The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 3 No. 14

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CHEAP EATS CHEAT SHEET P14

LIVESAY ORCHARD’S 50TH PEACH SEASON P26

UNDERGROUND DINING WITH JOSHUA VITT P24

A BAR WITHOUT BORDERS P28 J U LY 6 - 19, 2 0 1 6

// V O L . 3 N O . 1 4

the FOOD ISSUE

rustic roots LIVING KITCHEN’S PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT MEAL | P19


2 // CONTENTS

July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


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THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

CONTENTS // 3


4 // CONTENTS

July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


Living Kitchen dinner | HANS KLEINSCHMIDT

contents PECKING, ROOTING, GRAZING

July 6 – 19, 2016 // vol. 3 no. 1 4 N E W S & C O M M EN TA RY 8 // Uncivil dicourse Denver Nicks

On finding a way forward after Orlando bottomline

10 // Selling the farm

Living Kitchen’s pursuit of The Perfect Meal

Barry Friedman

BY MEGAN SHEPHERD

SQ 777 is dangerous, deceptivepiece of legislature viewsfromtheplains

A RT S & C U LT URE

Field conversion Transforming ONEOK from baseball to soccer and back again JOHN TRANCHINA // 30 24

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Gourmet Grit

Golden standard

Bar without a border

by Angela Evans

by Angela Evans

by Angela Evans

Underground dining WITH Joshua Vitt

Livesay Orchards celebrates its 50th peach season

Three entrepreneurs want to bring their upscale bar to you

32 // Nuturing talent

34 // A sense of place

Alicia Chesser

Liz Blood

Local performers need more training opportunities

TAF and husband assert queer history through art

o n s tag e

inthestudio

MUSIC 38 // Tamer animals Damion Shade

COVER PHOTO BY HANS KLEINSCHMIDT

Musicians behind I Said Stop! return with new project

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

musicnotes

40 // Finding Cleveland John Langdon

Wink Burcham stops by the courtyard for a chat

Send all letters, complaints, compliments & haikus to:

c yc s q &a

voices@ langdonpublishing.com PUBLISHER Jim Langdon MANAGING EDITOR Joshua Kline ART DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford ASSISTANT EDITOR Liz Blood DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Morgan Welch, Georgia Brooks PHOTOGRAPHY/MULTIMEDIA Greg Bollinger

FILM facebook.com/thetulsavoice twitter.com/thetulsavoice instagram.com/thetulsavoice

CONTRIBUTORS Alicia Chesser, Gavin Elliot, Angela Evans, Barry Friedman, Hans Kleinschmidt, Melissa Lukenbaugh, Denver Nicks, Joe O’Shansky, Gene Perry, Damion Shade, Megan Shepherd, John Tranchina

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45 // Vapid style 1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926

Joe O’Shanksy

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon

‘The Neon Demon’ is as empty as industry it skewers

PRESIDENT Juley Roffers

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VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick RECEPTION Gloria Brooks, Gene White

The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by Circulation Verification Council THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

Joe O’Shanksy

Spielberg returns to childhood whimsy with ‘The BFG’

AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf INTERNS Nataly Anderson, Chandler Hunt, Tara Rittler, Josalyn Scaife

44 // Phizz-whizzling gobblefunk

R E G U L A R S // 12 okpolicy // 18 downthehatch // 36 thehaps 42 musiclistings // 46 astrology // 47 thefuzz & crossword CONTENTS // 5


editor’sletter

Tulsa has a new mayor.

O

n June 28, District 9 City Councilor G.T. Bynum handily defeated incumbent Dewey Bartlett, winning 56 percent of the vote to Bartlett’s 38 percent, with the remaining six percent shared by three outsider candidates, Paul Tay, Tom McCay and Lawrence Kirkpatrick. This is a moment for Tulsans to be cautiously optimistic. Bynum is young, energetic and proactive, a registered Republican moderate enough to earn the endorsements of multiple democratic former mayors and the title of RINO (Republican In Name Only) from his conservative critics.

In my view, he won by successfully appealing to common sense voters on both sides of the aisle, emphasizing unity over division and a hopeful, progressive future for Tulsa. Bynum is passionate about Tulsa, and has correctly made education improvement his number one priority throughout the campaign. He’s also, by all accounts, just a likable guy. Still, like Bartlett, he comes from a political dynasty (there are three former mayors in his family), a red flag among those increasingly skeptical of “establishment” leaders and their

potential to prioritize short-term political gain over the long-term good of their constituents. And his work as a lobbyist (he started the local firm Capitol Ventures Government Relations) in conjunction with his role as a civil servant makes me a little queasy. I don’t believe the entire lobbying industry is inherently corrupt, and I believe Bynum when he tells the Tulsa World he’s “hyper-paranoid” about separating his business concerns from his council work, but the association has provided easy grist for Bynum’s critics and political opponents in the past.

But in a year marked by political upheaval and turmoil on both the national and state levels, with so many know-nothing protest candidates and ideological extremists seducing low-information voters with empty promises and half-baked ideas, Bynum’s election is a breath of fresh air. He’s proved himself to be a sincere, capable councilor, and I believe Tulsa will ultimately be better for his leadership as mayor. Here’s hoping. a

JOSHUA KLINE MANAGING EDITOR

FRIDA KAHLO Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray July 10 – September 11, 2016

TU is an EEO/AA Institution.

Exhibition season title sponsor is the Sherman E. Smith Family Charitable Foundation. Support also provided by Mervin Bovaird Foundation, C.W. Titus Foundation and M.V. Mayo Charitable Foundation.

GILCREASE.ORG 6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Also this summer: JUL 13 • WGC CONCERT SERIES – FOLK UKE July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7


bottomline

Uncivil discourse On finding a way forward after Orlando by DENVER NICKS

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merican politicians have grown fond of quoting former U.S. Senator from New York—and Tulsan by birth—Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who famously quipped to a debate opponent that people are entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts. There’s an implicit and delightfully dickish suggestion in there that his opponent was flat wrong. But there’s also a hint of something more conciliatory, more hopeful: that even though we may disagree, if we could just arrive at a set of agreed upon facts we might actually get somewhere together. That people with diametrically opposed opinions about the same set of facts could reach a compromise. The aftermath of the Orlando shooting has illustrated, troublingly, that in America, even in the face of a monumental national and cultural tragedy, this is no longer the case. We all agree—leaving aside Alex Jones and other shrieking fanatics who claim the attack was a false flag, or a the work of the lizard people or whatever—that Omar Mateen, an American-born Muslim man of Afghan extraction, claiming allegiance to the Islamic State, entered a gay Orlando nightclub and murdered at least 49 innocent people, injuring dozens more. In possession of this set of undisputed and tragic facts, Americans have reached startlingly different conclusions. As I write this, congressional Democrats are occupying the floor of the House of Representatives in a probably fruitless effort to force a vote on gun legislation, an emotional display of frustration and outrage combined with total, unmitigated helplessness in the face of a deadly national epidemic. Hillary Clin-

8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Memorial for the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando | URBAN REPORTER - SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

ton exclaims her own belabored but no less fervently held belief that what’s needed is more and better gun control. The NRA and other gun rights absolutists are, as usual, going full ostrich, deflecting with a point that could not be less relevant about dealing with the Islamic State in the Levant. Republican standard-bearer Donald Trump riles up his supporters with tone-deaf self-congratulations for his warnings about Muslims in America, which, though hateful and bigoted, at least have the advantage of dealing with what we’re talking about. Less fanatical people on the pro-gun side of things believe earnestly and not without at least some intuitive sense that what happened in Orlando would have been a lot less deadly if more people in the club had simply been in the position to put a bullet in Mateen’s head. Let’s not waste ink sentimentally extolling the virtues of civility and how important it is that we’re having the conversation. It’s a cloying dance, as though the families

of the dead in Orlando and of future victims of mass shootings, and the rest of us hoping to get by in this republic, care about the conversation by itself if it doesn’t lead anywhere. But in this fragile moment, with the nation running a fever and people in gun-friendly places like Oklahoma as fearful that the government will take away their firearms as people in Connecticut are that the government won’t, we’d do well to remember that even a seemingly hopeless conversation can lead us somewhere if we accept that we don’t have to agree, we just have to compromise. The makers of the American system of democracy were not geniuses nor were they particularly creative, but there’s a reason the country born of the world’s oldest anti-colonial insurgency is still standing. Though non-geniuses, the people who drew up the American constitution were readers, in particular of one French political theorist whose ideas form both the back bone and the soul

of the constitution and this republic: Montesquieu. In a book much read by the Framers, he writes: “To prevent this abuse [of power, which is the inevitable impulse of anyone wielding it], it is necessary from the very nature of things that power should be a check to power.” From this idea we get not only our tripartite system of government and the checks and balances every school kid learns about, but a key idea running through the entire structure of the constitution and the government and the society that grew up around it, which is, basically, that everyone should be constantly putting everyone else in check so that the only way to get anything done is to compromise. That even—maybe especially—when you’re looking at the same facts and thinking “how in the name of all that is holy could this other person think what they think?” it’s a good time to reach a compromise, because the idea of compromise is woven into the fabric of this society. In this way, the idea of compromise is not somehow a betrayal of, or ancillary to, your own personal conception of the rights you have as an American, whether to own a gun or not get shot at. By engaging people with whom you disagree in a conversation about how, or if, to stop mass shootings and being willing to give up things you don’t think you should have to give up in order to reach a real solution, you’re not compromising on American values, whatever your notion of what those values is, because compromise is the American value. Compromise—especially on the most emotionally charged questions about which you are the most certain—is the thing that makes American democracy tick. a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


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A CHEAP EATS CHEAT SHEET P14 LIVESAY ORCH 50TH PEACH ARD’S SEASON P26

UNDERGROU ND DINING WITH JOSHU A VITT P24 J U LY 6 - 19, 20 16

// V O L . 3 NO. 1 4

A BAR WITHO UT BORDERS P28

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth IN HIS WAY. FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST

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NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9


viewsfrom theplains

Selling the farm

SQ 777 is a dangerous, deceptive piece of legislation by BARRY FRIEDMAN

C

oming to us now—in what seems like another float in the annual parade of perplexing, often unconstitutional proposed amendments to the Oklahoma Constitution—State Question 777, also known as the Right to Farm Bill. If approved by voters in November, it will fundamentally change the scope of state regulations on farming practices … by removing them. Entirely. Forever. Here's the money shot.1

tering to give up the right to regulate an industry that has been known to play hinky in Oklahoma with the use of arsenic in feed and the dumping of chicken litter.2 If state government can’t—or won’t—regulate what happens in the state, then what happens can get pretty ugly. More to the point, what’s the point of even having state government? The Oklahoma Stewardship Council (more on the group in a minute) explains how horrendous this bill is.3

It prohibits the Legislature from passing laws that would take away the right to employ agricultural technology and livestock production without a compelling state interest.

It further charges that the state question is “so poorly worded and sweeping in scope that it may give legal immunity to inhumane puppy mill operators, cockfighters and industrial agriculture polluters.”

Let us now all take a moment to ask, “The hell?” You could drive a John Deere H-Series Frontloader through that word compelling, which is problem one. Not only is it vague, its vagueness will not be decided by the legislature, where it should be , but by the courts. Problem two, more astonishingly, is that state legislators actually want the amendment. For the love of mercury, livestock hormones, and pesticide runoff, this is some Grade-A self-neu10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Cockfighting, puppy mills, agricultural pollution? Lovely. Still, proponents of SQ 777 say the new measure will protect the family farmer, that amalgam of cliché and folklore, the grizzled, overall-wearing, historically-iconic patriarchal metaphor, and that opponents are overstating the bill's reach.4 “The pure intent of this bill is to protect farming and ranching in Oklahoma for

our future generations,” Biggs said. “You know this is about, in November 2016 - a chance for Oklahomans to help Oklahomans ensure we have an adequate supply of safe and affordable food in Oklahoma.”

That’s Scott Biggs, District 51 State Representative, who co-authored the original legislation and is carrying so much water for corporate agribusiness on it now, it's surprising he doesn't trip over the pails.5 Right to farm amendments are but the latest and boldest tactics of corporate, industrial agriculture to protect itself from growing public concerns about the overall integrity of the American food system. Previous tactics include Right to Farm laws of 1970s and 1980s, veggie libel laws of the 1990s, and ag-gag laws of the 2000s.

Like most states, Oklahoma already has a law protecting farmers—HJR 1012—that was passed overwhelmingly and was designed to protect them from things like nuisance lawsuits, sales tax exemptions, and prohibiting local municipalities from passing onerous laws not required by the state. It’s not a great bill—not awful—but certain-

ly one that didn’t need enshrinement in the state constitution. So why is it being pushed? Welcome to Oklahoma. That HJR 1012 is statutory and SQ 777 constitutional is key to understanding the dynamic. Laws can be changed fairly easily when conditions necessitate; constitutional amendments not so much. Which is the point for people like Biggs—he’ll tell you himself in a moment—for if you succeed in amending the state constitution, you make it almost impossible to change public policy should wiser souls someday sit in your seat at the state capitol—oh, stop laughing—and decide Oklahoma faces a new set of agricultural issues that need to be addressed or just think it’s a good idea that the needs of the state not be subordinate to the profits of Tyson and ADM.6 “If you put it in the Constitution it makes it more permanent,” Biggs said. “The Constitution then trumps future statutes, it's just a better way to safe guard and ensure farming and ranching is protected.”

That’s one way of looking at it—the wrong way—according to Drew Edmondson, former Oklahoma attorney general, who July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


now heads the aforementioned Oklahoma Stewardship Council.7 “It places in the Oklahoma Bill of Rights the right to farm as a protected industry,” Edmondson said. “No other industry in Oklahoma—not oil and gas, not banking, not legal—nobody has that kind of protection.”

Shhh, don't give them any ideas. The problem, says Edmondson, is once you put it in the constitution, legislators, city councils, and state agencies become powerless and only a vote of people can change the scope of the amendment, which may sound like a good idea until it’s not. For instance, the agricultural industry used to lace chicken feed with arsenic,8 which most decided was a bad idea—in fact, Tyson stopped doing so. But, say, it decided to start doing so again, citing its own studies which prove a certain amount of arsenic is now safe (and what could go wrong there?). The state legislature couldn’t just pass new legislation outlawing the practice, it would be forced to take Tyson to court and then try to persuade a judge it was in the state’s compelling interest to stop it—either that, or legislators could write a new amendment, wait for the next election cycle, and put it to a statewide vote. “In the meantime,” Edmondson tells me, “this gives agriculture the same right as your right to vote, your right to go to church, your freedom of press.” Which is to say nothing of the arsenic in your egg salad. THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

Edmondson then asks the central question: “Why are we picking out this particular industry, anyway, for special consideration? It’s two percent of our gross domestic product.” Simple answer: because The Oklahoma Farm Bureau, which favors the amendment and does the bidding of large agribusiness with enormously large pockets, is politically active in every district and is a major contributor to state legislators. “They dress it in language,” Edmondson says, “like ‘Right to Farm.’ They don’t say “Massive Farm Operation Protection Act,’ which it is.” Not to beat a dead horse on this, but as long as Oklahoma remains in the United States (Okexit anyone?), it will still be subject to federal guidelines and national environmental regulations. So, even if SQ 777 is approved, farmers and ranchers in this state will still be subject to the rules—okay, whims, if you insist—of Washington bureaucrats who may find some of the state’s agricultural practices troublesome. “It would be an invitation for the federal government to come in,” Edmondson says. Isn’t it ironic, I ask Edmondson, that the same legislators who complain about federal interference on state matters every hour on the half hour are now supporting giving the feds more opportunity to interfere? “Why a legislator would want to tie its own hands to do what’s right for the people of Oklahoma is the height of ironies. Never

before have we said ‘Hands off.’ But I don’t think they get irony.” Not often in Oklahoma (and by that I mean not since last week) has an amendment been so poorly written that it hits the trifecta: dangerous, vague, and in perpetuity. This, too: The number of family farms in Oklahoma over the past decade or so has declined by about 70 percent, and it’s not because of environmental legislation—it’s because, according to Edmondson, small farmers are being driven out of business by massive multi-national operations. One final thing. SQ 777, which is supported and written by Attorney General Scott Pruitt—actually it was re-typed by Pruitt—is the work of our old friends at the American Legislative Council (ALEC), which provided the template for the original statute, HRC 1012, as it has for much of the Right to Farm legislation across the country.9 For a modest membership fee, conservative legislators gain access to the group’s resources. Think of ALEC’s prepackaged and pre-lawyered legislation as Swanson TV dinners: all you need is a majority vote to reheat it, and it’s ready to serve. The result: similarly flavored bills in statehouses across the country. In Oklahoma, presently, there are more than 40 legislators with ties to ALEC.10 Attorney General Scott Pruitt even spoke at the organization’s 2014 annual meeting.11 And ALEC’s bill wasn’t even the worst of it. ALEC just wrote the statute,” Edmondson reminds us. “That’s

as far as it went. Our legislators in Oklahoma wrote the state question. ALEC is actually saner on this than the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.” And that, Future Farmers of America, is saying something. When it comes to Oklahoma legislation and legislators, especially when the latter keeps insisting the former is the best thing for the working man and woman, keep your eye on the company, companies, and associations it and they keep … and, of course, watch the money flow. The friend of my enemy is often a lobbyist. And he’s rarely wearing overalls. a

1) ballotpedia.org: Oklahoma Right to Farm Amendment, State Question 777 (2016) 2) stateimpact.npr.org: Oklahoma Right-to-Farm Debate Heats Up As Water Group Sues to Stop SQ 777 3) okenergytoday.com: Drew Edmondson Leads Fight Against Right to Farm Question 4) oklahomafarmreport.com: State Rep. Biggs Says “Right to Farm” Constitution Amendment Needed for Future Generations in Ag 5) civileats.com: 10 Reasons to Oppose ‘Right to Farm’ Amendments 6) oklahomafarmreport.com: State Rep. Biggs Says “Right to Farm” Constitution Amendment Needed for Future Generations in Ag 7) newsok.com: Right to farm or right to harm? 8) nytimes.com: Chicken With Arsenic? Is That O.K.? 9) swampland.time.com: ALEC: What It Does and Why Three Ma jor Corporations Cut Ties 10) sourcewatch.org: Oklahoma ALEC politicians. 11) youtube.com: Scott Pruitt 2014 ALEC Annual Meeting NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11


okpolicy

THE SHORT ANSWER IS THAT THE LOTTERY HELPS SOME, BUT THE BOOST IT PROVIDES IS FAR LESS THAN WHAT HAS BEEN CUT FROM OTHER REVENUE SOURCES IN RECENT YEARS. FOR THE LONG ANSWER, READ ON.

Bad bet

Why didn’t the lottery solve Oklahoma’s education funding problems? by GENE PERRY

A

lmost without fail, any news story related to money for Oklahoma schools will attract commenters bitterly pointing out they thought the lottery was supposed to solve our education funding problems. So why hasn’t the lottery gotten Oklahoma out of the bottom rungs for education funding? The short answer is that the lottery helps some, but the boost it provides is far less than what has been cut from other revenue sources in recent years. For the long answer, read on. In 2003, the Oklahoma Legislature sent two lottery measures to a vote of the people. SQ 705 created the State Lottery Commission, which was empowered to operate a statewide lottery, with 35 percent of ticket proceeds going to education. SQ 706 created the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund. It also required the State Board of Equalization to annually make sure the lottery is

12 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

adding to education funding rather than replacing it, to prevent a situation in which the lottery gives with one hand and lawmakers take away with the other. If the Equalization Board finds that lottery is replacing education funds (also known as “supplanting”), then the Legislature is prohibited from making any appropriations until the amount of replaced funding is returned to the trust fund. Both state questions passed with about two-thirds majority support. The contribution of the lottery to the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund has been steady since 2006 at about $70 million per year. That’s lower than the initial projections by lottery backers. Before video lottery machines were removed from the list of permitted games, former Governor Brad Henry had said a lottery could bring in $300 million per year for education. Each year, lottery money is split between common education,

higher education, and CareerTech. In this year’s budget, the lottery provided just over $29 million for the preK-12 school funding formula. However, this $29 million makes up just 1.6 percent of the formula. It works out to only $42 per student. Meanwhile overall state funding for the education formula is still down $179 million compared to fiscal year 2008, more than six times as much as the funding from the lottery. Since overall funding is down by more than the lottery added, does that mean lottery funds are supplanting education revenue? The Board of Equalization doesn’t see it that way. In normal years, the Board has found that if education funding without the lottery is increasing, then that’s enough to show the lottery is not supplanting funding. In a year like 2010, when a severe funding shortfall caused education and almost every other area of state government to be slashed, the Board still found that

the Lottery was not supplanting funding. Education was not cut more than other government services, so the Board ruled that lawmakers had not taken extra funding out of schools because they knew the lottery would make up the difference. In the big picture, the lottery is a small funding source that doesn’t come close to covering our responsibility to pay for the education of young Oklahomans. Two years ago, lawmakers approved a tax break for oil and gas drilling that cost 3.6 times more than the lottery collects for education. The year before, they approved income tax cuts projected to cost 3.4 times more than the lottery brings in. The lottery grows state revenue by inches, while lawmakers have been pruning off yards. a

Gene Perry is Policy Director for Oklahoma Policy Institute (www.okpolicy.org). July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


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THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

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NEWS & COMMENTARY // 13


Pie Hole Pizzeria

Tallgrass Prairie Table

cheapeats

Tulsa restaurants offer a smorgasbord of savings R Bar

SMOKE. on Cherry Street

by ANGELA EVANS | photos by TULSAFOOD.COM STOCKING UP ON SUMMER NECESSITIES like koozies, bikini waxes, and beach towels can get expensive. Yet, subpar drive-thru dollar menus won’t do. Leave it to your pals at The Tulsa Voice to put together a list of some of Tulsa’s finest restaurants that have magical discounts on everything from sushi to steak. Whether half-price happy hour apps, killer daily deals, or bargain-basement bar grub, this list will help you keep your tummy (and your wallet!) full all summer long.

Juniper

Dilly Diner

ANDOLINI’S PIZZERIA 1552 E. 15th St. DAILY: Half-Price Appetizers, 2-5 p.m. THURS-SAT: $3 Slices, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. BAKER ST. PUB & GRILL 6620 S. Memorial Dr. DAILY: 13 Lunch Items $7.99 and Under MON: $4 Burger with Cheese and Fries

Palace Café

Baxter’s Interurban Grill

East Village Bohemian Pizzeria

Hodges Bend

BAXTER’S INTERURBAN GRILL 717 S. Houston Ave. MON: $6 Honey Pepper Burger MON-FRI: Featured Half-Priced Appetizers, 4-7 p.m. BLUE ROSE CAFÉ 1924 Riverside Dr. MON: $5 Junior Burger with Fries, 4-7 p.m. TUES: $8.99 Blackened Catfish with Rice, Beans, and Hush Puppies BROS. HOULIGAN – YALE 4848 S. Yale Ave. MON: $2 Off Chicken Tenders TUES: $2 Off T-Bone Steak WED: $2 Fried Shrimp THURS: $2 Chicken Fried Steak FRI : $1 Off Seafood SAT: $2 Off T-Bone Steak SUN: $2 Off Fried Catfish

The Vault

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White Flag

THE BROOK RESTAURANT AND BAR 3401 S. Peoria Ave. MON: $6 Cheeseburger & Fries, 4 p.m.-Close TUES: $4.50 Half Order Any Nachos, 4 p.m.-Close WED: $7.50 Fish & Chips, 4 p.m.-Close THURS: $6.95 Chicken or Beef Quesadilla, 4 p.m.-Close

CAFÉ OLE 3509 S. Peoria Ave. TUES: $2 Tin Pan Menu, 4-8 p.m. CROW CREEK TAVERN 3534 S. Peoria Ave. TUES: $4 Half-Pound Burger & Fries THURS: $12.95 Prime Rib CAZ’S CHOWHOUSE 18 E. Brady St. THURS: $3 Cheese Fries, 5 p.m.-Close MON-FRI: Half Price Appetizers at the bar, 2-7 p.m. FRI AND SAT: Half Price Appetizers at the bar, 9-11 p.m. DILLY DINER 402 E. 2nd St. WED: Half Price Appetizers, 4-7 p.m. DOC’S WINE & FOOD 3509 S. Peoria Ave. DAILY: $1 Oysters on the Half Shell TUES: $10 Half-Pound Burger with Chef’s Toppings and Fries EAST VILLAGE BOHEMIAN PIZZERIA 818 E. 3rd St. MON: $10 Margherita Bohemian Pizza MON-FRI: $3 Off Pizza and $2 Off Appetizers, 3-5 p.m. EL GUAPO’S CANTINA 332 E. 1st St. TUES: $1 Carnitas Tacos, 4-10 p.m. FASSLER HALL 304 S. Elgin Ave. MON: Half-Price Sausage, 11 a.m.-Midnight FLEMING’S STEAKHOUSE 1976 Utica Square DAILY: $6 Bar Menu, 5-7 p.m. July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


DALESANDRO’S

CHEAP EATS

1742 S Boston Ave | 918.582.1551 dalesandros.com Welcome to Dalesandro’s. Join us on the Patio for Award Winning Authentic Italian Food. Located on 18th & Boston, Downtown Tulsa. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are recommended.

WHERE TO EAT MORE FOR LESS

ANDOLINI’S PIZZERIA andopizza.com

FOUNDATIONS RESTAURANT

STG PIZZERIA

3717 S Sheridan Rd | 918.828.0980 plattcolleges.edu/our-restaurants

When we say “house made” mozzarella, we mean it. Andolini’s and STG Pizzerias use mozzarella we make in house daily. From new, interesting takes on Italian classics at Andolini’s to absolutely authentic Italian at STG Pizzeria and Gelateria. We look forward to serving you at any one of our locations in Tulsa, Owasso, or Broken Arrow.

Foundations Restaurant features a Friday lunch buffet that will have you wishing it was every day. The buffet boasts a vast assortment of delicious dishes and many other delights that are beyond your expectations. Our lunch and dinner menus feature the best seasonal dishes in Tulsa, Tuesday through Friday. Come by and try our amazing wine selection. It’s fine dining at a casual price!

BAKER ST. PUB & GRILL

SUSHI HANA

Open seven days a week with live music, good friends, and great food! Join us for Happy Hour: Mon-Sat 2pm-9pm & All Day Sunday; Acoustic Music Series: Every Sunday @ 8pm and Happy Hour from open to close; Burger Special: $3.99 cheeseburger & fries every Monday! Kitchen is open till 2am and full menu daily!

One of Tulsa’s Premier Sushi Japanese Restaurants. Visit us for lunch, dinner or your next special occasion. Join us for our 1/2 Price Select Sushi & Appetizers Happy Hour: Mon-Sat 4:30-6pm, Brookside Location only.

stgitalian.com

6620 S Memorial Dr | 918.286.2227 bakerstreetpub.com/tulsa

Riverside: 9904 Riverside Pkwy 918.528.6688 Brookside: 3739 S Peoria Ave 918.712.9338 sushihanatulsa.com

TULSA

CAZ’S CHOWHOUSE

WHITE FLAG

Homestyle cooking the way you wish your mama made it! Located downtown in the Historic Brady District just steps away from the Brady Theater, Cain’s Ballroom and just a couple of blocks from the BOK Center and PAC. We look forward to seeing you! Wed. 5pm-close Kids Eat Free, Thurs. 5pm-close $3 Cheese Fries, Happy Hour Mon-Fri. 2-7pm and also Fri.-Sat. 9-11pm, Brunch Sat & Sun 10:30am-2pm.

Join us for our Daily Specials! MonFri. Extended Happy Hour 3-7pm, $2 Domestics, $5 Appetizers., Tues. $5 Burger Night at 5pm. Live Music w/ Ayngel & John at 7pm (No cover), Thurs. Night Live Event Trivia at 8pm., Fri. Night Karaoke at 9pm, drink Specials and $5 Apps., Sat. & Sun. Brunch Menu 11am-3pm. Mimosas & Bloody Mary Bar.

18 E M. B. Brady St | 918.588.2469 cazschowhouse.com

THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

116 S Elgin Ave | 918.574.2525 whiteflagtulsa.com

FOOD & DRINK // 15


Stillhouse Bar & Grill

Cafe Olé

GEORGE’S PUB 108 N. 1st St. SUN: $5 Sloppy George with Haystack Fries MON: Half-Price Wings; $6.50 Pork Sandwich TUES: $5 Two Beef Tacos, Chips, Salsa, and a Tecate WED: $5 Burger THURS: $8.50 Any Fish Dish HEY MAMBO! 114 N. Boston Ave. DAILY: Half Price Appetizers, until 6 p.m. TUES: $12 2-Topping Pizza HODGES BEND 823 E. 3rd St. MON-FRI: 4-6 p.m., deals on select menu items

Sisserou’s

IN THE RAW – ON THE HILL 6151 S. Sheridan Rd. MON-THURS: Select Half-Price Sushi Rolls, $3 Edamame, 4:30-7 p.m. JUNIPER 324 E. 3rd St. DAILY: Half-Price Appetizers at the bar, 4-6 p.m.

Doc’s Wine & Food

KEO 3524 S. Peoria Ave.; 8921 S. Yale Ave. DAILY: Half-Price Appetizers at the bar, 4-7 p.m. KILKENNY’S IRISH PUB 1413 E. 15th St. DAILY: $5 Burger and Half-Pint of Guinness, or Fish and Chips, after 10 p.m.

Ming’s Noodle Bar

LUCKY’S 1536 E. 15th St. DAILY: $5 Appetizers, 4-6 p.m. MAXXWELLS 2636 E. 11th St. MON: Half-Price Appetizers, after 4 p.m. TUES: Half-Price Appetizers SUN: $5 Burger and Fries

Prhyme Downtown Steakhouse

MCNELLIE’S PUBLIC HOUSE 409 E. 1st St.; 7031 S. Zurich Ave. WED: $3.99 Burger, 5-11 p.m. MING’S NOODLE BAR 3509 S. Peoria Ave. 161 TUES: $5 Pad Thai at the bar MON-FRI: Half-Price Appetizers, 2-6 p.m.

16 // FOOD & DRINK

NAPLES FLATBREAD & WINE BAR 201 S. Denver Ave. Suite 107 DAILY: Bar Bites and Drink Specials, 2-7 p.m. MON: Half-Pound Angus Prime Burgers, $5 Naked, $7 Bacon Cheddar, $9 Tulsa, Pizza, or Western Burger PALACE CAFÉ 1301 E. 15th St. DAILY: Half-Price Appetizers at the bar, 4-6 p.m. PAPA GANOUJ 1328 E. 6th St. TUES-SAT: $1 Mezza, 4:30-6 p.m. PIE HOLE PIZZERIA 2708 E. 15th St. TUES: $10.99 16-inch Two-Topping Pizza or 12-inch Gourmet Pizza THE PINT ON CHERRY STREET 1325 E. 15th St. MON: $.50 Wings PRHYME DOWNTOWN STEAKHOUSE 111 N. Main St. MON & TUES: Half-Price Bar Menu R BAR & GRILL 3421 S. Peoria Ave. MON: $5 Burger, after 4 p.m. TUES: $5 Pizza ROKA BAR AND ASIAN FLAVORS 1616 S. Utica Ave. DAILY: Happy Hour Appetizer Menu, 3-6 p.m. MON: $5 Burger THE RUSTY CRANE 109 N. Detroit Ave. MON: $5 Beef Taco Plate, Roasted Pork Taco Plate, or Chips & Queso, 4 p.m.-Close TUES: $10 Fried Chicken Dinner MON-FRI: Half Price Appetizers, 3-5 p.m. SISSEROU’S 110 N. Boulder Ave. TUES: $12 Fried Jerk Chicken, 6 p.m.-Close MON-SAT: Half Price Selected Appetizers, 4-6 p.m.

SMOKE. ON CHERRY STREET 1542 E. 15th St. MON: $5 Cheeseburger & Fries, 4 p.m.-Close TUES: $15 Half-Rack Ribs, $24 Full Rack Ribs, 5 p.m.-Close WED: $25 12-ounce or $32 16-ounce Prime Rib, 5 p.m.-Close SUN: $18 12-ounce N.Y. Strip Steak, 4 p.m.-Close STILLHOUSE BAR & GRILL 8922 S. Memorial Dr. MON: $1.50 Chili Cheese Dogs, 2-10 p.m. TUES: $.49 Tacos, 2-10 p.m. WED: $.49 Wings, 2-10 p.m. THURS: $5.99 Stillhouse Burger, 2-10 p.m. FRI: $11.99 Ribeye Steak, Loaded Baked Potato, and Salad, 2-10 p.m. SUSHI HANA: BROOKSIDE 3739 S. Peoria Ave. MON-SAT: Half Off Select Sushi and Appetizers, 4:30-6 p.m. TALLGRASS PRAIRIE TABLE 313 E. 2nd St. DAILY: $10 Burger at the bar TUES-FRI: Full Happy Hour Menu, 2-4:30 p.m. THE TAVERN 201 N. Main St. DAILY: Half-Price Burgers, after 9 p.m. TI AMO – DOWNTOWN 219 S. Cheyenne Ave. TUES-FRI: Half Price Appetizers, 5-7 p.m. THE VAULT 620 S. Cincinnati Ave. TUES: $2.50 Sliders WHITE FLAG 116 S. Elgin Ave. TUES: $5 Burger and Fries MON-FRI: $5 Appetizers, 3-7 p.m. THE WILD FORK 1820 Utica Square DAILY: Half Price Appetizers, 4-6 p.m. THE WINE LOFT 7890 E. 106th Pl. S #14 TUES-FRI: $6 Select Tapas, 4-7 p.m. YOKOZUNA 309 E. 2nd St.; 9146 S. Yale Ave. - Suite 100 DAILY: Sushi and Appetizer Specials, 3-6 p.m. MON: $1 Steamed Buns (pork or chicken), 5 p.m.-Close a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


EL GUAPO’S CANTINA

332 E 1st St | 918.382.7482 8161 S Harvard Ave | 918.728.7482 elguaposcantina.com

The Most Popular Dining Destinations In Tulsa...

FASSLER HALL

DUST BOWL

Welcome to Fassler Hall Tulsa. This German gem in the heart of downtown Tulsa is known for its German beer and live entertainment. Half price sausages every Monday, 11pm to midnight!

Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge is an 8-lane bowling alley in the heart of Tulsa’s Blue Dome District. The 8,000 square foot facility, which includes a lounge, fullservice bar, patio and private VIP room with two lanes, is a retro-inspired tribute to the classic bowling alleys of the 1970s.

MCNELLIE’S

YOKOZUNA

304 S Elgin Ave | 918.576.7898 fasslerhall.com

409 E 1st St | 918.382.7468 mcnellies.com 7031 S Zurich Ave | 918.933.5258 mcnelliessouthcity.com Sure our beer selection is immense, but the food’s pretty good too! McNellie’s menu is filled with fresh, reasonably priced food. Every day, our dedicated kitchen staff works hard to make a variety of items from scratch, using the best ingredients available. Enjoy our $3.99 burgers & fries every Wednesday from 5-11pm.

211 S Elgin Ave | 918-430-3901 dustbowlok.com

309 E 2nd St | 918.508.7676 9146 S Yale, Suite 100 | 918.619.6271 yokozunasushi.com Yokozuna is an Asian restaurant and sushi bar located in the heart of Downtown Tulsa and South Tulsa. Join us Monday’s for $1 Steamed Buns (pork or chicken), 5 p.m. Close and Sushi and Appetizer Specials Daily, 3-6 p.m.

DILLY DINER

THE TAVERN

Downtown Tulsa’s favorite diner. Serving up breakfast all day, housemade bread, pastries, pies & cakes, homemade soft serve, house cured meats, local produce and so much more! Join us for our 1/2 price appetizers every Wednesday from 4-7pm. Open till 1am on weekends.

The Tavern is a modern interpretation of the classic neighborhood pub. All dishes are developed using simple preparations that showcase the quality and flavors of each ingredient on the plate. The Tavern offers a well-curated list of artisanal beer, world-class wine and specialty spirits.

402 E 2nd St | 918.938.6382 dillydiner.com

THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

El Guapo’s Downtown is Tulsa’s only roof top cantina with gorgeous views of downtown Tulsa. El Guapo’s Southside is where you’ll find the largest selection of tequila in south Tulsa, a beautiful garden patio, plus the same great food and service as the original downtown location. Enjoy $1 carnitas tacos, every Tues. 4-10pm.

201 N Main St | 918.949.9801 taverntulsa.com

FOOD & DRINK // 17


downthehatch by LIZ BLOOD

SAVE THE DATE FOR TULSAPEOPLE'S

*

University of Wash Landromat Arcade Bar, 3132 E 15th St GREG BOLLINGER

Washing your clothes with beer

J

An Annual Benefit for the Community Food Bank.

18 // FOOD & DRINK

ack Handey, surely one of the deepest thinkers of our time, once said, “I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don’t have any clean laundry because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?” I’m guessing Handey didn’t have a local laundromat like University of Wash. University of Wash bears all the hallmarks of a regular laundromat: rolling wire laundry baskets, front-loading dryers, large washers for bulky items. But they also have a patio with picnic tables, serve six kinds of beer on draft and many more in bottles and cans, offer cookies (oatmeal raisin, white chocolate macadamia nut, and chocolate chip) and sandwiches (a BLT, a Monte Christo, Elvis Presley’s favorite—peanut butter, bacon, and banana—among others), sell $3.50 mimosas on Saturday and Sunday, have a rotating art gallery, plus darts, pool, and arcade games to play while you wait on the spin cycle. Three signs hang from the ceiling behind the bar at U of

Wash: CHANGE, FOOD, BEER. Like the place itself, the woman at the counter is no one trick pony. She is at once laundromat queen, change machine, sandwich maker, server, and bartender. After she pulls me a Boulevard Tank 7 from the tap, I ask her which machine would best wash delicate items. She points me to the front-loading machines, then walks around from the bar to make sure I find the right setting. A digital jukebox on the wall is cranking out Motown, blues, and soul tunes. An air hockey table glows with promise and Big Buck Hunter World Edition in the far corner shows scenes of safari and a great hunt. Another sign inside reads: “Laundry today or naked tomorrow.” With our current weather situation, the latter might sound appealing, but it’s so cool inside U of Wash you won’t mind having clothes to wear. a In “Down the Hatch,” assistant editor Liz Blood offers a look inside Tulsa’s many bars, pubs, saloons and gin joints. Send suggestions for future columns to liz@langdonpublishing.com or @lizblood on Twitter. July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


Pecking, Rooting, Grazing

Living Kitchen’s pursuit of The Perfect Meal by Megan Shepherd | photos by Hans Kleinschmidt


Picture the happiest dinner you’ve ever attended, dotted with strangers gathered together for the same joyful cause: a celebratory meal on the balmy, firefly-lit porch of the Living Kitchen cabin.

20 // FOOD & DRINK

July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


Guests dine together at the Pecking, Rooting, Grazing Living Kitchen dinner

Rocks fly from beneath the wheels of the car as it rumbles up the gravel drive. We bounce through a clearing and can just barely make out signs of farm life in the distance: fencing, ponds, leafy trees with their branches stretched wide. The smell of the grass and dirt comingles with the hot summer air— eau de sunshine. A goat bleats somewhere in the distance, and a white, fur-matted farm dog trots over and pants expectantly at my car door, waiting to welcome me to the homestead. The farm is alive and well. We make our way over to a pen full of Nubian goats and meet the crowd snapping Instagram shots around them. Even I am powerless to the mug of a baby animal, and we pose for glamour shots as we await the tour. Linda Ford welcomes us with the warmth of family and gives us the run-down on Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy, a farm in Depew, OK helmed by Ford and Chef Lisa Becklund and now in its tenth year. The monumental anniversary will be celebrated all summer long, but special attention has been given to this dinner in particular, titled “Pecking, Rooting, and Grazing.” Combining elements from all facets of the operation—chickens, vegetables, pigs, goats, fruits and nuts—it’s as much a showcase of the farm’s finest bounty as it is homage to the animals and plants living on it. Tonight’s menu offers nods to all of this: Pickles and Pork, made with pork belly, ferTHE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

mented cabbage, and pickled root vegetables, has a salty bite and brilliant color; Rooting, a dish of tri-colored carrots and a deep, cumin-y hit of masala; Pecking, a garlic and onion-heavy chicken-scratch medley of marinated eggplant, fire-roasted cauliflower florets, and life-giving corn; Grazing, a simple but explosive kale salad accented with toasted pecans, milky pillows of handmade goat cheese, and juicy heirloom tomatoes we ourselves harvested from the garden rows hours earlier; and The Pig that Went to Market, a sweet, smoky carrot mash, a bed of tart slaw and tempura-fried kale served alongside a quintessential, classic Okie favorite: pork loin. As Lisa tells it, the menu’s theme is really about that sweet spot where everything comes together—“a celebration of our existence,” as she puts it. There’s a growing trend in our culture to put distance between the things we eat and the hands that prepare them; we see it in the standoffish unattainability that shrouds master chefs and five star restaurants, in the bulky, commoditized products that line grocery store shelves, in the way that we truck specialized fruits from one side of the country all the way to the other, in the impersonal grossness of fast food dollar menus, and in buying product from faceless wholesale suppliers to cut back on costs. We have become so conditioned to expect the bare minimum from our food that our minds are blown away when we get the crème de la crème—in this case, a freshly-picked summer squash still flecked with dirt, or a piece of cheese made from the milk of a happy goat.

Living Kitchen’s farm table dinners put this practice onto plate through a commitment to only prepare produce, dairy, and meats harvested onsite or nearby—often GMO free and certified organic. By capitalizing on this reality, they’re letting food in its purest form be the star of the show: no gimmicks, no preservatives, no crap on top—just beautiful, vibrant, artfully prepared, Oklahoma-grown bounty. Upholding a steadfast commitment to the “grow your own” movement lets Lisa and Linda live out another aspect of their food philosophy—a Buddhist approach to eating that aims to create “the perfect meal.” “You’ve got a certain amount of happiness and passion and love and karma and suffering, and it’s all equally part of the perfect meal,” Lisa explains. “And you know, that perfect meal is actually just the privilege of living on this planet, so that’s sort of my journey, and I think our journey together is trying to create that perfect meal in everyday life, where work is also our practice.”

Picture the happiest dinner you’ve ever attended, dotted with strangers gathered together for the same joyful cause: a celebratory meal on the balmy, firefly-lit porch of the Living Kitchen cabin. The guests sit side by side, huddled around a table set for temporary royalty, sipping wine and politely chatting the evening away in anticipation of dinner. FOOD & DRINK // 21


Living Kitchen ‘s cabin

Eventually, the courses begin to arrive: inventive dishes styled according to necessity and flair, vibrant in both color and presentation. They are small but delicious, and the wine flows, and all of a sudden, the conversation isn’t so much polite as it is easy: new friends chatting over dinner, trying each other’s drinks, having the world’s best communal first date, gathered together for one shared purpose: to connect through food—with the chefs, with the land, and with each other. “There’s no question for me that it is a spiritual thing,” Linda insists. “It’s not overt, and I think many people may not necessarily be able to put words to it, but … it opens them up. It’s slowing down. “I mean, breaking bread, you know, in that language, that in itself is such a privilege...” Lisa offers. As she trails off, you can see the wheels turning in her eyes, as if imagining the dinner coming together, and that sense of sharing getting transferred from one guest to another. “So, yeah, it’s hard not to think about that in every step of what we do.” Lisa and Linda are careful to create an environment where that sort of authentic sharing can unfold, without being too heavy-handed. It pops up in the delicately-scrawled placards that await guests at their seats, the summery candles, mason jars, tea lights and fireflies that set the ethereal ambiance of the back porch, in the fortuitous scent of the trees and the dirt and the fragrant air, in the small, focused staff, and in the contemplative nature of the cabin itself.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Lisa culled her skills in some of Seattle’s finest slowfood, farm-to-table establishments. Armed with a dream of launching her own, she headed to Oklahoma to get deeper into the 22 // FOOD & DRINK

weeds of the farming component of cooking, growing everything herself and selling it at local farmers markets. And although Living Kitchen has since built a rabid and loyal following, the road to that success was riddled with potholes— so much so that Lisa almost called it quits on the dream altogether. “Some years ago, I really had to do a bit of soul searching. Farming was really hard, and it was a lot of failure. I couldn’t see the results, and I started getting really depressed thinking, oh my god I just need to go to a restaurant where it’s easy. But I needed to find a greater purpose in what I was doing.” With sales at the farmers market not panning out, Lisa decided to create a more intimate alternative. She called on her network and invited them out to the farm for a dinner on her porch. The work was tough, but the community followed instantly. Ten years later, Living Kitchen’s community still rallies behind the organization to sell out nearly 50 farm table dinners between the months of April and October, each placed for a group of 36, designed to preserve that same intimacy that sparked Living Kitchen’s initial success. “Sometimes I don’t even know what the menu’s going to be until four that afternoon,” Lisa admits. “Or we might have a terrible thunderstorm, or it might be a little chillier than normal … nobody knows the drill.” This type of on-the-fly innovation takes specific planning: leafing through seed catalogs to find the perfect mix of new and heirloom All regularly scheduled 2016 dinners are currently sold out, but interested diners can get on the waitlist for certain seatings, or subscribe to the mailing list for last-minute openings. WWW.LIVINGKITCHENFARMANDDAIRY.COM

varieties, selecting and sowing them months in advance, timing their sprouting to match the menus of a still-undecided themed dinner schedule, and when that schedule arrives, using them in a way that helps diners see them in a new light. But guests have to ante up with a certain bit of flexibility, too. Reservations are made months in advance, often on a sight-unseen basis with little idea of what to expect. When the date finally rolls around, guests flock to the farm with astonishingly open minds. For many, the visit marks their first ever to a working farm, and they arrive bright-eyed and curious, almost childlike in their excitement. That excitement translates to willingness—to try something new, to be shuffled around in the seating chart, and to be open to whatever improvised idea or whim Lisa decides to chase. It’s a deep indulgence of curiosity, and Linda suspects it might be this very unknown that people find so appealing. Tonight, the “Pecking, Rooting, and Grazing” menu marries focus with flavor, skipping back and forth between ultra-rich courses such as a buttery potato gnocchi and light, surprising palette cleansers like the hibiscus and rose-infused ice. Everything is fresh, everything tastes incredible, and everything is made with purpose. It’s hard to imagine a better evening out in Oklahoma, and when you’re sitting on that breezy porch in the heat of summer, it’s hard to imagine winter overtaking the farm. Still, when the first freeze creeps in, Living Kitchen will close up shop for the season and Linda and Lisa will begin planning the next year of culinary creations. And while there’s only so much a one-chef operation can support, Lisa and Linda have toyed with the idea of adding more casual, five-course Sunday dinners to their schedule to accommodate new guests. It might be a ways away, but like the dinners have proved time and time again, anticipating the payoff is half the fun. a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


(CLOCKWISE) Pork belly, fermented cabbage with pickled root vegetables; chicken coop in vintage school bus; Shepherd collects tomatoes; deviled egg over beet puree, caramelized onion and flaky galette; owners Lisa Becklund and Linda Ford

THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

FOOD & DRINK // 23


Chef Josh Vitt in his Vitter’s Catering kitchen | GAVIN ELLIOTT

Gourmet grit

Underground dining with Joshua Vitt by ANGELA EVANS

C

hef Joshua Vitt is the guy other caterers call when a client wants unconventional cuisine for their party guests. “If someone wants a crawfish boil for their wedding reception, or a whole hog cooked in the ground for their birthday, other caterers will refer them to me,” said Vitt, owner of Vitter’s Catering in Tulsa. “I’m the guy just crazy enough to do it.” Vitt has been in the restaurant world’s orbit for 22 years, and his journey has been almost Homeric in scope. Facing a full-range of challenges, fate-twisting opportunities and plenty of chances to give up, Vitt has always followed his passion for cooking. He came from a family that loved to cook and grew up in the 24 // FOOD & DRINK

kitchen. He took Home Economics in middle school – and not just to hang out with girls. At 15, he knew he wanted to work in a restaurant. One night while working as a dishwasher at Western Sizzlin’, his fate as a future chef was sealed. “Their cook quit and they asked if I wanted to take a run at cooking,” Vitt said. He was a natural, so they moved him from dishwasher to cook. “At 16 years old, I was cooking 90 steaks to order on a Friday night.” His experience at “the sizzler” set him up for a serious gig at a five-star restaurant. In those times, the chef world was a little different. “They didn’t care about your feelings then,” says Vitt. “It was OK for the guys to smack you

around in the walk-in a little. You had to earn your stripes and do your time.” But Vitt, as a high schooler, navigated the regimented back of house politics while also learning how to really cook like a chef. After graduation, though, he was done with the food business; but it was not done with him. All of his friends got jobs at the local grocery store, so he decided to do the same. He ended up in the butcher department. “I learned how to cut meat, back when they still cut meat. The experience taught me so much about fabrication of meats. It’s funny the lessons you learn that you never think you’ll use.” Next, he added bartending to his repertoire, but he still couldn’t stay out of the kitchen.

“Even though I was bar managing at night, I was always cooking in a kitchen somewhere,” he said. “I even waited tables. So at a young age, I had been exposed to all areas of a restaurant—from food production and back of house, to bartending and front of house.” After leveling up for years, he hit a wall while working for a hotel catering department. “The hotel management told me I couldn’t get any more raises without a degree,” he recalled. “They even offered to pay for school, but I decided to do it on my own because I thought there could be new avenues for me.” He attended the prestigious Florida Culinary Institute, where he happened upon a new restaurant looking for a sushi chef. July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


Vitt is planning to “go out with a bang” for his July 9 pop-up dinner, which will be island-themed—a compilation of Cuban, Puerto Rican and other island flavors. Information about the dinner and how to RSVP will be on Vitter’s Catering Facebook page. To find out more, visit vitterscatering.com.

AFTER FIVE A D M I R A L

&

L E W I S

THURSDAY, JULY 14, 5:00–8:00pm FOOD » MUSIC » AFTER HOURS SHOPPING Shade Tree Music Series

Vitt wasn’t the only contender for the position, but he made the cut and started training. The young owner was new to being a restaurateur, but had been trained for years by a Japanese sushi master. “The way he trained us was the way he was trained by this old guy. Very meticulous, very repetitive, very intense. He taught me everything there is to know about sushi, about Japanese cooking.” After only a couple of years, though, the sushi restaurant went belly up. Vitt was again on the hunt for work in Florida, which led him down some unconventional paths. He landed a gig as a personal chef for a New York Mets center-fielder during spring training. “I never met the guy. I put the food in the refrigerator and they deposited money into my account.” Then, Vitt became a personal chef at a wellness and healing center, where energy healing, reiki and special diets were sought out by people battling serious illness. There, he learned about macrobiotic cooking, juicing and vegan diets. The wellness center was perhaps ahead of its time and closed its doors in March of 2006. Vitt found himself homeless and jobless. Tired of treading water in Florida, he headed back to Oklahoma, put everything he had learned into practice, and did what he needed to do to survive. “I ran an illegal, renegade catering out of my house,” he said. Every Thursday and Friday, he put his couches out on the front lawn and set up plastic production tables in the living room. He had four home refrigerators in THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

the garage. He washed sheet pans with a garden hose. “My wife had had enough of this shit,” Vitt laughed. “I wasn’t legal, so I was losing jobs. It was going nowhere, fast.” But one strategy for Vitt was working. He and his wife started doing underground dinners in their home every Friday and Saturday. Vitt’s most popular dinners featured his sushi, but the dinners began taking on a life of their own. “Every dinner, the guests got to choose what the theme would for the next dinner,” he said. “For the last dinner of the year, I would have them vote for their favorite dishes, and we’d do a 22-item buffet–an all around the world collection of all the dishes I had created from all the dinners.” Vitt got legal and took over operation of the Sun Building’s cafeteria downtown. His catering business began to really take off. That’s when the underground dinners got more extravagant. “I think we are the only ones to have done dinner and show pop-ups,” he said. “One time we did a Thai boxing match with Thai classical dancing and Thai buffet.” The events have toned down a bit over the years, but their sushi nights and Oktoberfest dinners still sell out. However, Vitt has slowed down with the underground dinners. “There are so many of these pop-ups, the market is sort of saturated right now,” he explained. “I will still do my sushi nights and private sushi parties. But, for now, it’s time to allow other chefs to take a crack at it.” a

JACOB TOVAR

and the

SADDLE TRAMPS

Free outdoor concert, food trucks and Marshall Brewing Company, plus fun stuff throughout Kendall Whittier!

“Making New Marks” Anniversary show through July 31!

Free face painting for the kids in the Ziegler Art Classroom!

$1 espresso after 5:00pm, plus kombucha on tap!

Opening Night of the Tulsa Girls Art School show in the gallery!

Free soft drink with purchase of any sausage roll or pizza!

$1 tacos (excludes seafood) and select beers for $2!

Our buzzing neighborhood bar, open daily 4pm to 2am.

Screen the 3rd of six collectible art prints, only during After Five!

All floral bouquets will be 15% off during After Five!

Pop-Up shop featuring Wild + Brave, plus 10% off after 5:00pm!

Second Thursdays mean an evening in Kendall Whittier! historicKWMS.com » facebook.com/historicKWMS FOOD & DRINK // 25


Livesay Orchards store in Porter, OK | GAVIN ELLIOTT

Gold standard

Porter’s Livesay Orchards celebrates its 50th peach season by ANGELA EVANS

T

he Livesay Orchard sprawls across 100-plus acres of land in Porter, 30 miles southeast of Tulsa, where the gold standard of Oklahoma peaches are grown. The largest orchard in the state, it’s home to dozens of peach varieties, in addition to watermelons, squash, onions, blackberries and other garden staples. “We’re about two and a half miles north of the Arkansas River, which creates great conditions for peaches. Go a little further any direction, the soil sometimes isn’t as well drained,” said Kent Livesay, who owns the orchard with his brother, Steve. “And our elevation is high enough that we are up out of the river bottoms, which keeps us away from the frost.” The farming roots run deep in the Livesay family. Kent and Steve’s great uncle, Austin Livesay, bought the orchard in 1966, and the land was passed from one generation to the next. This year, they’ll celebrate their 50th peach season. Oklahoma experiences erratic weather, a mixture of bitter cold and blistering heat. For the most part, this works to a peach’s advantage. Porter is located just far enough from the river to have soil that is densely packed with

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nutrients, but also sandy enough keep water can flow freely. “That quick warm up is what signals to peaches that it’s time to bloom and the extreme heat helps the peaches ripen,” Livesay said. “But it gets risky in the spring, with us warming up in the 80s in March, then dropping to 25 degrees. Once it goes below 30, it gets dicey.” The orchard does have some methods to combat Mother Nature’s cool breath. “If it’s not very windy, then we can use helicopters to help keep the warmth of the earth circulated. In fact, we used helicopters on Easter Sunday this year.” The use of helicopters may not seem like a high-tech farming method, but these farmers are university-trained horticulturalists and plant experts. “I have a nephew that just graduated a couple years ago with a plant science degree. And my son Kyle is currently a horticulture student at University of Arkansas,” Livesay said. There are over 2,000 kinds of peaches today, many of them engineered in university classrooms and through breeding programs. “The Red Haven was developed around 1945 at Michigan State University and I believe the

Loring—which is one of our most popular peaches—was developed at a Missouri university,” Livesay explained. “The Alberta peach was created before the Civil War, whereas the Glen Glo is relatively new variety. But, not many public universities are developing new peach varieties today.” The Loring is the most common type of Porter peach found in grocery stores, but the Livesays grow about forty varieties. Each variety behaves differently than the next. “We pick on one variety for about two weeks, and hopefully we time it where we’ll have another variety ready to go after that.” But much like Mother Nature, there seems to be no method to manipulate how it will all unfold. “All the trees bloom at basically the same time in the spring,” he continued. “However, there is no relationship between the day they bloom and the day they are ripe. Some of the peaches that we’ll pick in September may have bloomed the same day as another variety we picked in May.”’ And just to make things trickier, this peach season arrived early at Livesay Orchards. “The warm spring really speeded things up. Our Red Havens

are usually picked in late June, but they started picking in mid-June.” Prime peach season is roughly mid-June through September, with varieties changing weekly. Livesay said those interested can call the orchard to find out what is being picked that day. A bushel of grade-one peaches—those with no imperfections—is a little over $30. The price is lower for the grade-two peaches, which may have bruising, but are perfect for baking. Guests can also save a little money and pick their own peaches right off the trees out front. According to Livesay, those hunting for the perfect peach should look for “a creamy gold to yellow under color.” The “blush,” or red part of the peach skin doesn’t indicate ripeness, but the variety. Peaches should be “soft to the touch, but not mushy,” and should be handled delicately. “I always tell my employees to handle the peaches like they were eggs,” Livesay said. The Porter Peach Festival this year will be held July 14-16 and will celebrate all things peachy, from cuisine to culture. But if you want to travel directly to the source, Livesay Orchard is open Mon. through Sat., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


Livesay Orchards in Porter, OK GAVIN ELLIOTT

THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

FOOD & DRINK // 27


Josh Ozaras and Tracey Sudberry, two of the three men behind Barstream | GAVIN ELLIOTT

Bar without borders

Three entrepreneurs want to bring their upscale bar to you by ANGELA EVANS hree gentlemen sat around a table, presumably while consuming libations, when they hatched a plan. With five decades of extensive restaurant, bartending and catering experience among them, the men recognized a need in Tulsa’s private event scene. Of all the catered events and parties they attended, the bar service seemed to be consistently below par. Party planners coordinate everything with such attention, but the contents of the bar and the bartender’s abilities often seem to be an afterthought. “We noticed a lot of these functions had mediocre bar service,” said Josh Ozaras, owner of The Chalkboard restaurant. “We want guests to be able to get a great drink like you can get from one of the craft cocktail bars in Tulsa.” So last fall, Ozaras, along with Tracey Sudberry, general manager of The Chalkboard, and Jared Jordan, owner of MixCo, set out to revolutionize bar service at private events with their bartending and management catering service, Barstream. “We all still have our primary focuses at our restaurants, but we thought we could fill this in on the side,” Sudberry said.

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Armed with their point-of-sale system–which takes the “cash” out of “cash bar”–bartending expertise, product knowledge and a few events under their belt, they are about to unveil phase two of their endeavor: going mobile. “With our bar management service, we can set up a bar virtually anywhere our clients need, and that will still be our main business,” Ozaras said. “but now, we have the option of bringing a whole bar to you.” The guys felt the look of the classic Airstream, a brand of sleek silver midcentury motorhomes, best fit their vision for a mobile bar. After a couple months of research, they found a gentleman in Kansas who had several Airstreams from the 1950s. Among all the Airstreams, one straight out of their dreams stood out: a 1955 22-foot Flying Cloud with dramatic 13-panel “whale tail” end caps. This model was only manufactured in California and is considered rare. But there it was, rusting away in the middle of a pasture in Kansas. “This one fit our needs perfectly,” Sudberry said. “The trailer is longer and it sits a little lower, so the bar is eye level to guests. And the inside was already gutted.”

The group soon discovered that finding and purchasing this Airstream was the easiest part. “This was a complete frameoff restoration, and there were five different coats of latex paint to remove to get through to the metal,” continued Sudberry, who was the most hands-on with the restoration. “It was pretty rough. My fabricator, Kyle Jamar, can tell you first-hand. But when you’re dealing with sixty-year-old trailers, they don’t come out cookie cutter and ready to go.” Over the past six months, the shiny vessel has been transformed. Holes were cut on either side of the trailer where shutters are lifted and a custom-built wooden bar top fits underneath. The interior is just as polished, with pin-striping by Wizard Artworks emblazoned on each whale tail panel. But The Barstream is more than just a pretty face. It has its own generator, water and air conditioning, plus everything a bar needs–two speed wells on either side of the trailer to hold the liquors and garnishes, an ice bin, a refrigerated compartment that can hold four barrel kegs or one large keg, a cooler for wine and beer and the three sink com-

partment required by the health department. “It’s ready to go as soon as we park it,” Sudberry said. But just because The Barstream is almost road-ready doesn’t mean you’ll be seeing it at Food Truck Wednesdays. “This isn’t something we will drive around town and park on a corner and start serving cocktails,” Ozaras said. “This is centered on private events and we definitely have to stay within the parameters and legalities with ABLE Commission.” With Oklahoma’s tricky liquor laws, the group has had to work closely with ABLE, which also found itself in new territory. “The ABLE commission has been very pleasant to deal with,” said Ozaras. “They think it’s cool, but they want to keep it legal.” The Barstream is still getting some final touches, but it’s already generated a lot of buzz. And after six months of nail-biting, the guys appreciate the good feedback. “It’s been a labor of love on all of our parts,” Sudberry said. “You have to have vision. You have to be able to see past the rust and tarnish and bad paint the see the potential.” a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

FOOD & DRINK // 29


sportsreport

Grounds crew adds sod to convert ONEOK baseball field into a soccer pitch | TULSA ROUGHNECKS FC

Field conversion

Transforming ONEOK from baseball to soccer and back again by JOHN TRANCHINA

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t’s quite the elaborate transformation. Friday night, June 17, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC played to a 2-2 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy II at ONEOK Field, and then, barely 39 hours later, on Sunday, June 19, the Tulsa Drillers took the same field against the Springfield Cardinals, ending in a 5-2 loss. That left the grounds crew a pretty short window to make the field switchover from soccer to baseball, a process that consists of rolling up the grass covering about three quarters of the baseball infield and some smaller spots in the outfield warning track area. Following the Drillers’ eightgame homestand, which ended with an 8-3 loss to Northwest Arkansas on Sunday, June 26, there was a luxurious four-day span in which to re-apply the grass sod in time for the Roughnecks’

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next home match on Friday, July 1, against Arizona United SC. It’s a transition that has happened about 15 times since the Roughnecks began play in the United Soccer League in March 2015. “Sometimes there’s a question as to how durable it will be when it’s just put down a day or two ahead of the match,” admitted Gary Shepherd, ONEOK Field’s head groundskeeper. “We always try to do the best we can to try to make sure it’s going to play as safe as it can.” Each conversion typically takes about 12 hours. Going from baseball to soccer, Shepherd and his crew start by scooping the top layer of dirt off the infield. “If you notice guys sliding [at Drillers games] you’ll see the lighter-colored stuff that doesn’t

really look like dirt, it’s a coating, and it’s removing about a quarter- to a half-inch layer of that, as the first step,” Shepherd explains. “We do that ourselves with rakes and shovels and using our utility vehicle. Then we move it off the infield and stockpile it in our storage area.” Then local company Jonesplan brings in fresh grass from Riverview Sod Ranch in Leonard, Okla., and rolls out roughly 8,000 square feet of sod over the infield dirt and the sections of the warning track. “It’s cut a little bit thicker for stability and has a little bit more weight on it than a normal piece of sod,” Shepherd said. “Before the guys roll the sod out, Jonesplan takes some of the dirt material off the edges of the dirt, so the sod will match up to the existing grass, so you’ve got a nice, smooth transition there.

“Then they lay down the fabric that goes in between the sod and the infield itself. It’s called a geo-textile material, it’s about a four-ounce-per-square-yard, real thin material, but it’s permeable so water can get through but not dirt or sand. We want to keep the dirt from the sod separate from the infield dirt.” After the Jonesplan folks roll down the sod, Shepherd takes over. “Sometimes I water the sod in right away,” he said. “I’ll top-dress it with sand to put a little bit more weight on it, to hold it down in place a little bit better and get it some stability to firm up a little bit. And then I might have to mow it sometimes. Sometimes they mow it at the sod farm or sometimes it comes in a little bit taller.” At this point, Shepherd has to walk a fine line between keeping the new grass moist and healthy July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


without over-watering it, because he doesn’t want to have excess water seeping through the fabric and saturating the infield dirt underneath. He also covers up the pitcher’s mound, which lies outside of the soccer playing area, and re-paints all the relevant lines in the field while covering up the baseball lines. For the changeover back to baseball, Jonesplan comes out again and rolls up the sod and disposes of it –they use new, fresh sod every time. Then Shepherd gets the infield ready for baseball again, returning the top layer of dirt and trying to blend it back in with the existing dirt already there. “When we put the dirt material back in on the edges, it’s good if I can rototill that back in and then roll it,” Shepherd said. “I’ve got a big one-ton roller, just to make sure that everything gets packed back in where it needs to be, and that the dirt is going to be firm and ready for baseball activity. I think when you take a layer of dirt off and you just put it back on top, you can get a layering effect or where it might chunk out on you.” This intricate dance doesn’t come without significant cost. “I can tell you that it’s in excess of $100,000 a year for us to do that,” reported Mike Melega, team president and general manager for both the Roughnecks and Drillers. “Obviously, it’s a big expense, but that’s important so that we get the soccer pitch as high quality as possible and it’s gone very well for us.” Despite all of Shepherd’s best efforts, though, players from both resident clubs indicate that the field does suffer as a result of the process. The soccer players acknowledge that the grass covering the infield is noticeably different than the rest of the field, although they consider the inconsistent surface conditions part of their home-field advantage. “When you’re first getting used to it, it’s definitely a little bit thicker, (the ball) bounces different coming off of it, and when it rains or there’s bad weather, it THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

kind of chunks up sometimes,” said Roughnecks goalkeeper Jake Feener, whose goalie area contains some of the infield grass. “I think it’s something that we have to use as a home-field advantage, because it’s something we get to see before, and it is different every single time you’re playing on it.” “It’s better than having turf,” added Roughnecks forward Sammy Ochoa. “We’re used to it, so we try not to have it affect us too much. When we train on it, we work on those spots, we try to get the bounce for it. We’re happy just to have grass out there.” And in baseball, the infield dirt ends up looser than usual (due primarily to the continual removal and replacement of the upper layer of dirt), which can lead to strange bounces on ground balls, while the outfield grass is a little beat up. “I think that the field shows some wear and tear, especially on the right side of the infield,” acknowledged Drillers first baseman Lars Anderson. “Soccer is a physical sport, they wear cleats and do slide tackles, so it’s going to put a beating on the field in a way that a baseball game wouldn’t. “The dirt can be a little bit looser, I think, than maybe you’d like it, which can lead to some inconsistencies. There’s a few funny hops. There’s funny hops on all fields, but if the field is being manipulated on a regular basis, that’s something that guys point fingers at. Behind the infield, not a lot of balls go through that area. It’s a little bit chewed up, but it doesn’t affect play too much.” Ultimately, the playing surface may not be as good as it can be for either sport, but that appears to be the price to pay for both teams playing in a state-of-the-art stadium. “It’s unbelievable, this facility,” said Roughnecks coach David Irving. “You have to take your hat off to Gary, the groundskeeper. Obviously, (the condition of the grass over the infield) is not the same, but it’s remarkable how they have it down to a science now. All in all, no complaints.” a ARTS & CULTURE // 31


onstage

Nurturing talent Local performers need more training opportunities by ALICIA CHESSER

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our weeks into a five-week series, the eight actors in Machele Miller Dill’s community Meisner Technique class had reached maximum discomfort. The buzz in the room was electric. One young woman nodded bravely as Dill challenged her—“your stakes have to be higher”—and then offered suggestions on how to get there. Fueled by pure trust, the actor began an improvised scene with a partner using Sanford Meisner’s renowned method of repetition, developed in the 1940s. (“You’re sitting.” “I’m sitting.” “You’re sitting!” “I’m sitting….”) After a few minutes of this befuddling exercise (and guided by another Meisner slogan, “fuck ‘polite’”), a sudden well of emotion opened up, the young woman began to cry, and the scene dove into new and rich terrain. The actors in Dill’s class, which she offered at $10 an hour, ranged from wide-eyed young adults to trained, established theater artists like Jessica Davenport and Rebecca Ungerman, both of whom were exhilarated to learn a new technique. “I thought, whoa, an actual workshop, an affordable training opportunity for adult actors! Where do you find that?” Ungerman said. “There’s a whole DVD set of Meisner himself teaching his class, but knowing what I know now after four classes, I see how much of it is dependent on connection.” Tulsa’s performance calendar may be full, but there’s a void when it comes to continuing education for performing artists. “This is the first class I’ve seen in the community that’s a real acting class,” said Davenport. “It’s about 32 // ARTS & CULTURE

Machele Miller Dill, director of the Musical Theatre Program at the University of Tulsa | GREG BOLLINGER

developing your art form—treating acting as an art form, as a discipline. We should practice. We shouldn’t just have rehearsal.” Freelance dance artists can find a handful of training opportunities locally, but for actors there are “how to audition” workshops, many offerings for kids, and that’s about it. If Tulsa wants its performing arts to grow—in breadth, depth, and national esteem—it needs to make sure its artists can grow. As we begin to realize the economic impact of getting more “butts in seats,” we shouldn’t forget that the best way to attract those viewers in the first place is by putting on performances of superior quality. And quality, like art itself, doesn’t just happen.

Director Frank Gallagher, who describes himself as “really positive on Tulsa theater,” observed that “most people here did some stuff in high school, and they love it and they want to keep doing it and there’s nothing wrong with that. But they’re dealing with a limited skill set, and then they teach themselves from there.” There are many highly trained artists in town, too, he notes, but even they need to keep learning and practicing. (Mikhail Baryshnikov still takes class, for heaven’s sake.) “Are you grounded in the fundamentals? Do you have a philosophical foundation?” Gallagher asked. “If you don’t have that, you and the audience can have a lot of fun, but you’re not going to continue to

get better in an obvious way. You’re just going to kind of play around.” Local performers, by and large, work full-time jobs and rehearse and perform (often without pay) on nights and weekends. Not only is it tough to find time to take a class, it’s tough to find the money, too. For those with the expertise to teach, finding affordable space can be an issue. The cost of space rental is then passed on to students, driving up class prices and discouraging enrollment. “The lack of workshops and classes is a money issue,” Gallagher said. Local performing arts companies already have their hands full (and their bank accounts strained) putting on shows. They need help in deepening the work, which takes more than self-instruction. Gallagher suggested a grant devoted to theater education for adults, which would make it possible and affordable—free, even—for people to receive training. Artists like Dill are hearing requests for more classes—in everything from basic acting to stage combat—and are eager to offer them. “I’m still a student,” she said. “I just love what I do and I’m passionate about it. If that can help somebody, awesome.” Her community students noticed that the training was helping them to be more connected, honest, and fearless actors—“to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances,” as Meisner himself put it. When the actors benefit, the audience and the whole community benefit, too. The talent is already here, but it needs ongoing training and development if it’s going to stay and thrive. a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


RO N FU N CH E S | ER IC A N D RE | F ORT UN E F E IM ST ER | N AT E BAR GA TZ E B RID G E T E V E RET T | R HE A BU T CHER | DJ D OUGG POU ND J UL IA N MC CU LL OU G H | A HM ED BAROOC HA | BYRO N BO WERS IA N A B R A MSO N | J O F IR EST ONE | M ONRO E M ART IN | NE M R T ON Y H I NC H CLI FF E | MA RO NZ I O VA NC E | AS HL EY BAR NHI LL J OS H F AD E M | J OH N NY PE M BERT ON | GODDAM N C OME DY JA M B RE N T W EI N B A CH | C OME D Y SHO RT F IL M F EST | A FT ER P A RTI ES WI TH SPE CI AL G UE ST S & LI VE M US IC | SU NDA Y CO ME DY BRU N CH

JULY

1-30 PERPETUAL ART — GOING LARGE

Jason Wilson, PAC Gallery

6 JOESF GLAUDE

GUITARS GONE WILD Brown Bag It, PAC Trust

9 1964… THE TRIBUTE Celebrity Attractions

15-24 JOSEPH AND THE

THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Theatre Tulsa Family

19-24 42ND STREET

Celebrity Attractions

30 COMPAGNIE HERVÉ KOUBI

Choregus Productions

31 KORESH DANCE COMPANY

Choregus Productions

ARTS & CULTURE // 33


inthestudio

A sense of place Tulsa Artist Fellow and husband assert queer history through their art by LIZ BLOOD

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hree years ago, Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin began working on their “50 States Project,” or what Margolin has called their “life’s work.” “Well, at least the next three decades,” Vaughan said. “I think it will take us twenty-five years,” Margolin added. Vaughan smiled skeptically. “Jake’s more optimistic than I am.” The project is vast in its undertaking—the married couple plans to visit each state in the Union, research lesser-known pieces of queer history, and create installation work that examines and retells the stories. Vaughan is the official recipient of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, but the work is both his and Margolin’s. At TAF’s beginning, the fellowship wasn’t set up to accept collaborating fellows. They are now open to it for the future. In addition to installation work, Margolin and Vaughan also handcut images of historic LGBT locations and of vintage gay erotica (mostly from “Physique Pictorial”) on United States road maps. “The only images that were positive images of gay men in the West were in erotica,” Margolin said. But the histories they have researched show gay culture was alive in the West in other ways. “Virile and vibrant gay identity was part of the mythology of the masculinity of the West,” he continued. “As we’ve gotten into this project, learning about these histories, we’ve realized we do have a claim to the history. We aren’t just inserting ourselves— which feels like a departure from the interest in the erotica and into the real documented histories.”

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Jake Margolin and Nick Vaughan at the now-abandoned Discoveryland in Sand Springs, where the musical “Oklahoma!” ran for nearly 40 years. | MELISSA LUKENBAUGH

The maps accompany the state installation projects, but the artists think of them as sketches. “They are a way of dealing with iconography. Getting it down allows the installation work to be more abstract,” Margolin said. Currently, the duo is working on their Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma installations. Two years ago, they moved to Houston and immersed in the region. “We initially thought we’d move for each [project],” said Margolin, who originally hails from California. Vaughan is from Fort Collins, Colorado, and the two met in New York, where they studied and worked in theater. “As it turns out, moving every year is not awesome.” Their Oklahoma installation

piece, which is still in progress, centers on gay Cherokee writer Lynn Riggs, a celebrated playwright from the early 20th century and a finalist several times for the Pulitzer Prize. Bette Davis considered him to be “one of the most important contributors to the American theatre.” Riggs’ play, “Green Grow the Lilacs,” became the basis for “Oklahoma!” the musical. “But that hasn’t translated into any cultural awareness of him,” Vaughan said. “There’s something beautiful about the idea that this super hetero-normative, white, manifest destiny mythology of the Midwest, Oklahoma, and the West—that version of American iconography comes from a queer Cherokee playwright.”

For this piece, Vaughan and Margolin are planning a video installation utilizing reflective panels. They will project filmed scenes featuring themselves and Oklahoma drag queens through two-way mirror panels, casting a clear image on one wall, and a distorted image on another. In one of Riggs’ poems, he wrote, “I have sung of beauty where I have seen no beauty.” Vaughan and Margolin noticed this split-impulse as a theme in much of Riggs’ work. “He had a deep love and great nostalgia for [Oklahoma], but he also couldn’t stand to be here,” said Vaughan. “In a play called ‘The Cherokee Night,’ he tells this myth of a warrior who would set his life in the top of a sycamore tree before he went into battle, so he couldn’t be killed … It’s the idea that you can take a part of yourself and protect it by setting it aside. That’s a strong through line in a lot of his work. He wrote himself in [his plays], then promised they had nothing to do with his life. There’s something about the relationships between these two images [in the installation work]—the clear and the distorted—that feels right.” Each installation, like each history and state, will be a different response, fitting to the particular story. “What we’re trying to do with all of the states is find narratives that are recently uncovered or underappreciated or peripheral.” Margolin agrees. “This project is an affirmation that the road to LGBT progress was paved by really ordinary, anonymous people who had the extraordinary bravery to live their lives the way they felt they should.” a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


Compagnie Hervé KOUBI France/Algeria July 30 Koresh Dance Company USA July 31 | L-E-V Israel Aug 3 10 Hairy Legs USA Aug 5 | BODYTRAFFIC USA Aug 6 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Aug 4 & 5 PERFORMANCES

MASTER CLASSES

DETAILS AT CHOREGUS.ORG

THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

RESIDENCY ACTIVITIES

TICKETS 918-688-6112 OR MYTICKETOFFICE.COM

ARTS & CULTURE // 35


thehaps

Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Wed., July 13 through Sun., July 17 Pastures of Plenty, Okemah $30-$75, woodyfest.com WoodyFest is held on the weekend nearest Woody Guthrie’s birthday (July 14) in his hometown of Okemah. This year’s lineup includes John Fullbright, David Amram, Samantha Crain, Michael Fracasso, Ellis Paul, Kalyn Fay, Jared Tyler, Peter Case, Wink Burcham, Ali Harter, John Calvin Abney, and more. This will be the first WoodyFest on the Pastures of Plenty’s permanent stage, which is currently under construction. On Sunday, July 17, at 2 p.m., the Woody Guthrie Center will host readings by the Woody Guthrie Poets based on this year’s theme, “Don’t Kill My Baby and My Son.”

Woody Guthrie Folk Festival | GUY ZAHLLER

Poets vs Rappers II

Black History 101 Mobile Museum

Fri., July 8, 8 p.m. $10-$12, free for Living Arts members Living Arts, livingarts.org

Sun., July 10 through Sat., July 16 Greenwood Cultural Center blackhistory101mobilemuseum.com

Living Arts’ wordsmith competition returns with poets and rappers vying for the title of “The Tightest,” as well as $250 in prizes. The poets won it last time, but the rappers are coming back with a vengeance.

For 25 years, the Black History 101 Mobile Museum has traveled the country with more than 5,000 artifacts and treasures, from slavery to hip hop. Prominent pieces include documents written and signed by Martin Luther King, Jr., Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali, among many more. To celebrate the opening of the exhibition in Tulsa, on Sunday, July 10 at 2 p.m., Greenwood Cultural Center will host public presentations by Mobile Museum founder Khalid el-Hakim and Public Enemy’s Professor Griff.

2nd Saturday Tour: Terra Cotta Safari Sat., July 9, 10 a.m., $10 Topeca Coffee tulsaarchitecture.com The beauty of Tulsa’s art deco architecture is well known, but are you familiar with all of the animal life depicted on buildings downtown? Those inanimate animals will be the subjects of Tulsa Foundation for Architecture’s 2nd Saturday Walking Tour this month. Tours begin at Topeca Coffee at The Mayo Hotel at 10 a.m., and subsequent tours start in 15-minute intervals.

For the most up-to-date listings

thetulsavoice.com/calendar 36 // ARTS & CULTURE

Trump and Me: An Evening with Mark Singer Tues., July 12, 7 p.m. Congregation B’nai Emunah booksmarttulsa.com Tulsa native and New Yorker Staff Writer Mark Singer comes home for the launch of his new book, “Trump and Me.” In the book, Singer revisits his legendary profile of Trump and recounts how its publication lodged inside its subject’s head as an enduring irritant—and how Singer (“a total loser!” according to Trump) cheerfully continued to bait him. He reflects on Trump’s evolution from swaggering buffoon to potential threat to America’s standing as a rational guardian of the world order. July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


thehaps

BEST OF THE REST EVENTS

Second Saturdays at Philbrook // Bring out the inner artist in each member of the family and experience Philbrook in a whole new way! Visit on the second Saturday of each month for free family-friendly art activities, tours and scavenger hunts for kids of all ages. // 7/9, Philbrook Museum of Art, Free, philbrook.org Brookside Farmers Market // This is an opportunity to find fresh produce and local products. Various types of market foods will be on sale. // 7/6 & 7/13, 7:30 a.m., Whole Foods Brookside, wholefoodsmarket.com/ stores/brookside

Porter Peach Festival

Thurs., July 14 through Sat., July 16 Downtown Porter, OK, porterpeachfestivals.com This year marks Porter’s 50th annual Peach Festival. Peachy festivities include desert and preserves contests, live music, a parade, a 5K, a car and bike show, street games, the Porter Peach Pageant, and much more. Best of all, on Saturday at 1 p.m., the people of Porter will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for largest peach cobbler, after which they’ll divvy up the behemoth treat and give free cobbler and ice cream to all in attendance.

Kendall Whittier After Five Thurs., July 14, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admiral and Lewis, historickwms.com The Kendall Whittier neighborhood is experiencing a great rejuvenation. One of the best ways to see all the area has to offer is its After Five series. On the second Thursday of each month, shops stay open late and offer specials, and live music fills the streets. For this month’s installment, Jacob Tovar and the Saddle Tramps will play on the outdoor stage. If you’ve only been to Kendall Whittier for the Circle Cinema or Ziegler’s, go see what you’re missing.

Ok, So… Story Slam – “Only In Tulsa” Thurs., July 14, 8 p.m., $5 IDL Ballroom, facebook.com/oksotulsa The theme for July’s Ok, So… Story Slam is “Only In Tulsa.” Competition is sure to be steep, as everyone in town has a story with that punch line. Anyone is welcome to tell a story, and the night’s winner will receive $50.

Tokyo in Tulsa Fri., July 15 through Sun., July 17 Cox Business Center, $65, tokyointulsa.com Tokyo in Tulsa is Oklahoma’s largest celebration of anime, cosplay, and Japanese pop culture, featuring speakers, panels, exhibitors, live music and entertainment, and gaming of all varieties. THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

and Tim Rice’s beloved Bible story musical, performed by graduates of Theatre Tulsa’s Broadway Bootcamp. // 7/15-7/24, Tulsa Performing Arts Center - John H. Williams Theatre, $20-$22, tulsapac.com/index.asp

COMEDY

The Ra jun Ca jun John Morgan // 7/6-7/9, Loony Bin, $2-$15, loonybincomedy.com Pop Up Players // 7/7, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Tulsa Tonight // 7/8, 10 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com

Food Truck Wednesday // Food from Tulsa food trucks, family fun and live music in an urban park setting. // 7/6, 11:30 a.m., Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com

Crayons // 7/8, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com

An Affair of the Heart: Shopping Event // Heart of Tulsa is presented annually in July and November by An Affair of the Heart, the largest arts, crafts and antiques show in Oklahoma.Premiering in 1995 // Heart of Tulsa has grown into a unique marketplace where local and national crafters // artisans, boutique owners and collectors can share and sell their products with the general public. // 7/15-17, 9 a.m., Expo Square River Spirit Expo

Komedy Kombat // 7/9, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com

1 Million Cups // 1 Million Cups is a free, weekly national program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs. Developed by the Kauffman Foundation, 1MC is based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and network over a million cups of coffee. // 7/6, 9 a.m., 36 Degrees North, 36degreesnorth.com

Triple Feature: Johnny O, Rick D’Elia, Raanan Hershberg // 7/13-7/16, Loony Bin, $2-$12, loonybincomedy.com

Movie in the Park: E.T. the Extraterrestrial // 7/7, 8:30 p.m., Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com

Cian Baker says Laugh it up, Tulsa // 7/17, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $5, comedyparlor.com

Movie On the Lawn - To Catch a Thief // 7/8, 7:30 p.m., Philbrook Museum of Art, philbrook.org

SPORTS

Gallery Talk at Philbrook // Join Philbrook Curators on guided tours of the museum collections and special exhibitions. // 7/13, Philbrook Museum of Art, philbrook.org Movie On the Lawn - Mary Poppins // 7/15, 7:30 p.m., Philbrook Museum of Art, philbrook.org Movie in the Park: National Lampoon’s Vacation // 7/18, 8:30 p.m., Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com

PERFORMING ARTS

42nd Street // This classic meta-musical tells the story of Peggy Sawyer, who leaves her home with dreams of becoming a Broadway dancer. “42nd Street” includes some of the greatest songs of the American Songbook, including “We’re In The Money,” and “I Only Have Eyes for You.” // 7/19-7/24, Tulsa Performing Arts Center - Chapman Music Hall, $18-$55, tulsapac.com/index.asp Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat // Andrew Lloyd Weber

The Mic Drop // 7/9, 10 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com

Sunday Night Stand Up // 7/10, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $5, comedyparlor.com The Outsiders Comedy Tour // 7/11, , Hunt Club, thehuntclubtulsa.com Soundpony Comedy Hour w/ Dusty Slay, Andrew Deacon // 7/11, , Soundpony, thesoundpony.com

Improv Pop // 7/15, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Hot Mic Comedy // 7/16, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com

Tulsa Drillers vs San Antonio Missions // 7/6, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, $5-$35 Tulsa Drillers vs San Antonio Missions // 7/7, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, $5-$35 Tulsa Drillers vs San Antonio Missions // 7/8, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, $5-$35 Tulsa Drillers vs Corpus Christi Hooks // 7/9, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, $5-$35 Tulsa Drillers vs Corpus Christi Hooks // 7/10, 1 p.m., ONEOK Field, $5-$35 Tulsa Drillers vs Corpus Christi Hooks // 7/11, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, $5-$35 Tulsa Roughnecks vs Saint Louis FC // 7/15, 7:30 p.m., ONEOK Field, $8-$45 Tulsa Drillers vs Northwest Arkansas Naturals // 7/17, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, $5-$35 Tulsa Drillers vs Northwest Arkansas Naturals // 7/18, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, $5-$35 Tulsa Drillers vs Northwest Arkansas Naturals // 7/19, 7 p.m., ONEOK Field, $2-$35 ARTS & CULTURE // 37


musicnotes

Tamer animals

The musicians behind I Said Stop! return to Tulsa with new project

by DAMION SHADE

T

en years ago, friends Ian Gollahon and Brian Keller played in the foot-stomping indie rock group, I Said Stop! The young musicians eventually moved to Chicago for college, and the band went into a years-long hiatus while Gollahon got married and Keller became a professional audio engineer. Now, the songwriting duo has returned to Tulsa with a new project and a new record, which speaks to the story of the younger selves they left behind. I met with Gollahon and Keller downtown recently to discuss their new band, Animal Names, and its forthcoming album. The pair has the kind of easy wordless rapport people find only after decades of friendship. Keller told me the story of how they first met. “Fourteen years old. Wright Christian Academy. It was crazy. [Ian] was the first student I met when I went there. I showed up in ninth grade with my mom, and he was the guy the administrator told to give me a tour. Two months later he was like ‘Do you want to play music with me?’ and we started a band.” Their first band was an angsty Christian punk rock group with violin and piano called Decorative Destruction. Imagine a group of skinny, fist pumping 14-year-old suburban white kids trying to wax rebellious at a church school in south Tulsa. Keller laughed and shook his head. “You gotta keep in mind we were going to a private Christian school, but we were the students that always got in trouble for not raising our hands in chapel.” “When we were still in high school, we were going out and 38 // MUSIC

Animal Names | GREG BOLLINGER

listening to Elliot the Letter Ostrich all the time,” Gollahon said. “Aaron Wesinger, who plays bass [in Animal Names] was also the bassist for Elliot the Letter Ostrich, and so we were like let’s just start a dance band and play a different kind of music. I remember us saying we were tired of playing angsty crap, and we just wanted to play something fun. That’s when we did ‘I Said Stop!’ Then with Animal Names we were in college and I started writing more folky stuff. There were seventh chords and more complex time signatures and it no longer sounded like a dance-y band. “When I first came back to Tulsa I just wanted to restart I Said Stop,” Gollahon continued. “We tried to make that work, but it became pretty clear that this wasn’t really I Said Stop anymore. It was really time for a new name that described what we were playing now.” The group’s new moniker is an homage to the indie rock bands that inspired them to play mu-

sic in the first place, like Modest Mouse, Grizzly Bear and even Elliot the Letter Ostrich. The self-titled debut begins with the bright rhythmic picking of Keller’s Rickenbacker swelling towards Ian Gollahon’s improbably earnest voice. The songs teeter between an alt country and a psychedelic guitar rock sensibility that calls to mind early My Morning Jacket and even more obscure sonic voices like The Eels. Wesinger’s fluid, melodic bass and Philip Martin’s tight, straight drumming underpin the album’s rhythm. Tulsa guitar luminary Chris Combs (JFJO, Stone Trio) contributes lap steel to a track while Olivia McGraw adds vocals and violin. The album was recorded completely in Gollahon’s garage. The entire process was fairly DIY, with Keller and Gollahon acting as both engineers and producers. “It sounded horrible at first,” Keller said. “We sound-treated it before we recorded. We bought all of this insulation from Home Depot and treated the garage and

left it open and then we wrapped memory foam around the sheetrock and all the corners to help muffle the bass and we created a memory foam floor. We practiced there too which really helped a lot with the drums.” The pair’s engineering backgrounds—Keller went to school for it and Gollahon interned at Engine Studios under Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine)— served the band well; standout moments abound on the musically dense album. Gollahon’s lyrics are riddled with ambivalence, loss and longing. Recently, Gollahon and his family received the tragic news that his older brother James had passed away. Gollahon told me that the complicated struggle of his brother’s life colored many of the emotions on this record. “Some of lyrics on ‘Greens and Red’ and a few of the songs are referencing my brother’s life and all of those issues in the most honest way I could.” On perhaps the album’s most striking moment, the song “Flowers in your hair,” Gollahon sings “You wound me up for hours and the minutes you were there. There’s poison in the flowers and there’s flowers in your hair. Now what do you do when you find someone who’s telling the truth.” Here he writes of a beauty that kills him, catharsis hidden in a parable of regret. Animal Names somehow manages to both mourn and celebrate the power of loss and hope all at once. Soundpony Records will release the band’s self-titled debut on vinyl with a release party at Soundpony Friday, August 12 at 10 p.m. a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


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MUSIC // 39


CYCS

Wink Burcham playing a Courtyard Concert at Langdon Publishing on June 21 | GREG BOLLINGER

Finding Cleveland Wink Burcham stops by the courtyard for a show and a chat by JOHN LANGDON

I

n the title track of his new album, Cleveland Summer Nights, Wink Burcham reminisces on youthful innocence and spending summers with his cousins in Cleveland, Oklahoma. He sings, “Burn the tread right off the wheel/If anybody asks just let ‘em know/I didn’t like the way this city feels/I’m going to Cleveland to find my soul.” We all have a Cleveland, whether it’s an actual place or a feeling of something simple and good. And though we can’t escape down Highway 64 each time we’re feeling at odds with the world around us, a song can bring a piece of Cleveland with it. And that’s often enough. Burcham recently stopped by our Courtyard to play songs from the new record. With Stephen Lee on guitar and Christopher Foster on bass and backing vocals, Burcham led us to a place where things don’t move so fast and

40 // MUSIC

the daily drudgery is just a fading image in the rear-view. Burcham recently celebrated the release of Cleveland Summer Nights at a show on Friday, July 1 at Soul City, with an opening set by John Fullbright. You can catch Wink every Tuesday at Mercury Lounge. FIRST SONG YOU LEARNED TO PLAY: It was either [sings the guitar riff from The Doors' “Love Me Two Times”] or it was [sings the riff from Nirvana's “Come As You Are”]. I don't remember which one was first. I had a neighbor, a little girlfriend of mine in sixth or seventh grade. She knew the whole Nevermind album. She played left handed and I'd just mirror what she did to learn licks, and that opened the doors for sure. My uncles all played country and western music, so it was a quick second. It kind of ran in the

family. There was a period where it was like I never wanted to hear another country song. But then you get a little older and realize what it was all about and come back to it. LAST SONG YOU PLAYED ON SPOTIFY: Little Feat's version of “I Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow” by Hank Williams. It’s a really rockin’ version of that from ’78 or ’79. Lowell George and his crazy-loud-slide-distortion stuff, just so cool, and his soulful voice. DESERT ISLAND DISCS: Into the Mystic by Van Morrison, Okie by J.J. Cale, Sneaker by Paul Benjaman. Either that or any kind of Hank Williams Sr. Greatest Hits would be a good one to have, because you’re gonna feel down and lonesome out there on a desert island by yourself. BEST SHOW IN TULSA, EVER: Steve Pryor at the Dusty Dog. When he

was on, it would just pour your soul out. It’d give you goosebumps. MOST MEMORABLE SHOW YOU'VE PLAYED: We did a J.J. Cale tribute at Fassler Hall, right after he had passed. It was memorable to me ‘cause it was all these younger guys with the original Tulsa Sound. Jamie Oldaker’s there, Jim Byfield’s there, Jimmy Markham and Pryor, Rocky Frisco, Don White, Steve Hickerson, and Brad James. All these older cats that we all look up to, then me and Paul, Dustin [Pittsley], Jesse [Aycock], and [Jacob] Tovar. But there’s been so many. I remember every single time Tom Skinner called me on stage for Science Project like it was yesterday. I could tell you what song I played, who played with me, who sang harmonies. I could tell you what Tom said to me before I started playing like it happened five minutes ago. July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


T KE 6! C I 1 R T R 20 E W LO ES FO IC PR

Burcham’s Cleveland Summer Nights | COURTESY HORTON RECORDS

DREAM VENUE: I’d love to play at the Ryman Auditorium [in Nashville]. But also, several years ago I went to a show at the Brady Theater—my friend was working and got me a ticket. It wasn’t necessarily a show I’d go to see; I think it was Seal and Macy Gray. But it was free and I thought, “Macy Gray’s band is funky and I’d like to see them play.” I was completely stone-cold sober, and got kicked out. I’ll never forget the woman who was head of security. I’ll never forget her name. I won’t say it, but I’d love to sell out the Brady Theater one day and find out if she’s working, and if she is, ask her to leave. It left the worst taste in my mouth. I’ve always loved the Brady Theater and loved seeing shows there, and I remember thinking, “Man, if this was a John Prine show that I paid to get into, they’d be taking me away in handcuffs ‘cause I wouldn’t be leaving.” So, Ryman and Brady. AN INFLUENCE OUTSIDE OF MUSIC: My father is a big influence on me. He’s here today. We’re best buds, ya know? I feel fortunate to have him. I’m 34 now, and by the time my dad was 30, his dad had passed. We talk about that all the time. He couldn’t call him up and talk about day-to-day struggles. I’m fortunate enough that if I wanna call and talk or vent, I can call dad up and talk about the day. It’s good therapy, to be able to talk to your dad about stuff. THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

CLEVELAND SUMMER NIGHTS: We recorded it live. Went to Fellowship Hall Sound in Little Rock, AR, and Jason Weinheimer, the engineer over there, just set up all the mics and we just played it like we play a show. Recorded live to two-inch tape. We did “Wide River to Cross” by Buddy Miller, which is a song I learned from Tom Skinner. There’s a couple on there that are like re-recordings that I had put on an acoustic album and I wanted to do full band versions of them as well, and then some brand new stuff. MUSIC IS: everything. It’s every trial and tribulation I’ve been through. I can find a song for every moment I’ve been through in my life. Especially on a John Prine record. I think that guy wrote most of my life. I don’t want something to put me in a mindset, I want something that gives me peace of mind. I listen to music that kind of sums up everyday life. Talking about dad that works at the factory and Uncle Marvin who worked at the steel mill. Music for everyday people. Like Woody Guthrie. Music for the common man. That’s the kind of stuff that gives you peace of mind and becomes good therapy for you. Music is therapy. It helps me get through the day. And that’s why I do it: to help other people get through the day. a

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musiclistings Wed // July 6 Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays – ($10) On the Rocks – Don White Sandite Billiards & Grill – Bryce Dicus Soul City – Shrimp n’ Grits w/ Papa Foster’s Creole Trio The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project Westbound Club – Wade Quinton

Thurs // July 7 CJ Moloney’s – Bryce Dicus Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Empire, The Hi-Fidelics Mercury Lounge – Franks & Deans River Spirit Casino - Five O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Darrel Cole Soul City – Thursday Night Special w/ Randy Brumley & Mark Gibson Soundpony – Thom Simon, The Fairweather, Fabulous Minx The Colony – Honky Tonk Happy Hour w/ Jacob Tovar The Vault – Jazz Night w/ Jordan Hehl & Friends Utica Square Shopping Center – Summer’s Fifth Night Featuring Mary Cogan (Country Rock) – 7 p.m. – (Free) VFW Post 577 - Centennial Lounge – Outline In Color, It Lives, It Breathes, Kids In The Street, City Never Sleeps, When The Clock Strikes, NeoRomantics

Foolish Things Coffee Company – *LUTHER - A Celebration of Luther Vandross w/ Justin Daniels – 9 p.m. – ($10) Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Replay, The Hi-Fidelics Hunt Club – Mark Gibson Band Mercury Lounge – Dallas Moore Band River Spirit Casino - Five O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Phin Addicts Soul City – Brunch w/ Mark Bruner – 11:30 a.m. Soul City – Lauren Anderson Band Soundpony – *Algebra Presents: Drummer Show 9 The Colony – John Calvin Trio, M. Lockwood The Venue Shrine – Axe Man Regionals – ($10) Tulsa Performing Arts Center - Chapman Music Hall – 1964...The Tribute – 8 p.m. – ($25) Vanguard – My So Called Band – 10:30 p.m. – ($10) Vanguard – Burn Halo - Matinee Show – 2:30 p.m. – ($10) Yeti – The Dirty Mugs

Sun // July 10 BoDean Seafood – Dean DeMerritt Jazz Tribe Downtown Lounge – Scattered Hamlet, Beitthemmeans, RedWitch Johnny East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Modern Oklahoma Jazz Orchestra – ($5-$20) Soundpony – Party Static The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing

Fri // July 8

Mon // July 11

American Legion Post 308 – Joe Harris Gypsy Coffee House – John Paul Ratliff Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – Replay, Chris Hyde Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - The Joint – The O’Jays – ($60-$65) Hunt Club – Trust Tree Lefty’s On Greenwood – Scott Ellison Band Mercury Lounge – The Vine Brothers MixCo – Mike Cameron Collective River Spirit Casino - Five O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Phin Addicts Smitty’s 118 Tavern – Tyler Brant Soul City – Randy Brumley Band Soundpony – Appreciation Show The Colony – Wink Burcham Band Vanguard – Groovement, TFM – ($10) Westbound Club – Coyote Creek

Fifteen Below Bar and Grill – Concrete Mondays w/ DarkuJ Billy and Renee’s – The Punknecks Coffee House on Cherry Street – Kinetic Meadow The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Juniper Restaurant – Dean DeMerritt and Frank Brown

Sat // July 9 727 Club – Midnight Run Band Baker Street Pub – Deuces Wild Billy and Renee’s – Five Minutes Alone, Fist of Rage Brady Theater – MY2K Tour w/ 98°, O-Town, Dream, Ryan Cabrera – ($25-$69.50) Cain’s Ballroom – That 90s Party – ($15-$25) Cimarron Bar – Rocket Science Electric Circus – Open House w/ Ject&Svenchen and Janx – 9 p.m. Elwood’s – The Dusty Pearls 42 // MUSIC

Tues // July 12 Billy and Renee’s – Horde of Draugar Guthrie Green – Starlight Concert - Jazz Under the Stars – 8 p.m. Gypsy Coffee House – Tuesday Night Open Mic Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Riffs – The Tiptons Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams Soul City – Tuesday Bluesday w/ Dustin Pittsley The Colony – *Tuesdays with Maury The Run – Tyler Brant

Wed // July 13 Brady Theater – Z104.5 Birthday Bash w/ Garbage, Chevelle, Kongos, The Unlikely Candidates – ($39.50-$45) Hunt Club – Open Mic w/ The Brothers Moore Main Street Tavern – Cynthia Simmons Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays – ($10) On the Rocks – Don White

Soul City – Shrimp n’ Grits w/ Papa Foster’s Creole Trio Soundpony – Fashion Week The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project The Fur Shop – Ragland!, When the Clock Strikes, Goodfella, Chemical Peace, Liz Bruffett The Venue Shrine – Sons of Texas – ($10-$13) Westbound Club – Wade Quinton Woody Guthrie Center – Folk Uke – 7 p.m.

Thurs // July 14 Crow Creek Tavern – Scott Ellison Band Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - The Joint – Kenny Rogers, Linda Davis – ($60-$70) Hunt Club – Tyler Brant River Spirit Casino - Five O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Rad Western & The Trainbeats Soul City – Thursday Night Special w/ Randy Brumley & Mark Gibson The Colony – An Evening with Jared Tyler The Fur Shop – The Punknecks The Vault – Jazz Night w/ Jordan Hehl & Friends Utica Square Shopping Center – Summer’s Fifth Night Featuring Starr Fisher (R&B) – 7 p.m. – (Free) Whiskey Dog – Bryce Dicus

Fri // July 15 American Legion Post 308 – Double “00” Buck Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – Kelli Lynn and the Skillet Lickers Hunt Club – Hunt Club 7th Anniversary Party w/ Smunty Voje Lefty’s On Greenwood – Scott Ellison Band Mercury Lounge – Casey Miller and the Barnyard Stompers, Alex Culbreth & The Dead Country Stars River Spirit Casino - Five O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Big Daddy Soul City – *Don White CD Release Show Soundpony – Afistaface The Colony – Dustin Pittsley Band Vanguard – Rival Choir – ($12-$15)

Yeti – *Yeti Beach Party w/ Fiawna Forte, Hey Judy, Sea Lion, Merlin Mason, Dead Mockingbirds, The Fabulous Minx, Bringer, Trap Queen, Joe Myside and the Sorrow

Sun // July 17 Cardigan’s Restaurant – Dean DeMerritt and Sean Al Jibouri Cain’s Ballroom – *Violent Femmes, Ava Mendoza – ($27-$42) East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Brandon Clark Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – *Pat Kelley, David Amram – ($5-$20) Soundpony – VF After Party The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing The Fur Shop – *All Talk, Old Powder New Gun, Separator, Cucumber and the Suntans Vanguard – The Last Slice, Be Like Max, The Holophonics, Fairhaven, The Big News – ($10)

Mon // July 18 Fifteen Below Bar and Grill – Concrete Mondays w/ DarkuJ The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Juniper Restaurant – Pat Kelley, Dean DeMerritt, and Frank Brown

Tues // July 19 The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Guthrie Green – Starlight Concert - A Night at the Movies – 8 p.m. Gypsy Coffee House – Tuesday Night Open Mic Mercury Lounge – *Wink Burcham Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams Soul City – Tuesday Bluesday w/ Dustin Pittsley The Colony – Tuesdays with Maury Vanguard – Black Pistol Fire, Emily Wolfe, The Plums – ($12-$15)

Sat // July 16 Billy and Renee’s – The Dirty Mugs, Room 308, Worse Than Before Cain’s Ballroom – *Eagles of Death Metal, The Beaches – ($26-$41) Hunt Club – BC and the Big Rig Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman Band Osage Casino - NINE18 Bar – Kalo River Spirit Casino - Five O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Hi-Fidelics Riverwalk Crossing – Count Tutu Sandite Billiards & Grill – Cole Porter Band Soul City – Brunch w/ Mark Bruner – 11:30 a.m. Soul City – Rhythm Party Soundpony – DJ Why Not The Colony – Malcolm Hocolmbe The Fur Shop – *Helen Kelter Skelter, Colouradio, Marie Curie The Venue Shrine – Cowboys of Color Rodeo After Party – ($10) Vanguard – MONTU – ($5-$10)

Your VOICE For

Live Music Send dates, venue and listings to John@LangdonPublishing.com July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


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MUSIC // 43

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filmphiles

Ruby Barnhill and Mark Rylance in “The BFG” | COURTESY

Phizz-whizzling gobblefunk Spielberg returns to childhood whimsy with ‘The BFG’ by JOE O’SHANSKY

A

fter the historical drama trifecta of “War Horse,” “Lincoln,” and “Bridge of Spies,” it’s nice to have the whimsical version of Steven Spielberg back again. Even better, it’s great to have Roald Dahl’s “The BFG,” a staple of my literary youth, adapted by such a master filmmaker. Dahl has enjoyed a slew of whoopsy-splunkers (that’s Dahl-speak for “fantastic”) films adapted from his work: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Matilda,” and “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” among others. “Wonka” is a cornerstone. Gene Wilder was gloriumptious (amazing), and the film unleashed Oompa Loopmas on the world. “Matilda” is a dark comedy that works as much for its story as it does Danny DeVito’s black-hearted direction. “James” and “Mr. Fox” are stop-motion works of art from two phizz-whizzing (brilliant) directors (Henry Selick and Wes Anderson) which, while slyly con-

44 // FILM & TV

scious of the underlying themes of collectivism that riddle Dahl’s work, relish in the beauty of their handcrafted, hyper-detailed, dioramic worlds. I’ve loved them all, and “The BFG” fits right in. Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is an orphaned moppet in Thatcher-era London who, quite sensibly, hates her life at the orphanage. She spies a 24 foot-tall, cloaked giant (Mark Rylance), lurking outside the window, who snitches (steals) Ruby and, as stealthily as a giant can—which, it turns out, is pretty damn stealthy—bears her back to his home in Giant Country. Instead of eating her, or any other God-fearing children, he subsists on disgusting snozzcumber stew. He’s a gentle, malaprop-spewing vegan giant who only felt compelled to snitch Sophie because his kind cannot be discovered; and so he can get back to the job of catching and releasing dreams. Sophie, in a stunningly quick case of Stockholm Syndrome, dubs him the Big Friendly Giant.

But, as the name “Giant Country” suggests, there are other frightsome (not cool) giants twice the BFG’s size who treat him like the pencil-necked geek in a varsity locker room—and who have no compunctions about scarfing Sophie like a plucky, Victorian-style chicken wing. The BFG, taken with Sophie for reasons she doesn’t yet understand, does his best to protect her from his brethren—particularly Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement), the canniest and most brutal of the bunch. Spielberg’s whimsy propels “The BFG.” He commands his forces like a Zen General—squibbling (writing), performance, and cutting-edge technology—to create a diaphanous, magical world that defies its 3D, pixel-driven artifice to become an evocative, waking dream of childhood. “The BFG” is absolutely gorgeous. And it’s funny—something for which the ‘Berg isn’t known. Frobscottle-induced (a fizzy drink) whizzpoppers (farts) fore-

shadow a classy parlor comedy set-piece that gamely exploits the well-known British penchant for scatology. Well-timed farts and burps are hilarious—a fact Dahl never forgot and one Spielberg capitalizes on better than George Lucas. The script by the late Melissa Mathison (to whom the film is dedicated) is sublime, and Spielberg’s usual suspects—Janusz Kaminski with some atypically warm cinematography and John Williams with a typically moving score—fall into motion like a well-oiled machine. But the film also belongs to Rylance, Barnhill, and their fairy-tale friendship. Rylance’s motion-captured performance is warm and funny. His character’s animation, while stylized, quickly becomes an afterthought. Barnhill strikes a fine balance between cute and precious, never becoming cloying or unlikeable. “The BFG” is a scrumdiddlyumptious treat that feels, on first sight, like an instant classic. a July 6 – 19, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE


Elle Fanning in “The Neon Demon” | COURTESY

Vapid style Refn’s ‘The Neon Demon’ is as empty as the industry it skewers by JOE O’SHANSKY

N

icolas Winding Refn, whose work ranges from the poetic Herzogian gore-fest “Valhalla Rising” to the 80s-indebted action movie deconstruction “Drive,” wields his indelible style with the refinement a samurai. Gorgeous compositions and hyper-contrasted color palettes saturate the screen with sumptuous, sexy light. The thick tone, like oil on canvas, paints often esoteric portraits of his characters and the dream-like netherworlds they inhabit—netherworlds that, since “Drive,” have been drenched in the dirty, pulsing electronica of longtime Steven Soderbergh composer Cliff Martinez. They are films that aren’t meant to be watched so much as experienced—catnip for cineastes. Refn’s modulated affectations have always been a part of his charm as a filmmaker, his vision never tied down by audience expectations. While some of his narratives are relatively conventional (“Bronson,” “Drive”) others are exercises in impenetrable style, such as the much-maligned “Only God Forgives,” which seemed determined to alienate the modest-but-passionate fanbase Refn had acquired with “Drive.” Though its story is THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

arguably his most conventional to date, “The Neon Demon” is executed with a sense of hubris and self-indulgence that feels misguided. Elle Fanning is Jesse, an orphaned, fresh-off-the-bus 16 year-old, who’s come to L.A. in pursuit of a modeling career, staying in a sleazy Pasadena motel (run by a creepy, chain-smoking Keanu Reeves) while she hustles for work. On a fake-blood-soaked photoshoot, Jesse meets Ruby (Jena Malone), a makeup artist who moonlights at the city morgue, who introduces her to Roberta Hoffman (Christina Hendricks), a modeling agent. Hoffman is instantly taken with Jesse and promptly schedules a test shoot for her with a sought-after fashion photographer (Desmond Harrington). Ruby runs with an alabaster clique of supermodels, Gigi (Bella Heathcote) and Sarah (Abbey Lee), who take a dim view of the ingénue Jesse, despite Ruby’s obvious affection for her. Their barely veiled contempt turns to angry alarm when Jesse catches the awed attention of an influential designer (Alessandro Nivola) while auditioning for a show. Jesse’s newfound frenemies see

the clear threat she represents to their positon in an industry that feeds on youth eternal and where “beauty isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” Throughout his career, Refn has been criticized for his treatment of female characters—usually portrayed as victims, sex workers or meek love interests, or some combination of the three. “I always set out wanting to make films about women but it always ends up being about men. Maybe it’s because I don’t know how to write them,” Refn admitted to the Evening Standard in 2013. So he hired wunderkind playwright Polly Stenham to write the first draft of “Demon,” and later brought on Mary Laws for subsequent rewrites. But, perhaps owing to the story’s milieu, their contributions are indiscernible. These are vacuous, terrible people, regardless of gender. Fatally, Refn has crafted a pitch-black satire that simply mirrors (often literally) the leering vapidity of the industry it’s trying to skewer without saying anything new about it. It’s as if Zack Snyder remade Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars” as a crushingly self-indulgent quasi-music video. The horror elements of the last act are presaged in subtle ways,

and the film folds those tropes into an arty deconstruction of the genre. But its unconventionality minimizes their dreadful impact until the Countess Báthory-inspired resolution, when we get some moments of Grand Guignol creepiness. But the themes of institutionalized narcissism and exploitation in the fashion world combined with the grotesque body horror feel like a misappropriation of Cronenberg’s kinkier psychosexual work. And while that sounds great on paper, the result is that rare Refn film where his singular, formidable style is not enough to compensate for the lack of substance. a

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

FILM & TV // 45


free will astrology by ROB BREZSNY

CANCER

(JUNE 21-JULY 22):

Once upon a time, weren’t you the master builder who never finished building your castle? Weren’t you the exile who wandered aimlessly while fantasizing about the perfect sanctuary of the past or the sweet safety zone of the future? Didn’t you perversely nurture the ache that arose from your sense of not feeling at home in the world? I hope that by now you have renounced all of those kinky inclinations. If you haven’t, now would be an excellent time to do so. How might you reinvest the mojo that will be liberated by the demise of those bad habits?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In accordance with the astrological omens, I have selected three aphorisms by poet James Richardson to guide you. Aphorism #1: “The worst helplessness is forgetting there is help.” My commentary: You have the power to avoid that fate. Start by identifying the sources of healing and assistance that are available to you. Aphorism #2: “You do not have to be a fire to keep one burning.” My commentary: Generate all the heat and light you can, yes, but don’t torch yourself. Aphorism #3: “Patience is not very different from courage. It just takes longer.” My commentary: But it may not take a whole lot longer. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You may not know this, but I am the founder and CEO of Proud To Be Humble, an acclaimed organization devoted to minimizing vanity. It is my sworn duty to protest any ego that exceeds the acceptable limits as defined by the Geneva Convention on Narcissism. However, I now find myself conflicted. Because of the lyrical beauty and bighearted charisma that are currently emanating from your ego, I am unable, in good conscience, to ask you to tone yourself down. In fact, I hereby grant you a license to expand your self-love to unprecedented proportions. You may also feel free to unleash a series of lovely brags. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The next 28 days will not be a favorable period to sit around passively wishing to be noticed. Nor will it be a good time to wait to be rescued or to trust in others to instigate desirable actions. On the other hand, it will be an excellent phase to be an initiator: to decide what needs to be done, to state your intentions concisely, and to carry out your master plan with alacrity and efficiency. To help ensure your success during the next 28 days, make this declaration each morning before breakfast: “I don’t want to OBSERVE the show. I want to BE the show.” SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “In life, as in bicycling, pedal when you have to, coast when you can.” So says author James Lough, and now I’m passing on his advice to you — just in time for your transition from the heavy-pedaling season to the coasting-is-fun phase. I suspect that at this juncture in your life story you may be a bit addicted to the heavy pedaling. You could be so accustomed to the intensity that you’re inclined to be suspicious of an opportunity to enjoy ease and grace. Don’t be like that. Accept the gift with innocent gratitude.

Place the numbers 1 through 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

NOVICE

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): One of my readers, Jay O’Dell, told me this story: “After my cancer surgery, a nurse said to me, ‘You may as well try magical thinking. Regular thinking hasn’t helped.’ I said to the nurse, ‘Well, why the hell not?’ That was seven years ago.” In bringing O’Dell’s testimony to your attention, I don’t mean to suggest you will have any health problems that warrant a strong dose of magical thinking. Not at all. But you may get wrapped up in a psychological twist or a spiritual riddle that would benefit from magical thinking. And what exactly is magical thinking? Here’s one definition: The stories that unfold in your imagination have important effects on what actually happens to you. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Let’s talk about X-factors and wild cards and strange attractors. By their very nature, they are unpredictable and ephemeral, even when they offer benevolent breakthroughs. So you may not even notice their arrival if you’re entranced by your expectations and stuck in your habitual ways. But here’s the good news, Pisces: Right now you are not unduly entranced by your expectations or stuck in your habits. Odds are high that you will spy the sweet twists of fate — the X-factors and wild cards and strange attractors — as they float into view. You will pounce on them and put them to work while they’re still fresh. And then they will help you hike your ratings or get the funding you need or animate the kind of love that heals. ARIES (March 21-April 19): During winter, some bears spend months hibernating. Their body temperatures and heart rates drop. They breathe drowsily. Their movements are minimal. Many hummingbirds engage in a similar slow-down — but they do it every single night. By day they are among the most manic creatures on earth, flapping their wings and gathering sustenance with heroic zeal. When the sun slips below the horizon, they rest with equal intensity. In my estimation, Aries, you don’t need a full-on immersion in idleness like the bears. But you’d benefit from a shorter stint, akin to the hummingbird’s period of dormancy.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “When a jet flies low overhead, every glass in the cupboard sings,” writes aphorist James Richardson. “Feelings are like that: choral, not single; mixed, never pure.” That’s always true, but it will be intensely true for you in the coming weeks. I hope you can find a way to tolerate, even thrive on, the flood of ambiguous complexity. I hope you won’t chicken out and try to pretend that your feelings are one-dimensional and easily understandable. In my opinion, you are ripe to receive rich lessons in the beauty and power of mysterious emotions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Dear Dr. Brezsny: A psychic predicted that sometime this year I will fall in love with a convenience store clerk who’s secretly a down-on-hisluck prince of a small African country. She said that he and I have a unique destiny. Together we will break the world’s record for dancing without getting bitten in a pit of cobras while drunk on absinthe on our honeymoon. But there’s a problem. I didn’t have time to ask the psychic how I’ll meet my soulmate, and I can’t afford to pay $250 for another reading. Can you help? - Mopey Taurus.” Dear Mopey: The psychic lied. Neither she nor anyone else can see what the future will bring you. Why? Because what happens will be largely determined by your own actions. I suggest you celebrate this fact. It’s the perfect time to do so: July is Feed Your Willpower Month.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Pop artist Andy Warhol said that in the future, everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. His idea had a resonance with the phrase “nine days’ wonder,” which as far back as Elizabethan times referred to a person or event that captured the public’s fascination for a while. You Capricorns are entering a phase when you’re far more likely than usual to bask in the spotlight. Between now and September 2017, I bet you’ll garner at least a short burst of glory, acclaim, or stardom — perhaps much more. Are you ready for your close-up? Have you prepped for the influx of attention that may be coming your way?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Of all the concert pianos in the world, 80 percent of them are made by Steinway. A former president of the company once remarked that in each piano, “243 taut strings exert a pull of 40,000 pounds on an iron frame.” He said it was “proof that out of great tension may come great harmony.” That will be a potential talent of yours in the coming weeks, Gemini. Like a Steinway piano, you will have the power to turn tension into beauty. But will you actually accomplish this noble goal, or will your efforts be less melodious? It all depends on how much poised self-discipline you summon.

MASTER

For one week, pretend to already be something you’re on your way to becoming. t h i s w e e k ’ s h o m e w o r k // T E S T I F Y AT F R E E W I L L A S T R O L O G Y. C O M . 46 // ETC.

July 6 – 19, 2016 // 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

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.

Ch arlie

SheRa

CLEAR THE SHELTERS “NAME YOUR PRICE” ADOPTION EVENT JULY 23, 2016

The Tulsa SPCA invites you to participate in the second annual Clear the Shelters day on July 23, 2016. Clear the Shelters is a national movement to find every shelter animal a permanent home. Last year, over 20,000 animals nationwide found forever homes, making 2015 the most successful year so far.

Wallace

This year, the SPCA and nearly 20 other animal rescues are coming together to adopt out as many animals as possible in a single day. Last year, 118 animals were adopted, meaning that in reality, 236 were saved. This year we hope to save even more lives. To join us in Clear the Shelters this year, visit the SPCA on Mohawk Blvd, or one of our participating adoption sites on July 23 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to find the next lovely addition to your home. For more information email cadams@tulsaspca.org or call 918-428-7722 ext. 22

ACROSS 1 Like some cheddars 6 Detonate 11 Created without machinery 19 Boring tool 20 Common greeting 21 Gets under someone’s skin? 22 Like many TV shows 24 Predominant or rife 25 Holmes and Columbo, for two 26 Grasslike marsh plant 28 Adroit 29 Tidy 30 Boston hoopsters, in headlines 32 Dashboard item, for short 35 Disrespects with backtalk 38 Firewood measure 40 Tax-form expert, familiarly 43 “How exciting!” 45 Fox rival 46 Word with “world” or “regions” 48 Sign up, as for a class 51 “Can you ___ little faster?” 52 Slimy semiliquid 54 Alphabetize, e.g. 55 Canvas coats? 57 Enveloping emanations 59 Nothing, to Caesar 62 007’s profession 63 Religious pamphlet 64 Horrid smell 66 Jason ditched her 68 Sermonizing 70 Discoverer’s shout 71 Proud peacock, at times 74 Big coffee holder 75 Right on the money

79 Person with the best-selling album of 2015 80 Old ankle covering 84 Made the crew team 85 Payable on demand 88 Path behind a mower 90 Shirt size 91 Leaving alone? 93 Come down hard, as rain 95 Ephron or Dunn 96 Pilot’s guess, for short 97 Name on a book jacket 99 In dreamland 101 Williams or Kennedy 102 Maze rodent 103 “Be Prepared” org. 104 Ran at a red light 106 Cockatoo features 108 They run in kitchens 111 Rolled office supplies? 113 Requirement 114 Misplaced or errant 117 Honeydew, e.g. 119 Point guard stats 123 Command, as one’s mind 127 Part of speech 129 Runway model? 130 Quarters in a sultan’s palace 131 Orphaned boy of comics 132 Took a downturn 133 Short-tailed lemur 134 Cereal grass fungus DOWN 1 Drains, as of strength 2 Deliver, as a pitch 3 “A Death in the Family” writer James 4 “Friends” telecasts, now

5 Twelve-year-old, e.g. 6 Spirit of Halloween? 7 “ ___ the ramparts ...” 8 Cutlass Supreme producer, once 9 Swindler 10 Livestock feed 11 Vert.’s counterpart, on old TVs 12 Did an impression of 13 Campbell of “House of Cards” 14 Rough manuscript version 15 Mediterranean island nation 16 Chowed down 17 Division of 103-Across 18 Ending for “wild” or “fair” 23 Pursues rapidly 24 Four-footed family friend 27 Cheerfulness 31 It may be converted into currency 33 Courvoisier, for one 34 Booze 35 Long, drawn-out tales 36 Approximately 37 Film’s music 38 It may be jumbo in oxymorons 39 Restraint for a dog 41 Sea anemone, for one 42 Any high mountain 44 Excessively quick, as a decision 47 Ship’s weight unit 49 Turndown words 50 Gridiron pitchout 53 Cure-all 56 Tehran resident 58 Egg-laying mammal 60 Mental invention 61 English university city

65 Is afflicted with 67 With a fresh start 69 Hardwood floor protector 72 Pass by, as time 73 Like stale jokes 75 Head-scratching question 76 Snare drum sounds 77 Manuscript mistakes, collectively 78 Acts the 107-Down 81 Casual running gaits 82 White heron 83 Enjoys literature 86 Remove one’s baseball cap, e.g. 87 Cause of a power trip 89 Graduation of color 92 Bring on the knight life? 94 Break for young students 98 Like a yellow banana 99 Second-place finisher, e.g. 100 Have the chair 105 Oracle site 107 Story fixer 109 Falls like fat raindrops 110 Architectural column base 112 Adams or Grant 113 Watts or Judd 115 Check out groceries 116 Whistler’s output 118 One short on social skills 120 Do more than hum 121 List heading, sometimes 122 Irritated mood 123 Friendly dog’s offering 124 “Christ the Redeemer” city 125 Be wrong 126 ___ XING (road sign) 128 “As to”

Universal sUnday Crossword Pre TesT By Timothy e. Parker

© 2016 Universal Uclick THE TULSA VOICE // July 6 – 19, 2016

7/10 ETC. // 47


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