BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition March 2019

FREE

MARCH 2019

blood and the

looming apocalypse:

Toronto punks are deadly

serious on new album,

PUPDeath,

Morbid Stuff

PLUS! 36? • Melted Mirror • Baroness • Children Of Bodem • Cat Empire • Jenny Lewis

PALOMINO EVENTS FOR MARCH

Friday March 8th

Paradise 7” Release Party

Heavydive

Pill Crusher

Foldhed

Saturday March 9th

Bad Bodies

LIAM

Natural Twenty

Wednesday March 13th

Single Mothers

Mobina Galore

Mademoiselle


In/Vertigo

Open Air

The Rumble


Ashley Hundred

Bombargo

Handmade

Friday March 22nd

36? Album release

Future Womb

Witch Victim

Saturday March 23rd

Citysleep (EP Release)

Spectre Hearts (Toronto)

Yvette


HELLZAPOPPIN CIRCUS

SIDESHOW with guests

Forbidden Dimension

KV Raucous


Rhodehouse Records

presents Detractions Less

Miserable Split Release Party

with No More Moments

Act Natural

*Advance tickets at Sloth Records or myshowpass.com

Friday April 5th

Silence Kit (Winnipeg)

Miesha and the Spanks

and guests

Saturday April 6th

Counterfeit Jeans (Edmonton)

Erector Set

Hex Beat (Edmonton)

HARSH

Arson Cult (Saskatoon)

Tuesday April 9th

DRI HIEV

Blessed (Vancouver)

Slut Prophet

Friday April 12th

Gone Cosmic LP Release

All Hands on Jane

The Ashley Hundred

COMING SOON!

SATURDAY APRIL 13TH

Whitney Rose, Shaela Miller

and Amy Nelson

FRIDAY APRIL 19TH

Future Womb album release with

Peach Pyramid (Victoria) and

Pancake

SATURDAY MAY 4TH

Harrington Saints (Bay Area, CA),

Reckless Upstarts (Windsor, ON),

Pagans of Northumberland and

Streetlight Saints

WEDNESDAY MAY 8TH

Dead Quiet (Vancouver), Crystal

Mess and guests

SATURDAY MAY 11TH

Beatroute presents; Supersuckers

“The Evil Powers of Rock and Roll”

20th Anniversary Tour with guests

109 7TH AVE SW

403 532 1911

THEPALOMINO.CA

Contents

Mariachi Ghost at the

Block Heater Festival. See

Live reviews, pg 36.

LENORA BENDER

Up Front

4

7

8

The Guide

Torchettes Light up International

Women’s Day

The Agenda

That’s Dope

Top 5 leading ladies in the

Cannabis Industry

Amanda Siebert’s Little

Book Of Cannabis

Music

11

31

36

Concert Previews

Calgary art punks

36? take a trip to Milk

Mountain + Melted Mirror,

Baroness, Children Of

Bodem, GrimSkunk, Calvin

Love, The Blue Stones,

Cat Empire and Homesick

Album Reviews

Jenny Lewis, N0V3L,

Bob Mould, Royal Trux,

La Dispute, The Cinematic

Orchestra, Ex Hex,

White Denim, Andrew

Bird, American Football,

Weezer and more!

Live Reviews

Calgary Folk Festival’s

Block Heater melts our

hearts

MARCH 2019

blood and the

looming apocalypse:

Toronto punks are deadly

serious on new album,

PUPDeath, Morbid Stuff

Cover Story

24

PUP

Toronto punks channel

doom and gloom of

the here and now on

Morbid Stuff

Cover photo by:

Tanja Tiziana

FREE

PLUS! James Blake • Amyl and the Sniffers • Viagra Boys • Cass McCombs • Jenny Lewis

Movies|TV

38

39

The Arts

37

40

Film Interview

We sit down for a chat with

Through Black Spuce actress

Tanaya Beatty

This Month In Film +

The Binge List

Dance Alberta Ballet’s Midsummer

Night’s Dream is for

everyone

Theatre Ghost River Theatre

takes on Andre The Giant at

the Festival of Animated Objects

+ Klimts Playthings and

Lunchbox Theatre’s show that

will not be named

Horoscope

45

Savage Love

46

No matter your sign, there’s

always a song for you here

Dan Savage gives advice on

edging and how to be a good

bottom

Edmonton

Extra

Commiserate

with your fellow

losers pg. 28

MARCH 2019 BEATROUTE 3

The Guide

MARCH

wCity

Briefs

Torchettes: Lighting up

International Women’s Day

WESTERN CANADIAN

FASHION WEEK

March 20-24

Established in 2004, Western

Canada Fashion Week has developed

into a nationally-recognized

fashion and design event that is

now the second-largest fashion

week in Canada. This month,

between March 20-24, five nights

of different programming, dubbed

as New Blood, take place with

runway shows presented by

local, Canadian and international

designers. Up to 50 designers

and 400 models selected from a

diversified range will be participating

at the ATB Financial Barns

located in Edmonton at 1000-84

Ave. Tickets are $25/adavnce,

$30/door and $100 for a week

pass. For more info visit www.

westerncanadafashionweek.com

CHANTAL ANDERSON

The National Music Centre and The

Torchettes are teaming up to bring

together a heavyweight roster of

local ladies in honour of International

Women’s Day Weekend.

On March 9 and 10, Studio Bell

presents live performances by local

artists and musicians including The

Torchettes, Bebe Buckskin, Nicole

Dawn, Follow the Rabbit, Lashes, Kate

Melvina, Amy Nelson, Yolanda

Sargeant, Kate Stevens and Justine

Vandergrift along with a host of DJs

and dancers. In addition, the largest

female choir collective in Alberta’s

‘herstory’ perform a song of sisterhood

by The Torchettes and a marketplace

curated by female artisans and

entrepreneurs will be set up.

Warming things up on March 8, The

King Eddy presents International

Women’s Slay with a lit lineup of

ladies including rapper Ms.Teaze,

R&B vocalist Bvitae, hip-hop-house

DJ Prairie Chola Ayatollah and electronic

tastemaker DJ SoniDef.

Then on March 9 The King Eddy

teams up with Girls on Decks, Dnb

Girls and Big Kitty for the Girls on

Decks Dance Party!

From March 8-10 celebrate the women who are

playing a role in Calgary’s music and arts community

alongside festivities happening around the world.

4 BEATROUTE MARCH 2019

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

22 + 23 March 2019 / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Showcasing the music of

Tina Turner, Janis Joplin,

Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell,

Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, and Heart!

calgaryphil.com | 403.571.0849

MARCH

The Agenda

108

CAPTAIN MARVEL

Friday, March 8

Opening in theatres on March 8,

Captain Marvel is the 21st film in

the Marvel cinematic universe.

Set in 1995, this superhero story

follows Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson, as Earth is

caught in the middle of two alien worlds locked in conflict.

Written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.

16

COCKTAILS AND COUTURE

Saturday, March 16

Join Sugar Water at the Glenbow

Museum for an evening

of haute couture and elevated

cocktails. Crafting Dior-inspired

cocktails just for the occasion,

mixologist Kyo-Jean Chung will

share the process behind his

bespoke approach. You can then

enjoy an intimate guided tour of

the Christian Dior exhibition.

22

ANCIENT PIG Friday, March 22

Gaze into the mesmerizing snouts

of Saskatoon’s most dark, deranged

psych goblins as they return for a

trio of shows in Edmonton at the

Empress (Thursday, March 21) and

Calgary at Without Papers (Friday,

March 22). A highlight of Sled Island

2018, expect frightening spiral

riffage and multiple tremolo pedals

set to “Heavy Stun.”

TECH N9NE

Wednesday, March 20

at Marquee Beer Market

and Stage

Strange Music presents

Tech N9ne’s Live

In Canada Tour 2019.

Experience Tech

N9ne with Krizz Kaliko.

Strange music is also

offering a VIP package.

For tickets and more

information head to

www.strangemusic.

Hard copy tickets are

available at The Next

Level Inc and Grass-

20 roots Hemp.

RED AND WHITE

CALGARY COMIC

AND TOY EXPO

Sunday, March 10

The Comic & Toy Expo

offers comics, toys,

manga, original artwork,

role-playing games and

much more. Held at The

Red & White Club from

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s $5

admission and kids 12 and

under get in for free. For

more information, visit

www.comicandtoy.ca

28

HELLZAPOPPIN’ Hellzapoppin’

CIRCUS SIDESHOW

REVUE

March 28 & 29

is a world-renown, theatrical rock ‘n’ roll circus and freak show where some of the

deadliest stunts are performed live alongside thriving rock music. Be prepared for fire breathers

and fire-eaters, a bed of nails, glass eating, sword swallowing and a cast of human oddities. At

the Starlite Room (Edmonton) on March 28 and the Palomino (Calgary) on March 29.


That's Dope

TOP 5

WOMEN IN

CANNABIS

In celebration of

International

Women’s Day we

shine a light on the

Top 5 leading ladies

in the cannabis

industry

By Jamila Pomeroy

1

JODIE EMERY

Cannabis Activist

and Entrepreneur

The Princess of

Pot, Jodie Emery,

has seen it all in

her 14 years of

cannabis activism in

Vancouver. While a

greener hue may be

on the horizon with

legalization, Emery

cautions we have

so much work to do,

especially for members

of the industry

who have remained

on the forefront

during prohibition.

Emery continues to

be one of the most

prominent women

in the Canadian

cannabis industry,

unapologetically.

She has most-recently

extended

her love for hempt

with Jodie’s Joint,

a hemp cafe in Toronto’s

Kensington

Market.

2 3 4 5

TRACY MACRAE

Vice President;

Marketing at Kiaro

MacRae, leads

marketing at Kiaro.

Kiaro means light;

because cannabis can

be, well, illuminating.

The cannabis retailer

aims to destigmatize

cannabis use by

creating inviting retail

spaces, providing the

tools, information and

resources for customers

to not only make

their own informed

decisions, but become

empowered through

provided resources.

MacRae has over 20

years experience in

marketing and is passionate

about socially

responsible cannabis

retail.

SALIMEH TABRIZI

Founder of Cannabis

Hemp Conference

and Expo (CHCE)

Tabrizi is the Founder

of CHCE, the largest

and most comprehensive

cannabis

conference in Canada.

Through CHCE Tabrizi

hopes to legitimize

cannabis with science.

Gathering prominent

leaders, researchers,

patients and government

officials to

explore the endless

benefits of the industry.

BETHANY RAE

Founder of

Flower & Freedom

As a fitness enthusiast,

Rae experienced

judgement and negative

stereotypes while

exploring cannabis for

her own health and

wellness. This inspired

her to create Flower

& Freedom; a female-focused

lifestyle

community dedicated

to reducing the stigma

that surrounds cannabis

use. The creative

fashion designer and

fitness enthusiast,

has incorporated her

professions with her

passion for cannabis,

launching her own

cannabis-themed

clothing line.

THIS MONTH

IN CANNABIS NEWS

AND VIEWS

ANDREA DOBBS

Co-owner of Village

bloomery

Working in management

at Womyns’Ware

Inc for over

ten-years, in Vancouver,

British Columbia,

Dobbs has been

prominent in women-centred

issues

and education. When

she began to experience

Peri-Menopausal

symptoms, she

turned to cannabis

to help relieve her

ailments. She is now

the Co-Owner of Village

Bloomery, where

she extends her love

for education and

alternative medicine;

providing women-centred

resources

and products.

LITTLE

BOOK,

BIG IDEAS

Amanda Siebert’s new book is perfect

for the medical cannabis newbie

who want simple answers By BRAD SIMM

Some people only need one good reason to use marijuana.

Usually that’s the feel-good sensation of getting high. Beyond

the euphoric state, Amanda Siebert looks at the broad

spectrum of cannabis and gives you 10 other reasons why

it’s such a marvelous substance.

“I wanted to have balance with topics that were medicinal

for things like chronic pain and the treatment for cancer

in conjunction with chemotherapy. Then I wanted to have

some light-hearted subjects like cannabis as a super-food or

how it can improve your sex life.”

While there’s a disclaimer that the book is “not intended

to be a substitute for advice for medical advice from physicians,”

Siebert delves into health-related references, arguments

and the flurry of conflicting views whether cannabis

is good or bad for you by presenting a wealth of information

that’s easy to digest and understand.

Of course, the chapter on A Steamier Sex Life garnishes

a lot of attention that Siebert acknowledges with a laugh.

“Yes, everyone wants to talk about the chapter on sex.”

Cannabis as an aphrodisiac is well-known, but Siebert also

discusses how the application and dose levels help to cultivate

the inner workings of a heighten mind-body experience

when sharing or alone.

And then there’s the suggestion that instead of being the

gateway drug, cannabis is actually an exit drug that reduces

other harmful addictions. Getting sober in one step!

w


City

Briefs

Publisher/Editor

Brad Simm

Marketing Manager

Glenn Alderson

Event Coordinator

Colin Gallant

Production Coordinator

Hayley Muir

Web Producer

Masha Scheele

Social Media Coordinator

Miguel Morales

SECTION EDITORS

Music

Paul Rodgers, Trevor Morelli

Christine Leonard, Glenn Alderson

Arts/Film / Brad Simm

Edmonton Extra / Mike Dunn

CINEMATIC SUNDAYS:

WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON,

ACTIVIST

March 24

Local musicians are rejoicing after

decades of waiting for a local Vancouver

spot to press its own vinyl

again. Billy Bones, lead singer of

local band Vicious Cycles, is the

answer to their prayers with the

opening of Clampdown Record

Pressing Inc. The plant will press

everything from picture discs to

classic black records, in 7-12 inch

formats. With vinyl’s resurgence in

popularity over the last few years,

it’s a ripe opportunity to crack the

ever-growing market.

Contributing Writers

Sarah Allen • Chantel Belisle

Sebastian Buzzalino • Lauren Edwards

Kenn Enns • Karina Espinosa

Tim Ford • Trevor Hatter

Willow Herzog • Robann Kerr

Brenden Lee • Maggie McPhee

Pat Mullen • Jennie Orton

R. Overwater • Johnny Papan

Cole Parker • Jamila Pomeroy

Dan Savage • Josh Sheppard

Josh Wood • Cole Young

Contributing Photographers

Chantal Anderson • Lenora Bender

Sara Grawbarger-Kuefler • Trevor

Hatter • Brad Hollenbaugh

Mary Matheson • Shelly Mosman

Marek Sabogal • Carl Thériault

Advertising Inquiries

Ron Goldberger

ron@beatroute.ca

(780) 707-0476

TREVOR HATTER

MADCOWBOYS RIDE

INTO THE SUNSET

Saturday, March 30th

Celebrate the legacy of Calgary

punk mainstays the Madcowboys

with a ceremony of excess at

Broken City. Emerging in 2003,

these cowpunks wrangled hard

coast to coast, sharing the stage

with the likes of Propagandhi,

Youth Brigade, D.O.A. and Face

to Face. The madness will be

missed, but their last words still

hanging on the wind, “Thanks for

everything, sorry about the rest.”

Distribution

We distribute in Calgary, Edmonton,

Banff, Canmore and Lethbridge.

Greenline Distribution in Edmonton

Mike Garth

(780) 707-0476

e-mail: editor@beatroute.ca

E-Edition

Yumpu.com/BeatRoute

Connect with beatroute.ca

Facebook.com/BeatRouteAB

Twitter.com/BeatRouteAB

Instagram.com/BeatRouteAB

Copyright © BEATROUTE Magazine 2019 All rights

reserved. Reproduction of the contents

is prohibited without permission.

BeatRoute Media

Group editor/ publisher

Michael Hollett

Creative Director

Troy Beyer

beatroute.ca


MUSiC

Concert Preview

36?

Taylor Cochrane and friends

take a trip to Milk Mountain

By SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO

In an age where relationships are measured

in milliseconds with swipes right and digitized

hearts littering our notifications, 36?’s

newest album, Milk Mountain, comes across

as the soundtrack for figuring yourself out

amidst all the noise and chaos. It’s a complex

record, one that takes frontman-songwriter

Taylor Cochrane’s precocious talent

for putting together (and pulling apart)

undeniable hooks and elevates it all with

intensely personal songwriting that comes

from a position of self-realization, acceptance

and love.

Although it’s the band’s most ambitious and

most polished effort to date, their signature

sound, a free-spirited collision between

art and pop, remains intact. There’s a more

complete confidence driving it forward,

catching the attention of the taste-making

Vancouver label, File Under: Music, who will

release Milk Mountain this month supported

by a tour through the States.

It’s also an album that represents a major

evolution for Cochrane as a songwriter.

CONTINUED ON PG. 12 k


SARA GRAWBARGER-KUEFLER

MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS

k CONTINUED FROM PG. 11

36?

Since he first started writing

music as a teen, Cochrane has

always considered himself “a

medium for the art to speak

through,” rather than mining his

own personal experiences to

transmute into song. But on Milk

Mountain, for the first time, he

offers up a direct conduit to his

innermost feelings.

“It took me a really long time to

think that way. To really think that

the way I felt about things was

actually worth hearing about. I’ve

always had a lot of confidence

in my ability to create melody

and soundscapes, but it’s always

been a struggle for me to write

directly from experience. I’ve

always kind of felt like the art isn’t

mine, that I’m just this beacon that

it contacts and comes through.

It’s never really felt like my own

SARA GRAWBARGER-KUEFLER

DAIRY ROCK

actual life experiences were really

worthy.”

What makes Milk Mountain so

powerful as a record is that it

offers a glimpse into an identity in

flux — Cochrane in transition not

only as a songwriter, but a person

who is learning to accept who he

is and what he is looking for in his

personal, romantic relationships.

Placing himself as an artist into

the songs front and center, rather

than writing through fictionalized

characters, Taylor came to terms

36?

with Future Womb

Friday, March 22

The Palomino

Tix: $10 via Songkick

with who he is in his

own life. On the song

“Jealous,” he straddles

his changing sense of

self in order to explore

his emerging identity as

a polyamorous person.

“With that song, I don’t understand

jealousy at all, but through

the music, I’m trying to explore

what that it feels like, based on

trying to get into the mindset of

the other side of a situation that I

was a part of.”

That particular situation was

realizing that his monogamous

relationship at the time wasn’t

necessarily who he really was, and

that he was being unfair to himself

and his partner by erasing his

identity as a polyamorous person.

With the track “But I Don’t Know

Myself (Suddenly),” Cochrane

continues his exploration, bridging

the chasm between his old identities

and his newfound confidence

— a “catalyst,” as he puts it, for

his self-realization.

“I wrote the first half while still in

that [monogamous] relationship. I

came home from Montreal knowing

that I couldn’t stay

with this person because

I knew they wouldn’t

be okay with a polyamorous

relationship. And

that I couldn’t be myself

without some serious

self-hate staying in a monogamous

relationship… She was at work and

I recorded the first half of the song.

She came home later that night

and we broke up, and I ended up

recording the second half of the

song. And that’s the only song that

I used the original vocals from the

demo, because there’s a moment

that’s captured in there, the realness

of the situation.”

Embracing his polyamorous self

and understanding that his “feelings

are valid, even if they’re not

the norm,” Milk Mountain is driven

by the massive changes in who

Cochrane is and being willing to

accept himself for that.

“The album is almost like the

beginning stages of me figuring

out who I actually am. I guess it’s

an exciting time, for that reason. I

feel like I’m on the cusp of actually

believing in myself.” ,

NMC presents

ALBERTA

SPOTLIGHT

SERIES

A MONTHLY CONCERT SERIES

HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST

SOUGHT-AFTER ALBERTA ARTISTS RIGHT NOW.

MARCH 23

THE PRAIRIE STATES

The 2018 Project WILD winners hit

Studio Bell for a night of ‘60s soul

and ‘70s rock-inflected country tunes.

DETAILS AND TICKETS AT STUDIOBELL.CA/WHATS-ON

Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre | 850 4 Street SE Calgary, AB

studiobell.ca @nmc_canada #StudioBell


ELECTROPUNK

TREVOR HATTER

REFLECT ON THIS

Post punks Melted Mirror embrace the strange passage of

time with the release of Past Life By CHRISTINE LEONARD

Y

ou know that recurring dream

you have about playing full-contact

laser tag with Joy Division?

It’s about to come true! Sliding

out of the shadows of the recording

studio and back on to

the neon dancefloor, where they belong, Calgary-based

synth lovers Melted Mirror are

pleased to present a glimpse into the future

with the release of their second full-length

album, Past Life.

A glossy high-resolution follow-up to 2016’s

Borderzone with its wandering stars and

flying fortresses, Past Life crystalizes Melted

Mirror’s dark charisma and cunning intellect

into a collection of shimmering electro-pop

tracks.Two years in the making, Past Life reportedly

took Melted Mirror only two short

days to record, thanks in part to the prowess

of producer/engineer Nik Kozub (Shout Out

Out Out Out).

“After our first album, a friend suggested we

look into recording with Nik at The Audio

Department up in Edmonton,” says vocalist

Chris Zajko. “Between 2017 and 2018 we

recorded a total of ten songs over three

sessions and then narrowed it down to eight

tracks for the album. The biggest challenge

was simply trying to get everything done in

the time that we had booked for the studio.”

Pressure makes diamonds and that’s exactly

what the refractive trio, rounded out by

synth player/programmer Cian Cocteau and

guitarist Jeebs Nabil, has composed and delivered

with the icy lustings of Past Life. One

thing that technology cannot fabricate is

human emotion, that essential element relies

entirely on the organic beings at the center

of Melted Mirror’s retrofitted motherboard.

“It sounds silly, but when you’re recording

by yourself, you may not have that many resources

or fancy equipment, but you generally

have the luxury of time. You have time to

try things that may or may not work, or play

around with parts, or leave and come back to

a song the next day,” Zajko intimates.

“Past Life refers to the idea that we are

all part of a vast continuum that is largely

beyond our choosing and control. Since we

can’t choose where and when we are born,

our world is an inheritance of history from

the multitude of ‘past lives’ of the people

who lived before us. We try to claim an

ownership to something that is our own and

permanent, but really, we’re all just passing

through.” ,

THE GRAND 608 1ST SW

CUSTOM BROKER

SANDSTONE VALLEY MANAGEMENT INC.



BARONESS

CROWNS A

NEW QUEEN

New guitarist Gina Gleason is no novelty act, just a

great player says band leader John Dyer Baizley

By CHRISTINE LEONARD

W

hen BeatRoute last

touched base with melodic

metal monarch

John Dyer Baizley, the

leader of Savannah,

Georgia’s Baroness, it was mid-2016

and singer/guitarist/visual artist was

in a warehouse in England, or as he

puts it “an alternate universe version

of preparing for tour by

rehearsing a lot.” Having

subsequently introduced

Europe to their moody

BARONESS

With Deafheaven &

guests

Thurs, March 22

Union Hall

(Edmonton)

Grammy-nominated album

Purple, the first release

on the quartet’s newfound

Abraxan Hymns

record label, Baizley more

recently found himself

looking for another mountain to

summit. That challenge unexpectedly

arrived when longtime friend and

member Pete Adams announced his

amical departure from the band after

decade of providing backing guitars

and vocals. Fortunately for Baizley

and remaining crew, bassist Nick Jost

and drummer Sebastian, the next ascendant

to the royal family was waiting

in the wings, axe in hand.

“It was just one of the easiest and

perhaps luckiest things that’s happened

to us in our career,” says Baizley

of Baroness’s acquisition of guitarist

Gina Gleason. “We got really

lucky, Gina is an incredible player

and she’s got a great attitude. She is an

incredibly diligent and hardworking

musician. We have found yet another

incredible musician to join the band

and do what we love doing.”

Novelty never entered the picture

according to Baizley, who perceives

Fri, March 23

Palace (Calgary)

Tix, $33.50, Eventbrite

the recruitment of a woman to Baroness’s

muscular lineup with an open

mind and a discerning ear; just as

he did for the ingestion of Jost and

Thomson in 2013.

“Much the same as when Nick and

Sebastian joined the band, our response

time between members has

been phenomenally fast and often

seamless. I’m always afraid

HEAVY METAL

It was just one of the easiest &

perhaps luckiest things that’s

happened to us in our career.

John Dyer Baizley

fectively broke them in twain, Baizley

is in a better place both physically

and mentally. He explains that the

group would have “more than likely”

gone down an alternate path if destiny

hadn’t intervened “had we not

experienced what we experienced

on the first tour for Yellow & Green

(2012 Relapse Records) - which, of

course, is when we had that flying

bus accident off the cliff - had we not

suffered that and lost members and

had to rebuild and restructure…” It’s

amazing how things can change in an

instant. “When we were a younger

band, we played seven days a week.

After I was injured… I’ve got the type

of injury where I’m a better musician

if I get a few days off a week.”

Taking time to recharge and write

has been beneficial and by Baizley’s

estimates a “not uncolourful” release

from the freshly-forged Baroness is

lurking right around the corner. An

accomplished painter and illustrator

in his own right, Baizley was actually

there’s going to be some extremely

laborious process

of integration and chemistry

building, but it’s just

never been that big of an

issue for us. Her qualifications

for joining the band

and becoming a member

of Baroness had nothing

to do with gender. Anybody with

her skill level that had shown interest

would have gotten it. It just happened

to be her. We couldn’t be happier.”

Baizley continues. “Additionally,

I’d like to think that this band is now,

and has always been, a place where

ideas like gender or age or race aren’t

significant to who we work with and

how we work with those people. It is

awesome. If I’m being honest, I don’t’

think we see enough of it out there in

our scene. It can feel a bit male dominated,

I’m might be the wrong person

to even say that being a male myself,

but she’s proof made flesh that your

gender has virtually no bearing to

what you’re able to accomplish and

the way you’re capable accomplishing

it. And I’m really glad that I can say

this about this band and about this

woman.”

Well-past the terrifying 2012 road

wreck that crippled the band and efcompleting

the artwork for their yetto-be-unveiled

album’s cover as this

interview was being conducted.

“We’ve finished recording the next

album and now we’re just in the process

of figuring out how, when, where,

why, what it’s going to look like. With

each record we lean into something

entirely different. We really pushed as

creatives and as songwriters with this

new record. We were without a doubt

a difficult group of people to satisfy.

We held ourselves to a very high standard

creatively and wrote something

that I think some people will like. I

like the Hell out of it. I think it’s the

best record we’ve ever done. I’m extremely

excited.” ,

SHELLY MOSMAN


WORLD METAL

GETTIN’ SKUNKED

30 years of making a grand stink GrimSkunk’s globalization

marches on by CHRISTINE LEONARD

EXTREME METAL

French, English,

Russian, Spanish

— There’s no language

barrier that can’t be

bridged by the fragrant

vibes of Quebec’s

legendary ska-rock

orchestra GrimSkunk.

The legendary politipunks are

celebrating 30 years of making

music and mayhem under the flag

of hemp and justice for all.

“When we started our career

punk and metal had already gone

around the block a couple of

times,” says lead singer/organist

Joe Evil. “It was sort of getting

repetitive. We wanted to mix in

a new style. How we became

creative was to do punk and metal

but mix it completely with any sort

of style or language.”

GrimSkunk has always maintained

an amazing sense of humour and

grace when it comes to exploring

inroads to spiritual harmony and

mutual enrichment.

“We sort of did it when it was

okay to do it and now it’s like, the

news is pretty harsh, and can I

understand cultural appropriation.

We’ve taken elements from

everywhere. We’ve had Greek

songs, we’ve had Spanish words

over flamenco-style music, and

GRIMSKUNK


with Ninjaspy and All

Hands On Jane

Broken City (Calgary)

Tix $12, Showpass.com

we’ve had North African

songs with Persian

words. We’ve done them

just for the fun of doing

it and the influences

that they’ve had on us.

Because as a ‘global

band’ right at the verge

of the Internet, or before the

Internet, there was world music

and that was a big influence on us.

We were turned on by those styles

and wanted to integrate it into our

punk rock and psychedelic rock.”

A multilingual montage of genres

that keeps the punk rock party

thumping, GrimSkunk’s latest

release, Unreason in the Age of

Madness, was dropped on the

band’s own Indica Records label

in 2018. Also ringing in their 20th

anniversary as a company this

year, Indica has long been home

to an exotic blend of artists who

might not have been heard were it

not for GrimSkunk’s musical green

thumb.

“Obviously, as times goes by, different

styles become popular,” Evil

acknowledges. “We are getting

influenced by ourselves earlier in

our career finally. Now, I can finally

start to relate to bands that have

been around for decades! I can

finally relate to Rush!”

CARL THÉRIAULT

MAREK SABOGAL

BIG FINNISH

Road weariness, introspection and sobriety guide Finland’s Children of

Bodom on their latest album Hexed By JOHNNY PAPAN

Hexed, the forthcoming record from

Finland’s extreme metal outfit Children

of Bodom, may be the band’s most

thought-out album in recent memory.

Frontman Alexi Laiho says this album

found him “branching out” when it

came to penmanship, expressing an introspection

on his addictive personality.

Opening track “This Road” begins the album’s

foray.

“People thought [‘This Road’] was about alcoholism,

but it’s more about being addicted to

being on the road,” says Laiho. “After 20 years

on the road, everything becomes a blur and you

don’t know what the hell’s going on. It’s so emotionally

and physically draining that it feels like

it’s killing you, but you can’t stop doing it because

you love it.”

Despite people’s misconceptions about the

track, Laiho admits his past relationship with

alcohol was a dangerous romance, holding him

with a reaper-like grip. A booze-infused scythe

grazed his jugular with every sip he took, and every

hangover began to feel like a foot in the grave.

“‘Under Grass and Clover’ is about severe alcohol

withdrawal,” Laiho says. “I don’t really drink

like that anymore, but back in the day it was pretty

hardcore. [While writing Hexed] I went back in

time and started remembering what it felt like to

go through detox. I don’t even drink on the road

anymore. I don’t want to fuckin’ feel like that ever

CHILDREN OF

BODOM

Thursday, March 28

Vogue Theatre

Tix, $27.50-$35:

eventbrite.ca

again. I’d wake up and take a couple

shots, not to get drunk, but just to keep

an even keel and feel normal. It’s fuckin’

sad.”

Laiho cut back on drinking in 2013.

“I said to myself, ‘It’s either the

booze or the music.’ When you put it

like that, it’s like, ‘What am I talking

about? Of course, the music.’ But I didn’t want to

stop altogether. I wanted to prove I could drink

like a normal person.”

It’s rare that someone can go through detox

and maintain a relationship with their substance

of choice without relapsing, but Laiho seems to be

pulling it off. In fact, Children of Bodom just released

their own beer, which was brewed with the

water of Lake Bodom, the infamous Finnish murder

scene for which the band got its name. For the

last five years, Laiho has refused to drink on tour,

opting only to controllably drink with friends at

home.

“I think that’s the most important thing: admitting

it,” he continues. “If you stay in denial,

that’s not going to take you anywhere. Admit it

to yourself, know yourself, and keep an eye on

yourself. I’ve been there, and I’ve seen people

ruin their lives because of alcohol or drugs. Don’t

get me wrong, I’m not a fuckin’ saint, and I’m not

trying to preach here. This just worked for me.

It’s actually pretty fucking great, not feeling so

fuckin’ shitty everyday.” ,



BRAD HOLLENBAUGH

THIS

MONTH IN

METAL

by JOSH WOOD

Misery Signals

T

he Wacken Metal Battle is

raging across the country.

Dickens Pub hosts

Calgary-Round Three

on March 6 featuring

Osyron, Red Cain, Hyperia and

Vexerity. Meanwhile, Logan’s Pub

is hosting Victoria-Round One on

March 9 featuring Electric Druids,

Liberatia, Krypteia, and Forever

Frost. The Red Room is hosting

Vancouver-Round Two on March

10 featuring Kayas, Crnkshft,

Hunting Giants, Ophelia Falling,

and Age of Entitlement. The Red

Room hosts once again for Vancouver-Round

Three on March 24

featuring Apprentice, Alice Hardy,

Fallen Stars, Roadrash, Desert

Merc and Blackwater Burial. Then,

it’s back to Dickens on March

27 for Calgary-Round Four with

bands TBA. Phew!

Circle the date! March 15 finds

no less than five metal gigs all

falling on one night in Calgary.

U.K. black metallers Cradle of Filth

descend on the Marquee Beer

Market during the Canadian leg

of their Cryptoriania World Tour

with Wednesday 13 and Raven

Black in tow. That same lineup will

be in Edmonton on March 16 at

The Starlite Room. Right after the

Cradle of Filth gig head across the

parking lot and show your ticket

stub to save $5 off at The Blind

Beggar Pub for the Hazzerd vinyl

release party with Blackest Sin,

Tessitura and Hyperia. If those

two throwdowns are not for you,

rumble on over to the County Line

Saloon for a night of death metal

with Enterprise Earth, Aethere,

Vultures, Born For Tomorrow and

Gutter King. Not in the mood for

the heavy stuff? Head over to the

Palomino Smokehouse to enjoy

In/Vertigo, Open Air and The

Rumble. Last, but not least Stab

Twist Pull, Bazaraba, Vectivus,

Without Mercy and PDS will be

tearing the roof off at The Brass

Monkey.

March 16 has WMD and

Chained By Mind playing an

all-ages show at the Upper Deck

Public House in Calgary.

Milwaukee metalcore

outfit Misery

Signals is in Alberta

for the St. Patrick’s

Day Weekend Slam.

They’ll be in Calgary

at Dickens Pub

with Sight &

Sound, Trench

and Spiritbox

on March 16 and

then again with the

same bill in Edmonton

at The Starlite

on March 17.

Bookburner is

hosting an all-ages

metalcore gig at

McHugh House in

Calgary on March

18 featuring

Underlier (London,

Ontario), Bastian

(Vancouver), Exits

Cradle Of Filth

(Edmonton) and Calgary’s own

Spurn.

Baroness, Deafheaven and Zeal

& Ardor are touring the west with

gigs in Edmonton on March 22

at Union Hall and in Calgary on

March 23 at The Palace Theatre.

The 420 Music and Arts Festival

is throwing a Beer Launch

party on March 29 at Next Level

Brewing with a performance by

psych-rock legends Hypnopilot as

musical enticement. Cheers!

Guitar gods invade the region

with John 5 and Jared James

Nichols shredding Calgary at

Dickens Pub on March 29 before

hitting up Edmonton on March 30.

If that wasn’t enough, Uli John

Roth will be at the County

Line Saloon in Calgary on

April 3 for his 50th

Anniversary Tour

doing a special set of

old Scorpions’ tunes.

Don’t flip your

calendars just yet,

Saturday March

30 San Diego’s

Tzimani will

heat up

Dickens Pub

with the aid

of Calgary

locals Hrom

and Tyrants

of Chaos.,

Turn Up the Temperature!

Enjoy a FREE Vibrator

with purchase over $100 CAD

canadastoybox.com


INDIE ROCK

FELLING THE LOVE

Calvin Love’s

vocals take

centre stage

By BRAD SIMM

Fuzz rock duo The Blue Stones practice

alternative accents by TREVOR MORELLI

After eight years in the trenches,

Windsor fuzz-rock duo The Blue

Stones dropped their debut album,

Black Holes, last dropped last October

and have been playing their guts

out ever since. Although the record

is actually a batch of previously released

tracks, singer/guitarist Tarek

Jafar feels it’s the perfect mix to get

people acquainted with his heavy outfit.

THE BLUE

STONES

Thurs, March 28

The Rec Room

(Edmonton)

Fri, March 29

The Gateway (Calgary)

Tix $15 advance/

$20 door

“It’s kind of nice to have different songs from different

times, because they all have a different feel to them,

rather than a batch of songs that are all written at the

same time,” says Jafar. “I really like that about this album

in particular.”

While comparisons to rock duos like The Black Keys

and The White Stripes are inevitable, Jafar believes The

Blue Stones add different textures and a lot more sonic

boom which keeps them fresh.

“People like to lump us in the whole rock duo sort

of thing, which isn’t wrong, but I feel like we have more

alternative accents. I listen to a lot of R&B and a lot of

hip hop as well. That kind of comes through in my writing

style. At the end of the day, I would put it down as an altrock

duo, with a lot of blues rock influence.” ,

FUZZ ROCK

CALVIN LOVE

Tues, March 26

Broken City, (Calgary)

Wed, March 27

Starlight Room,

Edmonton)

Tix $?

“A lot of albums these days, in my

opinion, sound like one long song,

and it’s hard to distinguish between

songs.”

Calvin Love doesn’t shy away

from expressing himself so it grabs

attention. An early video with him

portrayed as a gregarious manabout-town

full of street swagger takes an abrupt turn when

he puts on a ridiculous party-prop chicken head setting off

the theatrics. While that video and others like it from years

before don’t represent Love as he is now, there’s no denying,

he’s still an artist that delivers absolute distinction.

Highway Dancer, his latest release, is a notable transition

that moves from the ‘80s synth groove he’s often played

with to a far more rootsy sound bringing in acoustic guitars,

twangy stratosphere solos, the crack of a real snare and

even a jazzy, sultry saxophone. It’s a well-rounded recording,

diverse and yet distinctly Calvin Love.

“I made the album I wanted to hear,” states Love. “I

wanted to make Highway Dancer very dynamic. Instrumental

soundtrack segues, rock song, country song, folk song, ‘80s

synth ballad etc., etc. All held together by the one consistent

evolving instrument, my vocal.”

With a fondness for melody, groove and catchy hooks, all

of which pour out of the ‘80s, Love acknowledges Prince,

The Cars, Roxy Music and even Whitney Houston are on

his old school playlist. No doubt Brian Ferry looms large. At

the same time, he’s a connoisseur of musical tastes that are

shaped by the profound, personal DIY stamp he lays down.

“I listen to all kinds of music, so naturally my influences

come from many difference styles. The DIY approach has always

been in me. I have a vision and I work to crystallize this

vision into something uniquely mine. At the end of the day it’s

up to me to make it all happen.” ,

BLACK HOLE SONS

ROOTS

ROUGH EDGES

AND SWEET GRIT

Oliver the Crow takes a refined

approach to their souther blend

of Americana By BRAD SIMM

For Ben Plotnick

and Kaitlyn Raitz,

both classically

trained, the move

and exploration into

folk, country and

bluegrass equates

CALVIN LOVE


The Aviary, (Edmonton)


The Ironwood, (Calgary)

to learning a new language. That they transplanted

themselves from strict, academic

environments in Montreal and Toronto and

jumped into Nashville’s barrooms playing

alongside three and four generations of

deep country and bluegrass, that learning

curve has a radical incline.

“There’s a lot of layers to Nashville. It’s the

number one bachelorette party destination

in the country,” laughs Plotnick. While Broadway

St. is littered with musicians playing Top

40 keeping the party alive, that’s not the

world he and Raitz associate with. Rather

“there’s a really great bluegrass scene and

a really amazing Americana song-writers

scene” they’re involved with that includes

not only real Southern blood but also educated

Northerners that are bluegrass purists

of a different sort.

“A lot of bars we like are dingy, hole-in-thewalls.

There’s something about singing in

those places that’s really intense. You can

hear the experience and grit that never

makes it onto records or top-end radio.

That’s what we like to blend into our band.”

Drawing from parlour music and spirituals

that they mix with rich country, folk and

bluegrass, Oliver the Crow’s blend of Southern

style is definitely refined, but with all the

right kind of rough edges and sweet grit.


CANADA’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT CONCERT PROMOTER

UPCOMING SHOWS

UPCOMING SHOWS

MATTHEW GOOD

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

RANK & VILE

DARREN FROST & KENNY ROBINSON

MARCH 8

COMETHAZINE

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

MARCH 27

WITH RALPH

MAR 18

March 14 - The Vogue Theatre

THE CRYSTAL METHOD

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

MARCH 30

THE MUSICAL BOX

A GENESIS EXTRAVAGANZA

APRIL 3

MORGAN JAMES

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

APRIL 10

WINTERSLEEP

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

MAY 3

CHRIS WEBBY

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

MAY 7

J.I.D

WITH SSABA

MAY 22

AVATAR

WITH DEVIN TOWNSEND

May 29

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT GARRICKWINNIPEG.COM


INDIE ROCK

COAST TO COAST

Steven Bowers dials in to long distance

recording By MIKE DUNN

Sunday, March 17

Ironwood (Calgary)

Tuesday, March 19

The Aviary (Edmonton)

A

decade is forever in rock n’

roll. Victoria singer-songwriter

Steven Bowers took a

break from performing and

touring after his last record,

2011’s Beothuk Words, to support his

wife as she finished her degree

and took on contract

STEVEN

work, travelling across the BOWERS

country from their home in

St. John’s. While Bowers

had built a modest career in

Eastern Canada, his wife’s

professional fulfillment was

important to him and he moved along

with her across the country.

“I started this record about five

years ago,” says Bowers, “and it

wasn’t just like, going in and cranking

out a record in three weeks. I picked

up some home recording gear, and I

recorded my own vocals, piano, and

guitar at home, and send them back

to Jason (Mingo, producer) in Halifax.

He and his wife, Meaghan Smith would

add parts and send them back, and

then I finished it up with Colin Stewart

out here on the Island.”

The result, Elk Island Park, is a lush

indie rock record that marks something

of a progression from Bowers’

early records. Where Beothuk Words

and 2009’s Homing were more instrumentally

spare, Elk Island Park is more

expansive, with layers of atmospheric

instrumentation enveloping Bowers’

spare guitar and piano compositions.

Through his travels, Bowers

found work with iHuman

in Edmonton, a youth society

that allows at-risk kids to

drop in and create things for

free, rather than being out

on the street.

“I think that working with all these

young, creative kids had something to

do with me wanting to finish the record,”

says Bowers, “They come in, and

they’re so engaged and grateful to have

this musical space, and they’d come in

for eight hours at a time to create these

great musical pieces. Being in that

environment where there’s a music studio,

an art studio, a fashion studio, and

seeing all these kids come in to work

and create, as a 36 year old guy, it really

energized me creatively. I was lucky that

the work allowed me to stay connected

to creation in that way.” ,

ALBUM OUT MARCH 29



CLUB

CULTURE

By PAUL RODGERS

It appears that March madness is very

real for 2019 — there is an absolutely

staggering assortment of shows

happening this month so let’s get right

into it.

March 9

As part of Habitat’s 10 year celebrations,

the creator of the “mushroom

jazz” sound himself Mark Farina will be

performing. Always a treat to see this

long-time tastemaker do his thing, he

never disappoints.

The last time this London-based DJ

was in town was not that long ago and

it must have been something really

special because The HiFi is already

bringing her back. Catch rapidly-rising

UKG and baseline house master Flava

D on March 9 with support from locals

Burchill and BB Mars.

March 15

Dickens Pub is set to get torn apart on

March 14 as one of the most creative,

talented and influential turntablists of all

time graces the stage. Do not miss DJ

QBert and The Fresh Crew. Just don’t

do it.

March 15

sees the return of the exceptionally

talented and entertaining Kytami to Calgary.

Head over to the Junction to catch

her shred the fiddle alongside insane

drum and bass and dubstep, creating a

truly hype synthesis of electronic and

classical music.

F Also on the 15, if straight-ahead

dubstep is more your speed, head down

to Dickens to catch Truth, one of New

Zealand’s greatest musical exports.[Text

Wrapping Break]

March 16

Then on the 16, HiFi is hosting two

really forward-facing artists, Thelem and

Psymbionic. Will be a great night for the

deep heads.

March 23

Amsterdam’s Ferreck Dawn has been

doing great things in the house world

for over 15 years now, with releases

on labels such as Toolroom, Relief and

Defected. His track “In Arms”, released


SOMETHING

TO WRITE

HOME ABOUT

Homesick gives his sights and

sounds a club vibe

on Defected, was one of my favourites

of last year and his mixes

are on regular rotation. Catch him

at the Habitat on March 23.

F The Librarian and Mat the Alien

have a long history of performing

live together, stretching way back

to their residency in Whistler at

Maxx Fish’s Really Good Tuesdays.

Individually they are also two

of the most accomplished and

most salient DJs in the west coast

scene with the Librarian co-founding

Bass Coast, Mat starting Really

Good Recordings and both of

them being permanent fixtures on

pretty much every festival across

the country. See them both at the

HiFi on March 23.

March 30

GET IN THE GODDAMN POOL

— the Loop Daddy himself, Marc

Rebillet will be at the HiFi Club

on March 30. He has become

an overnight viral sensation for

his live loop performances that

are equal parts deftly skilled

and extremely hilarious. See this

madman for yourself if you know

what’s good for ya.

By PAUL RODGERS

This is not the first time local artist HomeSick

has graced the pages of this publication, nor

shall it likely be the last — based upon his

continuing drive to push his limits and reach

new accomplishments. In the past we’ve written

about his time at the Redbull Music Academy

in Paris, and about his performance at Barcelona-based

festival Sonar. The latter of these two

major events for Shaun Lodestar (real name)

has consequently led to another achievement, a

vinyl release on Defrostatica, a record label out

of Leipzig, Germany.

That relationship came about after Defrostatica

hosted a German date on Homesick’s

2016 European tour, soon after they wanted to

put out his music. The six-track album, entitled

Burnout 2099, features sounds indicative of

what HomeSick has become known for —

far-out, high BPM club beats that incorporate

stylistic input from numerous genres but adhere

to no single one.

“There are plenty of tracks on this album that

are definitely inspired by more of the West-

Coast festival sounds, but I still think it’s a good

mix of the fast paced, footwork-inspired club

music people have come to expect from me.”

The artist himself expresses that he’s always

had a tough time putting his tunes or the tunes

he collects into one specific labeled box. The

first few months of 2019 leading up to the

release of the record marked a transition for

HomeSick, moving from a period of intense creative

output and self-published releases in the

final months of 2018 into one in which he put

the bulk of his efforts into promoting Burnout

2099.

“The end of 2018 I really put a focus on just

creating a platform for myself to push music

out, which is new to me, but I wish I had done

it sooner because it’s really gratifying and a

new way to be able to oversee every step of the

process.”

Anyone familiar with his work knows that

Lodestar truly is behind every aspect of his

artwork, from making the artwork himself,

promoting the music and shopping it out, to

scheduling tour dates and running his own night

Percolate, which made its grand return in 2018

after a hiatus.

Beyond some piano and guitar lessons in his

early years, Lodestar is completely self-taught,

which applies to his music production but also

to his artistic work. He was inspired by 3D

animation and started doing it in combination

with graphic art.

“It kind of morphed into my music productions

and I think it was probably just recently,

in 2018, when I had the confidence to be able

to make something that I really believed was

special.”

His animations and artwork, which have been

used for his own album art, promotional purposes

and for the Footwork Jungle Mix series

that he oversees, play tricks on the human brain.

“I love in 3D rendering when you hit the

‘uncanny valley’ point where something looks

real but it could be portraying some impossible

image like, shiny metallic textures behaving as

a cloth or flag material would. It has the visual

satisfaction of a photorealistic texture but is

behaving in this knowingly impossible way.”

Similarly, in his musical output, the sounds

of HomeSick often illicit a double-take — and

on his latest release he further demonstrates his

ability to merge and bend seemingly disparate

sonic vibrations into one cohesive, club-friendly

sound.


UPCOMING EVENTS

MAR 8

KING BULL

w/ Set and Stoned & From the Flame

MAR 15

MAR 16

MAR 17

MAR 22

MAR 24

PAQS

BBCAN 4 Winner & DJ

CRAIC THE LENS

w/ Raised by Wolves & David Bradford

THE SHILLELAGHS

St. Patrick's Day Party

MUSIC VIDEO DANCE PARTY

DUSTIN NELSON

FT. LUNA COAST

w/ Krowns & Mentality

Tickets and full listings

TheRecRoom.com

The Rec Room® is owned by Cineplex Entertainment L. P.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MAR/APR EVENTS

WEDNESDAY, MAR 6

FRI.03.01

FUNNY 1060AM PRESENTS:

TAGGART & TORRENS

LIVE PODCAST

SAT.03.30

VIRGIN RADIO PRESENTS:

VIRGINIA 2 VEGAS

with SPECIAL GUESTS

WEDNESDAY, MAR.13

FRI.03.29

THUR.03.28 FRI.03.15

THE GATEWAY PRESENTS:

PRE-ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARTY

with THE NOVA SCOTIABLES

FUNNY 1060AM PRESENTS:

RANDY’S

CHEESEBURGER PICNIC


THE BLUE STONES

with THE PISTOLWHIPS

WED.06.05 FRI.05.03 THUR.04.04


ELECTRIC SIX

with SPECIAL GUESTS

MRG PRESENTS:

CHRIS WEBBY


OCEAN ALLEY

with SPECIAL GUESTS

TRIVIA

WEDNESDAY, MAR 20

OPEN MIC

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3

WEDNESDAY, APR.10

TRIVIA

.COM/GATEWAY

THE GATEWAY IN SAIT CAMPUS CENTRE, 1301 - 16 AVENUE NW, CALGARY, AB. 18+, LEGAL ID REQUIRED. THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO ALL SAIT STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, ALUMNI, MEMBERS, AND GUESTS. PLEASE VISIT SAITSA.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION.



FUNKY FANGS

The Cat Empire roll out their big top on this tour with

tough, bold, brassy downunder funk By TREVOR MORELLI

JAZZ-FUNK ROCK

When Australia’s The Cat

Empire dropped their

self-titled debut album

more than 15 years ago,

frontman Felix Riebl had

no idea what kind of

journey he was about to

embark on.

“I didn’t expect it to be

going this long,” he says.

“The band started because a bunch

of musicians got together from all

different parts of sound, and there’s

just a real chemistry there. Something

just clicked.”

The Cat Empire is a six-piece

orchestrated mix of steamy pop and

bold, brassy, deep funky grooves

that translate on stage to busting

a move in rainbow colours and

visual theatrics. Coming overseas

to promote their new album Stolen

Diamonds, Riebl says it’s one of the

most inspiring records they’ve ever

made.

“I feel like Stolen Diamonds is the

end of a trilogy. It’s the third part of

us having made these albums with

Jan (Stubiszewski, producer), which

is not to say it’s the same as the

others – it’s really different. We really

wanted to write songs that would

translate and be really tough going

from the studio to the stage… (with)

rhythm sections that would just carry

on a big festival stage. We really

wanted to make some tough albums.

THE CAT EMPIRE


Winspear Centre

(Edmonton)


MacEwan Hall

(Calgary)

Tix, $37-$47

It’s probably one of the

most musically challenging

that we’ve made.”

With eight records under

their belt, the live show is

a jubilant mix of old and

new as Cat Empire strives

to find the, ahem, purr-fect

balance of fan favourites

and improvised pieces.

“There’s always been this big

struggle in our band between songs,

in the sense of songs that people

sing back [to us], and sections that

make music interesting and challenging

for us on stage as well,” Riebl

admits. “Both of them have their

place in a set, but you want to get

the right tension between those two

different coasts. The good shows

are the ones that kind of have an arc

between both of those things, because

they give an audience a sense

of going somewhere, having been

somewhere that’s very unique to that

night, not just having seen a show

that’s kind of cookie cutter.”

As for their upcoming Canadian

tour, Riebl says the group feels right

at home despite being thousands

of kilometers from their native land

down under.

“Canada has been a bit of a

second home for us. I always feel

like we’re being made very welcome

in Canada. It’s always a tour that’s

really fun for us.” ,

Joe Ceci

for Calgary-Buffalo

Fighting for you

Authorized by Alberta’s NDP - 1-800-465-6587

RachelNotley.ca


MUSiC COVER STORY

TANJA TIZIANA


PUP (L-R): Zack Mykula, Stefan Babcock, Steve Sladowski and

Nestor Chumak. Toronto, Ontario’s punk rock road warriors

combat depression with laughter on their new album, Morbid Stuff,

set for release on the band’s brand new label Little Dipper.

Life of

the party

Toronto punks channel doom

and gloom of the here and

now on Morbid Stuff

T

oronto has just recovered from a week-long

winter apocalypse and PUP frontman Stefan

Babcock and drummer Zack Mykula are sitting

in a craft beer hall in the city’s West End,

nursing their beverages while pinball machines

clink away loudly in the background.

Torontonians have an interesting, if not comedic, relationship

with winter. Remember 20 years ago when

the mayor had to call in the military to help them battle

mother nature? While this year didn’t call for a full

blown national emergency, it was still pretty dark — for

Toronto.

“I actually love the doom and gloom of winter, but

that long Canadian winter does play into the songwriting

and general vibe of our songs,” Babcock says.

Surviving winter is one thing, but the story of PUP

is actually rooted in survival, with a bit of deep-seated

nihilism thrown in for good measure. The young punk

band has just finished the final touches on their new

album, Morbid Stuff, and they’re enjoying some downtime

before they take off on tour for what’s basically

looking like the rest of the year and then some.

The album is so fresh they haven’t even had a chance

to think about what this installment of their discography

means to them yet, but you can tell by the album

name alone that it’s pretty much the same old PUP doing

what their fans have grown to love from their previous

albums, up to and including 2016’s defiant The

Dream Is Over.

If you don’t know the story, the narrative around

the album is one of perseverance; one that defines the

band’s ethos through and through. In 2015, on the first

day of a six-week tour, Babcock discovered a cyst on

his vocal chords. The band was in Baltimore and he



TANJA TIZIANA

I mean, yeah man, the

fucking apocalypse is

coming. Get ready!”

Lead singer, Stefan Babcock

k CONTINUED FROM PG. 25

felt something was off so they went to a clinic at Johns Hopkins

Hospital. This is where he would meet the doctor who would be

the source of inspiration for the album name when she uttered

the four words no artist ever wants to hear — “The dream is

over.”

But in actuality, PUP’s journey was just beginning.

Babcock recalls: “She was like, ‘Just go home, this band thing

is over for you.’ So, all of us being very defiant in the face of that

stuff, we decided to just keep going and we ended up getting

through five weeks of that tour, which was crazy.”

The actual crazy part is that when they finally landed back

home in Toronto on week five, Babcock’s

voice had finally had enough.

“In our home market with the

most pressure and the most fans and

everything, just before we went on, I

literally couldn’t make a sound,” Babcock

continues. “It just wasn’t there

at all. And we played that day and I

PUP

With Pkew Pkew Pkew

and Brass

Tue, March 2

Commonwealth (Calgary)

Wed, March 27

Starlite (Edmonton)

SOLD OUT

was just croaking. After that I went to another specialist in

Toronto and found out I hemorrhaged my vocal chords. Essentially

the cyst burst apart and filled my vocal chords with

blood.”

Vocal chords have to meet to make a sound and the blood

was preventing Babcock from using his voice so he had no

choice but to stop. After weeks of silence and months of healing,

Babcock eventually trained himself to sing again. It was

a total of four months recovery before the band could even

start thinking about playing shows again. While their future

was never certain, the band persevered.

From the “Dark Days” Babcock sings about on their 2013

self-titled debut to the “dark thoughts,” as heard on the track

“Scorpion Hill” from their soon-to-be-released Morbid Stuff,

the band has always maintained their emo composure blended

with pure punk rock sensibilities, but the reality is PUP is thriving

in their nihilistic tendencies that have carried them all over

the world many times over.

Are things really that bad though?

“Yeah, pretty not good,” Babcock says. “But music is what we

do because it’s fun. That’s why we play in a band and that’s why

we quit our jobs to make no money and it’s a really positive way

for us to deal with a lot of negative garbage in this world.”

It makes sense then that one of the pre-orders for Morbid

Stuff is the “Annihilation Preparedness Kit,” complete with an

inflatable boat.

“I mean, yeah man, the fucking apocalypse is coming. Get

ready!”

I

n the meantime, PUP have three already-sold-out west

coast shows scheduled for Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

You could say the band is road testing their new

album in some tried-and-true Canadian markets before

they leap over the pond for a string of dates throughout

the UK, France and Germany.

“It’s funny because when we do something cool like

play smaller shows, all it does is make people pissed at us because

they couldn’t get tickets. We get so many angry messages

and try to reply to as many of them as we can,” Babcock says

with a genuine smile on his face. “Sometimes bands make decisions

selfishly because we want to play a smaller show. We’ll be

back and play a bigger room and everyone will get the opportunity

to see us eventually, but if we don’t do these kind of things

for ourselves once in a while, we’re fucked.”

Regardless of the size of shows they’re playing, PUP has succeeded

at capturing the DIY work ethic of the new millennium.

Babcock knows things are fucked but it’s through embracing

them with a sense of humour and humility that they’re able to

rise up and persevere. Having climbed the ranks of the music

industry in a most respectable way, Babcock cut his teeth in the

all ages scene, playing in a ska band called Stop Drop ‘N’ Skank

(it was a different time back then, okay?), and eventually found

himself working music industry odd jobs, including marketing

for Toronto-based indie imprint Arts & Crafts. He was even the

manager for METZ at one point in time and has been known to

offer grant writing tips and assistance to younger, less experienced

bands.

Music is a lifestyle but punk rock is a commitment that ultimately

chooses you. And while PUP continues to climb the

ranks of the music industry and gain notoriety through their

catchy songs and impressively executed music videos, they’ve

never forgotten where they came from because they’re still active

members of the same scene they grew up in.

“As much as we’ve all been a part of building a community

since we were 15 playing in bands, all of the people who have

helped us along the way have really inspired us. It made us realize

that once you get a little bit of traction as a band, it’s your

duty to help other people.”

Later on that night, three active and notable Toronto bands —

Casper Skulls, Greys and Chastity — are playing a show at a venue

in downtown Toronto. In the middle of Chastity’s set, looking out

into the sea of fans, you can see Babcock wearing the same clothes

he was in earlier that day during our interview, rocking out with

ear plugs in and a huge pint of beer in his hand. The big smile on

his face suggests he’s clearly surrounded by friends and you can

tell he wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. Because no matter the

weather, it’s the music and the community you’re a part of that

carry you through those dark winter nights. ,


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EXTRA

MARY MATHESON

DRUNK HISTORY

Vancouver Polka Punks The band draws inspiration from

all sorts of influences but continue

The Dreadnoughts Pay

their infatuation with polka while

Homage To World War I experimenting with other genres

On Foreign Skies

according to vocalist and lead guitarist

Nicholas Smyth. “There’s a

By CHANTEL BELISLE

style of music called Balkan Beats.

Over the past 12 years, The It’s got this serious, deep, violent

Dreadnoughts have built a following

for themselves in Vancouver’s dance music of all kinds in Eastern

beat,” he says. “There’s traditional

drunk punk scene with their Europe and there’s gypsy sort of

unique brand of polka infused beats and styles with traditional instruments

and a lot of people over

punk rock and continue to win

over new fans with their high-energy

live shows.

it with other

there are using that and combining

elements.”

Their most recent album,

Foreign Skies, is a concept album

about World War I where the band

took a different turn from their

usual polka fuelled romps. The

album’s progression takes you

through the rough waters of that

time in history.

“You just can’t do something

as important and serious as the

first world war without trying to

be a little more reflective about it,”

Smyth says. “It starts off kind of

gung ho and then it gets kind of

sombre and then things really go

to hell.”

Foreign Skies takes on a

sequence of songs that incorporates

Balkan and Klezmer romps,

German polka, Viking

chants and of course

some punk rock

thrown in to the mix.

But according to Nicholas,

the band doesn’t

plan on staying on the

path of musically mapping

out the course of

history.

“Never again,” he says. “Never

ever again are we going to do

something that complicated. It

was so hard to know how to do

it right. I still don’t think that we

did it right but we did it. It was

so much work and we ended up

realizing that what we are best at

is probably the more fun-loving

THE

DREADNOUGHTS


Dickens Pub (Calgary)

Tix: $15


The Starlite Room

(Edmonton)

Tix: $20

chaotic stuff, where

we get into the studio

and have a few

songs we like and

bash them out and

probably drink too

much while we are

doing it. And that is

sort of our spirit.”

The band has spring Canadian

and European tours lined

up, and are looking forward to

getting back to the roots of their

shenanigans — drinking. Expect

to hear more of their good ol’

fashion liquor fuelled fun, alongside

songs from Foreign Skies

and sneak peaks of their new

material. ,

Coral

Plaza’s

Cultural

Collective

Edmonton’s newest arts

venue prioritizes under

represented artists and

communities

By STEPHAN BOISSONNEAULT

It’s no secret that the state of

venues in Edmonton has been on

the decline. Since 2015, the city

has lost five venues including The

Forge, Wunderbar, The Artery,

Industry House, and The Needle

Vinyl Tavern. Sure, some of the

spaces have been replaced by


F IS FOR

FAILURE

Sharing the rollercoaster of professional failure with

peers is the big idea behind Fuckup Nights

By STEPHAN BOISSONNEAULT

One of life’s greatest ironies is

the construct of failure being a

marker of success, but it’s true.

Humans are constantly failing

and no matter what society or

advertising tells you, failure is a

good thing. That’s the principle

Fuckup Nights is built on—a

global movement and event series

that shares stories of professional

failure. The Edmonton chapter

of Fuckup Nights is still relatively

new with the event this month

being the fifth.

“I’d heard a lot of stories in

the news about failure before

I heard about Fuckup Nights,”

says Edmonton Fuckup Nights

coordinator, Virginia Potkins.

“People talking about business

failures, personal failures and how

we should talk about them more

and how it brings communities together

to have a support system.

I knew this is what we need here

instead of people only talking

about all the good things that

supposedly happen in their lives.

You see all the glitz and glamour

on Facebook and I think it kind

of isolates people. So,

we need to be more

supportive of each

other.”

After coming

to that realization,

Potkins

reached out

to Fuckup

Nights HQ

and began

building the foundation

of the Edmonton equivalent.

She reached out to

her friend and colleague

Amanda Nielsen, and

the two began planning.

“She graciously said

we should go for wine

one evening. So we

went and had half a bottle of wine

and I loved the idea,” Nielsen says.

“My husband and I are in the process

of almost going into a year

of our startup business. The bad

times, you’re just like, ‘Am I fucking

up completely?’ And I thought,

‘What a fabulous way to meet

people who are experiencing life’s

FUCKUP

NIGHTS

Wednesday,

March 20

The Avairy

(Edmonton)

Tix: $20 advance,

$25 door

ups and downs and have a realistic

dialogue on what life looks like and

how to be resilient.’”

The concept of Fuckup

Nights is simple.

The night is made

up of speakers

who reveal their

personal fuckup

on the job. After

their story is

shared through

a series of

slides, there’s

a mini Q&A

session.

“We’ve had

some speakers where

they’ve shared their

story and it’s hilarious, but

we’ve also had speakers

who have teared up on

the stage and talked

about an experience that

was so intimately personal

and raw,” Potkins

says. “It can be a big emotional

rollercoaster of a night, but in

some ways, that’s what owning a

business is like so it works out.”

So far, many of the speakers at

Edmonton’s Fuckup Nights have

been people Potkins and Nielsen

know from their professional and

social circles and interestingly,

a majority of them have been

women.

“We’re going to have our first

male speaker soon and I’m really

jazzed about that because one

really curious thing we found is

women are a lot more open to

come and share their stories of

failure. We’ve had a lot of men in

the audience, but finding men to

go and take that mic is harder to

obtain,” Nielsen says.

Ultimately, Fuckup Nights is

a way to think differently about

failure and success.

“Failures aren’t negative, they’re

just learning experiences,” Potkins

says. “People take failure so hard,

but when you start talking about

it, suddenly you aren’t alone. I’ve

taken a lot from the speakers so

far. It really makes you think ‘Wow,

maybe i can approach my next

screw up in a different way.’” ,

newer venues, but the reality of

becoming a surviving venue is

becoming more and more scarce

due to financial, bylaw and other

factors. Yet, a relatively new arts

performance space is aiming to

persevere in this harsh climate.

Inspired by DIY culture and

spaces in New York City and

parts of Eastern Europe, Coral

Plaza—one of Edmonton’s newest

arts performance and event

venues—has been running for a

little over two months now. The

venue has become a safe space

to represent all forms of art like,

but not limited to: music, visual art,

fashion, lectures, poetry readings,

film screenings, etc.

“We wanted a space in Edmonton

that prioritizes under represented

artists and communities,

where you can go to one venue

and find everything,” says one

of Coral Plaza’s founders, Sarah

Seburn. She adds that the space

is all about connecting different

cultural genres and communities

together.

And even though many of Coral

Plaza’s events are largely supported

by word of mouth and Facebook,

the little venue has had quite

a few successful events such as

the pop-up electronic party Coral

Harts, presented by the popular

house and techno community

initiative, Connect.

“We are very new, but in the

months we’ve been open have

seen a tremendous amount of

interest,” says another founder,

Rachel Seburn.

In keeping up with the

DIY-grassroots ethos, naming Coral

Plaza also follows a long-standing

tradition in Edmonton of

selecting venue names.

“Shark Tank, Octopus Ink, Baby

Seal Club, Coral Plaza,” says

another founder, Selah Dawn.

“Coral has a dual meaning, coral

being a living organism that helps

facilitate ocean life, as well as a

feminine colour. Plazas are [also]

meeting spaces for communities

to organize, learn, and express.”

Being so new to the venue

world, Coral Plaza doesn’t yet

have a set safe space directive—a

quality that every venue

needs to keep its patrons

assured—but the staff are

working with various individuals

and non-profits to develop

one.

“Each person booking the

space has their own unique

needs as to what a safe space

looks like to them, and how

they would like to facilitate

that,” Dawn says. “Our staff

is here to listen and follow

through when concerns are

brought up to us.”


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Reviews

MUSiC

Album Review

JENNY LEWIS

On the Line

WARNER BROS. RECORDS

With the release On the Line, it

seems Jenny Lewis has traded

in her once-signature rainbow

blazer for an even bolder outfit

choice: the album cover displays

an up-close photo of a silken teal

jumpsuit, fit snugly onto Lewis’

torso. But a change of wardrobe

isn’t the only thing that distinguishes

this eqra in her career

from the rest. Both literally and

figuratively, Lewis ditches the

summery tunes and cotton candy

aesthetic of her previous work to

take a more straightforward look

at her life and her music.

Five years have passed since

the arrival of 2014’s The Voyager,

but Lewis’ songwriting abilities

have only sharpened since then.

On her fourth record, she revives

the Seventies power-rock vibe

and amps up her country-tinged

confessionals heard in her

previous solo work. Only this

time around, Lewis’ sound is even

more polished and self-assured.

Serving as guest performers on

the album are some notable rock

‘n’ roll heavy hitters, including

Beck, Ringo Starr, former Tom

Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist

Benmont Tench, bassist

Don Was, and renowned session

drummer Jim Keltner.

Since her days as the frontwoman

of Rilo Kiley, Lewis has

been a master of crafting evoc-



MUSiC ALBUM REVIEWS

N0V3L

Novel

Flemish Eye

BOB MOULD

Sunshine Rock

Merge Records

ROYAL TRUX

White Stuff

Fat Possum

LA DISPUTE

Panorama

Epitaph Records

GARY CLARK JR.

This Land

Warner Bros. Records

N0V3L represent a distinct ideal

of Vancouver’s many housing

artist collectives. As the housing

and rent crisis forces artists to

either leave in droves to more

livable situations or to unite and

collaborate, this forceful push for

survival has its own unique set of

opportunities. These creative eco

systems can help bridge the trauma

of isolation, encouraging more

focus on creative pursuits and

eventually great creative works.

The angular riffage and existential

socioeconomic mires of the

self-titled debut EP is post-punk

updated for a modern audience.

Harkening back to the likes of

Gang of Four and new wave

aesthetics of Devo with a touch of

Clockwork Orange. The urgency

and compact structure of the

songs lend to a youthful exuberance

where one can only hope

to spasm to the syncopations at

play.

However, don’t let the infectious

grooves on display fool you, they

are formidable, tightly knit into a

package ready to force a factory

line walkout. From the corporate

frustrations of ‘’To Whom This

May Concern’’ to the jangle pop

sensations of ‘’Take You For’’

N0V3L deliver a consistency that

lands them in the pantheon of

their many post-punk forbearers.

One could almost imagine Kafka

being sent into a spiral of paranoia

after listening to this.

Josh Sheppard

If a wave of nostalgia for the emo/

screamo/post-hardcore movement

is inevitable, as nostalgia for

styles tends to be, it’s probably

time to listen to Bob Mould’s

records a lot more.

His latest, Sunshine Rock, sees

Mould pushing the beat as he

always has, like a longboard on

fire. Sunshine Rock is relentless

from the downbeat of the opening

title track with its pogoing punk

rock hooks. Mould is writing

from a place of sincerity and, as

the record blazes through its 39

minutes, you sense he knows time

is catching up.

“The Final Years” has a great

synth hook and you can sense

Mould is pensive about the time

he’s got left when he sings, “Foot

caressing pavement with caution,

not like before when we ran with

abandon across the rocks and

cracks of fissured earth and shattered

sky.”

Sunshine Rock sees Mould’s past

clearly, and it’s hard to overstate

his presence in the rock n’ roll

that his generation grew up

with. There comes a point for

a songwriter to look back and

notice that 1989 was thirty years

ago and give some thought to

their lifetime, whether they were

the ones making the music that

defined an era, or were just kids

discovering it.

Mike Dunn

White Stuff is the first full-fledged

Royal Trux album since 2000’s

Pound for Pound and if you’ve

been patiently awaiting more of

this band’s low-fi, sloppy-Stonesblues-slurry,

you’ll likely be

pleased. Here, Royal Trux founders

Jennifer Herrema and Michael

Hagerty continue the famously

drug-addled meandering they first

embarked on in the late ’80s.

But this doesn’t seem like music

originating from a warm, velvety

heroin-cocoon. Nor does it come

from the abrasive, jaw-grinding

stridency of the cocaine use

alluded to on the album cover.

This is the lurching, attention-deficit-causing

buzz of a trailer-park

concoction whipped up from a

case of cough syrup and a jug of

household cleaner.

Sounding like a string of

tape-splices, the title track kicks

the album off with tight guitarstylings

jammed between jumbled

piles of slacker-rock fuzz. Next,

Herrema and Haggerty drift into

the syrupy glue-trap that is “Year

of the Dog.”

By the time White Stuff finally

hangs itself on the sharp hooks of

“Under Ice,” we’ve been treated to

a rock album as satisfying as it is

disparate. And, make no mistake,

this is a rock ‘n’ roll album. Which

means that, in 2019, White Stuff

deserves to be heralded as the

rare and magical beast that it is.

R. Overwater

Panorama, Midwest post-hardcore

group La Dispute’s fifth

full-length release, is the band’s

most dichotomous work. Bouncing

rapidly between subdued

spoken word interludes backed

by shimmering lead guitar is

contrasted harshly by the raw,

emotional bellows and blistering

artillery barrages of drums and

drop-D power chords they build

beautifully into.

While this repeated buildup

and breakdown can often sound

formulaic, La Dispute manage to

make each crescendo feel earned

and wholly heartbreaking.

Trumpets accent “Rhodonite

and Grief,” a track that commits

to the group’s melancholy to deliver

a harrowing story of trauma

through a partner’s eyes. This

is broken up quickly by “Anxiety

Panorama” that never seems to

give up on the all-out pummel its

title promises.

These two trenches of restraint

and full, all-feeling emotion

showcase the vast empty space

of sentiment that exists between

them.

Panorama sees La Dispute’s

storytelling and songcraft stand

out as the group paint poetic

pictures of their hometown landscapes

and indulge in their desolate,

grief-ridden soundscapes.

Cole Parker

Grammy Award winning singer/

songwriter/guitarist/Texan Gary

Clark Jr. returns to his birthplace

for solace and inspiration on his

third full-length release, This

Land.

Destined to become a classic in

its own right, This Land declares

that Mr. Clark is pissed and has a

mighty big axe to grind.

“What About Us” conjures a

deep but glorious groove that

plows through a subterfuge of

surging strings and modern conundrums.

Lyrics that tip a hat to

showmen like Prince and electric

guitar flourishes that pay homage

Hendrix aren’t just spiritual ornamentation;

they’re a means to an

end.

Stepping beneath the shady

boughs, the slow sway of “I Got

My Eyes on You (Locked & Loaded)”

and “Pearl Cadillac” allow

ample room for Clark’s voice to

breathe and bloom with an irresistible

combination of vulnerability

and strength.

Meanwhile, the boppin’ rocker

“Gotta Get Into Something” fills

the air with dust and smoke as

“Got To Get Up” puts in hard

labour on the bluesman’s chain

gang.

Traversing drought and flood,

This Land is a remarkable

17-chapter scrapbook of Americana

that draws a line of conscience

in the sand between the

unnecessarily nostalgic and the

crucially historic.

Christine Leonard


EX HEX

It’s Real

Merge Records

Mary Timony is nothing short

of prolific. Through her work

in Helium, Wild Flag and time

spent in the Washington D.C.

math-rock band Autoclave, her

influence is expansive. Ex Hex is

no exception. Certain tracks on

this sophomore offering (“Another

Dimension,” “Cosmic Cave”)

wouldn’t feel out of place in Helium’s

discography, but the band

doesn’t rely on ’90s nostalgia. The

vocal harmonies are layered on

top of guitar solos and impressive

riffs that act as a welcomed show

of skill instead of feeling masterbatory

or over-the-top.

It’s Real feels truly collaborative.

You can hear bassist Betsy

Wright’s recent work in her power-pop

project, Bat Fangs, mesh

well with Timony’s more hard rock

leaning and evocative guitar play.

The first single, “Tough Enough,”

feels like what should be played

as movie credits roll. With Timony

crooning that she “thinks about it

all the time / back when you were

mine / four tears down your golden

cheek / won’t bring that back

to me” as the leads drive down an

empty stretch of highway into the

sunset.

Ex Hex lack the pretentiousness

that often is associated

with early success. Instead, they

apply their clear skill to creating a

record that is genuinely enjoyable

and fun to listen to.

Kenn Enns

THE CINEMATIC

ORCHESTRA

To Believe

Domino Records

There is beauty in simplicity. Only

a few piano keys and soft vocals

are in The Cinematic Orchestra’s

emotionally compelling composition

“To Build a Home,” which was

released in 2007 and became

a hit single. Twelve years later,

they’re releasing To Believe, which

carries just as much raw emotion

as its predecessor.

The album shines through simplistic

introductions with acoustic

chords and piano keys, before a

violin slowly joins and hauntingly

beautiful vocals, like Moses

Sumney, drawing the listener into

the eponymous album opener.

The second track “A Caged

Bird/Imitations of Life,” strikes

a match, carrying a toe-tapping

beat highly differing from the

melody of the first. Featuring the

strong vocals of Roots Manuva,

he pairs well with the song’s jazzy

electronic instrumental.

The familiar transcendent

sounds of The Cinematic Orchestra

eloquently unfold through the

rest of the album, reminding that

an instrumental song unravels

feelings of nostalgia. Such as in

“The Workers of Art,”—which

flows into the hopeful, slightly

more upbeat “Zero One/This

Fantasy.”

Whether it’s in an amphitheatre

or listening through headphones,

the creative genius of The Cinematic

Orchestra’s latest will make

a believer of us all.

Lauren Edwards

WHITE DENIM

Side Effects

City Slang

It’s only been a hot minute since

Austin’s White Denim released

their album Performance, but the

prolific rockers have plenty of outfits

in their wardrobe that are just

dying to be trotted out. Enter Side

Effects the band’s latest effort for

the Berlin-based City Slang label

and their eighth record to date.

An attempt to bottle the magic

elixir of White Denim and their

mood-altering live concerts, Side

Effects drips with the very juices

of life.

The ebullient opener “Small Talk

(Feeling Control)” bursts with a

colourful joie de vivre that pulls

the rest of the album along in

its wake. Bringing the weird,

“Hallelujah Strike Gold” runs

headlong into the radiant waves

of “Shanalala” before surrendering

to the crosstown traffic of

the seven-minute commuter “NY

Money.” Smooth transitions to the

rolling hills of “Reversed Mirror”

and wiggly roads of “So Emotional”

come easily to the breezy

psych-blues troupe as they set

“Heads Spinning” with riffs that

tickle the senses. Dissolver “Introduce

Me” finishes the deed with a

smeared tempo that magnifies the

imperfect and forgets your name

the instant you pronounce it; most

likely a side effect of too much

sunshine and Bonnaroo-brand

champagne.

Christine Leonard

JENNY LEWIS

kCONTINUED FROM PG. 29

ative narratives that are both specific and universal. The

record opens with the piano-driven ballad “Heads Gonna

Roll,” in which the songstress tackles the familiar story

of leaving a toxic relationship. Her dreamy voice floats

between layers of acoustic guitar, piano and lush orchestral

strings, which altogether work to give the song greater

poignancy. And yet, while the song exudes technical

sophistication, the writing comes across as casually as a

conversation. Lewis takes a clear-eyed view of her doomed

love, but she still manages to insert a few witty one-liners in

her lament: “I hope the sycophants in Marrakesh/Make you

feel your very best/Anonymity must make you blue.”

Lead single “Red Bull & Hennessy” commands attention

with its distinctive piano riff and sparkling vocals à la Stevie

Nicks. Like Lewis’ earlier compositions, the song carries

the same tone and tempo that instantly transport you to a

lonesome American landscape. On the track, her voice is

as strong and beautiful as ever, and when sung over bluesy

guitars and loud drums, it sounds full of authority. While

“wired on Red Bull and Hennessy,” she even proclaims that

she’s “higher than you.” But it becomes clear that she’s

chasing after someone who doesn’t reciprocate her feelings,

and her desperation shines through. It’s seen in songs

like “Wasted Youth” and “On the Line”—the songwriter

uses her bright and sultry voice to mask her gloomier

lyrical content.

A song entitled “Rabbit Hole” closes out the record,

which might be the only instance of a catchy, indie pop

tune comparable to Lewis’ Voyager work. Unlike the similarly

named “Rabbit Fur Coat” from her eponymous 2006

album, here it seems Lewis is stepping away from the

shadows of her past—in this case, an unhealthy romantic

fling—to take more control over her life. But despite going

it alone, she recognizes she may not break her bad habits

entirely: “I’m not going down the rabbit hole with you/I’m

going down the rabbit hole without you,” she sings. It’s

a vulnerable position to put yourself in, but when you’re

already on the line, it’s a risk worth taking. Karina Espinosa


MUSiC ALBUM REVIEWS

HAWKSLEY

WORKMAN

Median Age Wasteland

Isadora Records

The business of making music

has long been child’s play for

singer-songwriter Hawksley

Workman. From polishing the

glam-pop pole with “Stripteaze” to

warming the hearth of humanity

with “Almost a Full Moon” the

multi-talented instrumentalist and

author has successfully encapsulated

the modern Canadian

experience while panhandling his

way into the hearts and record

collections of rock and folk music

fans around the globe.

Sizing up personal demons on

his self-exploratory 16th studio

album, Median Age Wasteland,

Workman (who turns 44 this

month) applies his careful yet

ebullient craft to tracks like the

equally luminous and humourous

“Lazy” and the small town summer

ditty “Battlefords.” As ever,

soaring vocals and cafe corner

guitar rambles ease any sense of

awkwardness as the true north

troubadour dives headlong into

another library of unabashedly

innocent and sentimentalized

moments. “Birds in Train Stations”,

cigarettes, lucid dreams, bingo

cards and cars perched on blocks

are all fair game as the obtuse

and observant “Skinny Wolf”

catalogues his impressionistic adventures.

Elevating the mundane,

he readily points out “Nobody

really asked for this,” but by the

time you’ve reached your 40s it’s

not so much about getting what

you want, but rather claiming what

you need. Christine Leonard

HELADO NEGRO

This Is How You Smile

RVNG Intl.

Roberto Carlos Lange’s—known

on stage as Helado Negro—recent

album This Is How You Smile

is just the boost of vitality we

need in these confusing times.

Fringing on lo-fi, experimental pop

and aural indie acoustic rock, the

new work doesn’t over or under

stay its welcome. The rejuvenating

opening track “Please Won’t

Please” moves at a steady clip,

set with a steady drum clip and

glimmers its way to climax full of

clarity and organic joy.

The album harkens back to Helado

Negro’s Private Energy work

and remains consistently ethereal

and aurally pleasing. Lange’s song

writing on the song “Fantasma

Vaga” is some of his best work

yet, utilizing his calming voice and

young Latin pride with vocals in

Spanish.

The instrumentation is hallucinatory

and exploratory, relying on

an array of whirring instruments

that are impossible to label. And

yet, the track remains as one of

the most digestible on the album.

Indeed, at first listen songs like

“Pais Nublado” and “Two Lucky”

sounds like a Devendra Banhart

track and that’s because Helado

Negro’s sound is on par with the

freak folk maestro.

In all, This Is How You Smile

is tranquil and addictive and demands

your full attention.

Stephan Boissonneault

AMERICAN

FOOTBALL

LP3

Polyvinyl Records

American Football released their

self-titled debut album in 1999

and split up shortly afterwards.

The album didn’t receive much attention

at the time but it amassed

a cult following over the next 15

years.

Following up on their long-awaited

2016 sophomore, the Midwest

emo pioneers make a lateral move

with their direction on LP3, even

delving into shoegaze territory.

The opening track, “Silhouettes,”

is moody and atmospheric with

rich layers of guitar and Mike Kinsella’s

echoing vocals, while “Heir

Apparent” has dreamy volume

swells.

LP3 also features some unique

guest vocalists, including Paramore’s

Hayley Williams on “Uncomfortably

Numb.” Kinsella and

Williams display beautiful vocal

chemistry against a backdrop of

plucking harmonics, trumpet and

calming waves of tremolo picked

ambient guitar.

One of the most rewarding

moments on the album is when

“Doom in Full Bloom” reaches its

climax with its repeating, slightly

overdriven arpeggio that builds

into a breathtaking crescendo.

American Football take a bold

step in a developed direction

on LP3. They still maintain the

confessional lyrics, twinkly guitar

and unconventional time signatures

they’re known for, but at the

same time, they’ve expanded their

range of sound.

Robann Kerr

AVEY TARE

Cows on Hourglass Pond

Domino

David Portner’s third studio

album as Avey Tare is so textured

and diverse it feels like a sonic

interpretation of a topographic

map. Delving back to the Mayan

era and forward into a robot-filled

future, this map somehow spans

all of space and time. Cows on

Hourglass Pond does so with humility—not

claiming to understand

the universe but boldly venturing

into it nonetheless.

The opening track greets the

listener, “Welcome to the Goodside,”

then unravels into echoes

asking: “what is? is? is? is? I can’t

even find it on the map.” The ensuing

songs see Portner grapple,

both with this unanswerable question

and across landscapes that

can never lead him to an answer.

Cows on Hourglass Pond honours

the act of curiosity.

Portner builds his layered, elliptical

sounds into worlds sprinkled

with rays of luminous guitar and

populated with transient samples.

In constant kaleidoscopic metamorphosis,

sounds once earthy

turn celestial. On “Our Little

Chapter,” sparkly synths pulse

and recede like waves as Portner

reminisces on the undoing of a

relationship.

Cows on Hourglass Pond calls

on the vastness of the universes

to wonder about personal things,

inviting listeners to try it out too.

Maggie McPhee

ANDREW BIRD

My Finest Work Yet

Loma Vista

As hard as it may be to imagine

Andrew Bird exceeding his

already impressive discography,

My Finest Work Yet lives up to its

name.

On the album art, Bird re-imagines

a famous image of the

French Revolution, The Death

Of Marat, wherein the radical

journalist Jean-Paul Marat is

lying dead, murdered in his bath.

Jacques-Louis David’s work is

touted as the first modernist

painting for the way it blends the

personal and the political.

Similarly, Bird is employing his

artistry on this latest collection of

songs to comment on the world

at large. A past columnist for the

New York Times, Bird transmutes

the world he lives in, fuelled by

his eloquent compositions and

profound storytelling abilities.

The album leads with single

“Sisyphus,” highlighting his signature

whistle as leading accompaniment.

Elements of folk and jazz

carry him through familiar guitar

and piano-laden territory, making

this a relatable yet refreshing ride.

Folksy melodies with beautiful vocal

harmonies are heard throughout

as Bird offers upbeat anthems

that contrast his tortured words.

Bird paints in broad but effective

strokes, which is ultimately

what makes every piece of music

he releases a masterpiece in its

own right.

Sarah Allen.


WEEZER

Weezer (The Black Album)

Atlantic Records

Fresh off the high from their surprise

January release of refreshingly

non-ironic covers that was

the Teal Album, one might go into

Weezer’s newest release expecting

the same level of refreshment

and self-awareness. One will be

disappointed.

Weezer fans would be better

served going in with no expectations

at all. After all, there’s been

no roadmap for their creative

direction since Pinkerton and their

adult life spent in Los Angeles

has driven them headfirst into

background noise territory.

The Black Album starts with a

thrusting ode to the gig economy

with “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” an

admittedly fun song to listen to.

From there are a series of fairly

harmless odes to the Beach Boys

without innovation.

Songs run the gamut from

mildly catchy ditties like “Zombie

Bastards” to completely forgettable

offerings like “The Prince

Who Wanted Everything” and

“Byzantine.” But it’s in the radio

noise tracks like “High as a Kite”

and “California Snow” where you

might start to formulate theories

in your mind about some greater

joke Weezer is telling that you’re

just not in on. But no matter how

much digging through the band’s

colour-coded discography you

do, there’s no narrative present to

explain the band’s official fade to

black.

Jennie Orton

STEVE EARLE

& THE DUKES

Guy

New West Records

Guy Clark certainly had a way

with hooks. Steve Earle & The

Dukes put every swing in Clark’s

words on Guy, their tribute to the

folk legend, with tasty drums and

big bass that shuffle in time with

Earle’s phrasing. There’s a dance

to be had in Clark’s songs, and a

lived in story in every one of his

lines.

Clark was a master heartbreaker

and “Desperadoes Waitin’ On A

Train” stands nearly alone in that

regard; the story of the bonds

between youth and mentors with

no detail in hiding. In “The brown

tobacco stains all down his chin”

or “Wondering ‘Lord has every

well I drilled gone dry,” Clark

is unflinching in the colours he

uses, painting a window into how

hard men live and grow old. The

deathbed handshake of “Come on

Jack, that son of a bitch is comin’”

brings the heartache to a gentle

close.

Earle sings Clark’s songs

ragged, feeling like one live shot

of songs he’s known for 50 years.

His voice provides a close up

with the weariness of his own 64

years, being the last of three good

friends who spent their years

trying to write the best songs in

the style they pioneered.

Mike Dunn

3404 5 Avenue NE ∙ (403) 245-3725

calgaryeast@long-mcquade.com

LONG & McQUADE

FREE CLINICS

DURING MARCH

A series of free career-enhancing clinics specifically

tailored to the needs of musicians, songwriters, producers

and home studio enthusiasts.

At all Long & McQuade locations, including:

225 58 Avenue SE ∙ (403) 244-5555

calgary@long-mcquade.com

10 Royal Vista Drive NW ∙ (587) 794-3195

calgarynorthlessons@long-mcquade.com


LiVE

MUSiC

Pokey Lafarge

BLOCK HEATER

MUSIC FEST

February 21 – 23

Calgary Folk Music Fest’s

3-day winter extravaganza

did not dissappoint

By MIKE DUNN

Photos by LENORA BENDER

THURSDAY NIGHT,

FESTIVAL HALL

Snotty Nose Rez Kids

and Cartel Madras

Calgary Folk Fest’s fourth annual Block

Heater winter festival kicked off at Festival

Hall with a blast of highly conscious

hip-hop from two of western Canada’s

best developing artists. Both Snotty

Nose Rez Kids from the Haisla Nation

on B.C.’s northern coast, and Calgary’s

Cartel Madras put the packed house in

Inglewood on blast, with not only jacked

up beats and thick bass grooves, but

with a consciousness that is often missing

in contemporary folk music.

Cartel Madras led off the night, and

their tight, harmonized flow was a

revelation. The ability to spit rhymes with

airtight phrasing was a demonstration of

the skills that have made Cartel Madras

Calgary’s most well-received hip-hop

export.

Snotty Nose Rez Kids hold nothing

back in a time where artists are increasingly

conscious of how their words will

be received. On tracks like “Savages”

and the rallying cry of “SKODEN,” their

straight-from-the-street hip-hop has

more than supplanted traditional folk

styles as the voice of the under-represented

and marginalized. SNRK’s beats

were big and infectious, and they laid

down blazing, pointed rhymes creating

one of the festival’s best moments

early on. Heading into the crowd, Yung

Trybez staged a sit down while Young D

let the crowd know that when the beat

dropped to hit their feet and bounce

hard. It brought the room together, a

visceral sharing of music and truth in the

line, “Y’all say we all look the same, and I

can’t remember my name.”


Matt Mays

Andrew Combs

SATURDAY NIGHT,

STUDIO BELL/

KING EDDY/

CENTRAL LIBRARY

Andrew Combs,

Matt Mays And Eamon

Mcgrath Devastation

Trio

Andrew Combs’ clear,

searing lonesome Texan

tenor, clean-picking

guitar style and charming

delivery between songs

put on an intimate solo

show upstairs in Studio

Bell decorated with Calgary

Folk Fest memories

as part of the festival’s

40th Anniversary NMC

exhibit. Matt Mays and

his lean acoustic band

were a highlight for

many in attendance at

the Central Library that

appeared to include good

representation of Nova

Scotia expats. May’s

new show is a quiet,

stripped-down affair that

roams through his Thrush

Hermit days and his rock

‘n’ roll solo career with

the attention to detail

in his arrangements a

particular strong point.

Fresh off a European and

a Western Canadian tour,

Eamon McGrath and the

Devastation Trio’s blend

of punk, folk and country

is the real deal. McGrath

is one of Alberta’s best

young exported songwriters,

and his willingness

to follow the less beaten

path a signpost for people

who care about music

that doesn’t come out of

the same cracker factory

that’s mass consumed.

Once again, Calgary

Folk Fest raised the bar

for festivals in town. The

King Eddy was packed all

weekend. Their staff were

as pro as the players

and organizers running a

tight, gracious ship that

provided a really nice

atmosphere to watch a

gig. And the NMC and

Central Library, beautiful

pieces of civic architecture,

housed and featured

the most diverse lineups

which both challenged

and thoroughly satisfied

expectations. ,

FRIDAY NIGHT,

STUDIO BELL/KING EDDY

Shaela Miller, Kacy & Clayton,

Ashley Macissac The Wet

Secrets and The Mariachi Ghost

Friday saw a blitzkrieg of

cross-county talent starting with

Lethbridge country singer Shaela

Miller and her crack band of Windy

Mariachi Ghost

City honky-tonkers. On stage for

nearly three straight hours, they

delivered a roadhouse shuffle in

the sweaty, old-school tradition of

hard-working country bands. Saskatchewan’s

Kacy & Clayton put on

yet another excellent show in town

with their ‘70s Californian-flavoured

folk rock punctuated by a serious

amount of laid-back charm. The ATB

Ashley MacIsaac

Stage in the Studio Bell lobby was

packed for Ashley MacIssac, the

iconic Nova Scotia fiddle maestro

laying down a blazing violin workout

with pulsing beats provided by his

sideman on only a cajon. Then Edmonton

alt-rock weirdos, The Wet

Secrets, unleashed an energetic

cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick

In The Wall Pt. 2” before frontman

Zaki Ibrahim,

Lyle Bell ripped a fuzzy, punk rock

bass solo. While known for their

theatrical performances, Winnipeg’s

The Mariachi Ghost would be nowhere

if they weren’t skilled players

and singers. With new songs from

their upcoming record based on the

Mexican novel Pedro Páramo, they

played a powerful set late into the

chilly Calgary night.


MOViES|T.V.

CALM, QUIET

STRENGTH:

AN INTERVIEW WITH

THROUGH BLACK

SPRUCE ACTRESS

TANAYA BEATTY

By PAT MULLEN

T

anaya Beatty is asked what she learned most from

playing Annie Bird, the young heroine portrayed in

Through Black Spruce.

“Strength,” she replies. “Definitely strength.”

Beatty pauses, lets the answer hang in the air, and

considers the role. “Annie and I had some parallels

in that we came into ourselves as women, even though she’s

around 23 in the script and I’m 28,” says Beatty. “We both found

a different level of maturity and independence. Playing Annie

taught me that I am capable of carrying a story like this.”

Based on the 2008 Giller Prize winning novel by Joseph

Boyden and directed by Don McKellar (The Grand Seduction),

Through Black Spruce follows Annie as she searches for her

missing sister, Suzanne. The performance calls for raw vulnerability

as Annie walks in Suzanne’s footsteps, encountering the

all-too-relevant violence that Indigenous women face in Canada’s

streets.

The role of Annie demanded a lot from the Vancouver-born

Beatty. It’s her first lead role after small parts in films like Hochelaga,

Land of Souls and Hostiles, and roles in TV series like

Yellowstone, Arctic Air, and The Night Shift. “Every different

character teaches me something new,” observes Beatty. “If

it’s on a medical drama, I might learn new technical aspects,

or if I’m playing a role like Sacagawea [on HBO’s long-delayed

mini-series Lewis and Clark] and learning an entire dialect,

that’s what I love about being an actress.”

Reading Through Black Spruce as a teenager gave Beatty

something to which she could aspire because she related to

Annie. Beatty says that as a dynamic, complicated Indigenous

female lead, Annie arrived when she felt uninspired by the roles

that were available. “The audition came just as I was telling my

boyfriend that I wished there was something like Annie that I

could do,” says Beatty.

Through Black Spruce demands strength of any performer as

it comes steeped in controversy following questions raised about

the legitimacy of Boyden’s Indigenous heritage. Beatty is diplomatic.

“I think that it’s its own standalone piece,” she says. “I’m

grateful that Joseph wrote this story,” adds Beatty. “I’m grateful

that this film was even put on its feet and that somebody like

Tina Keeper is the one who spearheaded it. It’s rare that even

happens.” Keeper plays Annie’s mother, Lisette, and is the film’s

mother in her own way as producer.

The film situates Suzanne’s disappearance within the greater

mystery of missing and murdered Indigenous women, a cause that

has gained more attention in the ten years since Boyden’s novel

was published, but still not nearly enough. Beatty says this aspect

of the story is what gave her strength. “I’m still carrying that weight

and that responsibility with me. It feels like that’s something that

doesn’t go away,” says Beatty. “Given my history and my ancestors

and my peers, these stories just feel so close to my heart.” ,

In Theatres March 29, 2019


THIS MONTH IN FILM

WOMAN AT WAR

March 1

Delivering quirky black comedy

in true-to-form Icelandic style,

Woman at War tells the story of

Halla, a lovely choir-master by

day and a DIY eco-terrorist by

night. Premiering in 2018 in festivals

such as Cannes and TIFF,

it’s a perfect blend of funny,

brutal, and hopeful activism.

THE BiNGE LIST

THE BOY WHO

HARNESSED THE WIND

March 1

Best known for his Academy

Award-nominated role in 12

Years a Slave, Chiwetel Ejiofor

tries his hand at Writing/Directing,

and does so with marked

passion. The Netflix-distributed

film is based on the memoir of

the same name, and tells the

story of a young boy who builds

a wind turbine for his village.

CAPTIVE STATE

March 15

John Goodman plays evil again,

aliens designed with an eye for

post-modern realism invade

earth, and 10 years later, the

people must overcome. From

the Writer/Director of Rise of

the Planet of the Apes comes

a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller

that looks to be a mix of Arrival,

District 9, and Independence

Day all in one.

US

March 22

There’s nowhere to run this

time, no place to hide. The

monsters have invaded the living

room, they sit at the dinner

table, they scratch behind the

mirror… The monsters are Us.

Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated

follow-up to last years

Oscar-winner, Get Out, tells a

dark tale of monstrous doppelgangers,

and emanates with

uncanny, satire-horror vibes.

By Brendan Lee

AFTER LIFE / SEASON 1

NETWORK:

NETFLIX

AIR DATE: MARCH 8

“A good day is when I don’t go

around wanting to shoot random

strangers in the face, and then

turn the gun on myself.” Ricky

Gervais (The Office, Extras)

drags his hilarious, narcissistic

butt back to Netflix with his

latest dark dramedy. After Life

tells the story of Tony, a man

whose wife’s sudden death

corkscrews him into a depression

that isn’t deep enough to kill

him, just enough to turn him into

an insensible asshole. Produced,

Directed, Written, and Starring

the man himself, the 6-part first

season promises to be classic

Gervais, with his knack for

saying whatever, whenever, the

subject of close examination

that begs the question: Why

care about anyone else, if you

don’t care about yourself?

TURN UP CHARLIE /

SEASON 1

NETWORK:

NETFLIX

AIR DATE: MARCH 15

Idris Elba – the name carries

such a weight these days. He’s

the man best known for his roles

in HBO’s The Wire, BBC’s Luther,

and everybody’s dream-choice to

be the next James Bond. With another

big leap, Elba takes a crack

at co-creating and producing with

Turn Up Charlie, a comedy about

a DJ treading water who’s given

a chance at long sought-after

success when he’s forced to be

a nanny for his famous bestfriend.

It’s a premise that doesn’t

immediately kick you in the pants,

but the eight-episode first season

is worth a watch for Elba alone.

Also, look up DJ Big Driis – Elba’s

real-life DJ pseudonym – and the

appeal intensifies.

HANNA / SEASON 1

NETWORK:

AMAZON PRIME

AIR DATE: MARCH 29

You may remember the 2011 film

with the same name, starring

Saorsie Ronan and written by

Seth Lochhead while a student at

Vancouver Film School. Well, nine

years later, David Farr (co-writer

of the original script) has adapted

the story for television, and the

first episode – released for a 24-

hour period at the beginning of

February – has already whitened

more than a few knuckles. The

dramatic-thriller follows Hanna

(Esme Creed-Miles), an extraordinary

girl with violent skill. Cut-off

from all things civilized and

bunkered in a forest on the edge

of Eastern Europe, Esme hides

Idris Elba takes a spin at

being a DJ in Turn Up Charlie.

out with a man named Erik (Joel

Kinnaman). With veiled mystery

surrounding Hannah’s past, the

man who’s taught her to kill, and

the rogue CIA agent who hunts

them both down (Mirelle Enos),

only time will tell how deep this

foxhole goes.

BARRY / SEASON 2

NETWORK:

HBO/CRAVE

AIR DATE: MARCH 29

In case you missed it the first time

around, with the inaugural season

released in March of last year,

Barry is the next hit HBO-produced

comedy series. Co-created

by Alec Berg and Bill Hader, a

depressed, ex-marine turned

serial killer looks for fulfillment

in his life when his hits just aren’t

doing it for him anymore. So, like

a wandering stray dog, Barry

stumbles his way into the arms

of a local theatre group where he

pretends to have a passion for

the stage – and then begins to

actually develop one. The show’s

become known for the way Berg

and Hader juxtapose gut-wrenching

violence with laugh-out-loud

comedy and emotionally staggering

scenes. If you haven’t seen it

yet, I’d advise that you sign up for

Crave, binge the first season, and

buckle up for Season 2 while you

still have the chance.

By Brendan Lee


MOViES|T.V.

THE VIDIOT / DIGITAL DOWNLOAD & DVD

A STAR IS BORN

The best things about sleeping

with a famous singer are the

costume changes and pyrotechnics.

However, the vocalists in this

drama are both gifted so sex gets

pretty smoky.

After a concert one night,

rock-star Jackson Maine (Bradley

Cooper) inadvertently catches

a performance by emerging

artist Ally (Lady Gaga), and is so

impressed by her vocal range that

he offers to help refine her singing

and song-writing talents. But as

Ally’s star begins to rise and she

garners accolades and awards,

her mentor – now husband -

descends into drink and a deep

depression.

Although this is the fourth

remake of the 1937 original, firsttime

director Bradley Cooper

and his leading lady Gaga both

make stunning debuts, which

helps the dated material feel

relevant. While it’s darker than

previous versions, this adaptation

has the added bonus of

original songs.

Incidentally, marriage is a lot

easier for rock-stars because

they have roadies.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

When a band is named Queen

don’t be surprised if all of their

songs are about Welsh Corgis.

And while the group in this biography

doesn’t dwell on dogs their

output does run the gamut.

Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek)

goes from fan to front-man

when he replaces

the singer of his

favourite band.

Backed by the

original guitarist,

drummer and

new bassist,

Freddie christens the band

Queen and they release a

successful album. However,

Queen’s eclectic sound makes

them a hard sell, while Freddie’s

alternative lifestyle makes him a

media darling.

Framed by their 1985 Live Aid

performance and sprinkled with

their timeless tunes throughout,

this behind-the-scenes

look at the legendary band

skims over the important

parts and instead focuses

too much on the nominal

contributions of the other

members and their qualms

with Mercury.

Nonetheless, without

Queen the only music

played at sporting

events

would

be the

national

anthem.

,

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ARTs

BALLET

GOES

BROADWAY

Bruce Wells’ adaptation

of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer

Night’s Dream

is a family spectacle

By B. SIMM

As a ballet, Shakespeare’s A

Midsummer Night’s Dream first

debuted in New York, 1962 under

the direction of famed choreographer,

George Balanchine. Since

then Midsummer has had several

different incarnations, and the one

Bruce Wells is currently presenting

with Alberta Ballet promises to be

innovative, invigorating, visually

ablaze and, above all, not boring.

“When you’re trying to introduce

people to the ballet,” says Wells,

renowned choreographer himself,

“their worst fear is that they’re

going to be bored and not understand

an awful lot. Some ballets

do go on for three hours, Swan

Lake and Sleeping Beauty. They’re

really huge events, like going to the

opera. So I made a very conscious

decision to make it [A Midsummer

Night’s Dream] the same length as

The Nutcracker, which is two hours

including intermission.”

At the Boston Ballet, Wells produced

a both a holiday season and

springtime Nutcracker

giving children another

opportunity to dance. In

cutting down the length

of Midsummer and wanting

it to appeal to the

same audience as The

Nutcracker, Wells decided

to bring 30 children

into his Midsummer

production.

“It allows for a really enchanting

forest, filled with all these little

characters, all fairies and elves. I

wanted to create a family event.

I think for all the fathers sitting

in the audience with their young

A MIDSUMMER

NIGHT’S DREAM

March 13-16

Southern Jubilee

Auditorium (Calgary)

March 21-23

Northern Jubilee

Auditorium (Edmonton)

Tix $41-$144

daughters, they can go

with confidence that it’s

going to be a joyful time

for them and not just an

extended period of time.”

With the visuals,

humour, fantasy and otherworldly

elements plus

the sensual tension of the

dancers, there’s a lot of

entry points, a wide spectrum for

an audience to engage with. Wells is

also quite conscious in bringing out

the colour and dynamics all through

the performance and feels A Midsummer

Night’s Dream lends itself

particularly well to ballet.

“Women on pointe in long tutus

and men in tights can really draw

on that otherworldly element.

It’s a very easy story for the ballet

stage. It’s midsummer, set in the

late evening, in the forest and

there’s a lot of blue light. At the

same time, I wanted the audience

to see everything clearly so my

version is really a midsummer

evening ballet.”

Wells adds, “I take a very broad,

humorous approach to this. The

lovers in particular, I really let

them get into it big time. For

ballet, it’s almost like a Broadway

show or a musical.” ,


CITRUS PHOTOGRAPHY

ARTs THEATRE • COMEDY • DANCE• ART • PERFORMANCE

THIS IS BIG

Ghost River Theatre’s Giant strings together the

life and legend of a professional wrestler through a

female lens By TIM FORD

When most people think of

puppets, they might picture Punch

and Judy, Pinocchio or socks on

hands. But for five days and nights

in March, the Festival of Animated

Objects shows Calgarians how

puppetry can be huge, small, and

everything in-between.

“Puppetry is like opera,” says

Festival Co-Artistic Director

Pete Balkwill. “It has the ability

to address grand and epic

themes. In puppetry, you have

an object imbued with

life by audience and

puppeteer. Because

it is imbued with life,

it has supernatural

qualities, it’s able to

defy logic. It operates in

extremely cinematic ways.”

This year’s Festival features

live shows and puppetry

performances, augmented

reality work, workshops, and

film presentations, across a halfdozen

venues including the Globe

Cinema and GRAND theatre.

“We have an incredible show

coming from France,” says

Balkwill. “It’s a local chance to

see some rare international work.

We’re partnering with the Globe

to do a screening of The Dark

Crystal, which is being rebooted

as a TV series. There’s a whole

host of local work, including

dancer Pam Tzeng, and a ‘festival

within a festival’ with Wünderbriefs,

an all-ages series of mini

performances that are all free.”

The big headliner this year, in

more ways than one, is Ghost

River Theatre’s Giant. This

new show from co-creators

David van Belle and Eric Rose

is an exploration of the late

professional wrestler Andre the

Giant’s life. In development for

several years, Van Belle and Rose

were partly inspired by the release

of Box Brown’s graphic novel,

Andre the Giant: Life and Legend,

and were interested in the

challenge of bringing the colossal

pro wrestler to theatre. To do so,

GIANT

Festival of Animated

Objects

March 13-17

Tix, $35

they transform the

stage into a literal

wrestling ring with a

cast of five women

utilizing narrative,

wrestling moves and

objects large and small

to tell the story of the beloved

actor and performer.

“It’s kind of impossible to cast

an Andre,” says Rose. “I love

impossible things. We started

talking, ‘What if it was actually a

small female performer? What

if we scaled things down? What

would it mean for a female lens

to the interrogation of what we

think about wrestling?’”

Rose adds, “It’s also an

exploration of scale. How we

imagine what legacy is. If we

were given the opportunity to

step into someone else’s shoes,

and their lives, what information

could we glean from that?”

Both Balkwill and Rose

see the festival as a place for

theatre lovers, puppet lovers,

and imaginative audiences of all

backgrounds and ages.

“Puppets aren’t actual things,

they become representations for

things,” says Balkwill. “The use

of metaphor is immense. It’s a bit

like poetry in motion. That can

be a very intellectual art form,

and it can be a very simple and

naive art form. In both instances

it can touch us in ways that we

forgot we could be reached.”

March 12-24, with the

Festival’s main dates March 13-

17. ,


ALBERTA BALLET IN BRUCE WELLS’

A Midsummer

Night’s Dream

Escape into this magical comedic fantasy

of forest fairies and sprites in this masterful

retelling of a classic the whole family will enjoy.

TICKETS STARTING AT $41

CALGARY MAR 13-16

EDMONTON MAR 21-23

Tickets available at AlbertaBallet.com

Go as a group! Book 10 or more tickets and save 25%.

Your group discount will apply

automatically when purchasing online.

ARTs THEATRE • COMEDY • DANCE• ART • PERFORMANCE

STEP INTO THE

ABATTOIR

The Abattoir, Theatre Encounter’s

nickname for their studio at cSpace

King Edward, is an intimate venue, which

made it perfect for the indie company’s

latest creation, Klimt’s Women: Part I.

Inspired by the real-life models of painter

Gustav Klimt, Theatre Encounter Artistic

Producer Val Duncan and her crew sought

to communicate the intimate one-on-one

nature of looking at paintings.

“Even though a lot of our work doesn’t

look like traditional theatre, we

do still always take the seed of

a classic,” says Duncan. “In this

case, we decided to go from a

classic piece of visual art.”

Translating the medium of

paintings into live performance

might not seem like a natural fit, but

finding that space between mediums is

what Theatre Encounter is all about. While

Duncan jokes that the Abattoir might be

about “butchering the classics,” she adds

more seriously that it’s about “rebuilding

them into something new, something a

little more relevant.”

With Klimt’s Women, Duncan and

Theatre Encounter Artistic Director

Michael Fenton are visiting the same topic

- the models of Gustav Klimt. The second

THE SHOW

WITH NO NAME

KLIMT’S

PLAYTHINGS

Theatre Encounter

March, 27-30

Tix, $24

installment called, Klimt’s Playthings

is described as “an alluring blend of

expressionist dance, music and light…

an unsettling and sensual experience for

a limited number of audience,

who sit in the midst of the

action of the performance.”

That kind of experience is the

“core” of what makes Theatre

Encounter unique.

“We’re somewhere in that

space between contemporary dance and

theatre,” says Duncan. “But depending on

the show you see, you might get more of

one than the other. I hope that people who

come to our shows are adventurous...I

don’t need audiences to love what we

do here. I need them to leave feeling

something about it. A gut reaction is what

I want.”

Theatre Encounter’s KLIMT’S WOMEN: PART

II runs Mar. 27-30. For more information visit

theatreencounter.com

By TIM FORD

they wanted to explore different sides

of theatre for the company. “Our slogan

to start was ‘Once upon a beyond.’ We

wanted to explore the ‘beyond.’”

[title of show] is a gentle ribbing of

how theatre artists explore their medium.

Stockton says the comedy-musical offers

the chance for audiences to be a “fly on

the wall” for what goes into making a

musical.

“If people have never been involved in

a theatre production, they’ll come away

with a bit of insight into how it’s all put

together. The comedy comes from the

absurdity of what theatre is, really. That

attitude of ‘Let’s build something that

nobody’s ever seen before. And let’s do it

in three weeks, and let’s do it about us.’”

That meta-narrative is the bare bones

story behind [title of show], the latest

production from Birnton

Part of that cheeky fun comes in the

strange nature of what theatre

Theatricals. Now entering

its seventh year of creating

work for audiences of all ages,

Birnton Theatricals is moving

more and more into the “adult”

side of programming with what

[TITLE OF SHOW]

March 6-16

Lunchbox Theatre

Tix, $21

really is. “What is a play?”

Stockton askes. “It’s a group

of people getting together to

say a bunch of words that one

person wrote, to another group

of people, and hope it moves

Artistic Director Chris Stockton calls its

Mosaic Series. With it, Stockton says

them. That’s kind of hilarious in of itself, to

want to do that over and over.”

By TIM FORD


Horoscopes

MESSAGES FROM THE STARS: A LOOK INTO THE CYCLES AND COSMIC

DETAILS OF AN UNFOLDING FOREVERMORE, PAIRED WITH A SONG

SUGGESTION CURATED FOR YOUR SIGN by Willow Herzog

Aries (March 21 - April 20)

A deepened connection to self

means not compromising in ways

that can be detrimental to your

form. As your truest expression

continues to shape and expand stay

dedicated, aligned and working

towards future dreams. Affirmations

of motivation, determination

and returning to the ever-changing

self. This is a month of becoming

stronger in your sense of self and

what you stand for. Watch for habits

that want to pull you off course and

use discernible discipline. Step into

a dance of otherworldly lulling to

offset strong work demands this

month.

Song suggestion for the month:

“Hello from the Edge of the Earth” -

Mary Lattimore

Taurus (April 21 - May 21)

Your internal duties are communicating

to your life purpose. Take this

on with motivation and honor the

creative muses that desire to work

with you. Cultivating power through

process and getting the good work

done. This is a month to continue to

grow in your professional pursuits

and align with greater potency to

your purpose. You have innovations

and gifts of paramount to share with

the world.


“Poem” - U.S Girls

Gemini (May 22 - June 21)

Enlargement of dreams and plans of

expansion. Allow your heightened

sense of mission to inspire and

widen your reality. A walk in the

clouds isn’t for everyone but for you

it is where you build your castles

and turn them into your life. Keep

close to what inspires you and in

turn inspires your community. Turn

up your language into forms that

count as you deepen in your voice

of honesty. Speak to those who will

help you build your empire and feel

gratitude for all you have already

accomplished.


Harm in Change” - Toro y Moi

Cancer (June 22 - July 23)

Harmonious alignment in collaborative

pursuits holds time and space

this month. There is a pull to retreat

into contemplation and evaporation

that meets a surge of conspiring

creativity within relationships. Let

these two opposites create a whole

and allow yourself to ebb and flow

as destined. There is healing in the

realm of self-esteem and worthiness

for all that is forming in your reality.

Take time to get right with yourself

so you may get right with life and

your mission.


“Diagonals” - Stereolab

Leo (July 24 - Aug. 23)

Honouring right relationships and

those who really see you. There is

a change in the relationships close

to you and how you may perceive

and interact with them. Life holds

increased opportunity to exchange

hearts with those you hold dear and

in turn hold you. Allow yourself

to be held in love’s warm embrace.

You have gone through a plethora of

changes and leveled up professionally.

This is a time to let those changes

change your compass and proceed

with navigational clarity.


“Woman Is a Word” - Empress Of

Virgo (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23)

The seemingly never-ending work

flux of the everyday continues to pile

and make mountains. Good thing

you have the ability to move mountains.

Enjoy the flow of the everyday

and make room for unexpected

experiences, pleasure and surprises.

Orienting your present moment to a

state of calm will be essential for all

that needs to get done this month.

Pull a Marie Kondo and clear the

clutter from your life so you may

have space to think and dream.


“Peripheral” - Eartheater

Libra (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23)

Healing deep feelings, old wounds

and family ties are priority as you

move into this next cycle. Make way

for new, old and fluctuating feeling

states but hold close peace and vibrational

pull to what rings true. Check

in with the layers of your psychic

experience and remember to clear

out outdated views and self-inflicted

behaviours that don’t serve. You are

going through an energetic recalibration,

allow yourself healthy physical

outlets for excess emotion.


“Beautiful Blue Sky” - Ought

Scorpio (Oct. 24 - Nov.

22)

Calling yourself back to yourself

and stepping into a vibration of

returning to your internal well of

exquisiteness. This is a passage

that asks you to reclaim time with

self in a way that nourishes and

inspires. Beautify your space, your

bedroom, buy some flowers for

your table and wash your floors

with rosewater. This is also a time

of much work, projects, figuring

out the details. Having a nourished

home space and honouring space

for reflection will do wonders for

your ability to see, feel and receive

beauty.


“I’m Clean Now” - Grouper

Sagittarius (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)

Commitment to the many tasks

and opportunities that punctuate

your reality. Stay concentrated,

pouring joy and love at the

projects that have come into your

sphere of influence. There is a reason

for what has been presented

on your path. Stay honest, check in

and communicate with authentic

potency. Old mind layers are

disappearing and a new way of

experience is becoming evident.

Sit in the stillness and be ready to

change your mind once again.


“The Hollow Sound of the Morning

Chimes” - TOPS

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)

What have you healed? What has

come full circle? Perhaps it is time

to start anew in some key areas

while letting go of what doesn’t

serve you. Patterns and potential

with finances are highlighted as you

look at where your funds go and

how they may leak. Taking your

abundance into your own hands

and create a practice of moderation

paired with gentle indulgences.


“symbol” - Adrianne Lenker

Aquarius (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)

What is hidden in plain sight? What

direction is the energy of your

life taking you? This is a period of

recoiling back to your foundation so

you may build with greater strength.

Strategize and prioritize so you may

construct your empire and experience

the totality of your dreams.


“Bent (Roi’s Song)” - DIIV

Pisces (Feb. 20 - Mar. 20)

To quote Leonard Cohen “I don’t

trust my inner feelings. Inner

feelings come and go.” This is a

time of taking your feelings into

account but realizing the fluctuating

nature of being a deep feeler.

Regather yourself in essential ways

so that you may serve yourself and

community in the potent ways you

do and dream to. It’s okay to say no,

take a step back and stay in for sake

of self-preservation.


“Unconscious Melody”

- Preoccupations

U.S. GIRLS OUGHT TORO Y MOI DIIV GROUPER


Savage Love BY

DAN SAVAGE

LET’S SAY MY KINK is edging

and I edge myself for a few days

leading up to a date. Is it my responsibility

to tell my potential partner?

There are a few variables here that

are important to note. This is a first/

Tinder date, and it’s just a coffee

date, BUT she and I have talked

about our expectations and there

will likely be a physical aspect in

whatever potential relationship may

ensue. I understand that it’s never

cool to involve someone in your

kink without their consent, but what

are the rules here? On one hand, if

I don’t divulge this information, I

could see how my production of an

unexpectedly large amount of ejaculate

could be upsetting, depending

on the circumstances/activity. But

on the other hand, at least some

amount of come is expected, right?

If I randomly had massive loads

every single time through no effort

of my own, would I be responsible

for letting a partner know? Perhaps

it would be the polite thing to do.

I guess I’d feel comfortable saying,

“Hey, by the way, I produce very

large loads,” if sex was imminent.

But when you add the kink factor

into the mix, I think something

like that should be talked about

before sex is “imminent.” So what

responsibility do I have to divulge

this information? And if I do have a

responsibility to divulge this, when

would be the appropriate time to

bring it up? I feel like it could be

sexy to be so open about a taboo,

given that we’ve already discussed

the desire for a physical aspect to

the relationship. But at what point

between sex being “not off-limits”

and “my parts are going to be interacting

with your parts as soon as our

clothes are off” is the right moment

to disclose my kink?

What Ought One Do?

Let’s say… you blow that load.

I can’t imagine your new friend

will be shocked. Blowing loads,

after all, is what men do* with

their penises**, WOOD, and most

people who are attracted to men

are aware of this fact. And anyone

who’s slept with two or more men

is aware that some men blow bigger

loads than others. Volume varies.

Volumes vary between men,

and the volume of an individual

man’s loads can vary naturally or

as the direct result of an intentional

intervention, like edging.

Backing up for a second: Edging

entails bringing yourself or being

brought to the edge of coming

over and over again. It’s about

getting yourself or someone else

as close as you can to the “point

of orgasmic inevitability” without

going over. Draw out the buildup

to a single orgasm for hours or

days—by edging yourself or being

edged by someone else—and the

resulting load will be larger than

normal for the edged individual.

But even so, an edged dude’s

load can still be smaller than the

load of a guy who just naturally

produces more ejaculate.

And in answer to your question,

WOOD, no, I don’t think there’s a

pressing need to disclose your

kink to your date. If it gets sexual,

she’s going to expect you to

produce ejaculate at some point.

And even if the load you wind up

blowing is enormous, you’re not

going to drown her or wash out

her IUD.

Frankly, WOOD, your letter

reads like you got baked out of

your mind and sat up half the

night trying to come up with an

excuse to tell this woman about

your not-that-kinky kink and “I

should tell her as a courtesy” was

the best you could do.

If you want to tell her, go ahead

and tell her. But since there’s no

need to tell her that you sometimes

like to stroke for a bit

without climaxing, there’s a strong

chance she’ll react negatively to

your “courtesy” disclosure. Even

if she’s made it clear there could

be “a physical aspect in whatever

potential relationship may

ensue”—even if that’s not just

dickful thinking on your part—

she’s going to be scrutinizing you

for signs that you aren’t someone

she wants to get naked with. She’ll

be looking for red flags at your

first face-to-face meeting, and

if you come across like a creep

with piss-poor judgment—and a

needless conversation about how

much ejaculate you produce and

why you produce so much ejaculate

will definitely come across as

creepy—then she may decide not

to ensue with you.

I’M A QUEER MAN who usually

tops with men. A bad first try at

receiving anal at age 16 led me to

not bottom for years. After seeing

the looks of delight on my partners’

faces, I decided to give bottoming

another go. I followed your advice—

lots of lube and relaxation, a little

weed—and tried lots of different

positions and dick sizes. But no

matter what, I never seem to get

past the pain and into the pleasure

zone. I enjoy being fingered and

using a prostate massager, so I know

my prostate is in there. How many

times should I try bottoming before

I decide it’s not for me?

Twentysomething Into Glutes

Had To Have Orgasms Lustily

Elsewhere

There’s no set number of times a

queer person has to try bottoming

before deciding it’s not for them,

TIGHTHOLE. A person—queer

or straight—can make that call

without ever having tried bottoming.

An exclusive top who isn’t

afraid of his own hole, i.e., a queer

guy who enjoys being fingered

and using a prostate massager,

doesn’t have a hang-up; he’s just a

guy who knows what works for his

hole and what doesn’t. And that’s

more than most people know.

On the Lovecast, we got punked!

Listen at savagelovecast.com.

mail@savagelove.net

Follow Dan on Twitter

@fakedansavage

Get Lucky

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ROYAL CANOE

WITH NÊHIYAWAK

March 20 - Commonwealth Bar & Stage

March 25 - Temple (Starlite Room)

WHITE BUFFALO

Mar 19 - Marquee

Mar 21 - Starlite Room

DEAFHEAVEN

Mar 22 - Union Hall

Mar 23 - The Palace Theatre

CHILDREN OF BODOM

Mar 25 - The Palace Theatre

Mar 26 - Union Hall

THE CRYSTAL METHOD

March 29 - The Starlite Room

April 19 - Marquee

MORGAN JAMES

April 7 - Commonwealth Bar & Stage

April 8 - The Starlite Room

JD MCPHERSON

April 10 - The Starlite Room

April 11 - Commonwealth Bar & Stage

CHRIS WEBBY

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

May 3 - The Gateway

DIZZY

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

May 9 - Temple ( Starlite Room)

GEORGE NOZUKA

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

June 15 - The Rec Room

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT MRGCONCERTS.COM

BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition March 2019

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