By Paul Jarvey
Israel week culminated last Thursday in a screening of Obsession, a controversial film—I hesitate to call it a documentary—about violent Islamic extremism and the apparent conflict of ideals between the Islamic and Christian traditions. Don’t let this fool you into thinking the film has its feet in a solid debate about a clash of civilizations.… Continue reading Deconstructing Obsession
By Paul Jarvey
Every so often a film staggers out of that horrid, fleshy place good comedies come from willing to make any sacrifice for some hardcore laughs, ready to be banned and burned if it means making a fool of some unsuspecting pussy-magnet-driving, homophobic, celebrity-worshiping Americans. The film is a mockumentary starring Borat, a fictional character from… Continue reading Movie review: Borat lands in North America
By Paul Jarvey
Ammoncontact’s latest is a wet canvas painted with a dark, heavy brush. A force that shifts phase in a blur of colour the instant you make out what it is you’re looking at. His virtuoso West Coast production disregards genres altogether like a Quebecois slurs crude language into one undebateable and indefinable streak. Where With… Continue reading Spun: Ammoncontact
By Paul Jarvey
Early Wednesday morning an assailant opened fire in the cafeteria of Montreal’s Dawson College. Footage shows students fleeing into the streets — some of them bloodied — and police taking cover behind a cruiser, guns drawn. Eyewitnesses describe a gunman dressed in black, randomly picking off victims. As I write this, the story has only… Continue reading Mohawks and mayhem
By Paul Jarvey
As emcee for much-loved indie hip-hop sensation Atmosphere, Sean “Slug” Daley has spent the past decade on the ride of a lifetime, happily raging through inventive anti-gangsterism and pumping out genre-defining beats. Atmosphere’s latest album, You Can’t Believe How Much Fun We’re Having, arrived in a flurry of popularity, briefly hitting number one as Top… Continue reading Nitrogen not included
By Paul Jarvey
Straight out of Chicago comes Psalm One, chemist turned rapper, emcee extraordinaire, and now the only woman with a Rhyme Sayers contract. What’s most refreshing is that she’s raged out of the windy city and onto the international scene without relying on backstage producers or enacting nymphomaniac teen-jerkoff fantasies. “It should be about the music,”… Continue reading Uncommon Psalms
By Paul Jarvey
There are no boundaries. If there’s music that magnetizes me, then I want to play it. It can come from any country, any city, any place. I just try to keep my ears open all day and all night. If you can do that over a period of years you’re going to run into a… Continue reading Music Interview: Kronos Quartet’s fire still burns
By Paul Jarvey
Whether intentionally or not, the Rheostatics have become inextricable from their Canadian identity. With a flair for the surreal and an artistic passion with rare sincerity, the Rheos are warriors for milder winter, cheap(er) beer, and the death of salesmen everywhere. The band is slated to perform an impressive five shows at this year’s High… Continue reading Music Interview: Rheostatics like Canada
By Paul Jarvey
Since the age of 12 David Sanchez has been turning heads and touching hearts with music cast from snapshots of life. From Puerto Rico to New York and across the world, the TD Canada Trust Calgary Jazz Festival is the next stop for this nomad and his saxophone.From an early start in his home town… Continue reading Music Interview: Offering up some fine sax
By Paul Jarvey
Whenever Ron Sexsmith blows through Calgary, he does so with intimacy, intensity and disregard for the stereotypical. Showcasing his latest release, Retriever, his driven lyricism and inescapable melodies are unmistakably contemporary but nevertheless hang with the genuflect appeal of truly being in love with his music.Thus far, Ron’s success has taken him across most of… Continue reading Music Interview: Retrieving the Music and Craft