MAR. 4 - 17, 2015
//
VOL. 2 NO. 6
VERSE AND THE RISE OF T U L S A’ S H I P - H O P UNDERGROUND
BLOWING UP
2 // CONTENTS
March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
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THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
CONTENTS // 3
4 // CONTENTS
March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
contents
Mar 4. – Mar. 17, 2015 // vol. 2 no. 6 NEWS & COMMENTARY
PHOTOS BY JEREMY CHARLES
8 // Changing lanes Ray Pearcey, plugged in
Apple making moves toward an electrifying auto gambit cityspeak
10 // The state we’re in* Barry Friedman, historian
*2015 edition: Making history with the Oklahoma legislature viewsfromtheplains
FOOD & DRINK 14 // Worth of art Beau Adams, beholder
Filmmaker Matt Leach on the fleeting and the eternal d ay d r i n k i n g
16 // A Tex-Mex plethora Megan Shepherd, amigo
Favorites and surprises at El Guapo’s in south Tulsa tulsafood
22
B LOW I N G U P
ART & MUSIC
Passing the torch
Ve r s e a n d t h e r i s e o f Tu l s a’ s h i p - h o p u n d e r g r o u n d B Y M AT T C AU T H RO N
Tulsa musician and luthier Dixie Michell leaves a legacy of craft
S T. PA T R I C K ’ S DAY E V E N T S G U I D E | P G . 2 9
DAVID RAIN // 36
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Send all letters, complaints, compliments & haikus to:
voices@ langdonpublishing.com PUBLISHER Jim Langdon ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Matt Cauthron EDITOR Matt Cauthron ART DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford DIGITAL EDITOR Molly Bullock ASSISTANT EDITOR John Langdon CONTRIBUTORS Beau Adams, Ken Ames, Anna Bennett, Greg Bollinger, Marissa Burger, Jeremy Charles, Ashley Heider Daly, Barry Friedman, Valerie Grant, A. Jakober, Joe O’Shansky, Ray Pearcey, David Rain, Megan Shepherd GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Morgan Welch, Georgia Brooks AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
facebook.com/thetulsavoice twitter.com/thetulsavoice instagram.com/thetulsavoice
30 // C uration theory
32 // T he art of loneliness
Ashley Heider Daly, picker
Megan Shepherd, companion
The thrill of the find & the discipline to choose wisely
‘Drought’ debuts at Living Arts’ New Genre festival
d a ly s t y l e
m u s i c n ot e s
FILM & CULTURE 42 // Cinematic identity crisis Joe O’Shansky, explorer
Disorienting tonal shifts and awkward comedy sink ‘Maps to the Stars’ f i l m p h i l e s 44 // In the queue Matt Cauthron, substitute
1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926 PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick ADMIN. ASSISTANT Rachel Webb RECEPTION Gloria Brooks, Gene White
Digging around in the pop culture mine, unearthing the gems p o p r a d a r REGULARS // 18 boozeclues // 19 voice’schoices // 20 dininglistings 34 thehaps // 38 musiclistings // 44 news of the weird // 46 astrology CONTENTS // 5
editor’sletter
THE OKLAHOMA LEGENDS ROOM
A
few years back I interviewed Mitch Gilliam for an article I was writing about his band, Tulsa pop-punk quartet Lizard Police. Typical of any conversation with Mitch, we veered off on many a side tangent—one of which made his eyes light up in an unusually enthusiastic way. The topic we’d stumbled upon was the Tulsa hip-hop scene, which was gaining steam at the time (and has since gained a lot more), and one of its breakout stars, Derek Clark, better known to local hip-hop fans as Verse. It was the first time I’d heard of him, but hearing Mitch preach the gospel, I immediately sought out his music—and became an instant convert. I’m no hip-hop aficionado. I just know there’s a certain kind of hip-hop I favor, and Verse does it better than anyone I’ve ever seen or heard in person. I talked to Mitch about Verse for the article on page 22, and he put it like this: “Verse has this flow that’s not typical ‘fast rap,’ but it’s definitely fast, and relentless,” he said. “Lyrically, I just can’t wrap my head around the sheer quantity of quality lyrics he keeps in his skull. At any given moment he has about a hundred fully written songs he could pull out of his brain and rap. And they’re all lyrically excellent.
“He’s just the most genuine guy, and his music has something important to say—without ever sacrificing the good-naturedness of the message, or by coming off as corny in the name of a good-times party vibe.”
Verse is a member of the hip-hop collective Oilhouse, the meteoric rise of which has been the catalyst for the exploding rap scene in Tulsa. Dan Hahn (aka Algebra), one 6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
of the group’s founders, has been a fervent facilitator of that explosion, and he continues to grow the scene with his monthly showcase Oklahoma Dope, which features a rotating roster of MCs, DJs and spoken word artists (pg. 24). Continuing in the spirit of underground art forms gaining a wider audience, Megan Shepherd chats with one of the artists exhibiting work at the New Genre Arts Festival at Living Arts (pg. 32); Beau Adams goes Day Drinking with filmmaker Matt Leach, whose forthcoming documentary chronicles the curious rise of country and western music in Japan (pg. 14); and David Rain remembers the life and work of Tulsa musician and luthier Dixie Michell, who died last month at age 75 (pg. 36). Lastly, voting has ended in our first-ever Best of Tulsa awards, and I must say to all you voters out there: You nailed it. The nominees, finalists and winners represent an excellent and diverse snapshot of the people, places, businesses, events and organizations that make this city what it is. Sure, I might have chosen differently in a few categories, but in my view, our Best of Tulsa awards will truly reflect what a great time it is to be a Tulsan. We’ll announce the winners in our next issue, hitting stands on March 18, and then we’ll celebrate with a blowout at the one and only Cain’s Ballroom on Thursday, March 19. Get all the details on pg. 7 and join us to revel in Tulsa’s greatness. See you there. a
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THE TULSA VOICE
BEST OF TULSA READERS’ CHOICE 2015
W e’re t h ro wing a part y to hono r t h e winners o f o ur
Best of Tulsa awar d s and you’re invited
Featuring a celebratory tribute to the Best of Tulsa music with
Paul B e nja ma n D on Whi t e • S t e ve P r y o r Dav id T e e ga r d e n S R . Je sse A y co ck & M O R E C A I N ’ S B A L L R O O M | 7 p . m . T h u r s d ay , M a r c h 19 $ 5 i n a d va n c e , $ 8 d ay o f s h o w . D e ta i l s at T h e T u l s aV o i c e . c o m / b o t *plus $2 per ticket Cain’s service charge THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7
cityspeak
Rumors are swirling that Apple Inc. plans to develop its ow n ele ctric car
Changing lanes Apple making moves toward an electrifying auto gambit by RAY PEARCEY
Y
ou heard the news last month—Apple is building an electric car—and yes, it looks serious. This bid for a tentpole in the electric car biz shows how a powerful incumbent can marshall its resources and imagination to mount a competition in a sphere completely outside its normal realm. With our chops in fossil fuels, seismic computing and advanced visualization, we in Oklahoma could learn a thing or two from Apple’s bold crossover move. Like his predecessor Steve Jobs, Apple CEO Tim Cook is both a big-picture thinker and an unapologetic environmentalist. Perhaps the most aggressively pro-environment corporate chief in modern history, Cook has been known to tell off shareholders who don’t support Apple’s prioritizing of
8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
social responsibility over return on investment.1 Under Cook, Apple’s shortterm plans include the purchase and/or coproduction of nearly $900 million in clean energy for critical domestic assembly and production functions. The company has also reduced the power consumption of all its products. Some analysts link this ethos directly to the world’s most valuable company’s interest in the automotive industry. A breakaway Apple electric vehicle might spark a drastic consumer switchover that would finally deliver a markedly cleaner global automotive fleet. It’s an essential turnover that GM, Tesla, Toyota and others haven’t accomplished. Under Steve Zedaskey—formerly of Ford Motors—Cook has assigned perhaps as many as 1,000
Apple employees to a secret development location. According to the Wall Street Journal, CNET and others, the effort appears to be geared toward an electric vehicle with autonomous capabilities. This would align with the self-driving prototypes from Google, electric car maker Tesla and a handful of others. Global efforts to mitigate climate change are accelerating but still slow. Only drastic change will begin to stem the violent storms, massive coastal flooding and catastrophic food and agricultural crises we’re staring down. The new power plant and industrial unit carbon rules for U.S. operators are part of the picture, as was December’s U.S./China climate accord struck by President Barack Obama and China’s Hu Jintao. But more dynamic—even
magical—solutions are required, and soon. Apple’s strategy would combine an extremely attractive electric vehicle line with its obsessive, intensely loyal fan cadre. This cocktail could drastically quicken the pace of electric car adoption internationally, including in China, where Apple’s new iPhone 6 line has been incredibly well received. It would also legitimize Tesla, increase demand for electric cars and push conventional brands further into the ring. The ride-sharing landscape dominated by companies like Uber and Lyft is another facet of the Apple car project. Some transportation analysts anticipate a sharp drop in car ownership, particularly in dense urban areas, as semi-automated or fully self-driving, shared vehicles March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
become central to urban transit in America. By almost all accounts, Apple’s project would take three to five years. That’s edging right up against the expected 2018 launch of highly affordable electric options from Tesla, Toyota and GM. Is Apple really interested in competing with Tesla’s Elon Musk—arguably the most talented and imaginative business person on the planet? Why did Musk apparently rebuff an Apple acquisition pass last year? It might have been one of the hottest combos in recent tech history. Tesla hasn’t yet pushed the U.S. or world automotive marketplace into the electric vehicle column. The company has produced and sold but a tiny fraction of the total annual automotive output. But Musk is still an agile player in the movement with holdings in space commercialization and a utility-scale solar power production company. KEY QUERIES Is the most valuable company on the planet really interested in
outlets respond? Some analysts predict that Apple will do for the electric car what it did for the smart phone—a once-geeky device that caught fire because of Apple’s iphone touch interface, built-in web capacity and superior branding and marketing. Think about it—a potential climate game-changer and the coolest wheels ever... a
Ar t ist’s rendering of an imagined Apple Car
what some see as a low-margin, highly regulated, rarely inventive realm? Tesla has shown that with a few billion dollars, it’s possible to create a new car company from scratch. Sitting on $178 billion, Apple is extremely well positioned to build on its continued success and do just that. According to Yahoo Finance, Apple’s worth exceeds that of almost every current car compa-
ny combined—including BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM, Honda, Fiat, Chrysler, Toyota, Tesla and Volkswagen. With more than 60 percent of Apple’s revenues tied to the iPhone, the company is looking to cast a wider net and make broader use of its wealth of finely-tuned resources. Can Apple navigate the regulatory and safety gauntlet of automotive production? How will Tesla and other electric-invested
Disclosure: Pearcey has done consulting and testing work for several tech/computing firms, including work connected to Apple Inc. and its partners. 1 The Mac Observer: “Tim Cook Soundl y Rejects Politics of the NCPPR, Suggests Group Sell Apple’s Stock” Ray Pearcey, a technology, public policy and management consulting professional, is managing editor of The Oklahoma Eagle and is a regular contributor to The Tulsa Voice.
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THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9
viewsfrom theplains
The state we’re in* *2015 edition: Making history with the Oklahoma legislature by BARRY FRIEDMAN ot since—well, okay— January has Oklahoma had such a perfect storm of hubris, cacophony, homophobia, illogic and mutant sanctimony sweep down its plains. This latest wave of dumbassery came about, as it usually does, because of prickly, one-note representatives, constitutional muttonheads and unapologetic gun pimps. Their efforts to control pedagogy, regulate love, punish government workers who follow the law, humanize semi-automatic weapons and humiliate state residents, though, is just the short con. They’re really after Oklahoma’s soul. And they just might get it. We begin.
N
Not only does HB 1380— which sailed through a committee hearing this week—bar state funds from being used on AP History, the legislation specifies what should be taught in the classroom by specifically identifying dozens of “documents, writings, speeches, proclamations and recordings related to the history, heritage and foundation of the United States” in the 10page bill. 1
Its author? This guy. In the past few years, Dan [Fisher] has traveled the country presenting the messages “Seven Lies We’re Being Told About America” and “Bringing Back the Black Robed Regiment”. “Seven Lies” is a presentation that addresses the attacks being launched against America’s Christian heritage by the “politically correct” progressives. It proves beyond a “shadow of a doubt” that Christians founded America—not atheists and deists, and that the Founders 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
can be forgiven for worrying about the bullying tinhorns who control the purse strings, but for the love of Horace Mann, balance? His side of the teeter-totter is buried in the earth’s mantle and she wants to partner with him? Dan is also on the leadership team of the OKC Tea Party and is frequent speaker at tea party rallies around the state.
Rep. Dan Fisher
wanted a country where Christianity would have a strong impact—not a country where faith and government would be divided by a “strict separation of church and state.”2
I could tell you Fisher, who believes we all need to put on the “full armor of God,”3 is three casseroles short of a pot luck supper, but let Thomas Jefferson tell you … “Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.”
And James Madison … “Religion & Govt. will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.”
But why would Fisher know these quotes? They’re covered in— wait for it—AP History. Fisher, who’s a Republican representative from Yukon, believes these Advanced Placement courses have moved away from the study of American Exceptionalism and, instead, been spending too much time on, you know, reality. He also dictates that speeches made
by Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush be included in the new curriculum but omits any from Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. The fact that Reagan and Bush are Republicans, though, and Carter, Clinton and Obama are Democrats is just a coincidence— yeah, and I’ll be leading bible study at Trinity Baptist Church in Yukon this Sunday. Dan believes that America is facing a crisis today much the same as the one faced by the country in 1776.
Would someone please stop his food? Let’s review: 1776—a fight for independence 2015—a fight against politically-correct Christmas greetings from cashiers at Target. So, days later, after the media knocked Oklahoma around like a piñata at a 6-year-old’s birthday party, Fisher said he would rework the bill because it was ambiguous, a polite word for what it was, and then Joy Hofmeister, new state school superintendent, said she would “partner” with him to find “balance.”4 We’ll cut Hofmeister some slack here, for she’s new and
Hofmeister should have told Fisher if he didn’t like Advanced Placement exams, he could home school his kids, for all she cared, and quiz them on what Moses told John Jay when they were sparring over the Establishment Clause during the Second Continental Congress. “You can have my answer now, Senator. Nothing”—Michael Corleone.
Bill Maher was right when he said the Left in this country moved to the Center, the Center moved to the Right, and the Right moved to an Insane Asylum (though you may know it as the state capitol in Oklahoma City). Thing is, you meet crazy halfway, you’re still in crazy land, which means it wins. But while this AP story sucked out most of the oxygen in the room, there was this: “It’s a combination of principle and a matter of common sense,” said OK2A (Oklahoma Second Amendment Association) President Tim Gillespie of Earlsboro. “If we’re letting people carry guns, it makes no sense not to let them carry switchblade knives. We believe knives fall under the Second Amendment because it says ‘arms,’ ” said Gillespie. “I don’t understand why March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
switchblades are thought to be so evil.”5
as HB 1599 is styled, also bars the use of public funds for “enforcing any court order requiring the issuance or recognition of a samesex marriage license,” and orders the immediate removal from office of any judge who violates the provisions of the bill. 8
And this … The Bixby Cubs, a baseball team for boys 11 and under, is selling raffle tickets to win an AR-15 rifle as part of a fundraiser. Davis said this is the fourth year in a row for the team to hold the popular fundraiser.
And this .. A controversial bill could require couples to prove they don’t have certain diseases, including STD’s before getting a marriage license. Under this new provision, if a person has a disease that can passed to another person, they basically won’t be able to get married in Oklahoma. Each year many Oklahomans file a marriage license. It doesn’t take much, but state lawmakers are working to change that process and to include very personal health information, making what’s now private under HIPAA laws public. 9
“It’s a positive thing for the kids, and we have received support from all of the parents,” Davis said. “We have found that people would rather buy tickets for this than a Visa gift card.”6
And this … “It’s our God-given right and our constitutional right,” said Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw, who has filed legislation to allow weapons to be brought into the Capitol. 7
And this … The “Preservation of Sovereignty and Marriage Act,”
This is the small-bang theory—Oklahoma is that hot dense state—at work: cynical, mean and
synaptically-challenged minds wreaking havoc, piece by piece, on what Charles P. Pierce of Esquire calls our “Laboratory of Democracy.” I was wrong last column when I said we were only in double-A ball—the state is now in the show. No amount of facile snarkery (and believe me, I’ve tried) can adequately describe what’s truly going on in Oklahoma. Fisher is not a well-meaning religious patriot and legislator with an unbridled love for America—he is a hooded zealot who apparently believes he has been sent by heaven to save us from Obama. Along with John Bennett and Sally Kern, he is part of a new brigade—all with God on their side and flag pins on their lapels—that cherry-picks history, stifles creative and critical thinking, removes the language and institutions of love from those in love, demystifies automatic weapons in the minds of 12-year-old rightfielders (and whatever happened to bake sales and car washes?), expands the ways in which we get to kill each other, exposes the private lives of state residents who dare to live by a different moral or ethical code,
and flirts with sedition and nullification. The more they tinker, paw and disfigure the ways in which we deal with each other in Oklahoma, the less recognizable and habitable the state will become. a (1) cnn.com: Oklahoma bill would make AP U.S. History history (2) BringingBackTheBlackRobedRegiment.com (3) examiner.com: Okla. AP courses under fire for teaching ‘negative view of American history’ (4) tulsaworld.com: State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister says she’ll work to fix lawmaker AP history bill (5) tul s aworl d. com: Okl ahom a Legisl ature m a y rumbl e over switchbl ade b an (6) tulsaworld.com: Bixby youth baseball team sells raffle tickets for AR-15 rifle as fundraiser (7) newsok.com: Bill would allow some to carry guns into Oklahoma Capitol (8) tulsaworld.com: Bills targeting same-sex marriage advanced by Oklahoma House panel (9) newson6.com: Proposed Bill: Couples Must Prove They Don’t Have STD’s Before Marriage In OK
“Views from the Plains” appears each issue and covers Oklahoma politics and culture—the disastrous, the unseemly, the incomprehensible … you know, the day-to-day stuff. Barry Friedman is a touring standup comedian, author and general rabble-rouser.
VE TE A S DA e th March 7-8, 2015
33rd Annual
Art Show & Sale Tulsa Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center
• Over 50 nationally-renowned artists • Hundreds of amazing pieces of nature and western art • Proceeds benefiting regional wildlife conservation projects
Lyn St. Clair
2015 Featured Artist
Paul Rhymer
2015 Encore Artist
w w w. N a t u r e Wo r k s . o r g
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11
LOCATED IN THE
Heart x DOWNTOWN TULSA
SPICING
UP TULSA WITH A TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN
Brady arts district
3/14 Brady Arts District Pub Crawl!
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MAR. 6 from 6-9 PM
RIDE THE FREE
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F R I D AY & S AT U R D AY route starts at WO O D Y G U TH RIE CEN TER on hour & half from 5:00PM - 1:30AM
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route starts at WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER on hour and half hour from 5:00PM –1:30AM w w w.t ro l l ey m a p.c o m LDE OU S. B
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108 Contemporary Hey Ma B R A D Y I C T 15 ,17,18 15 A RT S D I S T R Laffa Re B R A D Y A RT SMarch D I S4TBar R I C46 T 1- 5 ,17,18 S – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE W. 1 ELGINContemporary IF 108 Hey Mambo Caz’s Chowhouse Metro @ CLOSED 108 Contemporary Hey Mambo B R A D Bar YBar4646 A RT S D I S TLaffa R IRestaurant CPub T Caz’s The Hun Laffa Restaurant
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- Bar 46 ST. - Mason’s N 3- PRHYME - Cain’s EROBallroom AM C . W - Caz’s Pub - Soundpony RON T. 2 Hunt Club ME - The - Classic Cigars - Caz’s Chowhouse - PRHYME NS 1 ERO N ST. . CA LD M E Y A D & Lounge - The Rusty - Chimera -OSisserou’s E. C MERO F E I Crane Y BRADY OD WO HRIE . CA WO HRIEY O K Tavern E EThe Club Majestic THEATER - Gypsy Coffee House GU-TThe Hunt Club UWTOOEDR IE N G R T NTHRO . 17 18 CGEU NTE 17 43 Lounge TER - The Vanguard C-EThe - Hey Mambo Rusty Crane ERON STS-T. Downtown 17 CEN 3 3 AM ON - Gypsy Coffee House - Valkyrie W. C AMER - Laffa - The Tavern .C T. W S 2 N - YETI - Hey Mambo - Lucky’s on theEROGreen - T-Town Gourmet 1 . 2 AM BRADY 1 - ZIN Y ST I L D E. C2 - Laffa - Mexicali Border CafeOODY Food Truck RADO K F E BRADY THEATER W HRIE B . 18 1 E T -.BMAINLINE GU TER THEATER 4 . M 5 ON 18 EN
for a variety ST. of food
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SIMPLY TRAGIC MAR 14 2015
ter is rie Cen e dy Guth cipate in th at o o W The d to par ti it th ib h x e e s iter’s e tails on plea m a Wr D Oklahos March 6 – perience at n ex e ope u .edu n e lti-v ks tate this muandwriter s.o ts poe
7:30 PM CHAPMAN MUSIC HALL, TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
woodyguthriecenter.org
Mahler, Symphony No. 6 in A minor (“Tragische”) Gerhardt Zimmermann, guest conductor
Back by overwhelming demand – “THE BEATLES: THE FIRST U.S. VISIT” MAR 7
Documentary screening starts at 2 PM – FREE with paid admission to the center or annual membership.
RANDY NOOJIN MAR 8 At 2PM
One-man show – “Hard Travelin’ with Woody” FREE with paid admission to the center or annual membership.
JOEL RAFAEL CONCERT MAR 13 At 7 PM Tickets: $12 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 918.574.2710
A.J. CROCE PROGRAM MAR 15 At 2 PM
FREE with paid admission to the center or annual membership.
FOR TICKETS CALL 918.596.7111 or WWW.TULSASYMPHONY.ORG
address 102 EAST BRADY STREET, TULSA, OK
74103
phone 918.574.2710
email INFO@WOODYGUTHRIECENTER.ORG THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
BRADY ARTS DISTRICT GUIDE // 13
daydrinking
Worth of art Filmmaker Matt Leach on the fleeting and the eternal by BEAU ADAMS Location: Fassler Hall To drink: Spaten Optimator
TTV: They were just getting melody.
The Tulsa Voice: So, how are things going? Staying busy?
ML: Yeah, exactly. When you listen to traditional Japanese music, it’s beautiful, but it’s also so much more sophisticated. It’s not something you can put on and in three minutes totally identify with. That’s part of what this film is about. After the war, these people were devastated to some degree, and here comes this common-man type of music from the West, and even though they don’t understand the words, they can identify. It’s poor people singing to poor people. And maybe unlike jazz, you didn’t have to be sophisticated to get it.
Matt Leach: Yeah. Whenever I came back from doing this project [“Far Western,” a documentary following Japanese musicians who make authentic American country and western and roots/bluegrass music, primarily shot in Japan], I was basically broke. I was hoping that things would come around, so it’s been nice—thankfully, I’ve stayed busy. TTV: Where are you in the project? Is it in the can? ML: Well, we have all of the footage that we’re going to get. We used a Kickstarter campaign to get the cash to go to Japan and shoot, and now we might need to do the same thing to finish this thing in postproduction. We obviously have mountains of editing to do, we need to put it together, we need translators—you know, there’s still a lot of work. But that’s how it goes. That’s all part of it. TTV: Had you been to Japan before? ML: No. I’d never left the country before. TTV: You left in a big way. ML: I always wanted to get paid to travel. That was my dream early on when I started working in film. It only took about 15 years or something [laughs] but it worked out. TTV: Here’s something I’ve been wondering about for quite some 14 // FOOD & DRINK
Mat t Leach // Photo by Greg Bollinger
time: How does it come to be that a society that we used the atomic bomb on, come to envy and emulate parts of our culture? Is that a Stockholm Syndrome thing? ML: That’s gonna definitely be a part of the film; it’s something that has always interested us. And I think it’s partly about the power of music. The music is so powerful that it can speak across cultures in the most extreme sense. Several people we follow in the film are in their 80s, so they can remember what it was like before the war. They can remember not having enough food to eat or not being able to have access to Western music. So when American rock and roll became available to them, they were not unlike the teenagers here in the states. The fact that their parents hated it was part of it, part of the rebellion and freedom, just like it was here. Also, this type of music was the first Western music the Japanese had ever heard that they could sing along to. They had maybe heard some American jazz,
maybe even some big band stuff. But this American roots music was accessible, and out of this war, these people became lifelong obsessives devoted to American country and western music. TTV: So, are there country and western themed bars in Japan? ML: Oh yeah. And it’s all about Bud Light and American flags. It’s all of it. It’s not just the music. When you go, you feel like you’re in a country bar in the deep South or something. Every part of that country and western culture, down to the brand and vintage of boots and jeans, the instruments they play, the décor, old wood they’ve purchased and brought over, wagon wheels, everything is obsessively faithful. It’s more country than Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill for damn sure. I think there’s something really sweet about it. It’s pretty innocent. A lot of them couldn’t understand the language when they first heard the songs.
TTV: It’s accessible. ML: Right. And even now, so much of popular music is not that way. You hear all of these bands, and they’re trying to get to some level of authenticity, but it just doesn’t seem to be there. They’re all models, and it feels like they haven’t really been through anything. It seems disingenuous. … I think it’s interesting that there are so many people that aren’t more curious about film and music that’s been made in the past. Maybe the wealth of information is all too blinding, but I feel it’s a strange time to not be curious because you can get at most of it relatively easily. It used to take years and a cooler older brother and access to a car and a fuckin’ job just to get your hands on some band’s total collection of music. Now, it’s just right there on your phone. But, I think it also makes all of that stuff not mean anything anymore. March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
TTV: That’s the cut. ML: It’s an amazing thing, but it makes all art just not worth that much. We care about it, sometimes intensely, but the time we care about it is brief. As a filmmaker, I’ve been told to make 2-minute films, I’ve been told that that is all people have the attention span for. But then there’s this other side of things where people will spend 12 hours binge-watching a series. It’s like we’ve all got to just power through the media we’re told we need to enjoy. TTV: Who put a camera in your hands for the first time? ML: My parents bought me a camera for my 16th birthday. It was a little High 8 camera. When I was 16, I asked for editing software and a camera. TTV: That’s pretty normal. ML: [Laughs] Yeah. Jesus. So I’ve got this piece of hardware, and you can attach the camera to it, and it’s this real rudimentary editing
software. So that was how I started to learn. I just shot things and then started trying to edit them. Also around then, Oklahoma Summers Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain started their first film program, and the way you got in was to make a short film. That was the first thing I was serious about, film-wise. And I got in. And it really changed me. TTV: How so? ML: Well, I had played music for a long time as a kid. Like a lot of people, I wanted to be a musician—it’s one of the most amazing, immediate art forms. But no matter how hard I practiced, it just wasn’t going to fuckin’ happen. I had been at it for years, and I hadn’t even scratched the surface. I took lessons, I mean, I was working at it. It was like a job, but it just wasn’t coming. But then I got this camera, and the stuff I was doing wasn’t great, but it was immediately so much better than what I had been working on for years on the guitar. TTV: Would you say it was intuitive?
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
TTV: You ever think about heading to L.A. to work?
as a conscious decision, but I want to show people that you can make cool shit here in Oklahoma. If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen. There are enough people around here now that can help you. There’s enough talent around here to get things done and get them done at a very high level. Technology has helped as well. You can do your own thing here. You’re not going to have to work for 10 years on the set of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” just to make your rent. If what’s most important as an artist is making exactly what you want to make, then I think in some respects that’s easier to do here. I make a living making films here, and I live just as well as those guys in L.A., all things being equal. I can’t drive to the beach in 25 minutes, but when do they go to the beach? In Oklahoma, I get to personally make films that mean something to me. a
ML: Well, here’s the thing: A lot of my friends have headed to the coasts to work, but I wanted to do this here. I’m not sure it started out
This interview has been condensed to run in the space allotted. For an extended version, visit TheTulsaVoice.com/leach
ML: Yeah, it just clicked. And I immediately had success with it, even if the success was very small. I felt good about it. People want to do creative things because it’s fulfilling, but you have to be open-minded about where that takes you. I feel like it took a lot of trying different things. It helped that I liked the editing side of the process. With film, I could shoot something and then take it back to a computer and work on it over and over and over again. I didn’t have to stand up in front of a thousand people and nail a guitar solo note for note. I could shoot something and work on it for three months before I showed it to anyone. It took all of the anxiety out of trying to create. It just fit my personality better, but it took time for me to learn that about myself.
FOOD & DRINK // 15
El Guapo’s Southside 8161 S. Harvard Ave. | 918.728.RITA elguaposcantina.com/southside A sele ct ion of dishes and drinks at El Guapo’s Southside
A Tex-Mex plethora Familiar favorites and a few surprises at El Guapo’s new south Tulsa digs by MEGAN SHEPHERD | photos by VALERIE GRANT
T
he newest Tulsa addition to the McNellie’s Group comes via El Guapo’s Southside, located at 81st Street and Harvard Ave. in the Walnut Creek Shopping Center. El Guapo’s exterior is deceiving. From the outside, it looks somewhat nondescript, but step inside and you’ll find rich, vibrant colors, exceptional design and a killer menu.
It’s hard to pin down the look and feel of the popular downtown cantina’s south Tulsa iteration treads somewhere between 1970s tequila bar, old Mexico restaurant and grand Latin cathedral. Lush hues of orange, pink, brown and blue evoke festivity and playfulness. A tequila bar shrouded in grand archways, mosaic tiling and glass candles gives the space religious undertones.
Fine dining… At an affordable price!
It’s an intentional ode to Tequila, and General Manager Jeff Dickason says the bar was designed to pay proper homage to the restaurant’s impressive Mezcal catalog. “We really pride ourselves on our tequila,” Dickason said. “We have over 100 different types, which might be the longest list in Oklahoma.” Mezcals are hard to track down in the state, but El
Guapo’s has managed to wrangle up an impressive number of sippable, smoky, barrel-aged elixirs. The bar also features a strong selection of handcrafted cocktails, but the Margarita de la Casa is your best bet. Made with fresh limeade (much less grainy than sweet and sour, and far less sugary than a store-bought mix), triple sec and lime, the recipe lends itself well to flavor-twisting iterations—such as
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Egg Drop Soup March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
the Tamarind Margarita (Corralejo Reposado, tamarind and lime), and the Hibiscus Margarita (with house-made hibiscus syrup of boiled brandy, sugar and hibiscus). For dinner, we started with the Ceviche de Camaron, featuring curled gulf shrimp in chilled tomato sauce. The dish has a sneaky hit of spice and is served in a bath of zesty lime juice, diced tomatoes, onion, minced cilantro and hunks of fresh avocado. We also split the Chile Relleno and Enchilada Combo. The deep fried, stuffed pepper topped with salsa roja, cotija cheese and Mexican crema was smooth and velvety with a creamy mouth feel, and the extra-cheesy enchilada came drizzled with white queso, avocado crema and sprinkles of green onion. Be warned: this thing is deliciously cheesy but also super rich. You’ll appreciate the milder flavors of the accompanying poblano rice and refried beans after a few bites. We then sampled the grilled Mahi Mahi fish tacos—char-grilled fish spread across flour tortillas and drizzled with red Chile aioli, pico de gallo, jalapeno slaw and fresh guacamole. Reminiscent of the spicy sauce commonly found at sushi restaurants, the aioli ties the dish together with upfront heat and savory creaminess. Finally, we made some room for a few bites of the Wet Burrito. A little messy, this hearty rollup is best tackled with a fork. Tender, well-seasoned carne asada, refried beans, poblano rice, salsa roja, pico, sour cream and guac with a white queso finish make the Wet Burrito a (delicious) force to be reckoned with. Of everything we sampled, the Ceviche shone the brightest. Its tender shrimp and unexpected, fiery kick made it by far the hardest dish to put down.
Since opening in December, El Guapo’s Southside has drawn impressive attendance, proving that a Mexican cantina and kitchen can stand alone as a neighborhood joint away from bustling downtown. The crowds, Dickason says, are “kind of all-encompassing. We can accommodate fine dining but can also cater to people looking for a louder, more casual environment.” And with a discounted lunch menu, El Guapo’s Southside
could easily become a go-to spot for the south Tulsa set, day or night. In the coming year, El Guapo’s plans to extend its cantina space to include an enclosed patio, perfect for day drinking and balmy summer evenings. Currently, the cantina room features floor-to-ceiling garage doors, which open to let in light and fresh air on warm days, and the building’s original light fixtures—refined copper overheads
imported from Mexico. Touches like these, along with scenes of Mexican culture and dignitaries, give the space an authentic, lively personality. Helmed by Executive Chef Juan Tores, El Guapo’s Southside will be trying out some new recipes, and offering a handful of seasonal tequila dinners later this year. But if you ask us, it’s in your best interest to pay them a visit sooner rather than later. a
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FOOD & DRINK // 17
boozeclues (tips on drinking well in Tulsa)
Midleton’s Bar & Grill 9711 E. 81st St. The server: Alyssa Whan The drink: Irish Shooter The ingredients: Irish whiskey, Avión Espresso, Irish cream The lowdown: Midleton’s opened this month with a full menu of traditional sports bar fare plus some Irish offerings. Specialty cocktails include the Cork County Apple, Irish Coffee and Ireland United.
SAVOR THE FLAVORS OF AUTHENTIC SOUTHWEST INSPIRED DISHES 3509 S. Peoria Ave. 918.745.6699 cafeolebrookside.com
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Come enjoy our new $2 Domestic Bottles heated patio! & $5 Select Appetizers
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18 // FOOD & DRINK
Weekly Monday Night
8-Ball Tournament
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Open 7 Days a Week 3415 S. Peoria Avenue For a GOOD TIME, call (918) 742-9500
Lose Once and You’re Still In! Early Bird Special: Enter at 7 pm, Practice FREE for One Hour! (subject to availability)
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Home of the $2 Mimosa & $5 Bloody Mary
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PINBALL • FOOSBALL • BIG SCREEN T V’S • FULL BARS March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
voice’schoices
S T. PA T R I C K ’ S D AY S N A C K S McNellie’s
Jameson’s
Lokal
Kilkenny’s
let’s get SHAM
ROCKED
BAKER STREET PUB & GRILL ST. PATRICK’S DAY TUES • MARCH 17 McNellie’s
Lôkal
409 E. 1st St., 918-382-7468 www.mcnellies.com
3308 S. Peoria Ave 918-764-8783
McNellie’s perfectly-portioned Irish lunch special is a great throwback to my time in Dublin living on soup, bread and beer. The generous bowl of potato leek soup with savory rye bread is satisfying and hearty but not too heavy. A small Guinness makes the experience complete without the guilt of day-drinking. At $5.50, this hot lunch is hard to beat. Served daily 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Located next to Shades of Brown, Lôkal is one of Brookside’s new kids on the block. It boasts a decent selection of draft beer and a small but appetizing menu. For a sure bet, order the Lôkal Nachos with Guinness Irish Cheddar Sauce ($11). House-made potato chips and well-seasoned beef elevate this seemingly ordinary dish to an unusually tasty level.
8921 S. Yale Ave 918-921-3530 St. Patty’s day is for beer. But don’t forget to put a little food in your tummy before going all out! Jameson’s offers a variety of tasty bar snacks, and the chicken nachos ($8.99) and bacon-wrapped jalapeños ($7.49) are crowd favorites. Both of these generous appetizers are ready to sate your drunchies. DAILY 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
bag pipers by
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MON-SUN 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
OPEN DAILY 11:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Jameson’s Pub and Grill
GREEN BEER • IRISH MENU
Kilkenny’s 1413 E. 15th St., 918-582-8282 www.tulsairishpub.com Kilkenny’s now offers its extensive menu till 1 a.m., but my favorite order is still the late-night $5 fish ‘n’ chips (it’s not on the menu, so just ask). Smaller than the full-priced monstrosity, it makes the perfect after-10 p.m. snack. It might never top the majesty of Dublin’s Leo Burdock and their baby-sized, ocean-fresh half-of-a-cod in a bag, shaken up with vinegar and half your body weight’s worth of chips—but it’s still the best I’ve had this side of the Atlantic. MON-FRI 11 a.m.-2 a.m. SAT-SUN 9 a.m.-2 a.m.
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
BAKER ST. PUB & GRILL - TULSA 6620 S. Memorial Dr. 918.286.2227 bakerstreetpub.com FOOD & DRINK // 19
dininglistings TU/KENDALL WHITTIER
SOUTH TULSA
Big Al’s Health Foods Bill’s Jumbo Burgers Billy Ray’s BBQ Brothers Houligan Calaveras Mexican Grill Capp’s BBQ Corner Café Duffy’s Diner El Rio Verde Freddie’s Hamburgers Guang Zhou Dim Sum Jim’s Coney Island Las Americas Super Mercado & Restaurant Lot a Burger
BBD II Baja Jack’s Burrito Shack Bamboo Thai Bistro Bellacino’s Pizza & Grinders Bodean’s Seafood Restaurant The Brook Camille’s Sidewalk Café Cardigan’s Charleston’s Cimarron Meat Company Dona Tina Cocina Mexicana El Guapo’s El Samborsito Elements Steakhouse & Grille The Fig Café and Bakery First Watch Five Guys French Hen Gencies Chicken Shack Gyros by Ali Hebert’s Specialty Meats Helen of Troy Hideaway Pizza
Maxxwell’s Restaurant Moonsky’s Cheesesteaks and Daylight Donuts Mr. Taco Oklahoma Style BBQ Philly Alley Pie Hole Pizza Pollo al Carbon Rib Crib BBQ & Grill The Right Wing Route 66 Subs & Burgers Tacos Don Francisco Tally’s Good Food Cafe Umberto’s Pizza
PEARL DISTRICT El Rancho Grande The Phoenix Café Lola’s Caravan
Ike’s Chili Papa Ganouj JJ’s Hamburgers
BROOKSIDE Antoinette Baking Co. Biga Billy Sims BBQ Blue Moon Bakery and Café The Brook Brookside By Day Café Ole Café Samana Charleston’s Claud’s Hamburgers Cosmo Café & Bar Crow Creek Tavern Doc’s Wine and Food Egg Roll Express Elmer’s BBQ Fuji La Hacienda Lokal The Hen Bistro Hibiscus Caribbean Bar and Grill HopBunz In the Raw
Keo Lambrusco’Z To Go Leon’s Brookside Lokal Mazzio’s Italian Eatery Ming’s Noodle Bar Mondo’s Ristorante Italiano Old School Bagel Café Pei Wei Asian Diner R Bar & Grill Rons Hamburgers & Chili Señor Tequila Shades of Brown Sonoma Bistro & Wine Bar Starbucks Sumatra Coffee Shop Super Wok The Warehouse Bar & Grill Weber’s Root Beer Whole Foods Market Yolotti Frozen Yogurt Zoës Kitchen
UTICA SQUARE Brownies Gourmet Burgers Fleming’s Goldie’s Patio Grill McGill’s Olive Garden P.F. Chang’s China Bistro
WO ODLAND HILLS
BLUE D OME India Palace La Crêpe Nanou La Flama Mahogany Prime Steakhouse McNellie’s South City Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pastas Napa Flats Wood Fired Kitchen Naples Flatbread & Wine Bar Nordaggio’s Coffee OK Country Donut Shoppe Pita Place Redrock Canyon Grill Ripe Tomato Ron’s Hamburgers and Chili Sushi Hana Japanese Fusion Thai Village Tres Amigos Mexican Grill & Cantina White Lion Whole Foods Yokozuna Zio’s Italian Kitchen
Pepper’s Grill Polo Grill Queenie’s Café and Bakery Starbucks Stonehorse Café Wild Fork
Albert G’s Bar & Q Dilly Deli El Guapo’s Cantina Fassler Hall Joe Bots Coffee Joe Momma’s Pizza Juniper
DECO DISTRICT Atlas Grill Billy’s on the Square Boston Avenue Grill Deco Deli
Elote Café & Catering Mod’s Coffee & Crepes Tavolo The Vault
DOWNTOWN 624 Kitchen and Catering Abear’s All About Cha Stylish Coffee & Tea Baxter’s Interurban Grill Bohemian Pizzeria The Boiler Room The Boulder Grill Café 320 Casa Laredo Coney Island Daily Grill Fat Guy’s Foolish Things Coffee Grand Selections for Lunch The Greens on Boulder
TERWILLEGER HEIGHTS
MIDTOWN
Bill & Ruth’s Blue Rose Café Burn Co. BBQ The Chalkboard Dalesandro’s
Albert G’s Bangkok Thai Super Buffet Bravo’s Mexican Grill Bros. Houligan Celebrity Restaurant Daylight Donuts Supershop Eddy’s Steakhouse Felini’s Cookies & Deli
Elwoods Mansion House Café Ron’s Hamburgers & Chili La Villa at Philbrook
Lambrusco’z McNellie’s S&J Oyster Company STG Pizzeria & Gelateria Tallgrass Prairie Table Yokozuna
Lassalle’s New Orleans Deli Lou’s Deli MADE Market in the DoubleTree by Hilton Mazzio’s Italian Eatery Naples Flatbread & Wine Bar Oneok Café Oklahoma Spud on the Mall Seven West Café Sheena’s Cookies & Deli Steakfinger House The Sushi Place Tabouli’s Ti Amo Topeca Coffee Williams Center Café
Golden Gate Lambrusco’z Mary Jane’s Pizza My Thai Kitchen PJ’s Sandwich Shoppe Phill’s Diner Trenchers Delicatessen
I-44/BA INTERCHANGE Big Anthony’s BBQ Bill & Ruth’s Subs Billy Sims BBQ Binh-Le Vietnamese Chop House BBQ D’Oro Pizza Desi Wok Fiesta Cozumel Gogi Gui Growler’s Sandwich Grill Hideaway Pizza Himalayas – Aroma of India Ichiban Teriyaki Jumbo’s Burgers Las Bocas Las Tres Fronteras Le Bistro Sidewalk Cafe Mamasota’s Mexican Restaurant & Bar Mazzio’s Italian Eatery
Monterey’s Little Mexico Nelson’s Buffeteria Pho Da Cao Pickle’s Pub Rice Bowl Cafe Rib Crib BBQ & Grill Roo’s Sidewalk Café Royal Dragon Sezchuan Express Shawkat’s Deli & Grill Speedy Gonzalez Grill Spudder Steak Stuffers USA Tacos Don Francisco Thai Siam Tokyo Garden The Tropical Restaurant & Bar Viet Huong Villa Ravenna Watts Barbecue
NORTH TULSA Amsterdam Bar & Grill Admiral Grill Bill & Ruth’s Christy’s BBQ Evelyn’s Golden Saddle BBQ Steakhouse Hank’s Hamburgers
Harden’s Hamburgers Hero’s Subs & Burgers Los Primos Moonsky’s Cheesesteaks and Daylight Donuts The Restaurant at Gilcrease White River Fish Market
WEST TULSA
Tulsa Broken Arrow
20 // FOOD & DRINK
Arnold’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers Burger House Charlie’s Chicken Jumpin J’s Knotty Pine BBQ Hideaway Pizza Linda Mar
Lot a Burger Monterey’s Little Mexico Ollie’s Station Rib Crib BBQ & Grill Sandwiches & More Union Street Café Westside Grill & Delivery
Asahi Sushi Bar Baker Street Pub & Grill Billy Sims BBQ Bistro at Seville Bluestone Steahouse and Seafood Restaurant Brothers Houligan Brothers Pizza Bucket’s Sports Bar & Grill Charlie’s Chicken Chuy’s Chopsticks El Tequila Fat Daddy’s Pub & Grille Fat Guy’s Burger Bar Fish Daddy’s Seafood Grill Fuji FuWa Asian Kitchen Firehouse Subs The Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse Haruno Hungry Howie’s Pizza In the Raw on the Hill Jameson’s Pub Jamil’s Jason’s Deli
Jay’s Original Hoagies Keo Kit’s Takee-Outee La Roma Lanna Thai Logan’s Road House Louie’s Mandarin Taste Marley’s Pizza Mekong River Mi Tierra Napoli’s Italian Restaurant Oliveto Italian Bistro Ri Le’s Rib Crib BBQ & Grill Ridge Grill Ron’s Hamburgers & Chili Savoy Shogun Steakhouse of Japan Siegi’s Sausage Factory & Deli Ti Amo Italian Ristorante Wrangler’s Bar-B-Q Yasaka Steakhouse of Japan Zio’s Italian Kitchen
BRADY ARTS DISTRICT Caz’s Chowhouse Chimera Draper’s Bar-B-Cue Gypsy Coffee House Hey Mambo The Hunt Club Laffa Lucky’s on the Green Mexicali Border Café Oklahoma Joe’s
Prhyme Downtown Steakhouse The Rusty Crane Sisserou’s Spaghetti Warehouse The Tavern Z’s Taco Shop Zin Wine, Beer & Dessert Bar
CHERRY STREET 15 Below Andolini’s Pizzeria Café Cubana Chimi’s Mexican Food Chipotle Mexican Grill Coffee House on Cherry Street Doe’s Eat Place Full Moon Café Genghis Grill Heirloom Baking Co. Hideaway Pizza Jason’s Deli Kilkenny’s Irish Pub & Eatery La Madeleine
Lucky’s Restaurant Mary’s Italian Trattoria Mi Cocina Oklahoma Kolache Co. Palace Café Panera Bread Phat Philly’s The Pint Qdoba Mexican Grill SMOKE. Te Kei’s Tucci’s Café Italia Zanmai
EAST TULSA Al Sultan Grill & Bakery Big Daddy’s All American Bar-B-Q Birrieria Felipe Bogey’s Brothers Houligan Casa San Marcos Casanova’s Restaurant Charlie’s Chicken Cherokee Deli Darby’s Restaurant El Centenario El Gallo Loco El 7 Marez El Refugio Azteca Super Taqueria Fiesta Del Mar Flame Broiler Frank’s Café Fu-Thai Garibaldi’s The Gnarley Dawg Hatfield’s
Jay’s Coneys Josie’s Tamales Kimmy’s Diner Korean Garden Leon’s Smoke Shack Lot a Burger Maria’s Mexican Grill Mariscos Costa Azul Mariscos El Centenario Mekong Vietnamese Pizza Depot Porky’s Kitchen Ron’s Hamburgers & Chili RoseRock Cafe Señor Fajita Seoul Restaurant Shiloh’s of Tulsa Shish-Kabob & Grill Stone Mill BBQ & Steakhouse Tacos San Pedro Taqueria la Cabana Timmy’s Diner
ROSE DISTRICT BruHouse Daylight Donuts Family Back Creek Deli & Gifts Fiesta Mambo! Hideaway Pizza In the Raw
The Hutch Pantry Main Street Tavern McHuston Booksellers and Irish Bistro Romeo’s Espresso Cafe The Rooftop
March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
Deliciously different Modern takes on italian classics. Full Bar 75 Beers
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IN THE FARM SHOPPING CENTER 51ST & SHERIDAN • 918.764.9333 FACEBOOK/MAMASOTASTULSA.COM
MON. 11-2, TUE. TO SAT. 11-9
114 S. Detroit in the Blue Dome Downtown Tulsa Open Daily 11AM - 10PM 918.938.6510 STGItalian.com
MAKING ITALIAN FOODS EXACTLY THE WAY ITALIANS MAKE THEM.
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
NOW OPEN!
MARCH SPECIALS
$6 20oz Guinness drafts | $5 Guinness Blonde pints $5 Smithwick’s & Harp bottles | $5 Magner’s Irish Cider cans $ 6 Car Bombs & Blonde Bombshells SERVING
Lunch: 11am-2pm. Brunch: Saturday & Sunday: 11am-2pm. 3308 S. PEORIA • TULSA, OK 918.764.8783 • OPEN 11am - 2am
FOOD & DRINK // 21
BLOWING UP VERSE AND THE RISE OF TULSA’S HIP-HOP UNDERGROUND
BY MATT CAUTHRON PHOTOS BY JEREMY CHARLES
22 // FEATURED
March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
The needle drops. A smooth, soulful, sample-laden beat lulls you into a dreamy head-nodding groove until you’re nearly hypnotized. Then Verse comes to the mic—his delivery deceptive, dripping with laid-back charisma but firing like a machine gun, relentless—and he pummels you: Black Wall Street down the street around the corner Which means you’re in Tulsa motherfuckin’ Oklahoma Most of us grown up feelin’ like the city don’t want us What don’t kill ya on the inside, only make ya stronger Thus begins “Sooner State,” the opening track from 2013’s “The City That Always Sleeps” by Tulsa rapper Verse (aka Derek Clark), and those opening seconds perfectly capture his style—a flow that seems at once effortless and tightly crafted, a vibe that seesaws from mellow to forceful and back again, lyrics with undeniable heart and substance. Verse is a breakout star in Tulsa’s current hip-hop renaissance, which began around the turn of the decade with MCs like Algebra and Dr. Freeman, who formed hip-hop collective Oilhouse with Mike Dee, Victor, Sur’Ron and DJ Nutter and began playing shows at venues where hip-hop had rarely been seen. “Before that, there was a shitty culture around live rap performances in Tulsa,” Verse said. “They had all these pay-to-play shows at clubs, where you had to sell a certain number of tickets to get your slot, or pay for whatever tickets you didn’t sell. It just wasn’t legit.” That culture began to change when Algebra (aka Dan Hahn) started booking gigs opening for his friends’ rock and punk bands at Soundpony. “Two bands in particular— Scales of Motion and Lizard Police—are almost solely respon-
sible for exposing me to the scene that I found very difficult to break into,” Algebra said. “They got me on shows when I had zero booking power or marketability at all.” Eventually, thanks to a positive reception from regular patrons, those opening slots led to some dedicated hip-hop gigs, and that’s where Verse crossed paths with Algebra. “The first hip-hop show I saw at Soundpony was Algebra,” Verse said. “I remember hearing a beat or two that sounded like some shit I wanted to rap on, which was completely foreign to me. I had never seen anywhere in Tulsa where people were receptive to that type of hip-hop. He was just standing there rapping, and it was dope, and everyone was nodding their heads and just chillin’. It was the type of hip-hop I like to listen to, and I couldn’t believe it was happening in Tulsa.” Verse and Algebra struck up a friendship, and Verse began to join Oilhouse onstage every chance he got. Algebra said that at the time he was weary of adding too many members to the group, but with Verse he didn’t give it a second thought. “I can honestly say I was hooked on Verse after the first four or five syllables I heard,” he said. “I’m not sure I had ever heard local music as honest and brave—and created with such mastery of the craft. He came to a show at one point and we put him and [frequent Verse collaborator] Pade on the mic, and it was all history.”
YOUR VERSE QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: How can I hear Verse’s music? A: Follow Verse (1st Verse) at 1stverse.bandcamp.com, or check out his 2013 release, The City That Always Sleeps, for sale on iTunes and streaming on Spotify. Subscribe to his YouTube video channel at youtube.com/918verse. Q: Where can I see Verse live? A: April 10: Oilhouse (w/ We Make Shapes), Fassler Hall April 20: Verse (4th annual 4/20 show), Soundpony April 25: Oilhouse (w/ Gogo Plumbay), Fassler Hall July 11: Verse & the Vapors, Fassler Hall Q: How do I stay abreast of what Verse is up to? A: Duh. Follow him at facebook.com/918verse and on Instagram @pizza_and_cookies.
FINDING THE BEAT
Verse grew up in Gilcrease Hills and went to Central High School. He began writing rhymes and producing his own beats around 8th grade, and he and his friends performed at church camp talent shows and youth lock-ins—anywhere they could find a mic and an audience. He put together mix tapes for his friends at school under the moniker DJ Versatile. “That ended up sticking as an artist name, and I had a friend who started calling me Verse, just for short,” he said. During high school, Verse and his friends Mike West and Keno formed a group called The Fam
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
FEATURED // 23
OKLAHOMA DOPE
Last Saturday of each month Fassler Hall, 304 S. Elgin Facebook.com/oilhouse
and started recording songs and burning CDs to sell at school. A DJ for the radio station KJAMZ 105.3 got ahold of one of their songs, “Country Crunk Shit,” and gave them the thrill of their young lives by playing it on the radio. But even with a small taste of success, Verse drifted away from performing as high school ended. He continued to write and record periodically but barely stepped on a stage for another decade— when he met Algebra that night at Soundpony.
COMING TOGETHER
DJ Nutter, Algebra and Pade perform at Oklahoma Dope // Photo by Marissa Burger
STRAIGHT DOPE // In his English classroom at Tulsa School
of Arts and Sciences, he’s Mr. Hahn. But when the bell rings and the sun goes down, put a mic in his hand and Dan Hahn becomes Algebra, prolific MC and a founding member of the hip-hop collective Oilhouse. Many local musicians (including Verse) credit Hahn as the driving force behind the rise of Tulsa’s hip-hop scene over the past couple of years. “I’m not sure if I started it,” he said. “But through a lot of hard work and community with all the great local talent—and people like Mike [Wozniak] and Josh [Gifford] at Soundpony, Brian [Fontaine] at Fassler Hall, and older venues like The Monolith and the Eclipse—it has blossomed into a very respectful and rich hip-hop culture within the local downtown music scene.” Hahn’s latest contribution to the scene is Oklahoma Dope, a monthly showcase at Fassler Hall featuring performances by a revolving selection of local MCs, DJs and spoken-word artists. Held the last Saturday of every month, the event debuted in December and continues to find its shape. “Each event ideally will be tailored so the makeup of the performance roster interacts smoothly and positively with the crowd and the venue,” he said. But Hahn said he’s less interested in a consistent format than with fostering the sense of community that’s been building in Tulsa’s hip-hop scene, and simply making sure everyone—the audience as well as the performers—have a good time and take away something positive from the experience. “I want the shows—and ultimately hip-hop in Tulsa at large— to be an institution of change in the world,” he said. “It is my personal philosophy that every performance or event should change the attendees positively forever.” 24 // FEATURED
With Verse and Pade onboard, Oilhouse’s ascent continued as more and more venues began to catch on that hip-hop was finding a wider audience in Tulsa—The Yeti, Fassler Hall, even Guthrie Green. “After we got together, the scene moved a lot more quickly,” Algebra said. “We were kind of running out of hip-hop people to do shows with, and [Verse] introduced us to a wealth of artists that hadn’t had a proper venue for their music.” Those new connections set the stage for an expanding network of performance opportunities in the burgeoning hip-hop scene. Local MC and poet Written Quincey started Cypher 120, a regular open-mic for MCs, poets and musicians at the Creative Room. Dr. Freeman and DJ Somar created a celebration of hip-hop culture called Lessons in Fresh, incorporating elements of rap, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti. Algebra recently began a monthly showcase at Fassler Hall for hip-hop and spoken-word artists called Oklahoma Dope (see sidebar). “Those early days were a springboard for what became a hip-hop community,” Verse said. But Verse himself had only scratched the surface.
BRANCHING OUT
As he became more established, Verse drew the interest of musicians from other genres. Jazz (not jazz?) band Gogo Plumbay approached him to rhyme over a new song they were putting together. When he showed up to a rehearsal, the chemistry was
so immediate and satisfying that they’ve since played several live shows together. “It just all fits together,” Gogo saxophonist Michael Staub said. “He’s got that smooth flow but still sounds baller. He’s laid back but still has an authority a lot of guys try to force. And he’s a poet. If you put that in print, everyone will roll their eyes, but it doesn’t matter. He’s a poet. Period.” Verse also approached bassist Christon Mason and keyboardist Bobby Moffat Jr. about collaborating on a hip-hop project with live instruments, which eventually became a band—Verse and the Vapors. Reminiscent of The Roots (inventive rhymes over insanely tight live instrumentation), the band has quickly gained a following, has performed on the legendary Cain’s Ballroom stage, and is beginning to write new material with plans to record an album. “It’s all really funny for me to look back on now,” said Mitch Gilliam, frontman for Tulsa poppunk band Lizard Police and one of Verse’s earliest fans. “I remember first seeing him and saying, ‘Holy shit, this guy’s good,’ but he was shy back then. Now he fronts Verse and the Vapors, one of the absolute best bands I’ve seen anywhere, ever. “He’s at the forefront of Tulsa hip-hop, which I think is the single most exciting thing happening musically in Tulsa right now.” Despite accolades from every corner of the Tulsa music scene, Verse remains as kind and humble as any musician you’d ever want to meet. He continues to build bridges among Tulsa’s hip-hop community, while striving to turn the craft he’s spent the better part of his life mastering into a viable career. “I always had enough people who believed in what I was doing that I knew I was doing something right,” he said. “I’m just glad this is all happening in Tulsa, this underground shit, people doing things no one else is doing. There are a lot more outlets now for people to express themselves, rather than someone just trying to sell shit, and I’m glad to be a part of it.” a March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
FEATURED // 25
26 // ARTS & CULTURE
March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
ARTS & CULTURE // 27
‘78
28 // ARTS & CULTURE
March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
. S tPatrick’s Day E V E N T S
G U I D E
St. Patrick’s Day Run
Shamrock the Rose
St. Patrick’s Day Run
Blue Dome District
Sat., March 14, 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM, $20-$30, sook.org Brookside at 29th St. RunnersWorld Tulsa presents the 33rd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Run. Runners may choose the 5K or 1 mile Fun Run. There will be prizes for the top runners as well as door prizes and a St. Pat’s-themed costume contest. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics Oklahoma and Tulsa Running Club. Stick around after for a post-race celebration with free beer for runners of legal age, a DJ, inflatables for the young and young at heart and presentations by The Mobile Dairy Classroom.
Tues., March 17 10:00 AM to 2:00 AM McNellie’s and Arnie’s Bar host Tulsa’s biggest St. Paddy’s celebration with live music, food trucks and plenty of beer at this Blue Dome street party.
Shamrock the Rose
Baker St. Pub & Grill
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
Sat., March 14, 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM Rose District, Broken Arrow, rosedistrict.com Kick off the St. Pat’s celebration early at this street party on Main Street Broken Arrow. Green beer will be pouring, local artisans will display original works and hand-crafted items and food trucks will be on-site. You’ll also want to shop the sales and discounts at Rose District businesses. An outdoor stage will feature live entertainment, including a rumored appearance by John Waite, chart-topping solo artist and singer for The Babys and Bad English.
Cherry Street Tues., March 17 Noon to Midnight Kilkenny’s Irish Pub hosts the party on Cherry Street, where you’ll find plenty of food, drink and festivities.
Brady Arts District Tues., March 17 Collect Lucky Charms from participating bars during the Brady Arts District’s St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl. Make sure to stop by Caz’s for their 20th Annual St. Pat’s Bash.
Lot No. 6 Tues., March 17 Don’t miss this special St. Patrick’s Day performance at Lot No. 6—Celtic Strings featuring Jocelyn Rowland, Vanessa Somerville and Tia Juby.
Baker St. Pub & Grill Tues., March 17 Head to Baker St. for live music by Imzadi, bagpipe performances by Tulsa Pipes & Drums, an Irish menu and green beer. ARTS & CULTURE // 29
dalystyle
A look inside the home of Adam Forgash and Andrea Whitney // Courtesy
Curation theory The thrill of the find and the discipline to choose wisely by ASHLEY HEIDER DALY
F
irst on the list of party invitations you never turn down? The winter soiree of a Tulsa Flea Market vendor. Oh gosh. The home of a flea market vendor could only yield one of two glorious visual adventures: perfect curation or hoarding at the highest level. Both fascinating. Thank you, Adam Forgash and Andrea Whitney, for inviting me behind the curtain to see how one flea couple lives. Their home is not a filthy pile of boxes and newspapers but rather a textbook example of the layered décor an adventurous life can build. It’s warm with history and their sly, cheeky humor. Below, some notes on this fine couple’s style. An edited hobby Adam and Andrea have other career endeavors beyond the flea market, but I met them at their booth full of vintage photos 30 // ARTS & CULTURE
and antique camera equipment. Knowing the full breadth of the photographs and photography memorabilia they’ve owned makes the relatively small amount they have framed and displayed in their home that much more intriguing. These are the favorites. It’s so meaningful and personal to see what makes the cut, what they want to be surrounded by. Layers and how to find a knick-knack I always suggest to people decorating their homes to mix old and new pieces. This adds dimension and makes for a modern yet welcoming home. The next level, which Adam and Andrea have achieved, is home décor that represents your travels and experiences. It’s ideal to have a high ratio of items that found you versus items you set out to find. There will always be
times you must find a couch or must find a teapot, but there is no good time to procure a meaningless knick-knack. Ever. Wait until you’re out exploring local shops or on vacation and something speaks to your heart. Your home will feel more familiar and welcoming to you and your guests. Your home’s architecture and your style, how they should interact Adam and Andrea live in the Tribune Lofts in the Brady Arts District. Built in 1924 and renovated in 2001, the building now has modern, industrial-feeling living spaces. This couple’s style suits the history of the building; they pair gorgeous antique finds with sleek silhouettes. Does the interior of your home have to match the architecture? Always give a nod. You don’t have to go the whole nine yards—that can be great or
horrible—but you should make some style choices that marry your structure to your design. For the sake of continuity. For the sake of respecting history. Humor in your home, yes There is a charmingly self-serious painting of a boxer above the toilet in Adam and Andrea’s home. Think about it. Who doesn’t want to laugh every time they defecate? What? You don’t? We are not friends. a
Ashley Heider Daly loves attending parties in people’s homes, and then telling the world what the hosts hang above their toilet. Feel free to send invitations to her vintage home store, Retro Den and follow her on Instagram @ahdaly. March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
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www.idaredboutique.com • Mon-Thur 10am-7pm Fri & Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 12pm-4pm ARTS & CULTURE // 31
‘Drought: A Landscape Within’ Installation by Ashli Ringgold Living Arts, 307 E. M.B. Brady Street March 6-April 23
The art of loneliness ‘Drought’ among the offerings to debut at Living Arts’ New Genre festival by MEGAN SHEPHERD
T
ulsa Native Ashli Ringgold debuts “Drought: A Landscape Within” March 6 during the Brady Arts District’s First Friday Art Crawl. Curious by nature, Ringgold has been creating as long as she can remember, dabbling in writing and drawing and using art as a means to understand and circumstances around her. Now, she’s putting those same sensibilities to work in “Drought,” an installation at Living Arts that explores the interplay between self, nature and loneliness in a modern, technology-saturated world. The installation has been long in the making for Ringgold, who drew inspiration from living as a migrant worker across the U.S. over the past four years. From Alaska to Washington, New Mexico to Maine, Ringgold has wandered and immersed herself in new walks of life—sometimes in community, sometimes not. Constantly changing jobs and scenery has left her with a keen awareness of loneliness, nature and introspection—and their power to transform how we see the world. While working in the backwoods of Maine, Ringgold took 32 // ARTS & CULTURE
many long, winding walks along empty paths in the wilderness. Without company, there was plenty of time to consider the concept of isolation. Although some might feel desolate in such a landscape, Ringgold found comfort, and it’s this same comfort that informs the work in “Drought.” “I felt comforted by the woods around me there,” she said. “And I felt that if I could emulate a small pocket of wilderness for people to find refuge, if even for a short time, it could be healing in some way.” Two years later, the project has evolved, but finding solace in solitude is still at the heart of Ringgold’s installation. Ringgold is no stranger to Living Arts, and her installation is a homecoming for the current Colorado dweller. The venue was first to showcase her work during her youth; and she’s excited to get back to town and debut the installation at the New Genre Arts Festival, which coincides with the Art Crawl. New Genre will highlight works from diverse, cross-disciplinary artists incorporating new
media and technology. Other artists on the bill include Anh-Thuy Ngyuyen with “Thuy and Rice,” a video performance installation exploring Ngyuyen’s cultural heritage (and its implications and restrictions), and a memory-triggering installation of glass rods and painted urethane entitled “The You and The I” by Micaela De Vivero, among others. Ringgold’s print work treads somewhere between playful mischief and dark maturity. Somber, conjuring images of decay play off moony, childlike doodles to create a vague, ageless quality in the work, rounded out by themes of wonder and hurt. It’s contradictory, but Ringgold sees such honest paradoxes as the spice of life (and art). “I think it takes a lot of bravery to be able to create artwork that speaks about one’s suffering, or about one’s place in life, more generally,” she said. “As an artist, when you get to that place, the possibilities are abundant because every life is like an infinite book with endless secret doors.” In addition to installation, Ringgold often works in sculpture and
printmaking (blue is showing up repeatedly in her current series). She’s also working on embroidery and coloring with natural dyes. When she’s not creating works for series or installations, Ringgold still manages to keep art at the center of her life. She’s finishing up a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Colorado, and she hopes to pursue a Master of Fine Art after graduation. Ringgold also works to finance her art, and the jobs inform many of her pieces. “They [odd jobs] give me ideas for creating,” she said. “Right now, I’m a housekeeper, and I’m sure I’m quietly collecting little inspirations for future pieces yet to be known.” This simplicity—an affable willingness to embrace the mundane—shows in her approach to the creative process and in the finished product. But that’s not to say it doesn’t leave an impression—or an invitation to explore. “I want viewers to take a sense of awe away from my installation,” Ringgold said. “Perhaps not necessarily for the piece itself, but for the world again, and the world within themselves.” a March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
14-15_TulsaVoice_ThreeMusketeers.pdf
1
3/2/15
2:23 PM
MARCH 3-8
Camelot - Celebrity Attractions
3-29 Firefly Experience Bob Sober, PAC Gallery
6-7
Holcombe Waller: Surfacing Living Arts of Tulsa, New Genre Festival
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6-15 Same Time, Next Year
M
Tulsa Project Theatre
Y
CM
6-14 Superior Donuts
MY
CY
CMY
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American Theatre Company
March 27 & 28 at 8:00pm March 29 at 3:00pm
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Featuring Tulsa Symphony Orchestra Tulsa Performing Arts Center
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Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 in A minor - Tulsa Symphony
Tickets Start at $20!
17
Dual Pianos Ragtime: Kirby and Majchrzak
Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers, OSU Tulsa
Ragtime for Tulsa
17
Shen Yun - Falun Dafa Assn. Oklahoma
20-29 The 39 Steps - Theatre Tulsa 21 (918) 749-6006 www.tulsaballet.org
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Psychic John Edward - JEE Corp.
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THE STORY AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE!
MARCH 3-8 • TULSA PAC
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ARTS & CULTURE // 33
thehaps Surfacing
New Genre Arts Festival XXII-A Fri., March 6 and Sat., March 7 Living Arts and Tulsa Performing Arts Center, livingarts.org
The You and the I
Epic Stories: Forging meaning amidst memory, allegory, and culture Fri., March 6 through Sun., April 19, ahhatulsa.org Hardesty Arts Center, booksmarttulsa.com Curated by Julia Kirt, Epic Stories exhibits works by five artists with Oklahoma ties. Across a variety of media, Shannon Crider, Kara Hearn, Sunni Mercer, Erin Shaw and Mark Wittig revisit ancient mythologies and cultures and search for meaning within relationships and societal systems. The exhibition features paintings, collages, video, interactive performances and installations. An opening reception will be held during the Brady Arts District’s First Friday Art Crawl on March 6 from 6:00-9:00 PM. Catch a free artist panel March 7 at 2:30 PM.
Living Arts’ New Genre Arts Festival celebrates experimental, fresh works. Five installations and performances are featured in this first part of New Genre XXII. (NG XXII-B will be in September.) “Surfacing” is an open contemplation of society and culture through storytelling, song, instrumentals and dance in a mesmerizing multimedia presentation by songwriter/composer/performance artist Holcombe Waller. Waller performs “Surfacing” in the Liddy Doenges Theatre at the PAC on March 6 and 7 at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $15-$20. These four installations run March 6 through April 23 in the Living Arts Gallery: In Micaela de Vivero’s installation “The You and The I,” the viewer is invited to explore an environment that resembles the inside of an organism. Its tactile and visually engaging presence is intended to trigger memories. “Drought: A Landscape Within,” an installation by Ashli Ringgold, depicts the loneliness of life as a string of simulations of an experience we will never truly have. “Wundrian” is a series of paintings by JP Morrison with RC Morrison and Chris Wollard. Personified houses play with the role of light in revealing and concealing the world. Light in the gallery shifts from red to green to blue, exposing and hiding colors in the paintings and turning supposed static surfaces into living realms. “Thuy & Rice” is a multimedia installation exploring Anh-Thuy Ngyuyen’s Vietnamese identity, the imposition of her cultural heritage and her artistic rebellion. It consists of a 4-minute video, two piles of rice and a performance in which she adheres rice to the walls. The performance will occur for one hour every day for the duration of the installation. More on New Genre artist Ashli Ringgold, pg. 28.
Superior Donuts Fri., March 6 through Sat., March 14, $26, tulsapac.org, John H. Williams Theatre, PAC Tracy Letts’ follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning “August: Osage County,” “Superior Donuts” is a comedy set in a rundown donut shop in uptown Chicago. The play focuses on the relationship between the shop’s owner, aging hippie Arthur Przybyszewski, and his energetic but troubled assistant Franco, who wants to update the shop with lively music and healthy menu options. The play explores the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Presented by American Theatre Company.
See art for free // Brady Arts District’s First Friday Art Crawl: March 6
108 Contemporary: 108’s 2nd birthday celebration; AHHA: Epic Stories, Oklahoma Dance Film Festival, music by Tulsa Oratorio Chorus; Bar 46: paintings by Sally Basse; Brady Artists Studio: Pottery by Mel Cornshucker, Donna Prigmore, Chas Foote, Murf & Julie Box; Caz’s Chowhouse: live music and art by Josh Caudle; Caz’s Pub: live graffiti art; Chrysalis: “journey toward light,” mixed media by Natalie Large; Colors of Etnika: handcrafted sterling silver jewelry from Thailand; Glacier Confection: The Art of Chocolate Making; Guthrie Green: A Gathering Place for Tulsa Park Pod; Gypsy Coffee House: music by SuperDarren65; Hey Mambo: paintings by Chris Mantle, music by 7blue Jazz Trio; The Hunt Club: music by RPM; Living Arts: New Genre Arts Festival XXII-A, “GLITCH/ANALOG;” Mainline Art Bar: sculptures by Chris Wollard; Mason’s: artwork by Duane Duvall; Philbrook Downtown: Fever & Flash – works from the 1970s by artists associated with Pop Art; Tulsa Artists’ Coalition: “First Impressions,” Linocuts by Michael Jones; Tulsa Glassblowing School: glassblowing demonstration by Dan Kilbride; Woody Guthrie Center: Oklahoma Writers – A Literary Tableau featuring exhibits and artifacts from featured authors; Yeti: art by Blair Batson and Claudia Riccardi, music by We Make Shapes; Zarrow Center: “Meditations in Stillwater” works by Chris Ramsay, live music by Jane Duenner; ZIN Wine Bar: music by Meggie McDonald and Weston Horn. 34 // ARTS & CULTURE
March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
thehaps
THE BEST OF THE REST EVENTS
TSHA Souper Sunday // Sample delicious soups and desserts from 30 local restaurants at this all-the-soup-youcan-eat event benefitting Total Source for Hearing-loss and Access, a non-profit working to equip people with hearing impairments with the tools they need to live independently. There will also be a silent auction with hundreds of items up for grabs. This year’s Souper Sunday is disco themed. // 3/8 3:30 pm, Union Multipurpose Activities Center, $10-$20 ADV, $15-$25 at the door, tsha.cc Greater Tulsa Home & Garden Show // Oklahoma’s largest home and garden products trade show features more than 500 exhibitors and everything you need for any home improvement project. The How-To stage will feature a variety of seminars including a landscaping presentation by Ahmed Hassan, host of HGTV’s “Yard Crashers.” The Sand Sculpture Company will be building life-size sand sculptures of baseball players throughout the weekend. // 3/12-3/15, River Spirit Expo, Expo Square, $8, free for kids 12 and under, tulsahba. com/home-and-garden-show
Hike for Healing Sat., March 7, 7:15 AM, Turkey Mountain, thegriefcenter.org Feel the physical and emotional healing power of fitness in this 5K trail run or Memorial Mile Walk through the trails at Turkey Mountain. The event benefits The Tristesse Grief Center, whose programs are designed to help children and families grieve in healthy ways.
An Evening with Author Neil Gaiman Tues., March 10, 7:00 PM, $20 Chapman Music Hall, PAC, tulsapac.com Best-selling author of “The Sandman” comic book series, Coraline, American Gods, Stardust and more comes to Tulsa to read from his new collection of short stories, Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances. The stories in the collection range from scary to funny and include a tribute to Ray Bradbury, a Sherlock Holmes tale, one in which a man suspects his made-up girlfriend of seeing one of his friends and—most exciting for Gaiman fans—a new story featuring Shadow, the protagonist of American Gods. For those unfamiliar with Gaiman who’d like a quick introduction, Google his lovely song, “I Google You.” FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS, VISIT THETULSAVOICE.COM/CALENDAR
Tulsa Bead Market // Tulsa Bead Market is your place to find all things beads. Find wholesale and retail fashion accessories, gift merchandise, lapidary, antique and estate beads, gemstones, glass, crystal, Bali beads, metal beads, tools, jewelry, buttons, lampwork, seed beads, pearls and more beads. Free admission. // 3/14-3/15, Central Park Hall, thebeadmarket.net/wp/event/tulsa-bead-market/ Tulsa Foundation for Architecture Second Saturday Walking Tour // On the second Saturday of each month, Tulsa Foundation for Architecture hosts guided tours of Downtown’s stunning architecture. Learn about our Art Deco-rich skyline and take a glimpse into the past to the days of Waite Phillips. Tours begin at Topeca Coffee in the Mayo Hotel. // 3/14 10 am, Mayo Hotel, $10, tulsaarchitecture.com
VISUAL ARTS
Oklahoma and Other Places // Tulsa artist Joe Staskal will show oil paintings of scenes from travels around Oklahoma, Rio Grande, the Red River and the Northwest Territories of Canada. Staskal’s line of ceramic mugs for spring will also be available for purchase. The show will run throughout March, and the artist will be on hand to discuss his work March 8 from 2-4 PM. // 3/1-3/31, Shades of Brown, shadescoffee.com
PERFORMING ARTS
Same Time, Next Year // One of the most widely produced plays in the world, Bernard Slade’s “Same Time, Next Year” tells the story of lovers Doris and George. The two meet, have an affair and agree to meet once a year, despite being married to other people and having six children between them. Over the next 24 years, they develop a deep emotional intimacy, discussing births, deaths, and marital problems, and adapting to the social changes of the mid-20th century. Presented by Tulsa Project Theatre. // 3/6-3/15, Charles E. Norman Theatre, PAC, $22, tulsapac.com/events
TwoLips Burlesk - The Big V Show // TwoLips Burlesk celebrates their five year anniversary with (what else?) an evening of burlesque performances, music, comedy, games and giveaways. The show is hosted by Hilton Price and will feature special guests and performances and the return of some of TwoLips’ founding members. // 3/7 8 pm, Tulsa Little Theatre, $15-$25, twolipsburlesk.com
COMEDY
Hurricane Hump Day w/ Gerald Harris // 3/4 8 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, loonybincomedy.com/tulsa Ms. Pat, Ryan Niemiller // 3/5 7:30 pm, The Loony Bin, $2, 3/6 7:30 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, 3/6 10 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, 3/7 7:30 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, 3/7 10 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, loonybincomedy.com/tulsa Pop Up Players // 3/5 8 pm, Comedy Parlor, $5, comedyparlor.com Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny // 3/5 8 pm, The Joint, $40-$45, hardrockcasinotulsa.com T-Town “Famous” // 3/6 8 pm, Comedy Parlor, $10-$12, comedyparlor.com Ryan’s Drinking Problem (A Beer Drinking Game Show) // 3/6 10 pm, Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Squeaky Clean Stand Up // 3/7 8 pm, Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Comfort Creatures // 3/7 10 pm, Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Sunday Night Stand Up // 3/8 8 pm, Comedy Parlor, $5, comedyparlor.com Matt Sadler, Ashley Strand // 3/11 7:30 pm, The Loony Bin, $7, 3/12 7:30 pm, The Loony Bin, $2, 3/13 7:30 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, 3/13 10 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, loonybincomedy. com/tulsa Crayons // 3/13 8 pm, Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com MiDolls // 3/13 10 pm, Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Matt Sadler, Ashley Strand // 3/14 7:30 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, 3/14 10 pm, The Loony Bin, $10, loonybincomedy.com/tulsa Irish Call It “Improv” // 3/14 8 pm, Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Dennis Miller // 3/15 8 pm, The Joint, $40-$50, hardrockcasinotulsa.com
SPORTS
TU Men’s Basketball vs Cincinnati // 3/4 8 pm, Reynolds Center, $15-$44, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs Dallas Baptist // 3/6 6:30 pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, $5-$12, oruathletics.com ORU Baseball vs Dallas Baptist // 3/7 2 pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, $5-$12, oruathletics.com Monster Jam // 3/7-3/8, BOK Center, $27-$37, bokcenter.com TU Women’s Tennis vs Rice // 3/8 12 pm, Case Tennis Center, tulsahurricane.com
Tulsa Symphony: Simply Tragic // Tulsa Symphony performs Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 in its entirety. The symphony is sometimes referred to as the “Tragische” for its brutal final movement, in which soaring melody shifts drastically into agony and darkness. Ironically, the symphony was written in a very happy time in Mahler’s life; he had just married and become a father, and his second daughter was born during the symphony’s composition. Mahler’s wife Alma would later identify the brutality in the piece with the tragedies that befell Mahler in the years after the symphony’s premiere performance, leading up to the composer’s death just five years later. // 3/14 7:30 pm, Chapman Music Hall, PAC, $25-$70, tulsapac.com
ORU Baseball vs Dallas Baptist // 3/8 1:00 pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, $5-$12, oruathletics.com
Shen Yun // Shen Yun takes audiences on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture from ancient dynasties to the modern day through classical Chinese dance. The performance features nearly 100 artists, over 500 hand-crafted costumes, a full orchestra and breathtaking, animated background scenery. Shen Yun brings timeless myths and legends to life in stunning beauty and energy. // 3/17 7:30 pm, Chapman Music Hall, PAC, $50-$120, tulsapac.com/events
Tulsa Oilers vs Wichita Thunder // 3/13 7:35 pm, BOK Center, $15-$55, tulsaoilers.com
Dual Pianos Ragtime Concert: Kirby & Ma jchrzak // An evening of ragtime music performed by David Ma jchrzak, artistic director of the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival and pianist with the St. Louis Stompers Classic Jazz Band, and Scott Kirby, the former director of the aforementioned festival who was called “today’s best player of Scott Joplin music” by Trebor Jay Tichenor, co-author of Rags and Ragtime: A Musical History. // 3/17 7 pm, John H. Williams Theatre, PAC, $5-$25, tulsapac.com/events
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
ORU Women’s Tennis vs IPFW // 3/10 9 am, Case Tennis Center, oruathletics.com TU Men’s Soccer vs Tulsa Roughnecks // 3/11 7:30 pm, Hurricane Stadium, $5, tulsahurricane.com TU Men’s Tennis vs Michigan // 3/13 5 pm, Case Tennis Center, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // 3/13 6:30 pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, $5-$12, oruathletics.com
ORU Men’s Tennis vs Cowley County CC // 3/14 2 pm, LaFortune Park, oruathletics.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // // 3/14 2:00 pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, $5-$12, oruathletics.com Tulsa Oilers vs Brampton Beast // 3/14 7:35 pm, BOK Center, $15-$55, tulsaoilers.com TU Men’s Tennis vs Ohio State // 3/15 1 pm, Case Tennis Center, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // 3/15 1 pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, $5-$12, oruathletics.com Tulsa Oilers vs Brampton Beast // 3/15 4:05 pm, BOK Center, $15-$55, tulsaoilers.com ARTS & CULTURE // 35
musicnotes
Passing the torch Tulsa musician and luthier Dixie Michell leaves a legacy of craft by DAVID RAIN
I
t was near the end of her life when Tulsa luthier Dixie Michell met Seth Lee Jones. They were in some ways like two sides of a coin. Michell, who died Feb. 9 at age 75, built some of the finest acoustic guitars, mandolas and banjos in the world. Jones, an award-winning California-trained luthier, teaches guitar-making at Tulsa Wood Arts. At 30, he’s already known for his fine electric guitars. Michell included a steel truss rod through the body of the guitars, mandolins and banjos. The structural support allows lighter bracing of the soundboard, which enhances resonance. Bruce Springsteen owns one of her guitars, labeled with her company name, Guitar Company of America. Her instruments are prized by collectors as far away as Switzerland, and an article about her work appeared in the February 2013 issue of the German guitar journal Akustik Gitarre. “Everybody is still copying the way Gibson and Martin designed their guitars back in the 1930s,” Michell said in a November interview. “They think in all of time, that’s the best design that will ever be. No one can improve on it. I thought, ‘Maybe there’s another way.’” Jones had never built an acoustic instrument when he encountered Michell’s work. “After seeing one of her mandolas, I was so blown away by it, I had to meet her,” he said. She told him, “There’s no one that’s going to carry this on when I go, so I’d like to show it to you if you’d like to learn it.” Michell was best known locally as a musician who performed at The Blue Jackalope, The Coffee House on Cherry Street, Cherry 36 // MUSIC
Dixie Michell // Photo by Ken Ames
Street Farmers’ Market and Tulsa Flea Market. Born in New Orleans, Michell was fired by her childhood violin teacher for playing by ear and memory instead of learning to read standard notation. She taught herself to play banjo, fiddle, guitar and many other instruments by listening to the music of Maybelle Carter, African-American musicians on “race” records and her future mentor, Grand Ole Opry star Sam McGee. Michell repaired and built instruments even as an adolescent because she couldn’t afford to buy what she wanted.
“I would get something that was broken and fix it and then trade that for something else,” she said. “I learned a lot about construction that way.” As a young adult, Michell worked in the repair department of Nashville’s renowned Gruhn Guitars, next door to the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry at the time. Revered Opry headliner Sam McGee asked her to be his warmup partner, and she played backstage with him every Saturday night until the Opry moved from the Ryman and McGee retired.
She was a master of Mississippi John Hurt’s alternating-bass style, and she learned Travis-picking from Merle Travis himself, but she also played jazz. The Monday evening jazz jam at Tom’s Bicycles on 15th Street was her idea, owner Tom Brown said. She also wrote songs, including the haunting “Waltzing Around With My Shadow.” Many of her performances are preserved on YouTube under the handle dixiesguitar. Michell performed at Studio Soul in November and with Jared Tyler and with Ken Ackley at Garden Deva in December. She hosted a weekly Travis-picking workshop until the last two weeks of her life. And throughout her final months, Michell mentored Jones in her method of acoustic instrument construction and repair. Jones is in the process of completing the guitars they worked on together: one made of 100-yearold bloodwood; one of pau ferro, or Bolivian rosewood; and one of flame maple she was building for herself. He also has incorporated Michell’s structural truss rod into one of his electric guitars. They worked together on the restoration of a 1922 Gibson mandolin. “She had a unique insight on repair,” Jones said. Although that delicate restoration will take months to complete, some tasks that might have required weeks took only hours, thanks to her guidance, Jones said. Periodically he took photos from the workshop to her bedside to show her the progress on her last guitar. “Everything has worked out,” she told her young friend. “My wildest dreams have come true.” a March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
MUSIC // 37
voice’schoices ELVIS COSTELLO Those who attended Costello’s last show at Cain’s in ’09 with The Sugarcanes (the rootsy all-star band featuring Jim Lauderdale and Jerry Douglas among other greats) were lucky enough to witness one of the venue’s best concerts ever. His upcoming solo show might not be quite as foot-stompin’, but it’s still sure to be one of the year’s best concerts and a must-see. In his recent solo shows, Costello has been playing material from every era of his career, from “My Aim Is True” to his 2013 collaboration with The Roots, “Wise Up Ghost.” 3/6, 8:30 PM, $45-$60, Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main St 2
1
Wed // Mar 4
Soundpony – Karma Vision, CS Luxem The Vanguard – Girls Night Out w/ Chase Bryant – 8:00 pm Mercury Lounge – ROXY ROCA – 10:00 pm Barkingham Palace – *Drug Lust, Mower, Leech, Bluntsplitter – 9:00 pm The Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project IDL Ballroom – Big Smo, Haden Carpenter – 8:30 pm – ($23-$28) Cellar Dweller – Mike Cameron Collective On The Rocks – Don White – 7:00 pm Silver Flame – Bobby Cantrell – 7:30 pm
Thur // Mar 5
Cain’s Ballroom – Brett Eldredge, Ryan Kinder – 8:00 pm – ($22-$37) Yeti – Turnt Up Soundpony – Depth and Current, Bitchcraft The Hunt Club – Weston Horn Mercury Lounge – Tennessee Jet – 10:00 pm The Colony – Chris Lee Becker Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Electric Circus – Designer Drugs, Gosteffects, Darku J – 10:00 pm – ($5-$10) Centennial Lounge – Gypsy Cold Cuts – 8:00 pm Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – The Hi-Fidelics – 3:00 pm Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Travis Kidd – 7:00 pm Cabin Creek @ Hard Rock Casino – Chad Lee – 8:00 pm Elephant Run – Johnny Paul Band – 8:00 pm
Fri // Mar 6
Cain’s Ballroom – *Elvis Costello (solo), Larkin Poe – 8:30 pm – ($45-$60) Yeti – *We Make Shapes, Earph The Hunt Club – RPM Mercury Lounge – Brandon Jenkins – 10:00 pm 38 // MUSIC
3
Downtown Lounge – Sun & Stone, Adolescent Apes – 10:00 pm Woody’s Corner Bar – DJ Spin – 9:30 pm The Colony – We Dream Dawn NINE18 Bar @ Osage Casino Tulsa – The Jumpshots – 9:00 pm Fassler Hall – Pilgrim Centennial Lounge – Johnny Paul Adams B-day Bash feat. Dustin Pittsley – 9:00 pm Peppers Grill - South – Don Who? – 8:30 pm Fat Daddy’s Pub and Grille – Ben and Nick Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Chad & Keith – 5:30 pm Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Jumpsuit Love – 9:00 pm Cabin Creek @ Hard Rock Casino – The Tiptons – 9:00 pm Mystic River Lounge @ River Spirit Casino – Squadlive Brady Theater – *Ledisi – 8:00 pm – ($40-$70) 6th Street Entry – Contingency Plan, The British Invasion of Tulsa Pickes Pub – David Dover – 9:00 pm Magoo’s – Kinsey Sadler – 9:00 pm Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – Smokin’ Crawdadz – 9:00 pm
Sat // Mar 7
Cain’s Ballroom – *Bob Wills Birthday Celebration w/ The Texas Playboys, The Round Up Boys – 7:00 pm – ($20-$35) Yeti – FYE Soundpony – *Oilhouse Presents: The Drummer Show 9 The Hunt Club – Daydream Empire The Vanguard – *Dirty Crush CD Release w/ The Revolutioners, The Joint Effect, Black Water Rebellion – 8:00 pm – ($7) Mercury Lounge – Kyle Reid and The Low Swingin’ Chariots – 10:00 pm The Venue Shrine – Mexclave – ($10) Fur Shop – *Burger Revolution 3 w/ Strangefellas, Mr. and the Mrs., Dead Shakes, Who & The Fucks and a Burger Records pop-up store! – 10:00 pmWoody’s Corner Bar – Born in November The Colony – Devin Kerby, Jacob Flint, Dan Martin, Cody Woody
THE TULSA SEVEN Seven of Tulsa’s favorite songwriters come
together to trade songs at the Purple Heart of the Pearl. This evening of picking and singing will feature Johnny Paul Adams, Jesse Aycock, Wink Burcham, Dustin Pittsley, Tom Skinner, Jacob Tovar and Gene Williams. As always at Centennial Lounge, proceeds from all purchases benefit Tulsa’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 577, so the good time you’re having will be even better knowing you’re helping local veterans. 3/7, 9:00 PM, Centennial Lounge, 1109 E 6th St
NXSXSW On St. Pat’s, don’t miss this mega-show featuring bands from around the country headed to Austin for SXSW. The 15(!) bands on the lineup are No-Fi, SadGirl (both from LA), Leggy (Cincinnati), The Lemons, The Sueves (both from Chicago), Todayshits (Lexington, KY), LAZY, The Thunderclaps, Arc Flash (all from KC), Trash Pops (OKC) and Tulsa bands Hey Judy, SWAP MEAT, The Daddyo’s, Who & The Fucks and Cucumber and the Suntans. For all you party hoppers, this show is a perfect stopover right between the celebrations on Cherry Street and in the Blue Dome District. 3/17, From 3:00 PM into the early morn, Hillman’s Garage, 1016 E 4th St The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing NINE18 Bar @ Osage Casino Tulsa – The Jumpshots – 9:00 pm Fassler Hall – Hosty Duo Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Bull and Bear Tavern – Dean DeMerritt Jazz Tribe, Midnight Jam Session Centennial Lounge – *The Tulsa Seven – 9:00 pm Peppers Grill - South – Chuck Dunlap – 8:30 pm Fat Daddy’s Pub and Grille – Chris Clark Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – The Hi-Fidelics – 5:30 pm Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Superfreak Bill Holden – 9:00 pm Cabin Creek @ Hard Rock Casino – Chad Lee – 9:00 pm Mystic River Lounge @ River Spirit Casino – Squadlive Fassler Hall – Dan Martin, Jake Martin – 5:00 pm Dwelling Spaces – Joe Mack – 7:00 pm Lambrusco’z To Go - Downtown – Dylan Layton & Andrea Kyle – 5:00 pm Simply – Christian Sanchez – 6:00 pm Comedy Parlor – The Taylor Machine – 6:30 pm Arnie’s – Grazzhopper – 9:00 pm Joe Momma’s – The Capital Whys – 9:00 pm Bramble – Sophia Wells Duo – 9:00 pm Yokozuna – Chris Hyde – 10:00 pm Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – The Salty Dogs – 3:00 pm Amsterdam Bar & Grill – Weston and the Outsiders
Sun // Mar 8
Cain’s Ballroom – American Aquarium, Jonny Burke – 8:00 pm – ($13-$15) Mercury Lounge – K Phillips – 9:30 pm Woody’s Corner Bar – DJ Mikey Bee
Mon // Mar 9
Soundpony – *Couches, H. Grimace, Pillage People, Cucumber and the Suntans The Colony – Open Mic w/ Cody Clinton
Juniper – Dean DeMerritt, Frank Brown and Stephanie Oliver 727 Club – Johnny Paul Band
Tue // Mar 10
Cain’s Ballroom – *Greensky Bluegrass, Rayland Baxter – 7:30 pm – ($16-$18) Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham – 10:00 pm Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic – 7:00 pm The Colony – American Aquarium Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Bill Holden – 7:00 pm
Wed // Mar 11
Soundpony – Shirin The Hunt Club – Billy and Bobby Moore The Colony – Tom Skinner Science Project Cellar Dweller – *Mike Cameron Collective Main Street Tavern – Cynthia Simmons, Scott McQuade – 6:30 pm On The Rocks – Don White – 7:00 pm Silver Flame – Bobby Cantrell – 7:30 pm Blue Rose – Brandon Clark
Thur // Mar 12
Yeti – Falkirk Soundpony – Spencer LG The Vanguard – Raw: Natural Born Artists - Granduer – 8:00 pm – ($15) Mercury Lounge – Monzie Leo & The Big Sky, Nicholas St. James – 10:00 pm Downtown Lounge – Calabrese – 7:00 pm Woody’s Corner Bar – Brandon Jackson – 9:30 pm The Colony – Tony Ramey Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Centennial Lounge – Don Who? – 8:00 pm Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Darren Ray – 3:00 pm Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Uncrowned Kings – 7:00 pm Cabin Creek @ Hard Rock Casino – Darrel Cole – 8:00 pm Blue Rose – Ladies Night/DJ Matt March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
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Broken Arrow
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THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
MUSIC // 39
musiclistings Fri // Mar 13
Cain’s Ballroom – Bob Schneider, Derek Paul & The Handsome Devils – 8:00 pm – ($16-$31) Yeti – Heavy Jones Soundpony – Maximum Effort, Creepozoidz, Lizard Police The Hunt Club – Deacon The Vanguard – Born Cages, Dreamers, The Kickback – 8:00 pm – ($10-$12) Mercury Lounge – Coyote Union – 10:00 pm The Venue Shrine – First Class Fridays – ($10-$15) BOK Center – Third Day – 7:00 pm – ($26.50-$75) Woody’s Corner Bar – Tequila Kim Gypsy Coffee House – John Ratliff – 9:00 pm The Colony – Ozark Mountain Maybelles NINE18 Bar @ Osage Casino Tulsa – The Hi-Fidelics – 9:00 pm Centennial Lounge – Garrett Heck Band – 9:00 pm Peppers Grill - South – Jennifer Marriott Band – 8:30 pm Fat Daddy’s Pub and Grille – Laron Simpson Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – The Dropouts – 9:00 pm Cabin Creek @ Hard Rock Casino – Runnin On Empty – 9:00 pm
Mystic River Lounge @ River Spirit Casino – The Stars Smitty’s 118 Tavern – Rusty James Porter – 8:00 pm Four Aces Tavern – David Dover – 9:00 pm
Sat // Mar 14
Soundpony – Soul Night w/ DJ Sweet Baby Jayzus The Hunt Club – Jessica Hunt Band The Vanguard – OCD: Mosh & Twist, Ground Up – 8:00 pm – ($13-$15) Mercury Lounge – *The Blind Pets, Dirty Few, Mammoth Man, Dead Shakes – 10:00 pm The Venue Shrine – Hysteria w/ Zorg Zombi, Mike Hall, Frank Grimes, At No More, Kudos, DJ Fritz Woody’s Corner Bar – Crossland Gypsy Coffee House – Terry Aziere – 9:00 pm The Colony – Pilgrim NINE18 Bar @ Osage Casino Tulsa – The Hi-Fidelics – 9:00 pm Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Bull and Bear Tavern – Dean DeMerritt Jazz Tribe, Midnight Jam Session Centennial Lounge – Scott Ellison – 9:00 pm Peppers Grill - South – Scott Musick – 8:30 pm
Photo by Greg Bollinger
Fat Daddy’s Pub and Grille – Chris Hyde Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Darren Ray – 5:30 pm Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Another Alibi – 9:00 pm Cabin Creek @ Hard Rock Casino – Rivers Edge – 9:00 pm Mystic River Lounge @ River Spirit Casino – The Stars Whiskey Dog – Amanda Cunningham – 10:00 pm Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – The Salty Dogs – 3:00 pm Blue Rose – Bryce Dicus
Sun // Mar 15
Yeti – White Mystery Soundpony – LAZY, Who & The Fucks, Cucumber and the Suntans - Happy Hour Show! Soundpony – *Mannequin Pussy, Gym Shorts, Bitchcraft The Vanguard – AJ Croce – 8:00 pm – ($15-$18) Mercury Lounge – Ozark Mountain Maybelles – 10:00 pm Woody’s Corner Bar – DJ Good Ground The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing Blue Rose – Rockwell
BY A. JAKOBER
Live music every day plus prizes, games and giveaways One lucky King or Queen of Merc will win FREE cover for LIFE 40 // MUSIC
Soundpony – Twinsmith, Josh Berwanger Band, Both The Vanguard – Monday Night Brawl III: Harms Way, Full of Hell, Eternal Sleep, Iron Born, Sabertooth – 6:30 pm – ($10-$15) The Colony – Open Mic w/ Cody Clinton Juniper – Dean DeMerritt , Frank Brown and Sarah Maud 727 Club – Johnny Paul Band Mercury Lounge – Anniversary Party
Sun // Mar 17
Soundpony – The Bug The Hunt Club – Swampfox Hillman’s Garage – *Tulsa SXSW Showcase – 3:00 pm Woody’s Corner Bar – DJ Spin – 5:00 pm Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic – 7:00 pm The Colony – The Sidemen Fassler Hall – Yawpers Centennial Lounge – Open Jam – 8:00 pm Riffs @ Hard Rock Casino – Young Dubliners – 7:00 pm Mercury Lounge – Anniversary Party
venuespotlight Mecury Lounge
10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY March 16-22
Sat // Mar 16
Carved out of a renovated gas station on the corner of 18th & Boston is Tulsa’s classic dive bar, the Mercury Lounge. For years, Mercury Lounge has sold out showcases for the best local music, rising regional acts like JD McPherson, Turnpike Troubadours and Broncho, and incredible national acts like Billy Joe Shaver, American Aquarium and rockabilly pioneer Wanda Jackson. Co-owner and Manager Beth Mosier said the venue’s No. 1 booking priority is originality. “We love original music,” Mosier said. “There’s a sign on the stage that says, ‘If you play more than 3 covers, your set is over.’” For a full decade, that originality has spilled from the stage onto the floor. Mercury Lounge’s ability to attract so many different
types of people is a big part of the venue’s success. “[It’s not uncommon to] see a green-haired punk sitting next a lawyer,” Mosier said. “It’s diverse.” With a maximum indoor capacity of only 80 people, a Mercury Lounge concert is always memorable. Artists and patrons develop strong personal relationships with Mercury Lounge, but the venue’s charm is actually in its disinterest in being charming—or rather its disinterest in being anything but itself. Tulsa’s continued support of Mercury Lounge comes from an appreciation of that authenticity. Genuinely unique and uniquely genuine, the vintage filling station-turned-retro-rockabilly bar can’t guarantee you’ll even get in to the next show. But when you do, Mercury Lounge delivers what Tulsa has come to expect—as Mosier puts it, “Real people. Real music.” a March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
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STG brings a slice of Italy downtown | p14 Finding NOLA in Tulsa for Fat Tuesday | p32
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An insid er’s pers pect educ atio n poli cy in Tuls ive on a | p22 See the fina Best of Tuls list s for our a awa rds | p24
FEB. 18 - MAR. 3 , 2 0 1 5 // VOL. 2 N O. 5
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S E E T H E F I N A L I SInco T ming S A N D P R E P A R E T O V O T E // P28 TPS chief Dr.
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But many Tuls a of what chan teachers are leery ges she’ll brin g | p17
Just visit TheTulsaVoice.com for a complete digital edition of The Tulsa Voice including back issues.
Not Irish On St. Patrick’s Day?
Enjoy Celebrating Your Own Heritage, Too… Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
Westmalle Trappistes
Bohemia Amber
Marshall Brewing Revival Red
Spaten Optimator
Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale
At Ranch Acres, you’ll find Guinness has lots of international friends in our store…famed beers brewed in countries around the world. Come select one representing your native land and join the celebration on March 17th. The Irish will understand and celebrate with you. THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
For over 55 years and St. Patrick’s Days, we have proudly presented Tulsa’s premier selection of the wine, beer and spirits. Thank you.
3324 E 31st St #A • 918-747-1171
Wine Capital of Tulsa for Over 40 Years
MUSIC // 41
filmphiles
Mia Wasikowska in ‘Maps to the Stars’
Cinematic identity crisis Disorienting tonal shifts and awkward comedy sink ‘Maps to the Stars’ by JOE O’SHANSKY
E
ven during David Cronenberg’s body horror days, there was always something substantive underneath the shock. Deeper themes—both psychological and sexual—explored the link between biology and technology and how they juxtapose in often bizarre ways. “Videodrome,” “The Fly” and “Scanners” defined this early era of Cronenberg, one that was raw, clinical, violent and wonderfully unique.
Tulsa’s independent and non-profit art-house theatre, showing independent, foreign, and documentary films.
42 // FILM & TV
Cronenberg started growing as a director with adaptations of Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch and J.G. Ballard’s Crash, breaking away from his body horror roots (though 1999’s “eXistenZ” briefly brought him back to the form, and you could certainly argue that “Crash” falls in there, too). Instead he transitioned to the realm of character-driven drama while keeping the thematic and stylistic sensibilities that are his signature—including his penchant for well-timed and gruesome head trauma. Cronenberg seemed to peak about a decade ago. “A History of Violence” was a critical and box office success, one that compelled him to reunite with his star, Viggo Mortensen, for the not-quite-as-enjoyable but still worthy follow-up, “Eastern Promises.” But the third time wasn’t the charm for them. “A Dangerous Method” was a talky and tedious exploration of the relationship between Freud and
Carl Jung that was technically adept (as always) but came up short of anything particularly memorable—except for Keira Knightley’s overwrought performance. Until now, Cronenberg has never tried his hand at being intentionally funny. What would it be like to see him defy his own conventions and branch out yet again to make a cutting, satirical comedy that stands alone among the dark skyline of his past works? I’ll let you know when he makes that movie, but his latest, “Maps to the Stars,” isn’t it. Set in the opulent meat grinder of Hollywood, “Maps to the Stars” follows an ensemble cast as their lives inevitably intertwine in ever more harrowing ways. We first meet Agatha Weiss (Mia Wasikowska) fresh off the bus from Jupiter (Florida). She meets a limo driver/actor, Jerome (Robert Pattinson), who takes her to the torched remains of her childhood home, and soon they strike up a romantic relationship.
Agatha winds up falling ass backwards into a personal assistant job for a fading but still popular actress, Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore), who is desperate to land a film role playing her own sexually abusive mother, also a once-famous actress. To get over that baggage, Havana sees a famous television psychologist, Stafford Weiss (John Cusack) whose son, Benjie (Evan Bird), is the tween star of a movie franchise, fresh out of rehab and looking to make a comeback in the new sequel. Benjie’s mother, Christina (Olivia Williams), is his manager/personal assistant, trading in her parenting skills for the ass-kissing variety. But when estranged Agatha turns up, all of their dark secrets are laid bare. Nothing sounds particularly hilarious about that, does it? Maps to the Stars” has been kicking around Cronenberg’s radar for twenty years, originally developed as a screenplay by writer Bruce Wagner. When the film didn’t happen, Wagner turned it into a novel, March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
Dead Stars (Cronenberg is adamant that this film is not based on it). The script itself seems updated and dated all at once. This is not “The Player.” The satire is blunt, the dialogue simple, the metaphors of incest and immolation and the movie business are heavy handed, and the dark humor comes at the expense of characters you’re never sure you should like to begin with. Havana is a good example, a bundle of desperate white girl problems (like eighteen thousand dollar shopping sprees) who is beset by very real demons. She seems utterly sincere in one moment (like when she learns a rival actress’s son has died in a terrible accident) and then winds jumping for joy like an asshole in the next scene (when she realizes his death landed her the role she wanted). It’s too obvious. And that’s after we’re supposed to think Havana trying to squeeze out a constipated dump—as she makes small talk with Agatha—is hilarious. Kudos to Moore’s bravery, at least. Cronenberg should have jettisoned the overtly comedic ele-
ments. The film vacillates between drama and satire with the finesse of a drunk driver, muddling any clear sense of tone. Benjie rips his manager with vulgar and racist insults one minute, and the next he’s a vulnerable kid, struggling with the same ghosts that haunt his sister. Havana is clearly a victim, someone we’re supposed to empathize with on some level, yet she hasn’t grown up because hardship really only comes when she’s not getting everything she wants. Stafford is a Zen shyster goofball who’s imbued with a real fear that his troubled daughter will destroy their family and his career. Did I mention most of them are seeing ghosts? All things considered, the comedic barbs feel shoehorned in. Is this a psychological horror film? Is this a comedy that has no idea how to be funny? Is it trying to make us uncomfortable with ideas it never shoves in our face? (If so, David O. Russell’s “Spanking the Monkey” does all of those things better; not that they have anything else in common.) I have no idea what “Maps to the Stars”
is trying to say about the inherent absurdity of Hollywood that hasn’t already been said in better, funnier films. Worse, the seeds of a truly dark story about familial dynamics and the hierarchy of a famously cutthroat business are subverted by the baffling narrative choices. I’m glad Cronenberg feels like he’s getting out of his element. Unfortunately, it feels like he’s out of his element. This is his (admittedly fucked-up) version of Spielberg’s “1941”—a misguided comedy that would have been better had the director just stuck with his strengths. Cronenberg does dystopian well. But that is at odds with almost everything funny, unless you’re Terry Gilliam. “Maps to the Stars” looks great thanks to the vibrant cinematography of Peter Suschitzky (“The Empire Strikes Back”), and Cronenberg always knows where to put a camera to accentuate the distanced perspective that makes his films feel somewhat chilly. Howard Shore provides a subtle but effective score that is almost a special effect unto itself.
But neither those efforts nor the performances from his fine cast, succeed in unifying the film, though they often elevate it. Julianne Moore is superb, disappearing into Havana like an Olympic diver who barely leaves a ripple. Mia Wasikowska isn’t given as much to work with but mines everything from Agatha, crafting a memorable and lingering character. Robert Pattinson is typically subdued, but I didn’t think of Edward Cullen once. And it’s still fun watching John Cusack be John Cusack. Olivia Williams gets the short straw with her thankless Christina, and Evan Bird is believable as a Bieber-esque douchebag who is still, seemingly, a thoughtful kid at heart. I still love David Cronenberg. I’ll always be interested in his next thing. I’m no fair-weather fan. Hollywood loves movies about itself, even though they often come off as smug and out of touch. “Maps to the Stars” finds itself in that company, and while it’s certainly weirder, it misses its mark all the same. a
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Open Monday-Saturday, 10-6 THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
FILM & TV // 43
popradar
Harris Wittels
Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki and Robert Durst in ‘The Jinx’
Amanda Peet in ‘Togetherness’
In the queue Digging around in the pop culture mine, unearthing the gems by MATT CAUTHRON
A
uthor’s note: I’m cer-
tainly not pleased that columnist Joshua Kline has the flu, but I always relish the chance to jump off the bench with my two cents on pop culture. Here’s what’s on my radar in these winter doldrums …
Did he? Oh yes. “The Jinx,” a new documentary series on HBO, examines the “life and deaths” of New York real estate heir Robert Durst. (The “deaths” refer to the demise or disappearance of several people close to Durst over the years). Having been obsessed with the “Serial” podcast and its true-crime mysteries for the past few months, I came to “The Jinx” with certain narrative expectations. I was ready for a “did he or didn’t he?” seesaw, with every new clue or revelation tipping that seesaw back the other way. Without revealing too much, the question that constantly rings in my head as I watch is not “Did he or didn’t he?” but rather “How is this man still walking around, free?” The more layers the filmmakers peel back, the more surreal and unbelievable it gets. 44 // FILM & TV
And Durst’s mannerisms make it that much more engaging—I’ve almost started taking notes. (In my head: “Was that facial tic more pronounced than the facial tic from the previous question? Does that mean he’s lying now, or was he then?”) It’s disturbing. It’s riveting. It’s worth stealing your parents’ HBO Go password. Family matters I haven’t always been the biggest fan of the Duplass Brothers and their ever-so-earnest brand of indie mumblecore. Even the stuff I kinda liked (say, “Jeff Who Lives at Home”) still annoyed me to some degree. But the brothers, Mark and Jay, turned me around with “Togetherness,” the new HBO comedy they co-created with Steve Zissis. The stiff, often uncomfortable marriage at the center of the show can ride the line between fascinating and unwatchable, but the show’s real charm lies in the relationship between the two lovable losers played by Amanda Peet (better than she’s ever been, ever) and Zissis. How HBO keeps reloading
its Sunday night lineup with gold is baffling, but they’ve done it again. Stifled laughter Harris Wittels died Feb. 19 of an apparent drug overdose in his L.A. home. His was not a household name, but to a certain segment of comedy fans, his untimely passing was devastating. He was best known as a writer and producer (and sometimes guest star) for “Parks and Recreation,” and as the creator of the once-viral “Humblebrag” Twitter account. But his funniest, most indelible work was in the world of podcasting. Wittels was a frequent guest on Scott Aukerman’s “Comedy Bang Bang” podcast, on which his recurring segment “Harris’s Phone Corner” (which inexplicably morphed into “Harris’s Foam Corner”) was the most reliably funny bit the show ever did. Harris would read jokes he had typed into his phone but deemed unworthy of his stand-up act or even his Twitter account. After delivering them with boyish, deadpan charm, Aukerman and
the other guests would delight in mocking and/or being flabbergasted by them. (“Here’s my impression of a good dentist with a good family: ‘Getting my son to clean his room is like pulling teeth … really easy!’”) He was also an unapologetic fan of the band Phish, a love that spawned the hilarious podcast “Analyze Phish,” another collaboration with Aukerman, who hated the band and couldn’t understand why someone as smart and successful as Wittels could possibly enjoy their music. Wittels attempted, over the course of many episodes, to convert Aukerman to Phish fandom, to increasingly hilarious results (mostly because the more evidence Wittels presented, the more Aukerman hated the band). No matter your stance on Phish, “Analyze Phish” is a pure delight. All that is to say: If you enjoy comedy; or anti-comedy; or unabashed, joyful silliness—go find Harris Wittels. He’s gone, but a small slice of his comedic brilliance is still a download away. Rest in peace, Harris. a March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
news of the weird by Chuck Shepherd
Because we can Scientists at the University of California, Irvine (with Australian partners) announced in January that they had figured out how to unboil a hen’s egg. (After boiling, the egg’s proteins become “tangled,” but the scientists’ device can untangle them, allowing the egg white to return to its previous state.) Actually, the researchers’ paper promises dramatically reduced costs in several applications, from cancer treatments to food production, where similar, clean untanglings might take “thousands” of times longer.
The unhoneymoon A Saratoga Springs, New York, resort has begun accepting totally defeated husbands and wives for a relaxed weekend that includes divorce, bringing to America a concept already successful in six European cities. The Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa charges $5,000 for a couple to check in on a Friday, married, but leave Sunday officially single (complete with all legal niceties and various resort amenities, including, of course, separate rooms). Even though the couple must be fairly level-headed to accept this approach, the facility manager expressed concern that since the resort also books weddings, the “uncouplers” might inadvertently witness difficult scenes. (Gideon Putnam has hosted four divorces so far, but, said the European founder of the package service, “hundreds” of couples have used the services in Europe.)
Bright ideas The Jeju Island Korean restaurant in Zhengzhou, China, staged a promotion last month to pick up lunch tabs for the 50 “most handsome” people to dine there every day. Judging was by a panel of cosmetic surgeons (who were partnering with the restaurant) and, as contestant-diners posed for photographs, they were evaluated on “quality of ” eyes, noses, mouths and especially foreheads (better if “protruding”).
Perspective Among the participants at this year’s Davos, Switzerland, gather-
ing of billionaires and important people was property developer Jeff Greene, 60, who owns mansions in New York, Malibu and Palm Springs, and whose Beverly Hills estate is on the market for around $195 million. Greene famously won big betting against overvalued sub-prime mortgages before the 2008 Great Recession, but, shortly after landing at Davos, he gave Bloomberg Business his take on the symptoms of current economic turmoil (that he had capitalized on for part of his wealth by exploiting people’s desire for expensive houses they ultimately could not afford). “America’s lifestyle expectations are far too high,” Greene explained, “and need to be adjusted so we have less things and a smaller, better existence.”
People with issues Sorry, Ladies, He’s Taken: In yet another chilling episode of body modification, the otherwise handsome Henry Damon, 37, married father of two, appeared in January at the Caracas (Venezuela) International Tattoo Expo as Red Skull (archenemy of Captain America), who has somehow fascinated Damon for years. The exhibiting of his idolatry began with subdermal forehead implants (ultimately replacing his eyebrows with prominent ridges), followed by going all-in for Red Skull by allowing a medical school dropout to lop off what looks like half of his nose. (How his deep red color was achieved was not mentioned
THE TULSA VOICE // March 4 – March 17, 2015
in news reports.) For the record, the “surgeon” called Damon “a physically and intellectually healthy person.”
Least competent criminals Mastering the Technology: (1) Donald Harrison, 22, wanted for assault in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, made police aware of his whereabouts when he posted a “selfie” on Facebook from a Greyhound bus with the notation, “It’s Time to Leave Pa.” He was picked up at a stop in nearby Youngstown, Ohio. (2) Police in Houston arrested Dorian Walker-Gaines, 20, and Dillian Thompson, 22, after they posted selfies on Facebook of themselves enjoying a handful of $100 bills -- photos they took on an iPad they had stolen on Jan. 8 and whose photos automatically uploaded to the victim’s iCloud account. (Incidentally, Walker-Gaines has, tattooed across his chest, “BRILLIANT.”)
Update Additional details reported by the Toronto Sun in January on an August 2014 News of the Weird item reveal that the motorist who hit three bicycling teenagers in Innisfil, Ontario, in 2012 (killing one, putting another in a wheelchair) is suing the victims for $1.35 million for “emotional trauma” the incident caused her (though she was not otherwise injured) because they “were incompetent bicyclists” and “did not apply their brakes properly.” The boys wore reflec-
tive jackets and had no alcohol in their systems, but the driver, Sharlene Simon, admitted to at least one drink and to speeding. (On the other hand, her husband, who was following in another car, is a police officer, and Simon was neither charged nor breath-tested.)
A News of the Weird classic (June 2011) Oklahoma inmate Eric Torpy was reported (in May 2011) as having second thoughts while only six years into his 33-year sentence for armed robbery. According to an Associated Press dispatch, he might especially regret the years 2035 to 2038. His original sentence was 30 years, but he challenged the judge that if he was “going down,” it would be in “Larry Bird’s jersey” -- the basketball player’s number “33.” Judge Ray Elliott then accommodated Torpy -- 33 years, not 30. Said Torpy to the reporter, “I’m pretty sure (Bird) thinks I’m an idiot.” a
2/18 SOLUTION: UNIVERSAL SUNDAY
ETC. // 45
free will astrology by ROB BREZSNY
PISCES
(FEB. 19-MARCH 20):
The British rock band the Animals released their gritty, growly song “The House of the Rising Sun” in 1964. It reached the top of the pop music charts in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia, and was a hit with critics. Rolling Stone magazine ultimately ranked it as the 122nd greatest song of all time. And yet it took the Animals just 15 minutes to record. They did it in one take. That’s the kind of beginner’s luck and spontaneous flow I foresee you having in the coming weeks, Pisces. What’s the best way for you to channel all that soulful mojo?
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Lately your life reminds me of the action film Speed, starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. In that story, a criminal has rigged a passenger bus to explode if its speed drops below 50 miles per hour. In your story, you seem to be acting as if you, too, will self-destruct if you stop moving at a frantic pace. I’m here to tell you that nothing bad will happen if you slow down. Just the opposite, in fact. As you clear your schedule of its excessive things-to-do, as you leisurely explore the wonders of doing nothing in particular, I bet you will experience a soothing flood of healing pleasure. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): One of the most dazzling moves a ballet dancer can do is the fouetté en tournant. The term is French for “whipped turning.” As she executes a 360-degree turn, the dancer spins around on the tip of one foot. Meanwhile, her other foot thrusts outward and then bends in, bringing her toes to touch the knee of her supporting leg. Can you imagine a dancer doing this 32 consecutive times? That’s what the best do. It takes extensive practice and requires a high degree of concentration and discipline. Paradoxically, it expresses breathtaking freedom and exuberance. You may not be a prima ballerina, Taurus, but in your own field there must be an equivalent to the fouetté en tournant. Now is an excellent time for you to take a vow and make plans to master that skill. What will you need to do? GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you’re a martial artist and you want to inject extra energy into an aggressive move, you might utter a percussive shout that sounds like “eee-yah!” or “hyaah!” or “aiyah!” The Japanese term for this sound is kiai. The sonic boost is most effective if it originates deep in your diaphragm rather than from your throat. Even if you’re not a martial artist, Gemini, I suggest that in the coming weeks you have fun trying out this boisterous style of yelling. It may help you summon the extra power and confidence you’ll need to successfully wrestle with all the interesting challenges ahead of you. CANCER (June 21-July 22): The prolific and popular French novelist Aurore Dupin was better known by her pseudonym George Sand. Few 19th-century women matched her rowdy behavior. She wore men’s clothes, smoked cigars, was a staunch feminist, and frequented social venues where only men were normally allowed. Yet she was also a doting mother to her two children, and loved to garden, make jam, and do needlework. Among her numerous lovers were the writers Alfred de Musset, Jules Sandeau, and Prosper Mérimée, as well as composer Frederic Chopin and actress Marie Dorval. Her preferred work schedule was midnight to 6 a.m., and she often slept until 3 p.m. “What a brave man she was,” said Russian author Ivan Turgenev, “and what a good woman.” Her astrological sign? The same as you and me. She’s feisty proof that not all of us Crabs are conventional fuddy-duddies. In the coming weeks, she’s our inspirational role model. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): It seems you’ve slipped into a time warp. Is that bad? I don’t think so. Your adventures there may twist and tweak a warped part of your psyche in such a way that it gets healed. At the very least, I bet your visit to the time warp will reverse the effects of an old folly and correct a problem caused by your past sins. (By the way, when I use the word “sin,” I mean “being lax about following your dreams.”) There’s only one potential problem that could come out of all this: Some people in your life could misinterpret what’s happening. To prevent that, communicate crisply every step of the way.
Place the numbers 1 through 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.
NOVICE
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In English and French versions of the word game Scrabble, the letter z is worth ten points. In Italian, it’s eight points. But in the Polish variant of Scrabble, you score just one point by using z. That letter is rarely used in the other three languages, but is common in Polish. Keep this general principle in mind as you assess the value of the things you have to offer. You will be able to make more headway and have greater impact in situations where your particular beauty and power and skills are in short supply. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have to make them all your yourself.” So said Alfred Sheinwold in his book about the card game known as bridge. I think this is excellent advice for the game of life, as well. And it should be extra pertinent for you in the coming weeks, because people in your vicinity will be making gaffes and wrong turns that are useful for you to study. In the future, you’ll be wise to avoid perpetrating similar messes yourself. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Love her but leave her wild,” advised a graffiti artist who published his thoughts on a wall next to the mirror in a public restroom I visited. Another guerrilla philosopher had added a comment below: “That’s a nice sentiment, but how can anyone retain wildness in a society that puts so many demands on us in exchange for money to live?” Since I happened to have a felt-tip pen with me, I scrawled a response to the question posed in the second comment: “Be in nature every day. Move your body a lot. Remember and work with your dreams. Be playful. Have good sex. Infuse any little thing you do with a creative twist. Hang out with animals. Eat with your fingers. Sing regularly.” And that’s also my message for you, Scorpio, during this phase when it’s so crucial for you to nurture your wildness. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Don’t worry, even if things get heavy, we’ll all float on.” So sings Modest Mouse’s vocalist Isaac Brock on the band’s song “Float On.” I recommend you try that approach yourself, Sagittarius. Things will no doubt get heavy in the coming days. But if you float on, the heaviness will be a good, rich, soulful heaviness. It’ll be a purifying heaviness that purges any glib or shallow influences that are in your vicinity. It’ll be a healing heaviness that gives you just the kind of graceful gravitas you will need.
MASTER
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “What I look for in a friend is someone who’s different from me,” says science fiction novelist Samuel Delany. “The more different the person is, the more I’ll learn from him. The more he’ll come up with surprising takes on ideas and things and situations.” What about you, Capricorn? What are the qualities in a friend that help you thrive? Now is a perfect time to take an inventory. I sense that although there are potential new allies wandering in your vicinity, they will actually become part of your life only if you adjust and update your attitudes about the influences you value most. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): At the turn of the 19th century, Russian laborers constructed thousands of miles of railroad tracks from the western part of the country eastward to Siberia. The hardest part of the job was blasting tunnels through the mountains that were in the way. I reckon you’re at a comparable point in your work, Aquarius. It’s time to smash gaping holes through obstacles. Don’t scrimp or apologize. Clear the way for the future.
True or false: You can’t get what you want from another person until you’re able to give it to yourself. t h i s w e e k ’ s h o m e w o r k // E X P L A I N AT F R E E W I L L A S T RO LO G Y.C O M . 46 // ETC.
March 4 – March 17, 2015 // THE TULSA VOICE
ACROSS 1 Feudal workers 6 Day spa attire 10 Had a role to play 15 Ties up the phone 19 Where embryos develop 20 Poetry on a grand theme 21 City in Greenland 22 Surveyor’s map 23 Time to rise, for some 24 Prepares to shoot 25 Causing goose bumps 26 Shrek, for one 27 Ethiopian capital 29 Anxious 31 The Roaring ’20s, for one 32 Bluebird’s residence 33 Better-thananything suffix 34 Stereotypical Beemer driver 37 Fix, as stones in cement 39 Sharp attack of emotion 41 Get ready for the O.R. 42 In a just manner 43 Golden State basketball player 46 Composer Copland 48 Heavy winter coat 49 Curved moldings 50 Like a prison window 52 Barbera’s cartooning colleague 53 Parasitic pests 54 Lorenzo of “Falcon Crest” 55 “Barbara ___” (1965 hit) 56 Airhead 60 Andy Capp’s missus
61 Cry 64 Some assembly places 66 Accelerate (with “up”) 67 Epic by Virgil 68 “Journey to the Center of the Earth” actress Dahl 69 “How ___ doing?” 70 Last czarina of Russia 72 Dunk in liquid 73 Hamilton’s bill 74 “___ Breckinridge” 75 “Com” preceder 76 Open, as a fort gate 77 It goes before a fall 78 Best dishes, often 80 Dangerous fly in Africa 82 It also goeth before a fall 83 Do penance 84 Diamond headgear 85 Copied 87 “See ya!” 89 Oven for firing porcelain 90 Prevents littering? 91 Backspace 92 Use, as food stamps 94 Type of lettuce 95 Not present or future 99 ’60s war zone, informally 100 “All systems go!” 102 Loss of bodily sensation 105 Suit to ___ 107 1973 Rolling Stones ballad 109 Source of harm 110 Yellow-orange 111 Executive’s list heading 112 Weeny partner
113 “... happily ___ after” 114 Martin or McQueen 115 Pitching stats 116 Wetlands plant 117 “Make do” amount 118 More than a third of Mississippi? DOWN 1 Actress Sarandon 2 Musical study piece 3 Rips to pieces 4 Orchard part 5 Has a taste of, as wine 6 Use a sponge over and over again 7 A narcotic drug 8 Big flop 9 Long English assignment 10 Consumed 11 Lower in esteem 12 Rutabaga, e.g. 13 Cream of the crop 14 Not the best grades 15 Fed. documents producer 16 Math with x, y and z 17 Oil container 18 Not jumpy at all 28 Prefix with “dynamic” 30 Have a craving 35 Raise or erect 36 Urges on 38 Gilbert and Sullivan opera (with “The”) 40 Belonging to that guy 42 Spreading (out) 43 Atomic number 74 44 With nimbleness 45 Bounce back 46 Domain for Lawrence
47 Packing a pistol, e.g. 48 Play to the crowd 51 Canadian province 52 Eighteenwheelers, essentially 57 Woman plaintiff 58 Summer beverage 59 Contaminated 61 Ewe sound 62 Credit union’s activity 63 Brought to ruin 64 ___ di Mare (fashion label) 65 Golfer’s little helper 68 Grain-field color 71 Some knives 72 Of unsound mind 76 Helpful, as a tool 77 Chances 79 Blade sharpener 81 Scandalmongers and whistleblowers 82 Use a lever 83 Shaded public walk 84 Spiffing (up) 86 Word that used to precede Germany 87 Capitol Hill gang 88 Keynote giver, e.g. 89 Towed, at sea 90 Movie snippets 92 Punjabi princess (var.) 93 Normand of the silents 96 Arson aftermath 97 Sifting aid 98 Weight allowances 101 Has a snack 103 Central church part 104 Groundskeeper’s tool 106 Goddess of the dawn 108 CBS logo
Universal sUnday Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker
‘a’ sandwiCH By Jill Pepper
© 2015 Universal Uclick
MA RCH
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ETC. // 47
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