom, nips of speck, and a molten centre of caccia cheese. These flavours imbue the rice with flavour both meaty and rich, accentuated by the delicately crisp, bread crumb exterior. Five arancini are arranged on a simple white plate, their auburn coating em-

10 // DISH

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

// Bryan Birtles

Costa 32's communal table

ulating the warm-hued wooden tables against the white walls. Locally produced meat features heavily on Corso 32's menu, and we order porcini-crusted 48-hour chuck flat steak with shaved celery root and arugula salad ($26) and spicy game hen "under a brick" with pickled zucchini, radish and pine nut salad ($27). My steak, which is long, narrow and impossibly thick, is sliced into medallions and crowned with ivory-coloured, paper-thin sections of celery root and pine-green arugula leaves. A judicious dribble of balsamic vinegar adorns the plate's perimeter. A delicate crust of finely minced porcini mushrooms imparts a deep, dark and divine essence to the meat. The steak itself scarcely requires a knife to cut it, much less teeth to chew it. I am hesitant to use hyperbole, but it would not be hyperbolic to state that this is the finest piece of beef I have tasted in Alberta. A hearty glass of Batasiolo Barolo ($12) is a pleasing companion; its deep, robust notes of plum, leather and rose are enhanced, rather than overpowered, by the beef. My fellow gourmand tucks into her game hen, which has been halved longitudinally and flattened to ensure even cooking. The fowl's delicate skin crunches with every mouthful,

each bite a naughty intersection of cracklings and spice. Long ribbons of pickled zucchini caress coins of sharp radish, and provide a cool contrast to the tender hen, which is hot in both temperature and spice level. San Gregorio Primitivo ($8) is the recommended wine. This red is light, with hints of berries and flowers, and thumbs its nose at the worn-out "reds with red meat and whites with white meat" rule. We select a wedge of sticky toffee cake with pears ($9) for dessert. Wafts of cinnamon and spice emanate from the warm wedge before us. The cake is slightly crisp on top but impossibly tender underneath, tasting of rich toffee, brown sugar and luxurious hints of butter. Cold cubes of poached pear add a watery but firm chill, much like a brisk autumn evening surrounds a warm campfire. Minimalism is a risk: when one pares away all aspects of embellishment, what remains must approach perfection otherwise shortcomings are glaring without the benefit of other distractions. Corso 32 fills such a tall order with ease. V Corso 32 10345 Jasper Ave 780.421.4622

WINE

Dinner comrades Communal tables land in Edmonton

conversation that often surprises me. What you sacrifice in privacy is usually compensated for in colourful ways you might not expect. The couple to my left, however, couldn't have been more distressed. As our conversations started to overlap, I caught them rolling their eyes, bothered by our invasion of their privacy. The concept of the communal table might have ruined their evening and, perhaps worse, their impression of the magnificent restaurant in question. For anyone who's been to Europe's busy // Elizabeth Schowalter cities, communal tables are common I was recently out for dinner, enwhether you're in the cafe or a cafI joying a glass of wine at one eteria. It's generally understood NI, VID E V of the city's many new rooms that if there are seats available, featuring communal tables— someone will use them, even if kly.com it means strangers sitting tolong tables that offer seating uewee v @ s u g mikean to parties of eight or more. gether at the same table. And Mike On this particularly busy while I'd like to see this attitude s u Ang evening, my reservation for two embraced in our city's burgeonlanded us right in the middle of a ing food scene, I thought it would be communal table, sandwiched between worth mentioning some communal table two other parties. Together, there were etiquette and expectations. nine of us seated side-by-side, strangWhen making reservations—which ers with little in common except for the are recommended if available—know menus in front of us. what kind of evening you have in mind. For my date and I, this was no probIf you're envisioning intimate conversalem. I love the concept of communal tation for two, try to reserve a quiet table bles—the energy, the rubbing of elbows in the corner. Feel free to inquire if the with fellow foodies, the spontaneous restaurant has a communal table and say

VINO

that you prefer privacy. If you don't mind the idea of being a part of a spontaneous group, all the better. For the truly adventurous, you might even want to ask for seating here. You never know who your company will be. Likewise, if you do end up at the long table with other groups, it never hurts to consider that others joining you may not be thrilled to be in that position, and on busy evenings it can be hard for the restaurant to re-accommodate them to a different table. While no one's asking you to completely curb your behaviour, it certainly goes a long way toward ensuring everyone at the table can enjoy the atmosphere and present company. V

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

DISH // 11

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'Little bits of Aurora' on Winter Light's Adventure Walk

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12 // SNOW ZONE

ollowing the wild success of 2009's Light Meadow and last year's Baba Yaga Adventure Walk that filled Whitemud Park to capacity, artists Memi Von Gaza and Dylan Toymaker return with a new fairytale of Edmontonian proportions. Populating the Mill Creek Ravine from 82nd to 92nd avenue with fantastical lights, characters and props, Von Gaza and Toymaker have brought to earth "little bits of Aurora." On a long and winding path, parents, children and romantics looking for a good date idea can carry light and hope through 10 blocks of LED wonderment, encountering a host of characters who will illuminate the tale along the way. "The story is slightly different [than Baba Yaga's Adventure Walk] although it has the same fairy tale arc," Von Gaza explains. There are two camps: one of light and hope for Spring called the Shimmering Grove. The opposite camp is called Ravens' Nest at Underbridge, home of the Ravens. "They're not a

FALLLINES "Battle of the Boards" at Marmot Basin This weekend on Sunday February 27, the annual "Battle of the Boards" event is taking place on the slopes of Marmot Basin. Once again, Jasper's Freewheel Cycle and Marmot will be providing all the fun and games including many great prizes. The activities will include a fun boardercross-type event and a rail jam. Registration starts on Saturday continuing right through to Sunday morning at 10 am. Waiver forms can be found at the ski school desk on the main floor of the caribou chalet. For the many juniors out there expecting to take part, remember to bring your parents to registration because they'll need to sign your form. Last year skiers were invited as well but I haven't seen them mentioned in this year's advertisement. I suggest you drop in at Freewheel or Marmot Basin and see if you can get in again this year. Snow conditions continue to headline Marmot Basin as it continues to get steady snowfallâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including almost a half a metre in the last couple of weeks.

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAR 2, 2011

gang per se," Von Gaza continues, "they live under the Whyte Avenue bridge. The interesting thing is that there are people who live under this bridge so we are already joining a work in progress. The Ravens didn't make this camp but they scared away the people who did. There are all kinds of strange hieroglyphics and oil drums cut with unusual symbols with fires inside. In their world, everything is dark. They are in that middle-of-winter state when it's hard to think life is ever going to come backâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it's been winter forever." Therefore we, the multitude of wayfarers, must carry the light and vitamin D to the Seasonal Affective Disorder addled Ravens." If you too are tired of wallowing in winter's self pity, brave the cold and head down to Mill Creek Ravine to carry light and glee to the Ravens and yourself as well. Fri, Feb 25 - SAT, FEB 26 (4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10 pm) Mill Creek Adventure Walk Lantern parades at 6:30 PM and 9 pm nightly Mill Creek Ravine Park

HART GOLBECK // HART@vueweekly.com

Retro Bump Ski Event at Fernie Alpine Resort Are you an old mogul fanatic or a new up-and-coming knee-pounding bump skier? On Saturday March 5th, Fernie Resortâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just across the Alberta border in Southern BCâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;will be rolling back the clock for some good old mogul skiing fun the way it used to be. Registrants can enter in three categories including junior, adult and masters and if you are familiar with the terrain at Fernie, the competition is taking place on the always bumpy slopes of Bear Run. This is a free event and competitors are encouraged to put on some of their skintight suits from yesteryear. Unlike modern mogul events where time is important, this is a style-only event: it's critical you look good both in the bumps and at the finish line. At the end of the day Monster Energy drinks will be throwing a huge bash at the Griz Bar. These parties have a reputation for being epic events. This year you could be dancing to the footstompin' tunes of local band Shred Kelly. If you are only going to watch, you shouldn't be too disappointed because this winter, Fernie has had over six metres of fresh snow and I'm sure you'll find something to do on their amazing 289 cm base. V

ARTS

ARTIFACTS

PAUL BLINOV // PAUL@vueweekly.com

Oscar Night at the Varscona / Sun, Feb 27 (5 pm) Given David Belke's inkling for transmuting elements of cinema onto the stage, an Oscars party in the Varscona theatre—where he's Shadow Theatre's resident playwright— seems almost inevitable in hindsight. Now in its third year, it's a glitzy, communal way to take in the everdebatable Hollywood awards show (dressing up is encouraged), and doubles as a fundraiser for Shadow. Hosted by Matt Alden and Tom Edwards, the evening's bolstered with some in-house entertainment for the commercial breaks and a bundle of glammy prizes to be won. They call it, "All the entertainment, shocks and schadenfreude that only Oscar night can deliver!" Truer words, ne'er spoke. (The Varscona Theatre [10329 - 83 Ave], $20) Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical In Concert / Thu, Feb 24 – Sat, Feb 26; Thu, Mar 3 – Sat, Mar 5 (7:30 pm) It's Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of a man at odds with himself—the good Dr Jekyll by day, the menacing, murderous Mr Hyde by night—with swirls of melody added to reveal his dark night of the soul. This Tony-Award winning version of the script, being presented by Two One-Way Tickets to Broadway Productions, breaks the story into more of a cabaret-style spectacle. There are only six shows in the run, so those with an inkling for hearing a deeply gothic tale set to song have a narrow window to act within. (La Cite Francophone Theatre [8627 - 91 St], $18.50) Stage Struck! 2011 / Fri, Feb 25 (7 pm); Sat, Feb 26 (1 pm & 7 pm) Stage Struck!, our city's annual oneact play fest, gives a window into the creative development of new works. Over two days, seven one-act plays (broken into three showings) will get a semi-professional, one-time life on stage. There are some notable locals giving world premieres—Sarah Van Tassel's Gone, Phil Kreisel's Hookers—as well as the works of some already internationally reputed names—Ethan Coen, Tad Mose— giving their works some legs for the first time. All will be given public adjudication from Edmonton theatrical vet John Kirkpatrick, who will also choose a winner to represent the city of champions in May's Provincial Festival, happening in Lethbridge. (Walterdale Playhouse [10322 - 83 Ave] Three-session pass: $24 – $28; single session admission $10 – $12)

PREVUE // THEATRE

Man versus deity

God, tragedy and the smurfs in Gargamel

Meeting thy maker Mel Priestley // mel@vueweekly.com

hen I was a kid, Gargamel used to scare the living shit out of me." On the surface, Trent Wilkie's tragic comedy seems to bear no relation to that inscrutably unsettling villain from the 1980's Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Smurfs. However, Wilkie explains that he was able to apply the god-like relationship between Gargamel and the Smurfs to his most recent production, Gargamel, using

it as a metaphor for the protagonist's relationship with god. "We are the Smurfs to God's Gargamel," explains Wilkie. Arising out of this childhood fear and confusion, as well as out of the idea of a guy fighting god that Wilkie dreamed up three years ago, Gargamel was given substance after he received a grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. The play centers around David, who survives a car accident that kills his girlfriend. Left with severe head trauma, David has trouble coping with the tragedy and, under the

continuous badgering of Louis Riel ("the other guy in Canadian history who has the most reason to hate God"), David decides to embark on a mission to fight God. Gargamel incorporates video in order to further build upon the production's surreal effect; this is in keeping with the reputation Mostly Water Theatre (Wilke's main sketch troupe) has for presenting multimedia performances, but it also allows for the use of actual footage to support the Gargamel-God analogy.

Yet despite these incongruities, Gargamel explores real-life events and issues—and there are plenty of connections and interrelationships. "Everything is in David's head," says Wilkie. "Everything that he's trying to deal with, he's pulling from his past." Wilkie also notes that though it may sound pretty heavy-handed, the play is a comedy at heart—but the cast's serious treatment of the production is the biggest testament to its mature and grounded underpinnings. Every new piece of work represents a new direction for the artist who creates it. (Or at least it should be, if the artist is aiming to progress in any way.) This definitely applies to Gargamel; Wilkie states, "I wanted to challenge myself and I wanted to get people to think, without the pretension of telling them what to think," he explains. "I want to talk to people, not at them." Cartoon wizards and Métis rebels aside, Gargamel is ultimately a play about coping with tragedy, and Wilkie encapsulates it in a single succinct line: "In dealing with life you have to laugh, or you'll cry." V Thu, Feb 24 – Sat, Mar 5 (7:30pm) Gargamel Written by Trent Wilkie Directed by Mike Robertson Starring Wilkie, Matt Stanton, Craig Buchert, Joleen Ballendine, Ellen Chorley, Varscona Theatre ( 10329 - 83 ave), $15 – $20

REVUE // THEATRE

Invasion of time

Another Home Invasion lands a few jabs of social commentary Paul Blinov // paul@vueweekly.com

ou don't notice the house lights dim in Another Home Invasion. Jean (Nicola Lipman) finds her way on stage and starts telling us her story while well lit. The lights phase themselves out gradually; likewise, 70 minutes later at her story's end, there's no quick black out. Slow, inevitable fades bookend the script. They underscore something you feel while watching her tale of growing old in North America: it's spooky to watch someone's world close in on them slowly. And Another Home Invasion succeeds best in adding a menacing edge to the periphery; we never see through Jean's brave, gal-in-charge façade drop for more than a moment, but the implica-

tions of her situation, the details of her life, the events that happen to her, are real enough and well presented. But it's what we don't see but know is on the horizon coming is the chilling part. She's a senior still living at home in North Vancouver, with a husband slowly forgetting how to take care of himself, after taking care of her for so many years. Her grown children either live in different cities or, particularly the one that does live close, complain when they visit. She goes to Aquafit class, and hates when the schedule gets disrupted. Jean and her husband are on a list to get into a senior's home that offers some reasonable level of independence, but the waiting list is long, and requires a few tests to determine if it's right for them. Despite Jean's protests, it might not be.

Lipman's monologue is engaging enough to watch: the actress gives us depth of tone in her feisty, funny, wellgrounded character. Joan MacLeod's script makes subtle social commentary on how we treat our elderly, from their perspective, which is an underdiscussed slice of society, and director Richard Rose keeps it all rolling along at a good pace. To an extent, the titular home invasion seems extraneous: the invader himself, represented only by a silhouette, seems an unfinished portrait, something put in just to bolster up the drama, to offer some variety to Jean's own disappearing life. He's a disruption, but without any undue drama. Nothing to rock the boat, so to speak, except to highlight the powerlessness

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

of Jean's situation and perhaps some poor judgment. But we never get to really fit his story into the greater picture being weaved together. Another Home Invasion's best when scoring little jabs at western society and what actually constitutes care. It lands a couple of good ones during its fairly brief runtime. Chief among them, that weekly routines and memory gazing can only keep the progression of time and weariness of aging at bay for so long. V Until Sun, Mar 6 (7:30 pm) Another Home Invasion Written by Joan MacLeod Directed by Richard Rose Starring Nicola Lipman Citadel Theatre (9828 - 101A Ave), $45 – $60

ARTS // 13

REVUE // THEATRE

PREVUE // DANCE

Shipwrecked! an engaging, character-driven tale

Dancers show what's Under the Skin

Set the sails Paul Blinov // paul@vueweekly.com

ouis de Rougemont greets us, peeking out from behind the curtain, grey hair hanging around wild, young eyes, grinning. "Welcome," he says,"to this temple of imagination." He's talking about theatre itself, the scripted realm of suspended disbelief and how he's about to use everything on his side of the fourth wall to present his own true story, one that, by his own admittance, requires a large suspension of disbelief. The fourth wall in Shipwrecked! is more like a flimsy, see-through curtain: Rougemont addresses us directly, but he isn't expecting a response. On a stage

adorned with trunks, chests and props, Rougemont introduces Mark Meer and Davina Stewart by name as the two actors helping him tell his tale and vaults right into it: from a London birth to leaving the nest as a teenager, joining a pearl-diving expedition off the coast of Australia; the tropical storm that leaves him stranded on a desert island with only a faithful dog as a companion; his indoctrination into aborigine society, and the eventual return home to tell his tale. And in tackling it all with a sense of strung-together gusto, the debut show from Atlas Theatre sets a charming direction for the new company to follow: DIY, presentational characterdriven storytelling. It's lighter fare, but

engaging, and well-strung together by Julien Arnold. Rougemont is played by Glenn Nelson, a veteran actor easily capable of handling the wide-eyed alacrity of this aged adventurer recalling his proudest tales. Even when things begin to sour, when skeptics speak up upon his return to London, his joyful delivery is almost enough to ignore their criticisms. Meer and Stewart get to run the gamut of wonky characters, for which both possess a versatile skill, frum the hubbub of London streets to a full on tribe of outback Aboriginals. Meer as Bruno, Rougemont's best friend dog is a continuous highlight, as is Stewart's yarrr-ing ship captain. Both also play at being onstage foley artists, rapping on the large trunks or using actual sound props, to add scores, effects, and little additions to the onstage events. Coupled with a whimsical guitar score from Paul Morgan Donald, there's moments when onstage action, sideline sound effects and speakerbox sounds come together into wonderful moments that do transcend, and you start to lose yourself in the imagination of the moment. In its penultimate moments, with the public having written him off as a fraud, we're left with an old man's illuminating tale. It's a little more bittersweet of an ending for such a tale of adventure. But true or false, in the temple of imagination, is ultimately irrelevant: it's an entertaining tale to hear told. V Until Sun, Feb 27 (7:30 pm) Shipwrecked! Directed by Julien Arnold written by Donald Margulies Starring Mark Meer, Glenn Nelson, Davina Stewart Holy Trinity Anglican Church (84 Ave & 101 st), $10 – $15

Bridging the gap Fawnda Mithrush // fawnda@vueweekly.com

t's been two decades since young Wen Wei Wang, then 27 years old, crossed the Pacific and left his homeland to move to Vancouver. Now, after 20 years of integrating into Canadian society and pushing the boundaries of his traditional Chinese dance training, the acclaimed contemporary choreographer expresses a sense of alienation—but not quite the type one might expect. "The last 20 years I've been between somewhere, it's like being lost in translation. When I go back to my hometown in China I feel like it's changed—but it's because I've changed. And when I come here I don't feel completely Canadian because I didn't grow up here, I don't have that background culturally. In that sense I'm in the middle, and am trying to rebuild myself and find myself." Though he journeyed to Canada with a desire to explore movement beyond his regimented Chinese dance knowledge, Wang felt he would one day return to China to share what he had discovered in the West. Finally in 2009, he brought his work to Shanghai and Beijing when touring with Unbound, a piece examining the Chinese tradition of foot-binding. After meeting choreographer Gao Yanjinzi on the tour, Wang sparked a long-term, collaborative effort between Wen Wei Dance and the Beijing Modern Dance Company—a partnership that would see them officially commissioned to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic SinoCanadian relations, and would also feature their companies at the 2010 Cultural Olympiad in Vancouver. The result of their collaboration, now billed as a full-length evening of dance performed by 12 dancers (six from each of the two companies), sprouted from exercises in intercultural relations. The movement in Wang's piece, In Transition, ranges from classical Chinese acrobatics to Tai Chi and martial arts to contemporary techniques—a melange that the dancers from the Beijing company were reluctant to experiment with at first. "When I started work with the danc-

14 // ARTS

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

ers I realized I did not know them, I could not read them. If you ask them to try something or bring themselves out, they were very sensitive in a way," Wang explains. "When I went to Beijing two summers ago, I didn't have any idea about what I wanted to do. When I got there the first impact for me was the air—I couldn't breathe. And the second was that there were so many people, I felt like I lost myself." Using those thoughts and a desire to have the Chinese dancers find comfort in expressing themselves, Wang finally found a bridge on which to place his sense of existing between worlds. The other half of the collaboration, Yanjinzi's Journey to the East, reflects the voyage to China that Wang's dancers took when they first toured with Unbound. "It was the first time (Yanjinzi) had seen my dancers, and the first time my dancers had seen China. So she asked them what was in their minds about China and Beijing before they had come, and then when they got there, if they felt a difference," Wang explains, noting that the music in Journey to the East is mainly composed of water sounds. "In old China, when you came to the East you came by boat, through the water. So the piece is almost like a life journey to a point where you reach your imagination about the world." And, perhaps, what one imagines lies on the other side of the water. Despite the myriad differences between the companies, Wang adds that the evening's title best illustrates the outcome of their work together. "Even though we don't speak the same language, we all have emotion, we all have feelings. The basic context of what we love, what we hate, what we need, what we want—those are all the same. We have two different colours, the West and the East, but under the skin we are the same. Our bones, our muscle, our blood is the same colour." V Fri, Feb 25 – Sat, Feb 26 (8 pm) Under the Skin Presented by Wen Wei Dance & Beijing Modern Dance Company Timms Centre for the Arts (88 Ave & 112 St), $20 – $30

INTERVIEW // BOOKS

Rap's Big Payback

Dan Charnas takes a thorough look at the history of hip hop Michael Hingston // michaelhingston@vueweekly.com

ulled from more than 300 interviews and nearly a decade's worth of research, Dan Charnas's The Big Payback is a riveting, eye-opening and mindbogglingly thorough look at the history of the rap industry. Charnas—who has worked in and around the world of hip hop, in different capacities, for decades—tackles this complex subject with gusto and in widescreen, using bite-sized anecdotes from various radio DJs and record label executives to precisely trace the origins of what he calls a uniquely "American success story." In short, it's a must read for anyone with even a casual interest in hip hop. (The only thing missing? A 500-song soundtrack or two.) Charnas recently spoke with Vue Weekly via email and answered a few questions about compiling such a large book, the relationship between the music and business, and their shared future together. VUE WEEKLY: The Big Payback is, as the subtitle says, "the history of the business of hip hop." But in order to tell that side of the story, you basically ended up having to tell the story of hip hop itself. When you first conceived of the project,

did you have any sense it would end up as expansive as it did? DAN CHARNAS: Not at all. I mean, I wanted the scope to be expansive, but not necessarily the page count. I tend to overreport and overwrite. That's why my nickname in the writers' room on MTV's Lyricist Lounge comedy show was "Shorty Longsketch."

versely, the approach that most appealed to me was a character-driven linear narrative. So instead of going wide, I went deep. It makes ultimately for a better experience for the reader (even though it's a tad harder on the writer).

VW: Rappers seem to have no qualms bragging about how much money they have, though for most people finances are still a fairly private subject. How did you approach the people you interviewed—rappers and executives—about getting these kinds of sensitive details from them? DC: I just asked. Most whom I did were surprisingly willing to share.

VW: You've been around hip hop for decades, as a writer for The Source as well as an employee for Rick Rubin's Def American label. How much of this story did you already know, and how much were you learning as you went? DC: Hard to quantify. I could have sketched out the rough outline of the book from what I knew. But it took interviewing folks and re-interviewing the people I knew to get the real gold— stuff I had forgotten, and lots of stuff I never knew.

VW: The book has a very interesting, character-driven structure, where each one- or two-page mini-section is framed around one specific person. Why did you decide to organize it this way? DC: Many hip-hop histories end up being surveys based on topics or geography (let's talk about LA and gangster rap, and then let's go to Atlanta and get crunk, and then let's do a chapter about women in hip hop ... and, hey, we'll stick Canada in the "international" rap section!). Con-

VW: Business and hip hop have been linked since the beginning. Are there any events that, to you, encapsulate the nature of that relationship—or maybe different events that sum up how it has changed over time? DC: Compare the signing of Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde to Profile Records in 1981— where they got $2000 for their entire publishing catalog—to Jive's deal with E-40 in the mid-1990s, where pre-existing sales gave him leverage to demand

a million dollars for each album. That came because artists like E-40 started seeing that they did have power and the ability to earn money even without the assistance of the record labels. VW: The Big Payback talks a lot about the importance of rap in grand terms: for American culture, entrepreneurship, race and class. But why is hip hop important for you, personally? DC: It's the music I grew up listening to. It's the art form that, in giving myself to it, it gave my own life purpose and meaning. Hip hop—in setting a paradigm for a new society and a new relationship between people of different ethnicities—is the thing that gives me hope for our country, for our world, for my child's future. VW: What kinds of artists, producers or labels got you interested in rap in the first place? Who do you think of as the all-time greats? DC: While Run-DMC and Rick Rubin drew me in on an artistic level, it was KRS-One, Chuck D and Rakim that really captured me intellectually. From there on, I knew I wanted to be involved. So these folks will always be great to me. While I ended up signing artists more known for their lyrical abilities (like Chino XL and Kwest Tha Madd Lad), I am more of a beats fanatic. So Primo, Neptunes, Timbaland, Kanye, Ski, Dilla ... they're in my hall of fame. VW: Coming off of this huge retrospec-

tive project, how do you characterize the state of hip hop today as an art form? DC: I think that both hip hop and the music business are in flux. Again, the two go hand in hand more than folks might expect. Subcultures come from humans wanting to sing their circumstances, but they become mass culture when there's a combination of excitement and new ideas on one hand, and opportunities to distribute and get paid for them on the other. And right now, the music industry has contracted to the point that I believe the level of ideas and level of recompense are down significantly. Making music is not attracting the best and the brightest in our age. What this means for hip hop has yet to be seen. But I do see an interesting and encouraging trend in artists like Kanye and Nicki Minaj to express themselves as freely and extravagantly as possible. That's a nice change from the "Keep it real" era. VW: What about as a business model? DC: As stated above, the business model is in flux. How can you make money making music when the worth of your sound recordings are almost nil? The artists who succeed are the artists who will be able to secure as broad a collection of income streams as possible. V Available now The Big Payback By Dan Charnas Signet 672 pp, $31

Ever imagined working in arts and culture? Come and learn about MacEwan’s new diploma program in Arts and Cultural Management. Study in class, online, full time or part time.

INFORMATION SESSION AT OPEN HOUSE Saturday, March 5, 1 pm Centre for the Arts and Communications 10045 - 156 Street, Room 296

www.MacEwan.ca/ArtsManagement

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

ARTS // 15

HOPSCOTCH

JOSEF BRAUN // JOSEF@vueweekly.com

And repeat

The Voice Imitator a bridge into the works of Thomas Bernhard I have recently endeavoured to compel fellow readers to explore the works of the late Austrian novelist, playwright and poet Thomas Bernhard, whose novels I have only recently begun to explore and whose plays and poems I hope to explore imminently, yet I have been reminded over the course of this endeavour that it may prove difficult to compel fellow readers to explore the works of Thomas Bernhard due to their (in)famous prose style, distinguished by very long sentences that seem to ramble, mesmerize and merely repeat themselves while they are in fact building a seductive and compelling rhythm and tension and secretly working to reward the reader with the utmost narrative clarity and an arresting sense of voice. My endeavour has been aided by the recent reprinting of many Bernhard's novels, such as The Loser, about suicide, genius and Glenn Gould, and Correction, about suicide, genius and a cone-shaped edifice, by the recently published Prose, and by the even more recently published My Prizes: An Accounting, though none of these have filled me with as much hope of compelling fellow readers to explore the works of Thomas Bernhard, despite their very long sentences that seem to ramble, mesmerize and merely repeat themselves, as The Voice Imitator (Uni-

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

versity of Chicago Press, $12 US), whose darkly comical, anecdote-like stories, about suicide, murder, accidents, governments and generally peculiar behaviour are so short as to never exceed a page's length and thus diminish the potentially off-putting effect of those very long sentences that seem to ramble, mesmerize and merely repeat themselves. There is additionally something ironic about a work from Thomas Bernhard being called The Voice Imitator since I can think of few other late 20th century writers whose writerly voice has been more closely imitated or, as it were, paid homage, by writers whose work I'd already come to adore, such as WG Sebald, Geoff Dyer and Horacio Castellanos Moya, who have done such inspired work of imitating or, as it were, paying homage to Thomas Bernhard's writerly voice that I will with this sentence cease my own pale imitation or, as it were, homage, to the writerly voice of Thomas Bernhard. Bernhard's micro-fictions are often founded in personal experiences, often shared with a small group of anonymous friends. He seems attracted to precisely those strangers who go out of their way not to attract attention—twice in The Voice Imitator a story begins when `gh$ McjYafaYf lg lYh Mar 5$ /he *+&-( Yl La[c]lEYkl]j$

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DANCE BRIAN WEBB DANCE COMPANY�Art Auction and Brunch HdY[] @gl]d$ )(*+-%)() Kl 9ffmYd

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16 // ARTS

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

;af]eY Worlds of Sound: The Ballad of Folkways Records, ^gddgo]\ Zq [gfn]jkYlagf oal` JgkYda] Kgjj]dk Yf\ Jg\\q ;YehZ]dd Feb 25$ /he3 ^j]] Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart Yl /he3 Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune at 1he3 Feb 26 M for Mississippi: A Road Trip through the Birthplace of the Blues Yl /he; Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart Yl 1he3 Feb 27 H`ad G[`k2 L`]j] :ml >gj Fortune Yl /he; M for Mississippi: A Road Trip through the Birthplace of the Blues Yl 1he; Feb 28 )( Y\mdl!' 0 klm\]fl! Yl \ggj +( eafml]k Z]^gj] k`go

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GALLERIES + MUSEUMS AGNES BUGERA GALLERY )*+)( BYkh]j 9n]

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Bernhard and his companions become fascinated by a solitary figure in a tavern made conspicuous by his "taciturnity." Just as often, Bernhard's stories seem culled from truncated news reports or hearsay: the lavish mountainside hotel abandoned by its grieving owner and left to the elements having never once been occupied; the fortune teller murdered for failing to provide a philanderer with an accurate prophecy of his wife's death; the postman consigned to an insane asylum who asks that he be able to continue wearing his postman's uniform so as to not go insane; the discovery of a giant skeleton in a village always thought to be inhabited solely by very short people; the fireman who pulled away a safety blanket just as a suicidal jumper jumped because he was overtaken by "an inner compulsion." Bernhard seems drawn to these stories for their grave ironies and subtle insights, though so often it's difficult to discern what's based on fact and what is pure invention. Not that it matters. The Voice Imitator is filled with deliciously unqualified generalizations and assumptions. In "Genius" Bernhard writes that in Vienna, "lack of consideration and impudence towards thinkers and artists has always been greater than anywhere else." If Bernhard's legendary loathing of his home country renders such a claim highly suspicious it in no way diminishes its power to evoke a singular psychological landscape. Characteristically, these stories keep circling themes of suicide and despair, but they also return again and again to tales of unlikely connections between people. With any luck, The Voice Imitator might even forge new connections between Bernhard and those readers willing to give this extraordinary author a chance. V ART BEAT GALLERY *. Kl 9ff] Kl$ Kl 9dZ]jl /0(&,-1&+./1 F]o Yjlogjck Zq _Ydd]jq Yjlaklk Mflad 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[] 9DD L@= HJ=LLQ GF=K2 9jlogjck Zq H`g]Z] KmjYfY%E]`al Until Mar 6

ART FROM THE STREETS�Red Deer ,1+-%-) Kl COMMUNITY ART PROJECT2 >]Ylmjaf_ ogjck Zq j]ka\]fl Yjlaklk$ ngdmfl]]jk$ Yf\ >ajkl >ja\Yq hYljgfk Through Mar Gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Mar 4$ .%0he

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ART GALLERY OF ST ALBERT (AGSA) HjgÇd]k$ )1 H]jjgf Kl$ Kl 9dZ]jl /0(&,.(&,+)( THE WOODS ARE DGN=DQ$ <9JC 9F< <==H2 9jlogjck Zq CYl`jqf EYfjq$ 9jd]f] OYkqdqf[`mc$ KmkYf ;YkYmdl$ Bm\al` EYjlaf$ Yf\ D]kd]q Jgq Until Apr 2 Flappers and Fine Art!2 9 JgYjaf¿ *(k l`]e]\ Yjl Ym[lagf3 Mar 5$ /he \ggj!3 -( Yl l`] ?Ydd]jq Yf\ 9\eafakljYlan] g^Ç[] AVENUE THEATRE 1(+(%))0 9n] ON BOARD: Dgf_ZgYj\ 9m[lagf'<]ka_f K`go[Yk] Yf\ \Yf[] hYjlq hj]k]fl]\ Zq l`] Klm\]fl <]ka_f 9kkg[aYlagf& 9 dgf_ZgYj\ Ym[lagf Yf\ hgkl]j kYd] Zq M g^ 9 \]ka_f klm\]flk3 emka[aYfk hdYq Y^l]j Za\\af_ ]f\k Mar 4$ /he Za\\af_ ]f\k Yl 12+(he! - klm\]fl!' / Y\mdl!' )( \ggj! fg

minors; info at E: thesda@gmail.com

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TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE ))*))%),* Kl

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JEFF ALLEN GALLERY KljYl`[gfY HdY[] K]fagj ;]flj]$ )(0+) Mfan]jkalq 9n] /0(&,++&-0(/ OYl]j% [gdgmjk Yf\ [gdgmj]\ h]f[ad ogjck Zq Bmda] <j]o Feb 24-Mar 313 gh]faf_ j][]hlagf2 Mar 9 JOHNSON GALLERY Southside2 //))%0- Kl3

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ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM )*0,-%)(* 9n] /0(&,-+&1)(( Wild Alberta Gallery–WILD BY NATURE: =n]jq KYl'Kmf$ ))Ye$ *he ILLEGAL KILLER TRADE; until May 1 HEART AND SOUL2 Im]Z][ ^gdc Yjl3 until May 8 BETTER CHOOSE ME2 ;gdd][laf_ Yf\ ;j]Ylaf_ oal` LgZY[[g >YZja[ Fgn]dla]k3 Until May 1 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 until Mar 1

SHADES OF GREY TATTOO GALLERY )(,,,%0* 9n]$

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SIDESHOW GALLERY 1.(1%0* 9n] /0(&,++&),+( HOME BREW: 9jlogjck Zq K]Yf Egfl_ge]jq Until Mar 19

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SHIPWRECKED! THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF LOUIS DE ROUGEMONT @gdq Ljafalq 9f%

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VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

ARTS // 17

FILM

"As the Oscars approach, the hype’s in such overdrive that you may no longer recognize the film you once thought you remembered seeing." SIDEVUE: AND THE WINNER IS ... / ONLINE AT VUEWEEKLY.COM

INTERVIEW // BIUTIFUL

The horror of life

Biutiful delivers a striking portrayal of death and compassion a galaxy warrior one moment and then have to go home or off to class the next. I didn't have to say to myself, 'Hold on, I was just a galaxy warrior, how am I going to focus on the mathematics now?' No. You jump. That's what it's all about. Be there, experience what you have to experience, but leave a little room in your brain where you tell yourself this is fiction."

Josef Braun // josef@vueweekly.com

he movie is like a Francis Bacon painting," Spanish actor Javier Bardem says when asked to characterize Biutiful, the film in which he portrays a dying man who communicates with the recently dead while moving through a crime-ridden contemporary Barcelona that itself resembles some outer circle of the inferno. "Some people can take it. Some can't. Some people can look at the surface and then go deeper to see the love beneath, the compassion that's woven into the horror of life." Biutiful is the fourth feature from Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu. Following his alternately acclaimed and denounced tripartite, "globalized" drama Babel, Biutiful is most closely related in ontological terms to González Iñárritu's second feature 21 Grams. It's his first movie in his native Spanish since his exhilarating multinarrative debut Amores Perros. It's also the first he's made without screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga. When González Iñárritu and Arriaga inamicably parted ways after fighting over credits for Babel, I wondered if their individual subsequent films would indicate which of them was responsible for the heavyhandedness and dependency on dramatic irony that increasingly plagued their collaborations. But both Biutiful and Arriaga's recent directorial debut The Burning Plain make clear that the tendency was mutual. There are numerous moments in Biutiful that possess a certain penetrating eloquence, but they're set within a framework far too eager to declare its self-importance, too proud of its fitfully successful attempts to say something meaningful about "the world we live in" generally, and the world of illegal migrant labourers specifically. What makes Biutiful essential viewing then isn't its socially burdened narrative or its ostentatious, immaculately crafted mise en scène—it's Bardem's impossibly rich, marathon central performance. The shoot took place over five months, and as we watch Bardem's flawed hero, Uxbal, wither away from the cancer that's rapidly consuming him, while frantically trying to leave his children in the best possible position to continue in his absence, we're watching a performance so immersive, so exhaustive, so rife with resonant contradictions, that by the end we can't but feel we know this man somehow. We know he's sick when the other characters don't. We know his fateful errors in judgment and his efforts to do good. We witness his conferences with the

18 // FILM

Javier Bardem in Biutiful

dead, though Bardem never plays the supernatural bits any differently than the ones where he's collecting money or feeding his kids. Uxbal clings to life while desperately maintaining some essential dignity, and when he's finally forced to let go the loss is almost palpable in a way that the movie's poetic intimations of an afterlife can't diminish. González Iñárritu and Bardem were promoting Biutiful during last September's Toronto International Film Festival. We meet them in hotel rooms, separately, as though we're interrogating them, hoping to pit one against the other in a ploy to get good copy. But despite the fact that the more divisive aspects of Biutiful could be regarded as representing a battle between Bardem's deeply felt movie and González Iñárritu's somewhat forced one, between an Oscar-nominated performance viewers are inclined to surrender to and a ruthlessly sculpted directorial vision some will be annoyed with, both artists make clear from the get-go that Biutiful is the result of a much-desired alliance. Bardem wanted to work with González Iñárritu, particularly for the way he works with actors, and González Iñárritu wanted to work with Bardem. The role of Uxbal, father to two children, husband to a woman suffering from bipolar disorder, and a sort of managerial figure for numerous underworld enterprises, was based to some extent on González Iñárritu's own father, but written specifically for

Bardem to interpret. "Javier's physically very strong," explains González Iñárritu, "but, after having known him for eight or nine years, I know how delicate and sensitive he is on the inside. This Minotaur's face of his envelops a poet's soul. It's a strange combination that attaches itself nicely to Uxbal, who's a tough guy, a street guy, but at bottom is a vulnerable, sophisticated spirit. Primitive culturally, but spiritually sophisticated." When told about González Iñárritu's assessment of his persona, Bardem considers this for a moment. "Tough on the outside and tender on the inside ... " he says. "Like a melon!" We all laugh. "Melon Brando!" he then quips, and we laugh even harder. He immediately apologizes for the bad pun, but his ease and warmth loosens up the whole room. Bardem draws a curtain, pours himself some water, sits with us, rather than before us. He seems happy and relaxed, yet he's frank with regards to the movie's bleakness. "Alejandro told me from the beginning that this was a tragedy," says Bardem. "Like a Greek tragedy, where the gods enter the story in order to remind human beings how weak they are, how much help they need, and how little help they're going to provide, because they have to learn by themselves." We discuss González Iñárritu's infamous perfectionism, his habit of doing dozens of takes for every camera set-up. Bardem claims that while this

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

approach can be draining it always led him to the best results. I tell Bardem that for all the scenes of intense drama, for me the most memorable was one where Uxbal openly confesses his terminal illness to a complete stranger in a noisy nightclub. The scene is moving because, in a sense, Bardem seems to just throw the line away, making nothing of it. Bardem, whose performances in Before Night Falls and The Sea Inside have already made him an old hand at on-screen death, points out however that even that scene was the product of countless takes and varying approaches. His performance only appears casual. But Bardem also acknowledges the importance of balancing lightness and weight when telling a story such as this, and credits his junior costars with helping him to map out his character's degrees of gravity, as well as shake it all off when the workday is over. "Alejandro didn't want the kids to feel they were witnessing something real, something they're going to bring home with them," Bardem explains. "Everything was a game. Those kids would play their emotions and when he says cut they'd go back to their toys and do goofy things. That's the way it has to be. You have to learn to detach yourself from the material at some points or you get lost in your own thing, and getting lost doesn't help creativity at all. Some days were harder than others, but through the kids I learned how to go back to the days when I'd be playing

Death looms over every scene of Biutiful. It comes for Uxbal and it comes for many other characters too, especially those surviving on the fringes of the society. Death is finally the central theme of Biutiful: how to accept it, to prepare for it, to reconcile oneself to its mysteries—though it's slightly less mysterious for the likes of Uxbal than it is for most of us. We see Uxbal in a wintry forest, a place resembling this world yet clearly not of it, a place where he meets someone from his past, someone long gone. Uxbal's connection to an afterlife is no mere fantastic construct for González Iñárritu. It's inspired by the director's own experience with people who he feels possess a genuine ability to see things most of us don't, things hidden from the other senses. As González Iñárritu sits perched on his chair, trying to come to terms with our questions about what drove him to make Biutiful, there's an undeniable feeling that his encounters with such people humbled him, and are meant to endow the work not with despair but rather with a sense of wonder. "The character of Uxbal's spiritual advisor, or mentor, was based on a woman I met in a very rundown neighbourhood in Mexico City," González Iñárritu explains. "It was cold out, and I was wearing all these layers, these sweaters and coats and scarves, so you couldn't see any part of my body below my face, and yet this woman immediately knew that I'd recently had surgery. She didn't make a big deal about it. She just asked me how I was recovering. These people, it's not like they're trying to see something—they just know it. It's a gift. They don't want you to pay them. It's a kind of burden they carry. The good news, or maybe bad news, is that all of them say that death is not the end. On the contrary, it's just the beginning of a long and fucking hard road." V Opening Friday Biutiful Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu Written by González Iñárritu, Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone Starring Javier Bardem

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INTERVIEW // WAR DRAMA

Evidence of escape

has the capacity to go a month or more without food. But not water. You've got to have that within 48 hours or so.

Director Peter Weir found proof of The Way Back hallucinatory legal drama The Last Wave (1977). Weir's a rare talent who ushers a personal touch into films of the greatest possible scale. He's also remarkably humble, charming and articulate.

Ed Harris takes The Way Back Josef Braun // josef@vueweekly.com

he Way Back, Peter Weir's adaptation of Slawomir Rawicz's The Long Walk, concerns a group of prisoners who escaped the Gulag in 1941 and travelled by foot from Siberia to India. The difference in the titles of the film and book already imply something of Weir's authorial stamp: Weir's story is imbued with a sense of destination absent in Rawicz's narrative. Yet the journey itself remains central to The Way Back, its lasting impressions deriving primarily from images of unfathomably exhausted bodies staggering across seemingly endless

terrain like semi-mummified pilgrims, of the small victories of finding food and shelter, and of the blisters and chapped skin that transform the topography of Ed Harris' wisened face. These days we might associate Weir primarily with his extraordinary streak of Oscar-winners like Witness (1985), Dead Poets Society (1989) and The Truman Show (1998), but consider how unlikely a candidate for Hollywood A-lists Weir seemed in his early years, working in his native Australia—a country that had almost no film industry to speak of when Weir started out—helming something as rigorously atmospheric and unresolved as Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) or the equally mysterious, apocalyptic and

VUE WEEKLY: What drew you to The Long Walk? PETER WEIR: I think it was what it usually is, which is an emotional connection to a script or book, a feeling of discovery that I can't get off my mind for days after having put it down. When that happens I've already started to make it, in my mind, imagining how a scene might be realized. With The Long Walk I kept asking myself certain questions. Could I have done it? Would I have had the strength? What was it in those people that kept them going? Still, I thought it needed something else. What I added, amongst other things, was the idea that it was his wife he wanted to get back to after she'd betrayed him. I didn't want it to be just like an Olympic event or something. [Laughs]

VW: Did you read the book presuming it to be entirely factual? PW: Oh, yes. It was an afterthought when I asked the producers, "This is true, isn't it?" And they confessed that there was always some controversy about whether or not Rawicz was on the walk. So I told them I can't do it—if there's doubts then that sort of destroys it. But then I suggested that if we can prove that the walk happened, with or without Rawicz, then I'll do the movie, but I'll fictionalize it. So that's the way it went. I found evidence and went ahead and changed the characters, changed the title, and freed myself from this man's book. VW: It raises interesting questions about which kinds of stories we accept as fiction and which we need to regard as fact

in order to surrender to them. I guess for you this was the latter sort. You needed to know it was true. PW: Yes. Once I was able to take some distance from the book, to use the "inspired by" credit, I then became obsessed with getting everything within the story as truthful as possible. The characters I was redrawing, the incidents they went through, the behavior, the life in the camp, I wanted all of this sourced back to true accounts or interviews with survivors of the Gulag. VW: How important was it for you to give us some sense of just how arduous an experience the events in The Way Back would have been? How do you find a balance between conveying such hardship and crafting some thoughtful, adult entertainment? PW: That's very much the question that confronted the editor and myself. I had a CONTINUED ON PAGE 21 >>

VW: Was there a particular element of the story that compelled you? PW: Yes. It was to be without water. I remember going without water for just a day at home, wondering about that feeling. Kind of a silly way to do research. [Laughs] But it's easier to imagine starving, because we know from hunger strikes that a body

COMMENT >> DVD

Animated oddities

Strangeness abounds in A Country Doctor & Other Fantastic Films It's deep winter, and the old doctor's horse event relayed in Kafka's seven-page story lies dead in the snow. His assistant goes through colour-deprived images of figures door to door asking neighbours to lend whose limbs and heads balloon randomly out their horse so that the doctor can as they move about and a first-person make the 10-mile journey to call narration read by not one but two on a sick child, but it's only when voices, evoking demonic possesthe doctor decides on a whim sion. The doctor's facial expresto investigate the contents of sion and body language do little om eekly.c his own forgotten pig stall that to enhance our understand@vuew e v ti c he finds transportation. Led by dvddete ing of the character however. f Jose a mischievous stable hand, two Yamamura seems content to Braun illustrate Kafka's strange tale in a enormous black horses with ivory marbles for eyes squeeze out of the distinctively dreamlike, fairly compelcramped stall like newborns spilling from ling style and leave it at that, which seems a womb. You never know what you'll find perplexing when you compare "A Country on your own property, the assistant, soon Doctor" (2007) to the bulk of the 13 films to become the stable hand's potential rape in Zeitgeist's collection, which are nothing if victim, exclaims, and the doctor is on his not restlessly imaginative, so much so that way to an apparently healthy patient that watching just a few in a row can prove a politely requests that he be allowed to die tiresome experience. and a mass of villagers that seem to be conspiring against the doctor for reasons The multiple award-winning, Oscar-nomunknown. They take off all his clothes and inated "Mt. Head" (2002) is probably the stuff him into bed with the peculiar boy most well known of the films here. It tells now in his care. the story of an old miser who eats so many The titular 20-minute animated film that cherry pits that a cherry tree sprouts from constitutes the centerpiece of Franz Kafhis head and becomes a beloved gathering ka's A Country Doctor & Other Fantastic place for families and weekend warriors. It's Films by Koji Yamamura is an extremely a clever, enjoyable, slightly spooky piece, faithful, which is to say oddly literal, adapthough like most of the more recent films tation. It diligently realizes each and every seems less characteristic of Yamamura's

DVCD TIVE

DETE

work as a whole. The early "Aquatic" (1987) finds a young Narcissus studying his reflection in a river until his reflection reveals a bizarre sea creature to be staring back. The water's surface and the sky above become interchangeable. Amorphous life forms constantly come into being. The result is an essentially formless mediation in fluidity and visual depth that just sort of grooves along until it doesn't anymore. In the more urbanthemed "Perspektivenbox" (1989) the parade of imagery seems to finally end for no other reason than it eventually gets dark outside. In "Your Choice!" (1999), made in collaboration with students in the US and Japan, a barber with a half-moon head seeks a light bulb. In "Bavel's Book" (1996) two kids find a book at a bus stop that transports them to another realm. In "Child's Metaphysics" (2007) a boy sneezes, blowing out his candle nose, while a literal birdbrain hovers trapped within a skull cage. No 10 seconds of screen-time in any of Yamamura's films are anything less than inventive—the only problem is that so little of it adds up to very much, so sometimes 10 seconds feels like enough. So in a sense, you might say that A Country Doctor & Other Fantastic Films makes ideal viewing for people with extreme short-term memory loss. There's always something new! V

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

FILM // 19

Throw Down Your Heart

Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune

Sat, Feb 26 (7 pm) Sun, Feb 27 (9 pm) Directed by Sascha Paladino Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave)

change through music-as-reportage seemed plausible, Ochs was on top of the world. When the world proved less capable of change than Ochs and his more idealistic peers had hoped, Ochs's music began to recede from the charts, while Ochs himself slid into a downward spiral marked by alcoholism and despair. He was strangled by thieves in Africa. They spared his life but wrecked his vocal chords. He finally hung himself in his sister's home. He was 35.

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With Throw Down Your Heart, banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck explores the banjo's heartland, travelling abroad to Uganda, Tanzania, Gambia and Mali, scouring both town and country for African musicians of all varieties. Fleck manages to collaborate with dozens of artists including Ami Sacko, Oumou Sangare, Djelimady Tounkara, Walusimbi Haruna, Anania Ngoliga, The Jatta Family, Harouna Samaki and even a Maasai tribe. These recordings Fleck gathered on his pilgrimage have already supplied three more Grammys for his crowded trophy shelf. As cliché as the phrase has become, this music is truly like no other. The American banjo, descendant of the African "Akonting"—a fretless three-string instrument that carries a tinny percussive sound—has never accompanied even one of the numerous African genres. Only one of the artists Fleck jams with has even seen a banjo before. The themes outside the music are as much a part of understanding Africa's musical heritage as the recordings themselves. Much of the musical footage is cut together with shots of women at work, or children dancing, or men in discussion. As Walusimbi Haruna expresses early on in the film: "Music is in every aspect of our lives." This emphasis on music as a "thing we do to forget our struggles" imbues the entire film with a sense of joy and a strength in family and community. Therein lies the virtue of Throw Down Your Heart as a film. The main premise is only a tool to communicate something much more cultural. The footage Fleck's step brother, director Sascha Paladino, captures avoids any of the staples of Africa as usually depicted

20 // FILM

Tracing the banjo through African roots

by America. You will not find a single animal mugging for the camera nor will you find any typical World Vision stock. There are no disheartened children nor potshots at African poverty. The tone of the picture has been refined of any notion of First-World superiority. Rather, Fleck seems humbly absorbed by the wealth of Africa's tradition, both instrumentally and otherwise. With this colonial lense removed, Throw Down Your Heart depicts an Africa we can be envious of. This genuine portrayal of life in Africa in all its majesty and bliss is such a refreshing paradigm shift from the problem addled Africa we are so often barraged with. For example, Fleck is visibly moved when Haruna takes him to his father's grave and the two of them, by tradition, place a small stone into a small window in the tomb as if to say "I am together with you." The film is full of moments like this that transcend the musical pretense and comment on the bettering cultural virtues Africa has maintained and, by polished exformation, America has not. Joe Gurba

// joe@vueweekly.com

A peer of Dylan

Sat, Feb 26 (9 pm) Mon, Feb 28 (7 pm) Written and directed by Kenneth Bowser Metro Cinema (9828 - 101A Ave)

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Phil Ochs went to New York to become the world's greatest songwriter, but he met Bob Dylan and thereafter amended his ambition: he'd settle for second greatest. Dylan, who does not appear in Kenneth Bowser's Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune, was reportedly unkind to Ochs, despite a friendship that would last until Ochs' death in 1976. Yet Dylan's advice to Ochs, his insistence that songs be grounded in the personal as much as the political, tells us a great deal about the difference between these mutually singleminded, era-defining artists. Unlike Dylan, whose best work often plays as memoir, Ochs was committed to the song as editorial, addressing injustice through a lens of black humour rendered more ironic still through the nasal boyishness of his vocal delivery. So long as the dream of social

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

There but for Fortune brims with talking heads, including many who knew Ochs intimately, such as Joan Baez, Ed Sanders and Ochs' brother Michael, who served as the film's co-producer, and others who take inspiration from Ochs' legacy, such as Billy Bragg, Christopher Hitchens and Sean Penn. These commentators collectively chronicle the significant episodes in Ochs' life, while Bowser and editor Pamela Scott Arnold emphasize the political events that shaped his art and psyche. Carefully incorporating an immense trove of archival material, There but for Fortune can't be faulted with neglecting to relay the facts. Where the film does seem to fall short is in its exploration of the truths behind the facts. Bowser is too respectful to be more precise about Ochs' bad habits and failings as a family man. More importantly, Bowser refrains from delving below the surface of his subjects' testimonies, from questioning why such a giant failed to secure an enduring place in the popular culture of his lifetime or maintain a posthumous renown as vibrant as many of his contemporaries. Ochs was nothing if not opinionated and daring. Ochs had a perspective, which is something you can't really say about Bowser's work here. Still, see the film, and be grateful to Bowser for reminding us of this very special talent whose contributions arguably have no equivalent in today's music. Josef Braun

// josef@vueweekly.com

Unknown

Now playing Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra Written by Oliver Butcher, Stephen Cornwell, Didier Van Cauwelaert Starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones

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Unknown hits the ground driving—we're quickly plunged into a river with Martin Harris (played by Liam Neeson with graying gravitas) after the taxi he's in has a freak accident on Berlin's streets. His driver (Diane Kruger) rescues him but disappears, leaving Martin to recover in hospital, his memory slowly returning, then taking us with him out into a wintry thriller of icy blondes, identity confusion and one pseudo-McGuffin of a lost suitcase, waiting to be opened. These Hitchcockian features work themselves out rather nicely, while the story (based on Didier Van Cauwelaert's novel) plays deftly with the notion of the "hero." And director Collet-Serra's grounding of Unknown in Berlin's hotels, clubs, motels, subways and tramlines makes for some thrillingly down-to-earth moments. But the social-realist veneer (Kruger's weak accent in her turn as a Bosnian illegal immigrant doesn't help) is soon scraped away to reveal a James Bond-like level of international intrigue, massive explosions and streetsprawling car chases that-never-happen-tohurt-anyone. The action sequences blur together and spin out after a while. The often taut, cleverly twisting plot's never hard to follow, but

EVIDENCE OF ESCAPE

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

lot more anecdotal material as they went on, but it made the film too grueling or diffused the tension. So the questions became when to move, and at what rate? You have to believe they experienced these things but it reached a point where it was punishing. But I don't think that's what audiences will find involving. I think it's that we stripped the film of most Hollywood conventions. There's no wicked, sadistic commandant who's obsessed with capturing them, therefore there's no chase. Nature is the prison. There's very few cliffhanger incidents, people clinging to a rope after having fallen down a crevasse or something. The music is also held back. These craft choices increase the film's emotional strength. You feel you're beginning to know the characters, so when you lose one it has a greater impact. VW: So many of your films deal with survival and self-reliance. What is it about these themes that keep luring you back?

Why you should always carry your passport on you when abroad

discoveries are over-explained and Martin's struggle—his wife (January Jones, playing a non-variation of her cold Mad Men character) doesn't recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) is impersonating him at the city's biogenetics conference—could've all been avoided if (travel tip!) he'd just kept his passport on his person. The German supporting cast fills the movie with touches of everyday humanity: Karl Markovics (The Counterfeiters) as a concerned doctor, Bruno Ganz (Downfall) as a pensive but wearied ex-Stasi investigator, Sebastian Koch (The Lives of Others)

as a well-meaning botanist. There's even a gritty scene where a taxi-service operator rants about illegal immigration in Germany while his obviously immigrant employee translates to Martin. This flick's often exciting cosmopolitan mix contradicts the operator's racism—for a movie directed by a Spaniard, based on a French book, set in Germany and starring an Irishman as an American, Unknown's not a muddle at all. But it doesn't quite reach a perfect European union of all its elements, either. Brian Gibson

// brian@vueweekly.com

PW: I think it was Robert Hughes, the Australian art critic, who talked about the gunpowdered trial that leads back to childhood. Primal experiences stay with you. In my case I was reading adventure books and biographies of individuals who'd been in prisons and POW camps. The Wooden Horse, Stalag 17, Reach For the Sky, and so on. Then at 20 I went to Europe by sea, which was the cheapest way back then. It changed my life. I got a sense of the vastness of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. I realized how far I lived from Europe, from my roots. Then I was hitchhiking through Europe, as you could do in 1965. I think those experiences have probably tilted me more than I would have thought toward the subjects I've put on film. V Opening Friday The Way Back Directed by Peter Weir Written by Weir, Keith Clarke Starring Jim Sturges, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell

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VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

FILM // 21

FILM WEEKLY FRI, FEB 25, 2011 – THU, MAR 3, 2011 s

CHABA THEATRE�JASPER 6094 Connaught Dr, Jasper, 780.852.4749

THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) FRI�SAT 7:00, 9:10; SUN�THU 8:00 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) FRI�SAT 7:00, 9:10; SUN�THU 8:00

CINEMA CITY MOVIES 12 5074-130 Ave, 780.472.9779

THE DILEMMA (PG coarse language) DAILY 1:25, 4:40, 7:20, 9:50

THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend)DAILY 12:40, 3:20, 6:30, 9:15

THE LION OF PUNJAB (STC) DAILY 1:30, 4:55, 8:15

THE MECHANIC (18A brutal violence) FRI, SUN�THU 2:10, 5:20, 7:50, 10:25; SAT 5:20, 7:50, 10:25

THE TOURIST (PG coarse language) DAILY 9:00 TRON: LEGACY 3D (PG) DAILY 1:20, 4:00, 6:50, 9:40

CINEPLEX ODEON NORTH 14231-137 Ave, 780.732.2236

BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (PG) DAILY 1:10, 3:50, 7:05, 9:55 DRIVE ANGRY (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content) No passes, Ultraavx DAILY 2:00, 5:00, 8:00, 10:30 GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D ( G) DAILY 12:30, 2:45, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50

7 KHOON MAAF (14A sexual violence, substance abuse) Hindi W/E.S.T. DAILY 1:35, 4:50, 8:00

HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) No passes DAILY 1:20, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA�VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER 3D (PG frightening scenes) DAILY 1:05, 4:25, 7:00, 9:30

I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) Digital Cinema DAILY 1:50, 4:40, 7:40, 10:20

COUNTRY STRONG (PG substance abuse, coarse language) DAILY 1:50, 4:35, 7:10, 9:50

JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) Digital Cinema DAILY 1:40, 4:30, 7:20, 10:15

GULLIVER’S TRAVELS (PG) DAILY 1:45, 4:15, 6:30

JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER � DIRECTOR'S FAN CUT 3D (STC) No passes FRI�SAT, MON�THU 1:45, 4:50, 7:35, 10:10; SUN 4:50, 7:35, 10:10

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (PG frightening scenes, violence, not recommended for young children) DAILY 1:10, 4:45, 7:50 LITTLE FOCKERS (PG crude sexual content, not recommended for young children) DAILY 1:40, 4:30, 7:15, 9:45

NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) DAILY 1:30, 4:10, 7:15, 10:05

MEGAMIND (G) DAILY 1:15, 3:50, 6:40

SANCTUM (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) DAILY 1:15, 4:00, 6:50

PATIALA HOUSE (PG) Hindi W/E.S.T. DAILY 1:00, 4:00, 7:30

THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) DAILY 9:30

SEASON OF THE WITCH (14A violence) DAILY 9:15

THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) DAILY 12:45, 3:30, 7:00, 9:45

TANNU WEDS MANNU (STC) DAILY 2:00, 5:00, 8:30

TRUE GRIT (14A violence) DAILY 1:00, 3:40, 6:40, 9:20 UNKNOWN (14A violence) DAILY 12:50, 3:45, 6:45, 9:40 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: IPHIG�NIE EN TAU� RIDE (Classification not available) SAT 11:00 DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (STC) SUN 12:30

CINEPLEX ODEON SOUTH 1525-99 St, 780.436.8585

127 HOURS (14A gory scenes, disturbing content) FRI� SUN 12:50, 3:25, 5:45, 8:00, 10:15; MON�THU 1:00, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:15 BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (PG) FRI� SUN 10:00; MON�THU 9:40 BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) FRI�SAT 12:00, 2:45, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45; SUN 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:15; MON�THU 1:55, 4:30, 7:00, 9:25 DRIVE ANGRY (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content)Ultraavx, No passes FRI�SAT 12:45, 3:15, 5:50, 8:30, 11:00; SUN 12:45, 3:15, 5:50, 8:15, 10:40; MON�THU 1:45, 4:45, 7:40, 10:15 GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) FRI�SAT 12:00, 2:10, 4:20, 6:30, 8:40, 10:50; SUN 12:00, 2:10, 4:20, 6:30, 8:40, 10:40; MON�THU 1:15, 3:30, 5:35, 7:45, 9:50 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) FRI�SUN 12:30, 2:40, 5:00, 7:30; MON�THU 1:00, 3:15, 5:20, 7:30 HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) No passes FRI�SAT 12:30, 2:55, 5:30, 8:10, 10:45; SUN 12:30, 2:55, 5:30, 8:10, 10:40; MON�THU 1:30, 4:10, 7:45, 10:10 I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) FRI�SAT 12:15, 3:00, 5:30, 8:15, 10:45; SUN 12:10, 2:35, 5:00, 7:40, 10:15; MON�THU 2:30, 5:00, 7:40, 10:15 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) FRI�SAT 12:00, 2:40, 5:25, 8:10, 11:00; SUN 12:00, 2:40, 5:15, 7:55, 10:30; MON�THU 1:00, 4:00, 6:40, 9:20 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER�DIRECTOR'S FAN CUT 3D (STC) No passes FRI�SUN 12:10, 2:40, 5:20, 7:55, 10:30; MON�THU 2:00, 4:30, 7:10, 9:45 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 12:45, 3:30, 6:45, 9:20; MON�THU 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:10 SANCTUM (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) FRI�SAT 12:10, 2:40, 5:00, 7:40, 10:30; SUN 12:10, 2:40, 5:00, 7:40, 10:25; MON�THU 1:15, 3:40, 7:35, 10:10 THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) FRI 12:20, 3:00, 5:45, 8:30, 11:10; Sat 3:00, 5:45, 8:30, 11:10; SUN 12:20, 3:30, 7:15, 10:00; MON�THU 1:15, 4:15, 7:20, 10:00 THE GREEN HORNET 3D (14A violence, coarse language) FRI�SAT 12:00, 2:35, 5:20, 8:00, 10:40; SUN 12:00, 2:35, 5:20, 8:00, 10:30; MON�THU 1:10, 3:50, 7:35, 10:10 THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend)FRI� SAT 12:15, 2:50, 5:20, 8:00, 10:35; SUN 12:15, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:25; MON�THU 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:05 TRUE GRIT (14A violence) FRI�SAT 12:30, 3:00, 5:45, 8:25, 10:50; SUN�THU 1:45, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30 UNKNOWN (14A violence) FRI�SUN 12:15, 2:45, 5:10, 7:45, 10:15; MON�THU 1:30, 4:10, 7:10, 9:50 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: IPHIG�NIE EN TAU� RIDE (Classification not available) SAT 11:00

CITY CENTRE 9 10200-102 Ave, 780.421.7020

BIUTIFUL (14A coarse language, disturbing content, nudity) Stadium Seating, Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:00, 3:20, 6:30, 9:50 HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) No passes, Stadium Seating, Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:30, 3:05, 7:00, 10:00 UNKNOWN (14A violence) Dolby Stereo Digital, No passes DAILY 12:50, 3:45, 7:30, 10:15 DRIVE ANGRY (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content) Stadium Seating, Digital 3d, DTS Digital DAILY 12:05, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 BARNEY'S VERSION (14A coarse language, sexual content, substance abuse) Stadium Seating, DTS Digital FRI�TUE, THU 12:15, 3:25, 6:35, 9:45; WED 12:15, 3:25, 9:45 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) No passes, Stadium Seating, Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:40, 3:30, 6:50, 10:10 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) Stadium Seating, Digital 3d, DTS Digital DAILY 12:15, 2:30, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) Stadium Seating, Dolby Stereo Digital DAILY 12:25, 3:10, 7:10, 10:05

CLAREVIEW 10 4211-139 Ave, 780.472.7600

NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) FRI 4:05, 6:45; SAT�SUN, THU 1:30, 4:05, 6:45; MON� WED 5:35 THE ROOMMATE (14A violence) FRI 4:50, 7:20, 9:55; SAT�SUN, THU 2:10, 4:50, 7:20, 9:55; MON�WED 5:50, 8:40

22 // FILM

JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) FRI 3:55, 6:40, 9:25; SAT�SUN, THU 1:10, 3:55, 6:40, 9:25; MON�WED 5:25, 8:15 UNKNOWN (14A violence) No passes FRI 4:00, 6:55, 9:35; SAT�SUN 1:20, 4:00, 6:55, 9:35; MON�WED 5:20, 8:20; THU 1:20, 4:00, 6:55, 9:35 I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) FRI 4:20, 7:00, 9:40; SAT� SUN, THU 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40; MON�WED 5:30, 8:25

THE KING’S SPEECH (PG language may offend) DAILY 7:00, 9:35 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) SAT�MON 1:10, 3:25

METRO CINEMA 9828-101A Ave, Citadel Theatre, 780.425.9212

BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (PG) FRI 4:30, 7:10, 9:45; SAT�SUN, THU 1:45, 4:30, 7:10, 9:45; MON� WED 5:10, 8:05

WORLDS OF SOUND: THE BALLAD OF FOLK� WAYS/EDMONTON TONIGHT (FEB 2011) (STC) FRI 7:00, 10:30

JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER�DIRECTOR'S FAN CUT 3D (STC) Digital 3d FRI 3:50, 6:30, 9:15; SAT� SUN, THU 1:00, 3:50, 6:30, 9:15; MON�WED 5:00, 7:45

BELA FLECK: THROW DOWN YOUR HEART (STC) SAT 7:00; SUN 9:00

HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) No passes FRI 4:10, 6:50, 9:30; SAT�SUN, THU 1:25, 4:10, 6:50, 9:30; MON�WED 5:15, 8:00 DRIVE ANGRY (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content) FRI 4:40, 7:15, 9:50; SAT�SUN, THU 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50; MON�WED 5:40, 8:30

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

DRIVE ANGRY (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content) DAILY 6:50 9:10; SAT�SUN 1:50 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) DAILY 6:45, 9:15; Sat-Sun 1:45 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) DAILY 7:05, 9:05; SAT�SUN 2:05 I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) DAILY 6:55, 9:20; SAT�SUN 1:55 UNKNOWN (14A violence) DAILY 7:00 9:25; SAT�SUN 2:00

EDMONTON FILM SOCIETY Royal Alberta Museum, 102 Ave, 128 St, royalalbertamuseum.ca/events/movies/movies.cfm

THE BIRDS (PG) MON 8:00

GALAXY�SHERWOOD PARK 2020 Sherwood Dr, Sherwood Park 780-416-0150

DRIVE ANGRY 3D (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content) No passes FRI 3:30, 7:20, 10:00; SAT�SUN 12:00, 3:30, 7:20, 10:00; Mon-Thu 7:20, 10:00 GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) FRI 4:20, 6:40, 9:00; SAT�SUN 11:45, 2:00, 4:20, 6:40, 9:00; MON�THU 6:40, 9:00 HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) No passes FRI 3:20, 7:10, 9:50; SAT� SUN 12:30, 3:20, 7:10, 9:50; MON�THU 7:10, 9:50; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00 I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) FRI 3:50, 6:50, 9:55; Sat-Sun 1:00, 3:50, 6:50, 9:55; MON�THU 6:50, 9:55; Star & Strollers Screening: WED 1:00 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) FRI 4:00, 6:45, 9:30; SAT�SUN 1:10, 4:00, 6:45, 9:30; MON�THU 6:45, 9:30 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER�DIRECTOR'S FAN CUT 3D (STC) No passes FRI 3:50, 6:30, 9:10; SAT�SUN 12:40, 3:50, 6:30, 9:10; MON�THU 6:30, 9:10 NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) FRI�SAT 4:10, 7:35, 10:10; SUN 1:20, 4:10, 7:35, 10:10; MON�TUE, THU 7:35, 10:10; WED 10:10 THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) FRI 3:40, 7:30, 10:05; SAT�SUN 12:50, 3:40, 7:30, 10:05; MON 10:05; TUE�THU 7:30, 10:05 THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) FRI 3:45, 7:00, 9:40; SAT�SUN 12:20, 3:45, 7:00, 9:40; MON�THU 7:00, 9:40 UNKNOWN (14A violence) FRI 3:10, 7:40, 10:15; SAT�SUN 12:10, 3:10, 7:40, 10:15; MON�THU 7:40, 10:15 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: IPHIG�NIE EN TAU� RIDE (Classification not available) SAT 11:00 SPIKE AND MIKE'S SICK AND TWISTED FES� TIVAL OF ANIMATION 2011 (Classification not available) Wed 5:00

GARNEAU

8712-109 St, 780.433.0728

INCENDIES (14A disturbing content, mature subject matter) DAILY 6:45, 9:15; SAT�MON 2:00

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

Date of issue only: THU, FEB 24 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) No passes THU, FEB 2: 1:45, 4:25, 7:00, 9:10 THE KING’S SPEECH (PG language may offend) THU, FEB 2: 1:30, 4:15, 6:55, 9:10 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) No passes THU, FEB 2: 12:55, 2:45, 4:30, 6:20, 8:05, 9:40 NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) THU, FEB 2: 5:20, 7:20, 9:20 TANGLED (G) THU, FEB 2: 1:10, 3:15 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) No passes THU, FEB 2: 1:00 3:00, 5:00, 7:10, 9:15

LEDUC CINEMAS

Leduc, 780.352.3922

THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) FRI�SUN, THU 9:20; MON�WED 8:10

HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) SAT�SUN 1:10, 3:25; DAILY 7:10, 9:25

GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) Digital 3d FRI 4:15, 6:35, 8:50; SAT�SUN, THU 1:50, 4:15, 6:35, 8:50; MON� WED 4:50, 7:50

I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) DAILY 7:05, 9:40; SAT�MON 1:05, 3:40

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) DAILY 6:55, 9:30; SAT�SUN 12:55, 3:30

PHIL OCHS: THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE (STC) SAT 9:00; MON 7:00 M FOR MISSISSIPPI: A ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE BLUES (STC) SUN 7:00; MON 9:00 ==

PARKLAND CINEMA 7

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

HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) DAILY 7:10, 9:25; SAT�SUN, TUE 1:10, 3:25 DRIVE ANGRY (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content) DAILY 7:15, 9:30; SAT�SUN, TUE 1:15, 3:30 BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (PG) DAILY 6:50, 9:00; SAT�SUN, TUE 12:50, 3:00 GNOMEO AND JULIET (G) SAT�SUN, TUE 1:00, 3:20 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) DAILY 7:00, 9:20 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) DAILY 6:45, 9:05; SAT�SUN, TUE 12:45, 3:05 I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) DAILY 7:05, 9:15; SAT�TUE 1:05, 3:15 UNKNOWN (14A violence) DAILY 6:55, 9:10; SAT� SUN, TUE 12:55, 3:10

PRINCESS 10337-82 Ave, 780.433.0728

ANOTHER YEAR (14A) DAILY 6:45; SAT�SUN 1:00 THE ILLUSIONIST (PG) DAILY 9:15; SAT�SUN 3:30 BLACK SWAN (14A sexual content, disturbing content, not recommended for children) DAILY 9:10; SAT�SUN 3:20 THE FIGHTER (14A coarse language, substance abuse) DAILY 7:00; SAT�SUN 1:10

SCOTIABANK THEATRE WEM

WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.444.2400

DRIVE ANGRY (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content) DAILY 1:40, 4:40, 7:40, 10:30 GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) DAILY 12:30, 2:40, 4:50, 7:00, 9:10 HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) DAILY 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:10 I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG frightening scenes, not recommended for young children) DAILY 12:45, 3:45, 7:30, 10:00; DAILY 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:45 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) DAILY 12:50, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER�DIREC� TOR'S FAN CUT 3D (STC) DAILY 12:40, 3:40, 6:30, 9:30 NO STRINGS ATTACHED (14A sexual content, substance abuse, not recommended for children) DAILY 9:40 SANCTUM (14A coarse language, gory scenes, not recommended for children) DAILY 1:00, 4:00, 6:40 THE EAGLE (PG violence, not recommended for young children) DAILY 1:50, 4:45, 7:50, 10:30 THE GREEN HORNET 3D (14A violence, coarse language) DAILY 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15 THE KING'S SPEECH (PG language may offend) DAILY 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:20 UNKNOWN (14A violence) DAILY 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:20 METROPOLITAN OPERA: I PURITANI (Classification not available) SAT 11:00

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 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 JUST GO WITH IT (PG crude content) DTS Digital FRI 7:00, 9:50; SAT�SUN 3:50, 7:00, 9:50 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

WETASKIWIN CINEMAS Wetaskiwin, 780.352.3922

JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER 3D (G) DAILY 6:55, 9:30 GNOMEO AND JULIET 3D (G) SAT�SUN 1:10, 3:25 UNKNOWN (14A violence) SAT�SUN 1:05, 3:40; DAILY 7:05, 9:40 DRIVE ANGRY (18A gory brutal violence, sexual content) SAT�SUN 1:10, 3:35; DAILY 7:10, 9:35 HALL PASS (14A nudity, crude sexual content, substance abuse) SAT�SUN 1:00, 3:25; DAILY 7:00, 9:25

MUSIC Why not use the chair? Yann Tiersen lets the sounds come to him PAul Blinov // paul@vueweekly.com

think French is a beautiful language, but, oh, a strange way of thinking sometimes." Yann Tiersen sighs. "It's a lot about analyzing stuff. It's really complicated." He means musically. The France-born musician is talking about Dust Lane, his most recent album and first entirely in English. There are a few reasons he's become more comfortable writing in a second language: most of his friends nowadays speak it and, from a songwriter's perspective, Tiersen's found a directness to English that's ideal for pairing a line of text to a melody. Tiersen recalls seeing a quote with the English and French translations side by side: in English it was two lines long; en Français, it was seven. "It's really hard to be simple with French," he says. Point made. But Tiersen's music doesn't rely on language any more than any other part of his musical ensemble. He calls music itself "a question of sounds. It's not a language ... just sound." Words are just another instrument the band plays, another texture they shape, rather than a front-and-centre anchor for songs. If English is the quickest way of getting there for Tiersen right now, so be it. His compositions—it feels like a truer term than calling them songs—wrap vocals around guitar, melodica, xylophone and a variety of instruments, including the sounds of a chair scraping, with extra distortion added. For Lane, which instrumentally sounds like Godspeed! You Black Emperor taking a serene pop bender, he pulls out more vocals than he has before, from the subtle choir on "Dark Stuff" to the joyous, come-hither duet on "Fuck me." Every track has them in there, hiding in a sonic crevase or front and centre. They were part of the only parameter he set for himself on Dust Lane: no instrumental tracks. "The idea was that I didn't want instrumental tracks. I wanted to have vocals on every song," he says. "I was quite frustrated with instrumental tracks; I miss the lyrics, sometimes," he says. "I don't know ... and because I like vocals a lot. In the past, when I was making some songs, I would be frustrated as well, because it would be too much focusing on the lyrics and the vocals. "It was kind of a liberation for me, with the voice, and the vocals," he continues. In the past, I don't know ... [I was] Thinking too much about songwriting in a classical way. Maybe because I said to myself, I want vocals on every song, I realized I can have vocals as an instrument, or as textures and new layers."

Yann Tiersen: nowhere near a chair

Tiersen's name might ring familiar in your ear. He crafted the Amélie soundtrack, only to be forever after pegged as a composer when it became a sleeper hit in North America. Yet, most of the soundtrack was culled from his alreadyexisting solo albums. Dust Lane is his sixth record; it took two years to complete: during the same time, he produced an album for a French singer, did some side projects, toured and wrote some music for a documentary. Coming back to Dust Lane when he could allowed him to revisit his ideas with fresh eyes every time: it is, he notes, how he'd like to write music in the future. Tiersen found that setting songs aside lets the momentary sparks of genius develop

organically, rather than pushing the envelope just to do it. "For me, the goal is to just reach a kind of freedom where you can use— not on purpose, but naturally, in an instinct way—any sort of noises or sounds," Tiersen says. "It can be instruments; it can be a guitar. But it can be something else ... I don't want to start an album thinking, 'Oh yes, I need to be experimental.' But sometimes it's magical, because it happens—'Oh, why not use the chair?'—and when it works, it's great." V Tue, Mar 1 (8 pm) Yann Tiersen Starlite Room, $25.75

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

MUSIC // 23

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

THU FEB 24 ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE folk/jazz/pop/singer-songwriter live music; Tyler Butler, Brody Irvine (folk/singer-songwriter); 9:30pm-11:30pm; no minors; no cover ARDEN THEATRE Red Stick Ramblers; 7:30pm; sold out BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Jazz Thursday Nite: Erin Craig Trio; 8pm; $8/$5 (student); last set free BLUES ON WHYTE Kirk Fletcher (blues/R&B); 9pm CARROT CAFÉ Zoomers Thu afternoon open mic; 1-4pm CENTURY CASINO Front Porch Roots Revue, Kat Danser THE COMMON Destination Tokyo: Lunice, Prison Garde, Ango, Jacques Greene (workshop/ concert); 8pm (workshop), 10pm (concert); $5 CROWN AND ANCHOR The Shakedowns; 8:30pm; $5 or donation for the food bank THE DOCKS Thu night rock and metal jam DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Thu at 9pm DV8 Acoustic Chaos Thursdays: bring your guitars, basses, drums, whatever and play some tunes EARLY STAGE SALOON�Stony Plain David Celia EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Winter Roots and Blues Roundup: Danser, Bill Bourne, David Gogo, John Rutherford, hosted by Holger Petersen; 4pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Bob Cook and the Mucho Nada Band, Stephanie Harpe Band, REND; 8pm HYDEAWAY�Jekyll and Hyde All Ages Open Stage Jam; 7pm J AND R Open jam rock 'n' roll; every Thu; 9pm L.B.'S PUB Open country jam with Kenny Skoreyko, Fred Larose and Gordy Mathews (Shaved Posse) every Thu; 9pm-1am MARYBETH'S COFFEE HOUSE�Beaumont Open mic every Thu; 7pm NAKED CYBER CAFÉ Open stage every Thu, 9pm; no cover NEST�NAIT Indie Night at the Nest: Sean Pinchin and Sarah Burton; weekly free show every Thu; 4:30pm NEW CITY LEGION The Mahones (Celtic/folk/punk), The River City Rat Band; 8pm NORTH GLENORA HALL Jam by Wild Rose Old Time Fiddlers every Thu O'BYRNE'S Maple Tea (rock); 8:15pm RIC’S GRILL Peter Belec (jazz); every 2nd Thu; 7-10pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Jim Lee; $5 SECOND CUP�Varscona Live music every Thu night; 7-9pm STARLITE ROOM City of Fire (members from Fear Factory, Econoline Crush, Strapping Young Lad, Shocore), Eye of Odin, Order of Chaos, This is War; 8pm WILD BILL’S�Red Deer TJ the DJ every Thu and Fri; 10pm-close WILD WEST SALOON Tera Lee YARDBIRD SUITE Winter Roots and Blues Roundup: The Women of Folkways with Rosalie Sorrels, Maria Dunn, Lizzy Hoyt, hosted by Kat Danser; 8pm; $20 at TIX on the Square, Blackbyrd

DJs 180 DEGREES DJ every Thu BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Tight Jams: every Thu with Mike B and Brosnake; Wooftop Lounge: various musical flavas including Funk, Indie Dance/Nu

24 // MUSIC

Disco, Breaks, Drum and Bass, House with DJ Gundam; Underdog: Dub, Reggae, Dancehall, Ska, Calypso, and Soca with Topwise Soundsystem BRIXX Radio Brixx: Rock 'n' Roll with Tommy Grimes; 8pm BUDDY'S Men’s Wet Underwear Contest every Thu with DJ Phon3 Hom3; 9pm (door); no cover before 10pm CENTURY ROOM Lucky 7: Retro '80s with house DJ every Thu; 7pm-close CHROME LOUNGE 123 Ko every Thu THE COMMON So Necessary: Hip hop, classic hip hop, funk, soul, r&b, '80s, oldies and everything in between with Sonny Grimezz, Shortround, Twist every Thu DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Thu; 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Thu FILTHY MCNASTY’S Punk Rock Bingo every Thu with DJ S.W.A.G. FLUID LOUNGE Thirsty Thursdays: Electro breaks Cup; no cover all night FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Requests every Thu with DJ Damian HALO Fo Sho: every Thu with Allout DJs DJ Degree, Junior Brown KAS BAR Urban House: every Thu with DJ Mark Stevens; 9pm LUCKY 13 Sin Thu with DJ Mike Tomas

Square, Blackbyrd FESTIVAL PLACE Cafe Series: Wyatt Easterling (country); 7:30pm; $18 FRESH START BISTRO live music every Fri; Jetlag Played Live (old and new rock); 7-10pm; $10 GAS PUMP The Uptown Jammers (house band); every Fri; 5:30-9pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Mass Choir (dance/electronic), We Were Lovers, The Consonance; 8pm IRISH CLUB Jam session every Fri; 8pm; no cover s IVORY CLUB Duelling piano show every Fri with Jesse, Shane, Tiffany and Erik and guests JEKYLL AND HYDE PUB Headwind (classic pop/rock); every Fri; 9pm; no cover JULIAN'S�Chateau Louis L.B.'S PUB Dandy Little Orchestra; 9:30pm-2am LIZARD LOUNGE Rock 'n' roll open mic every Fri; 8:30pm; no cover NEW CITY LEGION Subcity Dwellers, Hangloose, Preying Saints, Feast or Famine (alt rock), Feast or Famine, Let's Dance; no minors; 9pm; $10 O'BYRNE'S Maple Tea (rock); 9:30pm ON THE ROCKS Dean Lonsdale and the Ramifications, DJs PAWN SHOP Sonic Band Of The Month: Sister Gray POLISH HALL James Cotton

ON THE ROCKS Salsaholic: every Thu; dance lessons at 8pm; salsa DJ to follow

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

PAWN SHOP High Rankin (Uk Dubstep Legend), Phatcat, Degree, Daphutur, Cool Beans, others; $22 at Foosh–Whyte

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Rusty Reed Band; $10

RENDEZVOUS Metal night every Thu SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco: Thu Retro Nights; 7-10:30pm; sports-world.ca STOLLI'S Dancehall: hip hop every Thu with DJ Footnotes hosted by Elle Dirty and ConScience; no cover TAPHOUSE�St Albert Eclectic mix every Thu with DJ Dusty Grooves UNION HALL 123 Thursdays WILD BILL’S�Red Deer TJ the DJ every Thu and Fri; 10pm-close

FRI FEB 25 ARDEN Justin Hines (folk, easy rock); 7:30pm AVENUE THEATRE Raised Fist Presents BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Jagerettes; 10pm-1am BLACKJACK'S ROADHOUSE Ashley; no cover; 9pm BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Winter Roots and Blues Roundup: Grandpa Banana (of the Youngbloods), Joe Nolan; 8pm; $20 at TIX on the Square, Blackbyrd BLUES ON WHYTE Kirk Fletcher (blues/R&B); 9pm BOHEMIA Sara Isabel, In Limbo, guests (acoustic); no minors; 9pm (door), 10pm (show), $5 (door) BRIXX Early Show: Absurd Heroes, Parachute Penguin at 7pm; Late show: Options, Greg Gory, Eddie Lunchpail at 10pm CARROT Live music every Fri; all ages; Brittany Ayotte - The Bridle Party featuring Barobliq; 7pm; $5 (door) CASINO EDMONTON Al Barrett CASINO YELLOWHEAD Blackboard Jungle CENTURY CASINO Bonnie Kilroe Is Patsy Cline; 7pm; tickets at TicketMaster COAST TO COAST Open stage every Fri; 9:30pm THE COMMON Boom The Box: Kenzie Clarke, Kinsella, $Hortee; 8pm; $5 (door) CROWN AND ANCHOR Dawn In The City; 9:30pm; no cover DAVANEY'S IRISH PUB Rob Taylor (pop/folk/rock); 9pm DV8 Slippyfist, Zero Cool, Hellpreacher and Punktured; 9pm12am; Y.E.S. Fundraiser EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Winter Roots and Blues Roundup: Freebo, John Rutherford; 8pm; $20 at TIX on the

ST BASIL'S CULTURAL CENTRE Full Moon Folk Club: Wendel and Wheat, Steve Palmer; 7pm (door), 8pm (show); $17 (adv)/$20 (door)/$10 (child under 12, door) at TIX on the Square STARLITE ROOM Mars and Venus (CD release show), The Flash Jam, Arias, Throttle; 9pm STEEPS�Old Glenora Live Music Fri WILD BILL’S�Red Deer TJ the DJ every Thu and Fri; 10pm-close WILD WEST SALOON Tera Lee WOK BOX Breezy Brian Gregg every Fri; 3:30-5:30pm YARDBIRD SUITE Edmonton Jazz Society: East Van Strings; 9pm (show); $16 (member)/$20 (guest)

Classical MUTTART HALL Caroline Stinson (cello), Sarah Ho (piano); 12:30pm; $30 (adult)/$20 (student/senior) at TIX on the Square, door SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH SANCTUARY Friends in Concert–celebrating 100 years of gospel music: Stephanie Burlie, Lorne Dennis, Deborah Dobbins, Byron Leffler, Darren Leffler, Coleen Martin, Chris Nordstrom, Marleigh Rouault, Shiloh Baptist Church Choir, Andrea and Paul Thorne, Troubadours; 7pm; $10 TRANSALTA ARTS BARNS’ WESTBURY THEATRE. The Barber of Barrhead Fringe Theatre Adventures, Edmonton Opera; 7pm; $18 (adult)/$15 (student/ senior)/$12.50 (child) at Fringe Theatre box office WINSPEAR Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony: Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, William Eddins (conductor); 7:30pm; Afterthoughts: Friday post-concert discussion in Main Lobby with Bill Eddins, Lucas Waldin

DJs 180 DEGREES DJ every Fri AZUCAR PICANTE DJ Papi and DJ Latin Sensation every Fri BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Connected Fri: 91.7 The Bounce, Nestor Delano, Luke Morrison every Fri BAR�B�BAR DJ James; every Fri; no cover BAR WILD Bar Wild Fri BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE DJs spin on the main floor every Fri; Underdog, Wooftop BLACKSHEEP PUB Bash: DJ spinning retro to rock classics to current BUDDY’S DJ Arrow Chaser every

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

Fri; 8pm (door); no cover before 10pm BUFFALO UNDERGROUND R U Aware Friday: Featuring Neon Nights CHROME LOUNGE Platinum VIP every Fri THE COMMON Boom The Box: every Fri; nu disco, hip hop, indie, electro, dance with weekly local and visiting DJs on rotation plus residents Echo and Shortround THE DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Fri; 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Fri FLUID LOUNGE Hip hop and dancehall; every Fri FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro with DJ Damian; every Fri GAS PUMP DJ Christian; every Fri; 9:30pm-2am

Grandpa Banana, Bill Bourne, hosted by Dale Ladouceur at 1pm; ^j]] The Blues of Folkways: Lecture/ demo with David Gogo, Bill Bourne, Kat Danser, John Rutherford, hosted by Holger Petersen; 3pm; $10 (door); Concert: Rosalie Sorrels, Karla Anderson at 8pm, $20 at TIX on the Square, Blackbyrd FESTIVAL PLACE Mark Sterling (12th Anniversary Blues Show) with bassist Mike Lent (bass); 7:30pm; tickets: $24 (table)/$22 (box)/$18 (theatre) at Festival Place box office FILTHY MCNASTY'S Is the Orchard, Aaron Vincent; 4-6pm; free GAS PUMP Blues jam/open stage every Sat 3:30-7pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Fur Eel (R&B/rock), Laser Brains, Manuela, guests; 8pm; $10 HILLTOP PUB Open stage/mic every Sat: hosted by Blue Goat; 3:30-6pm HOOLIGANZ Live music every Sat

JUNCTION BAR AND EATERY LGBT Community: Rotating DJs Fri and Sat; 10pm

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

NEWCASTLE PUB House, dance mix every Fri with DJ Donovan

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

REDNEX�Morinville DJ Gravy from the Source 98.5 every Fri RED STAR Movin’ on Up: indie, rock, funk, soul, hip hop with DJ Gatto, DJ Mega Wattson; every Fri ROUGE LOUNGE Solice Fri SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Fri Nights; 7-10:30pm; sportsworld.ca

L.B.'S PUB Open jam with Gator and friends: 5-9pm; Extended Jam (band): 9:30pm-2am MEAD HALL Jimmy Zenn, Becoming Moths, Swarm; 8pm-3am MYER HOROWITZ THEATRE Emerson Drive, Ridley Bent; 7:30pm

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

NEW CITY LEGION Blue Jay Black Polished Chrome Saturdays: Blue Jay DJ with DJ Dervish and the Gothfather; 9pm

SUEDE LOUNGE Juicy DJ spins every Fri

O’BYRNE’S Stuart Bendall (pop/ rock); 6:30pm

TEMPLE Options with Greg Gory and Eddie Lunchpail; every Fri; 9pm

ON THE ROCKS Dean Lonsdale and the Ramifications, DJs

TREASURY In Style Fri: DJ Tyco and Ernest Ledi; no line no cover for ladies all night long

PAWN SHOP Neon Nights: Riot On Whyte

UNION HALL Ladies Night every Fri; Blake McGrath VINYL DANCE LOUNGE Connected Las Vegas Fridays Y AFTERHOURS Foundation Fridays

SAT FEB 26 ALBERTA BEACH HOTEL Open stage with Trace Jordan 1st and 3rd Sat; 7pm-12 AVENUE THEATRE Radio for Help, guests BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Hair of the Dog: Mark Davis Trio; (live acoustic music every Sat); 4-6pm; no cover BLACKJACK'S ROADHOUSE�Nisku Kyler Schogen Band

QUEEN ALEXANDRA HALL Edmonton Blues Society: Sophie and the Shufflehounds; 7:30pm (door), 8pm (music); $5 (member)/$10 (guest) RED PIANO BAR Hottest dueling piano show featuring the Red Piano Players every Sat; 9pm-2am RENDEZVOUS Kryosphere, Dire Omen, guests; 8pm (door); $8

BUFFALO UNDERGROUND Head Mashed In Saturday: Mashup Night THE COMMON The Good Life: The 3 D’s of Destruction Dragon, Dave Stone, Dane Gretzky; 9pm; $5 DRUID IRISH PUB DJ every Sat; 9pm ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove DJ every Sat FLUID LOUNGE Intimate Saturdays: with DJ Aiden Jamali; 8pm (door) FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Top tracks, rock, retro every Sat with DJ Damian GAS PUMP DJ Christian every Sat HALO For Those Who Know: house every Sat with DJ Junior Brown, Luke Morrison, Nestor Delano, Ari Rhodes JUNCTION BAR AND EATERY LGBT Community: Rotating DJs Fri and Sat; 10pm NEWCASTLE PUB Top 40 requests every Sat with DJ Sheri NEW CITY LEGION Polished Chrome: every Sat with DJs Blue Jay, The Gothfather, Dervish, Anonymouse; no minors; free (5-8pm)/$5 (ladies)/$8 (gents after 8pm) PALACE CASINO Show Lounge DJ every Sat PAWN SHOP SONiC Presents Live On Site! Anti-Club: rock, indie, punk, rock, dance, retro rock every Sat; 8pm (door) RED STAR Indie rock, hip hop, and electro every Sat with DJ Hot Philly and guests SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco every Sat; 1pm-4:30pm and 7-10:30pm STOLLI’S ON WHYTE Top 40, R&B, house every Sat with People’s DJ SUEDE LOUNGE DJ Nic-E spins every Sat TEMPLE Oh Snap! Oh Snap with Degree; every Sat UNION HALL Celebrity Saturdays: every Sat hosted by Ryan Maier UNION HALL Princeton with Bell; 8pm VINYL DANCE LOUNGE Signature Saturdays Y AFTERHOURS Release Saturdays

RIVER CREE Goo Goo Dolls; 8pm (show); $59.50

SUN FEB 27

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Sat jam every Sat; 3-6pm

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

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors, Rusty Zinn; $20

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Sun Brunch: PM Bossa; 10:30am-2:30pm

STARLITE ROOM House of Bass 2: Douster and Rico Tubbs

BLUE PEAR RESTAURANT Jazz on the Side Sun: Don Berner; 6-9pm; $25 if not dining

WILD WEST SALOON Tera Lee

BLUES ON WHYTE Debbie Davies

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ Winter Roots and Blues Roundup: Bill Bourne, Lizzy Hoyt; 8pm; $20 at TIX on the Square, Blackbyrd

YARDBIRD SUITE Edmonton Jazz Society: Don Berner Sextet (CD release); 9pm (show); $14 (member)/$18 (guest)

B�STREET BAR Acoustic-based open stage every Sun evening; hosted by Mike "Shufflehound" Chenoweth

BLUES ON WHYTE Sat afternoon Jam with Rotten Dan; Kirk Fletcher (blues/R&B) at 9pm

Classical

DEVANEY’S IRISH PUB Celtic open stage every Sun with Keri-Lynne Zwicker; 5:30pm; no cover

BOHEMIA art+muzak: the dark winter is passing edition: The Bolt Actions, Miss Teeny Wonderful and more; 9pm; members (free) BRIXX BAR Black Mastiff (12" release party), Molten Lava, guests; $10 at Blackbyrd, Primebosoffice. com CASINO EDMONTON Al Barrett CASINO YELLOWHEAD Blackboard Jungle CENTURY CASINO Winter Roots and Blues Roundup: Blues Dance Party: David Gogo, Grandpa Banana, Freebo, the Front Porch Roots Review, Kat Danser; 7:30pm (door); $25 at TIX on the Square, Blackbyrd COAST TO COAST Live bands every Sat; 9:30pm CROWN PUB Acoustic blues open stage with Marshall Lawrence; every Sat; no cover DAVANEY'S IRISH PUB Rob Taylor (pop/folk/rock); 9pm DV8 Fever Island, Off The Rails, Hard Core Loco, C.A.C.; 9:30pm2am EDDIE SHORTS Saucy Wenches every Sat EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Winter Roots and Blues Roundup: Vintage Instrument Lecture/demo with Grandpa Banana, Byron Myhre, hosted by John Rutherford at ))Ye3 ^j]] I Protest: Social and Political Activism in Music: Lecture/ demo with Freebo, Rosalie Sorrels,

ARDEN THEATRE Les Misérables In Concert: Cantilon Choirs; fundraising gala; 7:30pm; $75 at TIX on the Square TRANSALTA ARTS BARNS’ WESTBURY THEATRE The Barber of Barrhead Fringe Theatre Adventures, Edmonton Opera; 2pm; $18 (adult)/$15 (student/senior)/$12.50 (child) at Fringe Theatre box office WINSPEAR Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony: Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, William Eddins (conductor); 7:30pm; Symphony Prelude: D.T. Baker at 7:15pmin the Upper Circle, 3rd Level; 8pm; $20$71 at Winspear box office

DJs 180 DEGREES Street VIBS: Reggae night every Sat AZUCAR PICANTE DJ Touch It, hosted by DJ Papi; every Sat BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Sold Out Sat: with DJ Russell James, Mike Tomas; 8pm (door); no line, no cover for ladies before 11pm BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE DJs on three levels every Sat: 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 BLACKSHEEP PUB DJ every Sat BUDDY'S Feel the rhythm every Sat with DJ Phon3 Hom3; 8pm (door); no cover before 10pm

DOUBLE D'S Open jam every Sun; 3-8pm EDDIE SHORTS Acoustic jam every Sun; 9pm BALLROOM The Next Big Thing: (vocal/band), Dance showcase; Mixmaster (DJ); hottest talent search every Sun EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ YEG live Sun Night Songwriters Stage; 7-10pm 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 HYDEAWAY Open stage jam every Sun IRISH SPORTS AND SOCIAL SOCIETY Darina Harvey; 9pm; no cover J AND R BAR Open jam/stage every Sun hosted by Me Next and the Have-Nots; 3-7pm NEWCASTLE PUB Sun Soul Service (acoustic jam): Willy James and Crawdad Cantera; 3-6:30pm O’BYRNE’S Open mic every Sun; 9:30pm-1am ON THE ROCKS Seven Strings Sun: Rocky Mountain Rebel Music (CD release), guests ORLANDO'S 2 PUB Open stage jam every Sun; 4pm

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors, Rusty Zinn; $20 SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Co-op Live music every Sun; 2-4pm

Classical ARDEN THEATRE Les Misérables In Concert: Cantilon Choirs; fundraising gala; 2pm; $75 at TIX on the Square FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH In Paradisum: Da Camera Singers (Exploration of the Requiem featuring the music of Bach, Brahms, Fauré, Howells, and Lloyd-Webber); 3pm; $20 (adult)/$15 (student/senior) MUTTART HALL Edmonton Recital Society: Caroline Stinson (cello), Sarah Ho (piano); 7:30pm; $30 (adult)/$20 (senior/student) at TIX on the Square ST ANDREW'S UNITED CHURCH These Are Our Songs: Vocal Alchemy with Jessica Heine), Brett Ludwig (piano), Keith Rempel (bass), Thom Bennett (drums); Canadian folk program; 3pm, 7:30pm; $15/12 (adv)./$17/15 (door) at TIX on the Square, choir members WINSPEAR CENTRE Edmonton Youth Orchestra with Choirs of The King’s University College, Michael Massey (conductor); 2pm; $15 (adult)/$10 (senior/student) at TIX on the Square

DJs BACKSTAGE TAP AND GRILL Industry Night: every Sun with Atomic Improv, Jameoki and DJ Tim BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sunday Funday: with Phil, 2-7pm; Sunday Night: Soul Sundays: '60s and '70s funk, soul, R&B with DJ Zyppy FLOW LOUNGE Stylus Sun SAVOY MARTINI LOUNGE Reggae on Whyte: RnR Sun with DJ IceMan; no minors; 9pm; no cover SPORTSWORLD Roller Skating Disco Sun; 1-4:30pm; sportsworld.ca

MON FEB 28 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Sleeman Mon: live music monthly; no cover BLUES ON WHYTE Debbie Davis DAVANEY'S IRISH PUB Singer Songwriter Night with Rob Taylor (pop/folk/rock); 9pm

KELLY'S PUB Open stage every Mon; Rob Taylor; 9pm PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic instrumental old time fiddle jam every Mon; hosted by the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddlers Society; 7pm ROSE BOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE Acoustic open stage every Mon; 9pm RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES Little Charlie Trouble, Pete Eurland

DJs BAR WILD Bar Gone Wild Mon: Service Industry Night; no minors; 9pm-2am BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Blue Jay’s Messy Nest: every Mon with DJ Blue FILTHY MCNASTY'S Metal Mon: with DJ S.W.A.G. LUCKY 13 Industry Night every Mon with DJ Chad Cook NEW CITY LEGION Madhouse Mon: Punk/metal/etc with DJ Smart Alex

TUE MAR 1 BLUES ON WHYTE Debbie Davis DRUID IRISH PUB Open stage every Tue; with Chris Wynters; guest Andrew Scott; 9pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Five Alarm (funk/rock), Scantily Clad and the Well Dressed Men, Type Monkey Type; 8pm L.B.’S Tue Blues Jam with Ammar; 9pm-1am MYER HOROWITZ THEATRE Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans, Siskiyou; all ages; 7pm (door); $17.50 at Blackbyrd, Listen, foundationconcerts.com O’BYRNE’S Celtic jam every Tue; with Shannon Johnson and friends; 9pm

SIDELINERS PUB All Star Jam every Tue; with Alicia Tait and Rickey Sidecar; 8pm

BRIXX BAR Really Good… Eats and Beats: DJ Degree, friends every Wed; 6pm; $5

SECOND CUP�149 St Open mic every Wed with Alex Boudreau; 8-10pm

SPORTSMAN'S LOUNGE Open stage every Tue<; hosted by Paul McGowan; 9pm

CENTURY GRILL Century Room Wed Live: featuring The Marco Claveria Project; 8-11pm

STARLITE ROOM Kataklysm, All Shall Perish, Decrepit Birth, Conducting from the Grave, Abysmal Dawn; no minors; 8pm (door); $22 at TicketMaster, Blackbyrd, Unionevents.com

STARLITE ROOM Yann Tiersen, Breathe Owl Breathe; no minors; 8pm (door), 9pm (show); $20 at UnionEvents. com, Ticketmaster, Listen, Blackbyrd STEEPS�Old Glenora Open mic every Tue; 7:30-9:30pm

STEEPS TEA LOUNGE� College Plaza Open mic every Wed with Layne L'Heureux; 8pm

YARDBIRD SUITE Tue Night Sessions: Jim Head Quartet; 7:30pm (door), 8pm (show); $5

ELEPHANT AND CASTLE� Whyte Ave Open mic every Wed (unless there's an Oilers game); no cover

DJs

EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ Open stage with Randall Walsh; every Wed; 7-11pm; admission by donation

BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: alternative retro and not-so-retro every Tue; with Eddie Lunchpail; Wooftop: eclectic electronic sounds every Tue; with DJ Mike Duke BRIXX BAR Troubadour Tue: hosted by Mark Feduk; 9pm; $8; with Ashley Sacha, Julie Adams BUDDYS DJ Arrow Chaser every Tue; free pool all night; 9pm (door); no cover CHROME LOUNGE Bashment Tue: Bomb Squad, The King QB, Rocky; no cover CROWN PUB Underground At The Crown: underground, hip hop every Tue with DJ Dirty Needlz; open mic every Tue, 10pm, $3 FUNKY BUDDHA�Whyte Ave Latin and Salsa music every Tue; dance lessons 8-10pm NEW CITY LEGION High Anxiety Variety Society Bingo vs. karaoke with Ben Disaster, Anonymouse every Tue; no minors; 4pm-3am; no cover RED STAR Experimental Indie Rock, Hip Hop, Electro with DJ Hot Philly; every Tue

R PUB Open stage jam every Tue; hosted by Gary and the Facemakers; 8pm

WED MAR 2

SECOND CUP�Summerwood Open stage/open mic every Tue; 7:30pm; no cover

EDDIE SHORTS Acoustic jam every Wed, 9pm; no cover

WUNDERBAR HOFBRAUHAUS Open mic every Wed, 9pm

WUNDERBAR HOFBRAUHAUS Stuesdays: Wunderbar's only regular DJ night every Tue

SECOND CUP�Stanley Milner Library Open mic every Tue; 7-9pm

DAVANEY'S IRISH PUB Open mic with Duff Robinson; 8pm

EDMONTON EVENT CENTRE Down with Webster, Sweet Thing, The Envy; all ages; 7pm (door), 8pm (show); $24.75

WUNDERBAR HOFBRAUHAUS Stuesdays: Every Tue Wunderbar's only regular DJ night

PADMANADI Open stage every Tue; with Mark Davis; all ages; 7:30-10:30pm

SECOND CUP�124 Street Open mic every Tue; 8-10pm

CROWN PUB Jam/open stage every Wed; 8pm

AVENUE THEATRE Within The Ruins, Suffokate, The Contortionist, Last Chance To Reason, Messages Via Carrier Pigeon; all ages; 7pm (door); $10 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: Glitter Gulch: live music once a month BLUES ON WHYTE Debbie Davis

FIDDLER'S ROOST Little Flower Open Stage every Wed with Brian Gregg; 8pm-12 GOOD EARTH COFFEE HOUSE Breezy Brian Gregg every Wed; 12-1pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Five Alarm (funk/rock), Scantily Clad and the Well Dressed Men, Type Monkey Type; 8pm HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB Open stage every Wed with Jonny Mac, 8:30pm, free HOOLIGANZ Open stage every Wed with host Cody Nouta; 9pm NISKU INN Troubadours and Tales: 1st Wed every month; with Tim Harwill, guests; 8-10pm O'BYRNE'S Stuart Bendall (pop/rock); 8:15pm PAWN SHOP Cameron Gertz, Tyler Daignault, Steve Derpack, Nathan Richards, Hey Rosetta!, guests PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL Acoustic Bluegrass jam presented by the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society; Slow pitch for beginners on the 1st and 3rd Wed prior to regular jam every Wed, 6.30pm; $2 (member)/$4 (non-member) RED PIANO BAR Wed Night Live: hosted by dueling piano players; 8pm-1am; $5 RIVER CREE Live rock band every Wed hosted by Yukon Jack; 7:30-9pm SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment Open mic every Wed; 8-10pm

BANK ULTRA LOUNGE Rev'd Up Wed: with DJ Mike Tomas upstairs; 8pm BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE Main Floor: RetroActive Radio Wed: 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 BAR Really Good... Eats and Beats: every Wed with DJ Degree and Friends BUDDY'S DJ Dust 'n' Time every Wed; 9pm (door); no cover THE COMMON Treehouse Wednesday's DIESEL ULTRA LOUNGE Wind-up Wed: R&B, hiphop, reggae, old skool, reggaeton with InVinceable, Touch It, weekly guest DJs IVORY CLUB Open DJ night every Wed; 9pm-close; all DJs welcome to spin a short set LEGENDS PUB Hip hop/R&B with DJ Spincycle LEVEL 2 LOUNGE Wing It Wednesdays: DJ Competion; 9:30pm; every Wed NEW CITY LEGION Wed Pints 4 Punks: with DJ Nick; no minors; no cover NIKKI DIAMONDS Punk and ‘80s metal every Wed RED STAR Guest DJs every Wed STARLITE ROOM Wild Style Wed: Hip-Hop; 9pm STOLLI'S Beatparty Wed: House, progressive and electronica with Rudy Electro, DJ Rystar, Space Age and weekly guests; 9pm-2am; beatparty.net TEMPLE Wild Style Wed: Hip hop open mic hosted by Kaz and Orv; $5

VENUE GUIDE 180 DEGREES 10730-107 St, 780.414.0233 ACCENT EUROPEAN LOUNGE 8223-104 St, 780.431.0179 AVENUE THEATRE 9030-118 Ave, 780.477.2149 BANK ULTRA LOUNGE 10765 Jasper Ave, 780.420.9098 BILLIARD CLUB 10505 Whyte Ave, 780.432.0335 BLACK DOG FREEHOUSE 1042582 Ave, 780.439.1082 BLACKSHEEP PUB 11026 Jasper Ave, 780.420.0448 BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ 9624-76 Ave, 780.989.2861 BLUE PEAR RESTAURANT 10643123 St, 780.482.7178 BLUES ON WHYTE 10329-82 Ave, 780.439.3981 BOHEMIA 10575-114 St BRIXX BAR 10030-102 St (downstairs), 780.428.1099 BUDDY’S 11725B Jasper Ave, 780.488.6636 CASINO EDMONTON 7055 Argylll Rd, 780.463.9467 CASINO YELLOWHEAD 12464153 St, 780 424 9467 CENTURY GRILL 3975 Calgary Tr NW, 780.431.0303 CHATEAU LOUIS 11727 Kingsway, 780 452 7770 CHROME LOUNGE 132 Ave, Victoria Trail COAST TO COAST 5552 Calgary Tr, 780.439.8675 COMMON LOUNGE 10124-124 St CROWN AND ANCHOR 15277 Castledowns Rd, 780.472.7696 CROWN PUB 10709-109 St, 780.428.5618 DIESEL ULTRA LOUNGE 11845 Wayne Gretzky Drive, 780.704. CLUB DEVANEY’S IRISH PUB 9013-88 Ave, 780.465.4834

THE DOCKS 13710 66 St, 780.476.3625 DOW'S SHELL THEATRE�Fort Saskatchewan 8700-84 St, Fort Saskatchewan, 780.992.6400 DRUID 11606 Jasper Ave, 780.454.9928 DUSTER’S PUB 6402-118 Ave, 780.474.5554 DV8 8307-99 St EARLY STAGE SALOON 4911-52 Ave, Stony Plain EDDIE SHORTS 10713-124 St, 780.453.3663 EDMONTON EVENTS CENTRE WEM Phase III, 780.489.SHOW ELECTRIC RODEO�Spruce Grove 121-1 Ave, Spruce Grove, 780.962.1411 ELEPHANT AND CASTLE�Whyte Ave 10314 Whyte Ave EXPRESSIONZ CAFÉ 9938-70 Ave, 780.437.3667 FESTIVAL PLACE 100 Festival Way, Sherwood Park, 780.449.3378 FIDDLER’S ROOST 8906-99 St FILTHY MCNASTY’S 10511-82 Ave, 780.916.1557 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 10031-109 St FLOW LOUNGE 11815 Wayne Gretzky Dr, 780.604.CLUB FLUID LOUNGE 10888 Jasper Ave, 780.429.0700 FUNKY BUDDHA 10341-82 Ave, 780.433.9676 GAS PUMP 10166-114 St, 780.488.4841 GOOD EARTH COFFEE HOUSE 9942-108 St HALO 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.423. HALO HAVEN SOCIAL CLUB 15120A (basement), Stony Plain Rd, 780.756.6010 HILLTOP PUB 8220-106 Ave, 780.490.7359

HOOLIGANZ 10704-124 St, 780.995.7110 HYDEAWAY 10209-100 Ave, 780.426.5381 IRISH SPORTS AND SOCIAL SOCIETY 12546-126 St IRON BOAR PUB 4911-51st St, Wetaskiwin IVORY CLUB 2940 Calgary Trail South JAMMERS PUB 11948-127 Ave, 780.451.8779 J AND R 4003-106 St, 780.436.4403 JEFFREY’S CAFÉ 9640 142 St, 780.451.8890 JEKYLL AND HYDE 10209-100 Ave, 780.426.5381 JUNCTION BAR AND EATERY 10242-106 St, 780.756.5667 KAS BAR 10444-82 Ave, 780.433.6768 KELLY'S PUB 11540 Jasper Ave L.B.’S PUB 23 Akins Dr, St Albert, 780.460.9100 LEGENDS PUB 6104-172 St, 780.481.2786 LEVEL 2 LOUNGE 11607 Jasper Ave, 2nd Fl, 780.447.4495 LIZARD LOUNGE 13160-118 Ave MARYBETH'S COFFEE HOUSE–Beaumont 5001-30 Ave, Beaumont, 780.929.2203 MCDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH 10025-101 St MUTTART HALL Alberta College, 10050 Macdonald Dr NAKED CYBER CAFÉ 10354 Jasper Ave, 780.425.9730 NEST NAIT Main Campus, 11762-106 St NEWCASTLE PUB 6108-90 Ave, 780.490.1999 NEW CITY LEGION 8130 Gateway Boulevard (Red Door) NIKKI DIAMONDS 8130 Gateway Blvd, 780.439.8006

NISKU INN 1101-4 St NORTH GLENORA HALL 13535109A Ave O’BYRNE’S 10616-82 Ave, 780.414.6766 ON THE ROCKS 11730 Jasper Ave, 780.482.4767 ORLANDO'S 1 15163-121 St OVERTIME Whitemud Crossing, 4211-106 St, 780.485.1717 PAWN SHOP 10551-82 Ave, Upstairs, 780.432.0814 PLEASANTVIEW COMMUNITY HALL 10860-57 Ave POLISH HALL 10960-104 St QUEEN ALEXANDRA HALL 10425 University Ave REDNEX BAR�Morinville 10413100 Ave, Morinville, 780.939.6955 RED PIANO BAR 1638 Bourbon St, WEM, 8882-170 St, 780.486.7722 RED STAR 10538 Jasper Ave, 780.428.0825 RENDEZVOUS 10108-149 St RIC’S GRILL 24 Perron Street, St Albert, 780.460.6602 ROSEBOWL/ROUGE LOUNGE 10111-117 St, 780.482.5253 ROSE AND CROWN 10235-101 St R PUB 16753-100 St ,

780.457.1266

RUSTY REED'S HOUSE OF BLUES 12402-118 Ave, 780.451.1390 ST ANDREW'S UNITED CHURCH 9915-148 St ST BASIL'S CULTURAL CENTRE 10819-71 Ave SECOND CUP�Mountain Equipment 12336-102 Ave, 780.451.7574; Stanley Milner Library 7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq; Varscona, Varscona Hotel, 106 St, Whyte Ave SECOND CUP�Sherwood Park

4005 Cloverbar Rd, Sherwood Park, 780.988.1929 ʸ Summerwood Summerwood Centre, Sherwood Park, 780.988.1929 SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH SANCTUARY 10727-114 St SIDELINERS PUB 11018-127 St, 780.453.6006 SNEAKY PETE'S 12315-118 Ave SPORTSWORLD 13710-104 St SPORTSMAN'S LOUNGE 8170-50 St STARLITE ROOM 10030-102 St, 780.428.1099 STEEPS�College Plaza 11116-82 Ave, 780.988.8105; Old Glenora 12411 Stony Plain Rd, 780.488.1505 STOLLI’S 2nd Fl, 10368-82 Ave, 780.437.2293 SUEDE LOUNGE 11806 Jasper Ave, 780.482.0707 TAPHOUSE 9020 McKenney Ave, St Albert, 780.458.0860 TREASURY 10004 Jasper Ave, 7870.990.1255, thetreasurey.ca UNCLE GLENNS 7666-156 St, 780.481.3192 VINYL DANCE LOUNGE 10740 Jasper Ave, 780.428.8655 WHISTLESTOP LOUNGE 12416132 Ave, 780. 451.5506 WILD BILL’S�Red Deer Quality Inn North Hill, 7150-50 Ave, Red Deer, 403.343.8800 WILD WEST SALOON 12912-50 St, 780.476.3388 WINSPEAR CENTRE 4 Sir Winston Churchill Square; 780.28.1414 WOK BOX 10119 Jasper Ave WUNDERBAR 8120-101 St, 780.436.2286 Y AFTERHOURS 10028-102 St, 780.994.3256, yafterhours.com YESTERDAYS PUB 112, 205 Carnegie Dr, St Albert, 780.459.0295

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

MUSIC // 25

26 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

Caroline Stinson

tion teacher Nadia Boulanger. "I play a lot of contemporary music and I find it interesting how composers find their voice and where their inspirations lie," explains Stinson. "I took this back about a hundred years or so and began with something rather standard like the Debussy sonata and started looking at music that was being written around the same time, at relationships between students and teachers, mentors and proteges, and that's how I came up with this program."

Sun, Feb 27 (7:30 pm) With Sarah Ho Muttart Hall, $20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $30 Known for her musical sense and ability across North America and Europe, Edmonton-born cellist Caroline Stinson has, for the past few years, been most interested in exploring the connections between composers that aren't readily apparent in the music they write. Instead of looking at the way the notes are put together, Stinson has focused on the underlying factors, the personal relationships between people who make music and how those relationships affect the music that comes out. To that end, her program this weekend explores French and French-inspired music, spanning the gamut from Debussy to Piazzolla who, though he was Argentinean, studied in Paris under renowned composi-

Relationships and transformation are the driving forces in Stinson's artistic practice, and those themes will be on display in a CD she will release in the very near future. The album, entitled Lines, explores musical relationships in a similar way to the French program she'll present in Edmonton, but shifts the focus to contemporary composers. "What's interesting to me is how these relationships can be very important and the music of one can be very important and influencing to the other but it's not necessarily something that you hear on the surface of the music," she says. "It has to do with how voices interact, how the pieces are structured, how material is used and developed. That's what makes the experience multi-faceted and it's on all those other levels that you start to see how two composers with very, very different syntax are actually very close in terms of their musical esthetic." Bryan Birtles

// bryan@vueweekly.com

Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans Band

Tue, Mar 1 (7 pm) With guests Myer Horowitz Theatre, $17.50 Jim Bryson has always shared his limelight. He's been instrumental in other artists' successes, spending a great deal of his time as part of Kathleen Edwards' band, recording with the Tragically Hip and Sarah Harmer (among others), and, more recently, producing a spoken-word album by poet/songwriter Tanya Davis. Among all that sideman duty, he's found time to put out five solo albums. The Falcon Lake Incident, his latest, can still be traced back to collaboration but, for once, Bryson's front and centre, backed by Canuck favourites the Weakerthans. The two acts have a history: Bryson's

spent some time bolstering the Weakerthans' live show, joining their onstage presence during their Reunion Tour album cycle. "The fifth Beatle," he laughs, at home in Ottawa between legs of his Falcon Lake tour with the Weakerthans band (that is to say, the Weakerthans minus singer/ songwriter John K Samson). "There'd been a little bit of talk about recording together at one point," he says. "I'd started to make a record, and I was ready to really dive in. I'd been tracking, but I thought initially that it would be fun to have them record on some songs. Once Steve [Carroll] and I got talking, we realized if they're going to record on some songs, there's actually a pretty good chance of it being a little more than that." Soon enough, they'd settled on Manitoba as a recording locale and were applying for funding. "The next thing you knew, we were sitting in a cabin on Falcon Lake

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAR 2, 2011

together, making music," Bryson says.

For the Weakerthans, the plan had been to take a year off; according to Bryson, playing on his album allowed them to make music, but without the pressure that would surround the release of one of the band's own records. And while he brought mostly-finished songs into the six-day recording period, Bryson found them shifting in the hands of the band. "Some songs stayed arrangement-wise pretty close to what they started, but it's more textures, and [the Weakerthans] as humans, that had an impact on what it is. Because, as a band, they have a sound and I knew that the second that they got on the songs, that they would change: the sonics of them would change, and the textures of them would change, because they have such a sound that's all their own." PAUL BLINOV

// PAUL@vueweekly.com

MUSIC // 27

28 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

MUSICNOTES

Down With Webster / Wed, Mar 2 (7 pm) It's been said that 50 000 000 Elvis fans can't be wrong, but what if Timbaland calls a group the "illest" thing he's ever seen live? Is that recommendation enough? It ought to be, because genre benders Down With Webster won't be held back: having played the Grey Cup last year, the group is now in the middle of a tour that will go across Canada—the first barrage from a group that played 140 dates last year and scored nominations for Juno and MMVA awards. (Edmonton Event Centre, $24.75)

BRYAN BIRTLES // BRYAN@vueweekly.com

Mass Choir / Fri, Feb 25 (8 pm) Named one of the best local groups of 2010 by the Edmonton Journal and nominated for the best new group awards at the Edmonton Music Awards, Mass Choir has been racking up the accolades lately. Still, here's one little quibble: the band is a keyboard driven, HiNRG dance band. There is no choir involved. Maybe they should be called Mass Liars. Nah, just kidding. (Haven Social Club, $10)

Kataklysm / Wed, Mar 2 (8 pm) With a nearly two-decade history under its collective belt, Kataklysm has perfected the practice of blast beats and songs about death. Is that your thing? Do you have tickets? Who am I talking to? (Starlite Room, $22) his blues harp to Edmonton this Friday. (Polish Hall, $55)

Five Alarm Funk / Tue, Mar 1 (8 pm) Hailing from Vancouver, Five Alarm Funk is hotter and funkier than that chili your uncle made last fall that he "slow cooked" and you had to go to the hospital. (Haven Social Club, $10)

James Cotton / Fri, Feb 25 (8 pm) Master harmonica player James Cotton got his start at the age of nine and has, so far, made 30 solo albums. But the past isn't what drives Cotton: he's no hasbeen. Nominated for three Blues Music Awards—traditional blues album of the year, male artist of the year and instrumentalist of the year—Cotton will bring

Wendell & Wheat / Fri, Feb 25 (7 pm) Known for their simultaneously heartfelt and hilarious lyrics, the duo of Wendell Ferguson and Katherine Wheatley won't leave a "dry eye or a dry seat" in the house. (Full Moon Folk Club, $20) SubCity Dwellers / Fri, Feb 25 (9 pm) After a wait of nine months, Winnipeg's SubCity Dwellers return to Edmonton with a slightly re-jigged lineup and a burning desire to prove that the group remains too loud for any city. (New City, $10)

Winter Roots and Blues Roundup II Thu, Feb 24 – Mon, Feb 28 Complete info at fwalive.ualberta.ca

The Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in Washington DC houses a diverse collection of over 2100 records encompassing folk, roots, blues, bluegrass, jazz, spokenword pieces and ethnic performance traditions from around the globe. The only other complete Folkways collection in North America is housed here in Edmonton at the University of Alberta's folkwaysAlive! Along with local folk and blues magnate Peter North, folkwaysAlive! is putting on its second annual Winter Blues & Roots Roundup, designed to offer a weekend of traditional music that is hands-on, visual, interactive and educational. "I wanted to present something that not only entertained, but educates and informs," North explains. "The musicians we have mine the blues portion of the Folkways discography, so they talked about

artists like Sonny Terry Brown, Roosevelt Sykes, Mississippi John Hurt, Leadbelly ... [Audiences last year] thought that was really cool [and] they came away knowing where the music came from and what inspired these artists." Aside from the live music performances, there will be film screenings, seminars and workshops—some of which are free, North is proud to point out— all of which allow modern audiences to embrace the best of what traditional music has to offer. "From the time we get up to the time we turn everything off, I sense that we get inundated with so much [information] now that it's hard to look back and see where we came from at times," he offers. "I understand why some critics say this [music] turns into museum pieces, which is the last thing you want. You want it to remain vibrant. "I think in terms of education, what we're trying to get across ... is that the whole

world isn't an American Idol stage. Music is something that should be a communitybased thing. You don't have to be a professional musician, but you can carry music into your community for your entire life. You can fulfil your dream and live out your passion for music without worrying about television shows and judges. Not everyone has to be standing on a stage with a million-dollar lighting and sound stage. It allows us to communicate with each other. The people we've got—Bill Bourne from [Edmonton], Rosalie Sorrels or Freebo—show that music can be a real catalyst beyond just record deals. "At the end of the day, a good song is a good song. A great lyric with a social commentary that's really well crafted is like literature: it's just going to last. If you have a great instrumentalist and voice interpreting it, there's a lot of it that's timeless." Mike Angus

// mikeangus@vueweekly.com

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

MUSIC // 29

2010/2011

1001 Calahoo Road, Spruce Grove

personal!

NEWSOUNDS Radiohead The King of Limbs (Independent) 

In association with

Trevor Panczak Saturday, March 5 – 7 :30 p.m. Country Music Southern Alberta’s “Gentle Giant of Country Music”

Tickets: $25 Adults, $20 Students & Seniors, $5 eyeGO www.trevortown.com Box Office: 780-962-8995 www.horizonstage.com ROYAL INN EXPRESS

It's a "newspaper album," though defining whatever that means will have to wait. Physical copies of Radiohead's eighth album, The King Of Limbs, are months away from appearing on record store shelves, but packaging be damned: the downloads are here, now, and a Radiohead release is still a musical event in a time when albums usually leak to the Internet months in advance, ending up on and off of iPods before they ever see an HMV wall. Limbs was announced a week ago and then released a day earlier than announced, for no apparent reason other than to give us a pretty good start to the weekend. Somehow, Radiohead still manages to release records on its own terms, and that's pretty impressive. But this one seems to be less of a record, per se: what The King of Limbs sounds like is a sonic scrapbook, a jumble of ideas that somehow will still rank among the best sounds you'll hear all year, however unrefined they seem. The album clocks in under 40 minutes, and its eight tracks have less structure to speak of than ever before, going more on subtle texture shifts than the usual verse/chorus/bridge format. It draws from same musical palette as In Rainbows, but uses the same experimental

brushtrokes of Amnesiac. The single, "Lotus Flower"—YouTube the bizarre, blackand-white video of Yorke dancing—sums up a lot of what's going on here: live and electronic drumming together create a driving beat that ripples like frothy waves alongside heavy, digital bass and synth, tinkling guitar sounds in the background and Yorke's unmissable caterwaul floating above it all. "Lotus Flower" rallies along at a driving pace, with individual parts dropping out or coming back in, percolating in the intensity of its parts but never boiling over into some kind of overall release or break in tension. That's where most of the album sits: on songs that simmer but never really let loose; drifting compositions, inventive verses with subtle shifts into choruses, if you could really call them that. "Give Up The Ghost," probably the closest thing to a traditional pop song here, uses hypnotic acoustic guitar and and endless ghostly repetition of "don't hurt me" to make a world-weary meditation on life: "I think I have had my fill / In your arms," Yorke admits. The bedrock drumming of "Feral" parallels the jagged, staccato guitar work of "Morning Mr Magpie," and "Little By Little" and "Codex" wouldn't be out of place on Kid A or Amnesiac. Ultimately, you won't miss the structure. Every sonic appendage on The King of Limbs is a barbed musical hook: the more you listen, the more the pastiche of sounds is enough. So maybe it's unpolished, and dense to boot. The King of Limbs still shows one of the world's biggest bands only listening to itself, still making music in isolation (about isolation) and releasing what it will, when it wants. But Radiohead steals our collective attention every time it does, which, when the music industry's increasingly fractured, when nobody buys albums, seems ever more impressive. Hail to the thieves. Paul Blinov

// paul@vueweekly.com

Broken Records Let Me Come Home (4AD)  Channeling a dark gravity similar to bands like The National and Mew, Edinburgh's Broken Records hurls extravagant arenasized songs to dramatic heights. Singer Jamie Sutherland has managed to tame his drunken howl into a passionate tremoring croon that carries the massive production, courtesy of Tony Moogan (Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian), to a much greater emotional depth. Songs like "I Used To Dream" are of the closest resemblance to slow Scottish bar songs, but the entirety of Let Me Come Home has the strength and tone of antiquated odes bellowed solemnly over pints or on the lonely walk home from the pub. Joe Gurba

// joe@vueweekly.com

Cold War Kids Mine Is Yours (Interscope)  "I've got a black belt in doubt/ I get claustrophobic/ All these open doors around," sings Nathan Willett on "Finally Begin." But Mine Is Yours, Cold War Kids' third album seems to be plagued with a lack of fresh ideas, not a bevy of routes to choose from. The songs play out in the same ways, track after track—we've got muted, echo-chamber guitar, distorted bass, reductive, subdued drumming bursting into a big vocal-led chorus featuring Willet's generically broad lyrics. With the exception of the noir-ish feeling "Cold Toes on the Cold Floor," Cold War Kids seems to be aiming for the particular pedestal of commercial adult pop, reaching towards its own brand of arena-safe balladeering. In doing so, the Kids are sounding blander than ever. Paul Blinov

// paul@vueweekly.com

Jon McKiel Confidence Lodge (Youth Club)  Halifax's Jon McKiel is a man of several influences and it shows on Confidence Lodge. This guitar-driven record opens with a slow bluesy slump redolent of Jason Molina. It then takes a turn for the '90s indie. From there we go to something very Phil Elvrum and then to a pop-folk arena, finishing on a Great Lake Swimmers tip. McKiel's resigned vocal tone rings like David Bazan or a less baroque Andrew Bird. Add it together and what we're left with are five well-crafted and calculated songs that employ a myriad of Canadiana to imbue McKiel's own solitary reflections. Joe Gurba

// joe@vueweekly.com

30 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

OLDSOUNDS

LOONIEBIN Johnny Cash "One Too Many Mornings"

The Man in Black covering Bob Dylan, sounding just as weary as he should while singing "I'm one too many mornings / And a thousand miles behind." June Carter offers her always able support in the background, lifting Cash up enough to drag himself through to the end.

Built To Spill There's Nothing Wrong With Love (Up) Originally released: 1994

Obits "You Gotta Lose"

"You Gotta Lose" mixes call-andresponse guitar with a sense of fun—à la the Sadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet-esque riffs that permeate the song— with the desperate wail of Rick Froberg. Worth your time if you like to rock. You do like to rock, don't you?

Yuck

"Suck"

With a name like Yuck and a song titled "Suck," the one-liners that usually fill this column are at your fingertips. Instead, this is great. A minimalist sound that fills out as the song goes on, this is the kind of slow jam to get an earlymorning drive going. It approaches saccharine at times, but manages to keep it together beautifully.

PJ Harvey "On Battleship Hill"

Like a valkryie, PJ Harvey's voice— here high and angelic, though it's not always so—divebombs the acoustic chords and piano notes "On Battleship Hill" that go from hopeful to dark without warning. A deep male voice join her as she sings, "The land returns to how it's always been / Time carried on the wind," but later, it's "cruel nature has won again," sharpening a hopeful melody into something deeper and darker. Nobody, nobody makes music like she does.

Bright Eyes "Shell Games"

Returning to the Bright Eyes moniker seems to have enlivened Conor Oberst's pop sensibilities without dampening his acute eye for social disparity: "Shell Games" buoys a simple pop hook—"here it comes that heavy love / Someone gotta share in the load"— with digi-guitars, '80s synths, drum machines and, later on, some lazer guitars. It wobbles under the weight, but holds together.

The Electric Demons "The Devil Made Me Do It"

The lady on vocals goes by the name of Thundermonkey and she sings in some sort of attempt at a death metal growl, but it doesn't quite come off. The music's fairly stomping, but it doesn't cut much in the way of a new path and ultimately falls flat.

In 1992, Doug Martsch combined his experience with the gnarly vibes of Treepeople and the pop sensibilities of Halo Benders and formed Built To Spill. An orotund rock sound coupled with the vulnerable sincerity of Martsch's songwriting made Built To Spill an early champion of the shape and form of today's elusive "indie rock" specifier. The band's breakthrough second album, There's Nothing Wrong With Love, subtley incorporated the strengths of several influences with the fundamental simplicity of a rock trio. Aside from the occasional cello accompaniment, TNWWL employed only a bass, a guitar and some very intuitive drumming to bake up a boundary pushing alternative record. With a dash of punk, a dollop of rock, a bit of folk and a heaping portion of honest ardour, singer Doug Martsch coined an entire album of songs that were deeply heartfelt but tastefully moderated. The immediate draw to BTS is Martsch's voice, injected with such primitive emotion, whether he's singing in a snarky inquisitive tone or crooning so sincerely it is almost too much to handle, you can hear the expression on his face. To add to that, Martsch controls our attention with his inquisitive tone, always inflecting his voice as though he is posing a rhetorical question. His

QUICKSPINS

lyrical content and phrasing are very carefully crafted as well, rarely entering the abstract or abandoning the colloquial. Take for example "Twin Falls" where Martsch moans, "Christmas, Twin Falls, Idaho is her oldest memory / he was only two / it was the first time she felt blue. / Cafeteria Harrison Elementary / Beneath a parachute / I saw her without shoes. / 7UP, I touched her thumb and she knew it was me / Although she couldn't see / unless of course she peeked." Martsch touches on these collective memories of a North American upbringing, romanticizing and paying tribute to humble and esoteric glimpses of childhood, youth, and young adulthood in a modern context. Nelson and Capps's contribution cannot go unmentioned, though. Originally intent on changing the line up for every album, Martsch replaced Brett Netson and Ralph Youtz— who had played on the debut Ultimate Alternative Wavers—with Brett Nelson on bass and Andy Capps on drums for this follow up record. The result was a less rock 'n' roll oriented approach that left more room for pop variations and opportunities for slowed-down ballads. Nelson's almost-jazzy bass lines and Martsch's slightly dissonant, Hawaiian-sounding guitar responses on "Reasons," the second and arguably the strongest track on TNWWL, demonstrates the matchless chemistry that dominates the album. The three of them fearlessly occupy several stratas of noisiness and business, not too proud to make it simple when it needs to be, nor afraid to make it impressive when there's room to strut. It is difficult to discern how much of this success is owing to producer Phil Ek who, after making his big break producing TNWWL, went on to be demanded by similar indie cupbearers Modest Mouse, The Shins and even Mudhoney. Built To Spill has had some casualties but continues to bang out incredible records. It is comforting to know that TNWWL was the beginning of a strong career and not the high water mark. Joe Gurba

// joe@vueweekly.com

WHITEY HOUSTON // QUICKSPINS@vueweekly.com

Steve Dawson Nightshade (Black Hen)

Bruce Cockburn Small Source of Comfort (True North)

Some flashy pickin' Top drawer guitar work is like Lipstick on a pig

Canuck folk hero Getting old enough to need A rocking lawnchair

Fearing & White Fearing & White (Lowden Proud)

Keys Cuts Fall Asleep Already (Keys Cut)

So comfortable Like an old married couple Andy is the wife

More relaxing than A handful of Ambien in Neo Citran

White Cowbell Oklahoma Viva Live Locos: Live at Hertzberg (Slick Monkey)

Dinosaur Bones My Divider (Dine Alone)

One huge penis joke Uhh ... I mean the joke is huge The penis is small

Quite a fine album Perfectly overdriven Catchier than SARS

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

MUSIC // 31

ON THE RECORD

BRYAN BIRTLES // BRYAN@vueweekly.com

Big dog

Black Mastiff's debut EP rereleased on vinyl Like plenty of Edmonton musicians, Allan Harding isn't just in one band, he's in several, and he's found a way to make his musical expertise his day job. A manager at Whyte Ave's Acoustic Music Shop, he's also in the process of starting a new vinyl-only label called One Line Guy Records which will re-release his band Black Mastiff's debut self-titled EP this weekend. Harding spoke to Vue about the record and his new label, just before the band heads back to the studio to do its first full-length. VUE WEEKLY: How long did it take to make the EP, from the initial songwriting through to the end of the recording? ALLAN HARDING: It was probably five months. We wrote seven songs and we recorded all of them and then we scrapped two. It was the first jams we wrote and we just wanted to document it. We recorded it entirely ourselves, we just got a MacBook Pro and it had a free copy of Garage Band on it so we took a bunch of microphones and interfaces from work here and we went out to Clay's cabin just outside of Nordegg. It has these beautiful 30-foot ceilings in it and we went out there with all the gear and just did it ourselves. 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? AH: It's an individual thing to start with. Usually it's one guy's idea and another guy's idea working together. Also, we record every jam. One of the things I love about Mastiff is it's a really organic thing: we jam, man. It's so refreshing to play in a band where we actually really jam, just freestyle shit. Often we'll go back and go, "That's cool, rewind that shit!" and then we'll relearn it and turn it into a song. VW: You left two songs you'd recorded off the EP. How did you make that decision? AH: The way that I record drums is I go me and a click track and that's it. There's no bass or guitar, I just play drums to a click because I have the songs memorized in my head. In one of the songs I fucked it up and Bob [Yiannakoulias, guitarist] was like, 'Yeaaah, that's not in the song.' The other song, it just didn't make

32 // MUSIC

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

the cut. That's why I'm excited because I feel like the next album is going to be a better representation of what we are. Ten brand new songs, it's gonna be pretty cool. VW: What makes the new stuff different? AH: I think the new stuff has become more stripped down. I know for me as a drummer I've become more focused on making good music as opposed to being the craziest fucking drummer. I think that's a maturing thing—we have less to prove. I think the songs are more wellwritten and more mature. We've stripped it down to more of a classic style. It's groovier and it's got more soul. VW: Tell me a bit about the record label you're starting AH: I started it with my friend Tariq [Ishada]. He came to me just after Christmas and he had come into some money and he asked me if he could help us put out a record. He's a huge fan and he said, "Hey man I got some money and I want a Black Mastiff album, what do we need to do?" and I said, "Hey man, if you got money to throw around let's start a label, cause I got all the ideas and no money." I wanna do it with bands that I believe in and that I'll invest our money in. We'll make 300 records and the

band will get 50 for free, and after they run out of those you buy the remaining ones off the label for $5 to $8 apiece. Then I sell however many I can through the label and I make all that money, then you make all the money off the free ones and we share the leftovers. It's not really a money-making plan and some people are like, "Why would you do that?" and it's just because I wanna make records. VW: How'd you come up with the name? AH: It's a tag that I've been dropping all over the world. I only tag it in venues and backstages and you can go anywhere in Edmonton or any venue in Canada or 16 countries in Europe and you'll find it there. It's a really quick drawing of a face and it's one line. When I started the label up I didn't want too pretentious of a name or for it to mean anything—so it could be metal, folk, whatever—and then [my girlfriend] Bridget said, "Just use that. Call it 'One Line Guy Records'" V Sat, Feb 26 (9 pm) Black Mastiff With Molten Lava Brixx Bar & Grill, $10

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SOCIETY OF EDMONTON ATHEISTS

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VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

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COMMENT >> LGBTQ

COMMENT >> ALT SEX

Gaga the misinformed

Invented outrage

In her latest episode as the self-proclaimed gay crusador more heinous measures. er, Lady Gaga has once again failed to be a boundaryFurther, the "born this way" defense is misleading pushing revolutionary. As part of her effort to appeal to about the nature of sexuality and sexual identity, and the LGB fans—for reasons I hope are more deep than the role of the state, or other institutions, in constructthe cornering of a demographic with supposedly high ing sexual subjects. If we manage to proclaim our gayrates of disposable income—it seems like Lady Gaga is ness, society requires that we do so in a particular way. toeing the ineffective and misleading argument for Lady Gaga's way involves accepting the notion gay rights: that we were "born this way." "Born that we were genetically programmed. Ultithis Way" is the title and anthem-like chorus mately, "born this way" politics negate that of her latest single which is now the talk of we are constructed and ever-evolving sexuGayVille. Taking the recent cases of gay bulal subjects; that sexuality has a constantly om .c ly k e vuewe lying and gay teen suicides as her point of changing meaning in society; and that a alexa@ inspiration, she sings: "Whether life's disabilitrue sexual revolution would free individuAlexa ne als to understand and express their sexuality ties, left you outcast bullied or teased, rejoice DeGag and love yourself today, 'cause baby you were as they choose. born this way." For the moment, we'll leave the notIt's a dangerous line to walk. If LGBQs abandon so-subtle connotation that homosexuality is a type of disability. Let's look instead at the fact that Lady Gaga The argument proposes that is attempting to ride the latest wave of popular gay because homosexuality is politics by trying to comfort her young listeners with biologically determined, outdated arguments. "Born this way" reasoning argues that there is a gay individuals do not have gene (or a gay brain or body) that causes homosexualcontrol over their sexual ity and makes gays and straights biologically different. thoughts, impulses or The argument proposes that because homosexuality is biologically determined, individuals do not have control identity. over their sexual thoughts, impulses or identity. Because these citizens "have no choice" regarding their sexuality the state should protect them against discrimination, the "gay gene" argument, we risk losing the meagre just as the state protects women or racial minorities. amount of ground we have had to stand on. But it reIf sexuality were a choice, the state would simply ask ally seems like Gaga is using the gay community for individuals to modify their behaviour in order to avoid fame while not really understanding its complexities, discrimination, oppression or abuse. internal struggles or evolutionary nature. Instead, she is regurgitating rhetoric and has ended up toeing an oddly Over the past 30 years, this line of reasoning has not conservative and outdated line. She has spoken for the stopped social conservative activists and politicians entire community and managed to reduce our sexuality from insisting that homosexual people can learn to to a genetic mishap. But maybe I am asking too much of overcome their "natural urges" through therapy, prayer our pop icons. V

Two recent incidents are belying Canadians' repuelse who was. tation as fun-loving, laid-back folk and showing us Even if a kid on the ferry or surfing the Canada to be just as prone to hysteria around all things Post site stumbles across pictures of penises or sexual as our neighbours to the south. naked women, what's the big deal? These protests At the beginning of February, the federal Liberof outrage make it sound as if the child will be als stirred up a whole pot of nothing by calling scarred for life. Most children are exposed to nufor an investigation into a link to an adult dity and sexual content on the web on a daily store on Canada Post's website. It seems basis and there has yet to be any research that the comparative shopper guide that shows it affects them in any negathat was launched on the site in Octive way. tober lists an adult toy boutique as If Canada Post or BC Ferries were ac.com ly k e e one of the options under the search tually promoting porn sites, that would @vuew brenda word "lingerie." The Minister of State be a whole different story, but even in Brendear the for Transport, Rob Merrifield, dealt with case of Canada Post, they weren't erb K the discovery as if they had been caught doing that. There was merely a link on an with a link to a Neo-Nazi membership drive. He automated system that they weren't aware of. promised that his department would be doing a "full investigation" and that "corrective measures Apparently, when it comes will be taken." The news reports on this were to anything sexual, our actually quite entertaining, noting that through government reps lose the Canada Post, children could have easily gotten access to a site with pictures of women in "sexy ability to think rationally. reindeer outfits." God forbid! Also this month, it was reported that BC Ferries had set up the filters for the company's new Wi-Fi service to block access to sites about sexual health education and abortion services. Their spokesperThe Internet is ubiquitous in our lives now, as is the son said that they had blocked the sites because sexual content within it. Trying to control it is not they might contain inappropriate pictures, noting only futile, but by all available evidence, unnecesthat parents riding the ferries might be offended if sary. Perhaps our leaders should busy themselves their children see such pictures. with more important, and appropriate, tasks than Apparently, when it comes to anything sexual, deciding for us what we should and should not be our government reps lose the ability to think raable to access on the Internet. V tionally. It's not as if they are broadcasting these sites on a big screen on the ferry. If a kid saw an Brenda Kerber is a sexual health educator who has "inappropriate picture" through the Wi-Fi on the worked with local not-for-profits since 1995. She ferry, she would have to be surfing the net heris the owner of the Edmonton-based sex-positive self, or peeking over the shoulder of someone adult toy boutique, The Traveling Tickle Trunk.

Does Lady Gaga understand the nuanced queer community? Scandal over sex on the Internet is unnecessary

EERN Q UN TO MO

LUST E LIF

FOR

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (Mar 21 – April 19) "Newspapers are unable, seemingly, to discriminate between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilization," said George Bernard Shaw more than six decades ago—and it's still true. It's very important that you be more discerning than newspapers in the coming weeks, Aries. You can't afford to confuse a minor mess with a major snafu. Please keep your melodramatic tendencies in check, even as you appreciate the entertainment value of your ever-shifting story. TAURUS (Apr 20 – May 20) I know many Tauruses who are skilled at selling products and services, but less adept at presenting themselves. They don't mind being pushy and strategic when it comes to shaping the opinions of others, as long as they can remain a bit shy about showing others exactly who they are. If this is true about you, I propose that you work on changing it. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to be bold about expressing the totality of your beauty and making sure that everyone who matters to you gets to see it in its full glory. GEMINI (May 21 – Jun 20) You're not scared of acquiring more clout and lustre, right? You won't run away if a power spot you've been cultivating for yourself finally starts providing you with the opportunities and responsibilities you'd been hoping for, right? I just hope you're ready to handle the good stuff that's available,

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Gemini. Please don't confuse this enjoyable stress with the other kind. CANCER ( Jun 21 – Jul 22) In her essay "The Possible Human," Jean Houston describes amazing capacities that are within reach of any of us who are brazen and cagey enough to cultivate them. We can learn to thoroughly enjoy being in our bodies, for example. We can summon enormous power to heal ourselves; develop an acute memory; cultivate an acute perceptual apparatus that can see "infinity in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower;" and practice the art of being deeply empathetic. Guess what, Cancerian: The next six months will be one of the best times ever for you to work on developing these superpowers. To get started, answer this question: Is there any attitude or belief you have that might be standing in the way? LEO ( Jul 23 – Aug 22) The depths are calling to you, Leo. Can you hear their subtle melodies? Don't worry: I'm not referring to the icky, stinky, creepy depths; I don't mean that you'll have to lose yourself in a chaotic miasma, or wander speechless in a claustrophobic maze. No, the deep place I'm talking about is maybe the cleanest, most well-lit abyss you've ever had the complicated pleasure to explore. I'm not saying there'll be no hairy riddles to deal with, but I am saying that even the hairy riddles will be interesting, at least a little fun, and helpful

ROB BREZSNY // FREEWILL@vueweekly.com in your efforts to purify yourself. VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sep 22) I'm no fan of the climate change that's rocking every corner of the planet. In fact, I oppose it; I protest it; I resist it. However, I do need to acknowledge that there is at least one upside: The world is becoming more fragrant. Scientists say that as carbon dioxide levels rise, plants will release more aromatic chemicals known as "biogenic volatile organic compounds." The smell of growing vegetation could intensify by as much as 40 percent in the coming decades. This situation is not a precise metaphorical match for your upcoming destiny, Virgo, but I do see some similarities. Things are going to be getting hotter for you, emotionally speaking—and that will be stimulating, often even pleasurable, to your senses. LIBRA (Sep 23 – Oct 22) An interviewer asked me, "What is the most difficult aspect of what you do?" Here's what I said: "Not repeating myself is the hardest thing. And yet it's also a lot of fun. There's nothing more exciting for me than to keep being surprised by what I write. And when I focus on doing what gives me pleasure, the horoscopes write themselves." I hope this testimony helps you in your own life right now, Libra. If you're afraid that you're in danger of repeating yourself, start playing more. Look for what amuses you, for what scrambles your expectations in entertaining ways. Decide that

VUEWEEKLY // FEB 24 – MAR 2, 2011

you're going to put the emphasis on provoking delight in yourself, not preserving your image. SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21) I am a big fan of your analytical intellect, and would never advise you to shove it out of the way so that your emotional intelligence can rule uncontested. But this is one time when I think the latter needs to get more say than the former. In that light, please consider the following counsel from my Facebook friend: "I do not consider emotions to be the dirty redheaded stepchild of the frontal cortex. Our emotional selves are more intuitive, faster, smarter (by means of being able to take in more data at once), and just as capable. The frontal cortex is as likely to make errors due to data omission as the emotional centre is likely to get a degree of magnitude wrong." SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21) There are thousands of things in the world that provide you with only mediocre nourishment; the influences that deeply enrich you with their blessings are much smaller in number. Your task in the coming weeks, Sagittarius, is to identify that special minority, and to take aggressive steps to be in more ongoing communion with it. CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19) Research suggests that more and more American high school students are getting good grades every year. The number of As doled out has been going up steadily. Does that mean kids are getting smarter

or that teachers have relaxed their standards? I don't have a definitive answer for that. But I do have a theory that all over the world, the Capricorn tribe has been growing more intelligent in recent years. Your increase in 2010 was especially notable. There may have been a bit of tapering off lately, but I expect that to change soon. The omens say you're due for another growth spurt in your ability to understand how the world works. AQUARIUS ( Jan 20 – Feb 18) Is there anything you tend to hoard, Aquarius? Anything you store up in excessive amounts? Are there emotions you cling to past the time they're doing you any good? Do you notice yourself feeling pangs of acquisitiveness when in the presence of particular treasures or symbols or pretty things? If so, this is an excellent time to work on dissipating those fixations. In the coming days, you will have cosmic assistance whenever you exert your willpower to undo your fanatical attachments to just about anything. PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20) I'm hoping that you will grant your ego more permission to shine in the coming weeks, Pisces. I'm hoping you will allow it to unveil more flash, feel more zeal, and exert more force. After all your earnest bouts of self-sacrifice, you deserve a poetic license to brag like a hip-hop millionaire. After putting in such tireless devotion to maintaining an oceanic sense of self, you have every right to bust out a crisp, ferocious blast of "I am!"

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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 Pro Coro Canada audition for substitute positions in all voice parts; Sat, Mar 5; fee of $20; book in adv T: Marg at 780.420.1247 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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Any artist, musician, or performance artist interested in being featured for the Local Art Showcase @The Old Strathcona Antique Mall, please be inspired to contact Jenn@oldstrathconamall.com Dancefest @ Nextfest 2011: Dancefest is looking for creative new dance works and dancers; festival runs: Jun 2-12. Deadline: Mar 1 at attheroxy.com

MUSICIANS

The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts: looking for artists to provide mentorship to our artists with developmental disabilities. Share your talents and passion while gaining work experience. Info: volunteer@ninahaggertyart.ca Volunteer website for youth 14-24 years old. youthvolunteer.ca The Learning Centre Literacy Association: Seeking volunteer tutors to help adults develop reading, writing, math skills. Require High School reading, writing, and/or math skills; openness to tutor and learn with adults with various life experiences, including homelessness. Locations: Boyle Street Community Services and Abbottsfield Mall. Contact: Denis Lapierre, DowntownCentre, 780.429.0675, E: dl.learningcentre@shaw.ca; Susan Skaret, Abbottsfield Mall Centre, 780.471.2598, E: sskaret@telus.net Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, need volunteers to help immigrant children and youth of all ages–volunteer in a homework club. Phillip Deng at 780.423.9516, pdeng@emcn.ab.ca Volunteer Lunch Deliverer/Driver: If you're available Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm, 1-2 days/week, be part of the team. Mileage reimbursed for delivery routes. T: 780.429.2020, E: emow@mealsonwheelsedmonton.org; W: mealsonwheelsedmonton.org Writer needed for Mighty Wheels Group The Mighty Wheels Group is in need of a volunteer writer to help re-write the copy on their website. T: Tim Id Parnett; E: tim@mighty-wheels.com; W: mighty-wheels.com/

Volunteer for Dreamspeakers 2011 festival Looking for volunteers whether it’s for a few hours or for the duration of the festival. Go to dreamspeakers. org for info and to download the Volunteer Application Form

VOLUNTEER The Support Network: Volunteer today to be a Distress Line Listener. Apply on line thesupportnetwork.com or call 780.732.6648 The Heart and Stroke Foundation: looking for Volunteers With Heart; W: heartandstroke.ab.ca S.C.A.R.S.: Second Chance Animal Rescue Society. Our dogs are TV stars! Watch Global TV every Sat at 9:45 AM where new, wonderful dogs will be profiled. scarscare.org Volunteer at ElderCare Edmonton: help out with day programs with things like crafts, card games and socializing. Call Renée for info at 780.434.4747 Ext 4

ADULT STEAMWORKS GAY & BI MENS BATHHOUSE. 24/7 11745 JASPER AVE. 780.451.5554 WWW.STEAMWORKSEDMONTON.COM

Refreshing as a summer breeze, a welcome surprise greets you on 102 Avenue and 103 Street. The "garden project" is a handcrafted piece of appliqué attached to a light standard with zip ties. Above it is a small pocket full of 20 or so cards with words printed on them:

While cold snow fell, I dreamt of summer gardens, and awoke to blossoms upon my pillow. I offer one to you, and although old and withered it still holds the whisper of its past glory. A pressed flower is taped to each card. V

The Candora Society of Edmonton–Board Recruiting; candorasociety.com; promotes positive growth in the lives of women, children/families in Rundle/Abbottsfield communities. Info: Elaine Dunnigan E: edunnigan@shaw.ca Volunteer Meal Deliverer/Driver: "Life is a Highway" why not volunteer to be in the driver's seat? Come make a difference every day. Volunteer with Meals on Wheels as a driver. Call 780.429.2020 Edmonton Immigrant Services Association: looking for volunteers to help with Youth Tutoring & Mentorship, New Neighbours, Language Bank, and Host/Mentorship programs. Contact Alexandru Caldararu 780.474.8445; W: eisa-edmonton.org Mechanics needed: The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters' Society operates a volunteer-run community bike workshop called BikeWorks, 10047-80 Ave (back alley), also accepting bicycle donations; E: volunteer@edmontonbikes.ca; W: edmontonbikes.ca

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Want to be part of Edmonton's New Art community collective? Send info ASAP to d_art_man@hotmail.com for jury in upcoming show

Calling all Snow Angels: Become a Snow Angel for a senior who has trouble shoveling their walkways. If someone has been a Snow Angel to you or someone you know, nominate them for recognition and prizes. Info: edmonton.ca/environmental/capital_city_cleanup/snow-angels.aspx

Vocalist wanted – Progressive/Industrial/metal; age 17-21. Contact justinroyjr@gmail.com for amateur adult musicians and singers to learn and perform concert band and choral music under professional music direction. Contact Darlene at 780.432.9333; generalmanager@ cosmopolitanmusic.org

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Volunteers needed Strathcona Place Senior Centre: Zumba Instructor, kitchen preparation and dining room servers. Call Mary at 780.433.5807

Edmonton Musical Theatre auditions for BROADWAY ROCKS 2! on Sun, Feb 27, 4:30-6:30pm at EMT studio, 10104-121 St, 2nd Fl. T: Steffni Ault at 780.452.8046 to book/info

Call for submissions: artists, digital musicians, and proposals. "TechArt International 2011". Send CV, images, project description to d_art_man@hotmail.com

Are you good with numbers? Would you like to be? Sage is looking for volunteers to file simple income tax for seniors. One day a week for 8 wks. Full training offered. Previous experience with income filing is an asset. Call Christine at 780.701.9015

Modern rock band FTGU seeks talented bass player and drummer. Jam space preferable. Contact SID: ftgusinger@hotmail.com

COSMOPOLITAN MUSIC SOCIETY Opportunity

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