verb issue r57 (dec. 7-13, 2012)

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ISSUE #57 – DECEMBER 7 TO DECEMBER 13 PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST A LUCKY BREAK WITH KAL HOURD GRAFFITI GOLD Making art on the streets HIPSTER CLASSICAL Q+A with Warhol Dervish PLAYING FOR KEEPS + SMASHED Films reviewed

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Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

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Page 1: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

Issue #57 – December 7 to December 13

Photo: courtesy of the artIst

a luckybreakwith Kal hourd

graffiti gold making art on the streets

Hipster classical Q+a with Warhol Dervish

playing for keeps + smasHed films reviewed

Page 2: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

VerbNews.comVerb magaziNe coNteNts local editorial commeNts q + a arts coVer food + driNk music listiNgs Nightlife film comics timeout

2dec 7 – dec 13

coNteNtscoNteNts

Please recycle after readiNg & shariNg

VerbNews.com@verbregIna facebook.com/verbregIna

editorialPublisher / ParIty PublIshIngeditor iN chief / ryan allanmaNagiNg editor / JessIca Patruccostaff writers / aDam haWbolDt + alex J macPhersoncoNtributiNg writer / JessIca bIckforD

art & productiondesigN lead / roberta barrIngtondesigN & ProductioN / brIttney grahamcoNtributiNg PhotograPhers / tamara kleIn, DanIelle tocker, aDam haWbolDt + alex J macPherson

business & operationsoffice maNager / stePhanIe lIPsItmarketiNg maNager / vogeson PaleyfiNaNcial maNager / coDy lang

contactcommeNts / [email protected] / 881 8372adVertise / [email protected] / 979 2253desigN / [email protected] / 979 8474geNeral / [email protected] / 979 2253

culture eNtertaiNmeNtNews + oPiNioN

WHat’s up WitH tHe stadium? Q+A with Brent Sjoberg. 3 / local

graffiti goldJayde “Wizwon” Goodon brings his art to the streets. 4 / local

one for tHe agesWhy we think the drinking age should be lowered to 18. 6 / editorial

commentsHere’s what you had to say about organ donation. 7 / commeNts

Q + a WitH WarHol dervisHHipster classical totally rocks! 8 / q + a

nigHtlife pHotos We visit O’Hanlon’s Pub. 15 / Nightlife

live music listingsLocal music listings for December 7 through December 15. 14 / listiNgs

playing for keeps + smasHed We review the latest movies. 16 / film

on tHe bus Weekly original comic illustrations by Elaine M. Will. 18 / comics

Hidden languageExploring the Person, Place, Thing art exhibit. 9 / arts

goodbye glutenThis week we visit Kneaded Bake Shop. 12 / food + driNk

musicThird Degree Birnz, JJ Voss + The Arkells. 13 / music

personal HistoriesHeather M. Cline’s exhibition chroni-cles the simple things. 9 / arts

game + HoroscopesCanadian criss-cross puzzle, weekly horoscopes and Sudoku. 19 / timeout

on tHe cover: kal HourdHow a lucky break changed Kal’s life. 10 / coVer

Photo: courtesy of the artIst

Page 3: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

/VerbregiNa News + oPiNioNcoNteNts local editorial commeNts q + a arts coVer food + driNk music listiNgs Nightlife film comics timeout

3dec 7 – dec 13

brent sjoberg answers your most pressing questionsby alex J macPherson

he failure of a recent petition to force a referendum on plans

to build a new football stadium in Regina means the Saskatchewan Roughriders will soon be getting a new $278 million home. Technical and financial details have been reported exhaustively, but there are still plenty of rumours and misconceptions floating around. To get some straight answers, I caught up with Brent Sjoberg, Regina’s deputy city manager and chief financial officer — the point man on all things stadium-related.

Alex J. MacPherson: The memoran-dum of understanding (MOU) was released in late July. Can you walk me through what’s happened since then?

Brent Sjoberg: The only major item is the release of the concept design. That was at the end of September. The key piece is that it’s just a con-ceptual design [and] our procure-ment process will have the eventual bidders come forward with designs as well, so this … just … shows what might be possible within the budget.

AJM: There is a council meeting this month at which a lot of decisions will be made. What’s happening, exactly?

BS: There are three items we’re working to have ready for that meeting. One of them is the final concept design for council’s ap-proval … Another item is initiating

the procurement process, the first step being a request for qualifica-tions … That’s not slated to start un-til probably May of next year. Each [shortlisted contractor will] submit some of their own design work, their bid for the project, and by the end of next year we will select one of them to go forward. And then the third would be the funding agreements.

AJM: Will the financial structure be similar to what was put forward in the MOU?

BS: They’re all really consistent with the MOU. [This is about] taking each of the elements and converting them into a formal agreement.

AJM: Because the eventual contractor supplies their own design, we don’t really know what the finished product will look like, right?

BS: The procurement process works down to a shortlist of three bidders, and each one of those will put forward their own design … There will be a number of things in the RFP process that will be described as mandatory, so they will have to lay those out.

AJM: Do you have an example?

BS: It might say it is mandatory that the design have individual seats as opposed to bench seating… In other cases, if we’re really clear in what specifically we want, that would also be described.

AJM: What have you done to minimize the risk of delays?

BS: In this case…the builder…is both designing and building, so they’re putting their design together, setting up their construction schedule, and all that kind of stuff. Where you tend to have problems is with change orders, if the design changes. Those cause issues. And we do a lot of work up front to lay out expectations. You don’t negotiate those contracts after it’s been awarded; [contractors] bid knowing they’re going to be responsible for a number of things, and if they don’t want to do that, then they don’t bid. It lays that process out, requires us to do our planning up-front. It takes more time but it also forces us to think through it in a more detailed way and be clear in what our expectations are.

AJM: Who is responsible if the proj-ect goes long on time or money?

BS: [The process] works on a guaran-teed maximum price basis. We have our budget and the bidders need to put together their program and design and everything within that budget envelope. There are contracts set up which basically transfer a bunch of that risk to the private builder, so they are responsible for staying on time.

AJM: That’s a lot of stuff going on. Is the timeline still set for 2017?

BS: The timeline is right on track at this point, so that would have the stadium

open in early 2017. We’re still right on track for that.

Transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

local

@macphersona

[email protected]

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

WHat’s up WitH tHe stadium?

t

Photo: courtesy of the cIty of regIna

Page 4: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

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4dec 7 – dec 13

local

raffiti writing breaks the hegemonic hold of corporate/governmental

style over the urban environment and the situations of daily life. As a form of aesthetic sabotage, it interrupts the pleasant, efficient uniformity of ‘planned’ urban space and predictable urban living. For the writers, graffiti disrupts the lived experience of mass culture, the passivity of mediated consumption.” – Jeff Ferrell, Crimes of Style

If you want to become a graffiti artist, one of the first things you have to do is pick a name. Your name is your logo, your trademark; something like John or Steve simply won’t cut it.

The next thing you have to do is develop a tag. This is your signature that everyone will see — your John Hancock, so to speak. It is the symbol (usually done with a marker) that will immediately identify you and your art. After that comes things like “throw-ups” and “pieces.” What these are depends on who you ask, but for the most part throw-ups are done with spray paint and usually consist of bubble letters, while pieces are more intricate designs. The key to turning your pieces into masterpieces and honing your throw-ups is practice.

Jayde Goodon knows all of this. See, back when he was young, Goodon really liked to draw. One of his favourite things to sketch was his name — and the names of his friends — in graffiti letters on pieces of paper. This love of drawing soon led him to the streets of Regina, where he tried his hand as a graffiti artist otherwise known as Wizwon.

“When I first started out, I was out tagging trains and other places around the city,” recalls the 26-year-old street artist. “Then I started to use spray paint. It wasn’t easy at first. We weren’t allowed to do it, so we would go to some abandoned places around the city, just f**k around, practice. I remember one time we kept going to the same spot and we almost got caught. I ran like hell that night. Then we’d just find somewhere else to go.”

And so went the formative years of Goodon’s training, his apprentice-ship in the art of graffiti. They were years spent illegally spray painting his urban vision, honing his skills on brick walls and parked trains while playing cat-and-mouse with authorities in the dead of night.

It was an apprenticeship that wouldn’t last forever.

Anyone who has walked through downtown Regina lately has seen the works of graffiti artists scrawled on magazine kiosks, plastered on brick and mortar back alleys, and painted on the side of local businesses. Like it or not, graffiti is a part of our city. And believe you me, there are many out there who don’t like it, who flat-out think it’s vandalism, symbolizes gang activity, or is a sure sign of

urban decay. But for the people who risk it all to have their work seen, for the lovers of hip hop culture, for some filmmakers, curators and aficionados of a certain pedigree, graffiti is much more than vandalism. It’s an art from.

An art form that’s been around for quite some time.

While many people believe graf-fiti to be a distinctly modern occur-rence, the truth of the matter is graf-fiti was around in the days of ancient

Greece, ancient Rome and ancient Pompeii (where the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. perfectly preserved graffiti, like Latin swear words, magic spells, political slogans and declarations of undying love, on walls and the sides of buildings).

Graffiti was around in America on boxcars during the Great Depres-sion. It was around in the ‘60s as an expression of political unrest. And in the 1970’s, in New York City, graffiti exploded into pop culture, riding on the coattails of hip hop.

This is the type most of us have come to know, the type tightly in-tertwined with hip hop culture. The tags, the stylized letters, the bright colours and fresh urban vibes: this is the type of graffiti (along with a new wave of politically influenced stuff like, say, the work Banksy does) that has risen into the realm of

legitimate, commissioned urban art. At times, the works of graffiti artists have even made it into art galleries.

If you want to be an urban artist and get paid for your work, always be original. Don’t copy anything you see or bite another artist’s style; you’ll be branded as a “toy.” Instead, take inspiration from oth-ers and evolve your style until your work matches your vision.

That’s what Goodon did.After abandoning the life of a

graffiti artist and trying his hand at the rap game, Goodon returned to his first love with a renewed sense of vigour. He hooked up a with a few local graffiti artists, formed a crew and started doing legal and commis-sioned murals in Regina and around the province.

His crew came to be known as 11 Hooks, and it was through working with them that Goodon was able to evolve his style.

“Every year I’m doing this now, I look back and I’m like ‘Holy s**t! My style has really changed,’” says Goodon. “And part of that is be-cause my friends inspire me. Every time I go out with them, go out painting with them, I see something new. I pick up a new technique. I learned fading from one of my bud-dies, another guy showed me how to cut my lines cleaner. We feed off each other.”

It’s not only 11 Hooks that in-spires and helps Goodon grow as an artist, either. He has also branched out to the GFC (a crew from To-ronto), as well as with Saskatoon’s own YGW crew.

And all that inspiration and artistic evolution has paid off. Once upon a time, Goodon was tagging things around the city, leaving temporary signs that he was here. These days, things are a bit more permanent for him. Every year he does a mural on Brandee’s wall, he had some of his art work (the stuff he does on canvas) exhibited at the Green Canvas Art Gallery, and just last month he put on a fine arts exhibit called Organic Mathematics at the 11 Hooks Studio.

Not too shabby for a kid who started out scrawling letters in a scrapbook.

g

When I first started out, I was out tagging trains…

JayDe ‘WIzWon” gooDon

Photo: courtesy of JayDe gooDon

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

@adamHawboldt

[email protected]

graffiti goldJayde goodon and 11 hooks bring their art to the street by aDam haWbolDt

Page 5: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)
Page 6: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

VerbNews.comNews + oPiNioN coNteNts local editorial commeNts q + a arts coVer food + driNk music listiNgs Nightlife film comics timeout

6dec 7 – dec 13

editorial

@verbregina

[email protected]

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

nce upon a time, we published a three-part series dealing with

drinking in Saskatchewan. In the third installment, where we argued that the drinking age in Saskatchewan should be lowered to 18, we wrote that, “if you can vote, smoke, sign legal documents, be tried as an adult and be sent overseas to fight and possibly die for your country, you should be allowed to enjoy a beer.”

Seems pretty straightforward to us. Now, fast forward more than a year to last month’s Sask Party con-vention, where a resolution was put forward to lower the drinking age. Here’s what premier Brad Wall had to say on the matter: “You can see the rationale that these young people come with. Someone can serve their

country, be in harm’s way. Someone can choose their government … and yet that person serving his country can’t go to the [Royal Canadian] Legion and have a beer.”

Now, we’re not saying we influ-enced the Premier’s comments or anything. Far from it. All we’re saying is that we applaud the Premier for putting this debate back on the table.

You see, we are of the unwaver-ing belief that lowering the drinking age to 18 is the fair and right thing to do. Sure, we know not everyone agrees; for example, there are those who claim that lowering the drinking age will lead to more instances of drinking and driving. To that we say (backed by numbers from Stats Can), “Saskatchewan actually has a vastly higher drunk driving rate — 618 per 100,000 residents — than Alberta or

Manitoba.” Oh, and did we mention those provinces allow legal drinking at 18 years of age? Clearly, age is not the problem here.

There are also those who are of the opinion that 18-year-olds are too immature to drink, and we think that is simply not true.

In fact, a study in the journal Ad-diction found that while Canadian university students consume greater quantities of alcohol compared to their American counterparts, who must be 21, they drink less both in frequency and in volume. And besides, if you think 18-year-olds are abstaining from drinking — or that all adults consume alcohol purely in a responsible fashion — you’re sadly mistaken.

No matter how you slice it, this question isn’t, “should 18-year-olds

be drinking?” It’s, “should they be al-lowed to drink legally?” And to that end, we’d like to commend Premier Wall for bringing this issue back to the public’s attention.

After all, the Sask Party didn’t have to. Think about it: some critics are claiming the provincial govern-ment is only doing this to curry fa-vour with the youth vote, but some-how we doubt switching the drinking age will provide Wall with an even cushier majority next time around. Heck, in a conservative province like ours, it might even hurt them.

And that, good readers, is why this is so refreshing. There’s scant evidence of any immediate political payoff for a measure like this, yet there the government is, pre-paring to consult different interest groups while initiating healthy and

robust public discourse on a hot button topic.

So here’s to hoping a vigorous debate ensues, reasonable minds prevail and the drinking age is lowered. The sky isn’t falling and the world isn’t ending in Manitoba or Alberta. So why don’t we get with the times and march in lockstep with our Western neighbours — at least on this issue.

These editorials are left unsigned because they represent the opinions of Verb magazine, not those of the individual writers.

o

one for tHe ageslowering the drinking age just makes sense

Page 7: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

/VerbregiNa News + oPiNioNcoNteNts local editorial commeNts q + a arts coVer food + driNk music listiNgs Nightlife film comics timeout

7dec 7 – dec 13

commeNts

text your thoughts to881 verb

8372

on topic: last week we asked what you thought about changing organ donor policies. here's what you had to say:

– I like the idea of opting out over opting in many individuals don’t even think about donating their organs so maybe this will strike up conversations!

– Opt out or opt in makes no dif-ference if u want 2 donate u will or else u wont. Why spend $$$ to fix it if it works?

– Organ donation rates in this country definitely need to go up. Did you look into religious reasons why someone wouldn’t choose to donate? Does that make up a significant portion of the non-donating group?

– Get all the old people to donate! Our aging population is a great source of organs ripe for the pluck-ing LOL!

– Cant they grow them FML i m gong 2need a liver or 2 :D !!!

off topic

– Bic Wreck. The story was very interesting,have never read any info on the band before… Their music is so good,would definetly see them in concert again. Seen them at the pump a few months ago. Marsha :)!

In response to “Big Wreck,” Cover page, #56

(November 30, 2012)

– Love Joe Fafard’s artwork. I’ve been following his career for more than a few years. Brilliant man, and his sculptures are so inspiring. He’s a wonderful addition to the arts community here on

the prairies.In response to “The Artist’s Eye,” Local page,

#56 (November 30, 2012)

sound off

– Id love to thank my neices meagan Nekayla and jazmine for the courage they had to go in front of everyone in the church and talk about the grandpa they so much adored. I was so proud of you girls and grandpa would of been so proud of you! You were all amaz-ing and again Im so gald what you did even though it was so hard to do. lotsa love auntie Ronda xo

– Unsigned editorials represent opinions of “Verb magazine” and not individual writers? Didn’t real-ize inanimate objects could hold opinions...

– Don’t matter if you believe in Jesus Christ or not Christmas is to celebrate his birth! It would be like Thanksgiving but not believing in indians and pilgrims.

– Think about this take the Christ out of Christmas and all you have is mas.

– When did JC state that shopping was the way to celebrate his birth

– Dear verb thanx for publishing my last text. It mean a world to me. You should have 2 whole pages just for texts lol . THe more we can send the more we can read. I look so forwrd in seeing what

people send in. Love this paper. Thanks

– THAT fire burning TV Screen S **t at Regina stadium ! WARNING SAskatchewan People Are F**d Burned to Pay for it! 87 Million is it? ?

– People think money is life. So wrong! Air to breathe water to

drink plants and animals to eat this is the source of life. The pursuit of money is killing it!

– Good God Y’all! Now gimme some room. Heh!

– Had a James Brown moment there. He’s funnier than most peo-ple catch on when he’s performing.

next Week: What do you think about lower-ing the drinking age in saskatchewan? Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation:

We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories and content, or anything else on your mind.

Page 8: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

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8dec 7 – dec 13

q + a

arhol Dervish would be a good name for a rock

band. Or a synthesizer-heavy new wave outfit inspired by ancient religious practices. The members of Warhol Dervish are certainly attracted to these ideas, but they don’t play pop or rock or even new wave. Far from it. Warhol Dervish plays hipster classical. An unorthodox (to say the least) string quartet, they are bent on bringing classical from the concert hall to the jazz club and the rock bar. Playing music by classically-trained pop musicians like Bryce Dessner and Richard Reed-Parry, Warhol Dervish blurs the line between stuffy classical and ac-cessible pop while affirming that good music is good music, regard-less of form or style. I caught up with violinist Carissa Klopoushak, a Saskatoon expat, to learn more.

Alex J MacPherson: Let’s talk about bringing classical into the 21st century. Why is that so important to you?

Carissa Klopoushak: Well, why isn’t it so important? It’s our live-lihood. I think there’s a

real need to connect as artists with the people that you’re playing for. There’s also a real need at this point to pare down the perceived elitism of classical music. We are strong believers in the idea that music is music. People gener-ally like to listen to music of most kinds.

AJM: So it’s about presenting classical music in a new and fresh way?

CK: The real goal was to do the unex-pected. What’s really neat about this group is that right now we’re playing this kind of 21st century music. The composers are the same age we are. It’s hipster classical, really.

AJM: So tell me: what exactly is hipster classical?

CK: I think it’s something relatable. Most people that would attend an indie rock show would really like this kind of music. There’s an

accessibility. If we’re talking about the hipster world, you have the arena concert featuring Radiohead and the small show at Amigos. It’s the same kind of thing, par-ing it down to seeing a local band playing Amigos — a little more independent, a different way of presenting it.

AJM: So it’s a fairly informal type of music, less dressed-up than a symphony in a concert hall?

CK: There’s a little bit of a dressed-down approach, but that’s not the focal point. It’s music that’s univer-

sally relatable and it’s absolutely steeped in classical composition tradition, but very aware of current trends in other kinds of music. And the lines have totally been blurred. None of us only play Mozart. Most classical musicians are in that same position, actually, it’s just that we don’t get to showcase it often.

AJM: And yet, this is still chamber music.

CK: It is chamber music. And I’ve always equated chamber music with the indie band. It’s a small group of people getting together, collaborating, it’s more of a conversation. The roots of chamber music are in parties where people would sit down and read to-gether and other people would stand behind and watch. It would always be new music, the hot-off-the-press Haydn quartet. There’s a real gap being bridged right now.

Warhol Dervish December 14 @ artful Dodger$10/15

@macphersona

[email protected]

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

W

Photos: courtesy of the artIst

Hipster classicalWarhol Dervish brings chamber music from the concert hall to the rock club by alex J macPherson

[W]e’re playing this kind of 21st century music…it’s hipster classical, really.

carIssa kloPoushak

Page 9: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

@VerbregiNa culturecoNteNts local editorial commeNts q + a arts coVer food + driNk music listiNgs Nightlife film comics timeout

9dec 7 – dec 13

personal Historiesheather m. cline’s latest exhibition chronicles the simple things by alex J macPhersoN

e are surrounded by language. Televisions and

radios blare constantly. Our sight-lines are dominated by billboards and strips of neon lighting; we read books and magazines. We are so dependent on written and spoken words that we take for granted other, much more visceral languages — the same languages that are teased out and decon-structed in Person, Place, Thing.

“I’ve been looking at embedded languages and meanings in envi-ronment in a few of the shows I’ve curated,” says John G. Hampton, who curated the exhibition. “It’s been a sustained interested, reading the environment around us. Visual literacy really allows us to decode the information around us, and I was interested in how our languages are influenced by or end up influencing environment in more subtle ways.”

Person, Place, Thing, which features work by Bonnie Devine, Michael

Maranda, Loretta Paoli, and Arthur Renwick, focuses on the relationship between language and things that are not language, their intersections and diversions. This idea is further com-plicated by the shift from unconscious to conscious thought. “It is partially an awareness of where we are, but also the way we put meaning into the world around us and pull it out,” Hampton explains. “It’s about maybe bringing an awareness or a thoughtful-ness to that practice.”

Do not fear this exhibition. Its conceptual underpinning is complex, but Hampton worked hard to make the show accessible. “All of the works within it, I think, are very simple and elegant,” he says. “They don’t really overwhelm with the weight of the subject matter.”

Arthur Renwick’s submission features punctuation marks layered on top of a series of bleak landscape photographs. Renwick, a prominent First Nations artist, is exploring the

fractured relationship between written treaties and the ineffable expanse of the great plains. “[The Renwick pieces] were the genesis for creat-ing this exhibition,” Hampton says. “I was really intrigued by the way he paralleled these two ways of looking at land. I think by using the punctuation marks in this sculptural way, you can really see the foreignness of the text for someone who has never encountered written language before.”

Person, Place, Thing is by no means a diatribe against written or spoken words, but it certainly calls their dom-inance into question. And because Hamtpon limited how much didactic text accompanies the exhibition, his interpretation of the works ceases to be the right one. Viewers are free to make connections without pressure. “It’s not a test,” he laughs.

Person, Place, Thingthrough Dec 14 @ neutral ground gallery

Hidden language Person, Place, Thing explores the words we don’t see by alex J macPhersoN

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

he paintings in Heather M. Cline’s new exhibition, City

Streets, are not what they appear to be. At first, the show feels like a straightforward collection of cityscapes. Shifting perspectives shatter this illusion, transform-ing City Streets into a penetrating metaphor for personal history, time, and space.

“I love the work of expressionist painters and prairie landscape paint-ers, who are very painterly, but I’m also very interested in historiography and history as part of my work,” Cline says.

City Streets reeks of nostalgia, yet Cline is a champion of contemporary technology and materials: panoramic cameras, photo editing software, and compact video recorders. Working from multiple digital stills allows her to include several perspectives in any one piece, blending past and present in terms of technique as well as subject. Rendering multiple perspectives on a single canvas raises questions about the relationships between painting and viewer, viewer and memory.

“I’ve always been subject matter-driven, to be perfectly blunt,” Cline says. “I’m just constantly looking for the medium that’s going to express the ideas I’m interested in.” City Streets is based on the notion that places can evoke moments in history that escape accounts of the so-called big picture. Which makes the inclusion of multiple perspectives of Safeway so important.

“I’m interested in engaging what appears to be a recognizable perspec-tive, but then the more you look at the painting the more it falls apart and becomes metaphor,” she continues.

Ultimately, City Streets offers an opportunity to engage in a prolonged emotional commitment. Of course, her paintings can be appreciated for what they appear to be, but they are best seen for what they can be — an exploration of the role played by communal spaces in thousands of different lives.

City Streetsthrough Dec 22 @ mysteria gallery

arts

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Photo: courtesy of the mysterIa gallery

@macphersona

[email protected]

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10dec 7 – dec 13

how a chance meeting changed kal hourd’s life by alex J macPherson

coVer

lucky break

al Hourd was never much of an athlete. This made growing up in

Stockholm, Saskatchewan difficult because most of his friends spent their time on the ice. “Basically, I was the guy from town who had next to no athletic ability,” Hourd says. “I think that’s kind of how I gravitated to music: I needed some-thing, and that became my thing.”

Hourd lugged his guitar around for years, strumming idly and writing songs whenever inspiration struck. It didn’t occur to him that a career in music, let alone a paid gig or a profes-sional recording, was attainable: “I had always been the guy with the guitar at the party, and I didn’t really know that I could do anything with music until I won a contest through Country 100 in Moose Jaw.” In 2001, Hourd won a prize that would change the trajectory of his life: a house concert by Saskatch-ewan country musician Brad Johner. “While he was there, I pulled out my guitar and we just started jamming in the kitchen,” Hourd recalls. “He said to me, ‘Why aren’t you doing this?’”

Meeting Johner was a catalyst. Hourd recognized that he could, with a lot of hard work and little bit of luck, forge his own career in country music. Country seemed like a natural fit, but Hourd’s taste has always been omnivorous. His

record collection includes albums by George Strait, Mötley Crüe, and everything in between. “I listened to everything,” he says. “A good song is a good song.” His take on contemporary country is influenced by his record collection, a hybrid of country, rock and roll, and pretty

much everything in between. “We just happen to be called a country band,” he laughs.

Hourd quickly discovered that estab-lishing a career in country music was more difficult than planning to es-tablish a career in country music. He spent months agonizing over how few gigs were available. “For somebody that’s just starting out, the only place they get to sing is in a talent competi-tion,” he says. “I started singing in tal-ent competitions. The only time I was able to get onstage with a band was in

the CKRM Country Talent Show or the GX94 Talent Show in Yorkton.” Point-ing to stiff competition for relatively few slots, he says virtually all new acts are faced with the same conun-drum: how to book gigs with little or no experience. Hourd attacked the problem head-on, throwing himself

into the world of country music. “I was at everything: every industry event, every songwriting workshop, every concert, every event surround-ing country music in the province,” he says. “I was always there.”

Country music is insular. Made up of a small group of artists who profit from shared wisdom, advice, and friendship, the industry is wary of outsiders. Gaining admittance to the inner circle can take years. “I think at some point, people in the industry have no choice but to take you seriously because you’re always around,” he laughs, adding that true

k

They contacted me and said they wanted to take my album to theInternational Space Station.

kal hourD

Continued on next page »

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11dec 7 – dec 13

Photos: courtesy of the artIst

acceptance came after he started securing shows in bars and at the Craven Country Jamboree. “I started getting offered gigs I was begging for a few years before.” But that is only half of the story. Hourd’s determina-tion kept him visible, but the real test of an artist is simple: can he record

and perform good songs? In Hourd’s case, the answer is yes.

He released his debut album, Haven’t Even Met Yet, in 2009, almost eight years after his fateful meeting with Johner. A hearty dose of upbeat country with a dash of pop and a generous helping of rock and roll, the album positioned Hourd as an artist to watch. At the same time, he struggled to find a sound that appealed to radio without sacrificing his own artistic vision. “As an artist you want to push the envelope, and you want to do what you think is right,” Hourd explains. “But there’s always a piece

of you that wants to guess what radio wants to hear. That’s really difficult. There’s a lot of us that are begging for a spot on mainstream radio.” The problem facing artists like Hourd is that success on the radio depends on a constant stream of new material.

“Every song you release is poten-tially [costing you] thousands of dol-lars,” he says. “The guy with the most money wins in some cases.” On the other hand, the country music industry loves its heroes. Today, Hourd is start-ing to find the success he has spent the past decade chasing — and a big part of that success stems from a song he didn’t plan to release. After an aunt died of breast cancer, rather than talk about it,Hourd decided to write about it, and “When Pink Is Just A Color Again” began to take shape. After playing the song for his family, Hourd quietly posted the song on YouTube. Everything changed.

“The coolest thing … happened because the folks at the Canadian Space Agency saw the video and heard the song,” Hourd says. “It obviously connected with [Canadian astronaut] Julie Payette. They contacted me and said they wanted to take my album to the International Space Station.” Pay-ette carried Hourd’s album into space aboard STS-127. Relatively few artists have had their music launched into space. Hourd is part of an elite group

that includes Beethoven, Chuck Berry, the Beatles and Taylor Swift. “It’s in-credible,” he laughs. “A year later, I got to meet her and she gave me a picture she had taken. She’s beside a round window in the International Space Station. The earth is in the background and my CD is floating in the window. Onstage I always say it was really dif-ficult to photoshop the CD in there, but it’s pretty incredible.”

Although Hourd’s career is starting to take off, he recognizes significant challenges ahead. Many of these are financial. Hourd has a family and works during the week; raising the funds to record a second full-length album is a daunting task, so he is plan-ning an EP instead. “I’ve been doing a lot of writing, and I have some demos, a couple of which feel strong enough to record,” he says.

And, of course, he’ll be busy play-ing shows. Heard live, Hourd’s band bridges the gap between contem-porary country and straightforward rock and roll. His shows aren’t light on twang, but he’s not afraid to turn up and have fun either. “Any band with a fiddle in it is pretty much a coun-try band, but we play a little bit of everything,” he laughs. Hourd plans to make use of this diversity on his still untitled EP, which, unlike Haven’t

Even Met Yet, will feature members of his backing band.

And while he would be the first person to agree that he still has a lot to learn, Hourd is also a perfect ex-ample of how determination and tal-ent can prevail in an industry where the odds are stacked against him. He has tasted success and wants more — and he has the tools to find it.

Kal HourdDecember 14 + 15 @ Whiskey saloon$10 at the door

Photo: courtesy of the artIst

@macphersona

[email protected]

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

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12dec 7 – dec 13

food + driNk

e live in a world now where, either by choice or necessity,

many people are cutting the gluten out of their diet. Sarah Clemens, owner and head baker of Kneaded, said, “I was so fed up with there being no choice for me,” and that’s why she opened her 100% gluten-free store. But she also says that you don’t have to be following a gluten-free diet to enjoy her prod-ucts, because she uses the highest quality ingredients and everything is homemade. That’s certainly a recipe for success in my books.

I started with a pumpkin spice bar, which was paired with a ginger-bread cappuccino. The cappuccino

had a subtle ginger flavour and was topped with fragrant cinnamon, and the pumpkin spice bar was a light, sweet, and airy cake that had a hint

of spices. The cake was topped with a sweet cream cheese icing and a little sprinkle of cinnamon.

Next was a big slice of Nanaimo bar, which came with a classic London fog. The bar had chopped pecans and coconut in the dense and chocolatey base, smooth sweet filling, and was topped off with a thin slab of rich chocolate. This slice had all the sweetness and decadence you want from a Nanaimo bar, and the extra crunch from the nuts added a great textural element. The London fog was just as creamy, warming, and aromatic as it should be.

An unbelievably light and deli-cious piece of coffee cake came next, and it had just the right amount of sweetness to balance out an accompanying hot beverage and a delightful streusel topping. I had this with a creamy, minty and lovely peppermint mocha, which was topped with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes.

Last up was a surprise favourite for me: a creamsicle cupcake. The light, sticky and sweet cupcake had great vanilla flavour and the smooth icing had such a fresh,

orange taste. This was wonderful, sweet and indulgent, and I cannot get over just how fresh the orange flavour of the icing was.

If I hadn’t known, I would never have guessed that any of these baked goods were gluten-free. Oh, and did I mention Kneaded offers an ever-changing variety of both sweet and savoury items, like the cheese bread I also got to try? Sarah’s menu changes seasonally and with her whims, and always keeps the freezer stocked with things to take home. Kneaded also does seasonal trays of

baked goods for those functions or parties that need a little something special. And Kneaded Bake Shop really is something special, especially to those like Sarah who are often left with little choice elsewhere.

kneaded bake shop100 - 3725 Pasqua st. | 585 0593

goodbye gluten

Photography courtesy of danielle tocker

W

kneaded bake shop offers a deliciously gluten-free haven in regina by JessIca bIckforD

The bar had chopped pecans and coconut in the dense and chocolatey base…

JessIca bIckforD

@thegeekcooks

[email protected]

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

let’s go drinkin’ verb’s mixology guide

gingerbread cocktail

This festive tipple has all the flavour of a gingerbread cookie and all the booze that is required of a holiday drink.

gingerbread simple syrup

ingredients

1 cup each sugar + water2 tablespoons molasses1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled + sliced2 cinnamon sticks1 teaspoon whole cloves

directions

For the simple syrup, add all of the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring. Once the sugar is dissolved, strain out the spices, then set aside to cool and store covered in the fridge. For the cocktail, rim a martini glass lightly with brown sugar. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add all the liquid ingredients, then cover, shake, and strain into the rimmed glass.

coctail ingredients

1 oz. each gingerbread simple syrup + vanilla vodka Half and half cream½ oz. coffee liquor

Page 13: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

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13dec 7 – dec 13

music

Photos courtesy of: the artIst / the artIst / brennan schnell

Coming upnext Week

tHird degree birnz

Whether you want old-fashioned country or the hits of today, this local band plays it all. Consisting of Grady Birns, Paul Chesters, Jeff Stephen, Kurt Neis and Danny Latham, Third Degree Birnz have been kicking around the local scene since the early ‘90s, and have gone through a few line-up changes. During their time together, Third Degree Birnz has become well-known for tak-ing songs you all know and love, adding a twist to them and putting them out there — fresh and new on stage. They’ve opened for the likes of everyone from Trooper to Nazereth, and do you know what? If it’s a party you’re looking for, this is the band for you. With an up-tempo stage show and songs you can sing along to, how can you go wrong?

@ PumP roaDhousedecember 13-15 – $tbD

Growing up in rural Saskatch-ewan, JJ Voss listened to a lot of Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, John Mel-lencamp and other like-minded art-ists who sang about underdogs and simple, hard-working folk. Fast for-ward to 2008, and with the release of his first album Hillbilly Storybook the influence of those early musi-cians was evident in his work — and still is. One listen to his new album, Show ‘em Who’s Voss, shows that not only does Voss stay true to the music he grew up on, it also shows he’s really coming into his own as a country musician. Released in May of this year, Show ‘em Who’s Voss was produced in Nashville by Harry Stinson (who also produced albums for Steve Earle, Corb Lund, and more). Tickets at the door.

JJ voss

If you haven’t heard of The Arkells yet, you should probably get on that. Seriously: these guys are all kinds of good. Their first album, Jackson Square, put this five-piece indie rock group on the map. Their second album, Michigan Left, proved that Max Kerman, Mike DeAngelis, Anthony Carone, Nick Dika and Tim Oxford are nothing if not rising stars on the Canadian music scene. With a penchant for pumping out rock-ing anthems and putting on live, foot-stomping, sing-along-inducing shows, this Juno-winning band from Hamilton, Ontario, is not to be missed. Come check them out when they open for the Tragically Hip in January. You, for sure, will not be disappointed.

– by adam hawboldt

tHe arkells

@ mcnally’s tavernsaturday, december 15 – $5

@ the branDt centrefriday, JaNuary 25 – $ 37.75+

sask music previeWThe Big Gig, part of the 2013 JUNO Awards celebration, is a music talent search especially for Saskatchewan high school students. Interested solo or group artists can submit an audition video of original material by December 17. The top 10 semi-finalists will compete in live play-offs in Regina in January, with the top 5 finalists performing at paid gigs, and the winner performing at a special showcase performance. For more information, please see http://www.saskmusic.org/thebiggig/

keep up with saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

Page 14: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)

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14dec 7 – dec 13

listiNgs

friday 7College Kids, the spoils / Artful

Dodger — Local rockers take to the stage.

Also appearing is The Spoils. 8pm / $10

Jesse CooK / Casino Regina — Come out

and have your face melted during Cook’s

Blues Guitar tour. 8pm / $30/35 (www.

casinoregina.com)

dJ Juan lopez / Envy Nightclub — This

DJ loves requests. 10pm / Cover $5

Kreayshawn / The Exchange — Check

out her Group Hug tour. 7pm / Cover TBD

dJ pat & dJ Kim / Habano’s Martini &

Cocktail Club — Local DJs spin top 40 hits

every Friday night that are sure to get you

on the dance floor. 9pm / $5 cover

Fogdog / McNally’s Tavern — Track suits

and classic covers. 10:30pm / $5

lords KitChner / O’Hanlon’s — Hot

indie rock from a Moose Jaw band. 9pm /

No cover

wildFire / Pump Roadhouse — Hot coun-

try from this talented songstress. 9pm /

Cover TBD

albert / Pure Ultra Lounge — Appearing

every Friday night, come listen to Albert

as he does his spinning thing. 10pm /

$5 cover

big bad storm / The Sip — Come on

down and rock out. 10pm / Cover TBD

Chris henderson / Whiskey Saloon —

For some kickass country music, swing by

and check this  local boy out. 8pm / $10

saturday 8Valdy / Artesian on 13th — A multi-tal-

ented, Juno-winning pop/folk artist. 8pm

/ $20 (picatic.com), $25 door

John mCdermott / Casino Regina —

One of the finest Celtic singers you’ll ever

see. 8pm / $30-35 (casinoregina.com)

the CrooKed brothers / Creative City

Centre — Classic country fused with the

blues. 7:30pm / $12(advance), $15(door)

dJ Juan lopez / Envy Nightclub — This

DJ loves requests. 10pm / Cover $5

hardluCK + trouble / Lancaster

Taphouse — Blues/rock/roots music that

you’ll dig. 9:30pm / Cover TBD

Fogdog / McNally’s Tavern — Track suits

and classic covers. 10:30pm / $5

wildFire / Pump Roadhouse — Hot coun-

try from this talented songstress. 9pm /

Cover TBD

drewsKi / Pure Ultra Lounge — Doing

what he does best, every Saturday night.

10pm / $5 cover

Christmas without Carols / Sachwyn

Guitars — A fundraiser featuring Bob

Evans, Ray Bell, Tahnis Cunningham, Ken

Hamm + Keiffer McLean. 8pm / $20 

big bad storm / The Sip — Come on

down and rock out. 10pm / Cover TBD

open Jam sessions / Smokin’ Okies

BBQ — If you play an instrument, drop by

for a jam. 3pm / No cover

Chris henderson / Whiskey Saloon —

A talented country artist. 8pm / $5

sunday 9the huron Carole / Conexus Arts

Centre — Featuring Tom Jackson. 8pm /

$42-62 (conexusticket.com)

monday 10open miC night / The Artful Dodger —

Come down and jam! 8pm / No cover

monday night Jazz and blues / Bushwakker Brewpub — Featuring The

Project, lead by guitarist Jay Harmon. 8pm

/ No cover

george Canyon / Casino Regina —

Classic country from a Juno-winning

musician. 8pm / $40-45 (www.casinore-

gina.com)

theory oF a deadman, big wreCK / Conexus Arts Centre — Two badass rock

acts. 8pm / $36.50+ (conexusticket.com)

tuesday 11open drum Jam / The Artful Dodger —

A night of chill vibes. 7:30pm / No cover

the prairie roots reVue / Creative City

Centre — Featuring Zachary Lucky, Carly

Maicher, Kacy & Clayton, and Ryan Boldt.

7:30pm / $10

KaraoKe tuesday / McNally’s Tavern

— Famous live music venue offers its

patrons a chance to share the stage. 8pm

/ No cover

Wednesday 12steVen page / Artesian on 13th — For-

mer frontman for The Barenaked Ladies

doing his solo thing. 8pm / $32 in advance

(picatic.com), $37 at the door.

wednesday night FolK / Bushwakker

Brewpub — Featuring The Dickens Yule-

tide Singers, a 60-minute show of holiday

carols. 9pm / No cover

bret miChaels / Casino Regina —

Former Motley Crue frontman on his

Get Your Rock On Tour. 8:30pm / $70-75

(www.casinoregina.com)

Kirby, tyler gilbert / Creative City

Centre — An alt-pop singer/songwriter

from Ontario and a little local flavour.

7:30pm / $10

rouser / King’s Head Tavern — A hard-

rocking trio take to the stage. 8pm /

Cover TBD

Jam night and open stage / McNally’s

Tavern — Come on down and enjoy some

local talent. 9pm / No cover

tHursday 13empire Choir, snaKeoil salesmen, new daze / Artesian on 13th — A night

of sweet Regina rock. 8pm / $10

Kerri senKow / Artful Dodger — A holi-

day Christmas concert for kids. 10:30am

/ Cover TBD

yana, raChel persson / Artful Dodger

— Two talented musicians for the price of

one. 7:30pm / Cover TBD

the lonesome weeKends, niCK Faye, alexis / The Exchange — Bring donations

for the Regina Food Bank and the Regina

Humane Society. 8pm

deCibel FrequenCy / Gabbo’s Night-

club — A night of electronic fun. 10pm /

Cover $5

ps Fresh / The Hookah Lounge — Featur-

ing DJ Ageless and DJ Drewski. 7pm /

No cover

open miC night / King’s Head Tavern —

Come out and show Regina what you got.

8pm / No cover

blaCK drinK Crier / Lancaster Taphouse

— This local roots/country band is all

kinds of good. 8pm / Cover TBD

pinK slips, retalliCa / McNally’s —

Come support local bands. 8:30pm / $5

third degree birnz / Pump Roadhouse

— A local band playing good-time party

music. 9pm / Cover TBD

dJ longhorn / Whiskey Saloon — Come

check out one of Regina’s most interactive

DJs. 8pm / Cover $5

friday 14warhol derVish / Artful Dodger —

Chamber music for the 21st century.

7:30pm / Cover TBD

the Fab Four / Casino Regina — The

ultimate Beatles tribute band. 8pm / $30+

(www.casinoregina.com)

dJ Juan lopez / Envy Nightclub — This

DJ loves requests, nothing is off limits.

10pm / $5

Keep on roCKing in the Free world / The Exchange. Featuring Val Halla,

Big Bad Storm and more, this benefit

raises funds for the Rock Centre in Kabul,

Afghanistan. 7:30pm / $10 (advance at

BSharp Music, Bocados, Vintage Vinyl or

Long & McQuade) or $15 (door)

dJ pat & dJ Kim / Habano’s — Local DJs

spin top 40 hits. 9pm / $5 cover

breaK down party band / McNally’s

Tavern — Classic rock and roll favourites.

10pm / $5

third degree birnz / Pump Roadhouse

— A local band playing good-time party

music. 9pm / Cover TBD

albert / Pure Ultra Lounge — Come lis-

ten to Albert every Friday. 10pm / $5 cover

whateVer / The Sip — Come on down

and rock out. 10pm / Cover TBD

Kal hourd / Whiskey Saloon — A tal-

ented country musician. 8pm / $10

saturday 15tinsel trees, bull north / Artful Dodg-

er — Some down-tempo rock/folk music

from local artists. 7:30pm / Cover TBD

the Fab Four / Casino Regina — The

ultimate Beatles tribute band. 8pm / $30+

(casinoregina.com)

dJ Juan lopez / Envy Nightclub — This

DJ loves requests. 10pm / Cover $5

dirty rose band / Lancaster Taphouse

— Playing a wide variety of tunes to get

you dancing. 9:30pm / Cover TBD

JJ Voss / McNally’s Tavern — Some

great rock and country covers along with

original songs. 10pm / $5

third degree birnz / Pump Roadhouse

— A local band playing good-time party

music. 9pm / Cover TBD

drewsKi / Pure Ultra Lounge — Doing

what he does best. 10pm / $5 cover

whateVer / The Sip — Come on down

and rock out. 10pm / Cover TBD

open Jam sessions / Smokin’ Okies

BBQ — Drop by for a jam or to listen. 3pm

/ No cover

Kal hourd / Whiskey Saloon -  A country

musician with loads of talent. 8pm / $10

The most complete live music listings for Regina.

december 8 » december 15

8 9

15 1613 1411 1210

s m t W t

Have a live show you'd like to promote? Let us know!

get listed

[email protected]

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15dec 7 – dec 13

Nightlife

friday, november 30 @

o’Hanlon’s pubO’Hanlon’s Pub1947 Scarth Street(306) 566 4094

musiC Vibe / Varies all the time, though typically lots of indie, and no coverFeatured deals / Pints of Pilsner for $5.50, and Long Island Iced Teas for $4.50drinK oF ChoiCe / Moustache stouttop eats / PizzaComing up / Boxing Day party — live music, $6.50 Heineken, and no cover all night long

Photography by Klein Photography – [email protected]

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16dec 7 – dec 13

film

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

@adamHawboldt

[email protected]

smasHed

directed by James Ponsoldt

starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead,

Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman +

Octavia Spencer

85 minutes | 14a

W here’s the strang-est place you’ve woken up after a

serious bender? In the back of a horse-drawn carriage? Tucked in between a washer and dryer in a stranger’s laundry room?

Well, if you’re first-grade teacher Kate Hannah, the answer to that ques-tion would be “under a freeway on a ratty old couch after a night of kick-the-hell-out-of-your-liver drinking and a blast of free crack cocaine.”

Don’t be mistaken, though. Hannah (played brilliantly by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is no druggie.

She only smokes the crack because, honestly, she can’t think of a reason to say no. But Kate does have a drinking problem. A serious one.

And it’s this problem that’s front and centre in director James Pon-soldt’s new movie, Smashed.

Now, Smashed isn’t your typical Hollywood movie about alcoholism. There’s no bottoming out or great triumph over drinking or death or any of the standard stuff associated with these types of movies.

Heck, the main character isn’t even the kind of person who drinks to deal with depression or other pitch-black secrets. Nope, Kate is just a smart, sweet, charming 20-some-thing school teacher who has never really left her college days behind.

She and her husband Charlie (Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul) go to bars, drink like rock stars, play lawn games in the backyard, make the drunken whoopie, pass out, wake up, drink beer in the shower … that sort of stuff. Anyone familiar with the university lifestyle is familiar with the routine.

But one day that routine gets broken when, while teaching, Kate — who’s hungover to the high heav-ens — pukes into a trash can in front of her class. Not knowing what else to do, Kate gives people the old “oh, it’s just morning sickness” excuse. This lie leads to another and another until Kate has everyone believing she’s pregnant.

Well … almost everyone. Kate’s vice principal (played by the won-derful Nick Offerman) sees through

her lies and convinces Kate to give AA a shot.

But this is no Alcoholics Anon-ymous-is-the-end-all-and-be-all flicks. Instead, what Smashed does is take a sometimes hilarious, some-times heartbreaking look at a young woman trying to tackle the first big problem in an otherwise fun, problem-free life.

And Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) really plays the hell out of this role. Because it gives such an intimate look into one person’s life, the whole movie really rests on her shoulders. Good thing Winstead delivers in a big, bad kind of way. It also doesn’t hurt that the supporting cast of Paul, Offerman, Megan Mul-lally and Octavia Spencer all check in with strong performances.

Smashed will open at Regina Public Library on Dec 13; see regi-nalibrary.ca for show times.

Photo: courtesy of sony PIctures classIcs

a new, refreshing film about alcoholism by aDam haWbolDt

a smasHing success

[T]he whole movie really rests on her shoulders. Good thing Winstead delivers in a big, bad kind of way…

aDam haWbolDt

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17dec 7 – dec 13

n the writing world, there are two schools of thought when it comes to chroni-

cling something fictional based on your own experiences.

In the red corner, you have the folks who adhere to the age-old ad-age: write what you know.

In the blue corner, you have people like humourist P.J. O’Rourke, who once said, “Creative writing teachers should be purged until every last instructor who has ut-tered the words ‘Write what you know’ is confined to a labor camp. Please, talented scribblers, write what you don’t. The blind guy with the funny little harp who composed The Iliad, how much combat do you think he saw?”

And when it comes to this week’s new release, Playing for Keeps, I can’t help but side with the always-amusing O’Rourke.

See, back in the day, the guy who wrote the script for the movie (Robbie Fox) was a little league coach who was, for lack of a better

expression, noticed he was “get-ting a lot of attention” from the moms of the players. So he took that experience, turned baseball into soccer (because one can only assume he wanted to make the movie a walking cliché), and pumped out a script that, while genuinely funny in parts, seems to fall flat more often than not.

In the movie, Gerard Butler plays George — a former profes-

sional soccer player who has seen better days. Down on his luck, wanting to bond with his son, George decides to coach his son’s soccer team. Soon enough, the soccer moms come scampering out of the woodwork trying to woo the former sports star. Hilarity ensues.

No, really. It does. The early scenes of this movie, in which soc-cer moms like Uma Thurman and Judy Greer try to win their hunky prize lead you to believe Playing for Keeps is going to be one of those good romantic comedies.

But somewhere along the way the laughs get tossed to the way-side in favour of sentimental drivel and over-the-top sappy scenes about family and bonding and togetherness.

Now you can’t outright blame the screenwriter for that. Chances

are what he put on paper was good, but the story got twisted, turned and diluted by the handful of producers attached to the project.

And that’s not to say Playing for Keeps is terrible. The movie is, at times, entertaining, and Gerard Butler does a solid, nuanced job in the lead role.

But for the most part, Playing for Keeps in just another ho-hum

romantic comedy in a long line of other ho-hum rom-coms.

Watch at own risk.

Playing for Keeps in just another ho-hum romantic comedy in a long line of other ho-hum rom-coms.

aDam haWbolDt

feedback? text it! (306) 881 8372

@adamHawboldt

[email protected]

playing for keeps

directed by Gabriele Muccino

starring Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel,

Uma Thurman, Judy Greer, Dennis

Quaid + Catherine Zeta-Jones

108 minutes | pg

iPlaying for Keeps ultimately falls flat by aDam haWbolDt

Photo: courtesy of oPen roaD fIlms

aH, you can keep it…

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comics

18dec 7 – dec 13

© elaine m. Will | blog.e2W-illustration.com | check onthebus.webcomic.ws/ for previous editions!

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19dec 7 – dec 13

Horoscopes deCember 7 – deCember 13

© Walter d. feener 2012

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a

b

6 9 1 5 3 7 4 2 82 8 7 6 4 9 1 3 55 3 4 8 2 1 7 6 98 7 3 1 6 5 9 4 21 2 5 7 9 4 3 8 64 6 9 2 8 3 5 7 19 4 8 3 1 6 2 5 73 5 2 9 7 8 6 1 47 1 6 4 5 2 8 9 3

5 9 2 1 3 8 4 6 77 4 3 5 6 9 8 2 16 8 1 4 2 7 9 3 52 1 4 9 7 5 3 8 63 7 6 2 8 1 5 4 98 5 9 6 4 3 7 1 24 2 5 3 9 6 1 7 81 6 8 7 5 4 2 9 39 3 7 8 1 2 6 5 4

9 1 3 2 2 9 3 5 3 8 1 7 8 1 4 1 7 4 64 6 8 5 7 9 4 6 2 7 5 9 6 5 2 8 3

9 2 3 8 4 6 7 6 9 8 2 1 2 4 7 5 3 8 6 1 9 5 3 7 4 5 9 6 1 7 1 4 2 3 8 5

crossWord Canadian Criss-Cross

timeout

across1. Instrument in a march

ing band

5. Goodbye, in England

9. Large striped feline

10. Not getting any

younger

12. Piece of firewood

13. Flag carried on a

lance

15. With competence

16. Wine sediment

18. Exist

19. Equal outcome

20. Toothed machine part

21. Pond plant

22. Set of straps for con-

trolling a horse

24. Beginning

25. Very brief time

27. Stewed fruit

30. Astronomical event

34. Complexion problem

35. Cart without sides

36. Rainbow colour

37. What a broken-down

car may need

38. Broadcast

39. Resonant bronze

plate

40. Printing mistakes

42. Pass by

44. Of birth

45. Noisy riotous brawl

46. Cribbage markers

47. 52-week period

doWn1. Handle for turning a

rudder

2. Extremely displeasing

to the eye

3. Stinging insect

4. Without any trickery

5. Become gradually

smaller toward one end

6. Seemingly long time

7. Metal that shines like

silver

8. Historical records

9. Shinbone

11. Eat greedily until full

12. You do it in a tub

14. Well-ordered

17. Part of EST

20. Chromosome part

21. Against

23. Gratifying

24. By itself

26. Specialized school

27. Satisfy to excess

28. Oak tree fruit

29. Open on Christmas

morning

31. Right for the occasion

32. Become aware of

33. Move through a crowd

35. Distributes cards

38. Mature male deer

39. Festive celebration

41. Consumed

43. Area sheltered from

the wind

aries march 21–april 19

Have you been struggling with

something big lately, Aries? If so,

there’s good news on the horizon. Very

soon all the pieces will fall into place.

taurus april 20–may 20

Chances are you’re going to be

very energetic this week, Taurus.

Put all that energy to good use. It won’t

last forever, you know.

gemini may 21–June 20

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If

passion guides you, let reason

hold the reins.” Wise advice, Gemini. Best

keep it in mind during the week ahead.

cancer June 21–July 22

This is going to be a bizarre hum-

dinger of a week, Cancer. Expect

the unexpected, and embrace anything

odd that comes your way.

leo July 23–august 22

Your head is going to be bursting

with ideas this week, Leo. Some

will be good, others bad. It’s up to you to

differentiate between the two.

virgo august 23–september 22

As I gaze into my dirty crystal ball

I see days filled with tumult for

you, Virgo. This may lead to some negative

emotions, so do your best to roll with it.

libra september 23–october 23

If you’re feeling irritated this

week, Libra, try going for a run,

hitting a punching bag, meditating …

whatever it takes to chill the hell out.

scorpio october 24–november 22

“If you obey all the rules, you miss

all the fun.” Katharine Hepburn

said that, Scorpio. And you know what?

She was right.

sagittarius november 23–December 21

Rarely do you get upset or peeved

about the occasional setback, Sagit-

tarius. Usually you’re cool as a cucumber.

Not this week, though, so get ready!

capricorn December 22–January 19

You may find yourself torn

between two polar opposite urges

this week, Capricorn. Which one to give

into will depend on a coin toss.

aQuarius January 20–february 19

Some advice from the incompara-

ble James Dean: “Dream as if you’ll

live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” Get

out there, Aquarius. The time is now!

pisces february 20–march 20

Hesitation is your enemy this

week, Pisces. If you have a feel-

ing, a thought, an urge, go with it. Don’t

second-guess your instincts.

Page 20: Verb Issue R57 (Dec. 7-13, 2012)