The Living Room Sessions
You know, for all the folks in good old Edmonton I know who bemoan the lack of good local music venues, I’m sure there aren’t many who’d be like, “You know what?! Why don’t you guys play in my living room?”
But most people aren’t Tad Hargrave. In an epic feat of putting his money where his mouth is, Tad is opening his home to local musicians (who will have the chance to perform acoustically) and, more importantly, to you jackals, who can buy a ticket into Tad’s Garneau-area home for a suggested donation of just $15.
“Part of it was wanting to create something really special,” Tad tells me in a phone call. “I felt like it was a very easy thing to do to support my friends.”
Tad’s a musician himself, though he’s quick to say that he won’t be performing a living room session anytime soon. He’s really just interested in getting some of the city’s best unknown talent an audience.
“For me, it’s just like, you get to see these hidden gems in Edmonton. You get to have this very personal, intimate concert.”
Tad says the idea for these sessions came from two notions:
“Notion #1: Some music is best enjoyed in intimate, acoustic settings.
Notion #2: Edmonton is full of musical gems that many people, sadly, never discover.
“So this is a venue to introduce people to amazing new music found in their own backyard.”
Speaking of backyard, Tad came up with the idea at a backyard party he attended that featured local artists.
“I’ve been getting all these calls from other musicians I don’t know saying ‘Hey, can I play one of your living room sessions?’”
“The whole process has been teaching me how little musicians get paid,” he says.
100% of the donated “ticket” prices go to the artist.
Tad’s mom liked the idea so much, she even chipped $20 a show for the performer.
It’s 30 people max, first come first serve. For more info visit the Facebook group. (Get on it, there’s a show TONIGHT!)
This is Edmonton's new concert hall.
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THE LIVING ROOM SESSIONS #3
An Evening with Scott Cook
DESCRIPTION: it will be a 45 minute, candlelit evening of musical performance with a fireplace in a backdrop and 30 marvelous people sitting on couches, cushions, chairs and mattresses.
COST: suggested donation of $15 (100% of profits go to the artist)
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
If you listen well, lifelong traveler and musical hobo Scott Cook’s new album may remind you just how rare a commodity honesty is in today’s music scene. There’s an awful lot of talk about it, but very few songwriters really wear their hearts on their sleeve, and even fewer do it with such lyrical craftsmanship and raw feeling as you’ll hear on this record.
It has been two years and a lot of roads traveled since Scott Cook traded in his job teaching kindergarten in Taiwan for a full-time living as a musician on the road in North America, and while he’s certainly experienced his share of hardships and struggle along the way, he isn’t thinking of quitting. His self-published 2007 debut, Long Way to Wander, made the national folk top ten on college and community radio, and kept him on the road for the better part of two years, living in his van, playing constantly, picking up stories and passing them on. His newest “love letter to the world” is a fitting follow-up, and his best work to date. Entitled This One’s on the House, it’s a collection of road stories, existential ramblings, and musings on love, loss, and the courage to love again.
A wearer of many hats, Cook also builds websites, writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and co-organizes Taiwan’s Peace Festival, a non-profit music and arts festival that raises money for peace work and charitable work on Taiwan and worldwide.
(album notes via cdbaby)
It’s the weekend so let your hair down
Oh, and I don't want to brag or anything, but you should probably put this little baby in your calendar right now. I'll see you there in 2 weeks.
Let your hair down? What?! Who event talks like that?
I’ll try and up my hipster-era lingo throughout the rest of this post.
You can haz events.
Actually there are a few cool things going down this weekend in the Y-E-G.
First things first, let’s dig into the ShareEdmonton goody bag and see what we pull out.
Ooh…an Oilers game. Do people still go to those? For fun?
ShareEdmonton’s got a lot of Edmonton Public Library events, and I keep seeing this one, about gaming for teens. It’s cool that the library isn’t just about books anymore, and kids have a place to go do something fun instead of joining a gang.
You don’t hve much time left to RSVP for the Open City Workshop, but it’s a neat idea bringing developers, city staff and other people together to talk about what kinds of government information should be open and available, and what could be done with it (like build an iPhone app, or write an in-depth news story).
MacEwan University is hosting an open house, Saturday. Just don’t ask them about the pool.
If you want to drive out to Elk Island National Park there’s a Star Party. Take in the night sky without all of the city’s light pollution.
Then, you’ve got Pre/Post, The Consonance and The Madhatters playing Saturday night at the Pawnshop.
A band you might have heard of is playing the Shaw Conference Centre Sunday.
Or perhaps you want to check out the Newfoundland Screech Comedy from the Rock Tour, at the Kingsway Ramada? Yeah, I thought you might.
Edmonton enters The Room
If you come across people today who are giggling to themselves, or staring off like nothing makes sense to them anymore, they may have been at Metro Cinema last night.
You might want to ask them if they were there, in case they aren’t the kind of giggling to themselves person you want to be around.
Yes, last night Edmonton was just like Los Angeles or Toronto or New York. We watched “The Room” on the big screen. That’s what I call “world class.”
What’s “The Room?” Only the greatest B-movie since ever.
It’s a terrible movie, rumoured to have cost $6-million, touted with an everlasting billboard in L.A. by the film’s lead actor/director/producer/writer, Tommy Wiseau. As we heard last night, it’s not known where Wiseau came from, how he got the money, or what his deal is.
He marketed the movie as a serious, emotional drama. It’s pure unintentional hilarity, full of re-used shots, unnecessary footage, plenty of small talk, gratuitous sex scenes (after sex scenes), atrocious acting, and football breaks.
Thanks (BIG THANKS) goes to the guys at Turkey Shoot.
Thanks to Dave and Jeff for a great Turkey Shoot. Sorry for my awful photo.
What’s Turkey Shoot you ask? Only Edmonton’s own Mystery Science Theater 3000.
What’s Mystery Science…oh, forget it here’s a link.
Having experienced The Room previously, I was a little worried the Turkey Shooters would step on too much of this masterpiece. They did not. They knew when to let that Wiseau-dialogue capture our attention. They also had fantastic zings. And the audience really got into things with comments of their own, and lots and lots and lots of laughing.
The Tommy Wiseau impersonation contest was just more icing on the cake.
Extra props to resident movie-genius Paul Matwychuck (follow him on Twitter here, download his podcast with Vue’s David Berry here) for being a part of the skewering team. And kudos, as we heard, for introducing the Turkey Shooters to the movie. Bravo!
As Sally wrote about the other day, this was also the Turkey Shoot’s first attempt at live tweeting a movie. I think it went well. They were tweeting while commenting from near the screen, I was tweeting, Sally was tweeting, people in the crowd were tweeting. Lots of people were following on Twitter. I hope #theroomyeg is but the first live tweeting Turkey Shoot does.
He loves us!
May I suggest #drmoreauyeg or simply #yegturkey for next month’s viewing of the Marlon Brando classic “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” Maybe just #yegturkey so we can use it again and again.
As one person tweeted, we should probably all return next year, to remember our evening, the night so many lives changed by viewing The Room.
While I own a copy (thanks to Brittney’s trip to Comic-Con last summer) I could only show the movie to 6 or 7 people at a time. Maybe I’ll start a list so all of Edmonton can enjoy this cinematic gem.
Oh, and the next time this is shown in Edmonton, mark my words, I’m showing up in a tuxedo. Hey, Turkey Shooters, you bring the football.
The Room Comes to #YEG!
Listen you guys, over lo these many years of adulthood, I’ve grown accustomed to some degree of disappointment. As the old saying goes, you can’t always get what you want, and believe me, many a dream has been thwarted in my 70+ years on the planet. But today, I am so, so pleased to tell you that one of my dreams is coming true.
You'll be screaming with excitement over The Room.
That’s because Tommy Wiseau’s masterpiece, “The Room”, is finally hitting the big screen in Edmonton.
So who is the genius responsible for this? Who are these kings among men who finally made it happen?
Let’s all thank the Turkey Shoot guys. If you’re not familiar, Turkey Shoot has been around since 2008, and is a bit of an Edmonton tradition at this point. Each month, Dave Clarke, Jeff Page and friends watch and heckle the very best of the very worst movies, sort of in the tradition of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Anyway, this Wednesday, they’re taking on The Room, and Dave has even signed up on Twitter strictly for the occasion, just so he can live tweet the whole cinematic debacle. And in that spirit of livetweeting, I asked that Dave (who describes himself as a complete twitter “noob”) answer my questions in 140 characters or less.
SALLY: Tell me what Turkey Shoot is and/or how it started.
DAVE: Turkey Shoot, which for brevity I’ll call TS, started in 2008 at the Metro Cinema. It’s a live version of MST3K. Wait, only 14 left fuck wh
DAVE: K. TS is monthly event we make fun of movies,eg,top gun,ice castles. I’m Dave – actor & musician – the other guy is Jeff. Next THE ROOM!¥€•
SALLY: Why MUST folks come to the screening?
DAVE: Reasons to come. Only $10. 35mm print, Wiseau as MEANT to be seen. Share joy with other fans. Plus you r ENCOURAGED to txt during movie.
SALLY: What is “The Room?”
DAVE: The Room is a 2003 movie with a fast growing cult following. Coz it’s so good. Facebook Turkey Shoot has links. Sal you are mega fan I’m out
I don’t know about you jackals, but I’m sold.
Obviously Jeff and I are going to be there tomorrow night, so if you plan on coming, make sure to drop us an email and say hello. And if you can’t make it, watch for the live-tweeting frenzy that will unfold under hashtag #theroomyeg. The Turkey Shoot guys are even going to give Twitterville a heads up right before the movie rolls, just in case you, say, own an autographed DVD copy of The Room and would rather watch that while reading the live comments on twitter.
Time for some Juggalo news
The other day we were talking about Edmonton’s new radio station, it’s umpteenth on your FM dial, and joked about Sally applying to the CRTC for all Juggalo-news radio.
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Hey, if we get to 50 radio stations do we all win free iPods? Because there’s no Nickelback on those!
Anyway…we’re trying to add some firepower to our potential on-air lineup.
Next time, the CRTC won’t so easily dismiss the idea of the Juggalo-nation having its own broadcasting power.
Oh, and if you aren’t quite sure who, or what, a juggalo is, you can catch up thanks to the wonders of the Internet. I’m pretty sure juggalos invented the Internet.
Culina: Some of Edmonton’s Best Food
(A little backstory: Sally and I wrote this story for a new Edmonton food magazine…alas it never hit the news stands. You, dear friends, can still enjoy our glowing words about Culina. Then, you can go there and enjoy some of the best food in the city. – Jeff)
Some friends, and friends of friends, enjoy their wedding meal at Culina-Mill Creek. So don't worry, dress is usually a little more casual at the restaurant.
Taking the Latin word for kitchen and cooking, and combining it with some Ukrainian heritage, Brad Lazarenko christened his neighbourhood bistro “Culina,” six years ago.
Growing up in a Ukrainian home he knew the translation of the highbush cranberry plant was known as “kalyna” in his parents’ native tongue. That sealed the deal on the restaurant’s name.
“The name is very important,” Brad says. “I see a name [of other restaurants] and think ‘You’re not going to make it.’ I knew I didn’t want to be a ‘Brad’s Grill.’”
Culina-Mill Creek’s name is one of any number of things that make the establishment memorable.
For one, this cozy, 40-seat restaurant is impressive without being pretentious; it’s the sort of place you can wear a suit or dress one night, and return the next in your favourite jeans and feel just as comfortable.
“It’s my baby,” says the owner. “Well, my first baby.”
That correction comes as Lazarenko notes Culina isn’t merely the six-year-old venue off 99th Street, in the Mill Creek neighbourhood (9914-89 Avenue). There’s also Culina-Highlands, in north-central Edmonton (operated by Lazarenko’s sister Cindy), Culina catering, and three wine bars know as Bibo (the first is one door over from Culina-Mill Creek; the other two are in British Columbia).
You need to try Culina's brunch. They're always busy for reason.
Culina-Mill Creek blends neighbourhood bistro with some of the finest fusion you’ll find on a menu. And it strikes that balance as best that could be done. “I always tell people it’s ethnic comfort food. That puts people at ease.”
Brad’s sister, Cindy Lazarenko, owner and chef over at Culina Highlands, agrees. “It’s all the foods that he loves, but it’s very comforting food. It’s a lot of like starch, and meat, and vegetable side dish.”
Culina-Mill Creek serves lunch, dinner and very popular brunches.
“It’s food I like to eat myself,” says Brad. “Every dish is something I’ve eaten and wanted to recreate. I look at Culina as a compilation, a mix tape.” (more…)
Always believe
We did it!
Alright, we, as in the edmontonian or Edmonton as a whole, didn’t do anything. But Commerce Place employees, visitors and just plain everyday Edmontonians can enjoy free and easy access from the city’s premiere street to the building.
It only took forever.
Never forget.
Door Watch will always have a special place in our hearts because it was one of our first features, and one of the first stories that seemed to connect with people who would say to us “Yeah, that door hasn’t been open in a bygone.”
We talk to a lot of old people who use terms like bygone.
Our only complaint was that the door was broken for so long that it had already become lore of unfixable items by the time we hit the scene.
Gee…I wonder if anyone else is being lax in fixing major items around this town…maybe we can get on their case next.
Sadly, when they were trapped inside the boarded up door in 2008 there were 10 of them.
There is no Alternative
To anyone over the age of 27 this looks like home.
If you could stop downloading movies for just a few minutes, Edmonton, I’d like to tell you about a change to your video rental options.
A classic.
I’ll wait for those of you who didn’t even know you could still rent movies to settle down.
Ok.
If you’ve ever been on Whyte Avenue’s east side (east of Gateway Boulevard) you’ve probably seen Alternative Video Spot in the strip mall between 100 and 101 Streets. If you’ve been by recently you’ve seen a big, empty store. Yes, this long-time movie icon of Old Strathcona is gone.
You could fit a lot of movies in there. Now you can hold a rave.
But fret not, my arty movie-loving friends, for the team that brought you Alternative Video Spot has packed up their favourite flicks and moved ever-so-slightly southwest. You can call them “The Videodrome” now.
In an e-mail exchange, Alternative/Videodrome’s John Hudson explains the move.
“In short, the strip mall we were in had become a very unpleasant place to do business. First we were beside a rough bar and once the smokers were forced out on the street we had a constant stream of men outside the bar, drunk and smoking,” he writes.
“This, of course, attracted other undesirables such as drug dealers and “working” women. Then, after a couple years of that, a liquor store opened on the other side of us which attracted the street people first thing in the morning. So we were trying to run a business that attracted families who the had to run a gauntlet of un-family like people to get to us. Add to this our landlord was completely unsympathetic to our plight and wanted $7000 a month for the “privilege” of being there. We could not come to reasonable terms so we left.” (more…)
Oh Ray’s Sports Bar; The pipes, the pipes, they’re calling…
Oh Edmonton, I don’t know how to tell you this, but Ray’s Sports Bar and Grill is… well, it’s gone.
Pepe mourns the loss of Ray's.
For some time now, I have been in this band called the Mystery Ponies. We rehearse on Saturdays in the Westmount area, and we discovered Ray’s back in July, when it popped up in my GPS. On our first trip there, my friend Ryan ordered potato skins that took an hour and a half to arrive and instantly, we were all smitten.
Located on 152 St and 111 Ave, Ray’s was just a stone’s throw from Samsonow’s favorite haunt, the New West Hotel. It shared a strip mall with a convenience store, a liquor store and adult store The Passion Vault, the owner of which was driving a bobcat around the parking lot when we arrived to find Ray’s locked down on Saturday. He stopped long enough to break the bad news to my friend Pepe and I, and lament how much Ray’s had helped his business thrive (I honestly don’t even know what that means).
Oh Ray’s! We were still on our honeymoon! We still loved all those little quirks of yours! The food was really, shockingly good, and typically took so long to arrive that we eventually just accepted that anything we ordered was probably being brought over from the Boston Pizza at Westmount. Their jukebox was schizophrenic, and contained far more of Radiohead’s back catalogue than you would ever expect from a place with so much sports memorabilia on the walls. And they had the best serving staff ever, who even tried to take the sting out of room temperature beer by bringing it in an ice bath.
In the months that followed that first trip to Ray’s, every time we went there, it was special. There was the time my friend Justin had to help put out a car fire in the parking lot. The time Pepe and I realized they had a Chippendales themed VLT. The lady who kept asking me to unclog the toilet even though I told her repeatedly that I didn’t work there. On our last visit, we walked in to find a guy with a saxophone sitting at the bar, playing along with the jukebox. If I’d only known, Ray’s. If I’d only known.
Ray’s didn’t have a lot of friends on facebook; in fact, they only had me (I was also mayor on foursquare). But Ray’s was here, and it mattered. 01/23/10. Never forget.
Edmonton concert: Julie Doiron
Julie Doiron played The Artery last night and Sally took it all in.
Sally says:
The show was great.
Julie is cute and tells little rambly stories between songs. It was just her and a drummer/guitarist, and at one point she broke a string on her guitar and made him change it.
Meanwhile she told the audience a story about having recently discovered vegan makeup.
She really rocked for such a little lady.
The opening band was Attack in Black and they were a cross between Modest Mouse and Rural Alberta Advantage. They were great. The lead singer looked like a cross between (our friend) Derjis and Eugene from Gogol Bordello.
Editor’s notes: That last bit just means the guy had a giant mustache. I’m now digging into some Attack in Black as I write this. The Julie D show will air at a later date on CBC Radio 2.
Torch Fever
WHO HAS TWO THUMBS AND A RAGING CASE OF OLYMPIC FEVER?! Ugh. Not this guy (sorry, olympics). I know everybody’s been all abuzz about the torch’s trip through our fair city this week, but I see it the same way I see the actual Olympics: a serious invasion on my routine. The g.d. torch got in my way as I headed to school yesterday, in exactly the same way it shows up every two years and c-blocks me from watching regular TV at it’s normally scheduled time.
To recap: the Olympics are to Sally as the future is to Tony Caterina(Caterina zing!); inevitable and unchangeable – but nevertheless, I will always vote to stop it from happening (“You Olympics get off my lawn!”).
And so, I did my best to avoid the whole spectacle completely. I dodged the news media, I intended to say off of transit until well after 8 p.m. and I made plans to meet my dear friend Sarah for drinks downtown at Pub 1905. When I arrived at about 4:30, I noticed that it was far busier than normal. Also, lots of the patrons had those little paper Canadian flags. But I had this profound insight: “There must be a soccer game going on.” Because people in bars with flags = soccer. It’s just basic math.
But I digress. About two hours after our arrival, Sarah and I were minding our affairs when we were surprised by a sudden mass exodus of bar patrons. Everybody except the two of us leapt to their feet and ran out the door.
That’s when I noticed the police lights and the silhouettes of people lining up on the sidewalk.
“What’s going on?” I asked Sarah. “Are we in some kind of danger?”
And THAT would be the moment that I looked up at the TV and noticed Darryl McIntyre describing video of the Olympic torch convoy on Jasper Avenue. AHHH, it all made sense. And knowing that Sammy’s always on the lookout for news stories, Sarah and I snapped a picture of the Olympic torch from our vantage point (my thanks to Sarah for use of her mitten).
In closing, I suppose the lesson in this story is that some things are going to happen, no matter how hard you try to fight it (I’m looking at you, Toncat).
It’s just you and me now, Edmonton
Hey there, Edmonton.
You’re looking good. Have you lost some weight? That haircut really suits you.
Look, I know you totally love Sally and think she’s awesome for taking on big business, mind-numbing city hall meetings, and other important Edmonton stuff in her hilarious, straight-shooting style. But, if you’ve been paying close attention the last few weeks you might have noticed a lack of Sally ’round these parts.
As Sally mentioned, her life in the glamorous TV industry came to an end, due
mostly to the fact that industry is on pretty shaky ground these days. So, she’s heading back to school to re-educate and take on this wired world.
I expect she’ll have plenty of homework I’m not smart enough to help her with, so she’s going to need time to study and get her dioramas done. That means the edmontonian will be all Jeff all the time.
(Except for all the wonderfully amazing times people contribute. Those times will not be Jeff-time and shall remain the time of said contributor.)
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Staples to stock up our little student for the school year.
(Thanks to Teresa for the Staples link.)
…All Hail…Hale Hale!
Hale Hale (Cody McLauchlin, Evan Tardif, Scott Steele & Trevor Neary)
Okay, you guys, I know there’s a seventeen foot wall of snow outside right now, and all anybody’s thinking about is how the hell they’re going to get home from work without getting stuck in some nightmare bottleneck of traffic. But let’s set aside the Winter Wonderland for a minute. I would like to challenge the conventional “go home and hide under your bed in a bathing suit pretending it’s still summer” mentality, and suggest that you put on your dancing Sorels and hit the town tonight. Because it’s going to be a very, very good night over at New City.
Local band Hale Hale is launching their spanky new EP this evening, and they are definitely worth braving walls of snow to see. I first heard of them about a few months ago, when a couple of the members turned up at a friend’s house to play some music. I only met them once or twice, but even just messing around, they were so good, and such nice guys to boot, that I had no choice but to go home, dig a hole in my front yard, put my guitar in it, and light it on fire. Now let us never speak of this again.
Anyway, I talked to the Hale Hale crew about their new record via the ‘lectronic mail yesterday.
SALLY: How did you guys get together?
HALE HALE: We’re not really sure how everything fell together. Everything just kind of did. A mish mash of previous projects and jam friends who eventually started playing together and it stuck.
SALLY: Who would be your guys’ top 5 influences?
HALE HALE: All four members influences vary greatly. That’s one thing that keeps the music interesting. It was never “I love this band” , “I love that band too, let’s play together!”. Cody originally comes from indie roots, Trevor is a post-grunge 90’s kid, Scott grew up with NOFX, the misfits and a skateboard, and Evan, from classic rock, grindcore and black metal to dance music.
SALLY: How has your reception been in the Edmonton music community? What’s your experience been like playing here?
HALE HALE: We’ve been received well, we think. We’ve been told we have a fresh sound. As for playing in Edmonton, it is hard to get anywhere with the lack of venues, but we’re making do with what we got and staying positive for sure. Playing is playing, regardless of where it is, as long as we are getting our music out and growing together as a band.
SALLY: Can you give me a brief description of the EP? What do you hope people take away from it ?
HALE HALE: We just want people to put it on, have a good time, and shake their ass to it. F*ck we are deep.
And finally, if you dig Hale Hale but can’t make it out tonight, you can get a copy of the EP by emailing halehalemusic@gmail.com.
Kevin Smith @ Myer Horowitz (links NSFW)
A focus on local content is all well and good, but what I really dig is when one of my favorite non-local things surfaces in Edmonton so I can justify telling everybody about it.
Film director Kevin Smith did a Q & A at the Myer Horowitz last night (which ruled because I got to both laugh at Kevin Smith AND earn extra foursquare points for my first visit to the theatre, BOOYAH). And while I love Kevin Smith’s movies, I love the man himself even more.
I’m going to spare you a review, because there’s never much to say about a Kevin Smith Q & A except that there are usually a few good questions, a few dumb questions, and a few questions from emotionally needy people wanting attention that make the audience so uncomfortable they shift in their seats.
But for the record, can I ask you guys wtf is up with the lone staircase out of the Myer Horowitz? I went with my brother Paul, and it took us like 11 minutes to exit the building. Is that normal? Is that place a Great White scene waiting to happen?
But I digress. Kevin Smith’s arrival in Edmonton (and his now famous Oilers Contest) DOES give me the excuse to tell you guys about SModcast, or what Kevin referred to last night as his career’s “greatest work.”
It’s an ongoing series of podcasts he does with producer and friend Scott Mosier, that are available on the Quick Stop Entertainment website or on iTunes. They’re fantastic, and funny, and typically incredibly offensive, and even document the beginning of Kevin Smith’s love affair with the story of Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers.
Things that Give me Nightmares, Vol. 3
[Previously on THINGS THAT GIVE ME NIGHTMARES: Giant Disembodied Fashion Monster Legs at Southgate)
On Saturday, Samsonow and I were invited to be a part of the Unknown Studio podcast. It was lots of fun and left me in an excellent mood, which made it all the more distressing to arrive home and see this nightmare wagon parked in front of the house:
AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Clearly, I thought, this can only mean one thing: the juggalos have finally come for me.
But I don't wanna be a juggalo 4 life...?
And so I stayed up all night, waiting to have my door kicked in and to be dragged off to juggalopalooza, or juggalocamp, or whatever they call their AGMs. Just me and my boyz hitting the road (and by hitting the road, I mean abducting me and throwing me in the back of the R van with a bag over my head to weep in terror as Insane Clown Posse plays at top volume).
Anyway, this didn’t transpire. Instead, I watched Superbad twice in a row on Showcase, and then passed out around 6 a.m., eventually waking safe on the couch to chirping birds and an episode of the 700 Club. When I peeked outside, the nightmare van was gone. The juggalos had moved on, and I had lived to see another day.
Except that I came home today and saw this:
The juggalos have assigned parking?!!
…THE JUGGALOS HAVE ASSIGNED PARKING?!
…THE JUGGALOS HAVE ASSIGNED PARKING!!
Oh God, get out of the house! GET OUT OF THE H…
***a loud thump. the line goes quiet. in the background, the faint sound of ICP’s ‘Hall of Illusions’ can be heard.***
END SCENE.
We are now Unknown
Once or twice around here we’ve probably dropped the name of a locally produced podcast called “The Unknown Studio.”
Today’s note is all about Sally and I being guests on the latest episode of the show.
We had a great conversation about media, news, Edmonton, community and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember. We also had a great time, since the hosts (Adam and Scott) have razor sharp wit and always ask good questions.
Final edit notwithstanding, we also talked about websites such as the edmontonian and podcasts like The Unknown Studio and the place they’re finding in the media realm. We discussed the fact they are welcomed as media or news ventures but the people behind the venture need to recognize the responsibility that comes with that.
Enough of me boring you, head over to The Unknown Studio website to listen to the show. While you’re there, I’d recommend listening to their earlier programs – all worth your time. You can also have The Unknown Studio update directly to your iPod since it’s on iTunes.
Unknown hosts Scott (at the computer) Adam (with the beard) and guest Sally prepare for podcast glory.
What did you guys do for Halloween?
AHHHHHHH. Welcome to the post-Halloween but pre-Christmas time of year, where stores want to go balls out with their Santa paraphernalia, but tend to reign it in until the 12th, mostly out of respect for Remembrance Day.
Anyway, if there are two things that can be counting on at this time of year they are 1) the annual fistfight between Jeff and I over when I get to put up the Christmas tree (I always lobby for November 1, he wants to wait until mid-December), and 2) the surfacing of endless hilarious photos, videos and stories of clever-clever Halloween costumes, parties and general debauchery.
So what did you guys do? We went to see Metric at the Jube (hence the video above). It was pretty sweet. I didn’t get dressed up, or wasted, or dry hump pumpkins, or any of the things traditionally associated with a very Happy Halloween, so let’s hear your tales of debauchery so I can live through you vicariously, mmkay?
I will also accept hearing about the best costume you saw. My favorite was slutty Mario & Luigi, though this was also a big year for people in banana costumes, which never stops being funny.
DO IT. do it.
I know, I know. I’m putting these up far too late in the day for you guys to fritter away the last hour of your day tweetering or bloggering with your pals about how to spend the weekend.
I never do the events, and probably for good reason. And when I do, Samsonow has set the bar so high, I can’t possibly live up to it. You guys are all:
“It’s more comprehesive when Jeff does it.”
“It’s funnier when Jeff does it.”
“It’s up earlier when Jeff does it.”
LOOK, Jeff’s not here. If he really loved you, he would be. But he’s off with his other blogging family. And unless you want me to leave you too, you’ll take these events and like them.
First, obviously, Marty Chan’s gut wrenching play “The Bone House,” which is over at the Arts Barns. It’s only on until November 7th – then it goes back into the Disney vaults forever. : (
Next, tonight is also Hopscotch: A Festival of Fine Whisky & Beer, at the Winspear Centre. Yeah, I thought you’d like that, you bunch of lushes.
And Sonic Band of the Month Parachute Penguin (best posters ever, btw) is playing the Pawn Shop tonight (although at the time of writing, the Pawn Shop website is down). 5 buck cover.
Saturday, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.: “Get Animated” workshop at The Artery, with Oscar winner Chris Landreth.
Propaghandi! Propaghandi! Catch them Saturday & Sunday night at the Starlite Room.
A shout out to my ladies at Eville Roller Derby. They’re hosting their Rocktoberfest Showdown between Los Pistolitas and The Slice Girls on Saturday night at the Kingsway Hangar.
Stephanie Bosch’s CD release, Saturday night at Haven Social Club.
You loved him in “Employee of the Month”; he won your heart in “Dan in Real Life” and now you can pay an obscene price for scalped tickets to see Dane Cook on Sunday night, 8 p.m.
Ooh, also, since we all love jazz now, might I recommend the Youth Emergency Shelter Fundraiser at the Yardbird Suite on Sunday night, featuring the Sandro Dominelli Trio.
What else have you guys got going on?
Marty Chan Gave Me Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(FYI: I’m not going to give you guys a synopsis of the play, only because when I originally saw it, I was lucky enough to have missed out on all the publicity and saw it completely cold – which made it that much more powerful. If you do want more info, check here.)
Picture it, kids; Edmonton, 1999. It was the beginning of the era of reality entertainment. Survivor was still a just a rumoured show-to-come, provoking the ire of critics; The Blair Witch Project was doing boffo box office; and I was a naïve teenager, in love with Quentin Tarantino, Chow Yun Fat, and pretty much anything drenched in blood and gore. Therefore, I reasoned, I certainly had to see Marty Chan’s much talked about new Fringe show, “The Bone House.”
No word of a lie, I left that theatre a changed woman. No more Quentin Tarantino, no more Chow Yun Fat, no more ANYTHING but romantic comedies, Adam Sandler movies and movies featuring cartoon monkeys.
Never again have I been able to tolerate horror films, shoot ‘em ups, or anything with any level of violence. For the last ten years, I have given every person who asks “Why don’t you like violent movies?” my condensed review of the terrifying reality-theatre-horror of Edmonton playwright Marty Chan’s “The Bone House,” along with a description of how the sheer terror it evoked haunts me to this day.
So obviously, you totally have to see it. For reals. It’s amazing.
When I talk to Marty Chan on the phone, he says he’s in a questionable hotel room in Rocky Mountain House. He’s currently out of town doing some school presentations about the children’s books he authours. He’s a very funny, sincere guy, and it’s hard to believe that this is the same guy responsible for a piece of theatre that basically gave me post-traumatic stress disorder.
I ask Marty about the story’s origins. (more…)
Thank You, President Bush…
4 p.m.? Where did this day go?
Listen, due to massive technical failures, our video about yesterday’s Bush protest has to be postponed/possibly nixed entirely. But I’m sure that’s okay with you guys, because all anybody seems to be talking about is this BANANAS hostage thing anyway.
So, for now, I’m just going to post this, because I’m interested to see what the general consensus is. Was this sign actually PRO-George Dubya? Or is it just really, really sarcastic?
Backstairs Secret Vegan Cafe
Oh, the facebook fan page. It can really get asses in the seats, if you know what I’m saying. Because, you know, one friend of yours declares themselves a fan of say “Your Mom,” and then, one by one, it spreads like wildfire, as it pops up in everybody’s news feed. My favorite example of this was when Jeff recently (and accidentally) declared himself a fan of Canadian country supergroup Doc Walker. He quickly deleted it, but for days after, my news feed informed me that Jeff loved Doc Walker, and maybe I would too?
Anyway, one page I recently became a fan of, after seeing a bunch of my friends do the same, was the Backstairs Secret Vegan Cafe, “Edmonton’s Culinary Speakeasy.” It’s been quite the facebook phenom, rapidly accruing over 350 fans. Basically how it works is you visit their website, check the posted menu and then e-mail to reserve your spot. Be warned, IT’S POPULAR, and therefore tough to get into, but based on some of the previous menus they’ve posted, it’s well worth the wait. It’s $15 a plate, and you will receive further details via email. UH, RAD.
I sent off an email to see if I could find out more about the mystery organizer(s,?) behind the Backstairs. And I did. I met someone who for the sake of not wrecking the secret-ness I will call “Kevin.”
Kevin is a charming, affable guy who is clearly really passionate about food. He informs me that this whole “culinary speakeasy” thing is going on all over the place, and that he recently came across a place to live that was so big and inviting, it was pretty much begging him to serve food in it.
“Probably about a year ago, I read this zine called ‘A Chef’s Tale’. He tours like a band. He was mostly telling stories about the adventures he had,” explains Kevin. “[For] part of it, he included how he used to run a café out of his apartment.”
“I was like, that’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Edmonton’s October 21 Headlines
So how about that fog, kids…?
…ugh, who am I kidding. I have no job. I barely left the house yesterday. I didn’t know there was fog until I read the ever-poetic Ed Mason’s surprisingly restrained story about it this morning.
So, looks like it’s just you and me today, Friendmonton, as Jeff is sidelined with certain professional matters (he’s trying out for a traveling all-male burlesque revue called “Boy-lesque”. Best of luck to you, sir). He’s back tomorrow though, so until then, consider me a substitute editor, and feel free to spitball accordingly.
Worth mentioning before we get started: in the Journal story about George Dubya’s warm welcome in Edmonton, they mention a person who purchased a scalped ticket to the event for $500. That person was me, and to be clear, I would’ve paid any price to be in the same room with Kelly Hrudey.
from the Edmonton Journal:
Edmonton gives Bush warm welcome (We were at the protest, more on that later in the day).
Teachers seek proof of minister’s boasts (Did he really sing “I’m so excited?” Or is that a metaphor I’m misinterpreting? Regardless, this immediately makes me think of Jessie Spanno. Has anyone checked Dave Hancock for caffeine pills? Maybe he’s putting too much pressure on himself. “NO TIME! THERE’S – NEVER -ANY- TIME!”)
from the Edmonton Sun:
Pizza for the people (Obviously, we all need to apply for this and have one giant edmontonian-themed pizza party, where we can discuss civic matters and then get drunk watching “The Room.”)
from Metro Edmonton:
Animal rights groups threaten lawsuit unless Edmonton moves Lucy the elephant
from 630CHED/iNews880:
Alberta Lung Association supporters become victims of telephone scam
from CBC Edmonton:
3,000 homeless in Edmonton: officials
from CTV Edmonton:
Police release recording from murder victim’s voice mail
Did I miss anything? Leave it in the comments.
If you’ve ever wondered if good things can happen…
…they can.
(No, they haven’t re-opened the doors next to Tim Hortons. But the sawhorse is gone on the second set of Jasper Avenue doors. Just let me have this one.)
The Jerrold Dubyk Quartet, or, Sally discovers the Yardbird Suite
Do you guys remember Jerrold Dubyk, the local jazz saxophonist who so graciously gave us a quick Coles Notes(TM) on how to tell good jazz from bad jazz?
I checked out his band’s CD release this weekend. It was my first trip the Yardbird Suite, and oh. my. god. If you haven’t been there, you need to check it out. It’s amazing. I wanted to take pictures to share it with you, but it was too g.d. dark for me to get any that don’t make you feel like you have cataracts. Case in point:
Anyway, take my word for it, it’s great. And so was the Jerrold Dubyk Quartet!
Lookit us, #yeg, expanding our collective horizons. Although, in fairness, Jeff was already on the jazz train. He’s loved Duke Silver for as long as I can remember.
