Tuned in to Saskatoon
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Welcome to Road Trip,
a special series where we get to vicariously go Rockin' Down the Highway
with antiMusic's Kevin Wierzbicki as he takes us along on his road trips
to various rockin' locales that played an significant part in the history
of rock n roll, highlight that history or music's heritage. (Unless noted
all photos are also by Kevin - click on photos to enlarge).
This article was nominated for the following award.


The grasses seem to be trying to impart
some kind of message. In the wide open space of central Saskatchewan the
tall slender blades dance and nod in a gentle breeze as if they’re pointing
at something. Look over here! No wait, over there! Are they motioning toward
the big patch of yellow wildflowers or maybe the delicate thistle cluster
about to explode with seed? Do they want me to notice the horses grazing
in the pasture by the picture-perfect barn? The prairie dogs scampering
through the field? Okay, snap out of it! It’s just grass blowing in the
wind! But the animated beauty of the lush green prairie dotted with ponds
and lakes that shimmer deep blue is mesmerizing. Vistas like this stretch
for hundreds of miles in Saskatchewan but the scene I have just described
can be savored just a few miles outside of the city of Saskatoon.

I came to Saskatoon to indulge in the SaskTel
Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, a summertime celebration of all types of music.
Festival events occur throughout the province in places like Regina, Moose
Jaw and Prince Albert but the real action goes down in Saskatoon. I checked
into the Delta Bessborough Hotel which is locally referred to as “the castle”
because, well, it looks like a castle! You can see the hotel’s spires from
just about anywhere in the central city, but more importantly for festival
goers it is located within easy walking distance of the various performance
venues. The hotel also sits on the bank of the South Saskatchewan River,
where about a mile away is docked the sightseeing boat, the Saskatoon Princess.
A ride on the Princess is not only extremely relaxing but allows for a
unique perspective on the city that you can’t get in any other manner.
The tour is narrated and you can learn a bit of history as you sail under
many of Saskatoon’s numerous bridges, past St. John’s Cathedral, “the castle”
and the place where the city’s Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival
is held. You’ll also see the remains of a paddle wheeler, wrecked on the
river long ago. The ship makes three runs a day from May through Labor
Day and the cruise I took was a dinner cruise with a menu of steak or chicken
with all the trimmings. A glass of champagne comes before dinner and for
those who wish to drink a beer or some wine with supper, that’s available
at an extra fee. And as if the ride itself isn’t a fantastic treat, the
crew brings plates of dessert right before the cruise ends. www.shearwatertours.com

In 2006 the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival
turned 20 years old and who better to start the party than flamboyant rock’n’roll
legend, Little Richard. The wild-eyed singer played on the second day of
the ten day festival which true to its name offered lots in the way of
jazz performances. The New Orleans sound was a big favorite this year as
the Preservation Hall Jazz Band played to a sold out audience and groups
like the McCoy Tyner Trio, the Bobby Hutcherson Quartet and Michel Donato
treated listeners to their smooth grooves. Most of the festival’s performance
venues are small or medium sized and make for great listening and viewing
and in a lot of cases that also means artists are accessible to fans for
autographs, etc. after the show. And you never know who you’ll run into---in
the lobby of the Bessborough I saw Ben Jaffe and Joe Lastie, Jr. of the
Preservation Hall Jazz Band hanging out and relaxing before their show.
The pair was nice enough to spend a few minutes chatting before they headed
to their gig. Over the course of just a couple of days I managed to take
in a bunch of acts including poetess Kinnie Starr, Saskatoon’s own ska
party boys North of Shorty and jazz acts Michel Donato and the Marc Atkinson
Trio. The jazz shows went down in a cozy basement nightclub cleverly called
the Bassment while Starr played an all-ages show at a larger spot called
the Odeon Events Centre. Prices varied for different shows but there was
also a free stage that had a variety of music going every day. Tim Vaughn,
a singer and multi-instrumentalist (and musical man-about-town) sat in
on bass with Sean Viloria & Jeta Groove on the free stage for a set
that included lots of reggae-rock and an extra funky cover of Sly Stone’s
“Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again).” Other groups I heard were Buck
65, Mobadass, the Huxxtabulls and although they weren’t an official part
of the festival, Luke’s Disciples. All in all the amount of music going
down daily within the space of a few blocks rivals many larger festivals.
The festival is held in late June and you can find all the details at www.saskjazz.com
I’d like to give a special shout-out to the folks at Tramps Record Store
and Konni from Better Off Red who helped me get a hold of some homegrown
music that is reviewed at the end of this article.

Saskatoon has a bit of a history with celebrities
including author Farley Mowat and local boy turned national hero, hockey
star Gordie Howe. Joni Mitchell lived in Saskatoon for awhile and wrote
one of her biggest hits there, “Big Yellow Taxi.” Various spots around
town pay homage to these luminaries; if you want to rough it a bit during
your stay you can drop anchor at the Gordon Howe Campsite. To see how everyday
folk lived in the old days a visit to the Western Development Museum is
in order. Their motto is “Life in the Past lane” and they have re-created
“Main Street” Saskatoon as it was in the boomtown era, circa 1910. The
self-guided tour takes you past the blacksmith shop, the livery stable,
school, church, the telephone operator’s house and the doctor’s office
to name a few, all meticulously outfitted. As you stroll along the boardwalk
you can walk right into these places, and one of the most fascinating displays
is that at Coad’s Drug Store. Coad’s is still in business at its original
site and is one of Saskatoon’s oldest businesses, but at the re-creation
you can see walls full of remedies and cures that no longer exist like
Freckle Lotion, Moone’s Emerald Oil (antiseptic and deodorant), Ely’s Cream
Balm and St. Jacob’s Oil which according to its package was intended to
relieve pain. If you needed a laxative back in 1910 you might have sought
out Morse’s Indian Root Pills and if for some reason you needed it, Coad’s
also stocked Albert’s Grasshopper Ointment. Besides the re-creation of
Main Street, the Western Development Museum has an extensive collection
of vintage automobiles, farm machinery, steam engines, locomotive engines
and tons of smaller bits of memorabilia. www.wdm.ca
Of course the area has a rich history that is much older than 1910, and
you can go even further back in time at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, just
a few miles outside of Saskatoon. Wanuskewin is a National Historic Site
that is an interpretive facility depicting the Northern Plains Indian culture.
Indoors you can watch a short film before you visit the interactive displays
and the First Nations Art Gallery. One display explains how three traditional
musical instruments were made; the flute, drums and rattles. There is an
audio portion to that display as well where a short piece is performed
on flute. The narration explains that the song is a love song, played by
a young man to get the attention of a certain girl. If this First Nations
gentleman could somehow step into the present day amongst all the technology
he would probably get a kick out of the fact that one thing hasn’t changed---young
men still join the band to get the girl! Outside at Wanuskewin are several
trails of different lengths that take you on a walk through the beautiful
countryside and, depending on which trail you take, past a medicine wheel,
tipi rings, a buffalo rubbing stone and an archaeological site that is
still yielding artifacts and clues to an ancient lifestyle. The visitor
center has maps of the trails that include their lengths so you can choose
one based on how energetic you feel. And while you might see some small
critters scampering on the trail, don’t forget to have your picture taken
with one of the many stuffed buffalo in the visitor center foyer. www.wanuskewin.com
Before leaving the Saskatoon area, it is a good idea to check out the Berry
Barn. This is a farm where they grow Saskatoon berries, a local delicacy
that is a bit akin to a blueberry. At their gift shop you can buy Saskatoon
berry everything and the selection is a bit overwhelming, and their restaurant
serves a myriad of berry pastries. A full pail of just-picked berries can
be had for about $15.00 and lots of folks were leaving with a bucket or
two. My visit to the Berry Barn was sort of the dessert of my trip to Saskatoon
so I thought it only proper that I should sample a big piece of their Saskatoon
berry pie, with ice cream. Okay, I admit it, the pie came after I had a
lunch of home made pierogies and farmer sausage. And I had some Saskatoon
berry champagne (non-alcoholic) to wash it all down. The Berry Barn is
situated on a very scenic bend in the South Saskatchewan River and they
have a nice garden and you can eat outside with the view and the flowers
if you want. There’s even a lattice “wedding chapel” if you want to get
married here---you’ll probably live a berry happy life! Oh, and if you
want to pick your own berries, you can do that too. The Berry Barn is Saskatchewan’s
oldest orchard and they go through about 28,000 pounds of berries a year.
Celebrating the harvest is a prairie tradition and if you want in on the
pie make sure you visit the Berry Barn sometime from April through October.
(306) 978-9797.
You may have heard Saskatoon mentioned
in popular music; Johnny Cash sang about the “Girl from Saskatoon” and
Canada’s own Guess Who wrote a little ditty called “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon.”
Countless others have been charmed by this prairie city, centrally located
in the expansive province of Saskatchewan. To plan your trip visit www.tourismsaskatoon.com
and www.sasktourism.com
Ben and Joe of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Kinnie Starr
Meagan Bzowy of the Huxxtabulls
Michel-Donato quintet
SASKATOON CD REVIEWS
North of Shorty
(Self-released)
Surprised by the island party sound that
this quartet puts out? Well you shouldn’t be, the band’s style is even
spelled out in the name of their hometown, Sa-SKA-toon. These guys are
Canada’s answer to groups like Reel Big Fish, keeping dancers happy with
fast ska tunes like “Storm Outside My Window.” Mark Klopoushak’s trumpet
playing on “Can’t Get” and many other songs give this material the traditional
ska vibe but his violin licks on “Broken Ashtray” add an extra dash of
exotica to a tune that sounds like Moroccan reggae. “Ho Song” has an amusing
lyric and a powerful arrangement that should make the song an iPod favorite.
www.northofshorty.com
Better Off Red
(Self-released)
This band is fronted by Konni Ens who sings
and plays keyboards. She has a big, booming sound that is not unlike that
of the legendary Jefferson Airplane singer, Grace Slick. Ens sounds good
in a variety of styles here, like “Waiting,” a song that is structured
like many of Bob Seger’s hits. “Life is a Bitch” is a sort of blues-boogie
number that Ens vamps-up with organ fills. The band does an admirable job
covering the 4 Non Blondes song, “What’s Up,” slowing the tune slightly
and stretching it into a 6 ½ minute groove. This entire effort is
a showcase for Ens’ vocal work but Better Off Red takes on a completely
different complexion when bassist Dave Miller shares the mic on the raucous
“House of Cards.” www.betteroffred.net
Sonic Orchid
(Self-released)
Sonic Orchid is a four piece fronted by
Christina Gasparic and this release is a six-song E.P. The band rocks hard
with a bent for various classic rock sounds and Gasparic pulls them all
off nicely. “Shoot & Run” is reminiscent of something Joan Jett might
do while “I Just Wanna Know” has an AC/DC feel to it. Gasparic sings with
authority throughout; she doesn’t play the helpless little girl. She does
have feelings though, and on “Yellow Abuse” she makes it clear that she’s
been hurt but even clearer that she’s still in control. Fans of Flyleaf
should give Sonic Orchid a try. www.sonicorchid.com
Mobadass - Mobadass Live
(Self-released)
Mo-bad-ass, get it? Earl Pereira has been
in quite a few notable bands and Mobadass is his current project. The band
plays rock with a reggae beat, often funkified as is their tribute to marijuana,
the disc’s opening track “Sweet MJ.” Pereira adds a serious dose of soul
to the slow reggae of “Comma Comma” making it sound like a long-lost Garland
Jeffreys track. A lot of the music here, like “Patient Man,” is reggae
done the way the Police did it, and indeed Mobadass honor that group with
a cover of “The Bed’s Too Big Without You.” www.myspace.com/mobadass
North of Shorty
Tim Vaughan
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