The western world watched this past August as the Middle East’s most recent democratic pilot project, Afghanistan, went to the polls to exercise their right to vote. Unfortunately, watching was all they really did.

As the trees finish shedding their leaves and the threat of snow grows ever closer up here in Canada, those upside-down Aussies are slowly transitioning into a hot, sunny summer. It’s tough to imagine that anyone would willingly hop on a plane and trade seasons, but that’s exactly what vocalist and percussionist Felix Riebl and his five bandmates from The Cat Empire are doing.

Fresh off a pair of victories on the west coast against the fifth-ranked Victoria Vikes and the UBC Thunderbirds, the hoop Pandas return home for a pair of heavyweight tilts with the fourth-ranked Regina Cougars.