What’s up

Perfect Little Planet and Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories

Manitoba Museum Planetarium, 190 Rupert Ave.

Tickets $18-$24 at manitobamuseum.ca

As snow piles up on our home planet, a new children’s show opening at the Manitoba Museum Planetarium invites families to take their next vacation to the ice cliffs of Miranda, one of Uranus’s 28 moons.

In Perfect Little Planet, a family from a different star system in need of a change of scenery explores Miranda, Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, where, according to NASA’s latest temperature readings at the Gale Crater, it was even colder than Winnipeg — -70 C — as of Jan. 23. Perfect Little Planet runs Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. (45 minutes).

From Tuesday to Friday, at 11:15 a.m., Ininew astronomer and knowledge keeper Wilfred Buck shares four star stories in a pre-recorded planetarium show, filling the dome with tales of the northern night sky (45 minutes). On open weekdays, at 3 p.m., Hamilton actor and Clipping rapper Daveed Diggs narrates Living Worlds, which documents how life and planet Earth have co-evolved across billions of years (45 minutes).

Planetarium seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Single-day tickets range from free for infants, $18 (youth 3-17) and $21 (seniors 65+) to $24 (adults). However, if you plan on making a return visit to the cosmos, adult memberships ($52) and youth memberships ($36) — which offer unlimited general admission — could make for a wise investment in escapism this winter.

— Ben Waldman

The Offspring

Canada Life Centre, 300 Portage Ave.

Thursday, Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets $60 to $179 at Ticketmaster

They’re a little older and (maybe) a little wiser, but 40 years on, the Offspring are still the snot-nosed punks they always were.

A stalwart of California’s Orange County punk scene, the band had its breakout hit with 1994’s Smash, an album often included on best-of-the-decade lists and whose singles Come Out and Play and Self Esteem remain rock-radio staples. But it was 1998’s Americana — an album that achieved the unlikely distinction of being both a lofty concept album about America and the site of a novelty hit in Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) — that propelled them to the mainstream.

Now composed of founding members frontman Dexter Holland — who, fun fact, has a PhD in molecular biology — and guitarist Noodles, along with bassist Todd Morse, drummer Brandon Pertzborn, and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy, the Offspring are on another world tour in support of their 11th studio album, 2024’s Bob Rock-produced Supercharged, which swings by Canada Life Centre next week.

Fellow veteran Cali punk band — and former Epitaph Records labelmate — Bad Religion opens the show.

— Jen Zoratti

Life Ties

Galerie Buhler Gallery, St. Boniface Hospital, 409 Tache Ave,

6 p.m. today until March 29

Free

When renowned Métis beading artist Jennine Krauchi first met David Heinrichs, little did the duo know their meeting would lead to a friendship of 10 years.

Their decade-long relationship, rooted in mentorship and a shared love of their culture, is celebrated in the two-month-long exhibition that opens today with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Both artists will be in attendance.

The show brings together 14 of their individual pieces, each one offering a glimpse into the artist’s distinct style while also illustrating how their bond has shaped their separate practice throughout the years.

Visit galeriebuhlergallery.ca for more information and details on an upcoming beading workshop hosted by Krauchi and Heinrichs in February.

— AV Kitching

FIINN/Tired Cossack/Witchy Woods

Granite Curling Club

Friday, 8:30 p.m.

Tickets $23 at eventbrite.ca

Nestled between Festival du Voyageur and Winterruption is a little evening pocket of local music of at your neighbourhood curling club.

Grab a brewskie while you drink in the sounds of Tired Cossack (led by Steven Levko Halas), existing in some alternative timeline where Ukrainian folklore, Cold War-era post-punk and shoegaze all live and work together, almost happily ever after.

Take a pause from the broom game to relish FIINN (led by brothers Dan, John and Matt Baron) and their synth-tinged Canadiana, practically tailor-made for a road trip down Highway 1 with CBC Radio 3 cranked.

Allow yourself one more beer to nurse that sudden melancholy you catch listening to relative newcomer Witchy Woods (led by Devo), whose hazy bedroom pop recalls Her’s and Frances Forever.

This marks the first show in the second annual Winnipeg Indie Music Foundation concert series.

— Conrad Sweatman

Poutine Week

Feb. 1-7

Various locations through the province

At its core, it’s a simple dish made with three ingredients — fries, cheese curds and gravy.

But for one week, eateries throughout the province will put their culinary creativity to the test, with imaginative takes on poutine to see whose spuds reign supreme.

The 14th edition of Poutine Week (formerly La Poutine Week) kicks off Sunday at participating restaurants and lounges, offering fans of the rich, savoury Québécois treat a week of exploring a wide range of variations on the dish.

As of press time, a finalized list of participating eateries hadn’t yet been posted online, but some locals have taken to teasing their entries on social media.

Santa Lucia Pizza, for example, noted it has “something Dill-icious” cooking at four of its locations, with a picture of poutine featuring bacon, dill and what appear to be deep-fried pickles. Smitty’s shared a photo of the Fireball Supreme Poutine, which sees fries served in spicy barbecue sauce along with pork bites, gravy, a cheese blend, bacon jam, feta and green onions.

Check lapoutineweek.com in the coming days for (hopefully) a list of participating restaurants and lounges in Manitoba.

— Ben Sigurdson

If you value coverage of Manitoba’s arts scene, help us do more.
Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project.