Arts
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Getting on the map
ATLAAS - and no, we’re not shouting, it’s one of those stylistic things - is one of those bands that comes out of nowhere and manages to immediately distinguish itself. Its debut EP, titled ONE, only features three tracks. Each is totally golden. There’s the ever-versatile Heather Thomas (of Bunny) on vocals and keytar, bouncing between octaves with remarkable style and assertiveness. Then, there’s Ricardo Lopez-Aguilar (of Oldfolks Home) on guitar, drum machine and programming. It’s a bit like Phantogram, except actually enjoyable to listen to.
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Not bad, 15-year-old me
It’s been taking Calgary-born indie musician Samantha Savage Smith longer to write songs lately, which she doesn’t mind. It shouldn’t be easy.
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Writing tales from the crypt
Arthur Slade wants to help you bring your supernatural realm to life. The established Saskatoon-based horror/fantasy author is coming to Winnipeg to share his secrets in a workshop hosted by the Manitoba Writers’ Guild.
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Showing us who’s boss
Long-suffering employees of the world, unite. Your spokespeople - Charlie Day, Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis - are back on the big screen.
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Acting dead
The subject of dying has anchored many an epic production: think Shakespeare’s Hamlet, or Miller’s Death of a Salesman, or Sartre’s No Exit. But perhaps no play has had such fun at the expense of the ghastly subject as Morris Panych’s Vigil, an internationally renown black comedy (Panych and his partner recently travelled to Japan to see it performed). Now, Prairie Theatre Exchange is bringing the play back to the stage.
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Storm chasing
Notoriety struck Ian Mauro early in his academic career. Back in the early 2000s, the University of Manitoba - where he scored his PhD in Environment and Geography - threatened to sue Mauro and his team for challenging the role of GMOs in a documentary he made. Monsanto Company has a $12 million building on the U of M’s campus; administrators were evidently concerned about the depiction of the corporation, which specializes in the sale of agrochemicals.
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Birdman
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s previous films (Biutiful, 21 Grams) have been derided by some critics as “misery porn.” I’ve avoided his previous films for this reason. As an Iñárritu novice, I found his newest film Birdman to be mostly (but not entirely) free of misery.
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Whiplash
What is the price of artistic perfection? That’s the central question at the heart of Whiplash, the new drama from writer-director Damien Chazelle (Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench). This semi-autobiographical picture is a visceral one, balancing precise technique and animal ferocity. The result is a gorgeous gut-punch of a movie.
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Ordinary lives
Everyday objects and generalized phrases are what you’ll find at Actual Gallery this month, as gallery director Lisa Kehler pairs two different exhibits by three different Winnipeg artists.
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Dance your lungs out
An artist’s creative process can be difficult to explain. Words can capture an approximation, but the essence will often be incomplete. Akin to the taste of a fine wine or caviar, it’s better experienced than explained.
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Her moustache
I met Salvador Dali at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. I think.
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A chat for Mr. Roberts
Canadian rocker Sam Roberts is very down to earth for someone who has performed in five different countries in the last six months, including Spain and the United Kingdom. He and his band return to Winnipeg for the first time in three years, performing at the historic Burton Cummings Theater on Nov. 19.
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Stream Alfa’s debut album Harmattan
Alfa will release his debut album, Harmattan, on Saturday, November 15 at the West End Cultural Centre. You can stream the album in its entirety below.
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Metal white lies
For an up-and-coming metal band, the loss of a guitar player could be a fatal blow. That’s not the case for Sky Monitor: despite the loss of their lead guitarist Kristjan Tomasson, the metalcore quintet is getting some of their biggest breaks yet.
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Hanging on hold
One of your older sibling’s favourite punk bands is back.
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Elliott Brood
Over the last decade, Toronto alt-country trio Elliott Brood has delivered a collection of stirring, dark and layered EPs and LPs that showcase a unique twist on the brand Wilco helped to define in the mid-90s. This, the band’s fourth, is easily the Brood’s catchiest full length.
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Fish & Bird
Western Canadian Music Award nominees Fish & Bird deliver that baroque pop meets M. Ward meets nothing special sound on the BC quintet’s latest LP.
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Tom Savage
Kingston, Ontario singer/songwriter Tom Savage delivers some heart-on-his-sleeve acoustic goodness with his latest solo effort.
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Started from the bottom
Alan Doyle went from handling cod tongues to fronting Canadian folk-rock legends Great Big Sea, a journey he details in Where I Belong. Doyle has previously written some blogs on the Great Big Sea website, which caught the attention of Random House Canada. The publishing company later suggested he write a book about his life growing up.
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Travelling tutus
There are few things more magical, glamourous and transcendental than the world of classical ballet: satin pointe shoes, tutus and billowy-shirted princes all appear to live in a world of stage-lit perfection.