The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 4 No. 18

S E P. 6 – 1 9 , 2 0 1 7

//

VOL. 4 NO. 18

YOUR GUIDE P17

FALL FESTIVALS P25 TULSA FILM COLLECTIVE P30 Q&A WITH RAEKWON P38

paradise never sounded So Good.

Tickets On Sale Now

Ron white fri, sept 15 steve miller band sat, sept 16 joan jett & the blackhearts sat, sept 23

jennifer nettles thur, sept 28 Chris Isaak fri, sept 29 tom jones sat, oct 7 Steely Dan Thur, oct 12 TJ Miller sat, oct 14 chase rice fri, oct 27 Steve martin & martin short sat, oct 28

paul anka fri, nov 3 dennis miller sat, nov 4 Live music 7 nights a week, starting at 5pm

81ST & RIVERSIDE 888-748-3731 RIVERSPIRITTULSA.COM

2 // CONTENTS

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

ENJOY SOME OF THE BEST DINING TULSA HAS TO OFFER

MCNEL L IE’S w w w . m c n e l l i e s . c o m PROBA BLY T UL S A’S BES T PUB 1S T & ELGIN

YOKOZUN A w w w . y o k o z u n a s u s h i . c o m DOW N TOWN’S BES T SUSHI. 2ND & DE T ROIT

FA S SL ER H A L L w w w . f a s s l e r h a l l . c o m HOUSEM A DE S AUS AGES A ND A GRE AT BEER G A RDEN 3RD & ELGIN

EL GUA P O’S w w w . e l g u a p o s c a n t i n a . c o m

EN JOY ME XICA N FOOD A ND M A RG A RITA S ON DOW N TOW N’S ONLY ROOF TOP PATIO 1S T & ELGIN

T HE TAV ERN w w w . t a v e r n t u l s a . c o m FINE DINING IN T HE BR A DY A R T S DIS T RICT M AIN & BR A DY

DIL LY DINER w w w . d i l l y d i n e r. c o m BRE A K FA S T SERV ED A L L DAY LONG 2ND & ELGIN

EL GIN PA RK w w w . e l g i n p a r k b r e w e r y. c o m

PIZZ A, HOUSE-BRE WED BEER, WINGS, 60 + T VS ELGIN & M.B. BR A DY

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

CONTENTS // 3

THE LARGEST, MOST IMMERSIVE

FISH AND WILDLIFE ATTRACTION IN THE WORLD.

LOCATED NEXT TO BASS PRO SHOPS SPRINGFIELD, MO USA RESERVE YOUR TICKETS TODAY! VISIT WONDERSOFWILDLIFE.ORG BP171990

4 // CONTENTS

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

September 6 – 19, 2017 // Vol. 4, No. 18 ©2017. All rights reserved.

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon MANAGING EDITOR Liz Blood ASSISTANT EDITOR Kathryn Parkman DIGITAL EDITOR John Langdon ART DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Georgia Brooks, Morgan Welch PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf AD EXECUTIVE Craig Freeman EDITORIAL INTERN Mason Whitehorn Powell CONTRIBUTORS Jeremy Charles, Andrew Deacon, Claire Edwards, Barry Friedman, Ryan Gentzler, Valerie Grant, Jeff Huston, Fraser Kastner, Hans Kleinschmidt, Ceili Lawrence, Melissa Lukenbaugh, Jeremy Luther, Landry Miller, Mary Noble, Joe O’Shansky, Matt Phipps, Amanda Ruyle The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

17

HAVE A WHALE OF A TIME

Member of

Your guide to the Blue Whale Comedy Festival Interviews with Byron Bowers, Euguene Mirman, Naomi Ekperigin, Kyle Kinane, Liza Treyger, and more The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by Blue Whale Comedy Festival 2016 | PHIL CLARKIN

1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926 PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amanda Hall RECEPTION Gloria Brooks

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Send all letters, complaints, compliments & haikus to: voices@langdonpublishing.com FOLLOW US @THETULSAVOICE ON:

NEWS & COMMENTARY 7 THE SECOND DISASTER

B Y CRYSTAL KLINE

Best intentions can do more harm than good

8 WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

B Y BARRY FRIEDMAN

Jill Webb on justice, the poor, and Oklahoma’s prosperity gospel

VOL. 4 NO. 18

Tulsa’s hidden Jim

12 MIX MVPS

B Y LIZ BLOOD

The winning recipes from Philbrook MIX

TV & FILM

Squeezing the poor to finance the courts isn’t working

44 WINTER IS (ALMOST) OVER

B Y JOE O’SHANSKY

46 BAD NEWS

B Y FRASER KASTNER Common education committee chair calls education cuts “fake news”

‘ Game of Thrones’ penultimate season springs for the finish line

44 ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF OUR WORLD B Y JOE O’SHANSKY

40 years later, ‘Close Encounters’ still amazes

MUSIC //

11 SIX DAYS IN THE KITCHEN,

ONE DAY’S REST

B Y MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

10 OUTSTANDING DEBT

B Y RYAN GENTZLER

S E P. 6 – 1 9 , 2 0 1 7

FOOD & DRINK

38 COMIN’ TO GET BUSY

B Y MARY NOBLE A conversation with Raekwon, headliner for Higher Plains festival

ARTS & CULTURE 30 GARDEN OF THE GRASSROOTS

B Y JOE O’SHANSKY

Local filmmakers hope to unite Tulsa’s film fiefdoms

32 FOR WHOM IT STANDS

B Y KATHRYN PARKMAN

American Legion’s transition from a members-only veterans’ club to counterculture safe space

34 AMERICA UNDER DARKNESS

B Y MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

Totality and penumbra in the Midwest

ETC. 36 THEHAPS 42 MUSICLISTINGS 45 FULLCIRCLE 47 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD

45 DOWNWARD SPIRAL

B Y JEFF HUSTON

‘ Good Time’ is messy, queasy, and a will-be classic

YOUR GUIDE P17

40 FROM THE GRIME TO THE GREEN

B Y CEILI LAWRENCE Come one, come all (ages) to Guthrie Green’s first psychedlic rock show FALL FESTIVALS P25 TULSA FILM COLLECTIVE P30 Q&A WITH RAEKWON P38

ON THE COVER Twenty-one Tulsa comedians.

See them perform at Blue Whale Comedy Festival Sept. 8–9.

31 FESTIVALS TO HIT THIS FALL P25

PHOTOS BY VALERIE GRANT THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

W

hen I saw comedian Yasamin Bayatfar perform at last year’s Okie Homie Showcase at Blue Whale Comedy Festival, I knew something hilarious, irreverent, and unique was brewing here in Tulsa.

“I don’t smoke weed because getting stoned means something a lot different where I come from,” she joked about her Persian heritage.

Evan Hughes hosted that showcase (both will be there again this year—check the festival’s full schedule on pg. 22). As he

introduced each Oklahoma comedian it became apparent that we have an overfull set of wickedly talented comedians at our fingertips. Thanks to many of them for gracing this issue’s cover.

They will perform in two local showcases this year, as well as with bigger names brought in by Blue Whale festival organizers. In this issue, we’ve covered several of those national acts, including an interview with Eugene Mirman and a profile of Byron Bowers, done by Tulsa comedians Andrew Deacon and Landry Miller, respectively (pg. 17).

And because it’s festival season yet again, we’ve also got our annual fall festival guide (pg. 25) in this issue, as well an interview with Raekwon (pg. 38), who will be headlining Higher Plains Jazz and Hip Hop Festival later this month.

Elsewhere in the issue are things neither festive nor funny—Barry Friedman interviews attorney and former Tulsa Public Defender Jill Webb about the high price paid by the poor to fund our court system (pg.

8). OK Policy’s Ryan Gentzler tackles the same topic (pg. 10).

And Crystal Kline encourages do-gooders to donate money, not old clothes, to aid those affected by a disaster (pg. 7).

I hope to see you out this weekend at Blue Whale (come party with TTV staff at the God Damn Comedy Jam on Saturday night!), and at the many festivals to come. a

LIZ BLOOD

MANAGING EDITOR

Complimentary Public Opening Reception

7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 Works on display

Oct. 6 -Dec. 30, 2017 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave. Norman, OK 73019-3003 fjjma.ou.edu | @ fjjma

Admission is always free!

The Jerome M. Westheimer, Sr. and Wanda Otey Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair Robert Lee Taylor (U.S., b. 1951) In the Mourning of the Night They Come to Me [detail] 1998; Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. R.E. Mansfield, 2003 6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

For accommodations, please call Visitor Services at (405) 325-4938.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

community

Houston residents walk across the flooded street in Houston, Texas, on August 27.

MICHELMOND / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

THE SECOND DISASTER Best intentions can do more harm than good

www.TraversMahanApparel.com South Lewis at 81st • The Plaza • 918-296-4100

Bryan Waytula - “Girl of the Water” (drawing) Best of Class

WHERE TO DONATE FOR HURRICANE HARVEY RELIEF Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation ghcf.org/hurricane-relief Houston Food Bank houstonfoodbank.org United Way of Greater Houston unitedwayhouston.org/flood Texas Diaper Bank texasdiaperbank.org 12 TH ANNUAL

Additionally, Salvation Army Tulsa has been asked to collect baby supplies and personal hygiene products for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Visit salarmytulsa.org/hurricane-harvey for more information.

OCTOBER

14

&

H

15

EROKE

CherokeeArtMarket.com R

T

T

Salvation Army Text “STORM” TO 51555.

CHEROKEE ART MARKET C

American Red Cross Text “HARVEY” to 90999 to donate $10

E

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

Give. Not of your time, or of your goods (until they are specifically requested). Give money to vetted, experienced disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army. Funds can be transferred online, or even by text message.

It may hurt to hear that an overflow of benevolence and compassion can be a drain on a community’s resources. Money feels less personal. But it is truly the most effective way to help. –CRYSTAL KLINE

A

DISASTERS BRING OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE. Catastrophic earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, or terrorist events can be horrifying to experience, or even to watch from a distance. They are unsettling, graphic reminders of life’s uncertainty. But even when the ground under our feet dramatically and suddenly shifts, we can count on good people wanting to help.

Unfortunately, there are times when the attempt to help harms instead.

The torrent of spontaneous volunteers and deluge of unsolicited goods after a diaster have become known in emergency management circles as the “second disaster.”

A mass influx of untrained volunteers can endanger their own lives and become an obstruction to the response efforts. Donation management can be as daunting a challenge as debris removal and other recovery efforts.

After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans was the recipient of tons of donated clothes and household goods from all across the country. There wasn’t enough warehouse space to hold all the donations, and tons of clothing were left outside to rot. Of the items that were stored in warehouses, many of them remained in storage for years.

Donated goods require a storage place, a distribution point, and many hands to receive them, inventory them, organize them, and distribute them. They also need people to weed through them for items that are actually useful. That is, don’t send winter coats to Florida after a disaster.

These expressions of a sincere desire to help during a time of crisis actually pull resources from areas where those resources are more urgently needed.

So what is a person to do when they see videos of destroyed homes and cities and devastated people suffering massive losses?

MARK

E

© 2017 Cherokee Nation Businesses. All Rights Reserved.

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

viewsfrom theplains

L

ast September, Jill Webb— then with the Tulsa Public Defender’s office—sent me a message about Stanley Majors, one of her clients. If the name sounds familiar, Majors allegedly shot his neighbor, Khalid Jabara, on Jabara’s front porch in a hate crime. When Webb wrote, I had just finished my column “The Killing of Khalid Jabara” for TTV with Victoria Jabara, Khalid’s sister, and Jenna Carl Jabara, Khalid’s sister-in-law.

It was a brutal time; still Webb wondered if I wanted to get together with her and Rob Nigh, the chief public defender, to talk more about the case, the process.

We never did meet back then, but I was intrigued.

Webb received the President’s Award for Extraordinary Advocacy on Behalf of Citizens Accused in 2014 from the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association, she ran for judge—and lost—in the 14th District in 2014, did a stint with Peace Corps, and teaches law at the University of Tulsa. Someone this passionate about justice, the law, and America—even when involving the most horrific of cases and crimes—is why the system, when it works, works.

She also has a great Ben Franklin story.

WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER Jill Webb on justice, the poor, and Oklahoma’s prosperity gospel

by BARRY FRIEDMAN

FRIEDMAN: Let’s pursue this.

Explain the bond process. I get arrested and what happens?

8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

FRIEDMAN: So we do away with it?

WEBB: Yes. The Feds do. The Feds say whether or not you stay in jail before your court case depends on two things: 1) Whether or not you’re flight risk, and 2) Whether or not you’re charged with something that can hurt somebody. So, under the federal system, if you’re charged with murder, you’re not going to get out. It doesn’t matter how much money you have. And if you’re charge with a white-collar crime and you don’t have a record, whether you’re rich or poor, you’re getting out. The whole idea if somebody has money, they’re less dangerous is obscene. And the fact there are people sitting in Tulsa County Jail because they stole something from Walmart and, yet, someone who has been tried for murder, and has been tried three times, gets out because he can make a million dollar bond, he’s out for two years—tell me how that makes sense?

BARRY FRIEDMAN: And “justice for all”? Go. JILL WEBB: I was in a TED Talk the other day and the speaker said the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.

So, in Tulsa County, for example, 80 percent of the felonies filed are filed against people who are indigent who have to get public defenders because they can’t bond out of jail.

they’ll have to stay in jail until trial—and that’ll be a year. So what are you going to do? It puts a poor person in a position of whether to fight their case and stay in jail, lose their job, their house, if they’re the breadwinner, or they can stay on probation and do everything the court tells them to do, lose their Fourth Amendment rights and have to pay an enormous amount of fines.

Attorney and former Tulsa Public Defender Jill Webb | GREG BOLLINGER

WEBB: Okay, so you get arrested for beating your wife, your brought downtown, you’re booked. So, the bond schedule says your bail is set at $25,000. If you go to a bondsman and you have $2,500, you’ll get out that night. But everybody else, they’re going to stay in there until they raise the money or until their court date, and their court date

will be any where from three to six weeks away.

FRIEDMAN: And if they can’t afford the $2,500, they stay in jail?

WEBB: Yes. At which time, at their court date, they’ll be offered probation, which they can take and get out of jail, or they can fight, say they didn’t beat their wife, then

FRIEDMAN: But isn’t the problem with doing away with the system is that nobody wants to be perceived as being soft on crime?

WEBB: Ultimately, I think judges—and maybe the public—are afraid, if they let more people out on bond, they’ll commit another crime, so let’s keep everybody in. But you can’t keep everyone in—the constitution won’t allow you—so we just keep the poor September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

ones in. Here’s the frustrating part. I did a study with an assistant district attorney and we agreed to let out 100 people on a personal recognizant bond. As it turns out 80 people came back, no problem, about the same if they got out on a money bond, 10% are AWOL, and 10% were picked up on minor crimes before their court date. We also saved the county $85 thousand dollars in court and jail costs. The data was solid. The judges would not believe it was true. That lead me to believe there’s a motive other than—it’s more nefarious.

FRIEDMAN: And that is?

WEBB: They hate poor people. I know that’s an indictment, but I’ve racked my brain and I can’t come up with another motivation about why you’d keep the system the way it is unless you really had a problem with people who are poor, because those are the people who are arrested the most, pulled over the most, followed and frisked the most, people who stay in jail the longest, and get sent to prison the most. And the problem is, our clients can’t come up with $500 … even $100… and by the time you get out, you’ve lost your car, apartment, your kids are God knows where. And for a hundred dollars? It’s unconscionable. And justice for all—it starts there.

FRIEDMAN: As a public defender, how does it work?

WEBB: Clients are there for six days before we get appointed. We meet at the jail. I’ve got a laptop between us, I take down some information. I don’t know anything about your case, except what you’re charged with. I tell you I’ll fight like hell for you, but I probably won’t see you for another month.

FRIEDMAN: I see you after six days and then not for a month?

WEBB: Yes. It’s not the PD’s don’t care. It’s because they try 350 felony cases a year when the American Bar Association says you should max out at 150. It’s catching raindrops. It’s impossible.

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

FRIEDMAN: Let’s talk about Stanley Majors. You represented him. First off, why was he released on bond?

WEBB: It doesn’t make any sense why he was out on bond, given his history—he had allegedly run over Haifa Jabara [Khalid’s mother] before—well, it makes sense under the current system. If you have enough money, you get out—whether you are Stanley Majors, Shannon Kepler, or Robert Bates. And the poor charged with non-violent crimes sit in jail. But you want to keep people safe, so, no, he shouldn’t have had bond.

I’m not criticizing the judge who lowered the bond— FRIEDMAN: —You’re not criticizing Judge LaFortune. Because many people did.

WEBB: I’m not.

FRIEDMAN: Couldn’t he have revoked bail, or raised it, after the alleged attack on Jabara’s mother?

WEBB: He could have and in retrospect I’m sure he wished he would have. But what he did is standard practice. That’s why bond should be based on safety rather than money.

FRIEDMAN: Stanley Majors is in a same-sex marriage and his husband was a good friend of Khalid’s. Have you ever in your career seen such a thing?

WEBB: No. I asked to be on the case because I thought if I investigated it, I would come up with a narrative that made sense.

FRIEDMAN: Did you come up with one?

WEBB: Uh … no.

FRIEDMAN: Have to ask: what do you say to the Jabara family about defending Majors?

WEBB: There’s nothing I could say to alleviate her guilt or understand her pain. By the same token, I don’t think that Stanley getting good representation is an insult to her brother. Look, people say they’re glad I do this work because we shouldn’t put innocent people

in prison. Yes, fabulous, no, you shouldn’t. We all agree with that.

But it’s more courageous to fight for someone everyone hates.

FRIEDMAN: But you know what that sounds like?

WEBB: How does it sound?

FRIEDMAN: Pretty cold. Not cold— detached.

WEBB: For me, to not defend him because his crime is too horrible, is what’s cold. I have to hold the state to its burden. And if it doesn’t have enough evidence, the jury should find the defendant not guilty.

FRIEDMAN: You left the Public Defender’s office? Exhausted?

WEBB: Yeah. I started a mitigation company because I wanted to show the life of the person before they committed the crime to put it into context because our system should demand that. The judge ought to know something about you besides the police report.

FRIEDMAN: Why did you become a lawyer?

WEBB: I, and a friend of mine, were in this church in Chicago, an African American church—and I had never been in one—and the minister was talking about redemption and she said, ‘Raise your hand if you love someone who’s in prison.’ And every hand went up, except mine and my friend’s. And, at that moment, I realized their experience with government, authority, police was radically different than mine. And then the pastor said, ‘Keep your hand up if they have a good lawyer,’ and every hand went down.

And I was in law school within a week. I got called.

FRIEDMAN: You’re kidding me with that story.

WEBB: I know (laughs). But mass incarceration is the most important civil rights issue of our time.

FRIEDMAN: Because?

WEBB: Lives lost, the racial dispar-

ity that goes with it, and it springs from a history of oppression.

Okay, I want to ask a question.

FRIEDMAN: Go ahead.

WEBB: Why is crime so much worse here in Oklahoma than other places?

FRIEDMAN: I don’t know. Poverty?

WEBB: I have a theory. It’s theological. I think it’s because of the proliferation of the prosperity gospel here. If you really believe if you’re right with God, you will prosper, then the thing that’s wrong with people who aren’t prospering—who are addicted, suffering from mental illness—is they just haven’t asked Christ into their lives. And if that’s your solution to these problems, then, of course it’s their fault, and of course you don’t have to worry about them in prison. And while I think that Christianity, spirituality can lead people to do wonderful things … in this case, I think it makes us awful to each other because if it’s between you and God, I don’t have to worry about it, you and me. But we lost the body out of Christ, the notion we’re all in this together, our shared experience. The reality is that neighborhoods of color or poor neighborhoods are patrolled much differently than wealthy ones, so those people’s relationship with elected officials and police are much different than in other parts of town. As trite as it sounds, we are products of the garden in which we grow.

FRIEDMAN: Tell me about Ben Franklin.

WEBB: (Laughs) So I’m dreaming and Franklin shows up and I just know he is God in the form of Ben. He says, “Jill, it’s your job to map every river and tributary in the United States.” I say, “No way.

I can’t do it. There are too many and besides, every river has to be mapped 3 times—the river and both banks. It’s too much for one person.” Ben said, “The banks of the river have already been mapped. You just stay in the center and the current will take you where you need to go.” a NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

okpolicy

E

OUTSTANDING DEBT Squeezing the poor to finance the courts isn’t working

by RYAN GENTZLER

10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

arlier this year, Oklahoma Policy Institute released a report detailing the growth of fees attached to criminal court cases in Oklahoma. We found that as legislators attempt to prop up falling state revenues, fees have risen for every type of crime. When low-income defendants can’t keep up with payments on their enormous financial burdens to the court, a warrant may be issued for their arrest, leading to a cycle of incarceration that makes the climb out of poverty nearly impossible.

Failure to pay court costs is among the most common reasons for bookings into the Tulsa County and Oklahoma County jails.

Though we’ve had a clear sense of the individual-level impact of this debt through the stories of those who are affected, it’s been hard to quantify the impact on communities as a whole. To get a clearer sense of the problem, we collected data on outstanding debts to the court from the state court system’s online ePayments tool for misdemeanor and felony cases filed from 2011 to 2016. The data, available only for 13 counties across the state, includes the age and address of the defendant, the number of charges on their case, and the amount of money they currently owe to the courts. It does not include other amounts that defendants may owe in relation to their case, such as supervision fees due to the Department of Corrections or the District Attorney’s office.

The data paints a striking picture of the people and communities that are hit hardest by the rise in court fees. In many areas of North Tulsa, for example, court debt amounts to over $300 per adult resident. It reaches as high as $590 per resident in Turley (ZIP code 74126), an area where about 57 percent of residents are black and 38 percent of residents live

below the poverty line. In Turley, there is one case of outstanding debt for every five residents. The majority white parts of Tulsa County owe a fraction of that level of debt. The very high $899 in court debt per capita in the downtown Tulsa ZIP code is likely due to defendants who listed homeless shelters as their home address.

It’s a similar story in Oklahoma County: the highest debts per capita are found in south Oklahoma City ZIP codes with Hispanic/Latino majorities and in east Oklahoma City ZIP codes with black majorities. The highest debt ZIP code in Oklahoma County, however, had a per capita debt of about $260, less than half of its counterpart in Tulsa County.

There is reason to believe that the picture might remain the same for a long time. Many of the people who owe fines and fees to the courts may still be incarcerated and so are unlikely to pay off their debt quickly. Even defendants who are not incarcerated will struggle to pay off debts that are commonly in the thousands of dollars.

The data reveals why it’s so inefficient to fund our courts through fines and fees: it requires the courts to squeeze as much money as possible out of the communities that can least afford it. The criminal costs collected by the courts plateaued long ago; there’s little reason to expect we can collect more in the future.

Instead, it’s time to look at ways to reduce debts for those who can’t afford them. Doing so could let our justice system devote less time to funding itself and more time to focusing on doing justice for victims and offenders. a

Ryan Gentzler is a policy analyst with Oklahoma Policy Institute (www.okpolicy.org).

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

foodfile

Jim’s Coney Island & Never on Sunday | GREG BOLLINGER

Six days in the kitchen, one day’s rest TULSA’S HIDDEN JIM • BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL TWO RUSTED SIGNS HANG OVER HARVARD, one with the familiar “coney island” in neon, another promising “Greek Food and Music.” Painted on the windows are dancing hotdogs and “SHISH-KA-BOBS” and “YEROS SANDWICH.” As the name suggests, at Jim’s Coney Island & Never on Sunday you get two restaurants in one. Where other Coney Islands end, Jim’s offers Greek dishes and daily specials.

The establishment’s history spans 60 years, and today, it’s reun by third-generation owner, Billy Pagonis. I’ve been eating a Jim’s since I was a kid, but surprisingly, many Tulsans have never heard of this classic.

“A hidden hole-in-the-wall pretty much,” Pagonis laughed. “Still down-toearth, small mom and pop shop. Everything’s still made from scratch. I let the food explain everything.”

The interior is split between two rooms, an open kitchen where you order at the counter, and another room with tables.

Paintings and drawings of mythical Grecian figures and architecture adorn the walls, all by local Greek artist George Grecco, made before Pagonis was born. Four Greek statuettes seem to be holding up the ceiling.

My go-to dish at Jim’s is souvlaki— four pieces of 24-hour marinated pork on a kebab that’s grilled upon ordering. But, their yeros are also hard to beat.

Dishes are principally served as dinner plates, Pagonis explained.

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

“The dinner plate you get rice, salad, green beans, choice of meat—either the pork shish-ka-bob, the sliced yeros meat, or you can do steaks Monday/Wednesday night, kind of a hidden item.”

The green beans are cooked in a perfectly stewed and seasoned tomato sauce.

And tabouli fans— be aware: Jim’s serves some of Tulsa’s best.

Last time I was there I tried the Monday and Wednesday special, giovetsi— sirloin tips and shell macaroni, served with salad and green beans. I agreed to “all the way” option with onions and cheese on top. The steak was tender and the dish had a pleasant spice without being overwhelming.

On Tuesdays, the coneys (which stand up to any in town) are $1.20 each; on Thursdays, they offer stuffed tomatoes— another favorite; and on Fridays, it’s Greek meatballs.

Specials available every day include chicken oreganato, the vegetarian plate (a dinner plate including spinach pie, Greek cheese, olives, and bread), and a $5.50 combo with two coneys, chips, and a drink.

Pro tip: Get there early in the week. Every Monday baklava comes out of the oven and always goes quick. a

JIM’S CONEY ISLAND & NEVER ON SUNDAY 923 S. Harvard Ave. Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m.

NOW OPEN

217 S. Main in The Rose District, BA

Authentic Gelato #JustLikeItaly Espresso #DoAsTheRomansDo Pasta Fresca #STG More on the newest location in the Andoliniʼs Pizzeria & STG family – online at STGItalian.com FOOD & DRINK // 11

downthehatch

MIX MVPs ON AUGUST 19, sixteen local bartenders competed in Philbrook Museum of Art’s annual MIX cocktail competition for bartender bragging rights, a $500 prize, and a larger than life-sized cocktail shaker trophy— which will sit in their place of employment until the whole shebang happens next year.

Chris Armstrong of Arnie’s Bar (318 E. 2nd St.) won the People’s Choice award, while Scott Phillips of Vintage 1740 (1740 S. Boston Ave.) took home the Critics’ Choice award.

Here, we present the inspiration behind the winning drinks, as well as the recipes, so you can dabble/tipple at home.

–LIZ BLOOD

BEST OF TULSA READERS’ CHOICE 2017

Combine all liquid ingredients. Rim a glass with sugar and fill with ice. Add mixed drink. Spank a mint leaf to awaken it and place on top. Enjoy!

EDITOR’S NOTE: This cocktail works well made in large batches, like a punch.

Additionally, once base juices are made, single drinks can be made easily.

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 303 MLK Jr. Blvd. www.gypsycoffee.com

Not just an ordinary bar

Join us for the tastiest Chicken & Waffles in Tulsa!

21 E. Brady St. 918-585-8587

18 East M. B. Brady St. 918-588-2469 cazschowhouse.com

MELISSA LUKENBAUGH

JEREMY CHARLES

CHRIS ARMSTRONG ARNIE’S BAR AND GRILL People’s Choice award winner for “Financial-ade” Assigned ingredient: Redemption Rye whiskey Armstrong wanted to create a summer send-off using local ingredients. What better than fresh Porter peaches?

“The original idea for the picture was to do a lemonade stand with the kids,” Armstrong said. “But they were supposed to be upset because dad and his friends took over and made it an adult lemonade stand.

But then the kids saw how much money they were making with adult beverages.

And, ‘financial aid,’ like for a college fund.”

FINANCIAL-ADE 2 parts fresh Porter peach puree 3 parts fresh squeezed lemon juice 3 parts Redemption Rye whiskey 2 parts ginger-infused simple syrup 1 mint leaf 12 // FOOD & DRINK

SCOTT PHILLIPS VINTAGE 1740 Critics’ Choice award winner for “Constant Edge” Assigned ingredient: Broker’s Gin “I was messing with a few gin cocktails before I got selected to represent Vintage for the competition,” Phillips said. “I had a couple things pulling me this way and that way and took a short nap—then had a eureka moment of what I wanted to go in it. I developed the concept and then the name.

I used Broker’s gin for ‘constant’ and for English culture, and from England and Japanese cultures is the tea, which gives you ‘edge.’”

CONSTANT EDGE 1 oz. Broker’s Gin .75 oz. dry sake .75 oz. blueberry tea syrup .5 oz. lemon juice 3-4 basil leaves Lemon twist

THE LOOP

loop

Don’t miss the bus!

Use the real time Bus Tracker App available at Scan the QR code and keep track of the Loop with the Tulsa Transit Bus Tracker App. tulsatransit.org facebook.com/TulsaDowntownTrolley

Combine all ingredients into shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with lemon twist. Kampai! a September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

NEW & V I N TA G E V I N Y L T U R N TA B L E S LIVE MUSIC

WE BUY RECORDS !

11A M -11P M E V E R Y D AY 918 . 7 9 4 . 7 8 81 11 E B R A DY S T

A Tulsa Tradition!

• Delivery Available • Daily & Weekly Specials • Full Service Catering • Banquet Facilities 14 West M.B. Brady • 918.582.3383 MexicaliBorderCafe.com

Specializing in Vintage & Rare Guitars with a Gallery that Includes Historical Instruments from well known Tulsa Musicians.

Open Tues. - Sat. • 11am - 7pm

217 E. Archer • Historic Brady Arts District • (918) 619-6353

woodyguthriecenter.org

MATTHEW MCNEAL THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 • 7pm

MARLEY’S GHOST FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 • 7pm

SARAH LEE GUTHRIE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 • 7pm

DAMIEN JURADO SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 • 7pm

CHANGING WORLD PRIZE TO HONOR LADONNA HARRIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24• 5pm address 102 EAST BRADY STREET, TULSA, OK

74103

phone 918.574.2710

email INFO@WOODYGUTHRIECENTER.ORG THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

BRADY ARTS DISTRICT GUIDE // 13

THE BEST TASTING WEEK OF THE YEAR BEGINS SEPTEMBER 8!

Join Tulsa’s best restaurants for a 10-day celebration of Tulsa’s culinary scene benefiting the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma’s Food for Kids program!

TulsaPeople’s 11TH ANNUAL

September 8-17

LUNCH, BRUNCH AND DINNER OPTIONS INCLUDE: • Two course, prix fixe lunch or brunch menus will include a choice of appetizer and entrée or entrée and dessert for $12.95.

• Three-course, prix fixe dinner menus will include a choice of appetizer, entrée and dessert for either $35 or $35-for-two.

Prices do not include tax, tip or beverage.

• NEW for 2017: Signature cocktails will be offered at select participating restaurants, for an additional charge, with $1 per cocktail donated to the Food Bank!

10% of Restaurant Week sales will be donated to the Community Food Bank of Oklahoma’ s Food for Kids program and donations will be matched up to $25,000 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation.

T HE A L L- NE W HID E AWAY ' S W E E T Z A' C O OK IE

You're gonna want to save some room.

45+ PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS*: DOWNTOWN BROKEN ARROW

SEPTEMBER 8 PIE NIGHT ONLY

BROOKSIDE SOUTH

DOWNTOWN SOUTH

at Platt College

DOWNTOWN SOUTH CITY

BROOKSIDE ON THE HILL

BROOKSIDE SOUTH

CHERRY STREET SOUTH

BROOKSIDE RIVERSIDE

DOWNTOWN ON YALE

DOWNTOWN SOUTH

*As of 9/5/17

Visit TulsaPeople.com for prixe fixe menus and to make reservations with OpenTable!

Presented by: Sponsors: 14 // FOOD & DRINK

Benefiting:

Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope

Community FOOD BANK of Eastern Oklahoma

Tulsa

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

Pizzaiolo Mike Bausch

Andolini’s Pizzeria crafts pizza and libations “Tulsa Style” – honest, made from scratch and delicious. We serve award-winning pizzas and amazing cocktails, beers and wines with genuine Oklahoma friendliness. No freezers, no microwaves, no kidding. At Andolini’s Pizzeria, real food has never been a gimmick; it is how we put the customer first.

RESTAURANT WEEK MENU $12.95 Lunch for 2 courses

LUNCH Appetizer Garlic Knots Bruschetta Small Signature Salad

RESTAURANT WEEK MENU $12.95 Lunch for 2 Courses $35 Dinner for Two

LUNCH

Appetizer Brewery Garden Salad

Friendly Service and Gourmet Quality Food are a Consistent Standard at the Bluestone Steakhouse and Seafood Restaurant.

We will make every effort to fulfill your greatest expectations every time you dine with us. Bluestone is always committed to helping various charities in our community.

Jalapeño Spam Fries Entrée Boom Boom Shrimp Mac and Cheese Extreme Bacon and Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich with San Marzano Tomato Soup Brewery Burger Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Spicy Mayo

DINNER

Two Beverages*, Two Brewery Garden Salads, Any Bricktown Pizza and a Sizzlin’ Apple Crisp

OR Two Beverages*, Two Brewery Garden Salads, One Brewery Burger, One Grilled Chicken Sandwich and a Sizzlin’ Apple Crisp

RESTAURANT WEEK MENU

RESTAURANT WEEK MENU $12.95 Lunch for 2 courses $35 Dinner for Two

LUNCH

$35 Dinner

Appetizer Tomato Bisque Side Caesar Salad

Choose one from each course

DINNER

Appetizer House Salad Caesar Salad Soup of Choice Entrée 21-Day Aged Tenderloin Tails with Grilled Shrimp Topped with wild mushroom demi glace reduction sauce, served with choice starches and mixed vegetables or sautéed green beans

Individual Bruschetta Entrée Any New Salad Such as Mediterranean Orzo Salad, Warm Brie and Spinach or Chicken Captiva, with choice of chicken, turkey or quinoa

Any New Sandwich or Wrap Such as 3rd Street Club, Meatloaf and Provolone Sandwich or Blackened Chicken Wrap

Any Small Flatbread

Artichoke Chicken

DINNER

Chicken breast pan-seared with artichoke hearts, sliced crimini mushrooms sautéed in lemon beurre blanc sauce, served with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus

Fresh Norwegian Salmon

Entrée Two slices of pizza Choice of sausage, pepperoni, cheese, or Slice of the Day

All reserve wines are half-price, with $5 from each purchase going to the food bank

Salmon filet grilled and basted with house herbs and seasonings, served with vegetable du jour and sweet potato hash or any house potatoes

Appetizer Tomato Bruschetta Spinach Artichoke Dip Grandpa Vinnie’s Meatballs Entrée Any Entrée Any Large Flatbread Any 11-inch Pizza

Dessert Fresh Crème Brule

Dessert Oreo Cheesecake Brownie Italian Butter Cake

Any Gourmet Salad Dessert Chocolate Lave Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

SIGNATURE COCKTAIL

Tito’s Mule — $7.00

Bricktown Brewery Andolini’s Pizzeria

3301 S. Peoria Ave. 918-895-7878

1552 E. 15th St. 918-728-6111 www.AndoPizza.com

9409 E. 71st St. 918-994-4456 BricktownBrewery.com

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

Bluestone Steakhouse & Seafood 10032 S. Sheridan Rd., Suite J 918-296-9889 BluestoneSteakhouse.com

$1 FROM EVERY COCKTAIL SOLD WILL BE DONATED TO THE FOOD BANK

Naples Flatbread 201 S. Denver Ave. W. #107 918-879-1990 NaplesFlatbread.com

Naples Flatbread

FOOD & DRINK // 15

ENJOY SOME OF THE BEST DINING TULSA HAS TO OFFER D U R I N G R E S TA U R A N T W E E K

DILLY DINER

$35 DINNER FOR TWO

TulsaPeople’s 11TH ANNUAL

September 8-17

EL GUAPO’S

FASSLER HALL

MCNELLIE’S

ELGIN PARK

THE TAVERN

YOKOZUNA

$35 DINNER FOR TWO

$35 DINNER FOR TWO

$35 DINNER

$35 DINNER FOR TWO

$35 DINNER FOR TWO

$12.95 LUNCH FOR 2 COURSES $35 DINNER

VISIT TULSAPEOPLE.COM FOR PRIXE FIXE MENUS 16 // FEATURED

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

HAVE A WHALE OF A TIME

Now in its fourth year, BLUE WHALE COMEDY FESTIVAL has matured from its relatively modest beginnings in 2014—when a few notable headliners and a handful of local and regional performers took over Comedy Parlor and the PAC—and blossomed into a can’t-miss Tulsa party in the Brady Arts District across multiple venues.

National comedians like Natasha Leggero, Eric Andre, Fortune Feimster, Michael Ian Black, and Nikki Glaser have all graced Blue Whale’s main stages, which is fantastic, but the real magic—and utility—of the festival can be seen in the way it’s become a vital showcase for Oklahoma’s growing roster of homegrown comics.

Paralleling Blue Whale’s evolution and stand-up’s mainstream renaissance is the rapid growth and coalescence over the last several years of our city’s own local comedy scene, which has never been more exciting—or funnier. This year’s festival line-up reflects the diverse array of voices that are making Tulsa a comedy city gig by gig, open mic by open mic.

As you peruse this guide and plan your weekend around Eugene Mirman, Naomi Ekperigin, the Sklar Brothers, and the dozen other fantastic national acts performing, also make a point to support the comics whose names you might not recognize. In other words, go laugh at the locals. —TTV STAFF

BLUE WHALE COMEDY FESTIVAL Thurs., Sept. 7 through Sat., Sept. 9 Brady Arts District

(GUTHRIE GREEN, SOUNDPONY, CAIN’S BALLROOM AND SIDE STAGE, THE YETI, AND CHIMERA) For tickets and more information, visit bluewhalecomedyfestival.com

EUGENE MIRMAN WITH FRAN HOEPFNER AND LOCAL COMEDIAN JOSH LATHE

Don’t expect to be bored

Sat., Sept. 9 | 10:30 p.m.

Cain’s Ballroom

BYRON BOWERS ON GETTING BOOED AND BEING IN TOUCH

BY LANDRY MILLER

BYRON BOWERS’ resume is too extensive to be featured here in full, so here’s a short list: toured with Dave Chappelle, Hannibal Buress, and the Eric Andre Show Live; worked with Louis C.K., Jim Gaffigan, Sarah Silverman, and other household names; appeared on The Eric Andre Show, Adam Devine’s House Party, and on the reboot of BET’s Comic View; made his late night debut on The Pete Holmes Show, followed by Jimmy Kimmel Live. But most importantly (to us), Bowers is returning once again to Blue Whale to perform and curate the show Mask Off—what he calls “the most honest show” there.

I asked him what he meant.

“You’re taking off your everyday mask, and being more truthful, showing off who you really are,” he said.

“The audience should be ready to be the priest on the other side of the confessional booth.”

A minute into our conversation, Bowers had me opening up about my week. We talked about what he was working on in Chicago and how strange it is when strangers tell very personal things about themselves on the first meeting. But Bowers is one of those rare people interested in the story you have to tell.

So, I told him about my phone breaking: A woman at a house party the night before had a bad reaction to some medication (not prescribed to her), and forgot who she was, where she was, and who I was. She used my phone as a weapon to combat a group of unseen fairies and it shattered.

“It all sounds real suspect,” Byron laughed. “I expected something a lot more boring. That’s why I love talking to people—I never would have heard that story otherwise.”

Bowers’ first time doing stand-up was at an amateur’s night in Atlanta.

“I got up there and I got booed by 300 people … I didn’t know that you had to prepare material, I thought you 18 // FEATURED

could just walk up there and you’d be funny.”

“That can be a rough first experience, for sure,” I said, “but at least you kept at it.”

“No, I quit after that,” Byron replied instantly, “I didn’t go back up for another year or so.”

“I got booed for the first 6 months I did stand up,” he went on, describing how difficult those rooms can be.

And if you’re not entertaining the audience?

“They will boo you until you leave”.

But he credits that time in his career as a major learning experience.

“If you are going to pander to the crowd and say what they want to hear, or if you’re going to be true to who you are and what you have to say … That doesn’t mean you can’t evolve, that comes with experiencing life. If my truth changes, so does my material.”

“The more you talk to people, the more you grow. The more you grow, the more you can be in touch with other humans. We have so much in common, and we all have things that are great about each of us.”

At Mask Off, Bowers aims to tap into that vulnerability and honesty. And rather than deliver a monologue, will have a dialogue with the audience instead.

“It’s all a dance,” Bowers said. “If [the audience] is excited, then I’m going be excited.”

MASK OFF WITH BYRON BOWERS, FEAT. SAM JAY AND LOCAL COMEDIANS AARON WILDER AND CAMERON BREWER Fri., Sept. 8 | 11 p.m.

Cain’s Ballroom Side Stage

LATE LATE BREAKFAST

Sat., Sept. 9 | 1:30 p.m.

Cain’s Ballroom Side Stage

THE GOD DAMN COMEDY JAM

Sat., Sept. 9 | 11 p.m. | The Yeti

THE FUTURE OF MUSIC IS CHAIRS Euguene Mirman’s art installation, internet complaints, and advice for comics

BY ANDREW DEACON Most comedians start their career opening for other comedians. Eugene Mirman opted for touring with Modest Mo use and opening for bands like Gogol Bordello, The Shins, and Cake. He’s known for performing in rock clubs and theaters instead of comedy clubs. He started the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival as a joke.

Mirman carved his path in the entertainment industry along a nontraditional route—and he’s been making people laugh for close to twenty years. This year, he headlines Blue Whale Comedy Festival at Cain’s Ballroom on September 9.

ANDREW DEACON: When you started performing comedy in Boston, which comedians did you come up with?

EUGENE MIRMAN: Brendon Small and Jen Kirkman were comics in Boston. Brendon Small was a roommate of mine at the time. There was Patrick Borelli, who is now a writer at Fallon, and there were also a lot of great comics that would come through from New York.

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

DEACON: Where is the weirdest place you have performed comedy?

MIRMAN: I did a show in sort of a damp cave in Edinburgh for a month. It’s a common space there. A month after 9/11 I did some comedy club that is off the Las Vegas strip. I was supposed to do eight shows and I think I did two. It was just a terrible mismatching of audience to performer. I also remember Kurt Braunohler once put on a show in the back of a U-haul truck and it was very fun.

DEACON: When you put out your 2015 album I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome), you offered a chair version of the album. Can you describe what that means?

MIRMAN: I can 100% describe it. We made two chair versions. We refurbished a chair, installed speakers and an MP3 player that had the album loaded on it. The album was literally the chair, like it was built in. You would play the album through the chair itself. There was also the robe version, which had the album sown into it and headphones.

This is probably a year or two ago, but I bought a dryer from Sears and they were supposed to deliver it and all the stuff went wrong. They were rude to an insane degree. One department put me in touch with another and that department with the original. Finally I was like, I’m going to joke about this on the internet. I wrote on Twitter, “If you want to have the experience of buying a dryer from Sears, just throw $1,000 into the ocean and call Eastern Europe to complain about it.” That did get the attention of Sears.

It’s frustrating because I don’t want to go on the internet every time like, “My shoes were delivered and it was the wrong size and I’m so mad.” Because I’m known for complaining about companies, I’m very hesitant to do it unless I think I will come off as very correct.

DEACON: Sometimes they don’t give you a choice.

MIRMAN: Yes, exactly.

DEACON: Are there any creative endeavors you pursue just for yourself, not something that feels like work?

DEACON: Did anybody buy these?

MIRMAN: Yes. There were two chair versions made and they were both sold. I believe Mike Birbiglia has one.

DEACON: It’s like an art installation.

MIRMAN: It is literally an art installation.

I was very excited … the time that it was happening was when people were sort of talking about how album sales were down and things were streaming, or going digital, and I was just obsessed with this idea of the future of music is chairs. That is how everyone will listen to it—in chairs and robes and sneakers—and I knew that was not true. It was still really fun to make.

DEACON: You’re known for addressing problems with customer service or a city’s practices in your standup. What was the first company you addressed this way?

MIRMAN: It was probably 1992 or 1993. I wrote a letter to MCI who had sent me some sort of very weird promotional thing. It was something that hundreds of thousands of people saw. Not that it was what made me in anyway reach a popular standard or something.

After [my letter to] Time Warner I was like, I probably won’t do that again. And I was like, well, maybe just this once about this parking ticket.

I don’t want to do it too much. I think it’s only when a company does something that I thought was really egregious.

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

MIRMAN: I think all of it is work … the goal is to make the work enjoyable. I think writing a movie that doesn’t connect with anyone just for yourself is some sort of weird myth.

The thing that makes me happiest is this album you described. I made a pretty odd album. I also put stand-up on it and intentionally didn’t sell it for that much more than a normal album digitally so that no one was penalized for also having to have 45 minutes of crying.

I think everything that I make I want people to connect with. I’m not trying to make anything sillier or weirder than that album. But I also want for people to enjoy it. There isn’t an art form that I’m hoping to do that would make me happy but no other people.

DEACON: A lot of comics at Blue Whale Comedy Festival are new and upcoming. What advice can you give them for pursuing comedy?

MIRMAN: Be very funny. Connect with the audience. Do it often and kill. Perform in Tulsa, Oklahoma, or wherever you’re from for maybe three to five years and then move to New York and LA and go be comics. Then they can move back. I live in Cape Cod right now. You don’t have to live in New York or LA forever, but you probably have to be there for 10 or 15 years to become a full-time comic. There are very few people who get on stage for 45 minutes, make people laugh, and aren’t a fulltime comic. That’s pretty rare.

Amuse bouche BLUE WHALE SHORTS ARE A TASTY APERITIF

BY JOE O’SHANSKY

Blue Whale Comedy Festival will open its three-day laughaganza with a slate of absurdist shorts on the big Green—an episodic appetizer to Harold Ramis’s hysterical, borderline demented, 1980 golf comedy entrée, “Caddyshack.”

David Nofire, the Circle Cinema’s long-time resident programmer of all things geek (he currently curates the Graveyard Shift series of films, as well as the perennial, long-running genrethemed lockdown, Slumber Party) was enlisted by BWCF to help cull a bevy of domestic and international submissions.

“We came to an easy agreement on the films we thought were the best for this fest,” Nofire said.

The selections are nothing if not inventive and diverse.

“Tom, the Knife Salesman,” from director Ryan Brown, finds a hapless doorto-door peddler trapped with a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses—captives of a paranoid, gun-toting homeowner whose “No Solicitors” sign means business.

“Stowaway,” by Kenneth Anderson, involves a gullible blonde falling for a horny sailor whose promises are not what they seem. Honestly, it’s problematic, though it lands its snort-worthy joke like a ribald chain e-mail from your septuagenarian, misogynistic uncle.

“Take a Stand, Man,” directed by and starring John Wu, is the ideological answer to “Stowaway”—a satirical statement on reality TV and political correctness, framed by a bad date and keenly aware of its sexual politics.

So grab your humans, non-humans, blankets, and hors d’oeuvres. It’s a Thursday on the Green and the weather will be fine. You were going to do it anyway.

SHORT FILM FESTIVAL & “CADDYSHACK” Thurs., Sept. 7 | 8:30 p.m.

Guthrie Green

FEATURED // 19

EATING TO FEEL NOTHING Naomi Ekperigin cuts loose on stage

IN MEMORIAM

Will Ogletree The entire Oklahoma City comedy scene is in shock by Will Ogletree’s death from a head injury in the square circle. He was only 25. I’m so old I don’t even remember age 25. For me, it meant lots of beer.

For Will, it meant working and living with his best friend Alex Sanchez, running a trivia night, co-hosting a mixed open mic, and watching lots of goofball stuff.

Will had already been through the formation and breakup of a good band and his standup had risen to the level of opening for Nick Thune and getting accepted to festivals.

But his dream was to be a pro wrestler. Once, we went to a low-rent wrestling event with some pals. It was in the dark corner of a mall with lots of space to rent. His excitement and love of the guys in the ring was real.

He could recap stories on any wrestler in the last 20 years.

Watching it with him made you as enthusiastic as he was.

I was in a small Facebook group chat with Will and friends.

We talked inside baseball on comedy (local and national), riffed on silly and surreal subjects (e.g., vape-themed anime), and roasted each other. Do you know what we gave Will grief about? How women loved him. Yes, that was all what we could come up with to really give him the goods.

Will’s comedy reflected his personality. It wasn’t the usual rant against society or shock humor. He wanted you to laugh with him about the things he loved, be it nature docs, his family, or pro wrestling. He enjoyed the theatrical and larger-than life, but he also loved people. And he made everyone around him feel better.

It’s the world’s loss he’s gone.

–STEVE WAMPUS REYNOLDS EDITOR’S NOTE: Will Ogletree died after sustaining an injury in an unlicensed wrestling match in Oklahoma City on August 27. He was scheduled to perform at Blue Whale Comedy Festival.

20 // FEATURED

BY CLAIRE EDWARDS

NAOMI EKPERIGIN WITH JAQUELINE NOVAK, LOCAL COMEDIAN LANDRY MILLER AND MORE

Sat., Sept. 9 | 5:30 p.m.

The Yeti

2017 COMICS TO WATCH

Sat., Sept. 9 | 7:30 p.m.

The Yeti

C O M E D I A N N AO M I E K P E R I G I N L O V E S the electricity of a live stand up show, praising comedians who bring a certain personality and physicality to their performance.

“What I love is when I see performers, there’s energy on stage, they’re powerhouses. I like someone who, when I watch them, I know who they are,” she said.

There is no questioning who Naomi Ekperigin is on stage. At one point in her set she proclaims “I used to drink to feel pretty, now I eat to feel nothing.”

Simultaneously irreverent and relatable, Ekperigin gives a voice to the experiences of women navigating that strange liminal space between young womanhood and encroaching middle age. In one set she goes from bemoaning the loss of the slenderness of her youth to positively crowing with pride over the happiness she’s found in a mature, stable relationship with her Jewish fiancé—who she’s affectionately nicknamed “Jewboo.”

Though perhaps best known as a TV writer for “Broad City,” “Difficult People,” and “Totally Biased,” Ekperigin began her career in improv and stand-up comedy, without any intention of eventually writing for television. However, it was her stand-up career that caught the attention of Abbie Jacobson and Ilana Glazer and eventually led her to the writers’ room.

“They knew my point of view and sensibilities were something that could be an asset on the show, so it got me all connected,” Ekperigin said.

“But that was definitely not my intention when I started out.”

A black woman born and raised in Harlem, Ekperigin attended a predominantly white private school on Park Avenue. She credits this outsider experience as a major component of her comedy.

“From a very early age I learned that one of these things is not like the other … and that thing was me. I spent a lot of time on the outside looking in, assessing the world I was in, figuring out where I fit into it. It’s the kind of thinking that led me to doing comedy.”

Outsider perspectives are integral to comedy, two key examples being black comedians Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, who successfully crossed over to white audiences in the 1970s. A fresh, untainted, confronting gaze calls attention to absurdities with which we have perhaps become too familiar and comfortable to question. Despite this, comedy still remains a fairly homogenous, lighterthan-beige boys’ club.

“When a woman in comedy speaks to any topic, she is forced to represent the entire group, and I don’t think men have to deal with that,” Ekperigin said. The answer, she believes, is to offer women from all walks of life more opportunities, so “people will start to recognize and accept this diversity … and that one female comic doesn’t represent all female comics.”

“Comedy, for me, comes from honesty. I don’t think it’s possible to speak to every single experience, but I think if you stay truthful about your experience, the audience will go with you.”

Ekperigin is currently writing for the upcoming NBC series “Great News” and is set to host a regular comedy show in Los Angeles called “Couples’ Therapy.”

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

Kyle Kinane, believer ON CAMPING, CRYPTIDS, AND COMEDY BY JOHN LANGDON

KYLE KINANE believes in aliens, in pure, unadulterated stand-up comedy, and that “mayonnaise doesn’t go bad, it becomes Miracle Whip … that’s the miracle.” His latest special, “Loose in Chicago,” gets a limited-edition vinyl release on September 22.

In addition to his headlining set at Cain’s Ballroom on Friday, September 8, Kinane will also be a guest on the Sklar Brothers’ sports show “View from the Cheap Seats,” at Cain’s earlier that evening.

Over the phone, we talked about tour necessities, keeping comedy comedic, and skin-walkers. Find the full interview at thetulsavoice.com.

JOHN LANGDON: Your show at Blue Whale is the first of a string of dates on the road. What’s something you always have to have with you when you tour?

KYLE KINANE: I’m working on getting it down to a very minimal amount, but I would say for summertime, travelling in humid climates—especially if you’re driving—baby powder and baby wipes. Everything you’d have to take care of a baby works real well for an adult stuck in a car for three to six hours a day.

LANGDON: What’s it like to be writing and performing in this crazy age we’re living in?

KINANE: I don’t touch on it too much. If I believe strongly and it’s something on my mind I want to get across, I’ll do it, but I want to make sure there’s a joke there, not just a sentiment. You can do political comedy, but don’t forget the comedy part.

LANGDON: You and Dave Stone have a podcast called “The Boogie Monster,” where you discuss cryptids, the paranormal—spooky stuff. How did you become interested in that world?

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

KINANE: Whether I believe it or not, I’m entertained by it. It’s a world of fantasy. If you want to sit inside and watch Game of Thrones and talk about that all week, that’s ok. Well, I want to believe in Bigfoot and go camping in the woods, and oh boy, I’m a real weirdo, aren’t I? It’s “X-Files,” I want to believe.

LANGDON: Do you have any favorite topics you’ve covered?

KINANE: We talked about skin-walkers, which is a Native American legend …

The stuff I read about that, I think it was more the nonchalance of people giving their accounts, like, “Oh yeah, we were drinkin’ at a bar over by the reservation, and there was a coyote on the windowsill … Six months later, we’re hanging out at my grandmother’s and she’s like, ‘Yeah, I saw you Christmas Eve. I was the coyote in the windowsill.’” It’s all recorded as such a matter-of-fact that it freaks me out.

LANGDON: “Loose in Chicago” was a homecoming show. Now that you’ve done that, what goes into the choice of where the next special will be?

MEN TO THE BACK Liza Treyger: undeterred tour de force

BY AMANDA RUYLE If I was going to invent a cocktail made with one part immigrant guilt work ethic, one part refusal to tolerate female comedians who pontificate about what kind of jokes a woman should tell, and one part deep disdain for white men struggling to get it together, garnished with a twist of pussy jokes and served over ice cubes of I don’t give a shit, I’d call it the Liza Treyger.

Recently listed in Rolling Stone’s “10 Comedians You Need to Know,” Treyger is officially a stand-up veteran. She accidently stumbled into comedy nine years ago when she attended an open mic at the invitation of a friend, not knowing what to expect. After watching a few comedians go up she thought, “If they can do it, I can totally do it.” She put her name on the list and bombed. Undeterred, she went home, wrote some jokes, and came back the next week to try again. Treyger hasn’t stopped since.

Her style is heavy on the vocal fry, and on the surface her jokes seem to be about being a single, good-time-party-girl. But stick with her for several bits and it becomes obvious that deeper themes of feminism and male fragility are the core of her act.

Her debut comedy album, Glittercheese, is a good introduction, but the material she will be performing in two separate shows at BWCF is all new, even as gender issues remain at the forefront of her writing.

“Guys who come to see me perform are getting more and more defensive and acting like they are victims. I’ve had issues with people trying to start fights with me afterwards … I’m obviously saying something right if they’re getting so upset.”

In comedy, gender is no uncommon subject—both in bits and in the politics of that world. Treyger recently used Twitter to clap back at comedian Iliza Schlesinger, who in an interview with Deadline said, “ … I’m banging my head against the wall because women want to be treated as equals, and we want feminism to be a thing, but it’s really difficult when every woman makes the same point about her vagina, over and over. I think I’m the only woman out there that has a joke about World War II in my set … That’s why women like Tina Fey do well. It’s smart, and men can laugh at it, too.”

Treyger responded with a series of tweets, including “Men stopped women from talking [about] our bodies cause they didn’t like it and now we get to and it’s a treat. Dirty comic forever!!!!!! Pussy puss” and “also, we’re all working hard. you’re not working harder than anybody else.”

She admitted she usually doesn’t fight and was on pain pills after getting her wisdom teeth out, but still stands by her response.

Mentioning Joan Rivers and Judy Gould, Treyger recognizes how hard female comedians have had to fight for legitimacy. Treyger believes the experiences of women are really damn funny, and she isn’t worried about writing jokes with men in mind.

“It’s insane to tell any standup comedian what to say. We all have a unique thing and something to add.”

LIZA TREYGER WITH GINA BRILLON AND LOCAL COMEDIANS SHAWNA BLAKE AND KATIE VAN PATTEN Fri., Sept. 8 | 9:30 p.m. | The Yeti

WITH THE SKLAR BROTHERS, JOSH ADAM MEYERS, AND LOCAL COMEDIAN ANDREW DEACON Sat., Sept. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Cain’s Ballroom

KINANE: I kinda had this dream of doing it outdoors, like in a campground or something. Now every special has a gimmick with it … I just want to do the stand-up, that’s what it is.

VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS: PODCAST TAPING WITH SKLAR BROTHERS Fri., Sept. 8 | 6 p.m.

Cain’s Ballroom Side Stage

KYLE KINANE WITH JAQUELINE NOVAK & MORE, PLUS DJ AFISTAFACE Fri., Sept. 8 | 9 p.m.

Cain’s Ballroom

FEATURED // 21

BLUE WHALE COMEDY FESTIVAL SCHEDULE GUTHRIE GREEN

SOUNDPONY

THE YETI

CAIN’S BALLROOM

CAIN’S SIDE STAGE

CHIMERA

111 E. M.B. BRADY ST.

409 N. MAIN ST.

417 N. MAIN ST.

423 N. MAIN ST.

423 N. MAIN ST.

212 N. MAIN ST.

THURSDAY 8:00 p.m.

9:00 p.m.

10:00 p.m.

Tickets available at bluewhalecomedyfestival.com and during the festival at their outdoor box office next to Soundpony.

Short Film Festival & Movie Night with “Caddyshack” Kick-Off Party benefiting Bike Club Tulsa

11:00 p.m.

12:00 a.m.

1:00 a.m.

FRIDAY 5:00 p.m.

Okie Homie Showcase, hosted by Evan Hughes

6:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

9:00 p.m.

10:00 p.m.

11:00 p.m.

12:00 a.m.

A showcase for the books.

Featuring Yasamin Bayatfar, Peter Bedgood, Adam Benson, Jeff Caillouette, Andrew Deacon, Curt Fletcher, Ryan Green, Spencer Hicks, C.J. Lance, Josh Lathe, Micah Medina, Kayse Melone, Landry Miller, C.R. Parsons, Lauren Turner, Katie Van Patten, and Michael Zampino.

View From the Cheap Seats: podcast taping with Sklar Brothers Sam Jay with Spencer Hicks & more

Liza Treyger, Gina Brillon & more

Blue Whale After Party feat. DJ Trigger Warning

Kyle Kinane with Jaqueline Novak & more, plus DJ Afistaface

Live taping of comedians Jason and Randy Sklar’s podcast—all about the world of sports.

You’ve heard sports enthusiasts talk about these issues, but now you can laugh about them.

MASK OFF: A curated show with Byron Bowers

Blue Whale After Party feat. Verse & The Vapors, Steph Simon, and DJ BigLilSmokie

1:00 a.m.

SATURDAY 11:00 a.m.

12:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

Industry Panel hosted by Ryan Drake Another banger. Featuring Madison Allen, Shawna Blake, Cameron Brewer, T.J. Clark, Vanessa Guess, Heath Huffman, Ashlyn Johnson, Tom King, Kayla Lyles, Heather Mackay, Cam Porter, Hilton Price, Wampus Reynolds, Alex Sanchez, Jeff Thomas, Uncle Gary, and Aaron Wilder.

Jacqueline Novak, Naomi Ekperigin & more

6:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

9:00 p.m.

10:00 p.m.

11:00 p.m.

12:00 a.m.

1:00 a.m.

22 // FEATURED

Opinions Like A–Holes: podcast taping

Okie Homie Showcase

5:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

Late Late Breakfast: a fast-paced mixed-format standup show with 13+ comedians

Comedians do a standup set and then perform their favorite cover song with a live band. Featuring Sklar Brothers, Jordan Rock, Byron Bowers, Gina Brillon, and more. TTV staff will be on hand with free koozies and buttons. Come party with us, goddammit!

Blue Whale After Party: Soul Night with Sweet Baby Jaysus

2017 Comics to Watch

Jordan Rock, David Gborie & more The Sklar Brothers, Liza Treyger & more

Brian Moses, Nick Vatterott & more

Blue Whale After Party: The Goddamn Comedy Jam feat. Sklar Brothers, Jordan Rock, Byron Bowers, & more

Eugene Mirman with Josh Lathe and Fran Hoepfner

Live taping of pop culture riff session/ entertainment review podcast hosted by local comedians Michael Zampino and Hilton Price. Topics range anywhere from the decline of 3-D movies to Elton John and “Stranger Things” action figures to Hot Pockets.

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

READY? OCT. 13–15, 2017 KICK-OFF PARTY OCT. 12

· Indie Alley Showcase featuring Indie developers from around the world · Virtual Reality Showcase · Smash Bros. Tournament · PC Tournaments featuring Overwatch and League of Legends

· Cosplay Contest · Tabletop Gaming · Panels and Speakers · Retro Lounge · Live Music

COX BUSINESS CENTER

100 Civic Center • Tulsa, OK Info@XPOTulsa.com

@GamesXPO

TICKETS: XPOTulsa.com

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

FEATURED // 23

MCNELLIE’S HARVEST BEER FESTIVAL

SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 drink good beer w good people

OVER 70 BREWERIES ON SITE!

1ST & ELGIN DOWNTOWN TULSA

ADVANCE

SESSION 1

9/18-WEEK OF

SESSION 2

$40 PER TICKET $45 PER TICKET

12PM-3PM 5PM-8PM

tickets available at McNellie’s & beerfests.com 24 // FEATURED

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

31 FESTIVALS TO HIT THIS FALL

by TTV STAFF

A REFRESHING CRISPNESS IN THE AIR, the smell of cuisines from around the world, and all the reasons you could ever need to cut a rug. Leaves are falling (well, almost). Pumpkins are growing. Beer is getting darker. Let’s have some fun.

Blue Whale Comedy Festival 9/7–9 BRADY ARTS DISTRICT Individual performance tickets available, weekend passes $85–$195 bluewhalecomedyfestival.com More than 65 comedians—including Eugene Mirman, Kyle Kinane, Naomi Ekperigin, and the Sklar Brothers—take the mic for the annual comedy blowout.

For interviews with comedians and a full schedule, see pg. 17.

SkyDance Kite Festival 9/9 CHISHOLM TRAIL SOUTH PARK, BROKEN ARROW | Free admission facebook.com/tulsawindriders Kite fliers from around the region will take to the skies. Wanna join in? Vendors will also be on site so you can get a kite of your own.

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

BrickUniverse

ScotFest

WestFest

9/9–10 COX BUSINESS CENTER $15 brickuniverse.com/tulsa The ultimate LEGO fan experience returns to Tulsa with unbelievable displays and interactive building opportunities.

9/15–17 RIVER WEST FESTIVAL PARK $5–$250 okscotfest.com Highland games, pipes and drums, whiskey tastings, alternative Celtic rock, and glorious deep-fried Scottish cuisine make this festival 100 percent kilt-worthy.

9/16 PENNY PARK | Free admission neighborsalongtheline.org Neighbors Along the Line present this afternoon of family fun, featuring food, music, art, entertainment, and a parade.

Gatesway Balloon Festival 9/15–17 BROKEN ARROW EVENTS PARK | Free admission, $5 parking gateswayballoonfestival.org Up in the sky: dozens of hot air balloons.

On the ground: a Mustang car show, a 5K, Kite Club, and more.

Stone River Music Festival 9/15–17 CHANDLER | $25–$45 stonerivermusicfestival.com This music and camping festival on land owned by the family of local guitar great Dustin Pittsley will feature performances by Ian Moore, and many locals, including Wink Burcham, Pilgrim, Jacob Tovar, and a family jam.

Medicine Stone 9/21–23 DIAMONDHEAD RESORT, TAHLEQUAH | Single day: $60 3-day passes start at $150 medicinestoneok.com Created by Jason Boland and The Stragglers and Turnpike Troubadours, Medicine Stone features four stages and performances by Randy Rogers Band, Shinyribs, JD McPherson, Lucero, American Aquarium, and more.

FEATURED // 25

9/7–9 Higher Plains Jazz and Hip Hop Festival 9/22–23 THE VANGUARD $27–$45 thevanguardtulsa.com The third annual Higher Plains will feature a jazz night with Shaun Martin of Snarky Puppy, Erykah Badu’s backing band RC & The Gritz, New Orleans band Extended, and locals Branjae, Henna Roso, and Annie Ellicott. The hip hop night will feature Raekwon (read our interview with him on pg. 38!), Jabee, Steph Simon, We Make Shapes, Mike Dee and Stone Trio, Algebra, and more.

Chalk It Up! An Art Festival 9/22–23 ROSE DISTRICT, BROKEN ARROW | Free admission facebook.com/ChalkItUpAnArtFestival In a celebration of impermanence, artists compete, creating artworks on 10’x10’ sections of Main Street, B.A.

Woofstock 9/23 RIVERWALK CROSSING, JENKS Free admission animalallianceok.org Oklahoma’s largest (and grooviest) pet adoption event. Find a new friend or bring one for pet contests, microchipping, vendors and services, and live music.

Tulsa State Fair 9/28–10/8 EXPO SQUARE $6–$10, Mega Ride Passes: $70–$75 tulsastatefair.com Rides, fried Oreos, BBQ parfaits, 4H exhibits, rodeos, Disney On Ice, sights, sounds, and smells—plus performances

by In This Moment, Bret Michaels, Jimmy Buffet tribute band Bluffet, and more.

Illinois River Jam 9/29–30 PEYTON’S PLACE, TAHLEQUAH | $45 illinoisriverjam.com The lineup for this Okie music fest features Parker Millsap, Travis Linville, Samantha Crain, Ramsay Midwood, Kyle Reid, and more.

26 // FEATURED

Kiefer Medieval Faire 9/29–10/1 KIEFER MUNICIPAL PARK Free admission, $3 parking facebook.com/kiefermedievalfaire Step back in time for a unique mixture of medieval, renaissance, and steampunk styles. See knights duel and even take part in a medieval riding skills clinic.

Haunted Castle Halloween Festival Fridays and Saturdays, 9/29– 10/28 THE CASTLE OF MUSKOGEE Free admission, attraction prices vary okcastle.com A variety of fun and spooky activities and attractions for the brave (Casa Morte, Domus Horrificus, Trail of Blood) and the not-so-brave (Halloweenland, Enchanted Boardwalk) fill Green Country’s favorite castle.

Tulsa’s Soul Festival

Claremore Bluegrass & Chili Festival CLAREMORE EXPO CENTER | Free admission, $10 parking bluegrasschilifest.com THE 38 TH ANNUAL Claremore Bluegrass & Chili Festival will take place September 7–9 at the Claremore Expo Center. The Mid-America Regional Chili Cookoff is on Saturday, September 9. Teams will compete for cash, prizes, and trophies, and the winner will represent the festival at the World’s Championship Chili Cook-Off. There will also be a salsa cook-off on Saturday.

National performing acts include Lawson and Quicksilver, Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, Dailey and Vincent, and The Cleverlys—in addition to many regional bands. Other activities include the festival market, art and crafts, open car show, vocalist competition, and junior showcase.

LA SANTA CECILIA

9/22–23

9/30 GUTHRIE GREEN Free admission waymantisdale.net A tribute to the late Wayman Tisdale, this concert will feature national acts The SOS Band and Raheem DaVaughn, as well as locals Charlie Redd and the Full Flava Kings, Written Quincey, Jericam Tulsa Street Dance, and more.

Oklahoma Bigfoot Symposium 9/30–10/1 CC CAMP, STILLWELL $5 mabrc.com/okbfsymp The hunt for Sasquatch continues.

Hear expert speakers dish on the latest research.

Festival Americas GUTHRIE GREEN | Free admission facebook.com/festivalamericas FESTIVAL AMERICAS WILL CELEBRATE the rich, vibrant culture of the Americas at Guthrie Green on September 22–23.

Day one, which runs from 6–9 p.m., features an outdoor art gallery with local Latino artists and live music, food trucks, and a tequila garden.

Day two offers more of the same plus a full day of dance performances, live music, a kid’s zone, and interactive activities for all ages. On day two, the festival will be open 2–10 p.m.

The concert lineup includes Grupo Soniak, Tulsa Latin Style, Navarro y Su Potencia Musical, Tulsa Salseros, Ballet Folklorico Tonatiuh, Chilenos Morelenses and the Grammy award-winning band La Santa Cecilia.

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

9/30

McNellie’s Harvest Beer Festival MCNELLIE’S DOWNTOWN | $40–$45 facebook.com/mcnellieshbf ON SEPTEMBER 30, over 70 breweries will assemble outside McNellie’s downtown for the grandest local beer tasting this fall. Unlimited tastings and a free souvenir glass are included with each session—session one runs 12–3 p.m. and session two 5–8 p.m. Each ticket purchase gives you the chance to win a Yeti Tundra 45 ice chest. Ticket prices increase from $40 to $45 the week of, and designated drivers are welcomed without a ticket. Food provided by McNellie’s, Fassler Hall, and Elgin Park. This event is 21+, so dream on kiddos.

10/5–7

Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival 10/5–7 COTTONWOOD FLATS, GUTHRIE | $17–$86 oibf.com Japan’s Blueside of Lonesome, Belgium’s Louvat Brothers Trio, Canada’s Andrew Collins Trio, and Australia’s Nick Charles are joined by Sierra Hull, The Elders, The Western Flyers, and more.

This festival is a must for everyone from the casual Bluegrass fan to the connoisseur.

National Indian Taco Championship 10/7 DOWNTOWN PAWHUSKA Free admission facebook.com/nitcpawhuska Try the best of the best of this regional delicacy, and see or take part in traditional dancing at the NITC Powwow.

Tulsa American Film Festival 10/11–15 CIRCLE CINEMA, GILCREASE MUSEUM, WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER All access passes: $60–$90 tulsaamericanfilmfest.com TAFF returns for its third annual showcase of American features and shorts, with a special focus on Native American, Latino, Oklahoma-based, and student filmmakers.

Pelican Festival

Tulsa Greek Festival HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH $3 in advance, $5 at the door tulsagreekfestival.com DON YOUR TOGAS OCTOBER 5–7 for the 57th annual Tulsa Greek Festival, which will take place at the newly built Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Community Hall, just south of downtown. Cuisine that will have you saying OPA!HOMA include: lamb dinner, chicken or pork souvlaki dinner, Greek salad, green beans, rice pilaf, spanikopita and tyropita—not to mention the Greek street eats: gyro sandwiches, calamari, and Greek fries.

Don’t forget the baklava and Greek coffee, too. Imported Greek wines, Ouzo liqueur, and beer will be served. Traditional Greek dancing, live music, and church tours will happen on both days.

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

10/13–14 WOLF CREEK PARK, GROVE Free admission pelicanfestok.com Grand Lake celebrates the return of the migrating American White Pelican with an Oktoberfest-themed carnival and art fair.

Art on Main

Tulsa Pop Culture Expo 10/14–15 t-popexpo.com This inaugural geek-fest will feature gaming, cosplay, panel discussions, and appearances by “7th Heaven” mom, Catherine Hicks, Chase Masterson of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” and Marvel and DC comic illustrator Barry Kitson, among many others.

Cherokee Art Market 10/14–15 HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO, CATOOSA | $5 cherokeeartmarket.com Featuring 150 Native American artists representing 50 tribes from across the country, Cherokee Art Market is one of the largest Native American art shows in the region.

Linde Oktoberfest 10/19–22 RIVER WEST FESTIVAL PARK | $7–$270 tulsaoktoberfest.org Prost! Here’s to 80 brands of beer pouring from 300 taps, dozens of bands both German and otherwise, games, competitions, arts, crafts, schnitzel, strudel, and the best of the wursts.

Oklahoma Jewish Film Festival 10/22–25 CIRCLE CINEMA Ticketing TBA facebook.com/oklahomajewishfilmfestival Circle Cinema will screen eight films over four nights for this third annual festival, including “Monkey Business,” a documentary about “Curious George” authors Hans and Margaret Rey, “On the Map,” the story of Israel’s triumph in the 1977 European Basketball Championship, and “The Pickle Recipe,” a secret-family-recipe comedy.

10/14 MAIN STREET, JENKS Free admission jenkschamber.com/artonmain Dozens of Oklahoma artists of many styles and media participate in this outdoor juried art show, which also features local wine and live music.

FEATURED // 27

TULSA AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

OKTOBERFEST

ART ON MAIN

GATESWAY BALLOON FESTIVAL

10/12–15

XPO Gaming Convention COX BUSINESS CENTER | $35–$65 xpotulsa.com XPO GAMING CONVENTION IS FOR GAMERS, fans, developers, and game industry leaders. October 12–15, attendees will have access to PC and console tournaments with cash prizes, a retro gaming lounge, unlimited laser tag, a cosplay contest, concerts, board games, and the opportunity to try out the latest indie games—among other activities. The keynote speaker is Chris Avellone, writer and creative director at Black Isle. Panels will include well-known game industry veterans. Whether interested in gaming, VR technology, or eSports, VPO has everything a geek—and we use that term lovingly—could dream of. a

28 // FEATURED

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

4 TH ANNUAL

BE CURIOUS OCTOBER

22-25, 2017 The Oklahoma Jewish Film Festival is a partnership between Circle Cinema, Jewish Federation of Tulsa and The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art.

TULS

A PE RFOR MING ARTS CENT ER

Circle Cinema 10 South Lewis • Tulsa, OK 74104 Office: 918.585.FILM (3456) Box Office: 918.585.3504 Visit circlecinema.com for more info and tickets

September 5-28

Marjorie Atwood PAC Art Gallery September 10

Calidore String Quartet Chamber Music Tulsa September 13-24

I Am My Own Wife Tulsa Project Theatre September 15

Captain Mark Kelly Tulsa Town Hall September 16

Gala Concert with Jon Kimura Parker Tulsa Symphony Classics September 22

GET TICKETS

Chris Botti | 35 Concerts Sept. 22- Oct. 1

TULSAPAC.COM American Idiot MYTICKETOFFICE.COM Theatre Tulsa 918.596.7111 Sept. 26- Oct. 1 The Bodyguard: The Musical Celebrity Attractions

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

FEATURED // 29

artspot

Garden of the grassroots Local filmmakers hope to unite Tulsa’s film fiefdoms

by JOE O’SHANSKY

O

ur first few minutes under the crimson shadows of the Cellar Dweller are spent shooting the shit. Because, if you know anything about Charles Elmore and Sterlin Harjo, you know they’re hilarious.

The conversation turns from what molester haircuts look like to the new season of “Twin Peaks,” then to a performance of a script Sterlin wrote, which was read at a Sundance party by Kyle MacLachlan, Ed Harris, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. In this Lynchian bar, it’s a meta-story that illustrates that old Woody Allen adage, “80% of success is showing up.”

Harjo, who co-founded the local Emmy-winning Firethief Productions, and Elmore who co-founded Roughhouse Creative, are two passionate, talented, highly-experienced filmmakers. Now, along with partners Jessica McEver and Jeremy Charles, they’re attempting to sow a future with a new venture: Tulsa Film Collective.

Over some cold ones, enthusiasm is high.

There have been grassroots efforts over the years to unify Tulsa’s artist communities in general—and filmmakers, in particular. That landscape of production houses, craftspeople, up-and-coming actors, directors, writers, film festivals such as Tulsa Overground and Tulsa American, and the philanthropic groups and businesses that have taken interest in them—along with the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture and The Oklahoma Film and Music office—comprises a byzantine tableau of possibilities.

Pools of equally integral resources and ideas in search of a high tide.

But generally, our best talent winds up leaving—even if temporarily—for more hospitable waters (an unfortunate common thread

30 // ARTS & CULTURE

The newly-formed Tulsa Film Collective hopes to keep filmmakers here. | JEREMY LUTHER

in vocations across Oklahoma).

That’s one of the issues Harjo and Elmore hope to address.

“We were always like, ‘Why can’t we build something here that supports people like us?’” Harjo said. “There’s so many moving pieces in this town. I think we can be the nucleus that helps to bring them all together.”

“We all kind of sprung out of the same Petri dish,” Elmore continued. “And now that we’ve been here so long we all want to see this dream we have making films, and marry it to this idea that you can do it in your own backyard.”

The three-pronged approach of the Collective includes education, funding, and programming.

Ranking at the top, Harjo and Elmore hope to promote a range of educational opportunities, from TU’s film program to imparting practical advice from their own experiences (i.e.: “You have a short

film that’s twenty-five pages? Bullshit. Cut out twelve.”) to mentoring through hands-on experience with bonafide film productions.

The idea is to grow and shepherd young filmmakers and technicians who might find the purely academic route less than ideal. Some people learn in school, others are better off just doing it. And once they get those skills, hopefully they’ll stick around to make films with local artists instead of heading out West.

“Making [Harjo’s 2015 film] ‘Mekko’ was an eye-opener in that regard” Elmore said. “There aren’t a lot of ably skilled technicians and crew members that can come out of Tulsa. So when an outside production comes to Tulsa and they say ‘We need all the grips, and electricians, camera and sound people,’ they’d be lucky to get half those positions filled.”

On the funding front, so far,

they are working with the Tulsa Community Foundation, establishing the Collective as a non-profit so that interested partners can write off donations on their taxes.

“We want to start out slow, and allocate some of that money and say ‘let’s do a short film competition’.” Harjo said. “Say you live in Iowa and you want to enter a completion here, we’ll fund three short films. The only thing is you gotta shoot it in Tulsa with a Tulsa crew. Personal short films aren’t being made here. Everybody wants to do features. Everyone wants to be on the top, and we’re saying let’s start at the bottom.

It’s easy to fuck up a short film.

It’s fun to fuck up a short film.

That’s where you learn. Quit being precious. Let’s shoot films.”

And for programming, while bigger cities have more retrospective theaters, making their role in a town’s film literacy acutely important—Tulsa is lucky to have that niche filled by Circle Cinema, which is helping grow a base of literate cineastes.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel or anything” Elmore said. “Or even trying to say ‘We’re better at this than anyone else.’

Just that we’ve been in the trenches, and we see a need, and want to help fill it to see Tulsa grow.”

Harjo and Elmore’s yearning for the Golden Age of Linklater and the Austin film scene of the ‘90s is tangible—they’re inspired to strengthen and build upon the interconnectedness of industry and creativity, establishing Tulsa as an independent film hub with an influence befitting its already rich film and musical past.

And they’d really like to hire from within. a For more information, visit tulsafilmcollective.org.

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

HALE BLUE W COMEDY FESTIVAL

HALE BLUE W HALE COMEDY FESTIVAL BLUE W COMEDY FESTIVAL Also FeaturinG

Also FeaturinG The Goddamn Comedy Jam Gina Brillon Naomi Ekperigin David Gborie Jordan Rock Byron Bowers Jacqueline Novak Late Late Breakfast Liza Treyger Nick Vatterott Sam Jay Brian Moses Josh Adam Meyers JEREMIAH WATKINS 40+ MORE COMICS!

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

The Goddamn Comedy Jam Gina Brillon Naomi Ekperigin David Gborie Jordan Rock Also FeaturinG Byron Bowers The Goddamn Comedy Jam Brillon Jacqueline Novak Gina Naomi Ekperigin David Gborie Late Late Breakfast Jordan Rock Byron Bowers Liza Treyger Jacqueline Novak Late Breakfast Nick Vatterott Late Liza Treyger Nick Vatterott Sam Jay Sam Jay Brian Moses Brian Moses Josh Adam Meyers WATKINS Josh Adam MeyersJEREMIAH 40+ MORE COMICS! JEREMIAH WATKINS 40+ MORE COMICS!

ARTS & CULTURE // 31

community

FOR WHOM IT STANDS American Legion’s transition from a members-only veterans’ club to counterculture safe space

by KATHRYN PARKMAN

Inside The American Legion Post 1, 1120 E. 8th St. | HANS KLEINSCHMIDT

T

ucked away on Eighth Street, between the calm of Oaklawn Cemetery and the whirl of U.S. Highway 75, is a single-story white building—royal blue canvases with scalloped yellow-gold trim canopy the windows, and yellow-gold block letters on the awning above the east entrance declare: “American Legion Post 1.” This is the oldest continuously operating American Legion post in the county.1 To get to the fun part (the bar) you follow the parameter of a white picket fence and ascend a serpentine handicap ramp toward the main back entrance. There’s also a side entrance on the north side of the building if you prefer to climb a few steps and pause for patriotic reflection on Post 1’s wooden deck/de facto smokers’ section. Both doors lead to the same Jim Jarmusch bar scene, the kind featuring aging war heroes and charmingly neurotic townies.

In accordance with the American Legion’s bylaws and constitution, everyone here must be a veteran or the guest of a veteran.

Only men who served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible to become “legionnaires.”

Women with the same service backgrounds are eligible for the “auxiliary,” which is the same squadron for wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters of veterans.

Sons and grandsons of veterans 32 // ARTS & CULTURE

can also join as “Sons of the American Legion.” Though any hippie, anarchist, chicken hawk, or worse can enter as the guest of a member.2 I have a friend whose husband is a legionnaire, which makes her eligible for the auxiliary, and she signed me into the guestbook on a typical members-only night. It looked divey but smelled wholesome and felt sturdy.

Post 1’s legionnaires, some wrinkled or bearded, most wearing hats or patches, sat on barstools and focused on the bartender’s pours. There was a drink special on domestics, warm food (a casserole, I think) for anyone who was hungry, a couple men arguing about a rack over the pool table, and at least one dog. WWE played on a wall-mounted television.

Auxiliary member Kasey Rideout didn’t know much about American Legion until she moved into the neighborhood next to it.

She had always been proud of her father’s service in World War II, and so joining the auxiliary was an easy decision. Plus, it’s a great bar and karaoke nights are fun. She’s quick to admit she’s more liberal than most members, but said any politically tense discussions she falls into with her more conservative comrades tend to resolve quickly and painlessly.

In 2012, National Commander Fang A. Wong wrote that the Le-

gion’s organizational structure and nonpartisan mandate “empowers individuals to advance ideas and set in motion national resolutions, and you get what [author of “A History of the American Legion”] Richard Seelye Jones called ‘the machinery and the membership to convert principles into policies, to solve problems and to activate decisions.’”

With memberships in decline, especially among millennial vets, Rideout and other volunteers are focused on raising money to fill the gap between their lost dues and expenses. They often host events like first Friday steak nights, high-stakes Bingo on Wednesdays, and various athletic tournaments and raffles throughout the year. In June, the Legion Live! Fundraiser broadcasted live performances to troops deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and elsewhere. During World War II, Post 1 also broadcasted live music from Tulsa to deployed troops.

Another way to generate funds is to rent the Legion hall to festivals, expos, and markets, which Rideout helps coordinate. She said she doesn’t really care who rents the space, even if some of the members don’t “get it.”

On a recent Saturday, the Tulsa Pagan Pride Festival occupied the Legion building and its lawn. Rows of vendors peddled bone jewelry and alchemical literature. Heathens

and idolaters bonded over shared obsessions of magic crystals. You could get a Thoth or Rider-Waite Tarot reading. One guy tried to sell me a kit to make my own craft absinthe. Another booth specialized in aromatherapy bath salts, and the one next to it promoted a zombie apocalypse LARP getaway.

It took about a hundred years, but The American Legion Post 1 evolved from a member-only veterans’ club to an unconventional space that welcomes and accommodates subcultures that a lot of Okies see as fringe, or even just strange: punks, occultists, taxidermy artists, and all their friends.

Inside, people engage in candid discussions without fear of violence or harassment—some might even consider it a safe space—and that makes me feel more patriotic than I have in years. a 1) It’s “Post 1” in the way a game show contestant “wins” an elimination challenge; the last man standing is the titlist by default. Though established in 1919, Tulsa’s veterans didn’t have a dedicated location until 1927, when Waite Phillips built and furnished the facility at 1120 East 8th Street, where they continue to operate today. The remnants of the actual first-ever American Legion post, built in 1919, are in Van Tassell, Wyoming.

2) American Legions are similar to VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Posts in that they both advocate for veterans, but VFW lounges (like Post 577 on Sixth Street) is open to the public.

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

FRIDAY SEPT 22 7:30PM TICKETS: MyTicketOffice.com 918-596-7111 3rd & Cincinnati

Discounts for groups of 10 or more: (918) 596-7109

TULSA SYMPHONY

2017-2018 S E A S O N T W E LV E

Classics Series GALA CONCERT

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2017 | 8:00 PM

TULSA PERFORMING ART S CENTER BRAHMS’ PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 featuring JON KIMURA PARKER BRAHMS: Hungarian Dances No. 1 and No. 5 BARTÓK: Miraculous Mandarin Suite BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2 Daniel Hege, Principal Guest Conductor Jon Kimura Parker, Piano *Pre-Concert Conversation | 6:30 PM *Pre-Concert Student Recognition Concert | 6:45 PM *Post-Concert Reception – All Welcome *Childcare Available

For Tickets, Call 918.596.7111 or www.tulsasymphony.org

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

ARTS & CULTURE // 33

JEREMY CHARLES

daytrip

America under darkness

MATT PHIPPS

TOTALITY AND PENUMBRA IN THE MIDWEST • BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

34 // ARTS & CULTURE

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

O

n August 21, two friends and I approached Ravenna, Nebraska after driving past dozens of eclipse viewing parties strewn along NE highways. The edges of towns were quarantined areas for visitors and vendors, astronomic tourists were parked between cornfields, and rest areas were overfull.

Lincoln was far behind in our rearview mirror, under cloud cover, so too was Homestead National Monument near Beatrice— where we had originally planned to stop, and where Bill Nye would view the eclipse from—but with the help of a map and radar, we turned past Ravenna’s “Pop. 1,360” road sign under clear skies and stopped nearly dead center on the path of totality.

Back in Tulsa, events were hosted all over town, including at Turkey Mountain, STEMcell Science Shop in the Boxyard, and the Central Library.

“It really caught fire,” said Ryan Howell, events coordinator at Tulsa River Parks Authority. “We got more social media response than we’ve gotten for anything we’ve ever done.”

I heard similar stories from Terry Mudge, owner of The STEMcell, and from Jessica Sanchez, teen library associate at Tulsa City-County Central Library.

Howell, Mudge, and Sanchez each estimated their turnouts at over 500, though official counts were not taken. Free eclipse glasses were available at all three locations—in the preceding days STEMcell sold out several times over, but unclaimed glasses on reserve were handed out near the eclipse’s peak time. Howell’s wife, Katie Gillies, operated a telescope with solar filter, allowing many a closer look. At the library, they gave away laser cut pinhole projectors, fabricated in their Maker Space. They also broadcast NASA’s live stream of the eclipse inside the library and outside in the garden.

Tulsans saw peak coverage of 88.7 percent at 1:08 p.m. The next total solar eclipse is in seven years and will pass through southeast

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

Oklahoma. On August 12, 2045, Tulsa will be directly in the path of totality.

“It’s good to see that everyone is still interested in natural phenomenon that’s explainable with science,” Mudge said.

“The sun is so freaking big and the moon is so freaking small, but they’re at such appropriate distances from us that they appear to be the same exact size in the sky, so you get that total eclipse where you can see just the corona of the sun. You won’t get that on another planet.”

At Ravenna’s Hometown Eclipse Festival, hundreds of locals and tourists were assembled on a baseball field in the middle of the small town. Everyone was easygoing. The more serious hobby-astronomers had their telescopes ready, others sat in lawn chairs or laid on the grass. The line at the snow cone shack was long and the PA system washed country music over us.

As the eclipse came on, shadows sharpened, and the crescent shapes cast through trees cut thinner and thinner. Everything faded in color like a rapid sunset until the sky was dusk-yellow. The wind picked up in a cool breeze.

It was eerie. Looking up, there was only the faintest sliver of sun peeking from behind the moon.

When the last diamond of direct sunlight disappeared, it was like a switch flipped. Hazy darkness fell immediately and the corona illuminated above. Everyone cheered, gasping in amazement, and then all fell silent.

For two minutes and thirty-five seconds, we marveled at the grisaille twilight around us, beholding a white ring in the sky that started down on us like an ancient eye. As the sun, moon, and earth aligned, we witnessed something greater than any of us, or all of us combined. It felt like balance, a brief moment of peace.

Then the moon passed to the other side and the sky burst with light again. As the scene gradually brightened, roosters crowed across the street. a

World Premieres by 3 strong female dancemakers who are breaking boundaries in dance

HELEN PICKETT ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA YOUNG SOON HUE

Tickets start at $25

Seats are limited, order now!

Like us on Facebook.com/TulsaBallet for more information and to RSVP!

Call 918.749.6006 or visit tulsaballet.org for more information!

Tulsa Symphony presents…

SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 • 7:00pm The opening of the 2017-2018 Fridays in the Loft Chamber Series will feature one of Mozart’s grandest works for woodwinds – Serenade No. 10 “Gran Partita.” Mozart composed three great wind serenades after settling into Vienna in 1781.

VISIT TULSASYMPHONY.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR CALL 918-584-3645

Join us for music, wine and conversation in a classically casual atmosphere.

Doors open at 6:30 PM for wine and appetizers and the music begins at 7 PM. The FlyLoft is located at 117 N Boston Ave, across from Hey Mambo.

ARTS & CULTURE // 35

thehaps

MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY

Sept. 8–10, 15–17, $20, IDL Ballroom, theatrepops.org “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play” opens with a group of survivors in the wake of an apocalyptic disaster. Alone in the woods, they piece together the plot of The Simpsons episode “Cape Feare” from memory. Over three acts, “Mr. Burns” shows how this version of The Simpsons and other snippets of pop culture (commercials, jingles, pop songs, etc.) become the foundation for a new cultural mythology.

“It shows how media changes the way we view things over time, and how time changes the way we view those things,” director Meghan Hurley said.

“Donald Trump isn’t the first president we’ve had who was famous for something other than politics before he was elected,” she added. “The current state of affairs shows how much media shapes our lives.

“It also shows how in times of crisis people always turn to art. No matter what happens, the worst possible things happen, and people always turn back to art.”

LITERATURE

FILM

Tulsa Artist Fellowship’s quarterly Writers’ Salon will feature readings by TAF Literary Artists Anna Badkhen, Melanie Gillman, and Simon Han. Sept. 6, 6:30 p.m.–8:30, Central Library, tulsaartistfellowship.org

All-Access: “The Outlaw Josey Wales” // Catch a screening of the western plus the first of Tulsa American Film Festival’s three-part retrospective on Oklahoma actor and artist Will Sampson. Sept. 15, 6 p.m., $6–$8, Philbrook Downtown, philbrook.org

MUSIC

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Discover avant-garde music in the Unknown Tone Records Takeover, Philbrook Museum of Art’s latest house party. Sept. 8, 6–9 p.m., philbrook.org

Celebrate The Max Retropub’s 7th Birthday with a 2-day street festival with giveaways and old-skool jams from DJs Ali Shaw, Robbo, P, Moody, Aaron Bernard, A Dre, and Al Compton. Sept. 15–16, facebook.com/TheMaxRetropub

THEATRE

DANCE

Heller Shorts 2017: The Dog 8 My Shorts // Eight short plays by local writers explore the theme of “bad excuses” in time-travel comedy, familial drama, psychological thriller, and more. Sept. 8–10, $12– $15, Nightingale Theatre, hellertheatreco.com

The annual Creations in Studio K brings world premiere works commissioned just for Tulsa Ballet by in-demand choreographers Helen Pickett, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Young Soon Hue. Sept.

15–24, $45–$75, Tulsa Ballet, tulsaballet.org

LECTURE

TASTY TOUR

Oklahoma Center for the Humanities hosts Another View of the Tulsa Riot: A Lecture by Herb Boyd, award-winning journalist and author of twelve books on topics in black history and activism. Sept.

12, 7 p.m., Tyrrell Hall, T.U., humanities.utulsa.edu

Take a trolley tour and sample the flavors of one of Tulsa’s bourgeoning neighborhoods in the fifth annual Taste of Kendall Whittier. Sept. 19, $40, begins and ends at Marshall Brewing Co., historickwms.com

36 // ARTS & CULTURE

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

thehaps

BEST OF THE REST EVENTS Digital Divas // Oklahomans for Equality showcase works by Slim Cook. // 9/7, Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, okeq.org “Paris is Burning” Screening // This documentary on the late 80s drag ball culture of NYC was selected last year by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. // 9/8, Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, okeq.org Home Remodeling Showcase // Tour 12 homes showcasing a variety of remodeling projects from some of the best in the biz. // 9/9, Various locations, tulsahba.com/home-remodelingshowcase/remodeled-about-the-tour.html Labapalooza // Lab Rescue OK’s keystone fundraising event of the year features adoptions, an auction, raffles, and more. // 9/9, Guthrie Green, labrescue.net The Castle Zombie Run // 9/9, The Castle of Muskogee, okcastle.com Literary Variety Show // A night of fiction, poetry, drinks, music with special guest poet, novelist, and publisher, Zachary Schoburg. // 9/12, Blackbird on Pearl, booksmarttulsa.com

I AM MY OWN WIFE Sept. 13–24, $30

B

ased on the life of “Berlin’s favorite transvestite” Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, “I Am My Own Wife” is first and foremost a survival story.

Doug Wright wrote the script after lengthy conversations he had with Mahlsdorf, then 65, in the early 1990s. “I Am My Own Wife” premiered in Chicago in 2002 and, after the Broadway production in 2004, earned Wright a Pulitzer Prize. Wright is also known for the American-British-German period film “Quills” and Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” on Broadway.

“She was a living history lesson, this woman,” said Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma Artistic Director Michael Baron, who is directing the Tulsa show. “There’s not many people that survived the Nazis and the East Germans and came out of the other side of the [Berlin] Wall intact.”

Matthew Alvin Brown, Tulsa Project Theatre’s artistic director, stars in the role of Mahlsdorf. He also plays 30 other characters, including SS officers, Mahlsdorf’s lesbian aunt, and even the playwright—all with the perfect amount of comic relief for a true story about a transwoman dodging the Gestapo and Stasi.

Movie in the Park: Back to the Future Part II // 9/14, Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com Ok, So...Story Slam: My Digital Life // A panel of judges chooses a winner among true stories based on a given theme. // 9/14, IDL Ballroom, facebook.com/oksotulsa Captain Mark Kelly Luncheon // Cpt. Kelly, who commanded the space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery, presents his lecture, “To Infinity and Beyond.” // 9/15, Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa PAC, tulsapac.com

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

Earth Rhythms 2017 // Poet Debora J. Hunter presents this evening of spoken word, voice, instrumentation, and physical interpretation of place, nature, transformation, healing, and subjectivity. // 9/8, Living Arts, livingarts.org Calidore String Quartet // The quartet performs pieces by Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Hindemith, and Mendelssohn. // 9/9, Westby Pavilion, Tulsa PAC, chambermusictulsa.org Tulsa Symphony Opening Gala Concert with Jon Kimura Parker // The pianist will perform Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin Suite and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, and Hungarian Dances No. 1 and No. 5 with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. // 9/16, Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa PAC, tulsapac.com Chita Rivera & Tommy Tune: Two for the Road // Two Tony-winning Broadway legends perform show-stopping hits. // 9/19, Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center, brokenarrowpac.com

COMEDY Ron White // 9/15, River Spirit Casino Paradise Cove, riverspirittulsa.com Darren Knight’s Southern Mama // 9/16, Hard Rock Casino - The Joint, hardrockcasinotulsa.com Laughing Matter Improv // 9/16, pH Community House, facebook.com/ LaughingMatterImprov

Clary Runway // This fashion show features works by Clary Sage Fashion Design students and alumni. // 9/16, Cain’s Ballroom, claryrunway.com

SPORTS

Eowyn Ivey // The Pulitzer Prize Finalist and author of the instant-classic novel “The Snow Child,” Ivey will discuss her life, work, and new novel. // 9/18, 108 Contemporary, booksmarttulsa.com Book Talk with Nancy Pearl // “America’s Librarian” and NPR books commentator presents her emotionally riveting debut novel, “George and Lizzie.” // 9/19, Central Library, booksmarttulsa.com

PERFORMING ARTS

thetulsavoice.com/calendar

Jwala: Rising Flame // This performance by choreographer Mythili Prakash envisions a flickering flame as a symbol of life and spirit. // 9/9, John H. Williams Theatre, Tulsa PAC, tulsapac.com

Board Game Night // Shuffles: Board Game Cafe will have more than 100 games to try for free at this all-ages event, as well as any guidance you might need. // 9/16, Foolish Things Coffee Company, shufflestulsa.com

Charles E. Norman Theatre, PAC, tulsapac.com

For the most up-to-date listings

The Roaring ‘20s and All That Jazz // Signature Symphony and guest trumpeter Byron Stripling play hot jazz by the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, Bessie Smith, and Louis Armstrong. // 9/8, VanTrease PACE, signaturesymphony.org

Calidore String Quartet // The quartet performs Janácek’s “Kreutzer Sonata,” Caroline Shaw’s “First Essay: Nimrod,” and Tchaikovsky’s Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11. // 9/8, Harwelden Mansion, chambermusictulsa.org

ORU Men’s Soccer vs Bacone College // 9/7, Case Coccer Complex, oruathletics.com ORU Women’s Soccer vs Abilene Christian // 9/8, Case Soccer Complex, oruathletics.com TU Women’s Soccer vs Ole Miss // 9/8, Hurricane Soccer Complex, tulsahurricance.com TU Football vs Louisiana // 9/9, H.A. Chapman Stadium, tulsahurricance.com ORU Women’s Soccer vs Central Arkansas // 9/10, Case Soccer Complex, oruathletics.com ORU Golden Eagle Classic – Women’s Volleyball // 9/15, ORU Aerobics Center, oruathletics.com ORU Women’s Soccer vs TU // 9/15, Case Coccer Complex, oruathletics.com TU Men’s Soccer vs Brown // 9/15, Hurricane Soccer Complex, tulsahurricance.com ARTS & CULTURE // 37

musicnotes

Raekwon will perform at Higher Plains Jazz and Hip Hop Festival on Sept. 23 at The Vanguard | COURTESY

Comin’ to get busy

A conversation with Raekwon, headliner for Higher Plains festival

by MARY NOBLE

T

he first day of fall is September 22nd—and what better way to usher in the season than with third annual Higher Plains Jazz and Hip Hop Festival? In previous years, the event has hosted acts like Slum Village and Thundercat. The two-day fest will take place at The Vanguard and is organized by venue owner Simon Alemon and guitarist Chris Combs, who will play with local acts Verse & the Vapors and Mike Dee & Stone Trio. Other local acts include Annie Ellicot, Jabee, Branjae, Steph Simon, Henna Roso, We Make Shapes, Oilhouse, and more. (For tickets, visit thevanguardtulsa.com.)

For the main event, Higher Plains will host Erykah Badu’s band RC & The Gritz, Grammy-winning keyboardist Shaun Martin from the world-renowned jazz/funk/fusion band Snarky Puppy, and to top it off, the Raekwon the Chef from legendary rap group Wu-Tang Clan.

38 // MUSIC

Just two years after the 1993 release of 36 Chambers, Raekwon launched his solo career with the instant classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. His fan base and commercial success has been solid since. His latest album, The Wild—released in March this year—was well-received by fans who appreciate Rae’s ability to merge his gritty style with modern production.

I spoke with Raekwon about his new album and staying relevant in the ever-changing hip-hop climate.

MARY NOBLE: How was The Wild received?

RAEKWON: Everything’s been beautiful. The show has been great, the response from the fans with their points and thoughts on the album—everything went real good, so I’m excited about it. To go out there to so many cities and see these people come out and support, it was a beautiful thing.

NOBLE: What’s the significance of the title?

RAEKWON: The Wild—you know that’s how I feel, the music was being made through these processes of a lot of wild things going on in society and just looking at what’s going on. And looking at where I’m at musically, I still feel like an animal in the business when it comes to creating my own lane of excellence. I feel like I’m still a bear at this, you know, a big guy that roams this jungle and continues to walk these lands and get the respect that I deserve from my peers and people in the business. But it’s still a new system of people coming up in it.

NOBLE: I read that you feel like New York is going through an identity crisis. Do you feel like hip-hop is going through the same thing?

RAEKWON: You know, yea and nay, only because what’s going on right now it’s an age gap thing. Some of the new is feeling like they’re not getting respect from the older guys in the business and you know, who am I to say they can’t feel like that? I know when they see me they get a different kind of respect because they respect me as well and I respect the new generation, but some feel like they’re not representing hip-hop right with their new ways of doin’ things. And we can see it, both sides having their points. But me, I stay out it. Of course I’m involved, but as I told you I roam alone in this jungle— so I can only go off how people treat me when they see me. You know when we was comin’ up we had the same heart of the lion as some of the young cats got today, but the difference was we was paying super homage to the ones who did it before us. Sometimes as an old G in the game you feel like these young kids don’t respect September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

shit. It’s not like we hating on ‘em, it’s just we trying to give you some game and make your shit last for the next 20-25 years.

NOBLE: What has kept you grounded throughout the years?

RAEKWON: What has kept me grounded is the fact the music business and the hip-hop culture has been great to me and my boys.

They embraced us 20 somethin’ years ago. We reached pinnacles of success we never imagined we could meet. It’s not easy to still have some respect in this business 25 years later and still be critically acclaimed. That’s what keeps me humble. This is something I love, I’m passionate about it, I love my fans whether they criticize me or whatever—that comes with the territory. I knew when I signed up that’s what it was all about, but I’m cool with that. The main thing is I love my job and I love this culture.

RAEKWON: Oh definitely. Sometimes you have to continue to believe in yourself and believe in the things you want to happen.

You got to pray on it. You got to set boundaries for yourself to get there and no matter where you come from, we all share a special talent that’s similar to the next person, and I just believe that as long as you keep focused, anything that you want to do can happen and I’m a product of that. I love hiphop and had a little bit of talent

and a little bit of pizazz, but my heart was in the right place. That’s what you gotta do—you gotta have your heart in the right place and go for it. Don’t let nobody stop you.

NOBLE: What can Raekwon fans expect from you in the future?

RAEKWON: Me coming through to get busy. The Vanguard is gonna be lit I want everybody to come out. I haven’t been out to Okla-

homa in a long time. Just expect a dope show. I’m comin’ to get busy, I’m comin’ to get on the sound system guy’s ass—my shit better be clean because I’m gonna play some joints. We gonna do some classics, we gonna do some from the new album, we gonna dance a li’l bit, it’s gonna be a dope show, that’s all I’ll say. I always come to get busy. I don’t play when I get up there—I get involved in the best way. a

NOBLE: I saw someone named their baby son after you. How does that feel?

RAEKWON: It’s an undeniable feeling I get of love. I feel like those are my cousins and it makes you feel like a civil rights leader, you know? Like, I named my kid after you because you was part of a great movement. To me that makes me smile and gives me something to come back home and tell my children and tell my mom. That’s what keeps the Chef goin’.

NOBLE: Well I don’t have any kids, but I do have a dog named RZA. RAEKWON: Wow, the RZA. That’s dope right there. What you call her for short? You call her Rizz?

(Laughs) ‘Yo Rizz!’

NOBLE: That’s exactly what I call her.

RAEKWON: ‘Yo Rizz what’s good?

You tryna go to the park?’ That’s beautiful.

NOBLE: It can be hard for some young people to see past their circumstances and realize what they’re capable of. Do you have any advice for them?

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

MUSIC // 39

musicnotes

From the grime to the Green Come one, come all (ages) to Guthrie Green’s first psychedlic rock show

by CEILI LAWRENCE

A

new sonic brew is bubbling over in Tulsa.

A dark, heavy cloud looms over Guthrie Green’s iconic outdoor stage, where on Friday, September 15, local bands Merlinmason and Planet What will join touring acts Electric Citizen, Glitter Wizard, Dwellers, and Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires to introduce the Green to its first real dose of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll.

The concert, presented by Horton Records, Mammoth Comics, and Josey Records, is a bit different than the Green’s typical programming, and signifies an opportunity for fresh ears to discover a sound that’s been just out of reach. It’s rare to catch a show like this outside of a dimly-lit room with a bouncer at the door, so at Guthrie Green, casual (and young) Tulsans will have a chance to dip their toes into the darkness without leaving the comfort of the familiar concrete blocks and freshly misted greens.

Merlinmason’s guitarist Tony Cozagglio is heavily invested in developing Tulsa’s all-ages music scene—initially through the dearly departed venue Boulevard Trash—and now with the hit punk fest he founded, Fuck You We Rule OK!, which annually boasts national acts and international attention. Drummer Cameron Clouser says inclusivity breeds a healthier and more vibrant scene.

“More diverse ideas and sounds are important and vital to create a more welcoming punk scene,” he said, looking towards a more integrated future. “There are more 21 and up clubs than all ages venues. Tony has been working really hard to change that.

When his all ages venue Boulevard Trash shut down, there were only house shows for a while.

Now, there is more happening 40 // MUSIC

at the Vanguard at least a once a week. Bars all have their pros and cons to playing, but the Vanguard is becoming the perfect mix for the social 21+ crowd and younger to go listen to music.”

Clouser expresses his excitement at playing at the Green for an inclusive, hopefully wide-reaching event.

“We are all really excited about it. We all have kids now and most shows they obviously can’t go to.

It’s always great to perform for a large group of people who would

otherwise not come out and see your band.”

Clouser believes passing the torch is an important facet of the punk scene, and relishes that bands from different generations can influence each other.

“I still see friends who are 10–20 years older than me still playing punk and going to shows.

My favorite younger band, The Riot Waves, are an important staple on young punk rock music.

They started playing shows every weekend they were 16. They are

just hitting that 21 year-old mark to reach a different audience now.”

Local grunge trio Planet What recently returned from their first midwest tour and gained some eye opening perspective.

“I think Tulsa has a lot to learn from from [other] cities,” said guitarist Jeanette Derubeis. “In Tulsa, we always heard ‘no all-ages venues.’ On tour, we saw houses hosting shows with touring bands every week. There were all kinds of all-ages places everywhere.

Maybe even more than bars.”

She mentions Spinster Records has recently become one of Planet What’s favorite new up and coming all-ages venues due to the engaging and intimate atmosphere.

“People are there because they want to be,” she said. “You’re not just playing to someone who just happened to be there for a drink.

They got there early because they wanted to see you.” She continued, “I’m excited for Guthrie Green. That’s young people, old people, families, dogs, everyone!”

Rumian Reza, musician and booker for another all-ages venue, pH Community House, sees it as crucial for young audiences to see people in their own community making music.

“It results in a more realistic community,” he said. “Kids that can only go to shows at Cain’s or the Vanguard don’t get a realistic glimpse at the actual people making music, which is all that we really are: people with guitars just trying to communicate with the world around us. Big commercial shows are nice but a lot is lost in translation when you see bright lights and stage hands.” a ELECTRIC CITIZEN, GLITTER WIZARD & MORE Fri., Sept. 15 | 6:30–11:30 p.m.

Guthrie Green, 111 E. M.B. Brady St. September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

MUSIC // 41

musiclistings Wed // Sept 6 Cain’s Ballroom – American Aquarium, Matthew Ryan – ($15–$17) Cellar Dweller – Grazzhopper Loony Bin – Trixx – ($5–$12) Mercury Lounge – *Jared Tyler & Seth Lee Jones Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Chris Blevins, Wink Burcham The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project Soul City – Don & Steve White

Thurs // Sept 7 Cain’s Ballroom – The Cadillac Three, Hailey Whitters – ($15–$17) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Adrienne Rosie Gilley Fassler Hall – Jess Nolan Hard Rock Casino – Cabin Creek – Rivers Edge Hard Rock Casino – Riffs – Zodiac, Travis Marvin Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Caleb Fellenstein, Jake Flint Soul City – The Begonias The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Thirst The Hunt Club – Jon Malone The Venue Shrine – David Cook – ($20–$75) Woody Guthrie Center – Matthew McNeal – ($10–$12)

Fri // Sept 8 American Legion Post 308 – Joe Harris Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – James Groves Blues Machine Crystal Skull – Kelli Lynn and the Skillet Lickers Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – Follow the Buzzards Hard Rock Casino – Riffs – Stars, Maverican Goose Mercury Lounge – Dirty River Boys Pepper’s Grill – Little Joe McLerran pH Community House – *Annabelle Chairlegs, The Dull Drums, Junfalls, Chris Foster – ($5 (pwyc)) River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Heath Wright, Randy Brumley River Spirit Casino – LandShark Pool Bar – Patrick Stuart River Spirit Casino – Paradise Cove – TOTO, Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo – ($65–$350) River Spirit Casino – Volcano Stage – Ayngel & John Soul City – Kyle Lacey Band – ($10) Spinster Records – Lizzie Boredom, Loafers + surprise guest The Colony – *Hosty!

The Fur Shop – The Fumblebuckers The Run – The Rumor The Venue Shrine – Dr. Squealgood, The Sex – ($10) Utopia Bar & Lounge – DJ MO Woody Guthrie Center – Marley’s Ghost – ($20)

Sat // Sept 9 Billy and Renee’s – Dixie Wrecked, Alan Doyle, Nameless Society, Follow the Buzzards Blackbird on Pearl – *It’s Always Sunny in Oklahoma w/ Brujoroots 42 // MUSIC

Fassler Hall – Darku J Fassler Hall – Hosty Hard Rock Casino – Cabin Creek – Lucas Gates Hard Rock Casino – Riffs – Jumpsuit Love, Travis Kidd Josey Records – *Erin O’Dowd Lennie’s Club – Shotz Martini’s Lounge – The Blue Dawgs Mercury Lounge – Sam Pace and the Guilded Grit, In the Whale River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Hi-Fidelics, The Marriotts River Spirit Casino – LandShark Pool Bar – Szac Wentzel River Spirit Casino – Volcano Stage – Brent Giddens Soul City – *Chunky Monkey – ($10) The Colony – Beau Roberson The Hunt Club – JT and the Dirtbox Wailers The Venue Shrine – Wakeland – ($15–$20)

Sun // Sept 10 East Village Bohemian Pizza – Mike Cameron Collective Guthrie Green – Fantastic Negrito, Spoonfed Tribe, Carter Sampson Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – The JoHemian Jazz Syndicate w/ Stephanie Oliver – ($5–$20) River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Chris Foster, Ali Harter Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soundpony – The Goobs, Planet What The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Night Thing The Hunt Club – Randy Crouch

Mon // Sept 11 Fur Shop – Open Mic Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts, Jacob Tovar The Colony – Seth Lee Jones Yeti – The Situation

Tues // Sept 12 Cain’s Ballroom – Jonny Lang, Guthrie Brown – ($28–$30) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Hard Rock Casino – Riffs – Rod Robertson Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham, Jacob Tovar Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Scott Musick, Dos Capos, Brent Giddens Soul City – Dustin Pittsley The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Yeti – Yeti Writers Night

Wed // Sept 13 Cellar Dweller – *Grazzhopper Loony Bin – DC Malone – ($5–$12) Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler & Seth Lee Jones Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Eicher Wednesdays pH Community House – *Sean Hamilton, Endless Forms, Sylvia Wrath – ($5 (pwyc)) River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Chris Blevins, Wink Burcham Soul City – Don & Steve White

Soundpony – *Daikaiju, Plastic Psalms, Planet What The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project The Venue Shrine – DRI, Deathwish, Volition, Bozack – ($15–$18)

Thurs // Sept 14 Cain’s Ballroom – Old 97’s, Charley Crockett – ($18–$20) Hard Rock Casino – Cabin Creek – Great Big Biscuit Hard Rock Casino – Riffs – Almost Famous, Empire Hard Rock Casino – The Joint – Bryan Adams – ($65–$85) Mercury Lounge – Reno Divorce River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Caleb Fellenstein, Jake Flint Soul City – Grazzhopper Soundpony – Soft Leather The Colony – The Soup Kitchen w/ Dane Arnold The Hunt Club – Anthony Rogers with Rampage The Venue Shrine – Another Lost Year, Blacklite District, Enslaved by Fear, Crane Technique, Edge of Zephyr – ($12)

Fri // Sept 15 American Legion Post 308 – Double “00” Buck Blackbird on Pearl – Sam and the Stylees Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – *POW/MIA Rememberance Day Concert w/ Contingency Plan, Black Jellybean and The Peeps Guthrie Green – *Electric Citizen, Glitter Wizard, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Dwellers, MERLINMASON, Planet What Hard Rock Casino – Cabin Creek – Loredo Hard Rock Casino – Riffs – Queens BLVD, Jenny Labow McNellies’s Downtown – Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day w/ Larkin Mercury Lounge – John Baumann Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Michael Fields, Jr. – ($20) River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Tiptons, Randy Brumley River Spirit Casino – LandShark Pool Bar – DJ Jonas Blue River Spirit Casino – Volcano Stage – The 5th Element Soul City – Black River – ($10) Soundpony – Afistaface The Colony – Zach Short Group – ($5) The Hunt Club – Dante and the Hawks Utopia Bar & Lounge – DJ MO Woody Guthrie Center – *Sarah Lee Guthrie – ($25) Yeti – Golden Ones, Plastic Psalms, Carlton Heston

Sat // Sept 16 Billy and Renee’s – Fist of Rage Gypsy Coffee House – Marilyn McCulloch Hard Rock Casino – Cabin Creek – Chad Lee Hard Rock Casino – Riffs – Jumpshots, Darren Ray Lot No. 6 – Jake Flint Mercury Lounge – Micky and the Motorcars River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Zodiac, The Marriotts River Spirit Casino – LandShark Pool Bar – Seth Lee Jones Trio River Spirit Casino – Paradise Cove – Steve Miller Band – ($75–$85) River Spirit Casino – Volcano Stage – The Duo

Soul City – *Travis Fite Power Trio – ($10) Soundpony – Jam eCono - Happy Hour Show Soundpony – Pony Disco Club The Colony – Deer Paw – ($5) The Fur Shop – Taylor Kropp The Hunt Club – Amped The Venue Shrine – The Slants – ($8–$10) Unit D – The Electric Rag Band White Flag – Miles Williams Woody Guthrie Center – Chris Blevins and guests – ($18–$20)

Sun // Sept 17 BOK Center – *Janet Jackson – ($35–$135) East Village Bohemian Pizza – Mike Cameron Collective Guthrie Green – Pokey LaFarge, Leyla McCalla, Riverfield Rocks Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Donald Ryan – ($5–$20) River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Chris Foster, Ali Harter Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soundpony – C-Rex, Damn Broads The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Night Thing The Hunt Club – 13 Seeds Woody Guthrie Center – Damien Jurado – ($20)

Mon // Sept 18 Cain’s Ballroom – Jon Bellion, Dizzy Wright – ($28.50–$30) Fur Shop – Open Mic Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – *4th Annual Musicians Thank You with Annie Ellicott pH Community House – An Atomic Whirl, Plastic Psalms – ($5 (pwyc)) River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts, Jacov Tovar The Colony – Seth Lee Jones Yeti – The Situation

Tues // Sept 19 Brady Theater – *Blink-182, The Naked and Famous – ($59.50–$79.50) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Hard Rock Casino – Riffs – Wayne Garner Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham, Jacob Tovar Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams River Spirit Casino – 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Scott Musick, Dos Capos, Brent Giddens Soul City – Dustin Pittsley The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night Yeti – Yeti Writers Night

September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

SOFTWARE Rovi Corp (dba Tivo) in Tulsa, OK seeks Senior Software Engineer. Responsible for conceptualizing new sw features, enhancements & efficiency improvements by brainstorming w/ Prod Mgrs & Designers. Reqs incl. MS or foreign equiv in Comp App, CS, Comp Eng, or related + 5 yrs exp.

Mail resume to Rovi, Attn HR: D. Harbeson, 2160 Gold St., San Jose, CA 95002. Please Include job code 78635 in reply. EOE.

DON’ T MISS WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND!

Tulsa Cattle Baron’s Ball Friday, September 29, 2017, 7:00 - 11:00 PM RIVER WEST FESTIVAL PARK • TULSA

Sign up for the FREE weekly Insider today to find out what the editors of The Tulsa Voice recommend for the weekend!

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT food from top local restaurants western-themed activities silent and live auctions!

TheTulsaVoice.com/theinsider

presented by

FOr Tables and Tickets: TulsaCattleBaronsBall.org

boys are

back

SATURDAY, SEPT 23 | 7:00PM SATURDAY, SEPT 30 | 7:00PM TRFC POSTER TRFC SCARF GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY

TICKETS AVAILABLE | ROUGHNECKSFC.COM | 918.744.5901 | THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

MUSIC // 43

popradar

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF OUR WORLD 40 years later, ‘Close Encounters’ still amazes

by JOE O’SHANSKY

Nikola j Coster-Waldau in “Game of Thrones” | COURTESY

Winter is (almost) over ‘GAME OF THRONES’ PENULTIMATE SEASON SPRINGS FOR THE FINISH LINE • BY JOE O’SHANSKY The following contains Game of Thrones spoilers. Duh. I feel sorry for George R.R. Martin fans who have been devouring the “Song of Ice and Fire” novels for 20 years. Over the last seven, they’ve enjoyed a thoughtful, sophisticated, and faithful-ish adaptation of their beloved book series transposed into prestige, watercooler not-TV by HBO—only to have its biggest mysteries spoiled over the last two years without a new volume in sight.

The series was always bound to lap Martin’s glacial writing pace. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff got their jobs by deducing the mystery of Jon Snow’s true parentage, and were given the broad points of how the story will eventually resolve in anticipation of their outpacing (or perhaps even the actual death of) its author.

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

44 // FILM & TV

But consider that Jon Snow died in 2011’s “A Dance with Dragons”—the cliffhanger of which was resolved on the series over two years ago. That must be exquisitely frustrating for those still patiently anticipating news of his fate in the upcoming book “The Winds of Winter.”

Last year, season six’s change of pace was immediately apparent—and refreshing. (Not that the show ever really felt like it was spinning its wheels.) It had a deliberate focus on the complexities of its characters, savoring their personalities and the scope of their world, until the holy shit moments hit the fan. Untethered from the text, Weiss and Benioff were free to not only dictate the narrative momentum, but arrange the pieces on the board as they saw fit.

But in this latest season, truncated to seven episodes from ten, the show’s accelerated pace has changed the tone— not necessarily for the better. Characters magically flit between Dragonstone, the Wall, King’s Landing and Winterfell in what seem like mere moments. Events that both fans of the show and books have been awaiting for years—the Starks reuniting, Jon and Daenerys meeting, characters like the odious Littlefinger dying, the White Walkers arriving, and the aforementioned Jon and Dany finally hopping the train to Pound Town—are all matter-of-factly dropped in a way that feels perfunctory.

Only in the last episode, the best moments of which were just characters talking, did the momentum seem to calm down.

I still love “Game of Thrones” to death.

But after almost a decade in Westeros it’s hard to escape the feeling that Weiss and Benioff are kind of over it. a

S

Steven Spielberg filming “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” | COURTESY

teven Spielberg’s 1977 sci-fi counterpart to “Star Wars,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is back in theaters, enjoying a stellar 4K restoration in celebration of its 40th anniversary.

Brought to life by the groundbreaking FX gurus at his buddy George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic, “Close Encounters” was—and still is— defined in part by its awe-inspiring, iconic visual set pieces, though it’s the human drama at its heart that fuels its ominous sincerity.

Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is a family man from Indiana, an electrician who is shocked into a new reality when he has an encounter with a UFO. Becoming obsessed with conical shapes in his mashed potatoes, he winds up befriending Jillian (Melinda Dillion) a hippy-dippy single mom whose son has been kidnapped by the same inscrutable extraterrestrials.

Together they go on a quasi-spiritual journey, driven by their nagging faith in something bigger than themselves. That, and Jillian wants her kid back.

It was Spielberg’s first feature as writer and director, something he wouldn’t do again until his other friend, Stanley Kubrick died, inspiring him to write and direct “A.I.” Unless you count him as the uncredited director of “Poltergeist.” Which you should.

Though he was barely 30 years old, the film exhibits a fully formed, almost preter-

natural confidence. He’d moved past the adventure of “Jaws” and into his own distinct style, married with Euro influence— long takes and often noir lighting lending depth to many of the film’s most captivating, quietest scenes (courtesy of master cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond).

His dialogue, often with characters overlapping each other in tense situations, recalls the naturalism of Robert Altman.

The casting of François Truffaut, legend of the French New Wave, an obvious fanboy dream. The great performances given by Dreyfuss, Garr, and Dillion (in addition to the adorable Truffaut and Bob Balaban) are just as attractive as the gloriously handcrafted visuals—Roy and Ronnie’s marriage dissolves with the literary frankness of a Neil Simon play; his journey with Jillian becomes a tender elegy.

That Spielberg and Lucas helped seal the fate of the American New Wave which birthed them—with combo punches of pure spectacle and Hollywood optimism— remains a supreme irony.

Brimming with a sense of wonder, epically rendered on the big screen with its textural, Kodak 70mm film grain intact, “Close Encounters” still inspires awe. And some sadness. Because now, 40 years later—when Nazis still inexplicably exist—Spielberg’s aspirations for the benevolence of humanity remain an unfulfilled dream. a September 6 – 19, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

filmphiles

A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CIRCLE CINEMA

OPENING SEPTEMBER 8 COLUMBUS A Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams. Not rated.

Robert Pattinson in “Good Time” | COURTESY

Downward spiral ‘GOOD TIME’ IS MESSY, QUEASY, AND A WILL-BE CLASSIC • BY JEFF HUSTON

A

generation from now, cinephiles will likely look upon “Good Time” with the same revere as they do Martin Scorsese’s breakout 1973 crime thriller “Mean Streets.”

Many already are, actually, as this new collaboration between actor Robert Pattison and young New York directing brothers Benny & Josh Safdie evokes comparisons to Scorsese’s first classic with Robert De Niro.

Scorsese would go on to make even better films, including several unqualified masterpieces. “Good Time” heralds the same potential.

It’s imperfect, and rough around the edges, but there’s greatness in it.

Pattinson plays junkie criminal Connie Nikas, and co-director Benny Safdie is his mentally handicapped brother Nick. Hoping to start a fresh life for them both but poor on money, Connie decides to rob a bank. Worse yet, he manipulates Nick into helping him do it.

They pull it off, but things quickly go south as they start to flee.

What follows is a chaotic night-long journey. Never thinking clearly, Connie makes one foolish decision after another.

He’s resourceful, able to act very quickly on his feet, but it’s all reactionary, never strategic. Everything is done out of fear and desperation.

THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

The movie isn’t told from Connie’s POV but the tone is, and Pattinson is as raw as if he came straight from the streets. The Safdie Brothers create a fever dream experience, complete with an 80s-infused aesthetic. As Connie’s decisions begin to put innocent people in danger, it’s unsettling and hard to watch.

Even so, Pattinson and the Safdies reveal a humanity at the core of this troubled person. His actions are never justified, and he’s not acting by accepted rules within the confines of a criminal underworld. In that sense, Connie can’t even be classified as an anti-hero.

But we understand why he does what he does: it’s for his brother.

The whole ordeal is intense, queasy, and emotionally conflicting—a nauseous downward spiral that eventually has you hoping the cops capture him, for everyone’s benefit including his own.

While the narrative is messy by design, there’s a midpoint tangent that does nothing to move the story forward. It’s a prolonged detour that tells the backstory of a new character who enters the mix, sort of a separate short film within this feature. It’s stylistically consistent, but it’s also padding.

That one loose indulgence aside, everything about “Good Time” is compelling, and heartbreaking. a

THE TRIP TO SPAIN In this comedy, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon embark on an episodic, deadpan, culinary road trip through Spain—sampling the restaurants, eateries, and sights along the way. Not rated.

OPENING SEPTEMBER 15 THE WEDDING PLAN An Orthodox Jew soon-to-be bride is blindsided when her fiancé calls off the wedding one month before the big day. The woman, however, decides to keep the date and everything as scheduled, trusting that God will provide her a husband. A romantic comedy from Israel. Rated PG. SPECIAL EVENTS THE KID BROTHER (1927) Second Saturday Silents screens this 1927 silent comedy from the legendary Harold Lloyd.

He plays the timid son of a town sheriff who sets to prove himself when con artists try to pull their medicine show scam on the locals. This feature will be screened with a pre-show short Felix the Cat cartoon, all accompanied by Bill Rowland on the Circle’s original 1928 pipe organ. $5 Adults; $2 children.

(Sat., Sept. 9, 11 a.m.)

MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS Filmed over two years with extraordinary

access, this documentary offers a revealing look at the North Carolinian folk artist brothers Seth and Scott Avett. Co-directed

by Judd Apatow, it looks at their 15 year rise and chronicles their famed 2016 collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, the album “True Sadness”. Tickets $10 general, $6.50 for Circle members.

(Tues., Sept. 12, 7 p.m.)

DAVID GILMOUR: LIVE @ POMPEI David Gilmour returns to the legendary Roman Amphitheatre 45 years after Pink Floyd first performed there. (Wed., Sept. 13, 7 p.m.)

PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987) The Graveyard Shift presents a 30th anniversary screening of this John Carpenter horror classic. An evil is unleashed from a vat of green liquid in the basement of an abandoned Los Angeles church.

All hell literally breaks loose.

Rated R. (Fri. & Sat., Sept.15 & 16, 10 p.m.)

YERMA: NT LIVE Billie Piper (“Penny Dreadful”) returns to the role that won her awards in British theatre. She plays a woman so desperate to have a child that she resorts to unthinkable means. This hailed production became a UK phenomenon. Theatre Tulsa’s Nick Cains will host pre-show trivia and prize giveaways starting at 5:45 p.m. (Thu., Sept. 21, 6 p.m.)

ROOTED IN PEACE In honor of World Peace Day, this documentary challenges viewers to re-examine their values, both as Americans and human beings, and then re-think how we can be agents of change to stop cycles of violence, and make the world a better place. (Thu., Sept. 21, 7 p.m.)

FILM & TV // 45

ARE YOU CURRENTLY PAIN-FREE BUT WANT TO LEARN HOW TO REGULATE PAIN? A TU IRB-approved research study is being conducted at The University of Tulsa that uses biofeedback to teach participants to regulate responses to pain. Participants must be healthy, currently pain-free, and able to attend 3 laboratory training sessions (3.5-4.5 hours/ day). Behavioral and physiological reactions to painful stimuli will be assessed each day to test the efficacy of the training.

Up to $300 compensation will be provided for completing the study.

CONTACT: Psychophysiology Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience (PI: Jamie Rhudy, PhD)

918-631-2175 or 918-631-3565

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore GET WISDOM: and with all thy getting GET UNDERSTANDING.

BY FRASER KASTNER

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST 924 S. Boulder Church & Sunday School • 10:30am Wednesday Meeting • 6:00pm

OKLAHOMA STUDY OF NATIVE AMERICAN PAIN RISK RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS NEEDED

$200 compensation ($100/day)

INVESTIGATORS: Drs. Jamie Rhudy & Joanna Shadlow CONTACT: The University of Tulsa Psychophysiology Research Laboratory 918-631-2175 or 918-631-3565

A novel research study is being conducted at The University of Tulsa to identify potential markers of risk for chronic pain in healthy (currently painfree) Non-Hispanic White and Native American individuals.

This study is safe, non-invasive, and does not involve medication. Participants must be able to attend 2 laboratory sessions (4-5.5 hours/day) in which physiological and behavioral reactions to different stimuli are recorded. This is a University of Tulsa, Cherokee Nation, and Indian Health Service Oklahoma Area Office IRB approved research study.

FREE IT ’S L E G A L T IL L

Tulsa’rsee F ONLY u na Marij yaer Law

Free legal representation for first offense marijuana possession.

Tulsa District & City Courts only.

No juvenile cases.

Reasonable fees for other charges.

Some restrictions apply.

Michael Fairchild • Attorney at Large • 918-58-GRASS (584-7277)

WE’RE GIVING AWAY FREE STUFF! Register for the Sept. giveaway at thetulsavoice.com/giveaways by Sept. 30!

Our $250 BARBEQUE package includes: Burn Co. Barbeque • Hebert’s Specialty Meats Oklahoma Joe’s Bar-B-Cue

46 // ETC.

Common education committee chair calls education cuts “fake news” STATE REPRESENTATIVE MICHAEL ROGERS, R-Broken Arrow, denied in an email last week th at funding for Oklahoma schools h as declined, calling reports of such “fake news”. And bo y howdy is it a relief to know th at Oklahoma schools just suck on their own, compl etel y independent of our rapidl y tanking economy.

“You can see how we h ave increased funding per pupil every year since 2010,” the email stated. As The Oklahoman noted, however, Rogers’ source includes funding from nonstate sources, such as the federal government. The state education allocation h as actuall y decreased by almost $200 per student in the last ten years, even as costs rise.

But th at isn’t Rep. Rogers’ job to know, now is it?

You can’t possibl y expect a man to keep track of all those alternative facts as well as reality.

Gubernatorial candidate represents anti-vaxx group in defamation lawsuit Gary Rich ardson, a Tulsa attorne y and Republican candidate for governor, will be representing Oklahomans for Vaccine and Health Choice in a defamation lawsuit fil ed a gainst them.

“I believe it should be the parents’ privil edge to decide,” Rich ardson said.

And good for you, Gary. Living in America is all about doing wh at you think is right, regardl ess of actual consequences. Has measl es made a comeback in areas where parents don’t vaccinate their kids? You bet your ass it h as. And does choosing a gainst vaccination weaken our herd resistance a gainst any number of horribl e diseases? Of course! But watching kids suffer on the altar of personal liberty is a price we are willing to pa y.

The lawsuit, which was by fil ed by pediatrician Eve Switzer, all eges th at Oklahomans for Vaccine and Health Choice spread misl eading information about Switzer ’s practice after she advised Governor Fallin a gainst signing a bill the group authored.

Who sa ys a doctor gives better medical advice th an a helicopter parent with an internet connection? There might not be any “evidence” a gainst vaccines, but wouldn’t you rather stick with polio, just to be safe? a

September 6 – 19, 2017 // 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

JACKSON is a one year-old retriever/Labrador mix. He was running out of time at another shelter and was transferred to us recently.

ACROSS 1 The Thatchers Arms, for one 4 ___ New Guinea 9 Much closer than there 13 Play to ___ (end with a score of 4-4, e.g.)

17 Genetics subject 18 Propelling a vessel, in a way 19 Talk pompously to a large crowd 21 Blind trio of a nursery rhyme 22 Why you should be penned up (Pt. 1) 26 Certain military officer 27 Not even close to wordy 28 Corpulence 29 Happen consequently 30 One equals 100 centavos 31 Experienced a dis-traction?

32 Montgomery bus rider Parks 35 Try to earn tips 38 Hose down but good 42 Piece of body armor (var.)

45 Tirelessly or with indefatigable energy 47 Make nonalcoholic punch alcoholic 48 Do something below one’s dignity 50 Open to a breeze 51 Mea ___ (my fault) 52 “Set Fire to the Rain” pop singer 54 Crosses a lake, in a way 55 No longer active (Abbr.)

56 Collection of abridged works 57 Terrain of the Great Plains 59 Urging 61 Clapton of music 63 Why you should be penned up (Pt. 2) 71 Noted federal agent Eliot

72 Miles-hour link 73 Full in all aspects 74 Legend of the auto racing world 78 Quality of a color 81 Ye olde pulpit 83 Offend others’ nostrils 84 French river 85 Swiss canton 86 DVR button 88 Gaelic language 89 Many are commissioned 92 Young hare 94 Change for a five 95 Command from a drill sergeant 96 ___ Torino 97 Fortify, as one’s loins 98 Rose or Seeger 101 Very proficient 106 Fencing maneuver with a thrust 110 Feature of a Broadway theater 112 Setting for 74-Across 114 Why you should be penned up (Pt. 3) 117 Type of proprietorship 118 Type of finish or ID 119 Contour feathers 120 Greek letter resembling a P 121 Batik necessities 122 Lee or Musial 123 Woods used in shipbuilding 124 Start for Diego or Fernando DOWN 1 The-lower-thebetter thing for shoppers 2 Still up for grabs, as a competition 3 False deities 4 Remove a fruit’s outer layer 5 Fleshy seed coating 6 112-Across repair area 7 Combine forces 8 Legendary choreographer de Mille 9 “___ it going?”

PACKARD is a two month-old terrier/boxer mix.

10 New York canal 11 Backstabbing snitch 12 The study of animal behavior in their natural habitats 13 Half of an old radio comedy duo 14 Polynesian carved talisman 15 Actor on “Law & Order: SVU” 16 One of a few “choice” words?

18 Proprietors 20 Falling back, as a tide 23 Former French coin of low denomination 24 A long way from being a child 25 Strawberry shade 30 Place to host a barbecue 31 First-stringer 33 No spring chicken 34 Female visionary 36 A long way from being nearby 37 “Would ___ to You?” (Eurythmics hit) 38 Comfortable and close-fitting 39 Look at lustfully 40 Austria’s Wildspitze and others 41 Monetary unit of Myanmar 42 Group of key officers 43 Indian or Pacific 44 Museum artifact 45 Like wet concrete 46 February eave danglers 47 Scandinavian known for herding reindeer 49 Charles II’s mistress, actress Nell 53 The Furies of Greek myth 56 Use a 1969 telephone 58 “Shall ___ myself out?”

60 Coldness in the fall air

62 Constant couch potato, e.g.

64 Like seated wedding guests, often 65 Becomes a bounder 66 “___ la Douce” 67 Beginning for mix or state 68 “Rumble in the Jungle” site 69 Young’s “books” partner 70 “The Dick Van ___ Show” 74 “And another thing ...”

75 ___ of Arc 76 Do a secretarial chore 77 Contents of some mining trams 79 Constellation bear 80 Son of Seth in Genesis 82 Protrude outwards 85 Promises to wed 87 A Gabor sister 90 Like settled debts 91 Kathmandu’s place 93 Makes into law 97 Fuel type 99 Pharaoh’s land 100 Old Native American shelter 102 Marina-Rey link 103 Fancy washstand pitchers 104 Former Turkish high official 105 Iron Mike the former boxer 106 Post-combat affliction, briefly 107 Seaman’s greeting 108 It can reduce a store’s inventory 109 Blessed French women, for short 110 Start for “new world’s record” 111 1982 Disney sci-fi film 112 Ice skating place 113 Collections of anecdotes 115 Stroller rider 116 Turned ___ dime

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.

LITTLE BIT is a two year-old Jack Russell terrier/Chihuahua mix.

Universal sUnday Crossword wriTer's BloCK

By Timothy e. Parker

© 2017 Andrews McMeel Syndication THE TULSA VOICE // September 6 – 19, 2017

PEARCE is a six month-old retriever/Labrador mix. He loves to play with toys and even plays fetch!

9/10 ETC. // 47

CNENT_49927_HR_Joint_Entertainment_9-3_TulsaVoice_1716120.indd 1

Pleas e re cycle this issue.

8/24/17 9:39 AM