PLUS TEACHER WALKOUT | P12 Q&A WITH BILL BURR | P26 TUNE IN TULSA | P28
M A R . 2 1 – A P R I L 3 , 2 0 1 8 // V O L . 5 N O . 7
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2 // CONTENTS
March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
ENJOY SOME OF THE BEST DINING TULSA HAS TO OFFER
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PIZZ A, HOUSE-BRE WED BEER, WINGS, 60 + T VS ELGIN & M.B. BR A DY
THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
CONTENTS // 3
WE
HOPS
CHINCHILLAS HOP WHEN THEY ARE HAPPY. 100% of proceeds raised at Conservation On Tap goes to Save the Wild Chinchillas, Inc. 21+ event.
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Special thanks to these zoo partners for building a better zoo through their continued support.
4 // CONTENTS
The Helmerich Trust
The H.A. and Mary K. Chapman Charitable Trust
March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
GIG-A-DAY
P17
BY TTV STAFF
Where to hear live music almost every night of the week
March 21 – April 3, 2018 // Vol. 5, No. 7 ©2018. All rights reserved.
BEGINNER’S LUCK
P19
BY BRADY WHISENHUNT
Dancing away the peak hours of St. Paddy’s Day at El Coyote Manco
PUBLISHER Jim Langdon EDITOR Liz Blood ASSISTANT EDITOR Cassidy McCants DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon
HEALING QUALITIES
ART DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger
P20
BY LINDSEY NEAL KUYKENDALL
Miko the Artist writes to inspire
AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf EDITORIAL INTERN Trent Gibbons
FROM AUSTIN TO TULSA
CONTRIBUTORS Becky Carman, Alicia Chesser, Ty Clark, Andrew Deacon, Caleb Freeman, Barry Friedman, Jeff Huston, Clay Jones, Lindsey Neal Kuykendall, Joe O’Shansky, Gene Perry, Colin Pope, Zack Reeves, Zach D. Roberts, Amanda Ruyle, Andrew Saliga, Damion Shade, John Tranchina, Brady Whisenhunt The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by
P20
BY DAMION SHADE
Dane Arnold and The Soup are set to release a new album
KIND OF BLUES P18
A FREEDOM TO AND A FREEDOM FROM P22
BY BECKY CARMAN
Member of
Austin songwriter and guitarist Jackie Venson brings dynamic performance back to Tulsa
BY TY CLARK
K.Flay is a strong-willed, book-nerd rocker
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SLOW MOVEMENT AT THE FRINGES OF SOUND P24 BY BRADY WHISENHUNT
Drone art and multimedia pioneer Phill Niblock kicks off Tulsa Noise series
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NEWS & COMMENTARY
FOOD & DRINK
7 MORE URGENT, MORE DIFFICULT B Y GENE PERRY
14 TAKING FLIGHT B Y ANDREW SALIGA
As Oklahoma teachers plan to follow West Virginia in walkout, they confront a worse funding crisis
Bird & Bottle will be a collab between kitchen, winemakers, and bar
8
HUMANITY IN AMERICA BY BARRY FRIEDMAN
Uncle Leo, egg salad sandwiches, and the NRA
15 PASTRAMI LOVE AFFAIR B Y AMANDA RUYLE Jane’s Delicatessen is classy, simple, and satisfying
10 IN LIMBO TV BY CALEB FREEMAN
PLUS TEACHER WALKOUT | P12 Q&A WITH BILL BURR | P26 TUNE IN TULSA | P28
In the neighborhood of S. E. Hinton’s famous novel, Crutchfield locals still feel like outsiders
M A R . 2 1 – A P R I L 3 , 2 0 1 8 // V O L . 5 N O . 7
12 ARE WE THERE AGAIN? BY DAMION SHADE The last time education reform happened in Oklahoma, it took a walkout
LIVE MU S I C E S CAP E S I NTO S O UND B I G S H OWS LITTLE VE NU E S
36 FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO HOLLYWOOD BY ZACK REEVES
Micah Fitzerman-Blue on his upcoming Mister Rogers film
37 OH, THE HUMANITY B Y JEFF HUSTON Ricky Gervais offends people only to nag them for prudishness
38 STILL ABIDING B Y JOE O’SHANSKY
ON THE COVER Susan Herndon at Soul City Gastropub & Music House. Catch Herndon there every Friday at 5 p.m. PHOTO BY GREG BOLLINGER THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
& FILM
‘ T he Big Lebowski’ didn’t always get the love
ARTS & CULTURE 26 TIME FOR IRREVERENCE B Y ANDREW DEACON Bill Burr on not being an asshole, ‘F Is for Family,’ and why he loves the Brady Theater
28 TURN ON, TUNE IN B Y ALICIA CHESSER KOSU hybrid radio show celebrates Tulsa-connected creative treasures
29 [PRAYER FOR THOSE BORED BY PERPETUAL TRAVESTY] B Y COLIN POPE
A poem
30 THE BAR IS RAISED B Y JOHN TRANCHINA Roughnecks ready for continued success in new season
ETC. 6 EDITOR’SLETTER 9 CARTOONS 32 THEHAPS 34 MUSICLISTINGS 38 FULLCIRCLE 39 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD CONTENTS // 5
editor’sletter
M
y grandmother Helen had dementia for the last eight years of her life. When she moved in with my family, we understood that her condition would worsen, and only time would tell how. Eventually she could no longer stay at home alone while my parents worked, so my mother found an adult daycare where Nana could spend the bulk of her weekdays. There, they made bracelets and bookmarks and did light exercise. She made friends and for the most part seemed to enjoy it, but dementia provides amply for mood swings, and it was never possible to know how Nana would be when we picked her up at the end of the day. Once, when I was 25, my mother asked me to pick up Nana. It was summer in Oklahoma City
and hot. I was late getting to the daycare. When I walked inside, Nana was sitting alone at a table, rocking in her chair, rubbing the tops of her legs. She was the last one left for the day, and this made her anxious. We got into my ‘97 Chevy Blazer, which had torn leather seats and no air conditioning, so you’d simultaneously sweat and stick to the slick leather and seat stuffing. The windows were down, but the heat was oppressive and seemed to exacerbate the situation. Nana continued to fidget with her hands, repeating, “Where are we going? Where are we going?” I didn’t know what to do. I put on Bob Marley. Less than halfway into “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” I looked over at her. Nana’s right hand was out the window,
making small waves up and down, keeping the syncopated rhythm of the song. Her left hand was resting on her lap. She was relaxed. On our cover, we’ve partially quoted Hans Christian Andersen’s line: “Where words fail, music speaks.” Much of the music we listen to is accompanied by words, of course, but often those words don’t carry the same weight they hold with the music. Music elevates them—and it elevates us. I never believed in its power as much as I did after seeing the near-immediate effect it had on my grandmother that hot summer day. This issue marks a sort-of “round two” for a music-heavy read this month. Though we chose to celebrate March as a music month, rather than observing
March Madness, we do include some sports: a preview of the Roughnecks’ season (pg. 30). Also, Zack Reeves interviewed Micah Fitzerman-Blue on his upcoming Mister Rogers film (pg. 36), Andrew Deacon interviewed comedian Bill Burr ahead of his Brady Theater show (pg. 26), Damion Shade wrote about the proposed teacher walkout on April 2 (pg. 12), and we have a new addition to the paper—the cartoons of Clay Jones (pg. 9). Happy reading—and listening! a
LIZ BLOOD EDITOR
JOIN THE TULSA VOICE FOR OUR SPECIAL best of tulsa AWARDS CONCERT
Featuring John Fullbright Wednesday, March 28 • 8-9 p.m. • Fassler Hall • 304 S. Elgin free admission
6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
21 & up
YOU NOMINATED. WE TABULATED. WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN SPECIAL EDITION OUT MARCH 28.
March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
MORE URGENT, MORE DIFFICULT As Oklahoma teachers plan to follow West Virginia in walkout, they confront a worse funding crisis by GENE PERRY
THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
okpolicy
F
or nine days, teachers in West Virginia went on strike to protest their low pay and benefits. The strike did not end until West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed a bill providing a five percent raise for teachers and state employees. Going into this showdown, the average teacher salary and benefits in West Virginia was $45,622, according to data from the National Education Association. That put them 48th in the nation, out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Teachers in West Virginia made less than teachers in all but three states: South Dakota, Mississippi, and … Oklahoma. However, when it comes to total K–12 spending, West Virginia spends 40 percent more per pupil than Oklahoma, according to the U.S. Census. West Virginia spends significantly more than Oklahoma on all major categories, including instruction ($6,501 per pupil in West Virginia compared to $4,466 in Oklahoma), teacher and student support services ($3,330 versus $2,353), and administration ($826 versus $686). West Virginia only has about 40 percent as many students enrolled in public schools as Oklahoma and only about 10 percent as many school districts. But after adjusting for enrollment, West Virginia schools actually employ 15.4 percent more teachers and 35.5 percent more administrators than Oklahoma schools. So improving teacher pay is important, but it’s not the whole story. In Oklahoma, budget cuts have hit all aspects of public education, from teacher pay to class sizes, program offerings, the presence of librarians and school counselors, and more. In this context, it should be no surprise that Oklahoma teachers are planning to follow the example of West Virginia, organizing a walkout to put pressure on the Oklahoma Legislature to raise revenues. Their task is both more urgent and more difficult. The
failure of Oklahoma to fund education is long-standing, and a one-time boost in pay—while sorely needed—will not be enough to address the deep problems created by education funding cuts. Nor will it fix the extreme supermajority requirement that has put Oklahoma on this path and prevented lawmakers from passing any solutions. Other Oklahomans are as fed up with the budget mess as our teachers, and it’s likely that a teacher walkout will be popular, at least initially. But it will put pressure on kids and create real hardships for Oklahoma families. For the walkout to be worth the cost, teachers and all Oklahomans need revenue increases substantial enough to address Oklahoma’s chronic underfunding of education and many other critical services. That’s why the Oklahoma Education Association has announced that a comprehensive revenue solution will be needed to prevent or end the walkout. They are joined by many state employees who, like teachers, have watched state budget cuts erode their ability to do their jobs. Oklahoma kids deserve well-qualified, well-paid teachers. They also deserve manageable class sizes, access to arts, foreign language, and other advanced programs, school counselors and librarians, five-day school weeks, up-to-date textbooks, and essential supports from social services, public safety, and health care providers. Yet all of these have been cut again and again in Oklahoma for years, which is why teachers have been driven to more direct tactics for change. Ordinary tactics haven’t worked to save our state and protect Oklahoma kids. The walkout may be our last and best hope to bring the progress that Oklahoma so desperately needs. a
Gene Perry is Director of Strategy and Communication for Oklahoma Policy Institute (www.okpolicy.org). NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7
viewsfrom theplains
S
omething happened to the nation after the murders at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day. It stayed awake. It’s worth talking about. But first I want to introduce you to my uncle Leo. Jewish, from Brooklyn, liberal; he was a postman, an ex-furrier until he hurt his back and retired to Florida. There, he took up a hobby— guns. He goes to the range, enters contests, makes his own bullets in the garage. Leo is a rarity: a New York Jewish liberal member of the National Rifle Association. He has had macular degeneration for a decade and, long after he stopped driving, still shoots. It’s not funny. It’s hysterical. You want someone with Leo’s respect for and knowledge of weapons to be packing when someone breaks into your house at three in the morning, if only he wasn’t 95 … if only he wasn’t blind. I’ve asked him about his membership in the NRA a number of times. “Barry,” he’d say, “this is the story.” The story I never could follow, but it had something to do with the insurance the NRA provides to gun ranges and shooters. With membership, you also get your choice of magazine, membership cards, and decals, all of which Leo had no use for—but there was the insurance, which mattered somehow. Marilyn, his wife and my aunt, fielded the calls. “They’re always calling for money,” she’d say of the NRA. “Enough already!” “So, hang up the phone, Marilyn,” Leo would bark. “Why do you talk to them?” Uncle Leo loves the sport but hates the governing body. He lives in Delray Beach, about a 25-minute drive to Marjory Stoneman. To every l ying member of the media, to every Holl ywood phony, to the 8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
Humanity in America Uncle Leo, egg salad sandwiches, and the NRA
by BARRY FRIEDMAN
role model athletes who use their free speech to alter and undermine what our flag represents … Your time is running out. The clock starts now.’ 1
That’s Dana Loesch, the NRA spokesperson. She and Uncle Leo belong to the same organization. She’s a pustule. He’s an old man hunched over a workbench full of ingots. After the massacre in Parkland, the NRA offered “thoughts and prayers,” as you’d expect, as it always does, but it was the cynicism of its waiting for the left to grieve itself out that struck me. Such contempt for the human heart, such smugness. But then a not-so-funny thing happened. The grief and anger stuck around, intensified. The outrage landed some blows. Teenagers, many with dead friends, had had enough. They appeared on television and were articulate, unyielding, and fearless. This was not the script post-tragedy America is used to.
The NRA was at first befuddled by the shelf life of the national anger, by the outpouring of support for these students. Then it pounced. Here was NRA Executive Director Wayne LaPierre. Speaking at CPAC, the annual arch-conservative gathering, LaPierre accused proponents of gun control of promoting “socialism” in the guise of public health and safety. Behind this “social engineering,” he said, are the billions of dollars donated by “people like George Soros, Michael Bloomberg, Tom Steyer, and more.”2
Read the names again. He singled out Jews. This is not your uncle’s NRA. LaPierre let us know it’s not just about guns anymore. Here was Dana Loesch, after trying to make nice on CNN,3 coming unhinged. The National Rifle Association’s national spokeswoman argued Thursday
that “many in legacy media love mass shootings” during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.4
Here was Dinesh D’Souza tweeting as a group of students from Marjory Stoneman stood in the Florida legislature and watched representatives defeat a measure that would allow discussion—discussion—about an assault weapons ban. “Worst news since their parents told them to get summer jobs.”5 D’Souza was … just being a dick. And while a bill to raise the age of owning an AR-15 was raised to 21, a representative from Florida scolded the survivors. “Do we allow the children to tell us that we should pass a law that says, ‘No homework’? Or ‘You finish high school at the age of 12’ just because they want it so? No. “The adults make the l aws because we have the age. We have the wisdom. And we have the experience to make these l aws. We have to make l aws with our heads and not with our emotions. Because emotions will lead us astray. However, our common sense and our rationale will not.”6
And here’s what happened in Oklahoma. A state l awmaker citing extensivel y from the Bible urged churchgoers and other people of faith to arm themsel ves against “knuckleheads” and “evil people.” Speaking in favor of the bill, Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw, argued that people have both a constitutional and biblical right to defend themsel ves. “It clearl y states in the Bible to defend oursel ves. … Jesus was not a p acifist.”7 March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
Our leaders called for … God knows what. Constitution tells us we don’t need a license, so I totally support constitutional carry,” said [Oklahoma] gubernatorial candidate Gary Richardson, in support of a new bill that views firearm licenses as irrelevant. “Constitutional carry, in my opinion, should be the law of the land.”8
Let’s stop there for a minute. You want to know what the Constitution says? Good friend of the column Garrett Epps, constitutional law professor at the University of Baltimore and contributing writer for The Atlantic, explains: To me it suggests that, in adopting what became the Second Amendment, members of Congress were attempting to reassure the states that they could retain their militias and that Congress could not disarm them. Maybe there was a subsidiary right to bear arms; but the militia is the main thing the Constitution revamped, and the militia is what the Amendment talks about.9
Not this: Crown-wearing worshippers clutching AR-15 rifles drank hol y wine and exchanged or renewed wedding vows in a commitment ceremony at a Pennsyl vania church on Wednesday, prompting a nearby school to cancel
THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
classes. The church, which has a worldwide following, believes the AR-15 symbolizes the “rod of iron” in the book of Revelation and encouraged couples to bring the weapons. 10
We sell bullet-proof backpacks in America.11 We’re out of our mind. We want more guns in more places and in the hands of more of us. After Parkland, the voices on the right gave a giant “F*** you” to those with dead children— and to the dead children themselves. Uncle Leo shoots targets at a range and then has egg salad sandwiches with his friends at his country club. Others with guns do this: Kasky isn’t the onl y teenager getting death threats for activism against the NRA. David Hogg, also 17, has fiercel y advocated on television for improved gun control laws in the wake of the mass shooting which left seventeen of his classmates and teachers dead. Over the last week, he has been a central target for conspiracy theorists believing that he is in fact not a student but a “crisis actor.” One video claiming Hogg was an actor got more than 200,000 views and was the top trending video on YouTube before it was taken down.12
The cause is that great, the personal arsenal that important, the membership that revered.
There are parents in Florida wondering how they’re going to make it through summer without their children; the NRA is suing Florida for raising the legal age to own that AR-15 to 21. It’s not about guns anymore; it’s about humanity. It’s about ruptured body parts. From a radiologist who treated Parkland victims: In a typical handgun injury, which I diagnose almost dail y, a bullet leaves a laceration through an organ such as the liver. To a radiologist, it appears as a linear, thin, gray bullet track through the organ. There may be bleeding and some bullet fragments. I was looking at a CT scan of one of the mass-shooting victims from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who had been brought to the trauma center during my call shift. The organ looked like an overripe melon smashed by a sledgehammer, and was bleeding extensivel y. How could a gunshot wound have caused this much damage?13
Loesch recently complained about the sanctimony and arrogance of the left.14 Guilty. But the left’s arrogance and sanctimony didn’t spray bullets at 800 rounds per minute on a school campus—it left 7,000 pairs of shoes outside the U.S. Capitol days later in honor of the children who have been murdered by guns … since 2012.15 a
1) dailymail.co.uk: ‘Your time is running out’ 2) jta.org: Why Wayne LaPierre’s CPAC speech freaked out Jews and heartened anti-Semites 3) washingtonpost.com: Dana Loesch, the NRA’s brash spokeswoman, dials back the rage at CNN town hall 4) cnn.com: NRA spox: ‘Many in legacy media love mass shootings’ 5) thedailybeast.com: Dinesh D’Souza Mocked Shooting Survivors. Why Is He Still on the ‘National Review’ Masthead? 6) cnn.com: Florida lawmaker insults Parkland activists, saying ‘adults make the laws’ 7) tulsaworld.com: ‘Guns in churches’ bill passes Oklahoma House, would extend stand-your-ground immunity 8) ktul.com: Oklahoma lawmakers have several bills regarding firearms this session 9) theatlantic.com: The Second Amendment Does Not Transcend All Others 10) news.com.au: Churchgoers clutch rifles and wear crowns in bizarre gun blessing ceremony 11) time.com: What to Know About Buying a Bulletproof Backpack 12) thinkprogress.org: Death threats force Parkland shooting survivor to leave Facebook 13) theatlantic.com: What I Saw Treating the Victims From Parkland Should Change the Debate on Guns 14) news.sky.com: NRA warns anti-gun media and celebs: ‘Your time is running out’ 15) vox.com: There are 7,000 pairs of shoes outside the Capitol. Here’s why.
NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9
community
“W
e’re not north enough to be North Tulsa, and we’re not south enough to be cared about,” Yawnie said on a warm March afternoon. It’s easy to see why she and other Crutchfield residents feel this way. The neighborhood is located just north of I-244 and spans from I-75 to North Utica, just a stone’s throw away from East Village and Greenwood Districts. Yet it feels like a different world: Its vacant lots, boarded-up houses, and barbed-wire fences contrast sharply with Tulsa’s flourishing downtown. At the BNSF railroad crossing on North Trenton Avenue, a crossing sign graffitied with “666” greets those entering the neighborhood proper, as if it were a warning that some sort of limbo, a hole in the Bible Belt, awaits. “We used to have what I call a front porch community,” said Tony Bluford, president of the Crutchfield Neighborhood Association. “Then everybody was afraid to sit on their porch in the evening because of drug dealing and the gangs. But it’s slowly coming back around.” Bluford told me this, fittingly, as we were sitting on a front porch. He speaks with an Oklahoma accent, deep and twangy, and every so often during the interview he reached into his pack of Camels for a smoke. Bluford has lived in Crutchfield since 1983. JoAnna, who owns the house, sat on a tube television across from me while Yawnie perched on a lawn chair. Both women asked that their full names not be used. They moved into their houses in 2012 through Tulsa Habitat for Humanity’s homeownership program. Joanna works three jobs, while Yawnie balances a job with social work studies. All three are involved in their community. JoAnna fought for speed bumps so her children could safely cross the street to Crutchfield Park. Bluford started the Crutchfield Neighborhood Association in 1989, and the group worked together to lead 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
IN LIMBO In the neighborhood of S. E. Hinton’s famous novel, locals still feel like outsiders by CALEB FREEMAN
Crutchfield Neighborhood Association President Tony Bluford at his home | GREG BOLLINGER
several clean-up efforts. During one month, a group of residents filled ten 30-cubic yard dumpsters with trash and debris several times. When Bluford said he received the “Dumpster King” award from the City of Tulsa, I couldn’t tell if he was joking. Crutchfield is one of Tulsa’s oldest neighborhoods. Much of it was platted in the 1910s, and many of its houses were built in the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s. The Barton Showgrounds, located just north of the railroad on Trenton Avenue, once hosted circuses, carnivals, and events like medicine shows. During the early days of Tulsa, up through the 1920s, Brady Heights—named after W. Tate Brady, Tulsa founding father and exposed racist—was a fashionable neighborhood for the Tulsa elite: a place for business and oilmen with names like Diamond Joe and G. Y. Vandever. Crutchfield, on the other hand, was a bastion for blue-collar families, a community that thrived
due to its proximity to industrial powerhouses like Dow Chemical Company and Oklahoma Steel Castings Company. In the morning, employees would walk to work. On their lunch break, they would walk home. Then came the oil bust of the ‘80s. With a sudden influx of cheap foreign oil, local industrial companies shut down or moved from the “Oil Capital of the World” to greener, more exploitable pastures. Oklahoma Steel Castings Company was deemed a brownfield, and Lowell Elementary, the neighborhood school, was shut down. As years passed, houses were abandoned or fell into disrepair, and property values plummeted as the rates of prostitution, theft, and drug use rose. For years the city has speculated on measures to revitalize the Crutchfield community. Articles released in the early 2000s proclaim the neighborhood as “prime for renewal.” One article claims Crutchfield is “badly in need of a
face-lift,” as if the neighborhood were just a wrinkled face on Tulsa’s youthful body. Late last year, the Tulsa Development Authority announced it would formulate a new sector plan for Crutchfield. O.C. Walker, the executive director of the TDA, says the priority is to make the neighborhood appealing to young families while keeping it affordable. “This plan still welcomes existing residents or residents that are looking to relocate in the Crutchfield neighborhood but also the urbanite that hasn’t really looked at the neighborhood yet,” Walker says. With the Evans-Fintube industrial site, the new USA BMX home, minutes away, and with the opening of the Outsiders Museum in Crutchfield, the neighborhood has become a place of interest for city and private developers, especially because it’s close to downtown. Stuart McDaniel, founder of local ad agency GuRuStu and president of East Village District Association, has purchased several lots in the area. His plan is to keep housing affordable for lower-to-middle-income workers, so as to appeal to service industry and retail workers in the downtown area. McDaniel acknowledges that redeveloping the neighborhood is a precarious endeavor. “You have to do it in a safe, slow way,” he said. While residents of Crutchfield are hopeful for change, they are concerned about gentrification, with higher property taxes and insurance premiums driving residents from their homes. Many homeowners have lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years, Bluford said. “These people worked hard for what they have,” he continued. “And then the city wants to come in and kick them out? I’m totally against that.” With all these changes, Crutchfield residents once again find themselves in limbo, waiting for what’s next. a March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
After Hours Trivia Night!
March 23 • 7-9 p.m. • FREE
Show off your trivia skills and learn new facts about art, pop culture, history and Oklahoma. Enjoy the museum after hours and support your local art community.
TU is an EEO/AA Institution.
www.TraversMahanApparel.com South Lewis at 81st • The Plaza • 918-296-4100
GILCREASE.ORG
Thursday, April 26, 2018 6:30 p.m. - Reception 7:00 p.m. - Dinner
Mayor Rodger A. Randle
Superhero Fun for the Entire Family Benefitting the Child Abuse Network
SUNDAY APRIL 8, 2018 1- 4PM POSTOAK Lodge & Retreat - 15 Minutes from Downtown Tulsa PRESENTING SPONSORS
Honorary Chair
Saluting Tulsa Community Leader
Mayor M. Susan Savage
Mable Rice
Two Obstacle Course Challenges All Ages Welcome!
SUPERHERO CHALLENGE $20
Sponsorship Levels Presenting … $25,000
Gold … $10,000
Silver … $5,000
Bronze … $2,500 Individual … $150
Register Online: ChildAbuseNetwork.org For Questions: 918-624-0217
Presenting Media Sponsor:
Additional Sponsors:
Facebook.com/CANSuperheroChallenge
Jim & Cherry Bost
For additional information, contact:
Frances Jordan-Rakestraw @ 918 596-1025
THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11
statewide
O
n April 11, 1990, Oklahoma Education Association President Kyle Dahlem voiced her support for a statewide teacher walkout at a televised press conference. “Tragically, the emergency in education continues to exist today because of the no votes of twenty state senators last night,” she said. “What we will not tolerate as professionals is a failure to address the needs of children … We will not tolerate any further the shameful salaries that drive educators out of this profession. At this point in time we have used every other measure at our disposal.” She called on teachers across the state to walk out of their classrooms and join together in a massive protest at the Oklahoma State Capitol. This was 28 years ago next month, and other than the ‘90s hair and the names of the key players, little seems to have changed here since. The most recently proposed education overhaul, “Step Up Oklahoma,” failed to pass the legislature by 24 votes, and another bipartisan compromise has yet to emerge. Is a statewide teacher walkout the only path forward again for Oklahoma? State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister has a simple message for state legislators, similar to Dahlem’s: “If we get to April 2 and this has yet to be solved, I’m absolutely standing with teachers, and it’s not just teachers. We are standing up for the students, the 700,000 schoolkids in Oklahoma who deserve to have a well-trained, wellequipped teacher. Playing politics for political gains with children is unacceptable and it has to end.” Liz Wattoff, the assistant principal at Webster Public School in Tulsa, also understands the urgency. Her school has been marked by vacancies. “We have a lot of new teachers,” Wattoff said. “At least half of my teachers are in their first, second, or third year teaching. We have an art teacher who is the third art teacher we’ve hired this school year for that same position.
12 // NEWS & COMMENTARY
West Virginia teachers strike at their Capitol in Charleston on March 5, 2018. | ZACH D. ROBERTS
Are we there again? The last time education reform happened in Oklahoma, it took a walkout by DAMION SHADE We have a pastor filling in for a long-term sub position in language arts, and he’s the third person filling in there. This is scary because it’s a tested subject. We have a middle school math position that’s been open since Christmas break. We can’t get substitutes because we don’t pay them well enough. So, teachers have to come during their planning time and cover that class. Our teachers are so exhausted at this point.” This story seems ubiquitous now in Oklahoma, and Superintendent Hofmeister has seen it everywhere. “All across the state we are experiencing a teacher shortage,” Hofmeister said. “Teachers have been walking out of classrooms and into other states for the last
several years. Now those who want to stay in Oklahoma who are dedicated to the students in our classrooms feel they have no more options. They want to go to the Capitol themselves. Each district has determined their own plan for advocating at the Capitol. That’s very different than what you saw in other states with teacher walkouts or strikes. Oklahoma school districts and school boards are voting to support their teachers and are looking for the best way to advocate for higher teacher compensation without further harming kids.” The numbers are staggering. Oklahoma has 1,940 emergency-certified teachers already this year (up from 32 in 2011). There are 210 school districts in class
only four days a week. According the Oklahoma Policy Institute, there were 700 fewer teachers in the state in 2018 than there were in 2014, even though there were about 15,000 more students. But the numbers also obscure the daily struggle of Oklahoma teachers constantly having to decide between their students and their own families. Kevin and Allison Wilson from Broken Arrow are one such family. Allison is a public school teacher and Kevin has a degree in electrical engineering and works for a software firm. They have a pudgy, adorable seven-month-old son named Benjamin. The Wilsons love living in Oklahoma, but they intend to leave the state this July, as soon as Allison’s teaching contract ends. “This is my sixth year of teaching,” she said. “We don’t have even have a TV right now. We have Cricket phones because we can’t afford super-fancy phone plans. We were lucky to get a lot of gift certificates from friends and family for diapers. I was in a car wreck in 2012—it’s terrible to say, but luckily that car wreck ended up paying for my student loans and my car is paid off. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to afford the house we live in. My husband and I just want to be paid a living wage.” While the future of couples like the Wilsons will likely be decided in the next three weeks, Hofmeister believes the legislature isn’t taking educators (and those who support them) seriously. “They should have been working on this how many years ago? This is ten years in the making, easily. We’ve been 50th and 49th in teacher pay and funding for a very long time. This is not a new situation … Then we saw that West Virginia did it, and that was the inspiration we needed to say, ‘Ok, if West Virginia can do it, it’s Oklahoma’s turn.’ As much as we love our students and we love our jobs and we know this is a difficult time for parents and students, in the long run it’s something that we have to do.” a March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
NEWS & COMMENTARY // 13
foodfile
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NOW HIRING: Servers • Bartenders • Hosts 14 // FOOD & DRINK
Custom-bottled Zinke wine at the soon-to-open Bird & Bottle | COURTESY
TAKING FLIGHT Bird & Bottle will be a collab between kitchen, winemakers, and bar WHILE MOST OF RESTAURANT AND BAR industry growth is centered on downtown, one restaurant group has its sights set on Midtown for the next venture. 3 Sirens Restaurant Group is set to open its third restaurant, Bird & Bottle, at the end of this month. They currently operate The Bramble, which has one location in the Blue Dome District and another at the Jenks Riverwalk. The new restaurant and bar is tucked away in the Ranch Acres East Shopping Center at East 31st Street and South Harvard Avenue. It will focus on locally-sourced American cuisine and on providing a curated selection of wine, beer, and cocktails. Bird & Bottle’s house rosé, chardonnay, and pinot noir will be custom-bottled Zinke wines, complete with Bird & Bottle branding—a logical choice since Debra Zinke is one of the three co-owners. The cocktail menu is thorough, covering a gamut of spirits and drink styles from friendly and familiar to some that will pleasantly challenge palates. The house cocktails will emphasize a collaboration between the kitchen and bar staff. The kitchen will create fresh fruit purées and seasonal simple syrups, as well as special garnishes for a few cocktails, like the Golden Smoke. The Golden Smoke contains mezcal, tequila, elderflower liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse, and bitters. The smokiness of the mezcal is tamed by the sweetness of the elderflower liqueur and Chartreuse. This drink is garnished with a grilled lime wheel that’s made to order.
Only time will tell which cocktails become customer favorites, but bar manager Ashley Shoemake has her bets on the Golden Smoke and the Pear Collins. For those looking for something more refreshing, the Pear Collins is a mix of gin, house-made pear purée, lemon, rosemary simple syrup, and elderflower liqueur, topped with soda. The pear purée shines through in this spring-weather tipple. For those who crave bolder flavors, the Nightingale is an ideal choice. This cocktail plays with the flavors of chocolate, coffee, and orange by combining Fernet-Branca, espresso liqueur, Cointreau, cherry bitters, and half-and-half. The Nightingale shares similar flavors with the White Russian but adds an array of deeper flavors. Prior to the arrival of Bird & Bottle, the space was occupied by St. Michael’s Alley, a gastropub that Bird & Bottle co-owner Johnna Hayes used to frequent. St. Michael’s was known for its $4 martini, a tradition Hayes will continue. Bird & Bottle’s $4 martini allows customers a choice of gin or vodka, dirty or dry, and an olive or lemon twist garnish. To highlight the martini offering, part of the bar decor will be Hayes’s grandfather’s vintage cocktail shaker, which is large enough to hold an entire bottle of gin. Operating hours will tentatively be 3–9 p.m. on weekdays, with extended hours on the weekends for brunch and late-night drinks. Be the early bird that savors cocktail and disregards the worm—something you fortunately won’t find in the Golden Smoke’s mezcal. –ANDREW SALIGA March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
citybites
FRIED RAVIOLI IS BACK AT HIDEAWAY!
It's hip to be square!
PASTRAMI LOVE AFFAIR Jane’s Delicatessen is classy, simple, and satisfying ON A QUIET SUNDAY EVENING I TOOK TWO of the pickiest eaters in the history of food consumption (my husband and child) out to dinner. The third pickiest eater stayed home, as it seems 13-year-old sons prefer to have their meals catered directly to their computers. We found our way to one of Tulsa’s newest eateries, Jane’s Delicatessen, located in The Campbell Hotel, where Maxxwells used to be (2636 E. 11th St.). The space is large but has a homey feel, thanks to the soft gray booths that change color throughout the day and the warm, honey-colored wood of the tables and bar. A massive portrait of “Jane the Highland Cattle,” designed by Oklahoma City artist Joey Gordon, adorns the white tile wall behind the large bar, managing to create a high art aesthetic and be adorable at the same time. Seriously, you’re going to want to boop Jane’s nose. Open from 7 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, Jane’s has two small but diverse menus inspired by owner Dane Tannehill’s travels with his wife. “Whenever we’d go out of town, we’d always hit up the different delicatessens,” Tannehill said. “We wanted to bring something we’ve never seen here.” Both the breakfast and combined lunch and dinner menus feature homemade breads, bagels, and meats cured inhouse. A single sample bite of the smoky, tender, spice-encrusted pastrami forced me to reconsider my commitment to my husband. Every dish was delicious and thoughtful. The classic poutine was made with THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
Jane’s Delicatessen | GREG BOLLINGER
homemade fries and covered in a perfectly rich brown gravy and melted cheese curds. Each element complemented the other; this dish was decadent yet not overwhelming. For me, anyways. My not-pastrami husband ate nearly all of his off-menu vegetarian poutine by himself, a move he would soon regret. The kale salad was a treat, with kale torn into smaller-than-usual pieces, shaved almonds, dates, shallots, parmesan, and light lemon honey vinaigrette. My daughter reviewed it: “amazing and magnificent.” She also loved the housemade potato chips that came with my sandwich. The veggie burger and roast beef sandwich were generously proportioned, balanced, and delicious. The veggie burger was a standout for me. Made with beets and chickpeas served on frybread, it wasn’t the throwaway item veggie burgers often are, but instead an exciting combination of flavors and textures. My not-pastrami husband loved it, until he hit the poutine pain wall and slumped against the window, alarming our daughter. I received frantic texts from my famished teen, checking on the ETA of his schnitzel, so we headed home. The schnitzel was gone within three minutes. I managed to snag one bite—it was excellent, even after the trip across town. The crust was well seasoned and crunchy, the meat thin and tender. Open seven days a week, Jane’s Delicatessen is a wonderful addition to the Tulsa food scene. Be sure to tell the pastrami I said hi when you go. –AMANDA RUYLE
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16 // FEATURED
March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
WHERE TO HEAR LIVE MUSIC ALMOST EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
EAST VILLAGE BOHEMIAN PIZZERIA – MIKE CAMERON COLLECTIVE Bohemian Pizzeria, known for its wood-fired pies and eclectic décor, is also praised for its perfect East Village patio. They keep their outdoor seating warm with blankets and heaters when it’s chilly and cool with fans when it’s hot—and they’ve proven their dedication to supporting live local music. The Mike Cameron Collective, often a keys, drums, and sax trio at this venue, keeps the patio hoppin’ on Sunday evenings, just before Sunday Nite Thing. 6:30 p.m. | 818 E. 3rd St. | eastvillagebohemian.com
VFW CENTENNIAL LOUNGE – DAVE LES SMITH, PAPA FOXTROT, AND FRIENDS The mission of the Tulsa Veterans of Foreign Wars is to foster camaraderie among veterans and their communities, and what better way to do that than with the sound of music? Dave Les Smith, Papa Foxtrot, and friends are there every Monday to help spread the spirit of fellowship with some good tunes; all are welcome. 7 p.m. | 1109 E. 6th St. | myvfw.org/ok/post577
MERCURY LOUNGE – WINK, TOVAR, & FRIENDS The Merc (smoke-free since Jan. 2017) offers music several nights a week, and Jacob Tovar and Wink Burcham have been filling the space on Tuesday nights for over two years. Lately, special guests have been playing in their stead—either way, you’re sure to find a night of solid entertainment and talent. 9 p.m. | 1747 S. Boston Ave. | mercurylounge918.com
THE COLONY – PAUL BENJAMAN’S SUNDAY NITE THING The Colony is a cozy home to Tulsa music regulars, with a laid-back atmosphere, friendly stage, and warming fireplace. Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing at The Colony, which soon will turn seven years old, is an end-of-weekend tradition that brings together local musicians from various genres, as well as visiting guest artists from elsewhere. It’s a great way to come down from the weekend while fitting in one last hoorah. And some Coors. 10:30 p.m. | 2809 S. Harvard Ave. | thecolonytulsa.com
YETI – WRITER’S NIGHT Now in its third year, Writers’ Night, hosted by TTV’s own Damion Shade, is an open mic featuring song, spoken word, comedy, and more. 9 p.m. The Situation
YETI – THE SITUATION The Situation is a Monday night showcase of hip-hop talent featuring an open mic and a special guest headliner complemented by the impressive house band. Come down and check out Tulsa’s up-and-comers in collaboration with some of the city’s most seasoned performers. You’ll be sure to start your week off right. 10 p.m. | 417 N. Main St. | yetisaloon.com
ALSO: Soul City hosts the Sunday Dinner Show with Mark Bruner and Shelby Eicher 6:30 p.m. | 1621 E. 11th St. | tulsasoul.com
ALSO: Blackbird on Pearl hosts Monday Night Portal 9 p.m. | 1336 E. 6th St. | blackbirdonpearl.com; Hodges Bend hosts Mike Cameron Collective 9 p.m. | 823 E. 3rd St. | hodges-bend.com
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
JAZZ HALL OF FAME – EICHER WEDNESDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT Nathan and Shelby Eicher and special guest musicians provide a night of music usually focused on—but certainly not limited to—jazz. Be prepared for a variety of genres. 7 p.m.
SOUL CITY – THE BEGONIAS The Begonias bring their jazzy vibe to Soul City with music of legends like Alison Krauss, Sinatra, and others every week for Thirsty Thursday. Grab drinks at the bar and enjoy an air of sweet sophistication. 8 p.m.
MERCURY LOUNGE – JARED TYLER Singer-songwriter Jared Tyler’s soulful songs, in combination with the talents of Seth Lee Jones and Matt Teegarden, shake the walls of the Merc on Wednesdays. 9 p.m.
Tom Skinner Science Project
ALSO: Soul City hosts Don and Stephen White 8 P.M.; The Colony hosts the Tom Skinner Science Project—though Skinner died three years ago (RIP, Tom), his spirit lives on with this weekly show. 8 p.m.
THE COLONY – CHRIS LEE BECKER’S FOLKSY HOUR AND TOVAR’S WESTERN NIGHT/THE SOUP KITCHEN WITH DANE ARNOLD The Colony has one almost-weekly folk hour with Chris Lee Becker and two weekly alternating shows for Thursday-night music enthusiasts. One is a Western Night hosted by Jacob Tovar; the other is an evening of music hosted by young up-and-comers Dane Arnold and The Soup (vocals, bass, guitar, horns). Non-fans of the genres, here’s your chance to find out you actually like country and folk. Folksy Hour: 6:00 p.m.; Alternating shows: 10 p.m.
SOUL CITY – TUESDAY BLUESDAY WITH DUSTIN PITTSLEY Soul City Gastropub & Music House on Route 66 is split into three distinctive areas: the main bar, a dedicated listening room, and a sizable outdoor patio. There’s music varying in genre almost every night, including Dustin Pittsley, Dave White, and their bluesy crew on Tuesdays. 9 p.m. ALSO: Blackbird on Pearl hosts Pearl Jam (an open jam) 9 p.m.; Jazz Hall of Fame hosts Depot Jazz and Blues Jams 6 p.m. | 5 S. Boston Ave. | okjazz.org; and Gypsy Coffee House hosts their well-attended open mic 7 p.m. | 303 N Cincinnati Ave. | gypsycoffee.com.
FRIDAY
Susan Herndon
SOUL CITY – SUSAN HERNDON AND AMERICANA FRIDAY WITH SCOTT MUSICK AND FRIENDS “Thank God It’s Friday” is a sentiment best celebrated with good friends and good music. Susan Herndon plays just a few hours before Americana artist Scott Musick and friends, providing the perfect opportunity to toast to the weekend the right way. 5 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. YETI – CUCUMBER MIKE’S HAPPY HOUR Mike Gilliland of Cucumber and the Suntans is behind this special early-weekend happy hour. He’s the perfect host to help you wind down as the week ends—or to amp you up as you roll into Friday night. 7 p.m. a
FEATURED // 17
Austin songwriter and guitarist Jackie Venson brings dynamic performance back to Tulsa BY BECKY CARMAN
M
any Tulsans first became acquainted with 28-yearold Austin songwriter Jackie Venson’s skillful guitar work and energetic stage presence when she opened for Gary Clark Jr. last year at Cain’s Ballroom. A classically trained pianist who switched to playing exclusively electric guitar after college, Venson is a prolific, versatile songwriter and musician who’s clocked thousands of hours with her band. She released her latest EP, Transcends, a fivesong exploration of rising above negativity, in September of last year. Venson will be at Soul City on Thursday, March 29 (with local singer-songwriter Casii Stephan) to kick off a string of southern U.S. tour dates before her next European tour early this summer.
BECKY CARMAN: How did you get started playing music? JACKIE VENSON: I started off at eight years old. My mom forced me into piano lessons, as many moms do, and I ended up actually liking it and stuck with it. For about 13 years, I played classical piano only. My last year of college, I got bored of it, I guess. I didn’t want to switch to a different genre; I just didn’t want to play the piano at all anymore. I still wanted to play music. I wanted to play blues and rock out, so I picked up the electric guitar. CARMAN: How old were you then? VENSON: 21. CARMAN: So you must’ve totally immersed yourself in guitar to get where you are this quickly. VENSON: Yeah, I’m 28 now, and I’m still totally immersed in it.
Jackie Venson | DANIEL CAVAZOS 18 // FEATURED
CARMAN: Was there anything in particular you can remember that triggered your switch from piano to guitar? March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
VENSON: I don’t know. I guess I went to a concert in the cafeteria at my school, where they move the tables out and a band plays. A guy was playing electric guitar, and he was having a blast. CARMAN: You went to Berklee [College of Music]. I’ve interviewed a lot of people from there, none of whom sound remotely like each other. How did that aspect of your musical education affect your path as an artist? VENSON: When I first picked up the guitar, I lived in the dorms, next door to a million guitar players. I got a lot of help from them. One of them even loaned me a guitar. They asked what kind I wanted to play, I said electric blues guitar, and they told me what books to buy and what music to listen to. It was just really helpful to have that wealth of knowledge around me. CARMAN: How do you think being from Austin has affected your career? VENSON: It definitely helps having people do music as a career around you. My dad was not the only person I witnessed have a music career. It helps to know that it actually is possible, so in that way, Austin was a huge influence on me. Austin is a super guitar town. I probably had the seed planted in my brain before I even realized. CARMAN: Do you find it super competitive? VENSON: Mmm, no, it’s not like Berklee— that was cold, every-man-for-himself. In Austin, there’s enough gigs for everybody. You just have to know where to look. CARMAN: You’re obviously blues-influenced in your guitar, but I don’t get the sense you’re writing blues songs, and your records vary a lot in genre. Do you have any songwriting ground rules? VENSON: One of my biggest rules is to not write a song that sounds like a song I’ve already written. If there’s a melody that sounds like another melody I’ve used, I have to change it. Sometimes, things slide by, though—but only I can hear them. If they slide by, that means they’re subtle. That’s only happened one or two times. Another thing is that however I was feeling when I wrote the song needs to be written into the song. If I was feeling sad, every time I sing that song, it needs to automatically have that tone. I have to be able to translate the emotion behind the song. That’s why I switch around genres so much. Sometimes blues does not translate something as well as rock or pop or reggae would. CARMAN: Some musicians who are people of color or who are women tend to shy away from those social identifiers. In a way you seem to have embraced them, and you have a lot of them: young, female, black, guitarist. There’s a lot of conditions. Do THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
you think that’s been problematic at all, or advantageous? VENSON: I honestly don’t know. There’s no way for me to know. I don’t know why I’ve gained the things I’ve gained. Sometimes someone will say they really like my music, and is that the whole truth? Is it that they like my music and also haven’t talked about a black woman this month? Or do they honestly just really like it? It definitely does affect things, but there’s no way to track it. CARMAN: Were the shows on that Gary Clark Jr. tour the biggest you’ve played to date? VENSON: Actually, no, but they were definitely the most exciting. The biggest audience I’ve ever played in front of was 20,000 people at this cool event I did in Austin, so it’ll be a while before I get back to that. So they weren’t the biggest, but they were the most career-advancing. CARMAN: What was it like stepping onto those stages as a relative unknown? Was there pressure in each new city? VENSON: There was no pressure at all. Me and the band have played like 6,000 gigs together at this point. Every gig is just another gig—not meaning I don’t enjoy them or they weren’t exciting. But me being nervous, that would mean I was unprepared. Nervousness comes from a fear of looking bad, and I knew it wasn’t going to sound bad. Me and the band had just gotten back from a European tour where we played a gig every day, then the one in front of 20,000 people, then the ones with Gary. We were super prepared, and I knew it was going to be fine. I was excited. CARMAN: Is there anything you’ve taken away from playing those larger shows that translates into your club dates? VENSON: Just be relaxed. It’s important to be relaxed and to be happy that you’re there, and that’s what playing a million gigs will get you. When you have 4,000 hours of playing together, nothing will scare you after that. CARMAN: What’s next, after these club dates and your next European tour? VENSON: I have a new single and video coming out every month this year. I’ll probably compile them into an album and release it on vinyl since I’ve never done that before. Why not? a
JACKIE VENSON WITH CASII STEPHAN Thursday, March 29, 8 p.m. Soul City 1621 E. 11th St. Tickets $15 at eventbrite.com
BY BRADY WHISENHUNT
Intocable at El Coyote Manco | COURTESY
Dancing away the peak hours of St. Paddy’s Day at El Coyote Manco WHEN I ARRIVED AT EL COYOTE MANCO AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 P.M., I’d already spent the full span of St. Patrick’s Day in cowboy boots, a red plaid shirt with three open buttons, and skinny black jeans. That day, like everyone else downtown, I’d already drunk and laughed and lived what seemed like a thousand sordid lifetimes. But all the green and pinching and Pogues songs merely amounted to a pregame. My outfit was, to the letter, what my previous night’s Uber driver advised me to wear to a norteño concert. In fact, his three-minute explanation of norteño culture comprised the sum of my knowledge on the subject. I was and am—to be clear— no expert on the subject. I was accompanied by my associate, who was ideal for the mission in several regards—not the least of which being her fluency in Spanish or the way she embraces trying new things. She was wearing a bright ensemble and heels and, if you squinted your eyes impossibly hard at the two of us, it’s possible you’d have concluded that we looked like we fit right in. El Coyote Manco is a giant, impressive night club buried deep within an otherwise unassuming shopping center at East 21st Street and South Garnett Road. We came to see the norteño acts Grupo Vision and Intocable and the cumbia band Fito Olivares y La Pura Sabrosura. The flyer for the show mentioned that the first 300 tickets would be $30. My friend and I paid $50 each, which means there were already over 300 people in attendance. The full-sensory vividness of the atmosphere in El Coyote Manco was fascinating and compelling, albeit slightly disorienting to a newbie like me. In this setting, with the wall-to-wall electronic display screen behind the stage, with the crowd dressed to the nines and couple-dancing in slow, endless circles around the dancefloor, I, beneath the wicked lighting rig of multicolor clusters of light beams and related forms of disco magic, began to feel like a dazed fish out of water. The norteño music was fun, but what really caught my attention was the bright, pulsating cumbia music of Fito Olivares. The hypnotic cumbia riffs, at times playful and upbeat, at times mysterious and introspective, require some body movement. I began to get the sense that the short bars of music, turned over and over and altered in subtle, groovy ways, were like the steady untwisting of a musical Rubik’s Cube. My associate and I dipped out around 12:30 a.m. to make a last push of traditional St. Paddy’s-style revelry downtown. But the impression of the truly baller throwdown in East Tulsa has been the main thing on my mind since that evening. Once I buy myself a belt buckle, I will return. a FEATURED // 19
Miko the Artist GREG BOLLINGER
BY LINDSEY NEAL KUYKENDALL
Miko the Artist writes to inspire
Dane Arnold and The Soup are set to release a new album BY DAMION SHADE
Miko the Artist writes to inspire
Dane Arnold and The Soup (Not pictured: D.G. Rozell and Dominick Stephens) | GREG BOLLINGER
DANE ARNOLD’S A BIT PARADOXICAL AT first sight: This shy unassuming blond guy in a trucker cap wearing red-rimmed glasses, groaning like Otis Redding and strumming his acoustic guitar, feels like an aberration. But Arnold has become a distinctly soulful voice of late in the Tulsa 20 // FEATURED
music scene. His band, Dane Arnold and The Soup, recently recorded their first EP live at Auggy Reed Studios, which will be released April 13 at The Shop. Arnold was born in Baton Rouge, but his family moved to Austin, Texas, when he was 12.
BEFORE DONNING THE MONIKER MIKO THE Artist, she was Miko the Poet. “I felt like I am more than just a poet. I write, I act. I don’t want to be limited to one thing,” she said. And limited she is not; with two albums, a book, and acting and modeling under her belt, her identity as a spoken word musical artist has developed complexity—and a following. Miko grew up in an exceptionally musical and creative family. Her mother and father met through their music careers. She bills her mother, a singer who sang with The Gap Band and even performed as the opening act for Chaka Khan, as a top influence. Her father played as one of The Gap Band’s backing musicians. Although music brought them together, he was absent for much of Miko’s life. “My mom is out of the [music] scene now,” she explained. “She stopped to raise kids and went down a really holistic path.” Miko showed me a picture of her mother that had an uncanny resemblance to Whitney Houston. But it was particularly Miko’s mother who she credited as perhaps her greatest influence—just next to her children. Miko’s humble demeanor wouldn’t indicate the tenacity behind her high-quality products. “I talk how I write. I grew up on the streets,” she said. Her lyrics describe a youth stolen by the harsh re-
alities of becoming a mother at 16. “I got married young. I have six children, aged 17 to 25.” So, she took her life experiences and turned them into motivational works of art. “I tell these stories of the tragedies I have been through. I was in an abusive relationship. I perform about this, and people come up to me and tell me I saved their life just because I told my story about how I got out of that relationship.” With a pedigree in soul, she has a deep love for the healing qualities of writing. “It’s like therapy. I don’t do it for likes. I don’t care about the lights, the glitz, the glamour. I am fulfilled by helping people. People tell me they are inspired by me being so transparent.” Some of Miko’s deepest influences from within her family still affect her today. “When my Grandmother would pray, it was so poetic. She prayed rhythmically, with these high and low tones. I couldn’t understand almost anything she was saying, but it was so inspiring,” she said, mimicking the musical qualities from memory. For more information, find Miko the Artist at www.mikotheartist.com, and find her album, Live. Love. Pray on Spotify. a
“When I moved to Austin, I really started playing music,” Arnold said. “I was probably about 13 when I picked up guitar. My mom would play piano in church, and she was in the church choir. She also had an old guitar. I picked it up and started writing songs around then. At that time I learned just about every Bob Dylan song from his first two albums. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin—more so the singer-songwriter stuff—Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album.” This infatuation with an older sound is ever-present on The Soup’s new album. There are bits of Motown, old country, and soul there—from Michael Frost’s taut and lively drum rolls to Zach Hardin’s tuneful bass melodies in the foreground. Guitarist Johnny Mullenax adds a fiery texture of Southern rock and bluegrass, and D.G. Rozell (trumpet) and Dominick Stephens (trombone) add dimensionality with sophisticated horn melodies. It was a stroke of fate or good fortune that led Arnold to Tulsa and to this group of musicians. He traveled from Austin to Colorado to Nashville, finally ending up on a piece of land in Arkansas with no running water or electricity, in search of the inspiration that would take him to the next level creatively.
“At the time I didn’t have anything going on, and I wanted to remove myself from everything,” he said. “I really feel like distractions in city life and a very social life can hold creative processes back. I kept thinking, I don’t want to go out and drink and just hang out with my friends. I wanted to record and play out there in the middle of nowhere until I improved. I think being away from the city for so long opened me up to the possibility of living in Tulsa. “My parents moved here a few years ago. So I came up here to visit for Thanksgiving [in 2016], and that’s what introduced me to Tulsa … I went to a couple open mics. Went to Yeti, went to The Colony and the Gypsy. I met Cody Clinton and Zach Short and several singer-songwriters here who were immediately really nice and helpful. … This is gonna sound really weird, but there were so many things that happened that made me feel like I was in the right place. It was what I’d needed for a long time.” a
MIKO THE ARTIST WITH POET AMELIA BROOKS AND COMEDIANS CECE & HYNECE Wed. March 28, 9 p.m. The Vanguard, 222 N. Main St. | $5
DANE ARNOLD AND THE SOUP ALBUM RELEASE SHOW WITH SPECIAL GUEST MR. BURNS Fri. April 13, 10 p.m. | The Shop 14 N. College Ave. | $10 facebook.com/daneandthesoup March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
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K.FLAY | JUSTIN HIGUCHI
K.FLAY BEGAN MAKING MUSIC WHILE at Stanford University. Her deep curiosity and love of learning compelled her to record and release her own music, and her strong will propelled her to make music the way she wanted. A true artist, K. Flay was not created by a major label. K. Flay created K. Flay. Nominated for two Grammy Awards, she was the only female to be acknowledged in the rock category. Born Kristine Meredith Flaherty, K. Flay is a badass, combat-boot-wearing rocker. But she’s also an avid reader and uploads book reviews to her YouTube channel on works including Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar.” K.Flay brings her Every Where Is Some Where tour to Tulsa on March 27 at Cain’s Ballroom. TY CLARK: How’s the tour going? K. FLAY: Tour is going great! We’re actually in Dunkirk, France, right now. We have a day off and a show here tomorrow. We’re just out exploring. We went to the beach where Operation Dynamo happened. It’s eerie and the city kind of has this melancholy feel to it, so it’s very vibey and spooky. CLARK: Do you remember the last time you were in Tulsa? K.FLAY: Yeah, yeah, yeah! For sure. I was actually really sick. [Laughs] I could barely sing, but it was a super fun show. It was at The Vanguard. I was kind of locked away ‘cause I was so sick. I remember we had ramen for lunch, and we walked around a little bit. Oh, I got really nice tea! There was this really nice café. It wasn’t too far from there. CLARK: Chimera? K.FLAY: Yes, exactly! That’s exactly what it was. Yeah, I went there and got some really, really nice herbal tea. CLARK: Was there any defining moment that started your career?
K.Flay is a strong-willed, book-nerd rocker BY TY CLARK
K.FLAY: Well, for me it was perhaps a slow-motion domino fall. I just kind of said yes to a lot of things—pretty much everything—and sort of took every opportunity I had. I think it was that “yes man” attitude. I signed with RCA early on. Really, when I was just beginning and was learning how to make music in a semi-professional way. Leaving RCA and starting an independent label and releasing my first record through that—that was the catalyzing point for me, feeling like I understood what I wanted to do with music: how I wanted to tour, how I wanted to perform, and how I wanted to create music. So, that was kind of the second turning point. CLARK: Did anybody ever try to make you into something you aren’t?
22 // FEATURED
March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
K.FLAY: Ya know, I actually never had that experience. I know it’s sort of the record industry cliché: You get in and they dress you and make you change a bunch of stuff. For whatever reason—perhaps it’s because I’m pretty strong-willed in that department and had a pretty strong sense of self—I knew what I wanted to be like and act like and look like. So, yeah, I never struggled with any of that. I’ve kind of just been marching to whatever drumbeat I’ve been marching to fairly peacefully. CLARK: Do you consider “Blood In The Cut” rock music? K.FLAY: Well, when I was making it I don’t think I was in a genre headspace. I think it’s common sense when you’re writing and recording—you’re just trying to make something that feels exciting to you. With “Blood In The Cut,” that whole song started with a riff. I think I’ve really been making a conscious effort to say, like, if the impetus of a song is a guitar riff or if it’s a vocal melody or an idea I can’t even fully figure out, let that be the driving force for how the song evolves. So, because it started with a riff and because I was feeling kind of angry at the time, I think that it evolved into something that now does feel like a rock song. But it wasn’t written with that intent. I’m never coming from a place where I’m like, “I’m a rock artist or I’m a hip-hop artist.” It’s always been a mixed bag. I sort of refrain from getting too deep in my own head when it comes to genres.
CLARK: Do politics have a place in your music or music in general? K.FLAY: I think [with] any sort of creative medium or artistic endeavor, there’s always a place for politics there. I don’t think it’s imperative for every artist or every writer to engage in that sort of discourse, but politics have always been part of visual art, filmmaking, music. We’re all embedded in some kind of political system. It governs us, quite literally. For me, I’m always going to question: How am I being governed? What are the rules? Do I like these rules? So, for me it’s something that does have a place on a couple songs on the new record that more specifically address the current political climate.
A lot of people at their place of work really suffer consequences for speaking about these contentious issues. They can quite literally lose their jobs if they work in a corporate environment. For musicians and artists, we’re on the fringe. We have these weird jobs that give us the freedom and ability to speak about these sorts of things. I do think it’s both important and exciting to utilize that. CLARK: You’ve said that one of your favorite books is “The Handmaid’s Tale” and that it talks about the difference between “a freedom to and a freedom from.” What kind of freedom are you looking for? K.FLAY: I think now is a perfect time to say
that, when it comes to gun control, I think “freedom to and freedom from” is certainly an accurate lens with which to view it. For me I’m looking for a freedom from gun violence. From senseless attacks from assault rifles. I’m looking for a freedom from when I have children worrying every day that at school they may get killed. For me, that vastly outweighs the freedom to carry concealed weapons and to buy assault weapons. It’s something I feel very strongly about. a K.FLAY WITH YUNGBLUD Tues. March 27, 8:30 p.m. Cain’s Ballroom | 423 N. Main St. $20–$89 | cainsballroom.com
CLARK: Was college a fallback plan or something you really wanted to do? K.FLAY: Oh, yeah, 100 percent, college was my main plan. I didn’t start making music until I got to college. Music came afterwards. As a young person, I loved school. I liked being in an environment where the premise is curiosity, humility, learning. Those are things I love and value. I think higher education is an exercise in those three things. I absolutely loved my time in college and am very grateful for it. CLARK: Did higher education aid in your music? K.FLAY: I don’t know if there is a direct correlation between my education and the music I make. I will say that I feel my curiosity for the world and this experience of humility that happens when you’re confronted with ideas that are different—you can sort of react in two ways: You can become defensive and shout and argue, or you can say, hey, maybe I don’t know everything about the world. Maybe there are things I don’t understand. Maybe there are experiences and concepts that are going to be new and compelling and important for me. I think that attitude has served me well in college and as a songwriter but also from the technical side, [in] learning how to make and record and engineer music. I really had a deep curiosity and a deep love of learning it all. THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
FEATURED // 23
Drone art and multimedia pioneer Phill Niblock kicks off Tulsa Noise series BY BRADY WHISENHUNT
T
here are countless ways to appreciate the reflection of the sky in a pool of water. There are the surface ripples that bounce back and forth from shore to shore and gently but chaotically modulate the image of the clouds hovering in space. There are increasingly more subtle effects—sunlight speckles, insects lighting on the surface of the water, birds flying overhead—that give dimension and fluctuation to the image of the clouds in time and space. The sound art of NYC-based Phill Niblock deals with these sorts of higherorder effects in sound and moving images. “What I am doing with my music is to produce something without rhythm or melody, by using many microtones that cause movements very, very slowly,” Niblock said. Later this month, Niblock will perform for Tulsa Noise, a year-long series devoted entirely to noise art and related expression. Curated by Tulsa Artist Fellow Nathan Young and Philbrook Kress Fellow Lucas Wrench, the performances in this series will explore the edges of sonic expression, from the nuanced psychoacoustic aesthetics of Niblock, to the harsh noise onslaught of Witches of Malibu, to the confrontational cult queer industrial performances of Lincoln, Nebraska’s Plaque Blague. Niblock is a seminal sound artist in a class of composers broadly categorized as Minimalists, a label that encompasses music as widely varied as Phillip Glass’s delicately written piano arpeggios, Karlheinz Stockhausen’s unearthly electroacoustic symphonies, William Basinski’s haunting Disintegration Loops tape experiments, and Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music album, which contains 64 minutes of layered, atonal guitar feedback.
24 // FEATURED
Phil Niblock | KATHERINE LIBEROVSKAYA
As acoustic waves travel and resonate in the air within a room, they form modes, or locuses of acoustic energy. Niblock’s work is an exploration of real sound as it moves within a space. The modes give rise to such phenomena as standing waves, which blur the line between the sensations of hearing and touch. Anyone who has ever heard a playerless snare drum rasp with the swelling of volume in a loud room has witnessed, and felt, this effect. Niblock exploits this tangible quality of sound using drones (which are constant, humming sounds), digital processing, multi-track textural layering, and other sonic methods. Listening to his work is in ways an exercise in unlearning the conventional way one listens to music. In a conventional song, one focuses on the melody and the beat. Other sonic dimensions are often an afterthought. In “P K” from Niblock’s Four Full Flutes album, the musical activity is in the spaces between tones. The soft, subtle interplay between the interferences of almost identical tones create “beats,” and the development of these beats tells a son-
ic story. Like the dragonflies piercing the image of the surface of a still pool that reflects the sky, the slow movement of these tones beat together to take center stage in the mind of the listener. Niblock is one of the pioneers of drone music. Drones play a large but often overlooked role in the development of rock and roll music as an art form. A popular example is the mysterious, continuous horizon note in the background of The Velvet Underground’s “Venus in Furs” from the band’s The Velvet Underground & Nico album. This element, the elusive yet most important element of the track, establishes dimension, mood, and a sense of distance. Early pioneers of drones, such as La Monte Young, Rhys Chatham, and Terry Riley, inspired a generation of rock and roll experimentation among punk, no wave, avant-garde, and metal artists. The immediately recognizable sonic fingerprints of Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and Earth are each inextricably linked to drones. Niblock is also a filmmaker. An installation of his groundbreaking film series
“The Movement of People Working” will be on display in Tulsa for the first time on Friday, March 30 at Philbrook Downtown, alongside his live music performance to form a multi-media experience. The series, filmed in 1970s Kodachrome, reveals everyday people from various parts of the world engaged in assorted manners of work along with the meditative, entrancing sound compositions. The purposeful, almost unconscious motions of the film subjects express something both beautiful and fascinating. Later this spring, the Tulsa Noise series will feature a two-day harsh noise festival at the Cameron Studios, located at 303 N. Main St. in the heart of the Tulsa Arts District, on May 4 and 5. Other “Tulsa Noise” events and happenings will be announced throughout the year following Niblock’s inaugural performance. a PHILL NIBLOCK AT TULSA NOISE Fri. March 30, 7 p.m. | Philbrook Downtown 116 E. M. B. Brady St. March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
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here is no mincing words with Bill Burr. He has made a living entertaining people with his unapologetic takes on cities with two sports teams, overpopulation, inspirational speakers, nuclear proliferation, equal rights, and everything in between. His Monday Morning Podcast has been an avenue for fans to hear his rants on a weekly basis since 2007. Burr is all over Netflix these days with his multiple comedy specials, including his recent “Walk Your Way Out” and his hit animated series “F Is for Family.” All of these projects keep Burr busy and allow him to do what he does best: get things off his chest. Burr is also a new father. When I spoke with him, he was in the middle of feeding his daughter lunch. He bounced between answering questions and tenderly calming his hungry child. We talked about his comedy career, his animated series (now entering its third season), fatherhood, and his show at Brady Theater on March 30. Find tickets and more info at bradytheater.com. ANDREW DEACON: How is fatherhood going? Any advice for new parents? BILL BURR: It’s going good. My advice is don’t listen to the negative parents that are preaching gloom and doom. The people that tell you you can say goodbye to sleeping in, or warning you about when the child hits a certain age and this horrible thing will happen—those people sound like terrible parents. I would like to sleep more and have more conversations with my wife, but the payoff is just so crazy. I’ve enjoyed all of it. That would be my advice. Listen to someone who is happy to be a parent. Don’t listen to somebody that sounds like a cop that should have retired ten years ago. It’s an awesome experience. DEACON: Has being a father changed your outlook on life? BURR: Yeah. I never really watched these shows about something that
26 // ARTS & CULTURE
TIME FOR IRREVERENCE Bill Burr on not being an asshole, ‘F Is for Family,’ and why he loves the Brady Theater by ANDREW DEACON
Bill Burr | KOURY ANGELO
happens to a kid or to someone’s family, something tragic. When you watch a movie or a TV show, you can’t help but insert yourself into it. I can’t watch anything that happens to a kid, or [when] one parent dies and the family has to figure out what to do. I can’t watch those anymore. I never really did before, but now I definitely can’t handle it. I remember for years people would say, “You just don’t get it until you have a kid.” I always hated that. As much I hate to admit it, they were right. Despite that, I wouldn’t ever tell that to someone that doesn’t have a kid. It’s kind of an asshole thing to say to somebody. DEACON: Your Netflix animated series “F Is for Family” is a big hit and was picked up for a third season. Was it always a goal of yours to make an animated series? BURR: No. What happened was whenever I pitched an idea I would hear, “This is too misogynistic,” or,
“What will this do to kids?” Every idea I pitched, they didn’t want to do it. So I said, “To hell with it. I’m not wasting my time.” When you get yourself involved in a deal with a network, it takes you off the table for the next year. You can’t work on anybody’s show because they want it to be an exclusive thing. They put you on a shelf and tell you they want “an edgy show” and “to push the envelope.” … Then you get into business with them and they take your knees out from underneath you. It’s like finding the person you’re supposed to be with in life. You say, “I’m just going to be single. I don’t care anymore.” And then all of a sudden that person walks into your life. That’s what happened. One day I was walking down the street, and I wondered, what if I animated these family stories I had been telling on stage for years that were killing? Then, all of a sudden, once everything started getting labeled—physical abuse, bullying, gender neutral— people started feeling bad for me.
I felt like I was on “Oprah” rather than on a stand-up stage. It wasn’t until I met Vince Vaughn and everyone over at “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show” that the show started coming together, and it changed my life. They introduced me to the great Mike Price from “The Simpsons,” and then here we are in season three. And, by the way, now on “F Is for Family” [we] have two Oscar winners doing voices, Allison Janney … and Sam Rockwell. I gave up on getting a live-action television show on the air and just decided to do a silly cartoon, and the next thing I know I’m working with people that won Oscars. How crazy is that? DEACON: You have a great core cast with Laura Dern, Justin Long, and, as you mentioned, Janney and Rockwell. How were they chosen? BURR: Some of it was casting. Some of it was ideas people had. Rockwell and Long were friends of Vaughn from working together. Someone brought up Dern and I thought, “She would do this?! If we can get her, absolutely.” Then we have these absolute killers like Mo Collins. She does so many voices on the show. Trevor Devall is also on there. Josh Adam Meyers, who plays DJ Howling Hank. There’s just a tremendous amount of talent on this show. DEACON: I see some of my dad in the character you play, Frank Murphy. He skirts the line between cold and compassionate. Who is he based on? BURR: Yeah, it’s all of that. It’s my dad. It’s me. It’s other people’s dads in the writer’s room. Then it’s about a guy you’re not allowed to be anymore, for better or worse. A lot of people trash millennials, and, you know, I was making fun of how everything is being labeled now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think people’s hearts are in the right place, but I don’t think everything was bad pre-2000s. The show takes place 45 years ago, but he’s dealing with a lot of the things people are dealing with now. March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
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DEACON: So, the last time you performed in Tulsa was in 2013. BURR: Has it been that long? I have to be honest, that was one of my favorite theaters to play. I love the city. The guy that ran the Brady Theater had a late ‘60s or early ‘70s Cadillac that he let me take for a spin. I felt like I was in “A Bronx Tale.” It was awesome. The food there was great, too, so I’m really looking forward to it.
It’s back!
DEACON: Has your performance changed much since then?
Serve the Lord with GLADNESS: For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to ALL GENERATIONS.
BURR: I think it’s the same level of ignorance I brought in 2013. I haven’t changed. It feels like a good time to be irreverent. DEACON: When you started doing comedy, what direction were you trying to take?
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BURR: I was always trying to be myself, and I was always trying to be good at it. That’s what I was working towards. Finding your voice as a comedian can be mistaken as finding a hook. A hook is not your voice. Your voice is you going onstage and saying what you’re thinking. I feel like people that come up with those terms are people who don’t do what they’re talking about. There’s a lot of that in sports, when people who haven’t ever played at a collegiate level will criticize professional athletes. I’ve been guilty of that a thousand times a year.
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DEACON: I know a few people that criticize athletes when they don’t perform to the best of their ability. BURR: I love when fans question the ability of an athlete to handle pressure. You’ll hear someone say, “Well, he just didn’t get it done in the Super Bowl!” Did you even get it done at the supermarket today? You probably forgot the avocados your wife wanted. How many people tried to tackle you when you tried to get the Sweet’n Low? They always excuse it by saying, “If you want to play on the big stage, then you have to take the criticism that comes with it.” Absolutely. As long as you realize you have no business criticizing me, then I will take that criticism. a THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
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ARTS & CULTURE // 27
onair
I
magine a series of concentric circles. On the inside ring, there’s someone singing a song. Then someone leaning in, listening to that song on a record. Then a few folks gathered around a mic, talking about the record, maybe how they changed when they first heard it. Then, on the outside ring, even more people sitting around their radios, listening through the frequencies of the airwaves to the frequency of the heart. Imagine all these people connected to the same sounds for the same hour, through the same city’s million strands of stories. That’s the premise of “Tune in Tulsa,” a project started last year by KOSU radio (107.5 FM). Headed by Kelly Burley and based in Oklahoma City, the station, which airs NPR programming and independent Oklahoma music outlets like The Spy FM, expanded its footprint into this part of the state by creating its first flagship in-house program centered on folks with roots in or connections to Tulsa. The hour-long show airs once a week, Sundays at 5 p.m. CST. Unlike a podcast, a radio show is ephemeral: If you miss it, you miss it. (The show can be streamed from anywhere, though, via KOSU’s website: kosu.org/ programs/tune-tulsa.) Hosted by writer and Tulsa Roots Music co-director Julie Watson, engineered by Guthrie Green/A Gathering Place lead audiovisual technician Scott Bell, and produced by John Cooper of Red Dirt Rangers fame, it’s an unusual hybrid: part interview, part conversation, and part idiosyncratic mixtape. Its first season’s guests included John Fullbright, Tim Blake Nelson, and Sterlin Harjo, who were invited to create an eight-song playlist to anchor wide-ranging discussions about their personal lives, careers, and Tulsa memories. The second season starts April 1 and features 13 episodes that will be rebroadcast over the summer. “As we were going through the planning process for ‘Tune in Tul28 // ARTS & CULTURE
Julie Watson and Scott Bell of “Tune in Tulsa” | GREG BOLLINGER
TURN ON, TUNE IN KOSU hybrid radio show celebrates Tulsa-connected creative treasures by ALICIA CHESSER sa,’ we really wanted to amplify the city’s sense of place and felt the best way to do that was through the voices of the creative talents that either live in Tulsa, have roots in the city, or are connected to it through their careers,” said Burley, who grew up here. “If you think of all the people you’d like to talk to with a Tulsa connection, you might think you’d run out at maybe 50,” Bell said. “But you’d be absolutely wrong. We could veer into music nerdery with just having drummers and lifers on the show. But we try to make sure those connections push into actors, directors, sports people, business folks—the idea being that music is a common language among people.”
“We want to hear the stories that connect to the songs,” Watson said. Listeners might be surprised by what they hear from people whose names they know so well. (Turns out Tim Blake Nelson is massively influenced by Tom Waits—something that makes sense the instant he says it.) “You can get totally different stories from people when you’re not necessarily talking about business with the business person or politics with the politician,” Bell said. “Instead you’re talking about music, and that really puts them in a different space. You get this vector that is sort of indirect that most interviews are not going to contain. Somehow there’s a
humanities-oriented side to these interviews.” The mix of Watson’s well-informed enthusiasm and the warm sonic tone that Bell creates makes for an hour of tuning in that feels like sitting in a living room with someone, listening to records together. Its intimacy makes space for tender emotions and unexpected revelations around the very personal, sometimes eccentric mix of music. “We play the songs they’ve chosen in real time, with them in there,” Bell said. “If you weren’t doing that, they’d get more abstract and it would be dry. It’s never cold in that room.” Watson noted that “Tune in Tulsa” functions not just as a kind of in-the-moment archive (a notable addition to a town where archives are becoming significant cultural real estate), but also as an ambassador for Tulsa stories to the wider world. “I want this to be a way for Tulsans to appreciate what’s here,” she said. “And when we have a guest who has a national reach, I want people outside the city to hear how much that person loves Tulsa or how connected they are to it, so they can understand what we have here too.” The new season features guests like Eric Marshall of Marshall Brewery, drummers George Sluppick and Jamie Oldaker, artist Minisa Crumbo, and Jim Halsey, who made the careers of such performers as Wanda Jackson and James Brown. “I think it will blow people’s minds, what treasure we have in our city,” Watson said. “You have a sense of just how much there is here that needs to be recorded. Maybe everybody feels this way about their city, but all roads really do lead back to Tulsa, one way or another.” The songs, the stories, the stream of micro- and macro-histories that have passed through this city throughout the years—none of it gets heard without listening together. Tuning in means hearing who we are. a March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
poem
BY COLIN POPE At a certain point, nothing is you. You’re not the student when the shooter bursts in nor the mother with a bomb sewn
“SPARKLING, FRESH AND LIVELY.” - Los Angeles Times
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into her womb, nor the businessman bouncing in the malfunctioned plane. If you were, you’d know it by now. Your soul would be pounding the metal walls as the ship goes down, your screams would be caught in a wayward air pocket in the engine room. But only you are you, sitting down to stare at the nightly news or check the scores on your phone. You know how to stash yourself away, to fold up humanity and slide it under the couch, into the overhead bin. We pray, of course, for less pain. But, oh, how we protect ourselves, how my excess must trump your need. We pray to pray enough to secure our end, to reach up and find the hooks and harness dangling. We pray the angels cry instead, whose mouths never feed. Those angels never make a peep, so we pray to put them to use by heaping our weight atop their radiant heads. Or maybe, just once, they might explain what it’s like to observe from on high and cure us this incessant yearning to find out. a
Colin Pope lives in Stillwater. His poetry has appeared in Slate, Willow Springs, Rattle, Poet Lore, Los Angeles Review, Linebreak, and Best New Poets, among other publications. He is the recipient of an Academy of American Poets prize and is a student at Oklahoma State University, where he serves on the editorial staff at Cimarron Review. He is at work on his first poetry collection. Our poetry page is curated by Nimrod International Journal, The University of Tulsa’s literary magazine. For more information about Nimrod, visit utulsa.edu/nimrod. THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
TULSA SYMPHONY
2017-2018 S E A S O N T W E LV E
Classics Series
CLASSICS V: MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 4
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2018 | 7:30 PM
TUL SA P ERFORM ING ART S CEN TER On this final Classics Series concert of the 20172018 season, Daniel Hege will lead the Tulsa Symphony in John Adams’ Chairman Dances and Edward Elgar’s In the South (Alassio). The lovely Sarah Coburn is the featured soprano soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.
ADAMS: Chairman Dances ELGAR: In the South (Alassio), op.50 MAHLER: Symphony No. 4 Daniel Hege, Principal Guest Conductor Sarah Coburn, Soprano * Pre-Concert Conversation | 6:30 PM * Pre-Concert Student Recognition Concert | 6:45 PM * Post-Concert Reception – All Welcome * Childcare Available
For Tickets, Call 918.596.7111 or www.tulsasymphony.org
ARTS & CULTURE // 29
sportsreport
The bar is raised
Roughnecks ready for continued success in new season by JOHN TRANCHINA
F
ollowing a triumphant 2017 season in which the Tulsa Roughnecks FC made the United Soccer League playoffs for the first time and came agonizingly close to winning their conference quarterfinal matchup, the team has set their goals significantly higher this year. Second-year head coach David Vaudreuil, who has revamped the Roughnecks’ roster, acknowledged that the bar has been raised and there is some internal pressure to take another step forward this season. After losing three of its final four regular season contests, Tulsa finished 14–14–4 last year, settling for seventh place in the USL’s Western Conference. In the playoffs, they faced a difficult opponent in San Antonio FC, falling 2–1 after surrendering a goal in the final seconds of stoppage time. This season began on Saturday, March 17 at in-state rivals Oklahoma City Energy FC. The Roughnecks lost 1-0. Tulsa’s home opener against Real Monarchs SLC, last year’s USL regular season champions, will be at ONEOK Field on March 24. “I think the biggest pressure is to get out to a good start again, but I’m sure when the playoffs come around there’s going to be obvious pressure to go deeper,” Vaudreuil admitted. “Last year, the goal was to make the playoffs. This year, the goal is to go win the conference and to play in the Championship Game, which is possibly a little ambitious, but I think [with] the overall experience and depth and talent of the team, on paper, at least, we have a good shot to make a run for the conference championship.” 30 // ARTS & CULTURE
At photo’s center, defender Francisco Ugarte, 2018 Roughnecks captain | LORI SCHOLL
Some of Vaudreuil’s optimism is tied to a group of new, more seasoned players that he signed during the off-season. “We have a lot more experience down the middle, with our two center backs, two defensive midfielders,” Vaudreuil said. “We have a deeper team on paper, with more experience and more talent. Last year, as good of a year as we had, we were a little young in a lot of parts of the field, especially down the middle, and I think we addressed some of those concerns.” None of the top offensive players from last year, including forward Ian Svantesson, who led the squad with 11 goals, and mid-
fielders Juan Pablo Caffa, who contributed nine goals and eight assists, and Joey Calistri, who had nine goals and six assists, are back. Replacing Svantesson at striker will be 25-year-old Jhon Pírez from Uruguay, who played several years in Spain’s second and third divisions. Taking over for Caffa and Calistri in the midfield will be 26-year-old Santiago Maidana and 22-year-old Fernando Arce, both from Argentina. Plus, Vaudreuil believes returning midfielder Joaquin Rivas, who had five goals and two assists last year, has improved significantly. “We expect that he’s going to be able to upgrade his goal and
assist production,” Vaudreuil said of Rivas. “He was one of our most stable and high-level players last year, and we’re expecting big things. He came into this camp in absolutely fantastic shape, and we expect this to be a breakout year for him.” In addition to Rivas, top goalkeeper Fabián Cerda is back, as well as defenders Paris Gee and Francisco Ugarte. Also, continuing in their affiliation agreement with the Chicago Fire, the Roughnecks will receive several players from MLS club during the course of the year. Another change this year for the Roughnecks will be the new field configuration at ONEOK Field, which puts the action much closer to the fans than before. Previously the soccer field was set up beyond the baseball diamond’s pitcher’s mound, starting in the infield dirt and taking up most of the outfield, but now ONEOK Field has installed a new hydraulic system that will lower the pitcher’s mound. This allows the field to be moved in and for it to be a little bigger. Vaudreuil expects the new setup to benefit both the Roughnecks and the fan experience. “I think it’s going to help us, because it’s going to make the field just a touch longer but a decent amount wider. We’re a very skillful, possession-oriented team, so the theory is, [on a] bigger field, the more skillful team is going to benefit,” he said. “So that’s great for us. But more importantly, just the overall atmosphere. Now, with that mound going down, that moves us a good 30 feet closer to all the fans, so it should make a huge difference.” a March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
PARADE & OPENING DAY
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vs. Orange County SC 2018 T-Shirt Giveaway | 3:00 PM
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Sat, April 14 7:05PM
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ARTS & CULTURE // 31
thehaps
John Fullbright | GREG BOLLINGER
2018 BEST OF TULSA CELEBRATION Wednesday, March 28, 7–10 p.m. Fassler Hall, thetulsavoice.com
J
oin us as we celebrate with the winners you chose in the 2018 Best of Tulsa readers’ choice awards. Grammy nominated Oklahoma treasure (and Courtyard Concert alum) John Fullbright and his band will play a free concert starting at 8 p.m. We will also publish a special BOT Winners edition of TTV, which will hit newsstands around town (and at our party) that day.
32 // ARTS & CULTURE
STORY HOUR FOR KIDS
CONCERT
The Khalid Jabara ‘Tikkum Olam’ Memorial Library hosts Social Justice Story Hour, which makes ideas accessible for children. This month will feature stories of powerful women from throughout history. Mar. 22, 5:30 p.m., facebook.com/kjtolibrary
Grammy winner and Songwriter Hall of Fame Hal David Award recipient Jason Mraz will perform a solo acoustic concert in the PAC’s Chapman Music Hall. Mar. 29, 8 p.m., $52–$72, tulsapac.com
ART EDUCATION
CONCERT
Philbrook Museum of Art will host its first Art + Feminism: Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, with the purpose of correcting the gender imbalance in Wikipedia’s representation of artists. Mar. 24, 11 a.m.– 4 p.m., philbrook.org
South Asian Performing Arts Foundation presents An Evening with Zakir Hussain and Rakesh Chaurasia. Hussain is a tabla virtuoso who has performed with Yo-Yo Ma. Mar. 30, 7:30 p.m., $35–$60, John H. Williams Theatre, Tulsa PAC, sapaf.org
SPORTS
COMEDY
Roughnecks FC will kick off the season with their first home game against Real Monarchs SLC. The game will be preceded by a parade and activities outside ONEOK Field and followed by a fireworks show. Mar. 24, 7 p.m., $10–$22, roughnecksfc.com
Comedy great Bill Burr returns to Brady Theater with special guest Dean Delray. Read Andrew Deacon’s interview with Burr on pg. 26. Mar. 30, 8 p.m., $42.50–$47.50, bradytheater.com
AUTHOR EVENT
TASTY FUNDRAISER
Gilcrease Museum will host an evening with author Jessica Bruder, whose book “Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century” shines a light on the new and growing labor pool of transient older Americans. Mar. 29, 7 p.m., booksmarttulsa.com
Presented by Vizavance, Sip for Sight Grand Wine Tasting will feature more than 70 wines, plus local beers and liquors and food from Tulsa restaurants. Mar. 31, 6:30–9 p.m., $85, Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center, vizavance.org March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
BEST OF THE REST SPECIAL EVENTS TulSalsero Thursdays // Looking for some new moves? Each Thursday, Tulsasalseros Dance Company gives free Bachata and Salsa lessons. // 3/22, 8pm, Miami Nights Restaurant & Lounge, facebook.com/tulsalseros Tulsa Bead Market // The Bead Market returns, promising “...more beads than you can imagine,” plus gemstones, pearls, jewelry, and found pieces. // 3/23–24, Fair Meadows at Expo Square, thebeadmarket.net Armageddon on Near Miss Day // On March 23, 1989, a large asteroid missed the Earth by just 500,000 miles. To commemorate the occasion, Philbrook will screen “Armageddon.” The evening will include a Vernal Equinox Garden Tour and some surprises. // 3/23, 6pm, Philbrook Museum of Art, philbrook.org Rudy Maxa // The travel expert and Emmy-winning television host shares stories from around the world. // 3/23, Tulsa PAC - Chapman Music Hall, tulsapac.com Adult Easter Egg Hunt // Chandler Park will host its first Adult Easter Egg Hunt, with special prizes. The event is BYOB and there will be lawn games, concessions, and a food truck. // 3/24, 4 pm, Chandler Park, facebook.com/chandlerparktulsa Community Conversation: Female Incarceration in Oklahoma // Poetic Justice will present a screening of “Grey Matter,” a short film about incarcerated women expressing themselves through poetry, followed by readings, stories, and a Q&A with the women behind these creative writing workshops. // 3/29, 7pm, Tyrell Hall, TU, poeticjustice.org Nude:14 – Freak Show // Taboos will be embraced at the 14th annual all-local erotic art show featuring visual arts, music, spoken word, and performances. 3/30–31, IDL Ballroom, nudeartshow.com Graffiti Workshop, Open Skate, and Lessons in Fresh // Jake Beeson will lead a workshop while assisting participants in painting pinot noir barrels. Heirloom will provide rails and boxes for an open skate session (no scooters allowed). Lessons in Fresh will provide a hip hop soundtrack. // 3/31, 12pm, Heirloom Rustic Ales, heirloomrusticales.com
PERFORMING ARTS Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 // Tulsa Symphony Orchestra performs John Adams’s Chairman Dances, Edward Elgar’s In the South (Alassio), and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, featuring soprano soloist Sara Coburn. // 3/24, Tulsa PAC - Chapman Music Hall, tulsapac.com Theatre Tulsa 96th Season Announcement Party and Karaoke Contest // The name says it all! // 3/29, 6:30pm, Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, theatretulsa.org Oklahoma! In Concert // The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities and THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
Spinning Plates Productions will present Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma” with an all-black cast. // 3/30–31, Gilcrease Museum, humanities.utulsa.edu The Sleeping Beauty // When an evil enchantment causes a princess to sleep for 100 years, only a kiss from the son of a king can wake her. Presented by Spotlight Children’s Theatre. // 3/30–4/8, Spotlight Theatre, spotlighttheatre.org The Sound of Music // 4/3–5, Tulsa PAC - Chapman Music Hall, tulsapac.com/
COMEDY Comedy Night // 3/21, Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577, facebook. com/centennilloungetulsa Adulting // 3/23–24, Rabbit Hole Improv, rabbitholeimprov.com Zach Amon, Meagan Carr, Dave Short, Daren Ebacher, Mae Suggins, Tom Trimble, Garren McCurry, Zehava Glaz // 3/25, 9pm, Blackbird on Pearl, facebook.com/bazarentertainment Comedy Night // 3/28, Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577, facebook.com/centennilloungetulsa
M E N S W E A R
THREADS O N
SPORTS
B O S T O N
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TU Softball vs OSU // 3/21, 5pm, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs Nebraska // 3/21, 1 pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com Tulsa Oilers vs Quad City Mallards // 3/23, 3/24, 3/25, 7pm, BOK Center, tulsaoilers.com Roughnecks FC vs Real Monarchs SLC // 3/24, 7pm, ONEOK Field, roughnecksfc.com Legendary Midnight Drags // 3/24, 10pm, Tulsa Raceway Park, tulsaracewaypark.com TU Softball vs ECU // 3/29, 6pm, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com TU Softball vs ECU // 3/30, 5pm, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // 3/30, 6:30pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com TU Softball vs ECU // 3/31, 12pm, Collins Family Softball Complex, tulsahurricane.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // 3/31, 2pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com ORU Baseball vs North Dakota State // 3/31, 5pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com
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Roughnecks FC vs Orange County SC // 3/31, 3pm, ONEOK Field, roughnecksfc.com
Support the solution.
ORU Baseball vs Oklahoma // 4/3, 6:30pm, J.L. Johnson Stadium, oruathletics.com
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ARTS & CULTURE // 33
musiclistings Wed // Mar 21 BOK Center – *Lorde, Run the Jewels, Tove Styrke – ($39.50-$99.50) Foolish Things Coffee Co. – Julie Keown Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Rockwell Los Cabos - Jenks – Daniel Jordan Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler and Seth Lee Jones Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesday – ($10) Pit Stop – DJ MO River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jacob Dement Soul City – Don & Stephen White Soundpony – The Gold Web The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project The Hunt Club – Hector Ultreras The Venue Shrine – Albert Cummings – ($10.50-$15) Wyld Hawgz – Open Mic
Thurs // Mar 22 Dead Armadillo Brewery – *Grazzhopper Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – James Muns Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Barrett Lewis Band, Zodiac Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – Olivia NewtonJohn – ($45-$65) Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Chris Clark Los Cabos - Jenks – Nick Whitaker Duo Los Cabos - Owasso – Weston Horn Lot No. 6 – Chloe Johns Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jake Flint Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – Mega Ran The Colony – The Soup Kitchen w/ Dane Arnold The Hunt Club – Ego Culture The Venue Shrine – Spoonfed Tribe – ($8-$10) Vanguard – CES Cru, G-Mo Skee, G-Smooth, No Name Bones, Strange Soldier – ($15) Yeti – Vote Yes on SQ 788 w/ Pete Hess with Music Genius Crew, We Make Shapes, Girls Room
Fri // Mar 23 41 Brookside – Jake Flint Bad Ass Renee’s – DJ MO Blackbird on Pearl – Oceanaut, Zunis, Native Strange – ($5) Cain’s Ballroom – Jeezy, Tee Grizzley – ($45-$145) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Mark’s Birthday Bash w/ Sloppy Joe Fiasco, Acid Queen, Dirty Creek Bandits, Hey Judy, And Then There Were Two, Kevin Price Crow Creek Tavern – Johnny E Band Dusty Dog Pub – James Groves Blues Machine Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Rivers Edge Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Daniel Jordan, Queens Blvd Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Echelon Los Cabos - Jenks – Aviators Los Cabos - Owasso – Ronnie Pyle Mercury Lounge – Vandoliers, The 4onthefloor Osage Casino Tulsa - NINE18 Bar – The HiFidelics River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Tiptons River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Mike Wilson, John Conrad Soul City – Susan Herndon, Scott Musick & Friends Soundpony – World Culture Music March Madness
34 // MUSIC
The Colony – Chris Lee Becker’s Imaginary Friends – ($5) The Hunt Club – Dante and the Hawks The Run – Stars The Venue Shrine – All About a Bubble, Krantz – ($6-$10) Unit D – *Blacker Face, The Grits, Cucumber and the Suntans – ($7) Vanguard – Couch Jackets, The Wild Frontiers, Class Zero, All for More, SPRNRML – ($10) Wyld Hawgz – Bottoms Up Yeti – Cucumber Mike’s Happy Hour
Sat // Mar 24 41 Brookside – 2gingers Bad Ass Renee’s – Mvskoke Sunrise and Friends Cain’s Ballroom – Frank Foster, Denny Strickland – ($12-$15) Enso Bar – *Brujoroots Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Rusty Meyers Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – The Hi-Fidelics, FM Live Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Doctors of Replay Los Cabos - Jenks – Radio Nation Los Cabos - Owasso – Rockwell Duo Mercury Lounge – *Killer Hearts, Loose Wires, The Stiffies Osage Casino Tulsa - NINE18 Bar – R-Kaine Pit Stop – DJ MO River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Sellouts River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Jake Flint Band Soul City – *Blues Society of Tulsa Blues Choice Awards – ($10) Soundpony – High & Tight w/ DJ Kylie The Beehive Lounge – The Alive, Solidify The Colony – Vagittarius, Smokestack Relics – ($5) The Hunt Club – The 5th Element The Run – Stars The Venue Shrine – *George Porter Jr,Paul Benjaman, Junior Markham and The Caretakers Vanguard – Hot Club of Cowtown, Jacob Tovar – ($15-$40) Vox Pop Tulsa – Carter Sampson, Rachel Bachman – ($15) Wyld Hawgz – Julie & The Retrospex
Sun // Mar 25 Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Steve Liddell Los Cabos - Jenks – The Fabulous Two Man Band Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark Pit Stop – DJ MO River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens Soul City – Mark Bruner & Shelby Eicher Soundpony – Asumaya The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing Vanguard – VCTMS, Weeping Wound, Bloodline, Fester, Obscure Sanity – ($10) Wyld Hawgz – Exposure Rock Jam Yeti – Shut Up! Dance Party
Mon // Mar 26 Blackbird on Pearl – The Portal w/ Josh Beeson Cain’s Ballroom – *Sylvan Esso, Suzi Analoque – ($25-$40) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Dave Les Smith, Papa Foxtrot, and Friends Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts Soundpony – An Umbra Event The Colony – Seth Lee Jones The Run – Monday Jam Yeti – The Situation
Tues // Mar 27 Blackbird on Pearl – The Pearl Jam Cain’s Ballroom – K.FLAY, Yungblud – ($20-$89) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Radio Romance Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham & Jacob Tovar Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Walker Hayes, Dane Arnold Soul City – Dustin Pittsley & Friends The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Vanguard – Skullcrack, Omission – ($10) Yeti – No Coast Criminals, Loose Wires, The Penny Mob
Wed // Mar 28 Los Cabos - Jenks – Weston Horn Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler & Seth Lee Jones Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesday – ($10) Pit Stop – DJ MO River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jacob Dement Soul City – Don & Stephen White Soundpony – Hugg The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project Vanguard – *Miko the Artist, Amelia Brooks, Cece & Hynece – ($5, free before 9 p.m.) Wyld Hawgz – Open Mic Night
Thurs // Mar 29 Cain’s Ballroom – Badfish, Bumpin’ Uglies, Bum Lucky – ($18-$60) Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Running On Empty Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Empire, The Shotgunbillys Los Cabos - Jenks – Scott Pendergrass Duo Los Cabos - Owasso – Daniel Jordan Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Jake Flint Soul City – Jackie Venson, Casii Stephan – ($16.62) Soundpony – Big Ro TV The Colony – Hold The Hunt Club – Blue Dawgs Vanguard – Misdemeanor, Primitive Rage, Agony, Give Way – ($10) Yeti – Badfish Pregame & After Party w/ Stinky Gringos, The Stylees, EkuBembe, DJ Feenix
Fri // Mar 30 41 Brookside – Grover Anderson Blackbird on Pearl – *Barton and Long Album Release w/ Whiskey Misters, Steve Liddell – ($5) Blue Rose Cafe – Jake Flint Four Aces Tavern – Barry Seal Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – George Bros Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Jesse Joice, Stars Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Empire Los Cabos - Jenks – Echelon Los Cabos - Owasso – Lost on Acoustica Mercury Lounge – *Thieves of Sunrise, American Shadows Osage Casino Tulsa - NINE18 Bar – Jesse Joice River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Vashni Duo Soul City – Susan Herndon, Scott Musick & Friends Soundpony – Quanstar The Colony – Monica & The Boozin’s Floozies ft. Jared Tyler & Travis Fite – ($5)
The Hunt Club – November The Run – House Party Vanguard – Zeta Chi, Kashmir – ($10) Wyld Hawgz – A Beautiful End Yeti – Cucumber Mike’s Happy Hour Yeti – *DismondJ, CO$M, The Beaten Daylights, Priest, Alan Doyle, Saganomics, Baconomics, Keezy Cuts, Bezel365, Hakeem Eli’juwon, St. Domonick, The Dischord
Sat // Mar 31 Enso Bar – DJ Steve Cluck and MC Justinearina Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Allison Arms Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Double Barrel, Breakdown Shakedown Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – The Agenda Los Cabos - Jenks – Doctors of Replay Los Cabos - Owasso – Local Spin Mercury Lounge – Koe Wetzel Osage Casino Tulsa - NINE18 Bar – Jesse Joice River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Zodiac River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Jesse Alan Soul City – *Multiphonic Funk plays Tower of Power – ($10) Soundpony – Pleasuredome The Colony – Hosty – ($5) The Hunt Club – Smunty Voje The Run – Infinity The Venue Shrine – Opal Agafia & The Sweet Nothing – ($10) Vanguard – Less Than Human, Reliance Code, DRYVR, Stanley’s Revenge – ($10) Woody Guthrie Center – Bob Livingston – ($17-$20) Wyld Hawgz – Amped Yeti – Milkywaymaps, Fly Mecha, Dedboii
Sun // Apr 1 Los Cabos - Broken Arrow – Barrett Lewis Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens Soul City – Mark Bruner & Shelby Eicher Soundpony – Venereal Baptism, Sacrocurse The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing
Mon // Apr 2 Blackbird on Pearl – The Portal w/ Josh Beeson Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Dave Les Smith, Papa Foxtrot, and Friends River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts The Colony – Seth Lee Jones The Hunt Club – Stinky Gringos Reggae Jam The Run – Monday Jam Yeti – The Situation
Tues // Apr 3 Blackbird on Pearl – The Pearl Jam Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Dane Arnold Soul City – Dustin Pittsley & Friends The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night The Hunt Club – Summerland, Pushing Chain Vanguard – Dying Fetus, Rivers of Nihil, Enterprise Earth, Sanction, Skysia – ($20-$25) Yeti – Yeti Writers’ Night March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
Tulsa’s Premier Country
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Micah Fitzerman-Blue | COURTESY
From the neighborhood to Hollywood Micah Fitzerman-Blue on his upcoming Mister Rogers film by ZACK REEVES
M
icah Fitzerman-Blue is a Tulsa-raised screenwriter who graduated from Holland Hall and Harvard University and now lives in Los Angeles. He worked as writer and producer on the Amazon show “Transparent,” which follows a family that undergoes a shock when its patriarch comes out as transgender. Now he’s working on “You Are My Friend,” a feature-length film he wrote (with Noah Harpster) starring Tom Hanks, which investigates the relationship of Mister Rogers and a reporter who begrudgingly profiles him. This year marks the 50th anniversary since “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” first aired on national public television. ZACK REEVES: Tell me a little bit about your life in Oklahoma. 36 // FILM & TV
MICAH FITZERMAN-BLUE: We moved to Oklahoma when I was three and never left Maple Ridge. I went to Holland Hall from first to 12th grade. We grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s in Tulsa. There’s a culture and climate of kindness that pervades the city. Whenever I come home, even with how much the city is changing, it seems like that’s even more the case now. It used to be that when I would fly in from L.A., my parents and I would pass these houses that were a lot less expensive than the ones in L.A., and they’d slow down the car and say, “You know, you could move back.” My parents are the biggest Tulsa boosters in the world.
have your script on such a storied survey?
REEVES: The script for “You Are My Friend” appeared on the Black List [a voted-on list of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood] back in 2013. How did it feel to
REEVES: Can you tell us more about the film?
FITZERMAN-BLUE: It’s really cool; it was a big honor. I really admire what the Black List stands for: trying to get unproduced screenplays more visibility and to empower smart development executives all around the industry to let their voices be heard. It was a real honor to be part of that. As much as all the bad things about Hollywood are sort of true, it’s also, at the end of the day, a community of creative people who want to make things that matter to them. So the Black List is an extension of that part of Hollywood.
FITZERMAN-BLUE: If you were to approach the life of Fred Rog-
ers as a straightforward biopic, it would not make for a very good movie. Fred Rogers was unfailingly incredible for 73 years, and then he died. I think everyone in Pittsburgh and Latrobe [Pennsylvania, where Rogers was raised], they kind of agree. So the question is: How do you tell a story about this guy? When you scratch the surface, you realize that Fred Rogers was involved in the lives of countless people, and he was behind the scenes, out of the public eye, just trying to help people all the time. With him, there was no such thing as small talk. When he says, “How are you?” he means, “How are you?” And the second you give anything, all of a sudden, you’re gonna get a call from him. He gets involved in people’s lives. It was part of his own private ministry; he was a Presbyterian minister. March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
So, we thought the coolest way to tell the story of Fred Rogers is not [to tell] about Fred Rogers but about one of the people whose lives he changed. So the movie is the story of this journalist who’s a little jaded, who’s given this assignment that he doesn’t want to do, which is to profile Fred Rogers. And he ends up writing about himself. He ends up going through this whole process of change in his life that’s inspired by Fred. REEVES: What’s your personal relationship to Mister Rogers? FITZERMAN-BLUE: To be honest, I was more of a Sesame Street guy. REEVES: No! FITZERMAN-BLUE: I’m not gonna lie to you. It was only later that I really began to discover Fred Rogers. It was incredible. The current media landscape is so fast, our attention spans are shrinking every single day. But then you put on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and suddenly the texture of time is different. It’s special; it’s a real relationship. It’s almost therapeutic, how patient and immediate he is. You couldn’t do that now. It almost feels avant-garde. My wife and I had our first daughter two years ago, so this is all picking up when I’m becoming a dad. I could not ask for a better thing to be thinking about at work than Fred Rogers. “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” wasn’t just trying to entertain or distract kids. Everything was vetted in a serious way for pedagogical value. They had a philosophy of learning that pervaded every aspect of the show. When I watch that series I feel a tremendous amount of trust that “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” has my best interests, and my kid’s best interests, at heart. REEVES: Why Mister Rogers now? What do you think this film has to say to people? FITZERMAN-BLUE: We are experiencing a crisis of moral authority in our society. We don’t have very many heroes around that we can THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
all agree on. It’s an honor and huge responsibility to portray Fred Rogers, who was a real hero. He devoted his life to help young people through their frustrations, their pain, their loneliness, and their anger. There’s no better time to be doing this film. REEVES: You wrote on the first four seasons of Amazon’s show “Transparent.” What are the differences between working on a feature film and working on a TV show, especially when it comes to the writing process? FITZERMAN-BLUE: I suppose it comes down to punctuation. With a movie, you’re saying something with a period, and with a TV series you’re ending with question mark. A movie has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It’s a self-contained story—a single experience. With a TV series you’re asking a lot of questions. Structurally speaking, you have a beginning, a middle, and a question at the end. It’s a different kind of writing. You’re trying to keep a story going and let it keep evolving. Your task is to find increasingly sophisticated questions. REEVES: Speaking of, which character’s arc in “Transparent” was your favorite to write? FITZERMAN-BLUE: Maura’s arc was my favorite; it was like nothing I had ever done before. That was far and away the most challenging thing to write in the show. I think about writing as being paid to learn—that’s the scheme, and I loved learning about Maura. I loved learning about all the issues we dealt with on that series. When I’m doing my best work, it feels a lot more like journalism than anything else. REEVES: What was your favorite movie of 2017? FITZERMAN-BLUE: My favorite movie of the year was “Get Out.” And I’m adding “Coco” in there too. A two-hour Pixar film that just makes you think about your grandparents the whole time? So good. a
Ricky Gervais | THOMAS ATILLA LEWIS
OH, THE HUMANITY Ricky Gervais offends people only to nag them for prudishness FOR RICKY GERVAIS, NOTHING IS SACRED. Or if one thing is, it’s sacrilege. From deriding religion to, more broadly, secular woke orthodoxy, Gervais thrives on popping the balloons of what he perceives to be idiotic and pretentious. His brand of polemical comedy is the kind of thing that the phrase “mileage will vary” was coined for. Gervais’s new Netflix stand-up special, titled “Humanity,” doubles down on his recent trend of take-no-prisoners frankness (some might say smugness) that defined his infamous Golden Globes hosting gigs. Gone is the self-examination underlying the awkward discomfort of his original U.K.-produced “The Office” and follow-up series “Extras.” Now anyone offended by the lines Gervais gleefully tramples over— well, they’re the problem. Gervais spends nearly half of his 75 minutes onstage taking thin-skinned haters to task, which, ironically, seems rather thin-skinned. The outspoken atheist re-establishes his bona fides right off the bat by leveling potshots at Jesus. Having warmed up on that speed bag—to which he routinely returns for quick jabs—Gervais shifts to steady punches at humanity (hence the title), all landed with provocative calculations of inhumanity. Much of it is funny and well-observed
(yes, in many ways dogs do make for better humans), but Gervais can’t resist taking things too far. Granted, that’s an inherent part of the stand-up comic’s job. Taboos are meant to be mocked, and audiences are generally hip enough to know what they’re in for. But unless you’re predisposed to give Gervais and his cheeky anarchy a lot of rope, you may find some bits too edgy. Hyper-aware of this possibility, Gervais literally explains to the audience why a line of Caitlyn Jenner digs isn’t transphobic. At one point, he goes morbid with food allergies. Gervais begins in Seinfeldian fashion, complaining about how someone’s peanut sensitivity inconvenienced him, but then he gets darker—openly fantasizing about how he could trigger natural selection, working first-hand to kill someone who’s afflicted. It’s a display of petty masochism. I agree with Gervais’s encore thesis: It’s healthy to laugh at our anxieties and at ourselves. A root virtue of humanity, however, is patience. From that we extend grace and love. Impatience grants neither, but that’s all Gervais has for any human who doesn’t see things as he does, including those who don’t share his humor. – JEFF HUSTON FILM & TV // 37
filmphiles
A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CIRCLE CINEMA NEW HOLDOVERS 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE and BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY
OPENING MARCH 30 THE BREADWINNER From the makers of “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea,” this is the story of a young Afghan girl living under Taliban rule who must disguise herself as a boy in order to provide for her family. Produced by Angelina Jolie, it’s a recent Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature. Rated PG-13. LOVELESS From Russia, a couple going through a bitter divorce must set aside their acrimony when their 12-year-old son goes missing. A recent Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Rated R.
SPECIAL EVENTS EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE! PRESENTS: THE GREAT SATAN This irreverent, psychedelic look at the satanic and demonic in our pop culture returns updated with new material in this latest U.S. tour. Tickets $12. (Wed. March 21, 7:00 p.m.) JULIUS CAESAR: NT LIVE Ben Whishaw, Michelle Fairley, and David Morrissey star in Shakespeare’s tragedy about the betrayal of the beloved Roman emperor. Staged by British legend Nicholas Hytner from the stage of London’s Bridge Theatre. Adults $18, Seniors $15. (Thu. March 22, 6:00 p.m.) COME SUNDAY – CARLTON PEARSON Q&A This will be Tulsa’s exclusive theatrical presentation before the film debuts on Netflix. Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years A Slave”) stars as Carlton Pearson, the Tulsa minister whose crisis of faith led him to break from evangelical orthodoxy. Martin Sheen co-stars as Oral Roberts. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Pearson. Ticket info at circlecinema.com. (Sun. April 8, 2:00 p.m.)
Jeff Bridges in “The Big Lebowski” | COURTESY
STILL ABIDING
‘The Big Lebowski’ didn’t always get the love With the release of “The Big Lebowski” twenty years ago (on March 6, 1998, to be precise), the world met Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski. As the Coen brothers’ follow-up to their 1996 hit “Fargo,” “Lebowski” was greeted by comparatively amiable if nonplussed reviews and did just okay at the box office for coming off an Oscar-winning predecessor. The loose story: In a case of mistaken identity, The Dude (Jeff Bridges), a White Russian-swilling, dope-smoking, amateur bowler, gets his rug peed on by a goon working for porn magnate Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara). Turns out there’s another Jeff Lebowski (David Huddleston), a business tycoon who lost his legs in Korea but “went out and achieved anyway!” The Dude gets a meeting with the “Big” Lebowski to plead his case for a new rug and is rebuffed—at least until Lebowski’s philandering wife, Bunny (Tara Reid), is kidnapped, likely by Treehorn. He hires The Dude as his private detective
ARE YOU CURRENTLY PAIN-FREE BUT WANT TO LEARN HOW TO REGULATE PAIN? A TU IRB-approved research study is being conducted at The University of Tulsa that uses biofeedback to teach participants to regulate responses to pain. Participants must be healthy, currently pain-free, and able to attend 3 laboratory training sessions (3.5-4.5 hours/day). Behavioral and physiological reactions to painful stimuli will be assessed each day to test the efficacy of the training. Up to $300 compensation will be provided for completing the study. CONTACT: Psychophysiology Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience (PI: Jamie Rhudy, PhD)
918-631-2175 or 918-631-3565 38 // FILM & TV
Tulsa’s independent and non-profit art-house theatre, showing independent, foreign, and documentary films.
(despite The Dude exhibiting no such skill) to get Bunny back. At first sight I wasn’t impressed with its rambling, mostly unfunny, style-oversubstance affectations and shopworn Raymond Chandler-inspired, noir-pastiche roots—though it does offer many moments of visual flair and a couple of solid performances from Bridges and John Goodman as The Dude’s bull-in-a-China-shop best friend, Walter Sobchak. It seemed like it was trying too hard. But the proof of any film’s integrity is, after all, time. What’s special about many of the Coens’ early films (when everyone was still really excited about them) is they defy that wisdom; they tended to get crowds and critics to fall in love with them at first sight. Watch “Miller’s Crossing” or “Barton Fink” now, and the greatness everyone was excited about from the beginning is still apparent. Thankfully, over the years, something drew me back to “Lebowski” for a second round. And a third. It got funnier. A lot funnier. The convoluted narrative, its references and interconnections, solidified into an easy-going organic complexity that rewards with repeat viewings, especially as the manic-deadpan rhythm of the jokes, quirk of its characters (with Goodman at his career-best, while John Turturro steals every scene), and weird set piece moments (the nihilist showdown, the marmot attack, the Kenny Rogers dream sequence) felt second-nature, like learning to drive a stick shift. Twenty years, and easily twice as many viewings later, I have a woodprint of The Dude on my wall. That’s hardly the extent of its legacy. The cult of Lebowski are adorably legion now. If there is a moral here it’s that— sometimes, anyway—first impressions aren’t always everything. –JOE O’SHANSKY March 21 – April 3, 2018 // THE TULSA VOICE
THE FUZZ THE TULSA VOICE SPOTLIGHTS: TULSA SPCA
2910 Mohawk Blvd. | MON, TUES, THURS, FRI & SAT, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 918.428.7722
PALOMA came to the Tulsa SPCA with her 13 puppies. She was a loving and steadfast mother to all of her babies, and now it’s her turn to be spoiled! Paloma is a three-year-old blue Weimaraner mix with an empathetic nature. She is just as content playing a game of fetch as she is snuggling up for a Netflix night.
ACROSS 1 Ukraine port city 7 Dodges, as the cops 13 Never getting older 20 They’re drained by rivers 21 Brazilian tango 22 Type of cotton fabric 23 Bad CASE scenario (Pt. 1) 26 Piggish abode 27 Leavenworth uprising 28 Joey’s friend on “Friends” 29 Mai follower 30 Emulate a butterfly 31 Popeye’s strengthener 34 “Big” one of comic strips 38 Lille farewell 41 Cries of discovery 42 Performer’s reward 45 Bad CASE scenario (Pt. 2) 51 Still under covers 52 Indications of sadness 53 Extravagant, quality-wise 54 Not hog 55 A crowd in France? 56 Edible seaweed 60 Unstable or changeable 64 Windfalls 65 Not mono 67 Bad CASE scenario (Pt. 3) 71 Bullish noises 72 Went after aggressively 73 Foot of two short syllables 74 Edible root of the taro 75 Like military ships 76 Person of many parts 78 Things in albums
80 Wedding worker 81 Acct. figures 85 Bad CASE scenario (Pt. 4) 91 Mr. Dum or Mr. Dee 92 It’s not butter 93 Pound fraction 94 Use a bayonet 95 Common bank transaction 99 Do a rhythmic roll 101 What consumers do 104 Power measure 105 Definitely not sweet 106 Fancy shoulder wrap 109 Bad CASE scenario (Pt. 5) 116 U-turn from “way too hard!” 117 The stuff of quiz shows 118 Four Seasons alternative 119 “Hmm ...” relative 120 Most abominable 121 Word with solar or Dewey Decimal DOWN 1 Sashes in Japan 2 Way off one’s trolley 3 Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g. 4 Mister relative 5 Make tangled 6 Computer character set 7 Release, as light 8 Little sucker? 9 Feller in a forest 10 Anne Frank, famously 11 Pen pal no more? 12 Words with course or date 13 Ottoman VIP 14 “Atlas Shrugged” hero 15 Singing Fitzgerald 16 Assail 17 “I could go on, but I’ll stop here”
DUNCAN is a sweet, talkative kitty who would fit perfectly into a family with kids. He is five years old and loves toys. Duncan is always putting a smile on the faces of staff and volunteers at the Tulsa SPCA, so he is sure to bring a lot of joy into his forever home.
18 One’s Red, one’s Dead 19 ___ Rafael, California 24 One eligible for daycare 25 Trojans’ sch. 30 Provide nourishment 31 Hite of sex-oriented research 32 Fundraising grps. 33 Baseball legend Wagner 35 Kool finisher 36 Kid’s birthday present 37 Cousins of ems 38 Group for MDs 39 Be dainty with a napkin 40 Mr. Eisenhower, familiarly 41 Not near at all 43 ___ populi (popular opinion) 44 Mr. Lincoln, familiarly 46 Moral standards 47 Gasp, flinch or giggle, e.g. 48 Definitely not all thumbs 49 Broadway luminaries? 50 Place for wannabe stars 54 Leave in text after all 55 Wreck entirely 56 Remain unspoiled 57 Irish river leading to Donegal Bay 58 To a smaller extent 59 Master of rhyme 60 Church section 61 Mail off 62 Paced heavily 63 Roundish hairdo 64 Dennis Rodman’s book, “___ Wanna Be” 65 Mexican “ma’am” 66 1916 ruler, but not 1917 68 “___ Like About You”
69 Complete chaos 70 Dislikes with a passion 75 Celebrated or distinguished 76 Any positive attribute 77 “Ah” follower 78 Thing for a sketch artist 79 Stomach acid letters 80 Jamaican citrus fruit 81 “Add two numbers to reach ___” 82 Ararat or Denali (Abbr.) 83 Cannabis’ stoner 84 Make out visually 85 Word with “a fact” or “my party” 86 RCMP patrol place, briefly 87 “Black-eyed” veggie 88 Picture-based puzzles 89 A hole in the head 90 How Burger King lets you have it? 96 “So gross!” 97 What basic cable is 98 Cheri of “SNL” 99 Outburst from Homer Simpson 100 Who’s sorry now? 102 MTA stops (Abbr.) 103 Something ___ (extraordinary item) 105 Revealing sports number 106 Spoiled little child 107 “Ye ___ Curiosity Shoppe” 108 First family man 109 Shriner, Cordero or Wheaton 110 Coy attachment? 111 Q-U link 112 Pro vote 113 “Now ___ seen it all!” 114 Sue Grafton’s “___ for Noose” 115 Mantra sounds
Find the answers to this issue’s crossword puzzle at thetulsavoice.com/puzzle-solutions. THE TULSA VOICE // March 21 – April 3, 2018
The Tulsa SPCA has been helping animals in our area since 1913. The shelter never euthanizes for space and happily rescues animals from high-kill shelters. They also accept owner surrenders, rescues from cruelty investigations, hoarding, and puppy mill situations. Animals live on-site or with foster parents until they’re adopted. All SPCA animals are micro-chipped, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and treated with preventatives. Learn about volunteering, fostering, upcoming events, adoptions, and their low-cost vaccination clinic at tulsaspca.org.
MARCO is a one-year-old Staffordshire terrier mix that loves being around people and getting belly scratches. This active, goofy guy could play fetch with a tennis ball all day long! Marco does great with kids and would love to join an active family.
BUSTER is a one-year-old playful cat who always looks like he is smiling. His favorite activity is playing with string toys. Buster loves people of all ages but prefers to be the more dominant pet in the home. Buster’s fun, friendly temperament would make him an exceptional pet for any family.
Universal sUnday Crossword aTTorney aT Flaw By Timothy e. Parker
© 2018 Andrews McMeel Syndication
4/1 ETC. // 39
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Pleas e re cycle this issue.
3/6/18 12:58 PM