Ominocity’s Top 13 News Stories of 2013

Best of 2013: Floods, Feedbands and La Colle Falls

2013 was a strange year.

Once again we were treated to some amazing music via the hard work of promoters, bands, volunteers, etc. who worked for festivals across the province. And lets not forget those who bring in touring acts and everyone who comes out to shows in support. This is all a given.

But we also suffered some losses this year in Saskatoon. Lydia’s Pub and Lepps, two local venues, both shut their doors. So did Caffe Sola, a small restaurant that used to share a space with Jale, an all ages venue that similarly closed back in 2012. Bummer.

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U of S Student Video Goes Viral: Interview

A YouTube video filmed and edited by several University of Saskatchewan students went viral, with over 2,000,000 views since publication on April 3, 2013. Similarly, Ominocity’s article on the video also went viral, with multiple blogs posting links to our site. So thank you for that.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Lydia’s Pub the latest Saskatoon bar to shut its doors

On Monday, July 29, a sign was posted on the door of Broadway-area venue Lydia’s Pub: “Lydia’s is closed today.” As of the end of 2013, the building remains empty.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Flood waters arrive in Saskatoon: Photo Essay

Scenes of Saskatoon: June 23 – 24, 2013: We had just returned from the Sled Island Festival in Calgary, which had been cancelled due to unprecedented floodwaters, when Saskatoon’s own riverbanks swelled and spilled over on to the streets.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Ghost Town, Saskatchewan: Uranium City: Photo Essay

With a current population anywhere from 70-200 people (depending on who you talk to), Uranium City doesn’t really qualify as a ghost town. Except for the fact that it had a population of 5,000 people in the 1980s. In fact, we would conjecture that Uranium City is the Las Vegas of Saskatchewan ghost towns.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Feedbands Review: Vinyl subscription service an innovative way to connect music with fans

You’ve probably seen the banner ads all over major websites and blogs: What exactly is Feedbands? It’s a digital music streaming site. But unlike other services such as Spotify or Pandora, they also release records. But it’s not a label. At least not in the traditional sense.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Men’s Rights Campaign Arrives in Saskatoon

Several posters advertising men’s rights began popping up in Saskatoon. The arrival of the posters, which are dated “July 8, 2013”, mirror the ‘Don’t Be That Girl’ poster campaign that recently sparked outrage in Edmonton. Ugh.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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The Worst of Urbanspoon Saskatoon User Reviews

User reviews are pretty much the most useless tool ever. That is, unless you consider the endless hours of entertainment. Especially those found on Urbanspoon, a review site where registered members contribute dining anecdotes and tirades for the public to see.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Ghost Town, Saskatchewan: LaColle Falls Hydroelectric Dam: Photo Essay

Remember that episode of The Simpsons when the big city huckster convinced the town of Springfield to build a monorail? Back in 1909, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan underwent a vaguely similar multi-million dollar project: The LaColle Falls Hydroelectric Dam.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Saskatoon’s Sordid Punk History: Five of the City’s Most Unlikely Rock Venues

For decades, Saskatoon’s underground music scene has long been forced into unorthodox venues. Promoters sought out strange and out-of-the-way rental spaces – basements, industrial garages, etc. – which typically brought in a bunch of enthusiastic kids and some really amazing bands. Anyone else remember watching punk legends Rancid play in that weird warehouse space on 51st Street?
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Marilyn Manson Collapses on Stage in Saskatoon: Video

Notorious for his shocking theatrics, Marilyn Manson’s Saskatoon performance included everything from pop concert confetti cannons to Pope costumes and knife-shaped microphones. But more shocking than the inverted crosses was Manson’s encore performance of Beautiful People where he collapsed on stage, vomited, and was abruptly carried off by four roadies.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Ominocity’s Top 12 Moments of MoSoFest: Review

MoSoFest brings out the best in Saskatoon. The festival unites Broadway area venues and essentially serves as a banner for excellence in music. It takes on ideas espoused by festivals in other cities and makes them uniquely our own. Instead of the same social groups you typically see out at shows, MoSo brings out people who would otherwise be hard pressed to see a line-up that boasts the best in all genres of music. Even my mom was talking about MoSo, and that’s saying something.
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Ian Campeau’s human rights complaint hits close to Saskatoon

Ian Campeau’s recent campaign to change the name of an Ottawa minor league football team hits all too close to home. Campeau, a musician known as Dee Jay NDN from the group A Tribe Called Red, filed a human rights complaint against the Nepean Redskins. He and his supporters hope that the team will change its name to something less offensive. “How is it even a question whether ‘Redskin’ is offensive or racist?” said Campeau via his Twitter account. Last night A Tribe Called Red played to a packed venue in Saskatoon, a city that’s home of the Bedford Road Redmen. The term “Redmen” is every bit as racist and offensive as “Redskin”. How is it even a question?
Click HERE to read the full article.

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Saskatoon’s Best Places for Public Sex Revealed: Part 2

Public sex is both illegal and highly indecent. And that’s probably what makes it so great. Also, that whole getting caught thing is kind of hot. Except when you actually get caught, which makes it doubly important that you stake out a good public bang spot. Thankfully Saskatoon is full of weird nooks and crannies for today’s pervs on the go, so there you go!
Click HERE to read the full article.

– Check back tomorrow for Ominocity’s Top 13 Photos of 2013