Tuned in to Saskatoon

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). 

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

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