verb issue s225 (feb 1-7, 2013)
DESCRIPTION
Verb Issue S225 (Feb 1-7, 2013)TRANSCRIPT
Issue #225 – February 1 to February 7
arts culture music saskatoon
Photo: courtesy oF renIta FIllatre
makingmusicwith the once
into the deep Kirk Krack talks freediving
the bandleader Q+a with Morgan childs
stand up guys + promised land Films reviewed
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2feb 1 – feb 7
contentscontentscontents
into the deepFreediver Kirk Krack talks training record-holders. 4 / local
writers of a featherExploring Saskatchewan’s literary landscape. 6 / local
simply stunningOur thoughts on Saskatchewan police using tasers. 8 / editorial
commentsHere’s your say on making travel more affordable. 10 / comments
Q + a with morgan childsOn leading the band. 12 / q + a
nightlife photos We visit Sports on Tap and Winston’s. 22-25 / nightlife
listingsLocal music listings for February 1 through February 9 18 / listings
stand up guys + promised land The latest movie reviews. 20-21 / film
on the bus Weekly original comic illustrations by Elaine M. Will. 26 / comics
personal historyThe history of craft on the prairies. 13 / arts
something to write home about We visit Prairie Ink. 16 / food + drink
musicEric Church, Dean Brody + Stars17 / music
shirley valentine Touching, funny play chucks routine for impulse. 13 / arts
on the cover: the onceExploring the past and present with The Once. 14 / coVer
games + horoscopesCanadian criss-cross puzzle, horoscopes, and Sudoku. 27 / timeout
culture entertainmentnews + opinion
Photo: courtesy oF renIta FIllatre
contents
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Verbnews.com@verbsasKatoon FacebooK.coM/verbsasKatoon
editorialpublisher / ParIty PublIshIngeditor in chief / ryan allanmanaging editor / JessIca Patruccostaff writers / adaM hawboldt + alex J MacPherson
art & productiondesign lead / roberta barrIngtondesign & production / brIttney grahaMcontributing photographers / PatrIcK carley, adaM hawboldt + IshtIaQ oPal
business & operationsoffice manager / stePhanIe lIPsItaccount manager / nathan holowatysales manager / vogeson Paleyfinancial manager / cody lang
contactcomments / [email protected] / 881 8372adVertise / [email protected] / 979 2253design / [email protected] / 979 8474general / [email protected] / 979 2253
Verb magazine
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into the deep
efore Kirk Krack enters the water for a free-dive, there are certain steps
that he goes through. It starts the night before, with a
proper meal and a solid sleep. When he wakes up on the morning of a dive there’s more food, this time a high-carb breakfast, followed by a stretching routine. Then it’s time to for Krack to mentally prepare himself. “A long time before I get in the water I start to employ sports psychology,” says Krack over the phone from Hawaii. “I use a bunch of visualization techniques to get focused.”
It is a focus Krack can’t afford to lose. See, freediving is no walk in the park. To descend hundreds of metres underwater on a single breath is about as dangerous as a sport can get — it’s right up there with BASE jumping and bull riding.
So when he gets on the boat, as he lays out his equipment and then puts it on in a very specific order, Krack has to keep his mind focused firmly on the task at hand.
“I look at that equipment like a suit of armour,” explains Krack. “With each piece I put on I’m slowly becoming someone else. What I’m trying to do is go away from being Kirk the family man, Kirk the father, to being Kirk the freediver.”
Once he’s mentally there, Krack slows down his breathing and slips effortlessly into the water.
Here, he says, he feels at home. And as he immerses his face in the water, the coolness of the ocean begins to slow his heart rate. His mammalian diving reflex kicks in. Blood moves from his extremities to his core, and his spleen compresses. Krack’s becoming one with the water, employing special
breathing techniques to help him oxy-genate, relax, and lower his CO2 levels.
Then, when Krack is ready, he starts his dive.
When Kirk Krack tells people where he’s from, invariably their first question is: “How in the heck did you become a world renowned freediving instruc-tor?” The reason? Well, Krack is from Saskatchewan — a province not ex-actly known for its deep sea activities. But it does have a lot of lakes, and that’s where Krack’s journey to the depths of the oceans around the world began.
“I grew up a water baby,” says Krack. “My parents were really into the water. When I was just months old they had me in a towel, bouncing me along the lake at Waskesiu.”
Soon Krack was enrolled in swim-ming lessons, as well as sailing and snorkeling at Lac La Ronge during the summer. For his thirteenth birthday, Krack’s mother bought him scuba div-ing lessons.
Fast forward nearly a decade. Krack is 20 years old. Not only has he
become a diving instructor, but he has also purchased The Diving Centre in Saskatoon. Fast forward again, past him selling the shop, past his move to Vancouver and his initiation into mixed-gas diving. Fast forward to the year he moved to the Cayman Islands and opened Dive Tech.
“We had this Cuban freediver who came down who wanted to break a record,” says Krack. “We had all the equipment and the experience do-ing deep dives (at that point I’d been down 500 feet using mixed gas), so we worked with him.”
And it was while working with this Cuban diver that Krack’s own interest in freediving hit a high. He would watch this man and study his methods, then on days off go out and practice the things he’d seen.
b
saskatchewan freediver Kirk Krack has trained everyone, from record-holders to tiger woods by adaM hawboldt
when i get to the surface that’s where i’m the most critically hypoxic.
KIrK KracK
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Photos: courtesy oF PerForMance FreedIvIng
Not long after, an opportunity arose for Krack to help train another freediver named Tanya Streeter. Then another opportunity sprang up. And another, and another.
Eventually, in January 2000, Krack stepped away from the scuba and technical diving side of things, moved back to Vancouver, and opened Perfor-mance Freediving. It was a wise move.
To date, Krack has trained seven freedivers to 23 world records. He’s been on Oprah helping David Blaine achieve a record. He’s taught Tiger Woods and Woody Harrelson to freed-ive. He has worked on an Academy Award-winning documentary called The Cove.
Not too shabby for a small-town kid from a land-locked province.
Back in the ocean, Krack’s first kick propels him down below the surface.
Down he goes, deeper and deeper, kicking intermittently, equalizing, making sure his body is positioned properly. At the 10-metre mark, there’s double the pressure on his body than when on the surface. His lung volume is cut in half.
At the 20-metre mark, there’s three times the pressure. His lung volume is reduced to one-third of what it was on the surface.
“The pressure, it accumulates on you,” says Krack. “Like bricks piled one on top of the other. But the human
body is very adaptable. It can adapt to extreme environments like that.”
Which is true, but just because a body can physiologically adapt, doesn’t mean the human mind is mentally strong enough to withstand the stress, anxiety and anticipation of a freedive. Kirk Krack knows this, so as he plunges deeper into the belly of the ocean he remains focused and ready for anything.
At a certain point Krack’s lungs be-come compressed enough, his wetsuit thin enough, that he doesn’t have to kick anymore.
“And I just sink like a skydiver,” he says. “Like a lawn dart descending through the water column, and now I’m just managing the sink phase.”
He cannot sink forever, though, and soon it’s time for Krack to make his way back to the surface.
This itself is no easy task. Once he’s reached the absolute depths of his dive, Krack has to turn and kick hard because of all the pressure and negative buoyancy. But as he rises, the kicking gets less difficult. He rises and rises, past the safety divers who are in place in case something goes wrong. He rises until he breaches the surface and inhales.
“But the job isn’t done there,” says Krack. “When I get to the surface that’s where I’m the most critically hypoxic. That’s where ninety percent of all blackouts happen. So I really have to focus on my recovery breathing. Make
sure I’m oxygenating myself and main-taining my blood pressure.”
If he doesn’t, he can pass out in the water or lose all control of his motor skills. It’s happened to him before. Blackouts, loss of motor control, the bends, nitrogen narco-sis, you name it. But that was when
Krack was a young freediver, just starting out.
Now he’s a pro, a guy who teaches other pros. A guy who, when this article was written, was still in Hawaii taking a team of Navy SEALs through a breath-hold survival program.
Not too shabby, indeed.
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writers of a feather...
writing north: just another example of how far the saskatchewan literary community has come by adaM hawboldt
n azis. Reduction as violence. The Fu-Schnickens. Being shot
by a pellet gun.If someone were to put the afore-
mentioned gun to your head and ask what those four things have in com-mon, what would you say?
If you answered, “things that were discussed at the 2013 Writing North conference,” then you’re correct.
The conference — which brings together noted authors from around province — always starts with a panel discussion in the Neatby-Tim-lin Theatre.
This year, the theatre is filled with hipsters and scholars, young poets and grey-haired old men. Some are jotting down notes on pieces of paper, some typing away at computers nestled in their laps. Others simply listen.
At the front of the theatre, under warm halogen lights, a panel of au-thors is seated at a long brown ta-ble. David Carpenter, a much-pub-lished local author, lobs questions at the panel, which includes writers like Candace Savage, Ken Babstock, David Poulsen, DM St. Bernard, C.E. Gatchalian. And at first all the talk is about craft and audience. Stuff
that many non-writers may find less than interesting.
But then it happens. From the audience comes an odd, out-of-place comment about Nazis, and the de-bate swells. Eventually, the talk turns
to the ‘90s rap group Fu-Schnickens, before the award-winning poet Ken Babstock regales the audience with a tale about the time he was invited to a fellow’s house, then summarily shot after putting a pellet through a light bulb. The crowd, littered with authors who have traveled from the four corners of the province to be here, chuckles. And Writing North 2013 begins with a bang.
“What you have to realize is that Saskatchewan writers are spread
all over the province,” says Dave Carpenter, sitting in the Broadway Roastery in Saskatoon days before Writing North, 2013. “From Cypress Hills to the Canadian Shield, from cities to all the small towns.”
Carpenter clears his throat and continues. “Early on, writers in this province felt a lot of isolation. If you live in a big city you have liter-ary magazines, all kinds of book stores, the bohemian vibe, writers to look over your manuscripts, you got everything a writer wants. But in the early going we didn’t really have that here. There wasn’t really a community.” On the table in front of Carpenter rests a brand new copy of the book he has spent years editing: The Literary History of Saskatchewan.
early on, writers in this province felt a lot of isolation … [t]here wasn’t really a community.
davId carPenter
Photo: courtesy oF adaM hawboldt / verb
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This is the first volume of a two-part series, a book that maps the jour-ney literature in this province has taken — beginning with Cree writing of the 19th century, and continuing into the 1980s.
If you open the book and flip to page 179, you’ll see an essay called “The New Generation: The ‘70s Remembered” by Ken Mitchell. That’s where you find out when and how this isolated collection of writers came together to form one of the strongest, most close-knit groups in Canada.
It all began, they say, in the summer of ’69, when a group of writers met at the Valley Centre in Qu’Appelle. These individuals came together and chatted about literary markets, professional development and other such stuff.
A year later, the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild held its inaugural conference.
“That was the first writers’ guild in Canada,” explains Carpenter. “I joined right around the time I finished my first book, and the guild, for me, that is the communi-ty. We went through a lot together. We went through the launching of all our first books together. The
friends I made back then, in the ‘70s, they’re still my friends today.”
But it wasn’t just the guild that helped build the writing commu-nity in this province. At the same time, this “school of fervent writ-ers” also created the first system of retreats to help combat the feeling of isolation.
“You can go down to Cypress Hills, there’s the Wallace Stegner residence, Fort San,” says Carpenter. “I always go to the Muenster monas-tery. Oh, and there are retreats at St. Mike’s, too.”
And it was through these retreats, through these conferences and meetings, that a bond grew between a special generation of writers in Saskatchewan.
A bond that has left hand prints all over the modern literary landscape.
Back at Writing North 2013, the festivities are in full swing.
People stand shoulder to shoulder, back to back, outside the Neatby-Timlin Theatre. They drink wine and snack on food while talking books and life and football.
And if you look around the corridor with the right kind of eyes,
you may be able to recognize a lot of the “The New Generation” of writers mentioned in The Literary History of Saskatchewan. The ones who started the guild and helped build the retreat system.
Their hair may be thinner now, a little more grey, but to watch them — authors like Carpenter, Dave Margoshes, Robert Calder, Louise Halfe, Barbara Sa-pergia and so on— you can almost see them lazing around the Fort San on a fine summer day, 40 years ago, doing pretty much the same thing.
But these writers, they aren’t stuck in the blissful haze of the good ol’ days. No, they’re still at the very heart of the Saskatch-ewan literary scene, still writing, forever building the community and making events like Writing North not only possible, but enter-taining as well.
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ot so long ago, after a five-year moratorium in the wake of Robert
Dziekanski’s death in British Co-lumbia, a decision was made by the Saskatchewan Police Commission to allow police officers in this province to use conducted energy weapons.
That’s tasers, to us regular folk.Since then, comment boards on
most of the media sites that carried the story have been blowing up in heated debate. Some people are saying the decision is a horrible one, and that the general public should be outraged. Others feel that using tasers is a good idea, much better than, say, using bul-lets to subdue a situation.
Now, we are trying to be practical. We know that tasers are coming to Saskatchewan, and there’s not much we can do about it. But we refuse to buy too deep into the idea that tasers are a sensible, non-lethal alternative for police. After all, they can be lethal. And sure, some people believe that tasers are the best thing going for cops — they offer officers greater power than using pepper spray or a baton, but they’re not so deadly as opening fire on an individual … a sort of middle-ground between shooting and shout-ing. But is that really what happens?
One of the most comprehensive studies on this topic comes from our Commonwealth friend, Australia. Ethicist Stephen Coleman highlights the issues facing police officers who use tasers and other non-lethal weapons, and finds that when officers in Australia had access to these non-lethal weapons, they were deployed
thousands of times more frequently than an actual lethal weapon would have been — that is to say, rather than falling back on using discourse or an alternative method to de-escalate a situation, officers would simply turn to pepper spray or tasers.
The underlying issue Coleman is getting at: the indiscriminate use of non-lethal weapons. Sure, these weapons are a great alternative to something more aggressive, but that shouldn’t mean they are the first thing officers turn to, because they can (and have) a physical affect on a person. And the truth of the matter is: you just don’t know how every human will respond to massive electrical volts coursing through his or her body.
So how about in Canada? A recent study out of B.C. found that since 2007 — the year Dziekanski was tasered to death by police in the Vancouver International Airport — police taser use has dropped 87%, while the use of firearms has remained fairly constant. A CBC report finds that police “appear to be relying more heavily on verbal skills and physical tools other than tasers when dealing with potentially dangerous situations.” This trend sug-gests that police had been overusing the weapon, that the problem faced in the past was not with tasers, but with those holding them. And with the introduction of tasers to the Saskatch-ewan police force, this is something we all need to be concerned about.
Look, police officers are highly trained individuals whose job requires that they make split-second decisions in stressful situations. And while the
SPC is looking at implementing safety policies after a taser has been de-ployed, the fact of the matter remains that training in what happens before is just as important. And unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in a dynamic or realistic environment that mirrors real-world situations. As Coleman points out, this leads to the unnecessary deployment of stun guns.
And while the drop in taser use is encouraging, we must remember it’s the result of a number of people dying from those weapons. Dziekan-ski may be the most high-profile, but he is certainly not the only victim. So if police are being less zealous in their use of stun guns, but the impact on firearms is negligible, then what are tasers really doing other than en-couraging cops to zap people when they would otherwise use words, pepper spray, or a baton?
And while we understand that tasers are coming to this province, it seems like a move that didn’t really need to happen. If we’re going to be forced to live with police officers who carry stun guns, it’s best they learn to use their “non-lethal” weapons as little as humanly possible.
These editorials are left unsigned because they represent the opinions of Verb magazine, not those of the individual writers.
editorial
we’re stunned
n
Introducing tasers to the saskatchewan police seems like a wrong move
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text your thoughts to881 verb
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on topic: last week we asked what you thought about cutting corners to make travel less expensive. here's what you had to say:
– Your opinion piece was ri-diculous. Satire just obscured the message, which is valid: cheaper airfare in canada. Better luck next time.
– Nice Can-Fly ref. Loved the ironic tone of the article, I’d totally stand for an hour or whatever for a way cheaper flight.
– Are you serious? Who in there right mind would want to just run and push a taxi. I don’t think that would even work in real life. You know flinstones aren’t real. This is stupid
– I would way rather pay a bit extra to sit than cheap to stand for a couple hours. Im to lazy.
– What about making trains or buses first class, second class, etc. like they used to. Then you can chose which class (and the corre-sponding fee) you want to pay
– What about those carts for two pulled by bikes? I’d pay less to have someone pedal me around in the summer. Not super fast, not super comfortable, but still gets you there.
– Standing only fights would be a great idea the cost of flying in this country is high and only getting higher something drastic needs to be done
off topic
– Love Whitehorse theyre such a cool group and seem like such a sweet couple. I’m going to go see them for sure!!! :D
In response to “A Work in Progress,” Cover
story, #224 (January 25, 2013)
– Loved the story about Everest. So interesting to hear what makes someone want to do that. Good luck to the young man, on his endeavour!
In response to “The rooftop of the world,”
Local story, #224 (January 25, 2013)
sound off
– ST.PAULS AND ROYAL UNI-VERSITY HOSPITALS OVER-CROWDED DO TO DEMAND AND NOROVIRUS WHY IS CITY HOSPITAL NOT BE USED TO HELP WITH PRESSURE.
– THE Citizens of saskatoon should Demand a recount Voters! Fight corruption
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11feb 1 – feb 7
– T was disgusted to hear about university bridge needing such significant repairs. We live in a city of bridges, why the f*** haven’t they figured out a better way of dealing with them? This would be laughable if it wasn’t so devastating.
– Drive safe out there! Tons of accidents all over, ice everywhere makes it impossible to stop.
– It is unreasonably cold out there. I feel proud of myself anytime I venture outside and make it some-where LOLOL
– Obligatory text denigrating the terrible coldness of winter, and the obviousness of it sucking balls.
– The CEO of Habitat for Humanity making 252k a year is no fiction. Its in public docs they file in the
U.S. Form 909 I think. Thats real investigative journalism Habitat for Humanity is not quite the charity they would have everyone believe. They’re crooked players in our housing crisis. Need to be exposed.
– Write about big companies in the city that don’t sponsor ANYTHING in the city. IE: Co-op refinery. If that place blew up it would take the whole city with it and we don’t have any gain from them being here. There are plenty more. These companies won’t evens sponsor a little league baseball team.
– Hiccups are usually a stomach acid thing. If you have a bad case of hiccups try eating a couple ant-acid tabs like Tums or Rolaids.
– A pal just invented “Highber-nate” with bad spelling. Hahaha... You pass the winter getting loaded and crashing out a lot.
– The surest mark of the true peasant is a burning desire to be monarch. The surest mark of the true monarch is a burning desire to be peasant.
– The women’s protest in India this week over rape and murder. Its always like this in feudal societies including ours. Rape and abuse of women is rampant.
– Proud Idle no more movement. Before you whitewash an entire group of people as lazy or protes-tors or having no guiding message, educate yourself first. We want to have a meaningful conversa-tion, but can’t do that if people are perceiving us through the lens of stereotypes
– Downtown guy where you at? Frozen somewhere? Are you a snowbird? COME BACK!
– What is it that Kelly Block has agianst immigrants? Everybody makes mistakes but everybody deserves the same justice.
– Jack Layton had to die. There was no way in hell the Canadian Estab-lishment was going to accept a left wing Government led by him.
– The problems with the labor and left in Sask are because a whole generation thought they could pay off big mortgages sock big pensions AND fight the g ood fight!
– False self pity is always at the root of greed and selfishness. I/we had/have it hard. I/we work hard. No help from anyone. Did it all by myself. Wah wah wah!
– Do you think you’d beat the Devil in a spank’in contest?
– Considering extra foods is one of the cheapest places to shop for food is it a scam to get the money spent at super store are they not branches of the same company
– If Saskatchewan police get tasers guaranteed they’ll taser an abo to death in the first year. Racist cow-ardice is predictable like this.
next week: what do you think about saskatch-ewan police using tasers? pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation:
We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories and content, or anything else on your mind.
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the bandleader
mMorgan childs takes his quartet on the road by alex J MacPherson
Photos: courtesy oF robyn Kent
@macphersona
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i want to make this a band that plays the better rooms in the country…
Morgan chIlds
q + a
organ Childs is one of the most popular session musicians in the country. In the
tradition of Buddy Rich and Max Roach, Childs has elevated the drum kit from simple percussion to high art. Now, after years in the studio and touring with other musicians, Childs has emerged as a bandleader and composer. After a stint on the road this winter, he and his hard bop quartet — Kelly Jefferson, David Restivo, and Jon Maharaj — will record their debut album. But first they have to cross Canada in the cold. I caught up with Childs to chat about live jazz, traveling to perform, and what it means to be a bandleader.
Alex J MacPherson: I know you’re planning a record, but it strikes me that jazz is really meant to be heard live — preferably in a smoky little club.
Morgan Childs: I definitely agree. I think part of learn-ing how to play
jazz is to see it performed live. My perspective on seeing things live was being able to translate these mysterious sounds that I heard on records to a visual medium. When you see somebody do something, and you can get really close to it,
you can see the techniques to make the sound you hear in your head or on recordings. It accelerates the process.
AJM: You’re a young guy play-ing jazz. Is it important for you to introduce other young people to the music you love?
MC: Definitely. It’s something that relates to my own experiences growing up. I come from a really small town, so when I got inter-
ested in jazz it was something I really had to fight for, to be able to see the music. I had to travel. Going to Vancouver was a ten-hour drive, but I would go just to see musicians I was into. For me, I go see live music all the time, and it solves so
many problems, so many questions you have about the music. It all gets solved live.
AJM: The idea of a bandleader is an interesting one. What exactly does it mean in jazz?
MC: A lot of people ask what the name of the band is. I say in jazz whoever’s leading the gigs, it’s their band. Basically what it means is that I choose most of the music, I write and arrange a lot of the music, I put the
personnel together, and I book the gigs myself. I always try to assemble musicians that I think are going to work well together, who will share a certain group of instincts I find really fun to play with.
AJM: What prompted you to put your own band together? Is this going to be something you’ll focus on in the years ahead?
MC: I think part of this whole experi-ence for me, with booking this tour and putting this band together and writing the music for these players, the impetus behind it was last winter I wasn’t working as much, specifi-cally in January and February. I had slow months and was going stir-crazy. Practicing a lot can only take you so far; I needed gigs, I needed to play with some people. I put this tour together basically to have something to do — but I think it can probably continue to be something like that in the future. I want to make this a band that plays the better rooms in the country and hopefully some jazz festivals one day.
AJM: You’re getting set to make a re-cord. Will that be a big departure from what you’re doing live?
MC: The studio experience is always different, because you’re listening back to yourself, hearing yourself in a different way. Certain things don’t translate in the studio the same way they do live. You have to adjust the way you play a little bit. But once the hang is good and everyone feels comfortable, it’s not really any different in the studio. It is possible that we’ll make a live re-cord out of recordings made on this tour. I may even have the Saskatoon gig recorded. If you forget the mics are there, something special might get captured.
Morgan Childs Quartet February 9 @ the bassment$15/20
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13feb 1 – feb 7
arts
a
w
Photo: courtesy oF Paul laPoInte
personal historyJune Jacobs and the history of craft in saskatchewan by alex J macpherson
Photo: courtesy oF stePhen rutherFord
a tantalizing glimpse shirley valentine looks beyond the banality of routine by alex J macpherson
continuum is slow change. It refers to the gradual,
even imperceptible, shift from one pole to another. It is also the story of craft in Saskatchewan.
Framed as a personal history of craft in this province, Continuum traces not only the growth and development of 18 artists, but also their contribution to the larger question of how their form has evolved. June Jacobs, who curated the exhibition, selected pieces by artists she has represented over the last four decades.
“I’ve been on the fringe and the edge, as sort of a participant by representation rather than in actual work, for that 40 years,” laughs Jacobs, who runs the Hand Wave Gallery in Meacham, Saskatchewan. “Whenever I went back to look at the work, all of them have grown in their work and all of them have persevered when maybe it didn’t seem like an easy route.”
Continuum is a deeply personal exhibition, a selection of pieces
that reflects the many facets of Jacobs’ long and storied career in fine craft. She included fused glass by Lee Brady, a polished birch burl by Paul LaPointe, and even a pair of charming shot glasses by Wendy Parsons. The show covers a lot of territory, exploring dozens of shapes and forms and style. But it also highlights a much more universal idea: the willingness of Saskatchewan artists to expand their practice when progress is dif-ficult and the market depressed.
“Saskatchewan was unique in that over that 40 year period it did allow artists to exist,” she says. “You could always find a place to do your work. It sometimes put you on the fringes of society in that you were remote, but that remoteness allowed you to focus.” Perhaps more impor-tantly, Jacobs explains, the public has always maintained an appetite for quality work — and allowed artists to evolve. “I don’t know if that exists everywhere,” she muses. “We’ve been fortunate.”
Like all retrospectives, Con-tinuum points inexorably forward. What else is the future but the culmination of all that has hap-pened in the past? If nothing else, the exhibition shows that fine craft is alive and well in this province — and will be for years to come.
Continuum through March 3 @ affinity gallery
atching a Liverpool housewife talk to a
kitchen wall for the best part of two hours may not seem like an entertaining way to spend the evening, but Shirley Valentine ex-tracts universal insight and mean-ing from the bittersweet musings of an aging woman convinced she has wasted her life.
“Shirley’s main question is: why is there all of this unused life?” says Nora McLellan, who stars in the new production of Willy Russell’s 1986 play. “Why are we given so many thoughts and hopes and dreams when they can’t all be used? She actually says at one point that her life has been a crime against God, because she’s never lived it fully.”
Shirley Valentine is a story of dis-covery. Once a teenage rebel, Shirley Bradshaw has been transformed into a depressed homemaker. Trapped in an unfulfilling marriage and bur-dened with ungrateful children, she idles away the days and shares her innermost thoughts with the kitchen wall. As the play unfolds, Shirley is given tantalizing glimpses of the world beyond her domestic prison.
“We see Shirley with having no options, not even knowing she doesn’t have options” McLellan says. “And all of a sudden an option is given to her, and that starts the brain working. She starts questioning her husband, her life, her day to day, and asking why.”
Shirley’s world is cracked wide open when a friend offers her a trip to Greece. It feels like her last chance to make a change, and she embraces it. “The message of the play is universal,” McLellan explains. “We don’t live our lives to the max, and we get stuck in our little places. The audience can certainly relate.”
Shirley Valentine deals with the most profound existential questions, but the script is overflowing with wry humour and pathos. This is a
challenge for McLellan, who must mine the depths of her humanity while keeping the audience enter-tained — and cooking a real meal onstage, complete with chips in boil-ing oil. She is not concerned. “I’m an entertainer, and that’s my job in this play. I welcome the challenge, and if the [preview] was any indication, challenge well met.”
Shirley Valentine January 23 - February 10 (no Mondays) @ Persephone theatre$15+ @ Persephone box office
@macphersona
feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372
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14feb 1 – feb 7
Continued on next page »
coVer
hil Churchill used to worry about touring in Europe. When his
band, a folk trio from St. John’s called The Once, first ventured across the Atlantic, he had no idea how their signature blend of tender melodies and soaring harmonies would be received by English and Irish audiences.
“I don’t know if I should speak for the whole band, but I was nervous when we first started coming over here,” he says from a van bound for Bristol, the digitized voice of a GPS device droning in the background. “I was really nervous about taking what we’ve gotten from these countries and sort of force-feeding it back to them through a filter.”
But Churchill and his bandmates didn’t have much of a choice.
Their lives and careers have been shaped and moulded by the province they call home, and their collective identity is inextricably linked to their roots in St. John’s. Churchill’s apprehension stemmed from the fact that Newfoundland music is, at its most basic, trans-planted folk that has grown and evolved free from outside influ-ence. Fortunately, he says, British crowds embraced their contem-porary take on traditional sounds: “It seems that without being really conscious of it, we’ve crossed over into doing something very differ-ent, and they seem to kind of pick up on it.”
In other words, he adds with a laugh, “They’re not going, ‘Wait a sec-
ond, that song’s Irish! You bastards, you’re not allowed to do that!’”
Most people equate Newfoundland music with Great Big Sea, a band whose talent for crafting cheerful interpretations of traditional songs is eclipsed only by their ability to keep an audience on its feet all night long. The Once draw on many of the same basic influences as their veteran peers, but they have developed a sound that is entirely their own.
Instead of channelling the boister-ous energy of the pubs and bars from
which so much Newfoundland music flows, The Once write and perform songs that say as much with silence as they do with sound. Essentially a fu-sion of traditional sounds and melodies with lyrics that capture the angst and frustration and joy of making art in the twenty-first century, the band’s sound is anchored by Churchill and Andrew Dale, who play everything from guitar and mandolin to fiddle and bouzouki, and carried to soaring heights by Geraldine Hollett, whose voice is as expressive as it is powerful. Their albums and live performances are an
exercise in making a lot with relatively little, and their success is derived from the most recognizable element of their sound — the indescribable warmth of three voices singing together.
Vocal harmonies have always been at the core of The Once’s musical vi-sion, and for good reason. Even today, Churchill says, singing with Hollett and Dale sends chills up and down his spine. “No matter how much we go on, and no matter how much we electrify our instruments or keyboards, I think that’s something that’s just ingrained in us as humans,” he says, explaining that harmony has figured prominently into
music since time immemorial. “Just go into any church and pick out a hymn book. You’re going to see it’s written by J.S. Bach, and it’s all S.A.T.B. — soprano, alto, tenor, baritone. This is the style of music that seems to have lasted and had power that reaches far beyond any other type of music we’ve been able to create.”
But great singers need great songs. If the band’s eponymous debut was an experiment, the product of three individuals exploring many dif-ferent avenues in search of a suitable sound, their latest release positions
p
past and present
they’re not going, ‘wait a second, that song’s irish! you bastards, you’re not allowed to do that!’
PhIl churchIll
the once transform ancient melodies into contemporary masterpieces by alex J MacPherson
Photo: courtesy oF the artIst
/Verbsaskatoon culturecontents local editorial comments q + a arts coVer food + drink music listings film nightlife comics timeout
15feb 1 – feb 7
@macphersona
feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372
Photo: courtesy oF the artIst
Photo: courtesy oF renIta FIllatre
the once transform ancient melodies into contemporary masterpieces by alex J MacPherson
them as songwriters and interpreters of not inconsiderable talent.
“Nell’s Song” is a waltz for guitar and accordion, a tale of loneliness and the crushing weight of age and distance. “Jack The Sailor,” on the other hand, is an uptempo romp through the annals of timeless bouzouki and mandolin riffs. “A Round Again” is a simple love song animated by finger snaps and one of Hollett’s finest vocal performances. It is a fine example of the intersection of traditional instru-mentation and timeless lyrics that defines Row Upon Row of the People They Know. The title of the record was
drawn from “Song For Memory,” a collaboration with Newfoundland poet George Murray that reflects on the meaning and purpose of years gone past. It is the strongest song on the record, as well as a concise summary of everything they have achieved to date, capturing in just four minutes the tension between past and present and future that animates not only their music, but also their view of the world.
“I think all of us who create any-thing, that’s the one thing that will al-ways define us,” Churchill says. “The one solace you can have in that idea,
or that fear, is that even if people don’t get the exact subject matter of the song, at the very least they’ll understand that you’re wondering: Am I totally alone here?”
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Row Upon Row is the sheer size of the sound three people can make. Recording studios allow musicians to play multiple instruments on the same track, and the record includes instruments absent from the band’s live performances, but very little is lost in translation. Seen live, The Once are as powerful and compelling as they are on Row Upon Row. This is partly be-cause their harmonies are so rich and dynamic — but it is also the product of hard work.
“There’ve been many times where we thought we had really stretched out,” Churchill says. “There’s Ham-mond organ on this, there’s a drum kit on this, there’s all kinds of stuff going on on this record, and we’re not going to be able to recreate it live.” To get around this problem, he and his band-mates spend hours rearranging their songs for the stage. “It was quite easy taking them from the kitchen table into the studio, but taking them from the studio to the stage wasn’t easy at all,” he laughs.
But even if the songs take shape differently on stage, their source is unmistakable. And that is exactly what Churchill has always wanted. “I would like people to hear what we’re playing, and whether they know that it’s us or not, to say that band sounds like The Once,” he says. “Now that we’ve been
at this for awhile, the wishes and the dreams and the hopes start turning into the plan. That would be it.”
The plan appears to be working. Hollett, Dale, and Churchill have suc-ceeded in creating music reminiscent of old folk music and sea shanties without cleaving to any sound but their own. When their European tour concludes, they will pack up their par-kas and head west. But no matter how many albums they sell, and no matter
how many concerts they play, they will always be a Newfoundland band. “We could write songs about every other place in the world besides Newfound-land, but they’re always going to come out with a sense of us being diehard Newfoundlanders,” Churchill says. “We’re just really lucky that we dig where we’re from.”
If history is any indication, people everywhere dig where they’re from, too. The upshot is that Churchill doesn’t
worry about touring Europe anymore. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
The Once February 12 @ the bassment$15/20
Verbnews.comculture contents local editorial comments q + a arts coVer food + drink music listings film nightlife comics timeout
16feb 1 – feb 7
food + drink
something to write home about
let’s go drinkin’ verb’s mixology guide
the hemingway daiQuiri
Since Prairie Ink is a clean, well-lit place filled with photos of authors, it only makes sense to pay tribute to an author who loved his drink. Here is a dai-quiri that Ernest Hemingway fell in love with while in Cuba.
ingredients
2 oz white rum1 teaspoon grapefruit juice1 teaspoon maraschino liqueur½ oz fresh lime juice
directions
Frappe (chip or crush) some ice. Add to shaker. Pour in remaining ingredi-ents. Empty contents of shaker into a chilled cocktail glass.
wPrairie Ink combines literature and excellent food by adaM hawboldt
@adamhawboldt
feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372
photos courtesy of adam hawboldt
alk into most res-taurants at 2:30pm on a random
Wednesday, and you’ll find they usually have one thing in com-mon — a lack of patrons.
But Prairie Ink, nestled by the Circle Drive overpass on 8th Street, isn’t like most restaurants.
When I strolled in there one afternoon last week, I was expecting a lonely patron or two sitting around drinking tea or coffee, maybe nib-bling at a piece of cake or some other kind of dessert.
That’s what I expected. What I got was a restaurant more than half-filled with people. Soft folk music wafted through the air as the gentle murmur of midday afternoon conversation rose from the tables. I commented about how surprised I was with the
amount of people there; Clint, the restaurant manager, told me “this is nothing. Today is a slow day.”
That last tidbit of information might’ve surprised me, too, if it wasn’t for the simple charm of the restaurant. The clean, well-lit room, the walls lined with black and white pictures of famous Saskatchewan au-thors — everyone from Yann Martel to Guy Vanderhaeghe to W.O. Mitch-ell and Arthur Slade. Looking around the room at these photographs, it struck me how perfectly they suited the restaurant. See, not only is Prairie Ink located in the McNally Robin-son bookstore, but in the beginning the space started out as a place for authors to read and listeners to have some coffee. Not much more.
That was more than a decade ago. These days, as I’ve mentioned, Prairie
Ink is busy and bustling. And for good reason: the food is delicious.
Though I was tempted to order the fig and prosciutto pizza (made of caramelized figs, prosciutto, garlic butter, goat cheese, lemon arugula and fresh parmesan), something kept pulling my eyes to the wraps section.
That something was the roasted beet and caramelized onion wrap.
Never one to argue with my gut, I ordered this interesting looking item with a pear and blue cheese salad. Excellent choice.
The salad was incredible. The sweetness of the pear and the Saskatoon berry vinaigrette was cut deliciously by the sharpness of the cheese. Toss in some toasted walnuts for texture, and you have yourself one heckuva salad.
And the wrap was no slouch, either. The warm beety flavour was complimented exquisitely by a creamy goat cheese and caramelized onion mixture that oozed with every bite. It was so good, in fact, I think I may go book shopping one of these days (soon), and see what else Prairie Ink has to offer.
Prairie Ink 3130 8th st. e | 955 3579
@Verbsaskatoon culturecontents local editorial comments q + a arts coVer food + drink music listings film nightlife comics timeout
17feb 1 – feb 7
music
Photos courtesy oF: the artIst / the artIst / the artIst
Coming upnext Week
eric church
The year 2011 was a coming-out party of sorts for Eric Church. Sure, his previous two albums had gone gold in the U.S., and sure, he’d toured with the likes of Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert. But when the country artist from North Carolina released his album, Chief, in July of 2011, his rising star skyrocket- ed into the spotlight. On the strength of songs like “Drink In My Hand,” “Homeboy” and “Springsteen,” the album went platinum. Any way you slice it, Chief was a game-changer for Church, and he set out on tour late last month to show North America just how much game he has. So if you like your country with a splash of attitude, this is a concert you might not want to miss. Tickets available through Ticketmaster.
@ the credIt unIon centrethursday, february 7 – $46.25+
You’ve got to hand it to Dean Brody, his songs have the kind of lyrics that really hit home. From “Canadian Girls” to “Dirt Road Scholar” and “Bob Marley,” this British Columbia born-and-bred country artist pumps out the kind of music that resonates with people and sticks with you long after the last chords have been played. His songs are so good and so respected they have earned Brody a couple of Canadian Country Music Awards — from Album of the Year (for his most recent release, Dirt), to Male Artist of the Year. He’s taking his talents on the road in 2013, playing concert after concert from B.C. back to the Bluenose province. Tickets to see Brody are available through theodeon.ca, or via Ticketmaster.
dean brody
Since dropping their first record in 2001, Stars have been slowly getting bigger and better. What started as a duo in Toronto (Torquil Campbell and Chris Seligman) soon became a quar-tet (with the addition of Evan Cranley and Amy Millan) before evolving into a five-piece when they met drummer Patrick McGee. As the band grew, so too did its sound — evolving from electro-pop in the early days to the sonic, sweeping indie rock they play now. Whatever they’re doing seems to be working, though. Not only have Stars been nominated for Junos and Polaris Music Prizes, but their songs have been featured on television shows from Alias to The O.C. This hot-as-hell five-piece will be rolling into Saskatoon in March. Tickets available at www.theodeon.ca.
– by adam hawboldt
stars
@ the odeon events centrethursday, february 7 – $35+
sask music previewAttention Saskatchewan performing artists: Regina’s Bushwak-ker Brewpub will be hosting the Sask Sampler on March 23. This special event will put some amazing independent performers in front of artistic directors from the Regina Folk Festival, Ness Creek Music Festival, and the Gateway Festival. Please apply through Sonicbirds before February 26; see www.reginafolkfes-tival.com for more information.
Keep up with saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org
@ the odeon events centrefriday, march 29 – $25+
Verbnews.comentertainment contents local editorial comments q + a arts coVer food + drink music listings film nightlife comics timeout
18feb 1 – feb 7
listingslistings
The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.
february 1 » february 9
1 2
8 96 74 53
s m t w t
listings
whitehorse courtesy of paul wright
young benjaminscourtesy of the artist
friday 1house DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk,
soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmo-
sphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover
LaDy Deathstryke, souL Mates, herD of wasters / Amigos Cantina – Go hard
or stay home! 10pm / Cover TBD
Piano friDays: saskatoon syMPhony / The Bassment - Enjoy some smooth jazz
stylings. 4:30pm / No cover
roots series: karrnneL + frienDs / The Bassment — Fiddle music for a rootin’
tootin’ good time. 9pm / $13/18
austen roaDz / Béily’s UltraLounge —
Austen Roadz throws down a high-ener-
gy, top 40 dance party every Friday night.
9pm / $5 cover
riPPertrain / Buds On Broadway — It’s
gonna get loud up in here when these
guys take the stage. 9pm / $6
fountains of youth / The Fez on
Broadway — A night of sweet music, also
featuring Rory Borealis and the Northern
Lights. 10pm / $5
DJ ecLectic / The Hose — Featuring turn-
table whiz DJ Eclectic. 8pm / No cover
DJ sugar DaDDy / Jax Niteclub — This
local crowd favourite has always been
known to break the latest and greatest
tracks in multiple genres. He’s sure to
have you on the dance floor
in no time. 9pm / $5
cover
J stax / Louis’
— Hip hop
from our
neigh-
bours
to the
south.
8pm /
Cover
TBD
DJ Butterz / Lounge 306
— Top 40 songs.
8pm / Cover TBD
Le groove / Lydia’s Pub —
Get out to Broadway and get ready to
be entertained. 9pm / $5
aDaM k / The Odeon Events Centre —
World-renowned DJ spinning sick beats
all night. 9pm / $15 (www.theodeon.ca)
DJ Big ayyy & DJ henchMan / Outlaws
— Round up your friends ‘cause there’s
no better country rock party around. 8pm
/ $5; ladies in free before 11pm
f.e.r.n. / Prairie Ink — A folk singer with
the soul of a poet will perform in this cozy
setting. 8pm / No cover
L.o.r.D. funk / Somewhere Else Pub —
Prepare to be funkified by this local band.
9pm / No cover
DueLing Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge
— Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad
King belt out classic tunes and audience
requests. 10pm / $5
DJ anchor + MoDus / Tequila Nightclub
— Records will spin and feet will move.
9pm / Cover TBD
the uLtiMate Power Duo / Vangelis –
Coming at you with energy, all night long.
9pm / $5
saturday 2house DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs
spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm
/ No cover
the PistoLwhiPs, PanDas in JaPan, the groove / Amigos Cantina – A night
filled with good times and good music.
10pm / Cover TBD
Jazz Diva series: eLizaBeth shePherD trio / The Bassment — Smart, sexy, hip
jazz. 9pm / $13/18
austen roaDz / Béily’s UltraLounge
— Austen Roadz throws down a high-
energy top 40 dance party along with
DJ CTRL every Saturday night. 9pm /
$5 cover
riPPertrain / Buds On Broadway — It’s
gonna get loud up in here when these
guys take the stage. 9pm / $6
Peter aBonyi / Free
Flow Dance Centre
– Get ready
for Rosebud
Burlesque
Club’s
Variety
Night
Show.
8pm /
$12
DJ kaDe / The Hose
& Hydrant —
Saskatoon’s own
DJ lights it up. 8pm /
No cover
DJ sugar DaDDy / Jax Niteclub —
This local crowd favourite has always
been known to break the latest and
greatest tracks in multiple genres. 9pm /
$5 cover
DJ Butterz / Lounge 306 — Top 40
songs. 8pm / Cover TBD
vuLture kuLt / Lydia’s Pub — Some rock
rebooted for the 21st century. 9pm / $5
skyLaB / Lydia’s Loft — Hit up Lydia’s to
enjoy a chill, cosmic, DJ night with a deep
space theme. Styles include
house, techno, bass,
breaks and more.
No cover be-
fore 10pm
DJ Big ayyy & DJ hench-Man / Out-
laws
Country
Rock Bar
— Round up
your friends
‘cause there’s no
better country rock
party around. 8pm / $5
stone Mountain Music / Prairie Ink
—A rock-folk trio. 8pm / No cover
L.o.r.D funk / Somewhere Else Pub —
Prepare to be funkified by this local band.
9pm / No cover
DueLing Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge
— Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad
King belt out classic tunes and audience
requests. 10pm / $5
Mikey DuBz + Mern / Tequila Nightclub
— Records will spin and feet will move.
9pm / Cover TBD
young BenJaMins / Vangelis — Alt
rock/folk music. Also appearing will be
Coldest Night of the Year. 10pm / $8
sunday 3inDustry night / Béily’s UltraLounge —
Hosted by DJ Sugar Daddy. 9pm / $4; no
cover for industry staff
DJ kaDe / The Hose & Hydrant — Saska-
toon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm /
No cover
DJ san J / Tequila Nightclub — Come on
out for the Bad Boyz album launch. 8pm /
$17.50 (Ticketmaster)
BLues JaM / Vangelis Tavern — Come
down and get your jam on. 9pm / No
cover
monday 4MetaL MonDays / Lydia’s Pub — If hard,
heavy awesomeness is your thing, swing
by, listen to some killer music and get in
on some concert giveaways. 9pm
synaPtic / Vangelis Tavern — An elec-
tronic music open stage. 9pm / No cover
tuesday 5whitehorse / Broadway Theatre — A
roots duo too good to miss. 7:30pm /
$30-35
DJ sugar DaDDy / The Double Deuce —
This crowd favourite has always
been known to break the
latest and greatest
tracks in multiple
genres. 9:30pm
/ $4 cover
verB Presents oPen stage / Lydia’s
Pub — The
open stage
at Lydia’s has
hosted many
of Saskatoon’s
finest performers.
9pm / No cover
oPen Mic / The Somewhere Else
Pub — Come out to show your talent.
7pm / No cover
wednesday 6huMP weDnesDays / 302 Lounge & Dis-
cotheque — Resident DJ Chris Knorr will
be spinning all of your favourite songs
and requests. 9pm / No cover until 10pm;
$3 thereafter
whitehorse / Broadway Theatre — A
roots duo too good to miss. 7:30pm /
$30-35
/Verbsaskatoon entertainmentcontents local editorial comments q + a arts coVer food + drink music listings film nightlife comics timeout
19feb 1 – feb 7
Have a live show you'd like to promote? Let us know!
get listed
morgan childscourtesy of robyn kent
dean brodycourtesy of mark maryanovich
the avenue recorDing coMPany Presents oPen Mic / The Fez on Broad-
way — Hosted by Chad Reynolds. Sign
up and play at this weekly event. 10pm /
No cover
DJ kaDe / Hose & Hydrant — Saskatoon
DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm / No
cover
Dr. J ‘souLeD out’ / Lydia’s Pub — Dr. J
spins hot funk and soul every Wednesday
night. 9pm / No cover
wiLD west weDnesDay / Outlaws
Country Rock Bar — This
is Saskatoon’s top
industry night,
hosted by DJ
Big Ayyy
& DJ
Hench-
man.
And
don’t
forget
to come
ride the
mechani-
cal bull. 9pm
/ $4; no cover
for industry staff
DueLing Pianos / Staqa-
tto Piano Lounge — Terry Hoknes,
Neil Currie and Brad King belt out classic
tunes and audience requests, from Sinatra
to Lady Gaga. 10pm / No cover
MariLyn Manson / TCU Place — A
shock rocker like no other. 7:30pm
$35.50-49.50 (wwww.tcutickets.ca)
thursday 7eric church / Credit Union Centre — A
risk-taking country star who will have
you rocking out all night long. 7:30pm /
$46.25+ (www.ticketmaster.ca)
throwBack thursDays / Earls — Come
experience the best in retro funk, soul,
reggae and rock provided by Dr. J. 8pm /
No cover
DJ kaDe / The Hose & Hydrant — Saska-
toon DJ lights it up with hot tunes. 8pm /
No cover
DJ sugar DaDDy / Jax Niteclub — Local
DJ Sugar Daddy will be rocking the turn-
tables to get you dancing on the dance
floor! Every Thursday night will be filled
with pole dancing, shadow dancers and
much more! 8pm / $5; free cover with
student ID before 11pm
Dean BroDy / The Odeon — A Canadian
country star doing his thing. 8pm / $35
(www.theodeon.ca)
harDweLL Presents reveaLeD cana-Da / Tequila Nightclub — A night full of
sweetass DJs spinning badass tunes. 9pm
/ $15-25 (www.ticketmaster.ca)
friday 8house DJs / 6Twelve Lounge — Funk,
soul & lounge DJs liven up the atmo-
sphere at 6Twelve. 9pm / No cover
castLe river / Amigos Cantina — Also
appearing will be Little Criminals and
Caves. 10pm / Tickets at the door
Piano friDays: troy McgiLLvray / The
Bassment - Enjoy some smooth jazz styl-
ings. 4:30pm / No cover
roots series: tiM wiLLiaMs anD
Don griffith / The Bassment
— Mixing
blues, rag-
time and
old-time
country,
for your
listening
pleasure.
9pm / $15/20
austen roaDz / Béily’s UltraLounge
— Austen Roadz throws
down a high-energy top
40dance party every Friday night. 9pm /
$5 cover
DJ ecLectic / The Hose & Hydrant —
Local turntable whiz DJ Eclectic pumps
snappy electronic beats. 8pm / No cover
DJ sugar DaDDy / Jax Niteclub — This
local crowd favourite has always been
known to break the latest and greatest
tracks in multiple genres. He’s sure to
have you on the dance floor in no time.
9pm / $5 cover
DJ Butterz / Lounge
306 — Top 40
songs, all night
long. 8pm /
Cover TBD
DJ Big ayyy & DJ hench-Man / Outlaws
— Round
up your
friends ‘cause
there’s no better
country rock party
around. 8pm / $5; ladies in
free before 11pm
Doug BooMhower, Bruce wiLkinson, ray stePhanson / Prairie Ink — A
talented jazz trio. 8pm / No cover
unDercover Pirates / Somewhere Else
Pub and Grill — A rockin’ good night.
9pm / No cover
Jett run / Stan’s Place — Come out for a
night of good tunes. 9pm / No cover
DueLing Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge
— Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad
King belt out classic tunes and audience
requests. 10pm / $5
DJ von howarD + Mern / Tequila Night-
club — Records will spin and feet will
move. 9pm / Cover TBD
saturday 9house DJs / 6Twelve — Resident DJs
spin deep and soulful tunes all night. 9pm
/ No cover
DesPise you, wake / Amigos Cantina –
Things are gonna get heavy when these
two bands hit the stage. Also appearing:
Rehashed and Narcissistic. 10pm / $12
(www.ticketedge.ca)
the Morgan chiLDs Quartet / The
Bassment — Smart, soaring, hip jazz. 9pm
/ $15/20
austen roaDz / Béily’s UltraLounge —
Austen Roadz throws down a high-ener-
gy top 40 dance party along with DJ CTRL
every Saturday night. 9pm / $5 cover
DJ kaDe / The Hose & Hydrant — Saska-
toon’s own DJ lights it up. 8pm / No cover
DJ sugar DaDDy / Jax Niteclub — This
local crowd favourite has always been
known to break the latest and greatest
tracks in multiple genres. 9pm / $5 cover
DJ Butterz / Lounge 306 — Top 40
songs. 8pm / Cover TBD
LifteD / Lydia’s Pub — Come dance your
heart out in Lydia’s loft. 10pm / $5
DJ Big ayyy & DJ henchMan / Outlaws Country Rock
Bar — Round up
your friends
‘cause there’s
no better
country
rock
party
around.
Be there!
8pm / $5
wayne Bargen
/ Prairie
Ink — Come
out and enjoy
Bargen’s finger-style
acoustic guitar playing. 8pm
/ No cover
unDercover Pirates / Somewhere Else
Pub and Grill — A rockin’ good night.
9pm / No cover
Jett run / Stan’s Place — Come out for a
night of good tunes. 9pm / No cover
DueLing Pianos / Staqatto Piano Lounge
— Terry Hoknes, Neil Currie and Brad
King belt out classic tunes and audience
requests. 10pm / $5
conexus PoPs series: at the Movies / TCU Place — A night of Oscar-winning
music. 7:30pm / $35-55
DJ aLBert + DisLexik / Tequila Nightclub
— Records will spin and feet will move.
9pm / Cover TBD
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20feb 1 – feb 7
film
Photo: courtesy oF lIonsgate
y
even with a stellar (but aging) cast, the new Pacino/walken film is not up to snuff by adaM hawboldt
Too bad the [film] is kind of predictable and, at times, absurd.
adaM hawboldt
these guys need a walker to stand up
@adamhawboldt
feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372
stand up guys
directed by Fisher Stevens
starring Al Pacino, Christopher
Walken + Alan Arkin
95 minutes | 14a
ou know that Spirit of the West song? The one that goes “You’ll
have to excuse me, I’m not at my best…”
Well, as much as it pains me to say this, after watching Stand Up Guys it seems like a fitting anthem for two of the finest actors of the past 40 years or so — Al Pacino and Christo-pher Walken.
Sure, Walken was good in this
year’s Seven Psychopaths, but he’s much more than a stone’s throw from the good ol’ days when he was light-ing up the screen in movies like Deer Hunter and True Romance.
And Pacino? Well, I don’t know what to say. There was a time (long, long ago) when this guy’s star burned so bright it could blind you. So much so, that at one point in time you could argue he was one of, if not the, great-est actors alive. Think The Godfather. Think Dog Day Afternoon. Think Serpico, Scent of a Woman, Glengarry Glen Ross.
But those days are gone now, like VHS and the dodo, only to be replaced
by less meaty roles in stinkers like Jack and Jill, Gigli and Righteous Kill.
His latest (their latest, Walken has to be included here), Stand Up Guys, is nowhere near as bad as any of the three aforementioned cinematic aberrations.
But it’s not overly good, either.Directed by Fisher Stevens (Fac-
totum, Hackers), the film begins with Val (Pacino), a real “stand up guy”, leaving prison after pulling a 28-year
stint because he refused to rat out his partners-in-crime after a shootout gone wrong. Val is greeted at the prison gate by his old pal and former partner, Doc (Walken). Having been locked up for so long, Val makes a beeline for a brothel to, ahem, take his ferret for a walk. Problem is, the darn little thing won’t stand up.
So Val and Doc put their criminal instincts to work, break into a drug store and steal a bunch of pills. Doc gets pills for his health, Val takes a handful of those magic blue ones, and both are now ready for action.
Back to the brothel they go. Then they go to the hospital where Val
gets treated for priapism. Somewhere along the way we learn that during the shootout Val went to jail for, a local mob boss’ son was shot and killed. Now the mob boss wants Val dead.
The kicker? Doc has been as-signed to whack his best friend.
The rest of the movie plays out along a 24-hour, will-he-or-won’t-he arc. Too bad the arc is kind of predict-able and, at times, absurd. Like, for instance, the scene when the trio of septuagenarians (along the way Val and Doc spring their former getaway driver, played by the incomparable Alan Arkin, from a nursing home), take care of a bunch of much young-er, much more menacing gangsters.
And speaking of gangsters, the best way to classify Stand Up Guys is to say it is to the gangster genre what The Hammer is to boxing movies: far from a classic, but not the worst thing you’ll see all week.
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21feb 1 – feb 7
here’s something about Matt Damon. Something that makes
you either want to be him, or be with him.
What that “something” is, well, it’s hard to pin down. Yes, he has the kavorka. Yes, he’s smart and funny and a terrific actor and a passionate advocate of what he believes in.
But there’s more. It’s something that very few A-list
stars in Hollywood possess — low-key charm and a relatable charisma.
And both of these are what drive his newest film, Promised Land. Which makes perfect sense, considering Da-mon not only stars in the film, but also co-wrote the screenplay and produced the project. His fingerprints are all over this, and it really shows.
Directed by Damon’s old pal Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), Promised Land is, on the surface, a movie about fracking. You know, the controversial process of getting oil and gas out of the ground by using hydraulic fracturing.
Anyway, Damon’s character, Steve, and his partner, Sue (Frances McDor-mand) work for a big energy company. Their job is to convince the residents
of a small town in Pennsylvania that’s on the verge of bankruptcy to sell their land in return for a hefty payday.
In the beginning, everything is going well.
Then problems arise. Problems always arise. This time in the form of an old high school teacher (Hal Hol-brook), who questions the policies of
Steve’s company and wants to know the threat fracking will have on the town and surrounding area.
Right around this time is when Dustin Noble (John Krasinski) shows up. True to his preposterous name, Mr. Noble is an environ-mentalist who wants to fight the good fight and send the big energy conglomerate packing. He’s also in town to fight Steve for the atten-tion of a local beauty named Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt).
But that’s all surface stuff.Because when you dig down and
start fracking the essence of Promised
Land, you’ll see it’s more of a charac-ter study and a compelling human drama than a political statement.
And Matt Damon is no dummy. At the heat of this drama he puts two characters who, even though they’re supposed to be the bad guys in the movie, have the ability to evoke the viewer’s sympathy.
First you have Sue. Sure, she’s a tad unethical in her approach, but all the things she does to get paid are for one simple reason — to give her daughter a better life.
Then there’s Steve. He’s a farmer’s son from Iowa who knows what it’s like to watch his small town get devastated by this new economy we live in.
So was Promised Land any good?Sure it was. It wasn’t flawless or
anything, but on the whole it was an honest, interesting movie that oozes humanity and has its finger on the pulse of present-day America.
Kind of like Matt Damon himself.Promised Land is currently being
screened at Roxy Theatre.
t
shows somereal promisePromised Land may have flaws, but it’s still a pretty good flickby adaM hawboldt
@adamhawboldt
feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372
promised land
directed by Gus Van Sant
starring Matt Damon, Frances
McDormand + John Krasinski
107 minutes | pg
…it was an honest, interesting movie that oozes humanity…
adaM hawboldt
Photo: courtesy oF Focus Features
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22feb 1 – feb 7
nightlife
Photography by Patrick Carley
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23feb 1 – feb 7
saturday, january 26 @
sportson tapSports on Tap2610 Lorne Avenue(306) 683 8921
Music viBe / Rock, and all sporting eventsfeatureD DeaLs / Bone-in ribs for $8, dry ribs for $6, Grey Goose for $5, Johnny Walker Red for $4, and pints of Rickard’s and Keith’s for $5.50Drink of choice / Pints of Keith’s, and Titanics (4-litre pitcher)toP eats / Dry ribssoMething new / New TVs, ping pong table, pinball machines, foosball tables, and Newcastle is now on tapcoMing uP / UFC gear giveaway on February 2, and a Super Bowl jersey giveaway on February 3
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24feb 1 – feb 7
nightlife
Photography by Ishtiaq Opal (opalsnaps.com)
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25feb 1 – feb 7
friday, january 25 @
winston’spubWinston’s English Pub & Grill243 21st Street East(306) 374 7468
Music viBe / A modern mix of everythingfeatureD DeaLs / Import Fridays — all imports on special from 4pm ‘til close
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26feb 1 – feb 7
© elaine m. will | blog.e2w-illustration.com | check onthebus.webcomic.ws/ for previous editions!
comics
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27feb 1 – feb 7
timeout crossword Canadian Criss-Cross
horoscopes February 1 – February 7
© walter d. feener 2012
sudoku crossword answer key
a b
sudoku answer key
a
b
5 1 3 4 6 7 8 2 92 4 6 9 8 3 7 1 59 7 8 2 1 5 4 6 33 2 1 7 5 6 9 4 87 8 5 1 4 9 2 3 64 6 9 3 2 8 5 7 16 3 7 5 9 4 1 8 28 5 2 6 7 1 3 9 41 9 4 8 3 2 6 5 7
6 1 7 2 4 8 5 9 33 8 9 1 7 5 2 6 45 2 4 9 6 3 7 1 89 7 1 4 2 6 8 3 58 6 3 7 5 1 9 4 22 4 5 8 3 9 1 7 61 9 6 5 8 4 3 2 74 5 2 3 1 7 6 8 97 3 8 6 9 2 4 5 1
1 7 92 4 6 8 7 5 2 1 6 3 6 9 4 7 8 5 9 3 3 8 7 3 5 9 4 28 2 1 41 6 5
6 2 4 5 3 8 7 5 2 4 7 1 9 1 4 2 8 6 1 9 2 5 3 61 6 4 3 3 7 8 97 8 9 5
timeout
across 1. Button alternative
5. Play the lead
9. Tied score in tennis
10. Powdery ink
12. “Canadian Idol”
winner in season 2
13. Become rotten,
as eggs
15. Have an obligation
16. Animal with a horn on
its snout
18. Second-largest
living bird
19. Darn socks
21. Show curiosity
22. Noise at a barbershop
23. Replace with
another program
25. Not glossy
26. One who works in
a bank
28. Passengers hold onto it
31. Ideal future husband
35. Heavy hammer
36. Canadian who directed
“The Thorn Birds”
37. Line of light
38. Sphere
39. Not as much of
40. Piece of office furniture
41. Green ___ (foe of
Spider-Man)
43. Sleep-inducing
substance
45. Youthful years
46. Minister’s house
47. Long-handled tool
48. Move through
a crowd
down 1. Calm and unruffled
2. Overenthusiastic one
3. Botanical name
for maple
4. Maybe
5. Gave off a foul odour
6. Commotion
7. Furthermore
8. Become less cruel
9. Widow’s inheritance
11. Send payment
12. Magnificent display
14. Victim of deceit
17. Narrow connecting
strip of land
20. Windshield sticker
22. Delhi dress
24. Navigator’s need
25. Nothing more than
27. Annoying
28. Air pollution
29. Fortune-telling card
30. Odd game played to
break a tie
32. Thick lubricant
33. Overly eager speed
34. Naughty child
36. Tightly packed
39. Chain part
40. Do surface damage to
42. Meadow
44. Water lily leaf
aries March 21–april 19
Grace and poise: normally these
things are absent in you, Aries. But
this week will be different. Be sure to use
these virtues wisely.
taurus april 20–May 20
You may find yourself feeling both
creative and romantic this week,
Taurus. Both feelings aren’t mutually exclu-
sive, so find a way to mesh them together.
gemini May 21–June 20
You might have an urge to strive for
order this week, Gemini. Don’t kid
yourself, it’s a fool’s errand. You can’t impose
order on chaos, no matter how hard you try.
cancer June 21–July 22
Are you afraid to take risks,
Cancer? This is a week you should
confront those fears. Look ‘em in the eye
and say, “not today, bucko!”
leo July 23–august 22
Expect the unexpected this week,
Leo. A windfall of something is on
its way. What that is, I have no clue. Just
be ready, and brace yourself for anything.
virgo august 23–september 22
This week you may be feeling fit
as a fiddle, never better, energy
and spirits both high. If not, time to reas-
sess what’s holding you back.
libra september 23–october 23
When’s the last time you’ve been
to a museum, Libra? If it hasn’t
been in the last month, now’s an amazing
time for you to explore new territories.
scorpio october 24–november 22
Errands, errands and more errands.
That’s what’s going to dominate
this week, Scorpio, so make sure to plan
and use your time effectively.
sagittarius november 23–december 21
Have you been working hard lately,
Sagittarius? If so, don’t expect any
back slaps or thanks for all your efforts. Don’t
let it get you down. Keep on keepin’ on.
capricorn december 22–January 19
There’s no time like the present,
Capricorn, so don’t get bogged
down in the past or look too far in the fu-
ture. It’s time for you to live for the moment.
aQuarius January 20–February 19
Hey yo! Passion is in the air this
week, Aquarius. Too bad you’re
not going to realize it until it’s too late.
Better luck next time.
pisces February 20–March 20
This weekend threatens to begin
with drunken revels and end with
a hangover, Pisces. Enjoy this while you can
— big changes are looming on the horizon.