Peace vigil raises questions about rights of protesters
by Tom Babin

Media critic says public has to search for truth on Iraq war
by Tom Babin

Plans for massive suburb leads to concerns about long-term impact
by Tom Babin

Alberta budge (among other community notes)
by FFWD Staff

LETTER

MEC demise is no big surprise
by FFWD Reader

VIEWPOINT

Buzz speaks out
On the greed that binds our nation
by Hamish MacAulay

Lest we forget
Apathetic gay community needs history lesson
by Richard Burnett

WEB WATCH

The risks and rewards of body modification
by Courtney Thompson

BOOKS

Small presses release new crop for spring
From fiction to poetry to drama, literary culture is alive and well in Canada
by Lee Shedden

Minuteman combines lyrics and tour diary in winning collection
book review: Spiels of a/d’un minuteman by Mike Watt
reviewed by James Martin

Bookends
Alberta Book Awards news tops busy week
by Jason Hammond

FOOD

Home-style cabbage rolls and perogies
by Miles Pittman

BOOZE

Wrestling with wine lists
Short and select better thatn long and sprawling
by Kevin McLean

OUT & ABOUT

Province off track on winter trail use
Cross-country skiers left wondering what direction trail grooming will take
by Mark Sproxton

COVER

Larger than life rock ‘n’ roll martyrs
The Dears flash a brilliant light on the Canadian pop landscape
by Michael White

MUSIC

You can’t manufacture a vibe like this
Ironwood Stage and Grill will raise the bar for roots music in Calgary
by Mary-Lynn McEwen

Long live the dead
Rocket from the Crypt exhume rock’s rich history
by Zoltan Varadi

Online guitar worshipper
Craig Squires dreams of Flying Vees and ESPs
by Aubrey McInnis

Spinning records for the revolution
DJ Paul van Dyk sees music as a resource for global unity and change
by Rob Faust

Avoiding the perils of the buzz bin
Singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards on radio, realism and Rolling Stone
by Lenore Hume

Power to the people
Stringband never held hands with the middle man
by Mary-Lynn McEwen

Jazz musician a triple threat
Brad Turner a master of three instruments and various styles of music
by Dennis Slater

Time to get paid
Buck 65 is busy makin’ dollars make sense
by Jason Lewis

Smalltown DJs go Giant with cool shit
Emes, Grimes and Testa spin their attitude toward music into a lifestyle shop
by Talia Kaufman

Scotland’s renegade sons are on the rise
It’s getting tough to keep track of Idlewild’s furious punk rock whirlwind
by Jason Lewis

Street Sounds
Mocking Shadows get on the bus
Calgary band travels in style with a rock and roll house on wheels
by Aubrey McInnis

RECORD REVIEWS

Kristin Hersh returns to Throwing Muses
CD Reviews
Throwing Muses’ Throwing Muses 2003 and Kristin Hersh’s The Grotto
both reviewed by Ryan Ellis
Pete Yorn’s Day I Forgot
reviewed by Kari Watson
Afro Celts’ Seed
reviewed by Christine Leonard
The Salteens’ Let Go Of Your Bad Days
reviewed by Jason Lewis
Simian’s We Are Your Friends
reviewed by Christine Leonard
Songs: Ohia’s The Magnolia Electric Co.
reviewed by Mark Hamilton
Bobi Cespedes’ Rezos
reviewed by Kenna Burima

VISUAL ARTS

Man helping man
Artist uses rescue operation to test our true level of ‘tolerance’
by David King

Stretchy boundaries of immigration law
The Elastic Test Project examines the way foreigers are accepted and rejected
by Wes LaFortune

DANCE

Portrait Solos highlight originality
Cori Caulfield gains recognition while taking dance to new heights
by David King

THEATRE

Gambling pays off for ATP
Zadie’s Shoes finds comedy in some strange places
by Jeff Goffin

The playboy of a mediocre world
Theatre Junction production isn’t good or bad, but boring and forgettable
by Brad E. Simkulet

FILM

The missing women of Ciudad Juarez
Senorita Extraviada investigates disappearances from Mexican border-town
by Patricia Robertson

Everyone’s a victim in The Tunnel
Adventure drama digs to find true significance of Berlin Wall
by Gordon Yerkovich

Anger should be funnier
Nicholson and Sandler back to their old tricks
by Rchel Deahl

Ghosts a Titanic flop
by Neal Ozano

VIDEO

Wilco watching
Film documents year in the life of a rock band
by Ryan Ellis

Gillian Welch jumps on DVD bandwagon
by Jaime Frederick

VIDEO VULTURE
The hot babe’s guide to sexy black magic
by John Tebbutt