With Remembrance Day on Monday, there’s a Long Weekend worth of shows to check out in Winnipeg this Weekend!
Thursday November 7
Tucked away downstairs in the Sawatdee Thai Viet Restaurant, 555 Osborne is a gem of a venue. In addition to a fine menu, the room boasts a great upscale rec room feel, warm and inviting.
Wang the Merciless is a reggae-rock power trio featuring Mas Headspace guitarist Mitch Kruse, that really thumps, like a funkier Big Sugar with a prairie sound. It’s always a high energy show, and Thursday’s show promises to be even more exciting as they debut a batch of new songs.
Thursday’s show marks another debut, that of opening band The Dogglers. Formed out of the ashes of short-lived group Tree, they promise “raunchy blues rock that’s been dipped in whisky and left to dry in blazing smokestack.”
Check out Wang the Merciless and the Dogglers at 555 Osborne tonight, Thursday November 7. Only $5 at the door! – BT
Friday November 8
My pick for top show this weekend? Destroyer, Friday at the Park Theatre, with Cannon Bros opening. Since my first year of University, Kaputt has been one of my favourite albums and I regrettably missed his show at the West End Cultural Centre in 2011, with the War on Drugs opening. In fact, I’m still kicking myself for it.
Make no mistake though, I knew the time would come around that Destroyer would return to the city. Tomorrow night, amble down to my neighbourhood venue, the Park Theatre and check out his performance. No, the band is not touring on a new album, though, in some ways I can accept that. I really am quite excited to see them play songs that I’ve been longing to see live since early 2011. Surely one of the better looking shows of the year and with openers Cannon Bros rarely putting on a poor performance, this is one not to miss.
Tickets are $18 in advance and $22 at the door, with the doors open at 7:15 and the show at 8. If there is one show you are going to see this weekend, I’d make it this one. – ZF
Friday November 8 – Sunday November 10
This weekend, CKUW presents the 6th annual Winnipeg Anarchist Book Fair & DIY Fest down at the A-Zone on Albert St.
Starting with a Super Cabaret of Anarchist Talents at 7pm on Friday, the fair itself really gets rocking on Saturday with book tables from 11am to 5pm, and DIY workshops between 1 & 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday night is the big sha-bam, though, with a spoken word set from anarchist/poet/musician/hell-raiser Norman Nawrocki at 7pm in Mondragon, followed by a performance by Cazzarola up in the Rocker. The party will be rocking all night up at the R2C2, with a dance party from Test Their Logik!
Sunday also features a community brunch at the Mondragon from 11am to 2pm, and an IWW Dinner at 6pm, after the DIY workshops have wrapped up.
Many of the Anarchist Book Fair & DIY Fest events are free to the public, though some ask for donations. Find out more at wpgbookfairdiyfest.com – SB