The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 7 No. 1

D E C . 1 8 – 3 1 , 2 0 1 9 // V O L . 7 N O . 1

ALL WRAPPED UP

BAD PENNY AWARDS P10

RESTAURANT ROUND-UP P18

YEAR IN REVIEW P20

paradise never sounded So Good.

Tickets On Sale Now cirque musica dec 22 steve miller band dec 27 john fogerty dec 29 ron white dec 31 frank caliendo jan 10 mike epps jan 24 chaka khan jan 30 eli young band feb 1 foreigner feb 13 the beach boys apr 30

Live Music 7 Nights a Week in 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar Fridays & Saturdays in Margaritaville!

Visit margaritavilletulsa.com for a complete schedule.

81st & RIVERSIDE • (888) 748-3731 • RIVERSPIRITTULSA.COM 2 // CONTENTS

December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TRANSFORMATION IS COMPLETE

COME REDISCOVER THE

CULINARY QUEEN OF THE CORNER T U L SA A R T S D I ST R I C T • 2 01 N. M A I N ST. TAV E R N T U L SA .C O M THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

CONTENTS // 3

VOICE’S CHOICES

December 18 – 31, 2019 // Vol. 7, No. 1 ©2019. All rights reserved.

P20

BY TTV STAFF

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

The best of 2019

EDITOR Jezy J. Gray ASSISTANT EDITOR Blayklee Freed DIGITAL EDITOR Kyra Bruce CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf CONTRIBUTORS M. Molly Backes, Cydney Baron, Charles Elmore, Angela Evans, Barry Friedman, Destiny Jade Green, Greg Horton, Jeff Huston, Michelle Pollard, Mason Whitehorn Powell, Damion Shade

The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

Member of

The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by

1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926 Gathering Place | MICHELLE POLLARD

FOOD & DRINK

NEWS & COMMENTARY 8 LET’S GET FREE

B Y DAMION SHADE

16 EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

BY GREG HORTON

New task force can help balance the scale of Oklahoma’s prison crisis

Tulsa native brings OKC-based pizza joint to Tulsa

10 THE 2019 BAD PENNY AWARDS

B Y BARRY FRIEDMAN

18 TULSA TASTEMAKERS

BY ANGELA EVANS

Your 11th annual guide to the worst of the year

12 2020 VISION

B Y TTV STAFF

The news stories to watch next year

13 LEGISLATIVE LIFELINES

B Y CYDNEY BARON Four new state bills could increase domestic violence penalties

13 SEASON’S GREEN-INGS

B Y CYDNEY BARON

Recycling your holiday trash in Tulsa

14 DON’T FEAR THE REEFER

B Y ANGELA EVANS Demystifying dispensaries for the new cannabis patient

MUSIC 28 TULSIFY 2019 WRAPPED

B Y TTV STAFF

22 HUMAN ELEMENT

B Y M. MOLLY BACKES How a local mortician became the ‘angel’ of pet funerals

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

24 INDIAN HEALING

B Y MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

Send all letters, complaints, compliments & haikus to: voices@langdonpublishing.com

Terese Marie Mailhot sees an Indigenous future

FOLLOW US @THETULSAVOICE ON:

25 NEW YEAR’S HAPS

B Y KYRA BRUCE

Ring in 2020 with style at these Tulsa events

Local artists on the year in music

30 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

B Y DAMION SHADE CLIFFDIVER perfects ‘elevator emo pop’ on new EP

TV & FILM 44 2019: ENDGAME

B Y CHARLES ELMORE

32 ‘TODOS SOMOS AMERICANOS’

B Y JEZY J. GRAY Alan Palomo of Neon Indian talks migration music

34 DRUGGED

B Y KYRA BRUCE

4 // CONTENTS

The year in food

ARTS & CULTURE

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall RECEPTION Gloria Brooks

Fighting for a safer scene in Tulsa

D E C . 1 8 – 3 1 , 2 0 1 9 // V O L . 7 N O . 1

AND JEFF HUSTON

TTV film critics look back on the year— and decade—in movies

ETC. 6 EDITOR’SLETTER 26 THEHAPS 35 MUSICLISTINGS 39 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD

ALL WRAPPED UP

BAD PENNY AWARDS P10

RESTAURANT ROUND-UP P18

YEAR IN REVIEW P20

ON THE COVER Wrapping up the year and decade ILLUSTRATION BY MADELINE CRAWFORD December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

E

very issue of The Tulsa Voice feels something like a small miracle. After 18 months and 36 editions, I still wake up on the first and third Wednesday of the month with the nerve-shredding anticipation of a childhood Christmas morning.

Somehow, every time, there they are: perfect little bundles of the city’s only free, independent, alternative newspaper—lined up near the back door at Langdon Publishing like obedient schnauzers, ready to go out into the world.

Holding that fresh newsprint in my hands for the first time was like being struck by lightning. It moved me, and still does—every time. But like clockwork, just before the magnitude of the miracle has time to set in, it’s on to the next one. I touch the cover, still

inky from the press, then it’s gone.

What was once a blank spreadsheet is now a collection of living stories, carrying on with their work as we carry on with ours.

This is my last editor’s letter, so I hope you’ll forgive a little sentimentality. Writing this column every other week—more than 17,000 words since last July—has been a peculiar joy and anxiety for me. It’s a space where I can pause to get my head around what a particular issue really means, to try to make you feel what I feel when I hold this thing in my hands.

Current assistant editor Blayklee Freed will be taking the editorial reins here. She’s been instrumental in helping make these past 36 issues the absolute best they can be, and I have no doubt she’ll carry the torch with

style. Our digital editor Kyra Bruce will also be staying on to help steer the ship, alongside our incredible design team and brilliant contributors.

New leadership isn’t the only change coming to our little corner of the world. Beginning next month, The Tulsa Voice will go from being a stand-alone print product to a special arts and culture section in our sister publication, TulsaPeople. You can still expect the same sensibility and perspective found every other week in these pages, so I hope you’ll follow us to this new format as our team continues to bring you stories you won’t find anywhere else.

I’m closing in on my word count here, so I really have to go.

But trust me when I say that I’d

write to you forever if I could.

Getting to know a strange new city in this capacity—being touched, tickled and enraged by its stories—has been one of the great pleasures of my life. I’m setting off for a new season in a new place, but my time here has left a mark. I’ll miss the weight of fresh newsprint. I’ll miss this town and its stories, and I’ll miss sharing them with you.

Thanks, Tulsa, for the small miracles. a

JEZY J. GRAY EDITOR

DOR0THEA LANGE’S

AMERICA ON VIEW THROUGH JANUARY 5 Discover the images that focused the nation on the trials and tribulations of the Great Depression.

Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936 6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

gilcrease.org/lange The University of Tulsa is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action institution. For EEO/ AA information, contact the Office of Human Resources, 918-631-2616; for disability accommodations, contact Dr. Tawny Rigsby, 918-631-2315. TU#

December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

IS MERGING INTO TO BECOME

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR VOICE READERS: The power and creativity of 2 award-winning editorial staffs combined An enhanced award-winning magazine format with crisper photography, fonts and other graphics The best social media in Tulsa Greater variety of content The launch of a new, easy-to-navigate website with the most comprehensive listings of things to do in and around Tulsa The best music coverage in town More restaurant writing and reviews Updates several times per week SIMPLY, more arts, entertainment and cultural coverage than any other Tulsa publication!

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER:

“It’s been our privilege to publish The Tulsa Voice as a stand-alone publication for six years. TTV has won many writing, design, and photography awards, but we felt it was time to combine our staff’s strengths to produce one expanded monthly publication and to extend and enhance our web presence. This combination of talent and ideas would not have been possible six years ago, but the time is right to create a more comprehensive city magazine for our valued readers, advertisers...and Tulsa.

Your favo rite Voic e conten t:

MUSIC NOT

Keep reading and send us your thoughts, comments and ideas!”

ES

THE HAPS

JIM L ANGDON, PUBLISHER THE TULSA VOICE

CANNACULT FOLLOW US @THETULSAVOICE

URE

ART SPOT BOOKWORM

For a map of locations to pick up the January issue of TulsaPeople – including The Voice – visit TULSAPEOPLE.COM/FIND beginning in January

+ FEATURE S + CELEBRA TIONS + SPECIAL SECTIONS ON THE WE B:

The Voice

New cont TulsaPeople.com will feature tent wee kly!

THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

a

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

okpolicy

LET’S GET FREE

New task force can help balance the scale of Oklahoma’s prison crisis

by DAMION SHADE for OKPOLICY.ORG 8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

C

riminal justice reform is paying dividends in Oklahoma. The single largest commutation in American history happened in November with more than 400 Oklahomans reunited with their families and communities. Additionally, the commutation is estimated to have saved taxpayers $11.9 million. These are significantly positive developments, but they represent first steps in the long journey towards getting Oklahoma’s imprisonment rate closer to the national average.

Building on the state’s recent momentum towards criminal justice reform, Gov. Kevin Stitt this spring created the criminal justice RESTORE Task Force to make recommendations that could be considered during the upcoming legislative session. Through its recommendations and appropriate action by lawmakers, the RESTORE Task Force could bring more justice to the state’s prison system by reducing fines and fees, lowering the impact of cash bail on the poorest Oklahomans, renewing investments in alternatives to incarceration and treatment, and creating a dedicated re-entry system.

A key consideration will be to encourage investments in treatment and alternatives to prison.

This should begin by increasing access to prison diversions like mental health courts, drug courts and other treatments. Increased access to drug treatment is already happening in states like Texas that have invested in more treatment options this decade. Determining drug court access based on evidence-based, best practices would serve far more Oklahomans.

The RESTORE Task Force should also advocate for more mental health funding alongside adequate funding of the State Question 781 fund. By statute, lawmakers were required to take the estimated savings in reduced incarceration costs from recent justice reforms and re-invest those dollars in community mental health care. So far, the Legislature has not funded this reinvestment process.

Our prisons are filled with people suffering from the impacts of trauma and struggling with addiction. The majority of these individuals aren’t receiving the treatment they need in prison, and the waiting lists for public services

in the outside world can be months long. Lawmakers should provide the funding for community mental health services that would help many defendants struggling with addiction to avoid jail in the first place. The task force can help upend the state’s failed investment strategy—prisons over treatment —if they hope to get to the root of Oklahoma’s incarceration crisis.

The RESTORE Task Force should recommend that legislators build on progress from last session and reduce the impact of court fines and fees on the poorest Oklahomans. More than 80 percent of court funding in Oklahoma now comes from fees assessed on criminal defendants who are often unable to pay. Between 2012 and 2018, this court-funding model has led to more than $600 million in delinquent court debt.

In Oklahoma, failing to pay court debt can cost people their driver’s licenses or result in arrest.

The resulting jail stay can cost people their jobs, their homes and even custody of their children.

Arrest warrants due to failure to pay are particularly prevalent in communities of color like North Tulsa, where judges issued more than 20,000 such warrants in 2017.

The RESTORE Task Force should end these modern day debtor’s prisons and ensure equal access to justice regardless of money.

The task force should also recommend that every defendant in each county across the state gets a timely bail hearing with an individualized determination of their ability to pay, along with better investments in supervision and services for those exiting prison.

Oklahoma voters in 2016 sent clear messages by their overwhelming support of reclassifying low-level drug offenses to misdemeanors (SQ 780) and reinvesting resulting savings (SQ 781). The task force must build on these positive efforts and make these criminal justice changes more robust. Hopefully, the governor’s RESTORE Task Force will help advise lawmakers about justice reforms that can build on the positive progress started by voters. a

Damion Shade is a criminal justice analyst with the Oklahoma Policy Institute.

December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

SIMON SAYS

OLD!

IT’S TIME TO DRAW THE LINE. Big Tobacco puts profits over people — and it’s hurting Oklahoma. In our state: - $2 billion is spent on tobacco-related health care costs every year - 1,500 kids become new daily smokers each year - 1 in 6 kids use e-cigarettes

THAT’S By implementing common-sense tobacco policies, we can save Oklahoma from the clutches of Big Tobacco.

Learn how to fight back at

KRISTEN SIMON REALTOR-ASSOCIATE ®

918.520.1207 kristensimon.com

THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

viewsfrom theplains

THE 2019 BAD PENNY AWARDS

Your 11th annual guide to the worst of the year

by BARRY FRIEDMAN

“A bad penny always returns.” — Grandma Sylvia

M

aybe it’s me, but there seemed to be less insanity in Oklahoma in 2019. Any state that still elects Senators Nathan Dahm and Marty Quinn to its legislature will forever have to be monitored and medicated, but things did seem to calm down after the legislature’s first act under new Governor Kevin Stitt: signing a “constitutional carry” gun bill, which, among other things, required all newborns to carry AR-15s before their six-month birthday.

(I kid, of course. It’s a year.)

Speaking of, Stitt ended the year with a 59 percent approval rating, according to a Morning Consult Poll, which shows how effective a governor can be if they have enough money to run the state—and thanks to last year’s targeted tax increases and the courage of those who passed them, he did. Stitt, it should be noted, when running for governor, had neither that courage nor inclination; nevertheless, he got to cut the big bows with the big scissors at functions all over the state and take credit for Oklahoma’s economic turnaround.

But, hey, that’s politics.

In other 2019 developments, recent prison reform measures actually touched the lives of people and Epic Charter Schools continued doing whatever it is Epic Charter Schools has been doing.

With that in mind, this year’s Baddest Bad Penny goes to Epic, in part for its mismanagement of state funds, ‘ghosting’ of students, profiting from state tax dollars, cooking its books, but mostly for its overall pissy-ness, sanctimony, duplicity and mediocrity. Epic, too, reminded us, if such reminders were necessary, that privatizing core government functions is, next to a balanced budget amendment and term limits, the third worst idea in American politics.

Let us now begin the year that was.

10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

THE GHOSTS OF 1921 ARE STILL NEXT DOOR A play, re-creating the massacre of 1921 in North Tulsa and written by Rebecca Marks-Jimerson and Henry Primeaux, called The Resurrection of Black Wall Street, left out mention of the massacre, the two authors said, because they wanted to accentuate the positive and “the entrepreneurial spirit of the people of Greenwood.”

This would be like producing a World War II story, but leaving out mention of the Holocaust.

THEY SEEM NICE. A Tulsa County clerk and her husband, who sang “The Old Rugged Cross” during a cross burning, were outed as white supremacists and members of a Christian identity group. The two reportedly traveled throughout the Southwest, “Preaching, speaking, and entertaining through song.”

And who doesn’t like a group sing of über alles while tearing up during old newsreels of Hitler’s Munich speech? The clerk was not fired, though, for the county’s HR department didn’t have a neo-Nazi dismissal protocol—but she was moved from the Tulsa County Juvenile Court Clerk’s office, which seemed like a damn fine idea.

HE SNAPPED HER BRA, TOO, AND THEN RAN AWAY, GIGGLING. State Sen. Paul Scott apologized to the full Senate for his actions against state Sen. Carrie Hicks, which included hiding her microphone, putting tape under her computer mouse, and dunking her stapler in Jell-O. He didn’t apologize to Hicks, herself, though. Classy, huh?

THIS JOKE HAD A RUN? Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt succeeded in getting merchants at Will Rogers World Airport to stop selling shirts that read “Nothing Tips Like A Cow.” An airport spokesperson said the shirts were “pretty popular” but the joke had “run its course.”

“WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?” Oklahoma has one full-time and one parttime employee for every 131 county and city jails. Said James Joslin, assistant deputy director of protective health services, “Our responsiveness is certainly diminished.”

Imagine a scenario where the part-time employee looks at the full-time employee, while both are held captive by shivcarrying, prisoners, and says, “At least you have health benefits.”

DAMN GOATS Rather than giving the work to a traditional landscaping crew, the City of Bixby brought in goats to Lake Bixhoma to clear the grass and other vegetation along the banks. And in case such workers weren’t already suicidal, the city then brought in donkeys to keep an eye on the goats.

“A lot of people lose their jobs, honey.

Don’t be depressed.”

“Not to livestock they don’t.”

A TRULY OPEN MIND Second District Congressman Markwayne Mullin said in July that he likes that Trump is not always “politically correct” and remains “100 percent behind the president.”

He could carry around and kiss a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump on Muskogee’s Main Street and it wouldn’t cost him any voters.

WILL YOU BE DINING WITH US TONIGHT OR JUST TERRORIZING OUR CUSTOMERS? Don Spencers, president of the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association, said he plans to take legal action against Tulsa Police for not allowing him to bring a handgun into this year’s Oktoberfest. TPD refused because Oktoberfest is not actually considered a “public” gathering and, moreover, felt that loaded guns around copious amounts of German beer is never truly advisable.

AND ALL BUT 17 USE IT TO GET HIGH. According to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, approximately 200 thousand state residents, more than 5 percent of the state’s population, are medical marijuana cardholders. As of September, the program has generated more than $34.5 million.

HATING MEASLES IN THE ABSTRACT An overwhelming majority of Oklahomans, 96 percent, believe vaccines are effective at preventing disease, even while, according to Dr. Larry Bookman, the president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, the state is “at the bottom” when it actually comes to vaccinations rates.

December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

We also believe strongly in gravity and hydration, but feel it’s a personal choice.

2026 UNIVERSITY OF TULSA COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL INCOMING STUDENTS Cyber Criminology Villains in Academia Introduction to Cryptography Winning the War on the Humanities Policy, Regulation, And Globalization in Information Technology The Lie of a Liberal Arts Education Authentication and Security Models TU Football: A History (Attendance at games a requirement)

AND THE MOTHER ROAD WEPT Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) and Sen. Marty Quinn (R-Claremore) filed a bill to create the President Donald J. Trump highway on world famous Route 66.

The bill was pulled after Ken Busby, executive director & CEO of the Route 66 Alliance, drove down to OKC, cornered them outside the Capitol, and said, “I got your kicks right here.”

“WE NEED YOU TO EMPTY YOUR SOCKS, SIR.” William Gangemi, who stole more than a thousand three-toed and western box turtles from Oklahoma and then shipped them to China, pleaded guilty in October.

Authorities said that Gangemi was part of a “broader turtle smuggling scheme” and used candy packages and socks to get the turtles out of the state.

Damn Chinese. First they perpetuate the great climate hoax and now they’re stealing our best turtles.

MATH IS HARD District Judge Thad Balkman reduced the financial penalty Johnson & Johnson had to pay for its role in the opioid crisis because of a math error. He originally set aside $107,683,000 to help combat neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, but when checking his work actually meant the award to be $107,683.

I think Balkman was in charge of my last Sprint bill.

“BUT THE OTHER 11 ARE KICK-ASS SCROLLS—TRUST US” The Museum of the Bible, brought to us by friends of child-bearing women everywhere, Hobby Lobby’s Green family, announced in October that five of the 16 Dead Sea Scroll fragments it had on display were apparently bogus.

The museum replaced the original microfilm Bible with one that was donated by an Oklahoma woman who wrote a book about the Apollo Prayer League, which arranged for Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell to carry tiny Bibles to the moon. We know for sure that one on display right now went to the moon, but we could not verify for sure that the one we had originally on display had gone to the moon,” museum spokeswoman Heather Cirmo said. “We couldn’t disprove it, it just wasn’t certain.”

OVERHEARD: “I’m embarrassed to ask this: What the hell is BMX anyway?”

HOW DO YOU FIGHT BERSERK RIGHT-WING MILITIA GROUPS? WITH BERSERKER ONES. Christopher Benvie, of Minnesota, was arrested in Guthrie for impersonating a Border Patrol official, being in possession of a stolen vehicle and extorting money.

Benvie, a former spokesperson for the batshit crazy United Constitutional Patriots, was at the time of his arrest, the spokesperson for a splinter group called—are you ready?—the Guardian Patriots, which, presumably, were no longer united but still very much batshit crazy.

OVER/UNDER +/- 27 The percentage GT Bynum’s opponent, if he even has one, will lose to him in the 2020 election. a

ON A PERSONAL NOTE This will be my final Views From The Plains column, which works out well, as this will also be the last stand-alone print issue of The Tulsa Voice. One simply cannot do this type of column without editors who don’t mind taking a stick to all (and to all those) that need swatting. To that end, thanks to Matt, Natasha, Matt (again), Molly, Josh, Liz, and Jezy for their backbone, support, good words, and putting up with my 12,874 hyperlinks every column. A special hat tip to Jim Langdon, the publisher, who told his staff 12 years ago, upon first hiring me, “I want Barry to write whatever he wants to write.”

Better words a writer will not hear.

To you, my readers, both here and online, for all your support and shared outrage, thank you. I leave you with perhaps my favorite quote on matters of solidarity—and one I have used before. It comes from Pete Seeger, folksinger and activist, who was once asked whether he thought he made a difference.

“I don’t know,” he said. “But I do know that I’ve met the good people, people with live hearts, live eyes and live minds.”

That’s you.

THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11

community

T

he past 12 months of headlines in Oklahoma have dipped between hopeful and horrifying, and next year will bring more of the same.

From policing reform to medical cannabis regulations and all points in between, news in the Sooner State has a habit of not sitting still for too long. Here are a few stories we paid attention to in 2019 that will be worth watching closely in the year ahead.

NEWS

NEWS

MEDICAID EXPANSION / SQ 802 More than 600,000 Oklahomans live without health insurance, caught on the wrong side of the razor’s edge between poverty and a bad diagnosis. Since passage of the Affordable Care Act, Oklahoma has turned away an estimated $3.6 billion in federal funding that would expand state Medicaid programs like SoonerCare. Leaving that money on the table, while rural hospitals close their doors and people go without care, is one of the great moral failures of our moment.

In April, we introduced readers to Michele Eccleson, a cancer survivor who suffers from scoliosis and a heart condition.

She spoke with TTV editor Jezy J. Gray during a rally to expand Medicaid at the state capitol in Oklahoma City: “I went without insurance, and my family lost everything because of it,” she said. “I’m lucky enough to have [coverage] now, but I don’t want to see any other family go through what mine went through.”

Seven months and more than 3,000 signatures later, Medicaid expansion will be on the ballot in 2020. State Question 802 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to expand SoonerCare to low-income, non-elderly adults who earn up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. To help you stay up to date on the ballot initiative, our friends at the Oklahoma Policy Institute have put together an indispensable resource page at their website, okpolicy.org.

12 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

NEWS

NEWS

2020 VISION The news stories to watch next year

by TTV STAFF

UNIVERSITY OF TULSA CHANGES We came down pretty hard on TU this year for the top-down “restructuring” that eliminated and consolidated humanities, natural science and performing arts programs at our city’s beloved flagship university. For reference, see Barry Friedman’s back-toback columns on the topic: “Identity crisis” and “Revolution by template,” along with Fraser Kastner’s look at how the cuts are affecting graduate programs (“Stifled scholars”) and Mason Whitehorn Powell’s close reading of the Provost Program Review Committee report (“‘Hightouch,’ or out of touch?”)

On Nov. 13, university faculty registered “no confidence” in the president and provost during a referendum vote on the adminis-

Nicole McAfee with ACLU of Oklahoma gave us a critical look at Oklahoma’s cash bail system (“Cashed out”); Deon Osborne talked to the folks at Open Justice Oklahoma about retroactive cannabis reform (“Free the weed, free the people”); and our friends at the Oklahoma Policy Institute gave us regular updates on everything from parole reform to plea bargains. As Oklahoma strives toward becoming a “Top 10” state, this will be an essential barometer to watch.

tration. Where TU goes from here is anybody’s guess, but it’s clear the university’s maneuvering has struck a nerve among its faculty and students. As the TU-affi liated Bob Dylan Center takes up its home in the Arts District, a powerful case for the arts, sizeable impact on local economies, those concerned with Tulsa’s cultural health should keep a close eye on developments at the university in the following year.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM You can’t tell the story of Oklahoma without talking about its prisons. Mary Noble served up a stunner of a cover story for us in March, detailing one woman’s struggle for justice in our draconian criminal justice system (“Woman erased”).

NEWS

1921 CENTENNIAL Next year begins the march toward the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. As more and more people around the world learn about this horrific page in our history, there are a few questions local readers should keep in mind. Who’s calling the shots, and who’s shaping the narrative?

Our coverage of the events of 1921 began this year with a bombshell feature by Russell Cobb (“No apology”) on the role played

by Tulsa Tribune editor Richard Lloyd Jones in stoking white grievances ahead of the invasion.

Mary Noble looked at today’s thriving black-owned businesses in Greenwood (“Black business guide”); Kristi Eaton introduced readers to the new online 1921 curriculum from the John Hope Franklin Center (“Knowledge is power”); and Rowan Waller unpacked the city’s search for mass graves in her beautiful poem, “Archeology of Race.”

The next year will likely bring even more national and international attention to the Massacre and its fallout. Local black-owned media outlets like the Black Wall Street Times and New Tulsa Star will be indispensable resources for readers looking for knowledgeable, street-level accounts of the problems, possibilities and day-to-day developments surrounding the commemoration of the most devastating episode of mass racial violence in American history. a December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

statewide

environment

LEGISLATIVE LIFELINES Four new state bills could increase domestic violence penalties

by CYDNEY BARON

Norman Hutcherson, a quality control sorter at Tulsa Recycle & Transfer, separates trash from recyclables on a conveyer belt at the facility in this December 2015 photo. | CORY YOUNG/TULSA WORLD

SEASON’S GREEN-INGS

Recycling your holiday trash in Tulsa ONE IN FOUR OKLAHOMA WOMEN IS A victim of domestic violence at some point in her life. With this staggering statistic in mind, Sen. Rob Standridge (R-Norman) filed new legislation on Dec. 2 aimed at protecting victims and tightening sentences for offenders.

Standridge filed a total of four bills in recent weeks. The leading act of the domestic violence package, SB 1103, cracks down on strangulation and attempted strangulation. Strangulation victims are 750 percent more likely to be killed than victims who have never been strangled, according to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention.

The bill removes the mandatory minimum prison sentence of one year and increases the maximum sentence from three to 10 years, and it increases the maximum fine from $3,000 to $5,000. For a second offense, SB 1103 removes the minimum sentence of three years and increases the maximum sentence from 10 to 20 years of imprisonment.

“Strangulation has an extreme impact on a person. It takes very little pressure on an esophagus to create a crisis situation,” said Donna Grabow, executive director of Safenet Services, a northeast Oklahoma domestic violence advocacy center in Claremore. “I’m glad to see legislation taking the threat seriously.”

Additionally, SB 1105 added domestic assault and battery that results in great bodily injury to the list of “85 percent THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

crimes,” which requires offenders to serve 85 percent of their sentences before receiving consideration for parole. The state’s provision requiring a person convicted on this charge to be sentenced up to one year in a county jail was removed. Instead it stipulates that a person convicted of this crime shall be sentenced up to 10 years in prison. It also categorizes domestic assault and battery that results in great bodily injury to the victim as a violent crime, and SB 1104 added domestic assault and battery against a known pregnant woman that causes a miscarriage to the list of 85 percent crimes.

SB 1102 authorizes district attorneys to refer persons accused of domestic abuse or assault to a deferred prosecution program, which requires the accused abuser to attend an attorney general-certified Batterer’s Intervention Program or other certified treatment program. The accused would be required to participate in the counseling or treatment for a minimum of 90 days and couldn’t live with the victim or have any contact with them or their family.

“We must send the message that domestic assault will not be tolerated in Oklahoma,” Standridge said in a press release. “We must do a better job to protect the victims of these crimes and hold those who commit them accountable for their actions.”

If the Legislature passes the bills, the new laws will go into effect Nov. 1, 2020. a

by CYDNEY BARON THE AFTERMATH OF HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS is an all-too familiar scene. The once mysterious and orderly gift pile has been devoured. Bright colorful paper torn and scattered everywhere. Decorative bags discarded among sparkly bows and metallic gift tags.

Now it’s time for cleanup. But before you toss the ghost of Christmas past into your blue recycling bin, the crew at Tulsa Metropolitan Environmental Trust (M.e.t.) wants to remind folks some festive items cannot be recycled. For starters, those bright colored papers.

Many gift bags and types of wrapping paper contain plastic or other non-recyclable components, which means they can’t be broken down in the recycling process, according to the M.e.t. website. Ribbons and bows also are not recyclable and may get tangled in the processing equipment.

Christmas lights do, too, so don’t even think about blue-carting those. The site also reminds Tulsans to “put all items loose in your curbside cart” rather than collecting recycling in plastic bags.

Still, there is so much you can recycle, said Graham Brannin, Tulsa M.e.t.’s executive director.

“It’s not all nos. Around the holidays there is a ton of cardboard, and [that] is extremely recyclable, it just needs to be flattened. Really, it’s a shame not to recycle cardboard and paperboard,” he said. “Also, people replace batteries like crazy around

the holidays—and the M.e.t. is great with batteries, we take all kinds.”

When it comes to e-waste, Brannin said the rule of thumb is if it is battery operated or plugs in and weighs less than 50-pounds, the M.e.t. will take it.

“And this time of year there’s also an increase in bottles, jars and cans,” Brannin said. “When it comes to those from food and beverage, I tell people to remove the ‘yuck’ factor … the food particles, pour out the liquids, that kind of thing,” he said.

“Think about the human that will have to handle the item in a few days. Ask yourself if you would want to handle the item and if your answer is, ‘No, that’s gross,’ either remove the gross, or throw it in the trash.

It’s a good rule of thumb.” Brannin also noted the M.e.t. recycles fryer oil.

The City of Tulsa has also issued reminders of a few more seasonal items that are on the no-go list: tinsel; bulbs and ornaments; textiles like tree skirts, stockings and clothing; ceramic items; electronics; and artificial or live Christmas trees.

Those opting to deck their halls with a live tree have a few disposal options. In December and January, you can set trees on the curb with your bins on your regular collection day. Remove all decorations and cut trees into 4-foot sections so they can fit into the truck. Another option is taking the tree to the City’s mulch site, 2100 N. 145th East Ave. Just be sure all lights and ornaments have been removed. a NEWS & COMMENTARY // 13

cannaculture

G

reen country got a little greener with the passage of SQ 788, which made marijuana legal to sell for medicinal purposes. The first Oklahoma dispensaries opened in November 2018 and have since cropped up on every corner like an invasive species. Though legal at the state level, the stigma remains, and the perception of what a weed dispensary experience might be like is often likened to a gritty tattoo shop or a biker bar, when in actuality, most dispensaries are more like a hybrid of a high-end makeup counter and an Apple store.

Many license holders may have never purchased or experienced marijuana in their lives, so purchasing a still-federally-illegal substance can be anxiety-inducing for some. Trying to weed through the barrage of options only adds to the paranoia. So, consider this your guide to demystify the dispensary by giving medical marijuana patients an idea about what to expect—options and products that are available—along with a few pro tips.

Every product sold in a dispensary is subject to lab testing, which determines the exact percentages of THC, CBD, etc. However, it’s important to note the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) does not yet have regulations for how the products are tested, so testing quality can vary. A good dispensary will be a repository of educational materials with knowledgeable budtenders who can explain the finer points of medicating with marijuana. For example, if you have pain but still need to remain sharp and active during the day, there’s a strain for that. Or if you suffer from insomnia and want to be knocked out, there is definitely a strain for that.

Seed Cannabis Co. is an excellent operation focused on educating their patients. Their two locations have bright showrooms featuring glass cases lined with small glass jars containing the flower available for sale, along 14 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

A budtender at Seed Cannabis Co., 623 S. Peoria Ave., helps a patient at the counter. | ADAM MURPHY

Don’t fear the reefer Demystifying dispensaries for the new cannabis patient

by ANGELA EVANS with corresponding information.

You can inspect and sniff the merchandise before making your final decisions at the front counter.

They also have other non-flower products on display, like edibles and tinctures.

Seed’s first location at 623 S. Peoria Ave. opened this summer, and a new location just sprouted up at 4209 S. Sheridan Ave. The sleek exterior and upscale branding has made it more approachable for new marijuana license holders, supervisor Brittany Thomas said.

“A lot of our patients are first-timers, tend to be a little older, and are definitely nervous when they come in,” Thomas said.

“I like to take it step by step to let them know that someone is there with them and, if they have any questions, they know they can always lean back on you.”

With hundreds of strains and dozens of products to choose from, it can be overwhelming for even the most well-versed

cannabis connoisseur let alone a newbie. Seed’s color-coding system takes the some of the guesswork out of choosing a product. The dispensary categorizes weed by effects—purple labels for sleep, green labels for relaxation, blue for pain relief and orange for stimulation.

“This is a great way to help break it down,” Thomas said. “We can help simplify from there and really dial in the desired effects.”

Because the combinations of THC and terpenes are infinite, medicating with marijuana can be highly personalized, and it’s not one size fits all.

“I tell my patients to think about what they want relief from the most and base your terpene and cannabinoid profi les around that, and that’s where you’ll find your highest relief from,” Thomas said. “It’s not going to be the indica or sativa, or highest THC count. You’ll need to find your body’s perfect match and … budtenders are here to help.”

One downtown coffee shop has not only added a dispensary, but also a special area for patients to medicate onsite. Bradley Garcia, owner of Gypsy Coffee House & Cyber Café was a pioneer when he opened his coffee shop downtown long before it was cool. Now, he has partnered with a local dispensary, Eufloria, to create a cannabis café combined with a 24/7 dispensary.

“I’m a cannabis advocate and have been my entire life,” Garcia said. “I’ve seen how it positively affects people. I mean, I didn’t jump into [the business] like everyone else. I waited. And the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The petite dispensary may not have the largest selection of flower, but it has every type of marijuana product a patient might desire—pre-roll joints, budders, topicals, tinctures, and they are adding new products regularly.

Though the coffee shop is not open 24/7, the dispensary is.

Simply show your ID through the glass window to be buzzed in. So far, patients have appreciated the extended hours.

“We are trying to cater to the service people and the hotels, casinos, bars, etc., and the word is getting out,” Garcia said.

“Walgreen’s and CVS stay open 24 hours, why shouldn’t medical dispensaries?”

The patient patio is a lovely outdoor space well-protected from the coffee shop’s other spaces, which alleviates the concern for second-hand sniffs. The patio has comfortable seating, heaters to combat cold temps and a lovely view of downtown. So, you can walk in, purchase a cappuccino and a donut from the coffee shop, then purchase a joint from the dispensary, and enjoy it all on the patio. It doesn’t feel legal … but it is.

“I was having breakfast this morning, and a police officer was sitting next to me at a table, and here we are selling cannabis 35 feet away, people are smoking out in the wide open. I’m still wrapping my head around that, but it feels good,” Garcia said. a December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

Visit Dog Dish soon for the best selection of Dog Treats!

1778 UTICA SQUARE 918-624-2600 OPEN MONDAY-SATURDAY, 10-6 OPEN SUNDAY DECEMBER 22, 12-5 THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 15

foodfile

Empire state of mind Tulsa native brings OKC-based pizza joint to Tulsa

by GREG HORTON

S

ometime in mid-February, Tulsans are going to get their first taste of Empire Slice House, the Oklahoma Citybased pizza concept created by Jenks High School alum Rachel Cope. Her umbrella company, 84 Hospitality, has leased the space formerly occupied by Yeti at 417 N. Main Street, and she said a late-winter opening is the most likely scenario.

“We’ve had some ‘old building’ problems, but we’re hopeful for the week of Feb. 10 or the following week,” Cope said. “I’m excited to finally get into Tulsa.

My mother and brother still live there, and I never really got to experience it as an adult.”

Cope graduated from Jenks HS in 2003, and left for Pittsburgh State on a softball scholarship. The standout athlete, a natural short stop who refused to enjoy basketball because of “all the running,” made her way to Oklahoma City University, where she would help the team secure a national championship and herself a Golden Glove. She stayed in Oklahoma City after graduation, working in the food service industry until she opened Empire Slice House in the Plaza District in 2013.

The pizza-by-the-slice joint would be the first of what are now six concepts, with a seventh— Burger Punk—planned for OKC in 2020. Empire is the brand that built her reputation, though, and it has developed a fan base all over the state. In fact, the Tulsa deal came about because of a Facebook message from a fan.

“I’ve been thinking about coming back home with the businesses for years, and I’ve been watching Tulsa grow so much and do so well, and that made me want to be here even more,” she

16 // FOOD & DRINK

Founder Rachel Cope enjoys a slice of Empire Slice House pizza. Empire will take over the old Yeti space at 417 N. Main St. | CHRIS NGUYEN

said. “Out of nowhere, I got a message on Facebook telling me to look into the old Yeti location.”

Cope, true to her athletic nature, is a “we can do this” type thinker, who develops plans and attracts talented people because she provides opportunity for growth, rewards hard work, encourages creative thinking and fosters an environment of equality and equal opportunity for everyone. That’s not PR talk; it’s really who she is. When she heard about sexual harassment issues at other restaurants in OKC, she put out the word that any female employee who didn’t feel safe at those concepts had a job waiting

at an 84 Hospitality restaurant.

She didn’t check to see if there were openings; she just told the team they’d make it work.

Cope does make things work.

Her rapid growth has led to speaking opportunities, national press attention and an abundance of OKC’s most talented hospitality professionals flocking to her brand. Two of those, Rachel Ferren and Keifer Truett, will be part of the opening team at Empire Tulsa. Ferren is an area manager for Cope, and Truett is the newly hired GM. Most of the other 60+ employees on the opening day staff will come from the Tulsa metro.

Easy E Slice Shop, the “to-go” addition of Empire OKC, opened in 2017, but Cope does not foresee the need for that in Tulsa. “We had the space at the new location to contain all to-go operations inside the building,” she said. “It will be a distinct part of the operation, but it’ll be under one roof.”

The Empire model is very straightforward, and the menu—a duplicate of the OKC menu—is simple: pizza by the slice, whole pies, four appetizers and three salads. A lunch special is a daily slice with salad and drink, and the daily slices, of which there are six, always include a cheese and vegetarian option. Slices are $3.75, and that price point is perfect to attract a young and hungry following, especially when you factor in that a slice is about a quarter to a fifth of a 20-inch pie. Add a beer, and you have a meal.

Empire focuses on local beers, too, as part of a full-bar program. The only difference between the Tulsa and OKC locations will be the beer list, where Cope aims to highlight Tulsa’s burgeoning beer scene.

“I love what they’re doing at American Solera and Heirloom,” she said. “We’ll have a bunch of Tulsa taps, and we’ll bring some of our favorites from OKC. I’m always going to support Anthem, because they supported us from the beginning, and I want my Tulsa friends to try Stonecloud and other excellent OKC beers.”

The excitement in her voice is real. It’s another thing she has that people are drawn to: an irrepressible dynamic energy combined with that “we can do this” attitude. She’s excited about coming home, and she’s hopeful that Tulsa will welcome her back with the same enthusiasm. a December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

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STAY IN! There are plenty of ways to stay active — and stay warm.

1.

2.

Use household equipment, like cans or detergent bottles as dumbbells and chairs for dips.

Stop, drop everything and dance!

Put on some upbeat music and get active as a family!

3.

Make a healthy meal together.

It’s the perfect season to show your slow cooker some love.

Find more winter activities and recipes at

THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

FOOD & DRINK // 17

A

s 2019 takes a bow and ushers in 2020, let’s take a moment to recognize just how dynamic Tulsa’s restaurant world is. We gained oodles of noodles, captured the attention of the national media, and have vibrant cadre of eateries slated to open in the coming year. Here are the restaurants and concepts that made their debut and stole our hearts, some that departed and broke our hearts and some new places that are sure to delight.

Cheers to the next delicious decade in T-Town!

citybites

Prossimo | GREG BOLLINGER

Tulsa tastemakers The year in food

by ANGELA EVANS

The Chamber | MICHELLE POLLARD

MOTHER ROAD MARKET Tulsa’s first full-scale food hall may have opened its doors in November of 2018, but 2019 is when it really hit its stride. The purveyors of the super-spicy Nashville hot chicken at Chicken & The Wolf were pioneers in the space, but many other players have been added to the line-up this year. Howdy Burger is a McNellie’s concept that joined the roster this year and features old style burgers made with locally-sourced wagyu beef. More new concepts are coming online in 2020—Akira Sushi & Ramen will be adding some raw energy, while Da Yolk will be throwin’ down some dank brunch foods.

Mother Road will be saying goodbye to Bakeshop, who was there from the beginning. We also said a goodbye to Chef Seth Smith too soon when he passed away. Smith was a beloved local chef and the genius behind the Mother Road modern Mediterranean restaurant concept, Radish.

LOTSA PASTA Tulsa loves to canoodle over a big plate of noodles, and two big league restaurants came to our rescue in 2019. Prossimo is an authentic Italian restaurant experience produced by pizza juggernauts at Andolini’s. The menu has more than pasta, of course, but the tableside Alfredo adds some serious sizzle to the experience.

Lowood took up residence in the East Village and is powered by the dream team behind Hodge’s Bend. The modern American restaurant “with a suspiciously large pasta menu” is a blend of tradition with an avant garde sensibility, and is possibly one of the

18 // FOOD & DRINK

best new restaurants to hit Tulsa this year.

GET THEE TO CHURCH The historic Church Studio— sacred ground of the Tulsa Sound—is getting a facelift, and the little neighborhood surrounding it is following suit. This year, we gained some new faces to the area. The Swamp House is a Louisiana-influenced experience with Creole fare and a rustic feel. High Dive is a concept by Foolish Biscuit & Bar, which boasts a Korean street food fusion menu and cocktails in a brightly-hued space. Right next door, Mangos is serving up Cuban flair with its food and coffees in a sunny, airy café.

DESTINATION DINING A couple of new entrants this year are restaurants within existing attractions. Gathering Place, Tulsa’s own Disneyland, now includes a fine dining experience with The Boathouse. So if you want to forgo your picnic PB&J for a fi let, Vista at The Boathouse has breathtaking views of the park and a mouth-watering menu.

The Tulsa Club hotel opening was one of the most anticipated of the year. The resplendent hotel includes a decadent cocktail lounge, and its restaurant, The Chamber, is an upscale but not pretentious respite.

TULSA FAVORITES GLOW UP It seems that 2019 was the year many restaurants decided it was time to ‘have a little work done.’

The McNellie’s Group gave The Tavern and McNellie’s a little facelift that both their customers and employees can appreciate.

Justin Thompson Group’s steakhouse concept, PRHYME, also made some changes to its space in the Arts District, while Tucci’s on Cherry Street not only received some renovations, but gained itself a new owner. DoubleShot Coffee’s sexy new spot, dubbed The Rookery, is an architectural dreamboat, a two-story space with a patio that is the happy new haunt for business and leisure. And the historic Bill & Ruth’s at 15th Street and Lewis Avenue has a new location a little down the street, and a new look which everyone loves; but fewer people are as enthusiastic about the QuikTrip December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

that will be taking its old location in the traffic cone quagmire at 15th Street and Lewis Avenue.

One of the most intriguing renovations and ownership shakeups involves a Tulsa icon, The Celebrity Restaurant. This historic restaurant is now owned and operated by Three Sirens, proprietresses of Bramble Breakfast & Bar and Bird & Bottle. The renovations kept the charm while addressing deferred maintenance, and guests can still find favorites like the table-side Caesar and pan fried chicken on the menu.

GAS STATION GRUB Tulsans are obsessed with QuikTrip because it not only provides fuel your car, but also exotic meals called “snackles.” But they are getting a run for their money from another gas station upstart.

Reeder’s Auto & Tire Service on 21st Street and Lewis Avenue is one of the few spots left that offers full-service fi ll ups, and now, they are fi lled up with local eats. You can find sushi from In the Raw, vegan snacks from Jane’s Delicatessen, sandwiches and pimento cheese from Antoinette, boutique sodas, Topeca Coffee, and an ever-changing selection of locally-made delights. Oh, and they also have incredible deals on tires. Your move, QT. TULSA CUISINE GOES NATIONAL Tulsa food has been in the national spotlight over this year, finally getting the attention it deserves.

The Boston Globe described Tulsa as being “in the throes of a dining renaissance,” showering compliments upon Oren, Stonehorse Café, Juniper, Bird & Bottle, and Amelia’s. Amelia’s also received a glowing write-up in Food & Wine Magazine. Even Forbes Magazine couldn’t help but notice Tulsa as the home to can’t-miss “bites and brews,” like Lone Wolf Bahn Mi, Heirloom Rustic Ales and Burn Co. BBQ. A surprising twist for our carnivorous town was being ranked

by PETA as one of the country’s best cities for vegans. Incredulous Tulsans should know that our city is home to some outstanding restaurants that specialize and take pride in their vegan options. Libby Billings has been the vanguard of removing the THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

High Dive | GREG BOLLINGER

Mangos | MICHELLE POLLARD

Howdy Burger | MICHELLE POLLARD

The Boathouse | MICHELLE POLLARD

stigma from the vegan lifestyle at her three restaurants, Elote, The Vault and Roppongi, while PURE Food & Juice was also recognized for its top-notch raw and vegan cuisine. Newcomer to the Deco District this year, The Local Bison, is also producing some outstanding vegan and vegetarian fare, right alongside their big ass burgers. Naysayers can’t help but notice that on menus across the city, more and more options are available for their herbivore counterparts.

PIZZA SWAP We were sad to see New York style pizzeria, Mario’s, close its doors, but there are others who are taking up the mantle. First, we have Dino’s Pizza Pies, a humble but mighty traditional NY style by-theslice joint located at 17th Street and Utica Avenue. Also coming soon is

an Oklahoma City export, Empire Slice House. Their approach to NY style pizza is like “Frank Sinatra and David Bowie had a pizza baby.” The eclectic newcomer will take up residence in the old Yeti space near Soundpony Bar. Read more on page 16.

COMING SOON Downtowners have been watching as the Vast Bank high rise takes shape. The building will be home to a new In the Raw location, along with a new iteration of The French Hen. The Living Kitchen is best known for its quaint and cozy farm-to-table dinners hosted at its farm in Depew, OK, but soon, they will be showcasing their unique approach to dining by taking over the old Vintage Wine Bar space at 18th Street and Boston Avenue.

Amelia’s has also taken over a space that was previously Hey Mambo, and has transformed it to Amelia’s Market & Brasserie, set to open in December.

The concept will be one part market, stocked with sandwiches, dinner-to-go options along with other delights, and one part French brasserie, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with signature Amelia’s flair.

FOND FAREWELLS This year, we said goodbye to food truck and biergarten wonderland, Fuel 66. Cosmo Café also shut its doors, leaving hordes of fans to mourn their roasted tomato soup and ridiculously-sized Bloody Mary’s. Coffee House Blues was a short-lived but lovely outpost along Studio Row, and Mario’s white pizza will always have a place in our hearts. a FOOD & DRINK // 19

MANGOS CUBAN CAFE

JOJO RABBIT

ORVILLE PECK

I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE

VOICE’S CHOICES TTV STAFF PICKS BEST (AND WORST) OF 2019

GEORGIA BROOKS,

graphic designer

BEST BOOK: Complications

by Atul Gawande I finished this book in one day. My favorite chapter was about a specialized hernia hospital. It sounds boring but it’s actually awesome.

BEST ALBUM: Erotic Reruns by Yeasayer Truthfully, this is the only new album I listened to. That’s the power of Yeasayer though: making someone who hates albums curious enough to listen to nine new tracks in a row. And even the songs I originally disliked are somehow always stuck in my head.

BEST SONG: “Marian” by Empty Country This song makes me feel like a melancholy yet hopeful teenager.

BEST TV SHOW: This Way Up There’s only six episodes, but it’s the best of all the small, quirky shows on right now.

I beg everyone to watch it so it can get renewed for another season.

BEST MOVIE: My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) I saw zero new movies this year. Instead I revisited 1995-1999. I hadn’t seen My Best Friend’s Wedding in 20 years and it is so darn good. Julia and Cameron are perfect and Rupert Everett is so far beyond perfect there is no word to describe him. He should have been in 1,000 movies.

BEST LIVE SHOW: Hanson’s String Theory concert at the PAC I take this opportunity to pronounce that “MmmBop” is one of the best pop songs of all time. I was worried that it might lose its magic with an orchestra, but that was 20 // FEATURED

silly: everything is epic with an orchestra!

Shout out to my friend Annie for inviting me. I might have missed it if not for her pure, Hanson-loving heart.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT: Mangos Cuban Cafe It’s my home away from home.

HOPES FOR TULSA IN 2020 AND THE DECADE TO COME: Building smart I hope developers and city planners can plan thoughtfully and not just steamroll all old buildings to make way for big, shiny boxes.

KYRA BRUCE,

digital editor BEST MOVIE: Parasite (dir. Bong Joon-ho) How could I not say Parasite? Such an edge-of-your-seat, hilarious, terrifying, wonderful movie that I’ve been talking about for weeks and weeks.

BEST TV SHOW: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson I have re-watched it about five times and forced all of my friends to watch it. There is a special bond between friends who have seen this show that allows them to yell things like “worms are their money” and “look out Scrooge, it’s a Bone Mamma” to each other and laugh for 20 minutes.

BEST LIVE SHOW: Cherry Glazerr at Cain’s Ballroom I photographed Cherry Glazerr at Record Bar in Kansas City for KOSU earlier in the year when I was interning there. By “photograph” I mean I took as many pictures as I could during the first two songs and put my camera the hell away to free up

space for dancing and scream-singing to my absolute favorite band. Seeing them a second time at Cain’s was extra special.

BEST PODCAST: The Bechdel Cast Anyone of my friends will tell you I have pestered them time and time again to listen to The Bechdel Cast. The podcast breaks down popular movies through a feminist lens using the Bechdel test as a guide. To pass the Bechdel test, two female identifying characters in a movie have to speak to each other about something other than a man for only two lines of dialogue. Spoiler alert, the entire Lord of the Rings franchise never passes.

BEST ALBUM: Pony by Orville Peck Orville Peck’s debut album Pony has sucked me into an obsession I haven’t known since I was 12 and using all of my available brain power to think about Justin Bieber. I’m getting flushed just thinking about that masked queer cowboy. Truly the hero we deserve.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT: Local Bison Since my dear friend Olivia told me about Local Bison earlier in the year, I have been there probably once a week. The buffalo cauliflower flatbread on a hoagie bun is the best sandwich I’ve ever had and I think of it every day. Hear my plea, Local Bison chefs, bring it back!

HOPES FOR TULSA IN THE NEW DECADE: The Next Tulsa I hope that Tulsa finally becomes the “next Tulsa” like all the bumper stickers say. We have something so special and unique here and it’s a matter of time before the rest of the world sees it. I also hope that all of my incredible artist friends get the credit, praise, and most importantly, money that they deserve!

FAVORITE TTV STORY OF 2019: “Invisible hands: Working without papers in Tulsa” by Jessica Vazquez (Oct. B issue) The story is a beautiful and touching illustration of an issue that has become so detached from the human lives it affects.

I think if every person in America read this story we would be kinder to one another.

Definitely my pick to send your conservative family members who have trouble understanding the human beings who are affected by their politics.

MADELINE CRAWFORD,

creative director

BEST ART EXHIBIT: Back Gallery’s Sixth Annual Portrait Show at Cameron Studios Local artists randomly draw names of each other and then create portraits. It was inspiring to see a variety of community talent and so many styles in one place.

BEST LIVE SHOW: The 1975 at the BOK Center Thanks, The Edge and America’s Car-Mart!

BEST TV SHOW: Peaky Blinders BEST NEW RESTAURANT OR BAR: Mangos Cuban Cafe Everything is so delicious, especially the tostones. The space has great energy and excellent live music so you can dance in your chair while you eat.

BEST MOMENT FOR TULSA OVER THE LAST DECADE: The magic of Gathering Place

December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

BLAYKLEE FREED,

editor

BEST BOOK: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair I only read old books this year, but I could make a case for The Jungle being the best book of 2019 because of how relevant the message is more than a century later. It’s almost like we’ve made a full circle.

BEST MOVIE: Jojo Rabbit (dir. Taika Waititi) Stellar performances helped this dark comedy strike perfect balance of funny and gut-punching honesty.

BEST TV SHOW: Killing Eve The main characters in this cat-andmouse thriller are reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling and channel big queer energy, too. Created

by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose other show, Fleabag, is a close second for this category.

BEST ART EXHIBIT: The Conciliation Series at Black Wall Street Gallery This ongoing installation brought together two artists, one black and one white, to tell stories through art.

BEST PODCAST: Science Friday Tried and true, this is my go-to podcast.

It’s becoming increasingly relevant as the planet boils, which they talk about frequently, but they talk about fun stuff too.

Newbies, try the July 26 episode about the science of ice cream and the evolution of digital language in texts and memes.

BEST ALBUM: Cuz I Love You by Lizzo Beyond its playability front to back, Lizzo’s debut album is the marker for a new cultural era. Strong, unapologetically black and unashamed to be herself, Lizzo has earned her status as a new icon.

BEST SONG: “Bezerk” (ft. A$AP Ferg, Hit-Boy) by Big Sean Big Sean’s single with A$AP Ferg and HitBoy absolutely slaps, bringing the best of the East and West coasts together.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT OR BAR: Local Bison It’s nice to see restaurants arriving in downtown Tulsa that are open for dinner.

Local Bison has great options for vegetarians and vegans, including their delectable meatless burger—try it Local Style!

BEST MOMENT FOR TULSA OVER THE LAST DECADE: Gathering Place The Gathering Place opening, hands down.

Oklahoma makes the news for negative things all the time, so it’s nice to have an internationally-acclaimed park putting Tulsa on the map.

THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

WORST MOMENT FOR TULSA OVER THE LAST DECADE: 287(g) Detaining immigrant neighbors at the jail as part of Tulsa County’s 287(g) contract with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

HOPES FOR TULSA IN 2020 AND THE DECADE TO COME: Smart infrastructure I hope Tulsa continues to install bike and pedestrian infrastructure beyond downtown to all corners of the city and develop its public transit system.

FAVORITE TTV STORY OF 2019: “Living thing: Making art at the end of the world,”

by Jezy J. Gray (Oct. A issue)

JEZY J. GRAY,

editor

BEST BOOK: On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein Few write with the moral clarity and courage of Naomi Klein. Her latest is a collection of essays on the climate crisis written over the past decade, with reports spanning from the decimated Great Barrier Reef to post-hurricane Puerto Rico.

On Fire is an urgent and elegant case for recognizing the severity of the climate crisis and dismantling the very economic system that produced it: “We are surrounded both by ancestors whispering that we can do what our moment demands just as they did, and by future generations shouting that they deserve nothing less.”

BEST ALBUM: Lofi Hip-Hop Beats to Relax/ Study To by Various Artists A lot of incredible albums dropped this year: Big Thief’s U.F.O.F. / Two Hands, Angel Olsen’s All Mirrors and Bill Callahan’s Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest all grabbed me in different, meaningful ways. But I would be lying if I said I listened to anything more than the cult YouTube easy-listening livestream, Lofi Hip-Hop Beats to Relax/Study To. Say what you will about algorithm music culture and the rise general vibing over close listening. There’s a reason this infinitely-looped anime clip of a young girl studying with her cat has millions of devoted followers. “If you recognize this girl,” the meme goes, “you’re either being productive, being unproductive, or going through some shit.”

BEST SONG: “All My Happiness Is Gone”

by Purple Mountains This year we lost David Berman, one of the greatest songwriters and poets of our generation, who died by suicide at age 52. The former Silver Jews frontman left behind an incredible album under a new moniker, Purple Mountains, which includes this painful and perfect song.

If you need help, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

BEST MOVIE: Parasite (dir. Bong Joon-ho) Part Home Alone, part Karl Marx, Joon-ho’s Parasite is a bonafide asskicker of a movie with a whole lot to say. “Respect!”

BEST TV SHOW: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson I bet my former editor three months’ salary if they could watch I Think You Should Leave without laughing out loud once during every sketch. My personal favorites: “Santa Came Early,” “Bozo Dubbed Over” and “Gift Receipt.”

BEST CONCERT: Death Grips at Cain’s Ballroom 60 minutes. No banter. No opener. Perfect show.

BEST MOMENT FOR TULSA OVER THE LAST DECADE: Public reckonings The rise in awareness and public programming surrounding the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the community advocates who pushed the city to search for mass graves, and the long-overdue scrubbing of the Brady name have all been essential to the city’s cultural health over the last 10 years.

Let’s hope the next decade brings real justice to the families still carrying trauma from the white invasion of Greenwood.

FAVORITE TTV STORY OF 2019: “No apology: Richard Lloyd Jones and the 1921 Race Massacre” by Russell Cobb (March B issue) Russell Cobb’s masterful essay tugs at some important and fascinating threads in the story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre—an influential newspaper-man’s relationship to the KKK, his role in founding Tulsa’s most famous liberal church, and the construction of a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, to name a few. Russ has long been one of my favorite writers on the subject of Oklahoma, and publishing this electric piece of writing was a massive honor. (Keep an eye out for his upcoming book, The Great Oklahoma Swindle: Race, Religion, and Lies in America’s Weirdest State, due out in March.)

On the lighter side, our TTV staff cheap beer taste test remains the most fun I’ve ever had at work (“$10 taste test,” May A issue).

lots of political stuff (couldn’t help myself; I even read The Mueller Report), but my favorite was Malcom Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers. Everyone who reads it will be healthier, happier and smarter in the New Year; and, it’s funny.

BEST LIVE SHOW: Oklahoma!

So, this is kind of cheating because I didn’t see it here. But, I think it counts. Husband Jim took me to NYC for my birthday to see “Oklahoma!” It was brilliant. The actors had the same personality-types as the characters in the movie and play. But they didn’t look the same, so it was easier to hear the messages.

BEST MOVIE: Downton Abbey I didn’t see many movies this year but I enjoyed Downton Abbey because I saw the release in Oxford, England on a trip where we visited Highclere Castle and the town and farm where D.A.s are filmed. I also liked “Rocketman” and “The Lion King.” I saw LK with my 31 and 35-year-old children; we took a selfie commemorating our return to a new version of LK. HOPE FOR TULSA IN THE NEW DECADE: Acceptance I wish for race-relations in Tulsa to continue to improve; that the commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre will enlighten people and demonstrate how a misunderstanding which is then repeated without verifying its truth is dangerous. I pray for racial acceptance; not tolerance, acceptance.

BEST TV SHOW: Succession What can I say? It’s ugly but so funny at the same time. No one in the family has a shred of decency.

MORGAN WELCH,

graphic designer BEST MOVIE: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark BEST TV SHOW: Stranger Things (Season 3) BEST LIVE SHOW: Billie Eilish at the BOK Center BEST PODCAST: Dynamic Banter with Steve Zaragoza and Mike Falzone BEST SONG: “Filthy Rich” by Can’t Swim

JULEY ROFFERS,

President of Langdon Publishing BEST BOOK: Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell I read more than usual this year—all of Rutherford’s fictional history epics but two,

WORST MOMENT FOR TULSA OVER THE LAST DECADE: When Blue Bell had to shut down to clear out the listeria.

HOPES FOR TULSA IN 2020 AND THE DECADE TO COME: Fewer potholes and smoother roads. a FEATURED // 21

fourlegs

Human element

How a local mortician became the ‘angel’ of pet funerals

by M. MOLLY BACKES

I

n the middle of a busy day in early December, Angel Askins came out of a gas station to find someone waiting for her in the parking lot. “Are you Angel?” the woman asked.

Askins had only popped inside to grab something to drink, but it was long enough for the stranger to park herself next to the blue van with the Angel’s Pet Funeral Home & Crematory logo on it.

“Yes, I’m Angel,” Askins responded.

The other woman started gushing. “I just wanted to say thank you. I saw your van out here and waited to talk to you, because I love what you guys do.

You took care of my dog when she died two years ago and it meant so much to me, I wanted to thank you again.”

This kind of thing happens to Askins a lot. “People come up to me at Woofstock, at the dog park, they tell their vets about us … what we do means a lot to them.”

“PET GRIEF IS VERY REAL” From the outside, Angel’s doesn’t look much different than any other funeral home. With its large windows, peaked roof, tidy lawn and seasonal wreaths on the doors, the modest brick building would fit neatly into any suburban neighborhood. Like in other funeral homes, the foyer is decorated in warm, soothing colors, comfortable without drawing too much attention to itself. Like other funeral homes, there’s an air of solemnity around Angel’s, the sense that this is a place for sad smiles and hushed conversations.

Unlike other funeral homes, the official greeter here is a dog.

Specifically, a 100-lb Bernese Mountain Dog named Crosby

22 // ARTS & CULTURE

Angel Askins, founder of Angel’s Pet Funeral Home & Crematory, at the funeral home with her dogs Crosby, Yadi and Tom Cruise | DESTINY JADE GREEN

who stands to meet each newcomer before returning to his spot on the floor. His brother Yadi, another Bernese, hangs out in the chapel with a miniature Australian shepherd named Tom Cruise, while a small striped cat snoozes in the corner of an armchair.

Angel’s is the only funeral home in Tulsa entirely dedicated

to pets. While there are other places in town that offer crematory services for pets, they are attached to human funeral homes or exist as standalone crematories. “I wanted to do more than just cremations,” Askins said. “I wanted a whole funeral home: viewing rooms, chapel, everything.”

Both viewing rooms include comfortable couches, chairs, plenty of tissues and a raised wooden pet bed for the deceased.

Askins said many people opt to bring other pets to visitations.

“The four-legged siblings can come and get to know what happened to their friend, so it’s not just like they left the house and never came back.”

The rooms can also be used for euthanasia, as an alternative to the vet’s office. After going through the euthanasia process with many pets herself, Askins said it was important to her to offer this option. “At the vet’s, you walk out of the office sobbing into a lobby full of people all staring at you. Here, you’re in a place where everyone understands what you’re going through.”

That sense of understanding is central to Askins’s model. “I think that’s what sets us apart, that we get why you’d be so upset over losing your dog. People without pets don’t always understand it, but pet grief is very real.” For that reason, one of the services the funeral home offers is a monthly grief recovery meeting, led by a therapist certified in dealing with pet loss. “It’s therapeutic just to hear other people going through the same thing and to know you’re not crazy.”

Even when clients have wishes other pet owners might see as extreme, Askins doesn’t judge them. “We get all kinds of people here. Some are so freaked out about death they won’t even drive here with their pet in their car, while others want to watch you put the pet into the crematory.”

Some people even bring a book and sit next to the crematory through the whole process, December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

Askins said, though the adjoining building that holds the machines lacks the coziness of the funeral home proper. “It’s noisy, and in the summer it’s hot, but some people want to watch us put their dog or cat into the crematory to make sure they’re getting their own animal back, and that’s perfectly fine,” Askins said.

That degree of wariness might seem excessive to some, but it was only four years ago that a sheriff’s deputy in Okmulgee County found more than 40 animals burning in a pile by the side of the road, with tags that traced back to Pets at Peace, another animal crematory in Tulsa. “People have had bad experiences with other pet crematories over the years.

I couldn’t live with myself if we didn’t do things the right way, but that’s why people are welcome to watch if they want to. Whatever they need to feel OK.” “IT WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE A SUMMER JOB” Growing up on a farm in Paris, Arkansas, Askins saw death as a normal part of life. “Sometimes

baby calves don’t make it. It’s sad, but it happens,” she said. As one of six kids in her family, she also experienced more human deaths than many kids do. When she was only eight years old, her older brother’s baby died of SIDS. “Even though he was only three months old, he and I had a special bond.

I could always make him smile.”

After he died, Askins dreamed for three nights in a row that it wasn’t real, only to experience the loss all over again when she woke up. “Going through that at such a young age, I think it helped me to understand that life goes on, even when you don’t want it to.”

At 17, Askins started working at a human funeral home, helping out in the office. “It was only supposed to be a summer job, but I ended up learning how to embalm, how to wait on families, how to work funerals, everything.” Something about the job clicked with her, so when she had the opportunity to continue working for school credit as part of a cooperative education program, she took it. After graduation, she went to mortuary school in Dallas

where she studied everything from anatomy and chemistry to funeral service law, business management, and restorative art. From there, she got a job at a funeral home back in Arkansas with a man who became her mentor.

Her first real job allowed her to fulfill a lifelong dream: She got a dog. “On the farm, we had barn cats and hunting dogs, but they all had jobs. I wanted a dog of my own so badly.” She fell in love with a cocker spaniel named George who kept her company through job changes, marriage and divorce.

“I just loved that dog so freaking much,” Askins said. When he died, she buried him in a baby casket on her family’s farm. Because she was working at a funeral home at the time, she even made him a grave marker with his picture on it. “He’s the only dog I ever buried; the rest I cremated. My family doesn’t own the farm anymore, but his grave marker is still there.”

The experience of burying her beloved dog on land that later passed out of her family may have triggered Askins’s first notions about pet funeral services, but

it was her third dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog named Maggie, whose death sparked the idea to open up a pet funeral home. “I had been working in funeral services my entire life, and when she died, I thought, it’s a shame that we don’t have anything for pets like we do for humans.”

Though Askins has built her business around serving pets, the human element is still the heart of what she does. For many of her clients, handling a beloved pet’s end-of-life care is the fi rst time they have to make decisions like these. “My goal is to give them a very positive experience here so that if they ever have to responsible for making human funeral arrangements, they feel OK about it.” Even many vets, Askins says, don’t realize how much people need what Angel’s offers. “It’s that hug or personal touch, someone to sit with them and listen to stories about their dog. It’s all part of the grieving process. And this is what I was trained to do. It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.” a

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ARTS & CULTURE // 23

bookworm

Indian healing

Terese Marie Mailhot sees an Indigenous future

by MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

T

erese Marie Mailhot’s Heart Berries crashed into the literary world in 2018.

The New York Times bestselling memoir was hailed by critics as a powerful example of contemporary Indigenous writing, noted for its rolling, epistolary prose and powerful stories of motherhood and family. I talked to the current fellow and visiting assistant professor at Purdue University before her appearance in 2020 at Tulsa LitFest.

MAILHOT: I think sometimes I feel that way. I was talking to [poet] Natalie Diaz a few days ago and she was asking how my 14-yearold was doing and I felt the need to protect him and to make it seem like everything was going great for him. […] She said, ‘He’s a brown boy in this world; he’s got enough on his plate.’ I said, ‘Oh my god, that’s so true.’ [Laughs.]

You know, it is different in the sense that we’re raising Indigenous people in a world where they don’t see themselves represented in the media, and they also don’t have Indigenous teachers if they’re removed from their community. So, you have to create a place for them where they can see a future, and that’s difficult.

MASON WHITEHORN POWELL: I’ve never read anything quite like the prose of your memoir. Your stories have a fluidity that feels true to life but is also rooted in the overarching themes. How did you approach translating your experiences into the written word?

TERESE MARIE MAILHOT: It was important to execute the trueto-life experience that I had growing up on Seadbird Island rez, and what it was like to enter an academic space, and also an unknown space, where all of the sudden I have to be autonomous away from my past. So, trying to do that felt like I had to be discerning about my language, and expedient, and build a sense of urgency and also a sense of melancholy. I had to do it in the language of my mother, since it’s part memorial. There were a lot of challenges in trying to do that, but I tell my students all the time: “Style comes from revision.” So, first I just purged it all down, and then you pare down, and then you negotiate how much of this experience politically I can engage with where white readership will read it and not exploit it.

POWELL: In relation to autonomy, if Indigenous trauma extends from historical colonial violence, then 24 // ARTS & CULTURE

Terese Marie Mailhot | COURTESY

in what ways can people now heal themselves and their communities?

MAILHOT: I grew up in a time where my band [Nlaka’pamux-Salish] was trying to be self-sufficient, so they were thinking of economic self-sufficiency. But I really wish they would have emphasized personal self-sufficiency first. I wish they would have focused on the people and not so much on the economic development of the people, because I realize now that I’ve become self-sustained economically and I have a better socio-economic status that is really not about money. Having autonomy, to get over trauma, I think is to be a human being as well who can function and actually go to work.

POWELL: You mention “double consciousness” in your memoir.

I like that reference because oftentimes it’s difficult to have an

individual identity as an Indigenous person because you feel both part of a tribe and isolated in your hegemonic culture. How did you approach those themes?

MAILHOT: When I think about myself, I think about my brother and I think about my nieces and nephews and I think about my husband, I take a lot of pride in being a provider for my family and also giving some emotional directive, as far as like ‘Let’s have fun today.’ And if I say, ‘Let’s have fun today,’ we’re gonna have fun.

So, I have a collective identity more and more. If we talk about it casually it will become normalized in a sense that we don’t have to always explain it like we’re not individualistic.

POWELL: Would you say that Indigenous motherhood is different from general motherhood in a literary context?

POWELL: Would you say your memoir imparts any responsibility to those who are far from those types of trauma experiences, or far from your cultural background?

MAILHOT: The cool thing I realized—because I really didn’t see it as a book that would resonate a lot with white women, and I was scared of that—but the more I travel, the more they say: ‘Oh, I experienced having an alcoholic father.’ Or, ‘I experienced a relationship where I never felt good enough.’ And they’re seeing all these things click in their head, that Indigenous women are human beings and there are a lot of parallels and things to relate to, and I think it builds a rapport where they all of a sudden connect with me in a way I had never seen white women connect with me—through reading my work.

There’s something about that that feels really good. Yeah, we’re human. […] It’s really as simple as: Everybody has a right to tell their story. a December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

NEW YEAR HAPS

Ring in 2020 with style at these Tulsa events

BY KYRA BRUCE

If you’re looking for something harsher than the typical confetti filled New Year’s Eve party, look no further than the VANGUARD’s Brutal New Year’s. This metal and harsh music fest will feature Center of Disease, Understanding Eris, Sixth Gear, and Obscure Sanity on Dec. 27. $12

The HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO bring New York to Tulsa with Tulsa Time Square!

Attendees have the opportunity to win $100,000 in cash, witness Tulsa’s biggest midnight ball drop, enjoy free party favors and live entertainment by Jason Boland & The Stragglers and more.

NEFF BREWING welcomes us to the 2020s with a roaring ‘20s themed New Year’s Eve party! Dust off your flapper costume from Halloween because formal attire is required to enjoy the live music, champagne, hors d’oeuvres and more on Dec. 31.

Rock your way into the new year at BAD ASS RENEE’s with a night filled to the brim with live music and champagne.

Performers include Harakiri, Decayus, The Salesman, and The Alive. $5

Bring in the new year on the dance floor at WHITTIER BAR moving and shaking thanks to DJ Kylie. Come as you are and come ready to dance on Dec. 31! This seems like the perfect occasion for a chambong if you ask me.

Your favorite sports bar/music venue, LEFTY’S ON GREENWOOD, is celebrating the new year all night long—or at least until 2 a.m.—on Dec. 31. Come have a drink and bring your friends!

BLACKBIRD ON PEARL celebrates the new year like a bunch of salt sea dogs with New Yaaaaar’s Eve on Dec. 31. Pirate costumes are encouraged to enjoy the music of Jack Ketch & The Bilge Rat Bastards, Machine in the Mountain, The Shame, and Screamin’ Steve Jones. $5 For more of an island vibe, JUICEMAKER LOUNGE and Madhouse International throw a New Year’s extravaganza with a VIP dinner catered by Callaloo Kitchen, live music by De-Wisper and DJ Mike spinning reggae and afro beats all night! $50 THE STARLITE celebrates the eve of the New Year off the beaten path with a night of alternative dance music courtesy of DJ Robbo and friends. Expect new wave, electroclash, indie dance, dark electronic and more. Show up early because capacity is limited!

The 10th annual NYE Masquerade Crystal Ball takes place across three venues: IDL BALLROOM, ENSO BAR and THE UNICORN CLUB. Bring a mask or use one of the complimentary ones and be ready to have your picture taken and dance to the sounds of DJ Uber, DJ Ed and Drop Dead! $35

Tulsa’s favorite performer, Branjae, is ringing in the new year at DUET with a New Year’s Eve Extravaganza complete with food, drinks, music and more. Branjae is sure to give a performance you won’t want to miss! $45 Hillbillies and city folk alike can head to the MERCURY LOUNGE on New Year’s Eve for their NYE Hootenanny. Festivities include live performances by The 40 Acre Mule, Ottoman Turks, and The Mules. Food, snacks, a ratrod contest, a possum drop, giveaways and more fun await! $10 THE TULSAN BAR celebrates the coming of the new year with some booty shaking tunes provided by DJ Skibblez, drink specials and more.

Bring in the new year in style with INNER CIRCLE VODKA BAR and DJ Tymbo Slice.

Attendees can expect champagne, champagne cocktails and plenty of celebration!

Welcome the return of the roaring ‘20s with the Great Gatsby New Year’s Eve celebration at THE REVUE! Festivities include hors d’oeuvre, a champagne toast, party favors, giveaways and more! ‘20s attire is requested, you can reserve your table for $10.

MOTHER ROAD MARKET gives Tulsans a family friendly New Year’s Eve party on NYE at 11 a.m. Celebrate with face painting, live music by Sugar Free Allstars, crafts, balloon animals, a pizza making class, cookie decorating, coloring, photo ops and more!

Midnight at THE MAYO Presents: The Lady Turns 10, a celebration of their space turning a decade old, and of course the new year. DJ Blake Ward will keep the crowd dancing while Photos by Amanda will snap pics so you never forget the party. Stay at the Mayo and enjoy a New Year’s Day brunch in the morning. $95

THE BOND celebrates the New Year with Weston Horn & The Hush, DJs, cocktails, champagne, a balloon drop and more. Pay extra for your own VIP table and wait staff. $25–$750 The Retro Rockets Roaring ‘20s New Year’s Eve welcomes the ‘20s in style at STUDIO 308. This all ages event has a full bar complete with rock ‘n’ roll dance party, live music and more!

Dancers will flock to THE OKLAHOMA SWING SYNDICATE on New Year’s Eve for a family friendly night of swing dance!

Non-dancers are welcome to come early for a quick dance lesson, no partner needed. Bring holiday food to share and look out for door prizes. $5 Ring in 2020 partying like it’s 1989 with Tulsa’s Ultimate 80’s rock party band, GLAM R US this New Year’s Eve at UNCLE BENTLEY’S. Dress up in ‘80s attire or come as you are, just be sure you come ready to party!

Sweatin’ Bullets and Evil Twin ring in the new year with live music all night at CIMARRON BAR. Expect food, drinks, champagne, music and good times all around.

RABBIT HOLE transforms into a blacklight masquerade party to celebrate the changing year. DJ’s Deathstar and Babygurl will lead you through a night of lasers and blacklights. The first 50 people will receive free masks and gift bags, so come early! $5 Intergalactic Circus delivers a night of performers, music and more to BOSTON TILE & ABSTRACT on New Year’s Eve. Annie Ellicott will perform alongside aerialists, fire benders, stilt walkers, mixologists and more! This event is sure to be filled with twists and turns.

Celebrate the new year with your kiddos at the TULSA ZOO with Noon Year’s Eve. Show up at 10 a.m. for face painting and stick around for some music, bubbles and special shows at the tiger exhibits! Don’t forget to write your New Year’s ReZOOlution on the banner. a

SEE OUR MUSIC LISTINGS FOR MORE NEW YEARS EVE CONCERTS. THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

ARTS & CULTURE // 25

ARVEST WINTERFEST BOK Center, Dec. 18 – Jan. 5 tulsawintterfest.com Tis the season for Tulsa’s favorite holiday tradition, Winterfest! Ice skate on more than 9,000 square feet of perfectly layered ice beneath the Tulsa skyline, learn to curl, ride the Winterfest Express train, meet Santa, eat at the food truck The Bandwagon, drink an adult beverage or a hot coco, the choice is yours! No matter how you decide to celebrate at Winterfest, it is bound to become a tradition!

26 // ARTS & CULTURE

BAR CRAWL

COVER TUNES

Bar hop with the kiddos on Dec. 18! Jingle Hop – Tulsa Kid’s Christmas Crawl starts at Heirloom at 5 p.m. Decorate a gingerbread house, get your picture taken with hipster Santa, and much more!

5 p.m. facebook.com

Tulsa musicians descend on Gypsy Coffee House for Cover Tulsa on Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. Local artists will perform covers of local songwriters creations. A panel of judges will choose a winning performance. gypsycollectivemusic.com

SPOOKY

MARKET

Join The Max Retropub as they welcome a new pinball machine: Elvira’s House of Horrors. The celebration will feature DJ Afistaface spinning spooky tunes, Elvira cookies, a visit from Elvira and maybe even Santa! Dec. 19, facebook.com

Punks and Christmas lovers collide for Tulsa Punk Rock Flea Market: Holiday Edition on Dec. 21 at The Bond. Dozens of vendors will be selling giftable items like record, clothing, patches, art, oddities, jewelry and much more! $5, facebook.com

OFFICE PARTY

DANCE PARTY

The Office freaks, rejoice! Fassler Hall is holding a special holiday themed The Office trivia on Dec. 19.

Gather your friends to form a four person team and compete for your chance to win prizes on prizes! $10, facebook.com

Get your Santa costume ready for Starlite’s Santa Claustrophobia, a freaky Santa dance party. DJs Robbo, Xylo Sesame, and Lynn K will keep the Santas dancing all night! Dec. 21, facebook.com

MARKET

MUSIC

Get your holiday shopping done and support local artists all at once at Holiday Maker Market on Dec. 20. Expect goods from local makers like Amy McBride, Donna Brunton, Katie Did It Quilts, Lizzie DiSilvestro and many more. motherroadmarket.com

Head over to Whittier Bar on Dec. 21 to see live music by Bandknife, Girls Club, and Zero for Conduct. Stick around for some karaoke after the bands, and you might even run into Old St. Nick! thewhittierbar.com

IRISH CHRISTMAS

BEER BELLY LAUGHS

Celebrate Christmas the Irish way with the Irish American Club of Tulsa, Kilkenny’s Irish Pub, and Larkin. Order some food, drink a few beers, and get into the holiday spirit the Irish way! Dec. 21, facebook.com

A nationwide comedy brewery tour lands at New Era Fine Fermentations on Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. The Brewery Comedy Tour delivers more than a dozen New York and L.A. stand-ups. Enjoy some beers and have a few laughs. $14, neffbrewing.com December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

Holiday Manners Class // Teach your dog some holiday manners like greeting at the door, going to their place to be out of the way, and how to leave dangerous items alone! 12/20, 4:30 p.m., Heirloom Rustic Ales Arts and Crafts Night // 12/20, 6 p.m., Dennis

R. Neill Equality Center Holiday Maker Market // Get your christmas

shopping done and support local artists! 12/20, 6 p.m., Mother Road Market Festival Night // Celebrate the season with train

rides, lights, live music, games, shopping and even Santa! 12/20-31, 6 p.m., Philbrook

THROUGH BEING COOL: LIVE BAND EMO & POP PUNK KARAOKE The Vanguard, Dec. 28, 8 p.m.

21 and up free, 18 – 20 year olds $10 thevanguardtulsa.com

14th Annual Fa La La Ball // Celebrate with

your community and food, a DJ, live performances, raffle prizes, food, drinks and more! 12/21, 7 p.m., Dennis R. Neill Equality Center Cover Tulsa // Local performers go head to head

with covers of Tulsa songwriters songs. The best cover wins $100 to be split with the songwriter!

12/21, 8 p.m., Gypsy Coffee House Tulsa Punk Rock Flea Market: Holiday Edition // Vendors with records, new/used

clothing, patches, pins, original art, oddities, jewelry and much more. 12/21, 11 a.m., The Bond Funday Sunday // Enjoy free admission to the

museum and even some crafts! 12/22, noon, Gilcrease Garden of Lights with Music by L. Selby, Randy Wimer, Edwin Garcia // Enjoy lights

Through Being Cool presents another night of live band karaoke with exclusively emo and pop-punk tunes we all know and love. Cliffdiver’s Joey Duffy hosts the event and local band Goodfellas will drop by for a performance between the amateur lead singer karaoke sets. The Dom Telonge’s provide live band support to the karaoke stars who will sing songs by Blink182, Fall Out Boy, Yellowcard, Weezer, Alkaline Trio, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, New Found Glory and more.

in the garden and some beautiful music! 12/22, 6 p.m., Tulsa Botanic Garden Golden Girls Holiday Hoedown // 12/23,

7 p.m., Magic City Books The Project Bar - Drink & DIY // Craft pros

and newbies are welcome to make a macrame plant holder, string art, leather koozie, or paracord dog collar while drinking a few brews! 12/28, 1 p.m., Heirloom Rustic Ales Homebrewing for Beginners // 12/28,

BEST OF THE REST EVENTS Gnome in the Blue Dome // Look for the elf

on a shelf in different businesses around the Blue Dome. 12/18-31, 10 a.m., Blue Dome District Winterfest // 12/18-31, 6 p.m., BOK Center Bar DnD: The Sleighing // A vaguely holiday

themed DnD experience, complete with beers!

12/18, 6:30 p.m., Cabin Boys Brewery Winter Wonderland // Special performances,

carolers, food, drinks, and thousands of lights, what more could you ask for? 12/18, 5 p.m., Gathering Place Jingle Hop - Tulsa Kid’s Christmas Crawl

// Kid friendly activities fill these participating breweries: Heirloom, Nothing’s Left, Cabin Boys, American Solera, Dead Armadillo, Marshall, Renaissance. All benefiting Family & Children Services. 12/18, 5 p.m., Heirloom Rustic Ales Booker Prize Winner Jennifer Croft //

12/18, 7 p.m., Magic City Books Yoga at the Brewery // The price includes a

yoga class lead by a certified teacher and a beer of your choice. 12/18, 7 p.m., Renaissance Brewing Company Brews for Bigs: Big Social and Recruitment Event // 12/18, 5:30 p.m., Welltown Brewing THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

Holiday Themed The Office Trivia // Grab

10:30 a.m., High Gravity Fermentations Beer Bingo // 12/28, 6 p.m., Renaissance

Brewing Company Curator Tour: Shadow of Time // Join

Kristin Chenoweth & Sandi Patty Christmas

// Two powerhouse vocalists come together to perform classic Christmas carols. 12/20, 6 p.m., Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center The Voice Christmas Concert with Brian Nhira // A night with stars from The Voice and

some local dance companies! 12/21, 7 p.m., TCC VanTrace PACE Sounds of the Season Concert // Enjoy

seasonal performances by Tulsa Keyboard Orchestra and Braylon Dedmon. 12/21, 2 p.m., Woodland Hills Mall Cirque Musica // Holiday Wishes brings a

holiday story to life in a full theatrical cirque event.

12/22, 8 p.m., Paradise Cove Paw Patrol Live // Paw Patrol will deliver “The

Great Pirate Adventure!”, 12/28-12/30, 10 a.m., BOK Center Miss Saigon // A young Vietnamese woman is

orphaned by war and forced to work in a bar. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. only to be torn apart by the fall of Saigon. 12/31, 7 p.m., TULSA PAC - Chapman Music Hall

COMEDY Matt Sadler // 12/18-21, 7 p.m., Loony Bin Centennial Lounge Comedy Night // 12/18,

7:30 p.m., VFW Centennial Lounge Blue Whale Comedy - ISMO Comedy //

12/19, 8 p.m., Duet Jazz Whose Line Rip Off Show // 12/20, 8 p.m.,

Rabbit Hole Improv Santa’s Belly Laughs // 12/21, 8 p.m.,

Rabbit Hole Improv Tata Warrior Ho Ho Ho Holiday Show //

12/22, 7 p.m., Loony Bin Open Mic Comedy // 12/22, 7:30 p.m.,

Soundpony Midnight Joker Comedy Club with Kevin Farley // 12/26-27, 8 p.m., Hard Rock Hotel &

Casino - Multi-Purpose Room Will Marfori // 12/26-28, 7 p.m., Loony Bin

you’re the Office obsessed friends and trivia your hearts out for some big prizes! 12/19, 7 p.m., Fassler Hall

Philbrook Curator Sarah Lees for an in-depth exploration of the special exhibition by Anila Quayyum Agha. 12/29, 2 p.m., Philbrook

Whose Line Rip Off Show // 12/27, 8 p.m.,

Holiday Card Class // Join local artist and art

Native American Lit Book Club // Drop by

NEFF Brewing

educator, Laura Voth, as she teaches you to make the perfect holiday card! 12/19, 6 p.m., Mother Road Market Elvira’s House of Horrors Pinball Release Party // Celebrate the new game with DJ

Afistaface, Elvira cookies, Elvira herself, and maybe even Santa! 12/19, 6 p.m., The Max Retro Pub The Lab: Holiday Cocktails // Class price

includes tastings, cocktails and the opportunity to learn how your favorite holiday drinks are made!

12/19, 7 p.m., The ReVue Ugly Sweater Party // Live music, merch

giveaways, $3 beer, and the person with the ugliest sweater gets a $100 cash prize! 12/19, 7 p.m., Welltown Brewing Blue Dome Pop-Up Shops // Get your

christmas shopping done and support local artists!

12/20/19-12/22/19, 4 p.m., Blue Dome Building White Christmas Sing Along // Sing along

with this holiday classic accompanied by the theater’s pipe organ! 12/20/19-12/22/19, 2 p.m., Circle Cinema

to discuss “When My Brother Was an Aztec” by Natalie Diaz. 12/30, 7:30 p.m., Whitty Books

PERFORMING ARTS A Drag Queen Christmas // A magical evening

of holiday performances featuring contestants from the reality television show on VH1. 12/18, 8 p.m., Brady Theater The Nutcracker // This classic production

Rabbit Hole Improv The Brewery Comedy Tour // 12/28, 8 p.m., Crits & Giggles // 12/28, 8 p.m., Rabbit Hole

Improv Ryan Niemiller // 12/29, 7 p.m., Loony Bin Failure Scented T-Shots with Roy T. Johnson and Landry Miller // 12/30, 7 p.m.,

Loony Bin New Year’s Eve with John Wesley Austin

// 12/31, 7 p.m., Loony Bin

will soon be retired, so make sure you see it this season. 12/18-21, 7 p.m., TULSA PAC - Chapman Music Hall

SPORTS

A Christmas Carol // Robert Odle and Richard

BOK Center

Tulsa Oilers vs Utah // 12/19, 7:05 p.m.,

Averill’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella has been a Tulsa tradition for more than 40 years. 12/18-23, 7 p.m., TULSA PAC - John H. Williams Theatre

12/21, 7 p.m., BOK Center

Trans-Siberian Orchestra // The world famous

12/21, 1 p.m., Mabee Center

orchestral rock group stops in Tulsa! 12/20, 8 p.m., BOK Center

// 12/21, 6 p.m., Reynolds Center

OSU vs Minnesota, TU vs Colorado State // ORU Men’s Basketball vs Missouri St. // TU Women’s Basketball vs Colorado State ORU Women’s Basketball vs Rogers St. //

12/31, 12 p.m., Mabee Center ARTS & CULTURE // 27

musicnotes

TULSIFY 2019 WRAPPED LOCAL ARTISTS ON THE YEAR IN MUSIC

by TTV STAFF

It’s the end of the year, and your friends’ Spotify 2019 Wrapped™ data is blowing up your IG story feed. In that spirit of reflection, we asked some of the local artists who appeared in the pages of our music section over the past 12 months to pick their album of the year.

Before you hit ‘share’ on your own year-end list, see what Tulsa’s musicians have to say about their favorite LPs of 2019.

28 // MUSIC

Thom Yorke ANIMA These songs continue Yorke’s foray in synthesized blips, odd drum patterns, using annunciation as a rhythmic tool (“Twist”), and Hyperdub-esqe bass lines (“Traffic”). I heard “Twist” eight years ago on his Money Back Mix and have been patiently waiting for it to be properly released and it works so well with this batch of songs. ANIMA is a perfect follow up to Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes and continues to showcase Yorke in a medium not filled with sad dads.

–DAVID AKINS OF PLASTIC PSALMS

Better Oblivion Community BETTER OBLIVION COMMUNITY Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers’ voices and songwriting styles work so well together, it sounds like it’s just one cohesive voice. None of the songs sound the same but have a pattern of doubled voices and twangy guitar tone. It’s folky but not FULL ON folk, more like folk rock? This is the collaboration I was waiting for since I’ve been a Phoebe Bridgers fan and a Conor Oberst fan for years. I would recommend this album to dance around your room or drive to late at night, and very few albums work for both of those things.

Lizzo CUZ I LOVE YOU Power vocals, power tracks, power queen—Lizzo brought hit after hit this year. Not only was her album Cuz I Love You one of my faves, but the artistry, influence and confidence she oozes through her songwriting, vocals and performances had me at WOW all through 2019. I mean, she spits, she sings her butt off, she dances and then on top of all that, she plays a killer flute. Lizzo is definitely “that bitch” in my book, and the album was definitely my empowerment anthem this year.

–BRANJAE

–CHARLOTTE BUMGARNER

JS Ondara TALES OF AMERICA (THE SECOND COMING) Beautiful new music from a fresh, young talent. Kenyan-born Ondara received a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album for this debut release. The 27-year-old’s voice is haunting, and the songs are gorgeous.

–JULIE WATSON OF LIVE FROM CAIN’S

Dialtone OASIS

Graveyard Party GRAVEYARD PARTY EP

Most hip-hop albums have dull moments, or raps you can poke holes in, but Oasis has neither in my opinion. Dialtone is at his best and it’s as re-playable as anything I’ve heard in a long time.

A great mix of songs, lo-fi dreamy to garage rock and more. But the best thing about these Tulsa locals is their DIY attitude, especially at such a young age. We just love this band.

We can’t wait to see what comes next!

–1ST VERSE (DEREK CLARK)

–AARON WESSINGER OF GIRLS CLUB

December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

Jeanines JEANINES

Djo TWENTY TWENTY

birds beak BIRDS BEAK

SASAMI SASAMI

I love this album and band because they are super dreamy and their songs are short with catchy hooks. They remind me a lot of Velvet Underground (specifically when Moe sings). This album was released on Slumberland records, one of my fav record labels. It’s similar to K Records, out of Olympia, as they formed in ‘89 and released a lot of indie/twee pop music. Jeanines seem to fit that whole time period; early 90s in DC/Seattle, and dark but magical jangle pop-perfect for a rainy day. I highly recommend checking this NY based band out!

Joe Keery’s (Stranger Things) new project Djo released Twenty Twenty [this year], which is raw and grungy, with psychedelic elements and haunting vibes. Joe’s vocals are raspy at the right times, and smooth when you want them to be. The lyrics are relatable, the hooks are catchy. You get both mellow (“Roddy”) and explosive (“Flash Mountain”) songs from this album. Definitely one of our favorites of the year.

Profound soundscapes, rich atmosphere. Deep texture, divine ambience.

The birds beak debut album is truly an incredible work of art from some of Tulsa’s finest. This is a release that can be appreciated by a wide and diverse audience despite some of its unconventionality. It is challenging, but also extremely tasteful and approachable despite its roots in genres such as noise and experimental. FFO: ambient music, experimental art, indie video game and film soundtracks

The debut by SASAMI was the first album that really stuck to me in 2019 and it still stands as my favorite as the year ends. The songwriting is strong and inventive and the production is top notch, thanks in part to its analogue recording techniques. The songs never feel cluttered, even as occasional layers of stacked feedback or noise collages creep in the background. Standout tracks are “I Was A Window” and “Jealousy.”

–TAMZEN WEST OF ROOTS OF THOUGHT

–KYLIE RUSK OF THE DADDY-OS

–CHRIM RUCK OF CHRIM –LAURAN ROSE DRUMMOND OF CULT LOVE SOUND TAPES

M.C. THIS LIFE BRO

Mess LEARNING HOW TO TALK

Amyl and The Sniffers AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

Weyes Blood TITANIC RISING

My favorite project this year hands down was This Life Bro by M.C. I personally feel no rapper from town has been as vulnerable and honest as he was on this release. He expressed his feelings in such a way that you would have to be soulless to feel no empathy or at the least be moved. Very solid album.

The first note of Learning How to Talk, the debut album from Kansas City quartet Mess, is a soft brushstroke that lays the foundation for a magnificent portrait. The 26 minutes that follow this moment flow seamlessly in dynamics, carrying the listener into a world textured with beauty. Standout track: “Cave”

Amyl and The Sniffers self-titled album is a perfect example of how ‘77 punk can still sound fresh with the right attitude. Amy Taylor’s snotty vocal delivery got me hooked immediately.

–ST. DOMINICK

–MAX GENZER OF ROSE GOLD

On Titanic Rising, Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering sings (gorgeously) about many of the same timely and timeless themes that I’m interested in and explore in my own writing—existential dread, climate change, and the alienation of modern life—and then wraps it all in a warm blanket of ‘70s Laurel Canyon sounds with a lot of George Harrison-esque slide guitar. In other words, this record was tailor-made for me.

–COVEY TIMS OF SØAKER

–M. LOCKWOOD PORTER a THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

MUSIC // 29

musicnotes

Emotional intelligence CLIFFDIVER perfects ‘elevator emo pop’ on new EP

by DAMION SHADE

B

reaking 100 thousand streams on Spotify is no small task, but local emo-tinged indie rockers CLIFFDIVER recently celebrated the milestone after the release of their latest At Your Own Risk EP in November. The six-song effort continues the Tulsa quintet’s mission to craft songs exploring failed relationships, struggles with addiction and the complex issue of mental health.

The subject matter may be heavy, but CLIFFDIVER approach it with levity. The band represents a new generation of young artists looking to destigmatize mental health and to imbue these difficult issues with a sense of humor and hope. Their songs meld elements of pop, punk rock and emo to produce a sound that’s infectious and raw.

The band has released two EPs over the past 18 months. The first, Small Hours (2018), was mostly written by Matt Ehler. Ehler started playing the drums when he was 12, and grew up listening to pop music like Mariah Carey with his sister. His mom took him to his first rock show to see the band Journey. Later he fell in love with some of the pop punk and emo bands that have influenced the CLIFFDIVER sound.

“I was really drawn to the skater crowd and thankfully they accepted me—even though I was trash at skateboarding,” Ehler said. “It was that group of friends that fi rst showed me punk music.

That music inspired me enough to dig my mom’s guitar out of the hall closet when I was 16 and try to learn basically every Blink-182 song. That same year, my parents got me a 16-track recorder for 30 // MUSIC

CLIFFDIVER has released two EPs in the last 18 months, Small Hours (2018) and At Your Own Risk (2019). | OSCAR MANUEL

my birthday and I’ve been trying my best to write cool songs ever since.”

Ehler’s and vocalist Joey Duffy’s musical tastes are felt across the CLIFFDIVER discography, bearing influence from bands like Modern Baseball, Turnover, and the Cure. This sophisticated sonic backdrop is underpinned by a first-rate rhythm section sometimes reminiscent of third-wave emo outfits like Sunny Day Real Estate or the Appleseed Cast. Daniel Gill is on bass and Elliot Cooper on drums. The ever-shirtless Donnie Hicks completes the sound with saxophone, rounding out what the band calls their “elevator emo pop” sound.

Ultimately CLIFFDIVER’s strength is in the emotional intimacy of their music. Ehler and Duffy are candid about their

struggles with anxiety, depression and more. Duffy has a long history of trauma, starting therapy at age 11, and he’s struggled with serious issues of self-harm and depression ever since.

“I was super insecure in high school. I didn’t get diagnosed bipolar until I was 25. So school was tough,” he said. “The only times I felt good was when I was on stage or when I was in choir. I went to school for musical theatre at the University of Arkansas.

Then I found out about alcoholism and depression.”

The time following college for Duffy was a blur of painful experiences and bad relationships. This included the death of his ex-fiancé and the experience which Duffy describes as his saving grace, the birth of his son Dallas seven years ago. Though the timing and cir-

cumstances of his son’s birth were challenging, Duffy truly believes it saved his life.

“I never planned to be in my 30s. I used to hate being this way in my brain, and I was kind of accepting the fact that I was just going to have a mediocre life at best,” Duffy said. “After years of getting blackout drunk five or six nights a week and just being lost I finally realized how much my son needs me. It’s better for him to have to learn what it’s like to have a bipolar father than to have to live without a father at all.”

With At Your Own Risk, the audience experiences this catharsis in real time. On the album’s opening track “Elwood’s,” Duffy sings: “Most of the time I have no idea who I am / Most of the time I’m just stumbling trying to survive / But everything gets clearer when I look at you.” As on the band’s first EP, the “you” here is ever changing. Sometimes it seems to be the audience—or God, or family, or a particular lover receding into memory whose presence is impossible to shake.

Many listeners have said these songs helped them feel less alone.

“There have been people who have come up to me and said ‘I was planning to kill myself and I heard this song and it made sense to me.

Now I’m in therapy and things have started to get better,’” Duffy said. “That’s everything. I don’t care if I ever make a dime on any of this. That’s everything.” a

CHRISTMAS PAJAMA PARTY W/ CLIFFDIVER The Fur Shop, 520 E. 3rd St. December 21, 8 p.m., $5 (21+) December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

WE’RE GIVING FREE AWAY

STUFF!

woodyguthriecenter.org

D E C E M B E R G I V E A W AY :

LUNCH & LEARN PACKAGE Package includes a pair of tickets to Tulsa Town Hall on February 7 with Marlee Matlin & Henry Winkler, PLUS gift cards for Albert G’s Bar-B-Q, Billy’s on the Square and Jinya Ramen Bar! REGISTER BY DEC. 31 AT

thetulsavoice.com

GOLDEN SHOALS W/ TWILLI CARLISLE FRIDAY, JAN. 31 • 7pm

JACKIE VENSON SATURDAY, FEB. 15 • 7pm

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND: A CELEBRATION OF 80 YEARS SUNDAY, FEB 23 • 8pm

TOM PAXTON & THE DONJUANS MONDAY, MAR. 9, 2020 • 7pm

THE TOWN HALL • NEW YORK CITY

address 102 EAST BRADY STREET, TULSA, OK

74103

phone 918.574.2710

email INFO@WOODYGUTHRIECENTER.ORG

THE NUTCRACKER

Tulsa Ballet December 7-22

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

American Theatre Company December 12-23 MISS SAIGON

Celebrity Attractions December 31 - January 5 THE MUSIC MAN

Theatre Tulsa January 10-26

STRAUSS AND SCHUMANN

Tulsa Symphony January 11

BLUE MAN GROUP

Celebrity Attractions/Tulsa PAC Trust January 20-22 IAN DAVID ROSENBAUM

Choregus Productions January 24

TULSAPAC.COM

/

918.596.7111 ALL EVENTS/DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

MUSIC // 31

musicnotes

Alan Palomo of Neon Indian | BEN RAYNER

‘Todos somos Americanos’ Alan Palomo of Neon Indian talks migration music

by JEZY J. GRAY

N

eon Indian, the musical project of Mexico-born and Texas-raised synth maestro Alan Palomo, broke the blogosphere in 2009 with his dayglo debut Psychic Chasms. The effervescent LP fizzed and popped with lo-fi flourishes and left-field samples, ushering in a new era of electronic music less egg-headed than spiritual predecessors like Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada, and less meat-headed than the EDM and dubstep craze that followed.

A decade later, Palomo has carved his lane in a crowded field through restless experimentation. Last month, Neon Indian returned with a new single, “Toyota Man,” which finds Palomo singing in his native Spanish for the very first time on record. The bold new track centers the 31-year-old songwriter’s Mexican heritage and takes aim at our current immigration climate: “Venimos a estudiar / Queremos trabajar (We came to study / We want to work).”

32 // MUSIC

I talked to Palomo, a longtime friend, from his home in Los Angeles.

JEZY J. GRAY: Hey buddy. Where am I catching you right now?

ALAN PALOMO: I’m back home. I’m in LA. We just wrapped this tour up. We did a little Texas run and then took some time off. Then we did the West Coast, and then finally the longest stretch of it was this last leg, which coincided with the release of “Toyota Man.” GRAY: Let’s talk a little about the arc that brought you here. Psychic Chasms came out during the first year of the Obama administration—this kind of hopeful moment for the country after the economic crash. Now you’re putting out a really different kind of single in what is hopefully the final year of a white nationalist administration. How are you processing that?

PALOMO: I think in 2009 a lot of us felt like we could afford to be lackadaisical. It was a very different mindset. I feel like what was intrinsic to that hope was that good times were ahead. That’s not to say the 2000s didn’t have their own set of hardships and complications, but at the very least there wasn’t really a feeling of urgency in the indie sphere for any kind of real political engagement. It just wasn’t where our heads were at.

I feel like, in our minds we were kind of living in this John Hughes movie of what we wanted our lives to be.

“Toyota Man” dropped this fall, but I wrote it initially during the family separation stuff. When [Trump] was elected, New York was in a state of shock. … I called my brother [ Jorge Palomo] and talked to him about it, and I think that’s when the gears started to turn about where the music would go next. The very system that allowed my brother and me to you know, ‘make right with the law’ and become

Americans was essentially being challenged.

GRAY: It’s definitely your most biographical work. Your parents are in the video, which is sort of this backdoor narrative telling your own immigration story. How did it feel to make that turn?

PALOMO: It never really occurred to me that a lot of people who listen to my music aren’t really aware of my background. And this is my own sort of complex that I’ve slowly chipped away at, you know, post-adolescence—this idea that you don’t want to talk about your background because it’s uncool. You know, like it’s not cool to engage with this otherness. And initially when you arrive in the States, I wouldn’t even call it a pressure to assimilate, because you’re excited to be in a new place.

And when you’re young, your brain is a sponge.

GRAY: Your parents must have had a different experience, coming to December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

the U.S. later in life. What can you say about that?

PALOMO: Everyone had to rebuild themselves. My mom went from producing a local TV show in Mexico to scrubbing toilets at Taco Cabana. I remember I could see the Cabana sign from my school, and at recess I would know my mom was there making a living. My dad hustled singing at nightclubs, which is still what he does now. Everybody had to build themselves back up again.

And for us, you know, that was really more of a cultural question.

Because my brother and I were still just in [elementary] school.

So our narrative was about fitting in and embracing this new home.

Having the chance to prosper in spite of that is not something I take for granted, and I feel like part of what allowed for that was the attitude the U.S. had towards immigration in the ‘90s. The way we were able to become American citizens, and even arrive here with any sort of footing, was partially because of a referendum signed by Ronald Reagan in the ‘80s. My dad was able to get a green card because he lived in L.A. in the mid-to-late ‘70s. …

There were some inherent privileges that allowed us to become citizens, and now it’s just kind of wild to me that suddenly what before just felt like part of the process has become criminalized.

ties aren’t there. It’s because we decided they should be inaccessible to some people.

GRAY: How did you arrive at a strategy for communicating these ideas musically?

PALOMO: It’s difficult to translate the [“Toyota Man”] lyrics in a literal way without them sounding angry. The delivery is to some extent a little sardonic. There’s

defi nitely a humor that’s woven in when you sing it in Spanish that maybe might come off, you know, a little more didactic in English. But part of conveying that message meant the music had to be really upbeat, and really irreverent and funny, to engage with that.

We’ve fallen into an era of absurdism; at times, it’s hard not to just laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

The music video felt like this extension of having to snicker at the audacity of how far things have gone. That’s not to make light of the current plight of anyone who’s lost in the system, or been deported by ICE, or has had their children separated from them in some fucking internment camp. But it’s all so ridiculous that to some extent I can’t help but laugh as a means of relieving the desperation. a

GRAY: Now it’s, ‘Get in line or go to jail.’

PALOMO: Right. And the people who say they have no idea what it actually entails to run the gauntlet of American citizenship.

It doesn’t happen for most people. In our case, it was a very lucky set of circumstances.

My mom had an education, and she eventually got a job in government and fi nally worked her way back into journalism.

And my dad was in a unique opportunity to be middle class because he was a musician.

In those fi rst days of the Trump administration, my brother and I kind of meditated on the fact that there are people who came to this country at the same age but won’t have the same opportunities. And it’s not because those opportuniTHE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

MUSIC // 33

musicnotes

Drugged

Fighting for a safer scene in Tulsa

by KYRA BRUCE

A

t the end of their two-month long tour, the Brooklyn indie rock quartet Bethlehem Steel made a stop in Tulsa to perform with local band Tom Boil at Soundpony on Nov. 14. The Thursday night show was a small affair, mostly loyal Tom Boil fans and a smattering of new faces.

Bethlehem Steel’s lead singer Rebecca Ryskalczyk remembers feeling comfortable in the space.

“I may have talked to everyone in the bar [that night], which is pretty unusual,” she said.

After Bethlehem Steel performed, the band got beers, enjoyed Tom Boil’s set, chatted with some locals, sold merch and did all the things they had done at every other tour stop for two months. But as the night went on, Ryskalczyk realized something was off.

In a Facebook post, Ryskalczyk described in chilling detail the experience of her body becoming unresponsive after finishing a drink she left unattended. She woke up in the back of her band’s car, knowing she had to get out.

“I remember not being able to move my legs … I had no idea what was happening and they didn’t know what was happening because I was just kind of like, embarrassed by the situation … they ended up having to carry me into the house,” she said.

It makes sense that Ryskalczyk would have felt safe before the night’s horrifying turn. Both bands are known for fighting against sexual assault. Tom Boil formed after hearing stories of people being drugged and raped in Tulsa. Just moments before leaving her drink, Becca was on stage screaming lyrics like “stop letting your sons rape your daughters” and “I know what it feels

34 // MUSIC

like to have someone else feel entitled to my body.”

“It honestly felt like we failed them,” Tom Boil guitarist Brandon Smits said. “If I were them, I would never come back to Tulsa ever again.”

Members of the Tulsa music community reposted Ryskalczyk’s story with familiar warnings: “Watch your drink,” “Watch out for your friends,” “Don’t accept a drink you didn’t see made,” “Cover your drink with your hand at all times.”

“Everything surrounding the conversation of ‘so-and-so got drugged’ feels wrong,” Tom Boil bass player Tahlia Tinkham said.

“The reaction shouldn’t be ‘watch your drinks, keep your friends safe.’ It should be ‘don’t drug people’ or something else pointing blame where it belongs, on the person doing it.”

After Ryskalczyk shared her story, Tom Boil reached out to Soundpony. “They let us know

that they were going to take some action to help prevent this from happening again,” Harai said.

“The fact that this isn’t the first time this has happened there really made us feel let down, like all the weight is being put on the victims to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Joshua Gifford, owner and managing partner at Soundpony, responded to request for an interview with the following emailed statement: Although, we were unable to confirm any of her (Ryskalczyk ’s) accusations, we take the safety of our patrons very seriously. Should Becca decide to file a police report, Soundpony will fully participate in any investigation.

The venue declined to elaborate, but Ryskalczyk said the bar was taking actionable steps to make their space safer. “They apologized to me about what happened and said that they already began talking to the staff about it

… they’re going to be talking with other bars in Tulsa about what happened, and what they can do to help this moving forward,” she said.

Smits thinks venues have to ensure that they’re doing everything they can to keep their patrons safe. “Owners need to take more responsibility for the space they are sharing with everyone,” he said. “If we want change then we can’t allow these incidents to further oversaturate till we’re completely numb to them just happening.”

Allison Ward, Tom Boil’s lead singer, sees the responsibility falling on the entire community—venues, bands and patrons alike. “I hate to say it, but the solution to this is community, it’s awareness, and it’s accountability,” she said. “Not holding people or spaces accountable is not only absurd, it’s unsafe and is willingly putting your patrons in a vulnerable situation … We obviously have to make safe spaces within people, not the physical space itself.”

After coming to our town to share her art, Ryskalczyk leaves with extra emotional weight. “It definitely changes the way I feel at shows,” Ryskalczyk said. “Like the shows that we’ve played since then, I’m very aware of my drinks and everyone’s drinks.”

Despite this experience, Ryskalczyk said she would still come back to Tulsa because of the warmth Tom Boil and the music community at large has shown her. “I think it’s beautiful that everyone in the Tulsa music community and beyond are coming together to try to take better care of each other. I hope that some other cities where this is happening start talking about this openly.” a December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

musiclistings Wed // Dec 18

Sat // Dec 21

Blackbird on Pearl – Cassie Latshaw, SLGS & Friends – 7:30 p.m.

Cain’s Ballroom – Angels & Airwaves, Phantogram, Winnetka Bowling League – 6:45 p.m. – ($36) Casa Mexico Restaurant – Noche Bohemia – 7 p.m.

Cellar Dweller – Wink Burcham – 8:30 p.m.

Coffee House on Cherry Street – Open Mic Night – 7 p.m.

Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project – 8 p.m.

Duet Jazz – Rebecca Ungerman – 8 p.m. – ($5) Juicemaker Lounge – Jazz Hall Wednesdays Jam – 8 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jacob Dement – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Beau Roberson – 9 p.m.

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays – 7 p.m.

Soundpony – *Daisychain, Plastic Psalms – 10 p.m.

Track 5. – Grant Gilbert – 7 p.m.

The Tulsan Bar – Tom and Bryan Unplugged – 7 p.m.

Amp Bar – DJ Whit – 7 p.m.

Bad Ass Renee’s – Taman Shud, Otis The Axe, Alterblood, Violent Victim, Mother’s Little Bastard – 9 p.m.

Blackbird on Pearl – Jam eCono – 9 p.m. – ($5) Colony – Seth Lee Jones – 10 p.m. – ($5) Duet Jazz – Charlie Brown Christmas – 3 p.m. – ($10) El Coyote Manco – Los Pescadores Del Rio Conchos, Conjunto Generacion – 8 p.m.

The Fur Shop – Christmas PJ Party with Cliffdiver, Kat Lock, Anchorway, Men of Action – 8 p.m. – ($5) Hunt Club – Dave and the Haters – 7 p.m.

Inner Circle – DJ Jankins – 10 p.m.

Kilkenny’s Irish Pub – An Irish Christmas with Larkin and IACT – 9:30 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – After Party – 9 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Getdown – 9 p.m.

Margaritaville - Volcano Stage – Jacob Dement – 10 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Sunny Sweeney’s Dysfunctional Family Christmas with Alex Williams and Ward Davis – 7 p.m.

Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Local Drip Presents: Stay Hydrated with Rey Dollas, Soulrstar, Wotko, Chiefy – 9 p.m.

Reds Bar – DJ Afistaface – 10 p.m.

Riffs – Scott Eastman – 5:30 p.m.

Riffs – DJ Mib – 6:30 p.m.

Riffs – Paralandra – 9 p.m.

The Shrine – The Cate Brothers 50th Anniversary – 7 p.m. – ($20) Soundpony – DJ A Dre – 10 p.m.

Starlite – Dead Disco Dance Party with DJ Robbo, DJXylo Sesame – 10 p.m.

Starlite – Santa Claustrophobia with DJ Robbo, DJ Xylo Sesame, DJ Lynn K – 9 p.m.

Starlite – Mark Gibson’s 4th Annual Christmas Show – 8 p.m. – ($10) Swamp House – Chris Hyde – 7 p.m.

Thunder Bar & Grill – Dueling Pianos – 8 p.m.

Track 5. – DJ Demko – 6 p.m.

Track 5. – Cumberland Run – 8 p.m.

The Tulsan Bar – DJ Lyric of Lyrical Sounds – 10 p.m.

Vanguard – My So Called Band – 10 p.m. – ($12) Whittier Bar – Bandknife, Girls Club, Zero for Conduct, Karaoke after – 3 p.m.

Thurs // Dec 19 Amp Bar – DJ Ayngel – 7 p.m.

Colony – Seth Lee Jones – 9 p.m.

Gathering Place – Bandelier – 5:30 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – DJ 2 Legit – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman – 10 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Kolby Cooper – 8:30 p.m.

Renaissance Brewing Company – Open Mic Night – 8 p.m.

Riffs – Dante Schmitz – 4 p.m.

Riffs – DJ Mib – 5 p.m.

Riffs – Big Daddy – 7 p.m.

Rodeo Nightclub – Trenton Fletcher & The Dirt Merchants – 8 p.m.

Soundpony – Samuel Regan – 10 p.m.

Swamp House – Myron Oliver – 5 p.m.

Thunder Bar & Grill – Maverican Goose – 6 p.m.

Track 5. – DJ Demko – 5 p.m.

Track 5. – Classic Country Review – 7 p.m.

Tulsa Historical Society & Museum – Christmas with Donald Ryan – 2 p.m.

Vintage Wine Bar – Grammy Nominated ft. Mason Remel & Malachi Burgess – 8 p.m.

Fri // Dec 20 Amp Bar – DJ Queen Jesseen – 7 p.m.

Blackbird on Pearl – Brad James Band – 9 p.m. – ($5) Cabin Boys Brewery – Joe Mack & Thomas Trapp – 7 p.m.

Cain’s Ballroom – William Clark Green, Chris Colston – 8:30 p.m. – ($18 - $33) Cimarron Bar – Imzadi – 9:30 p.m.

Colony – Vinyl Happy Hour – 4 p.m.

Colony – American Shadows – 10 p.m. – ($5) Duet Jazz – Annie Ellicott Trio Holiday Concert – 8 p.m.

– ($20) Greenwood Cultural Center – Red & Black Affair with Full Flava Kings, Tammy Hamilton – 9 p.m.

Hunt Club – Seven Feathers – 7 p.m.

Lefty’s on Greenwood – Miss Val and the Wallstreet Band – 9 p.m.

Louie’s Grill & Bar – Kevin Sac – 9 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jason Young – 9 p.m.

Margaritaville - Volcano Stage – Tom Basler – 10 p.m.

Marshall Brewing Company – Dennis Roper – 6 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – BC & The Big Rig’s Birthday Bash with Special Guests – 10 p.m.

Paradise Cove – Luann de Lesseps – 8 p.m.

Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Earslips Happy Hour – 7 p.m.

Riffs – Jesse Joice – 5:30 p.m.

Riffs – DJ 2 Legit – 6:30 p.m.

Riffs – Zodiac – 9 p.m.

The Shrine – Beyond Worlds, Soulacybin – 8 p.m. – ($25) Soundpony – Afistaface – 10 p.m.

Swamp House – Bria & Joey – 7 p.m.

Thunder Bar & Grill – Ronnie & Randy – 8 p.m.

Track 5. – DJ Demko – 6 p.m.

Track 5. – Jake Dodds – 8 p.m.

The Tulsan Bar – DJ Good Ground – 10 p.m.

Vanguard – Drip Fest with YSK, Billie Dakidd, Mike Dadon, Hippie Tree and more – 8 p.m. – ($10) Whittier Bar – Slackwave – 9 p.m.

THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Greg Dragoo – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Jacob Tovar – 9 p.m.

Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – DJ A-Dre, Alan Doyle – 9 p.m.

Rooster’s Sports Bar – DJ Gus – 10 p.m.

Swamp House – The Marriotts – 5:30 p.m.

Whittier Bar – Bodeen – 8 p.m.

Wed // Dec 25 Cellar Dweller – Wink Burcham – 8:30 p.m.

Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project – 8 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jacob Dement – 9 p.m.

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays – 7 p.m.

The Shrine – Freakshow Reunion – 8:30 p.m. – ($10) Track 5. – Kyle Rainer – 7 p.m.

Thurs // Dec 26 Amp Bar – DJ Queen Jesseen – 7 p.m.

Colony – Seth Lee Jones – 9 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – DJ 2 Legit – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman – 10 p.m.

Riffs – Scott Ellison – 4 p.m.

Riffs – DJ Kelevra – 5 p.m.

Riffs – Time Machine – 7 p.m.

Swamp House – Travis Kidd – 5 p.m.

Track 5. – DJ Demko – 5 p.m.

Track 5. – Travis Kidd Band – 7 p.m.

Vintage Wine Bar – Grammy Nominated ft. Mason Remel & Malachi Burgess – 8 p.m.

Fri // Dec 27

918 Coffee – The Spud Boys – 6 p.m.

Colony – Saugeye – 9 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Blake Turner – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins – 9 p.m.

Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Chris Foster – 7 p.m.

Whittier Bar – Pluto Rouge, Apt-Get, Infinate Crustacean, Without Adjectives, Natty Gray, Gangsta Fresca – 8 p.m.

Amp Bar – DJ Ayngel – 7 p.m.

Blackbird on Pearl – The Vox Squadron CD Release – 9 p.m. – ($5) Cabin Boys Brewery – Giakob Lee – 7 p.m.

Cain’s Ballroom – Charley Crockett, Vincent Nell Emerson – 8 p.m. – ($16 - $31) Cimarron Bar – 1994 – 9:30 p.m.

Colony – Vinyl Happy Hour – 4 p.m.

Colony – Beau Roberson – 10 p.m. – ($5) Duet Jazz – Cynthia Simmons – 8 p.m. – ($10) Heirloom Rustic Ales – Grass Crack – 7 p.m.

Hunt Club – Osage County – 7 p.m.

Juicemaker Lounge – Full Flava King’s Christmas Edition – 9:30 p.m. – ($10) Lefty’s on Greenwood – BrujoRoots – 8 p.m.

Margaritaville - Volcano Stage – Randle James Duo – 10 p.m.

Marshall Brewing Company – Ethan Smith – 6 p.m.

The Max Retropub – DJ Afistaface – 10 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – The Hamilton’s – 10 p.m.

NEFF Brewing – Erin O’Dowd – 8 p.m.

Paradise Cove – Steve Miller Band – 8 p.m.

Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Earslips Happy Hour – 7 p.m.

The ReVue – Escandalo, Franchesqua Minaj, Kino Laylo York – 10:30 p.m.

Riffs – Daniel Jordan – 5:30 p.m.

Riffs – DJ 2 Legit – 6:30 p.m.

Riffs – Replay – 9 p.m.

The Shrine – The Nerve – 7 p.m. – ($5) Soundpony – DJ Why Not – 10 p.m.

Swamp House – Michele Warren, Cameron Mintz – 7 p.m.

Thunder Bar & Grill – RocKFisch – 8 p.m.

Track 5. – DJ Demko – 6 p.m.

Track 5. – Chad Lee – 8 p.m.

The Tulsan Bar – DJ Oreo – 10 p.m.

Vanguard – Fester, Center of Disease, Understanding Eris, Sixth Gear – 8 p.m. – ($12)

Tues // Dec 24

Sat // Dec 28

The Chalkboard – Mark Burner – 6 p.m.

Colony – Chris Lee Becker – 6 p.m.

Colony – Chris Combs Trio with Special Guests – 9 p.m.

Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic – 7 p.m.

Lefty’s on Greenwood – Jazz Night with Leon Rollerson – 7 p.m.

Amp Bar – DJ Keri – 7 p.m.

Bad Ass Renee’s – Serpentine, Spook, Solid Ground – 9 p.m.

Blackbird on Pearl – Misery Loves Company – 8 p.m. – ($5) Colony – Hosty – 10 p.m. – ($5) Duet Jazz – The Zuits – 8 p.m. – ($12) Elote Café – Second Wind – 6 p.m.

Hunt Club – JT and the Dirtbox Wailers – 7 p.m.

Sun // Dec 22 Bodean – Ellen Maureen Jazz Trio – 6 p.m.

The Chalkboard – Steve Liddell – 11 a.m.

Chimera – Afistaface presents: A Very Merry Vinyl Brunch – 12 p.m.

Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing – 10 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark – 4 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – The Charlie Hickman Band – 9 p.m.

The Shrine – Soulful Sunday’s ‘90s – 7 p.m. – ($10)

Mon // Dec 23

Imperio – Oro Solido – 7 p.m.

Juicemaker Lounge – Freak Juice, JellyBean, Seth Lee Jones – 8 p.m.

The Joint – Brendan Schaub – 7 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Zodiac – 9 p.m.

Margaritaville - Volcano Stage – Purple Nation – 10 p.m.

Marshall Brewing Company – Crow Duo – 6 p.m.

The Max Retropub – DJ Afistaface – 10 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Comanche Moon – 10 p.m.

MixCo Bar – An Evening with The Red Stripes – 10 p.m.

Riffs – Jacob Dement – 5:30 p.m.

Riffs – DJ Mib – 6:30 p.m.

Riffs – Live 80 – 9 p.m.

The Shrine – Steve Pryor Tribute with Paul Benjaman Band – 7 p.m. – ($10) Soundpony – Pleasuredome – 10 p.m.

Starlite – Dead Disco Dance Party with DJ Robbo, DJXylo Sesame – 10 p.m.

Swamp House – Curt Hill – 7 p.m.

Thunder Bar & Grill – Rose Leach – 8 p.m.

Track 5. – DJ Demko – 6 p.m.

Track 5. – Taria Lee – 8 p.m.

The Tulsan Bar – DJ Lyric of Lyrical Sounds – 10 p.m.

Vanguard – Live Band Emo & Pop Punk Karaoke with The Dom TeLonges, Goodfells – 9 p.m.

Whittier Bar – Johnny Badseed and the Rotten Apples – 8:30 p.m.

Sun // Dec 29 The Chalkboard – Steve Liddell – 11 a.m.

Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing – 10 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark – 10 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Kalyn Fay, Carter Sampson – 9 p.m.

Paradise Cove – John Fogerty – 8 p.m.

Mon // Dec 30 Colony – Saugeye – 9 p.m.

The Joint – Jackson Browne – 8 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Blake Turner – 9 p.m.

Mass Movement Community Arts – Laundry Baskets, Mastaba, Courtyard Kids, Saturdaze – 7 p.m. – ($7) Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins – 9 p.m.

Rabbit Hole Bar & Grill – Chris Foster – 7 p.m.

Vanguard – Short Fictions, Origami Angel, My Heart & Liver, Ben Quad – 8 p.m. – ($12)

Tues // Dec 31 Amp Bar – DJ Keri – 7 p.m.

Bad Ass Renee’s – Harakiri, Decayus, The Salesman, The Alive – 8:30 p.m. – ($5) Blackbird on Pearl – New Yaaaaars Eve with Jack Ketch & the Bilge Rat Bastards, Machine in the Mountain, The Shame, Screamin Steve Jones – 9 p.m. – ($5) Cain’s Ballroom – Colter Wall, Mike and the Moonpies, Jesse Daniel – 9 p.m. – ($30 - $55) The Chalkboard – Mark Burner – 6 p.m.

Colony – Chris Lee Becker – 6 p.m.

Colony – Chris Combs Trio with Special Guests – 9 p.m.

Duet Jazz – Branjae New Year’s Eve Extravaganza – 10 p.m. – ($45) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic – 7 p.m.

Hunt Club – New Year’s Eve with Smunty Voje – 7 p.m.

Margaritaville - 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar – Full Flava Kings – 9 p.m.

Margaritaville - Volcano Stage – DJ Skibblez – 10 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – NYE Hootenanny with The 40 Acre Mule, Ottoman Turks, The Mules – 8 p.m.

Paradise Cove – Ron White – 8 p.m.

Riffs – After Party – 6 p.m.

Thunder Bar & Grill – Dueling Pianos – 8 p.m.

Track 5. – DJ Demko – 5 p.m.

Track 5. – Travis Marvin – 7 p.m.

Track 5. – Jason Boland – 11 p.m.

Whittier Bar – DJ Kylie NYE Dance Party – 8:30 p.m.

MUSIC // 35

onscreen

(Left to right) Leonardo DiCaprio in “Shutter Island,” Lupita Nyong’o in “Us,” Ashton Sanders in “Moonlight” | COURTESY

2019: Endgame TTV film critics look back on the year—and decade—in movies

by CHARLES ELMORE and JEFF HUSTON JEFF HUSTON: As 2019 comes to a close, Charles, we find ourselves not only at the end of another year but another decade—and in the world of movies, Marvel dominated both. As someone who sides squarely with Martin Scorsese in this past fall’s “What is cinema?” debate, and sees the MCU as far more instantly disposable than not (with few exceptions: Wakanda Forever!), I have to confess that Avengers: Endgame was a deeply effective finale and a truly a oneof-a-kind cultural event that we can’t get anywhere else other than at the movies. The shared experience of being with emotionally-primed uber fans in that packed IMAX auditorium on opening night is something that streaming will never be able to duplicate.

CHARLES ELMORE: A deeply effective finale and quite the impressive accomplishment to 36 // FILM & TV

Marvel’s (and Disney’s!) inevitable domination at the box-office.

However, when the lights went up in the packed-to-the-gills theater I attended, you could almost feel a collective sigh of relief from the audience. The serialization of cinema has become quite the daunting task! But that’s a diatribe for another time. Even so, it’s quite a fascinating time in entertainment as we not only close out the year but the past decade as well, one that began with the hope and optimism of the Obama Era and closes out with the dark cloud of the Trump Era. To look at some of the best movies of 2019 almost seems to be a microcosm of the past 10 years. For example, you have A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, Marielle Heller’s Mr. Rogers movie about love and acceptance.

It gives us all the feels plus the assurance that tolerance and heal-

ing will conquer all, but it’s juxtaposed this Awards Season against Parasite, the astonishing Palm D’Or winner out of Cannes from South Korea’s Bong Joon-Ho. His timely suspense thriller not only reflects the economic anxiety of our global economy, it also tells a wickedly delish satire on class and con-artists.

HUSTON: Class disparity was at the forefront of several of the year’s best, starting with Jordan Peele’s Us, the follow-up to his Oscar-winner Get Out. It’s a provocative piece of art house horror that inextricably links the fate of society to the gap between the haves and have-nots. Another was summer indie The Last Black Man in San Francisco, a plaintive portrait from another African-American voice (actor/ writer Jimmie Fails) that, like Us, mourns the generational roots of

our contemporary divide. Then there’s the highly entertaining Knives Out from writer/director Rian Johnson; his sharp script examines class (and race) through an entirely different fi lter, the old-fashioned whodunit. Johnson reinvigorates the genre with clever wit, thematic depth, and a star-studded cast anchored by Daniel Craig’s Southern sleuth and a breakout turn from up-andcomer Ana de Armas.

But the year’s best fi lm (for me) came from the decade’s best director: Martin Scorsese. The living legend is bookending his storied career with some of his best work, warming up in 2010 and 2011 with Shutter Island and Hugo before returning to peak form with 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street and 2017’s Silence, two very different fi lms about moral and spiritual crisis. Those themes and issues also defined December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

2019’s The Irishman, which capped a thematic trilogy of penitential resonance.

ELMORE: I agree The Irishman is quite good! It’s a masterstroke from a fi lmmaker who, at the age of 77, doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Speaking of Scorsese, with all this talk recently about capital “C” cinema vs IP driven spectacles, this year also felt like a bellwether in some respects. While we continue propelling toward the global domination of Disney, we still saw a promising array of fi lms from what feels like the new vanguard of fi lmmakers, including from female voices. Among them: Lorena Scafaria’s stripper-crime drama Hustlers, Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, a beautiful, funny portrait of a multi-generational Chinese family, and Greta Gerwig’s lively adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.

Added to them this fall was Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit; his poignant WWII Nazi satire joined those other dramas to make moviegoing feel serious yet enjoyable.

Plus, I can’t speak highly enough of Uncut Gems, The Safdie Brothers’ follow-up to 2017’s brilliant Good Time. It’s an anxiety-inducing portrait of obsession and addiction with a singularly mind-melting performance from Adam Sandler. 2019 felt like a year fi lled with promising potential.

HUSTON: Indeed, even as Disney has dominated blockbuster IP while Netfl ix disrupted the whole industry (leading to a slew of new streaming outlets), the past decade has, nevertheless, still proven that great art will emerge through the theatrical platform. A discovery like Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight would have been instantly lost in the Netfl ix cloud had that niche, no-stars, low-budget indie been relegated to VOD, but through smart theatrical platforming it went on to score one of the biggest Oscar upsets of all time.

Other new, vital African-American voices emerged on the big screen as well, from Ava DuVernay (Selma) to Ryan Coogler (who went from Fruitvale Station to Creed to Black Panther with actor Michael B. Jordan) and the aforementioned Jordan Peele.

Meanwhile, master auteurs kept adding to their canons: THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

(Above) Josh Brolin in “Avengers: End Game” (below) Tzi Ma, Shuzhen Zhao, Han Chen, Aoi Mizuhara, Hong Lu, Diana Lin & Awkwafina in “The Farewell” | COURTESY

Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life, the Bartlesville-shot To The Wonder, and the upcoming Nazi-resister true story A Hidden Life), David Fincher (The Social Network, a masterpiece that indicts Mark Zuckerberg’s false sense of success while implicating our own via social media likes), Christopher Nolan (artistically and thematically ambitious tentpoles Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk) and Paul Thomas Anderson who, prior to Daniel Day-Lewis’s swan song in the tense, elegant romance Phantom Thread, was collaborating with arguably the decade’s best actor Joaquin Phoenix. That Method Actor may finally get an Academy Award for this year’s Joker following his award-worthy PTA collaborations like the grand, disturbing, and tragic mid-century melodrama The Master (RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman) and the trippy modern noir Inherent Vice.

Perhaps the most overlooked American director of the 2010s (and this new century) has been James Gray, and 2019 was no dif-

ferent. An auteur of obsession, his early work focused on contemporary New York stories. Gray then expanded his oeuvre with 2013’s hypnotic Ellis Island drama The Immigrant (also starring Joaquin Phoenix). Gray’s historical focus continued with 2017’s The Lost City of Z, an art house Indiana Jones-styled adventure starring Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson in a true story of an early 20th Century search for a mythical city in the Amazon jungle.

This year, Gray jumped into the future with Ad Astra, a philosophical space epic exploring spiritual questions along with father and son themes. Brad Pitt gives the performance of his career as an astronaut charged to find out what happened to a failed mission that was led by his father (Tommy Lee Jones) on the other end of the solar system.

Pitt’s more celebrated turn from 2019 came in the ninth feature fi lm from one of the decade’s most celebrated fi lmmakers: Quentin Tarantino. After winning another screenplay Oscar for

2012’s Django Unchained and then mounting his ultra-violent 2015 winter-set chamber Western The Hateful Eight, Tarantino went full fan service with Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.

Using his signature approach to fictionalizing history, Tarantino casts Leonardo DiCaprio and Pitt as an actor/stuntman team in 1969 who find themselves caught in a major industry shift, set against the backdrop of actress Sharon Tate and the Manson murders. The acclaimed effort may finally garner Tarantino his first Academy Awards for Picture and Director, and Pitt an acting trophy.

As a producer, Pitt quietly helped minority voices break through over the past 10 years, including Barry Jenkins and Ava DuVernay. He also put his clout behind 12 Years A Slave, 2013’s grueling Best Picture winner. The 2010s were also a defining era for the self-proclaimed “Three Amigos” trio of Mexican directors: Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Guillermo del Toro. Between the three of them, they accounted for half of the decade’s Best Director Oscar wins, two Best Picture victories (Iñárritu’s Birdman and del Toro’s The Shape of Water) and three more Picture nominations (Iñárritu’s The Revenant plus Cuarón’s Gravity and Roma).

But of course you couldn’t ask for a better capper to the decade than Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a fi lm that epitomizes the 2010s as well as any single movie could (and also stars Adam Driver, an actor who may start the 2020s with an Oscar win for his searing portrayal in the divorce drama Marriage Story, one of the year’s best fi lms). The final chapter in the Skywalker story is the ultimate sequel/reboot/ blockbuster IP, putting women and minorities in traditional white male lead roles.

Like its Disney cousin the MCU, Episode IX brings a sprawling saga to a close, one that has consumed pop culture and sparked heated (at times toxic) social media debates. Let’s hope as The Rise of Skywalker brings balance to a galaxy far far away, that we find some balance once again in our own universe—now, and for the decade to come. a FILM & TV // 37

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DECEMBER 4 Matt Pinnell

voices@langdonpublishing.com

Tulsa’s independent and non-profit art-house theatre, showing independent, foreign, and documentary films.

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DECEMBER 18 Maggie Hoey

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December 18 – 31, 2019 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE FUZZ THE TULSA VOICE SPOTLIGHTS: TULSA SPCA

2910 Mohawk Blvd. | MON, TUES, THURS, FRI & SAT, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 918.428.7722

Don’t be a scaredy cat!

Adopt one of our kittens named for horror movies today! JASON is a sweet tuxedo kitten who is 4 months old and about 4 lbs. He’s fixed, fully vetted and microchipped.

ACROSS 1 Proverbial waste maker 6 Bee Gees genre 11 Sports datum 15 Hint such as this 19 Spaceship Earth's theme park 20 Coral reef's place 21 "That's gotta hurt!"

22 Many a tweetstorm 23 [THIS JUST IN: Cap'n hands out cereal at noon] 27 Cab Calloway's catchphrase 28 Dolce and Gabbana 29 "Skyfall" singer 30 Princess who built Olaf with Anna 31 Mounted a campaign 33 "___ up to you" 34 Stinky fuel 35 Philosopher Descartes 37 Cup alternative 39 Burn a bit 41 [... Armie takes the reins after Santa falls ill] 49 Bette's "Divine" nickname 50 Old phone abbr.

51 More or ___ 52 Comedian Rudner 53 H, to Hera 54 Cousin of C major 57 Typical kosher diet adherent 58 Bewitched 59 Cool solar patch 61 Oldest Hawaiian island 63 One might "splain" 64 [... Astronauts heat more food than ever before] 71 "___ dead, Jim" (Dr. McCoy) 72 Baseball's Bud 73 Racing series

ERIC is hanging out (like on That ‘70s Show!) waiting to meet his forever family. He’s been neutered, fully vetted, microchipped and is current on parasite prevention.

He’s 6 months old and 5 lbs.

74 77 78 81

Lubricate again Sidekick Anne Rice antihero Major entertainment grp.?

82 With, in France 83 Ernie's best friend 85 "I can't ___ myself" 86 Bowling venue 88 [... McGwire blows it in his debut as an umpire] 93 Toe the line 94 Increase 95 Poetic "soon" 96 Ancient Colosseum visitors 100 Paddle's kin 101 ATM entry 102 Lady Grantham on "Downton Abbey" 106 Rip-snorting mad 107 Fresh hires may bring them to the office 111 Password partner 113 [... White House occupants make a Caribbean purchase] (Theme hint: What can follow each word of the bracketed clues' answers?)

116 The stuff of legends 117 "I got this round" 118 Ron Weasley's owl 119 False 120 One-named Irish singer 121 Tampa Bay team 122 Lathered up 123 Dutch painter Jan DOWN 1 Anne of "Wag the Dog" 2 March follower 3 Gulf War missiles 4 They put cartridges on records

DONNA is a 6-month-old tabby kitten who is a little over 4 lbs. She’s been neutered, fully vetted, microchipped and is current on parasite prevention. Donna is hanging out (like on That ‘70s Show!) and ready to meet her forever family.

5 Engrave 6 A couple, in Caracas 7 Trap, as by sleet 8 Noted Spanish muralist 9 Vena ___ 10 Apt joke to tell on a cruise?

11 Many are between end tables 12 Rotate 13 Unreturned serves 14 "___ Shawshank Redemption" 15 Like some PG-13 humor 16 Expressway divisions 17 "I give up!"

18 Lucy's neighbor 24 Grammy winner Lena 25 Etsy and eBay 26 Hideouts 32 ___ Lingus 34 Speaker's spot 36 Diana Rigg's role in "The Avengers" 37 Mafia boss 38 It's way too much 39 Furry "Star Wars" sidekick, familiarly 40 Week's 168 (Abbr.)

41 Ask for dough 42 Yoga posture 46 Private pupil 43 Grandpa, to great-grandpa 44 Easy to understand 45 Like the latest thing 46 Combine 47 Had a snack, say 48 Feeling down 49 Predicament 55 Comfy, soft shoes 56 Lance with a gavel 57 Some keep balls in the air 58 Crispy edible shell 60 Gillette competitor

62 63 65 66 67 68 69 70 74 75 76 79 80 83 84 85 87 89 90 91 92 96 97 98 99 100 101 103 104 105 107 108 109 110 112 114 115

Singer DiFranco "___ Lisa" Fish-eating raptor Romantic poet John Op. ___ Racing boat It elevates art City where Helen lived Lamb's dad Senora Peron "The StarSpangled Banner" contraction River to the North Sea Jacuzzi product Streisand nickname Just make, with "out" Salon coloring products Guinevere's love "Impression, Sunrise" painter Holy object of a Monty Python quest Moo goo ___ pan Listlessness Rummage (through) Sky hunter Perform a wedding On a pirate ship, say Boo-boos Military mind game, briefly Speak on a soapbox Lather, ___, repeat Append Certain grandkid spoiler TV award Iberian river Psychic energy field Nine-digit figs.

Supporting Underhanded

The Tulsa SPCA has been helping animals in our area since 1913. The shelter never euthanizes for space and happily rescues animals from high-kill shelters.

They also accept owner surrenders, rescues from cruelty investigations, hoarding, and puppy mill situations. Animals live on-site or with foster parents until they’re adopted. All SPCA animals are micro-chipped, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and treated with preventatives. Learn about volunteering, fostering, upcoming events, adoptions, and their low-cost vaccination clinic at tulsaspca.org.

DONNER is a 2-month-old shepherd mix named for Santa’s reindeer. He’s very sweet and, like his namesake, “more rapid than eagles!” Donner and his siblings are ready for a forever home this holiday!

DANCER, like her namesake, is prancing and pawing with excitement for the holidays! She is a 2-month-old shepherd/ border collie mix. She and her siblings, Donner and Blitzen, are hoping to find a forever home before the holidays.

UNIVERSAL SUNDAY CROSSWORD TIMES HEADLINES

by Trent H. Evans, edited by David Steinberg

© 2019 Andrews McMeel Syndication THE TULSA VOICE // December 18 – 31, 2019

BLITZEN is hoping that your visions of sugarplums include adopting her! She is a 2-month-old shepherd mix with fantastic eyebrows. She and her siblings are fixed, vetted, microchipped and current on parasite prevention.

12/15 ETC. // 39

SATURDAY

12.28

THURSDAY

01.09

RICK SPRINGFIELD

BRENDAN SCHAUB

FRIDAY

8PM

FRIDAY

02.07

01.17

JON PARDI

MONDAY

8PM

12.30

8PM

CHRIS TUCKER

7:30PM

SATURDAY

02.08

JACKSON BROWNE

8PM

THURSDAY

01.23

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS

BRET MICHAELS

8PM

8PM

GIVE THE GIFT OF ENTERTAINMENT To purchase your tickets, call the box office at 918.384.ROCK or visit HARDROCKCASINOTULSA.COM.

Schedule subject to change.

CNENT_70388_HR_Joint_GiveTheGift_PrintAd_TulsaVoice_9x12-25_1929752.indd 1

Pleas e re cycle this issue.

11/6/19 12:50 PM