Belt buckles, bands
and booze

Albertans come to Quebec for the culture, and Quebeckers go to Alberta to give’r in Banff with the Australians—everyone’s having a good time, but there’s still no place like home. That’s why Eric Amber, Calgarian ex-pat and Théâtre Ste-Catherine owner (264 Ste-Catherine E.), is all giddyup about the version he’s throwing of the annual tradition western folk call the Stampede Breakfast.

Alberta has culture, it’s just different. To properly convey this, we interrupted Amber in the middle of an improv class he was teaching and put his own word-wranglin’ skills to the test in a game called Name the Albertan Equivalent. Here goes: Poutine? “Steak!” Strip Clubs? “Chuckwagon races!” Fleur de lys? “Oil!” Gay marriage? “Guns!” Rats? “Rat squad!” Hot girls? “Horses!” Beer? “Whiskey!” Multi-ethnicity? “Non-existent!” Jester hats? “Stetsons!”

Much like the real thing, Le Petit Déjeuner Stampede offers up a free heapin’ helpin’ of pancakes, sausages and live country music amidst hay bales and booze. Western wear is more than welcome, with prizes going out to the tops in the Good, Bad and Ugly categories, so saddle up, this Saturday, July 16, from 10 a.m. on, at the Théâtre.

Quick, Eric, three words that embody that Stampede spirit… “Yee! And! Haw!” » Matthew Woodley

Terror strikes

The group exhibition The Parameters of Fear/Les Paramètres de la Peur unfortunately hit a little too close to home, what with the bombs exploding in London on the same day of the opening last week. This powerful show brings together the work of Finnish artist Gun Holmström, Montrealer Juliana España Keller, Gabriel Martinez from Phildelphia and New York City-based duo David Phillips & Paul Rowley.

Holmström’s work is the most difficult to watch, especially her reworking of the haunting image of a Japanese electrocution during WWII, entitled “I am unknowing.” Martinez takes a more poetic view with his scattering of confetti made to resemble black birds over Helsinki from a hot-air balloon. Keller shows footage shot at Ground Zero eight days after 9/11, as well as series of photographs taken of her 2003 performance, “Woman willing to defend her hotel” in Mexico. There, in a heavily guarded part of town, she joined the military boys on the street while toting a fake gun and wearing a camouflage jacket with silver lamé high heels—a rare light-hearted moment in a show that kicks ass. Runs until July 30 at Art Mûr (5826 St-Hubert), info: 933-0711. » Christine Redfern

Handmade is hot

Wanna be incredibly cute and original, while at the same time having fun and collecting bonus karmic points by supporting some of Mile End’s most amazing independent fashion designers ever? This Saturday, July 16, from 11 a.m.–7 p.m., the Summer Sample Sale takes over a seemingly innocent apartment above a Haitian restaurant at 5874 Parc and turns it into a treasure Mecca of clothing, jewellery and fashion accessories, with goods from Viola Blanca, Haiiku, Fauna, J. Ham, Glasgow, Patricia Bouchel and more. There’ll be old stock at discounted prices and new pieces that haven’t yet made their way to local boutiques, all made in Montreal, all marvellous. » Matthew Woodley

Consumption disorder

Managing your monthly credit card bills can be a damper on your free time, but how about retracing the entire bill in black marker and photo documenting every purchase on your statement? Kate Bingaman, a graphic design assistant at the University of Mississippi, is the consumer misfit behind the art project Obsessive Consumption. The credit statements, along with her collection of images, including abandoned shopping malls and university loan transcripts, paint a plain yet repetitiously eerie picture of consumerism. It’s an idea that turned into a two-year project. “I worked as a sales rep, so I was constantly thinking about what makes people want things,” she explains. “I had control over making a record of why I bought things, and having a background in graphic design, of course I had to market the process.” See the result at www.obsessiveconsumption.com and check out her work at the vernissage on July 16 at Galerie Accidentelle (5217 St-Laurent). » Marc Schultz

Is it Art?

HAUTE CUISINE AND ALE: Anytime is a good time for a frosty pint or, perhaps, a 500-ml tube-can of Grolsch, because beer is delicious and feels good going down. Lately, even culinary circles have been turning to Bs, with some of Europe’s top chefs adding pizzazz to their dishes with different brands. In response to this social phenomenon, Montreal’s Académie culinaire, in association with the Institut des bières de Montréal, has developed the Introductory beer and fine food pairing class. The three-hour sessions, which start in September, cover topics from different beer brand characteristics, pairing beers with salty, sweet or spicy foods and the timing involved in serving beer. Courses cost exactly $109.27—register online at www.academieculinaire.com.

ArtsHole

ON THEIR TOES: A three-week project designed to give emerging dancers the chance to work with top companies—such as Juilliard (NYC) and Ballet Divertimento (Montreal)—has come to an end, and now the dancers are ready to show off their newly refined moves. Fifty-four dancers take part in an informal presentation this Friday, July 15, 7 p.m., at McGill’s Moyse Hall (853 Sherbrooke W.). • CHALK IT UP: Kids take to the street (on de Maisonneuve, between Sanguinet and St-Dominique) on Saturday, July 16, from 2–8 p.m. in the hopes of painting the world’s biggest chalk fresco ever produced by children. Craie-d’action, in association with Just for Laughs and La Fondation OVUM, is a fundraiser for sick children, with all proceeds to be split among four charitable organizations.

ARTISTAT: Number of artists from seven countries convening to create in the Laurentian woods during the Fondation Derouin’s 8th annual International Art Symposium, running July 16–Sept. 5 and centred around La Maison du Village (2495 de l’Église, Val-David), www.fondationderouin.com: 50

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