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 

MARCH 2019 BEATROUTE 11 

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 


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 


MATTHEW GOOD 

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS 

RANK & VILE 

DARREN FROST & KENNY ROBINSON 

MARCH 8 

COMETHAZINE 


MARCH 27 

WITH RALPH 

MAR 18 

March 14 - The Vogue Theatre 

THE CRYSTAL METHOD 


MARCH 30 

THE MUSICAL BOX 

A GENESIS EXTRAVAGANZA 

APRIL 3 

MORGAN JAMES 


APRIL 10 

WINTERSLEEP 


MAY 3 

CHRIS WEBBY 


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. 


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. 


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. 


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] 


Then on the 16, HiFi is hosting two 

really forward-facing artists, Thelem and 

Psymbionic. Will be a great night for the 

deep heads. 


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. 


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 


MRG PRESENTS: 

CHRIS WEBBY 


OCEAN ALLEY 


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 

24 BEATROUTE MARCH 2019 

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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EDMONTON 

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, 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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. 

, 

LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT MARCH 28 

APRIL 22-28, 2019 

GLOBE CINEMA 


SPRING HAS 

SPRUNG! 

(TELL YOUR PANTS!) 

JOHN FLUEVOG SHOES 837 GRANVILLE ST 604·688·2828 65 WATER ST 604·688·6228 FLUEVOG.COM

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 


Southern Jubilee 

Auditorium (Calgary) 


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 


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] 


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 

and into some shenanigans 

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March 20 - Commonwealth Bar & Stage 

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Mar 22 - Union Hall 

Mar 23 - The Palace Theatre 

CHILDREN OF BODOM 

Mar 25 - The Palace Theatre 

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THE CRYSTAL METHOD 

March 29 - The Starlite Room 

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MORGAN JAMES 

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BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition March 2019

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