The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 4 No. 19

What h a ppe ns whe n we die?

What i s Tr u th? I s god re al?

Am I pr es e n t e nou g h? How d o you fa c e e v i l ? A re t h ese he en d ti mes ? A r e we re all m a de f r om s ta r s ? Is h ell r e al ? H o w a m I s e l fish? Is she a n a nge l ? D o I know any ath ei s ts ? S hould I say s o me t h i ng? C r e m at ion or bu r i a l? W i l l the y jud g e me ? W o ul d i t e ve n make a d if f e r enc e ? D o you p ray?

S E P T . 2 0 – O C T . 3 , 2 0 1 7 // V O L . 4 N O . 1 9

H O W S H O U L D W E FA C E E V I L ? P 1 0 C r e m at i o n o r b u r i a l ? P 1 8

AM I PRESENT ENOUGH? P21

A R E T H E S E T H E E N D T I M E S ? P 24

D o YO U k n o w a n y at h e i s t s ? P 2 6

BEERS TO TRY THIS FALL P12 • PREVIEW: HEIRLOOM RUSTIC ALES P14

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2 // CONTENTS

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

CONTENTS // 3

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4 // CONTENTS

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September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // Vol. 4, No. 19 ©2017. All rights reserved.

PUBLISHER Jim Langdon EDITOR Liz Blood 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 CONTRIBUTORS David Blatt, Barry Friedman, Mitch Gilliam, Hans Kleinschmidt, Nathan Knapp, Julie Niemi, Mary Noble, Joe O’Shansky, Michelle Pollard, Mason Whitehorn Powell, Zack Reeves, Andrew Saliga, Damion Shade, Chance Siribandan, John Tranchina, M.W. Vernon, Brady Whisenhunt, Michael Wright The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by

18

21

24

26

THICK BLACK SMOKE

SISTER, SISTER

BY MARY NOBLE

APOCALYPSE WITH A SIDE OF HOPE

SACRED COWS

BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL

BY DAMION SHADE

A conversation with The Thinking Atheist podcast host, Seth Andrews

Member of

The Tulsa Voice is published bi-monthly by

The business of burning bodies at Kennedy-Midtown

A nun and a “none” search for spiritual meaning in the hills of Hulbert

Rev. Joseph Morris believes we are living in the end times

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

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NEWS & COMMENTARY

FOOD & DRINK

S E P T . 2 0 – O C T . 3 , 2 0 1 7 // V O L . 4 N O . 1 9

H O W S H O U L D W E FA C E E V I L ? P 1 0 C r e m at i o n o r b u r i a l ? P 1 8

AM I PRESENT ENOUGH? P21

A R E T H E S E T H E E N D T I M E S ? P 24

ARTS & CULTURE

8 SHORTFALL COUNTDOWN

B Y DAVID BLATT

12 ALCOH-FALL

B Y NATHAN KNAPP

28 GUILT TRIP

B Y M.W. VERNON

With the clock ticking, how might the state’s budget emergency be solved?

9 DREAM ON

B Y MARY NOBLE

14 TWO DENTISTS AND A BREWER

B Y ANDREW SALIGA

Rescinding DACA will affect nearly 6,900 Oklahoma recipients

What to drink as the weather cools and your SADD grows

The vision behind Heirloom Rustic Ales

10 WE ARE NIEMÖLLER

B Y BARRY FRIEDMAN

16 EL BURRITO SANTUARIO

B Y MITCH GILLIAM

Ritual at a favorite Mexican food staple

Tepidity in the face of evil

MUSIC What happen s w hen we die?

What is Truth? Is god re al?

Am I present en ough? How d o yo u face evil ? Are thes e t he end times? Are we re ally ma de from stars? Is he ll re a l ?How am I selfis h? Is she an angel ? D o I know any atheists? Should I s ay s omethin g? Cremation or bu rial ? W il l they jud ge me? W oul d it even m ake a difference? D o you pray?

BY LIZ BLOOD

36 ROGUE ELEMENT

B Y JOHN LANGDON

From jazz experiments to rock and roll heroics with Wilco, Nels Cline shreds

38 MEET SWEET ULTRA

B Y CHANCE SIRIBANDAN Stunning soundscapes and visceral lyricism

D o YO U k n o w a n y at h e i s t s ? P 2 6

BEERS TO TRY THIS FALL P12 • PREVIEW: HEIRLOOM RUSTIC ALES P14

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

TV & FILM 42 BONFIRE OF THE INSANITY

B Y JOE O’SHANSKY

‘ m other!’ gaslights audience and protagonist alike

44 AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 LAYS

B Y JOE O’SHANSKY

HBO’s latest, ‘The Deuce,’ gets down and dirty

45 NO NEED TO PRESS PAWS

B Y ZACK REEVES Internet Cat Video Festival visits Tulsa for the first time

A guide to responsible sinning in Tulsa

29 ¡CELEBREMOS!

B Y MICHAEL WRIGHT

Festival Americas is back for its fourth year

30 STAR PARTY LIKE YOU MEAN IT

B Y BRADY WHISENHUNT

Observing the cosmos with Astronomy Club of Tulsa

31 OBJECTS OF GRATITUDE

B Y JULIE NIEMI

Tulsa Artist Fellow Anita Fields honors her Osage heritage

32 BIG TIME BOWL

B Y JOHN TRANCHINA

Union-Jenks football matchup was a major spectacle

ETC. 34 THEHAPS 40 MUSICLISTINGS 45 FULLCIRCLE 47 THEFUZZ + CROSSWORD CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

I

went to college with a woman named Marie Gonzalez who came to the U.S. as a five year-old with her undocumented parents. She was among some of the first Dreamers, advocating for the Dream Act and immigration reform as early as 2005. She travelled to D.C. to speak at sympo-

siums and with legislators. Several times, she appeared on television.

I didn’t comprehend her courage or plight, which is similar to what hundreds of thousands of people in this country face.

Throughout her high school years, her family faced deportation. One month before she

began college, her parents were scheduled for deportation and she was granted a one-year deferral.

They were sent home; she managed to stay through the uncertainty and graduate.

Marie described her high school and college life as a roller coaster. It vacillated between fear

and unease in a country she and her family were devoted to, but that didn’t fully accept them.

Immigration and deportation weren’t things I had to think about it, and I didn’t. I recall wanting her to be able to stay in the country and at school, but that was as far as I extended support. A year after college, she married her longtime American boyfriend. I remember thinking, “Marie’s safe now.” But why couldn’t she be safe, regardless?

I regret not supporting her (and, by extension, others) more, asking questions, listening to understand, or making calls to legislators when she asked our group of friends to do so. In a way, I too was Neimöller (see page 10).

Unfortunately, those calls to legislators are still needed as President Trump threatens to rescind DACA and Congress scrambles to find a solution. On page 9, writer Mary Noble talked to some local Dreamers and immigrants who implore the rest of us to use our voices to help them.

Today, there is so much to consider that it often feels difficult to know what to pick, or how to think about it. For this issue, we chose a few classic, heavy topics.

Damion Shade interviewed Reverend Joseph Morris, who believes we are living in the end times (pg 24). I spoke with a local atheist podcast host who used to be a Christian radio DJ (pg 26). Brady Whisenhunt gazed at the heavens (pg 30). Mary Noble found some peace at Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey (pg 21). Mason Whitehorn Powell toured a crematorium and thought about death (pg 18).

And while each of those has a place in carving out identity and understanding our world, I’m only now starting to understand how privilege allows them to become points of focus. a

LIZ BLOOD EDITOR 6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

TIME FOR A GUINNESS. SPECIAL EDITION CANS COMMEMORATING THE 200 TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR FIRST EXPORT FROM DUBLIN TO AMERICA.

PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY. GUINNESS DRAUGHT STOUT. IMPORTED BY DIAGEO BEER COMPANY USA, NORWALK, CT. UGDR00190

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

200 T H U SA AN N IV E R SARY CAN

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

okpolicy

L

SHORTFALL COUNTDOWN With the clock ticking, how might the state’s budget emergency be solved?

by DAVID BLATT

8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

ast month, the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down a cigarette fee that was expected to generate $215 million for the fiscal year 2018 state budget. Now without quick action, Oklahoma faces unimaginable cuts to health care and other protections for our state’s most vulnerable citizens. However, if they can overcome partisan differences, our leaders have an opportunity to not only resolve this crisis, but to come out of it with even stronger investments in Oklahoma families and communities.

Revenue from the cigarette fee had been dedicated to just three agencies. It accounted for 10 percent of the Department of Human Services total appropriation, 7 percent of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority’s total appropriation, and 23 percent of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services’ total appropriation.

Without quick legislative action to restore the lost funding, the consequences will be catastrophic.

Even with the tobacco revenue, the initial state budget was “massively underfunded,” in the words of then-House Appropriations Chair Leslie Osborn. The Department of Human Services has already been forced to enact $30 million in cuts to senior nutrition services, in-home support for people with severe disabilities, payments to foster families, and child care subsidies for low-income working parents. The loss of another $200 million-plus in state dollars and even more federal matching funds would devastate our health care and human services providers and the people they serve.

So what happens how?

Governor Fallin has called a special legislative session to begin September 25. Ideally, Republican and Democratic leaders will use that second chance to reach a grand bargain that includes a tobacco tax increase along with

more progressive revenue ideas favored by Democrats, like increasing the income tax for very high incomes or rolling back tax cuts for the oil and gas industry. This could provide additional revenues beyond the $215 million from the cigarette fee that could be used to reverse cuts to education and social services and stabilize the budget for the long term.

The Legislature could also take another try at getting supermajority support for a straight $1.50 per-pack increase in the cigarette tax and nothing else. Republican leaders have tried passing tobacco tax bills for the past two years but couldn’t get the necessary threefourths majority support. With the doomsday clock ticking, Democrats would be under even greater pressure to support a straight tobacco tax increase, but they would still be unlikely to approve a stand-alone increase in a tax that is seen as regressive and that ignores the state’s structural budget issues.

Without a bipartisan agreement, Republicans could again try to approve new revenues that need only a simple majority, or they could pass a new budget that spreads the $215 million shortfall more evenly across state agencies.

The full shortfall would mean 3.1 percent cuts for all agencies, which is big enough to cause substantial hardship to Oklahomans, especially coming on top of multiple rounds of cuts in recent years.

Admittedly, doing nothing in special session and letting the three health agencies bear the full brunt of cuts is another possible outcome. It is up to all of us who care about the health and safety of our family members and communities to inform state leaders that doing nothing is unacceptable.

Lawmakers have good solutions to this crisis if they have the will to enact them. a David Blatt is Executive Director of Oklahoma Policy Institute (www.okpolicy.org).

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

community

O

n September 5, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Obama-era program, Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), would be rescinded as early as March 6, 2018. The program granted temporary protection to people brought to the United States as children, allowing them to legally work, go to college, and buy a home. The fate of these nearly 800,000 “DACAmented Americans” (often referred to as Dreamers), now rests in the hands of Congress, which has been given six months to come up with an alternative solution.

Many Dreamers wonder if they will be forced back into the shadows, or if their information will be given to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and they will be deported.

There are nearly 6,900 DACA recipients in Oklahoma. Paul Gonzalez is one of them. He came to the United States from Mexico when he was seven and became a DACA recipient in 2013.

“It has helped me get a job and helped me with school, but mostly with the fear of getting deported and not feeling comfortable in a country I feel a part of,” Gonzalez said. “It made me feel like I belonged.”

Jenifer Cortes Gray is studying counseling at Northeastern State.

She’s not a DACA recipient, but was once undocumented and has been in the United States since she was four years old. Jennifer has family and friends who are beneficiaries of DACA. “My best friend was able to buy her first house and get a car [because of DACA],” Gray said.

“To see how much she’s done with her work permit and to think that, six months from now, that could all be gone—in the scheme of things, that’s small compared to the fact that her two daughters are citizens and to think that she goes back to living in fear and the uncertainty of what’s going to happen to her and her kids.”

DREAM ON

Rescinding DACA will affect nearly 6,900 Oklahoma recipients

by MARY NOBLE

Paul Gonzalez and Jennifer Cortes Gray | GREG BOLLINGER

What happens in the coming months will not only impact the lives of DACA recipients, but also their spouses, extended families, and nearly 200,000 children (who are themselves U.S. citizens) of DACA recipients. Some families, fearing deportation and separation from their children, are considering signing over parental rights to friends or documented family members.

“When I was in high school, we went to a lawyer’s office to see what could be done. There was a family there signing their rights away to another family in case they were deported,” Gray said.

Mimi Martinez, an engineering student at TCC and five-year DACA recipient, expressed her frustration with the hateful rheto-

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

ric she sees online and within her community.

“You read the comments that people post, like, ‘Deport them all, they shouldn’t be here to begin with, deport the whole family.’ It’s very hurtful and our youth [are] exposed to that … They don’t know what to think, they don’t feel safe,” she said. “We knew that DACA was going to be temporary, but we had hope that whoever took office next was going to keep it or [do] something better.”

“There [are] kids who are ready to go into the workforce, they’re excited because they have a Social Security number and are going to be able to contribute and help out their families and they won’t be able to,” Martinez continued. “Not only that but [the law]

lured people out of the shadows and now they have the spotlight on them. It’s very scary because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Tulsan Kasey Hughart is an immigrant rights activist and co-founder of Dream Act Oklahoma (DAOK), an affiliate of the United We Dream national advocacy network. Founded in 2008, DAOK is the first youth-led immigrant rights coalition in Oklahoma. The organization aims to educate, empower, and advocate for the immigrant community in Oklahoma. In addition to promoting national campaigns, DAOK advocates at the local level.

“Whenever anti-immigration legislation [is] being proposed in Oklahoma,” said Hughart, “we show up with other organizations from our community—like the repeal of in-state tuition, English-only laws, even local city ordinances that tried to heavily regulate food trucks in East Tulsa.”

“I don’t think people realize the impressive history behind the mere existence of food trucks in Tulsa,” she said with a laugh.

Dreamers whose work permits expire before March 5, 2018 can apply for a two-year renewal, but must do so before October 5, giving applicants only one month to come up with $495 in application fees. To help DACA recipients through the process, DAOK and other community allies have set up DACA clinics at the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (14201 E. 21st St.) where immigration attorneys review renewals.

DAOK is also raising money to help fund DACA renewals and has an anonymous donor pledged to match what they raise.

I asked the Dreamers I spoke with what kind of community support they need. All of them emphasized the importance of calling legislators.

“People don’t know the power of their voice,” Gray said. “Contacting legislators is going to be the most important thing.” a NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

viewsfrom theplains

F

irst they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin Niemöller—a German pastor, World War 1 naval officer, and that poem’s author—never forgave himself for not speaking up or acting sooner. Eventually, the Nazis imprisoned him for doing both.

The poem is not metaphorical.

It’s a mea culpa for living inside the rationalization. Niemöller never published the work. There’s no record of when or where he first spoke the words—or even if the poem is his exact wording. Taken from his lectures, many scholars believe it was extemporaneous. The piece became something of a rhetorical Zelig,1 co-opted by and for other religions, trade groups, philosophies, and causes. For Niemöller, his discomfort in the poem resulted from his own tepidity.

Before entering the priesthood and for years after, he was an unapologetic anti-Semite. He called the Jews “a highly gifted people which produces idea after idea for the benefit of the world, but whatever it takes up changes into poison, and all that it ever reaps is contempt and hatred.”

Highly gifted … changes into poison.

Very fine Jews on both sides.

Why bring up Niemöller now?

Charlottesville, mostly, but also DACA.

The Aloisios, the family that owns Mondo’s Restorante Italiano, had 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

WE ARE NIEMÖLLER Tepidity in the face of evil

by BARRY FRIEDMAN

a MAGA hat on the shelf at the bar. Last month, a customer at the restaurant asked the family to remove it. This was the day after Charlottesville came under siege, after Trump said “I think there is blame on both sides,” after Heather Heyer was killed.

No, not killed—murdered. The Aloisios were Trump voters but that’s not the point. Sixty-five percent of Oklahomans in 2016 voted for Trump. This was different. After Charlottesville, it was inconceivable that Trump supporters wouldn’t understand the anger of people on the left (read: sentient human beings)—and how the hat symbolized all that was wrong with that weekend in August. Anger towards a president who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) with full-throated venom denounce people like David Duke and Richard Spencer and reject any notion of moral equivalence between victim and abuser.

Even Senator James Lankford got it … sort of.

I was disheartened to see people of all ages participating in Charlottesville’s white-supremacist rally.2

Disheartened? Not outraged, not sickened—disheartened.

He called for engagement, but Nazis don’t engage in conversation. White supremacists don’t engage, either. Neither does the KKK. The Aloisios engage—they took down the hat, incidentally.

Lankford said nothing about the Republican president who blurred those lines and refused to call out such evil.

Lankford never mentioned Trump by name.

But at least he said something.

The Oklahoma House delegation was silent.

Jim Bridenstine (R-OK1), who demanded Obama apologize to Oklahoma for pushing

climate change3 and who called the former president lawless4 and accused him of dishonesty, incompetence, vengefulness, lacking moral compass, and being unfit for office5 didn’t call out Donald Trump for being unable to spit out the Nazis who attacked students. Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK2), who called Obama illegitimate6 and said the former president was too soft on Putin,7 didn’t call out Donald Trump for not denouncing white supremacists who drive into protestors.

The rest of the Oklahoma House delegation: Rep. Frank Lucas (ROK3), Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK4), and Rep. Steve Russell (R-OK5) said nothing.

Senator Jim Inhofe did worse than stay silent—he obfuscated.

His press office—yes, he relegated this to his press office—tweeted: “I am deeply saddened by the hatred being displayed in Charlottesville. It is unacceptable.

We must work together to unite our nation.” It neither mentions white supremacists or victims, but embraces the pablum of working together (as if that’s possible with skinheads). On his personal Twitter account, the same man who had called Obama a “liar” and accused him of a “cover-up,”8 tweeted on August 15, two days after Charlottesville, that he looked forward to Trump’s commitment to our nation’s infrastructure.9 The Daily Stormer, an American neo-Nazi website/cesspoool, meanwhile, sent out the following after the president’s statements: Trump comments were good. He didn’t attack us. He just said the nation should come together. Nothing specific against us. He said that we need to study why people are so angry, and implied that there was hate … on both sides! So he implied the antifa are haters. There was virtually no counter-signaling of us at all. He said he loves us all.10

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

But Inhofe thought it was time to talk about bridges and roads.

Al Pacino, in preparing for “Serpico,” once asked Frank Serpico why he did it. Serpico responded, “Because if I didn’t, who would I be when I listened to Mozart?”11 Those who surrounded students in front of a statue of Thomas Jefferson on the University of Virginia campus were not screaming about the bravery of the confederacy, or the pride of southern memory. They were screaming about Jews. They were screaming about a country that elects an African American president. They were screaming about their America.

Clear enough?

Yet our Oklahoma delegation, with the possible exception of Lankford, was Niemöller.

There was no editorial in the Tulsa World denouncing Nazi sympathizers or exposing the Oklahoma delegation’s spinelessness.

The paper was Niemöller.

And after the DACA announcement, only Lankford made a statement about the heartlessness of Trump’s decision to end the program.

However, we as Americans do not hold children legally accountable for the actions of their parent. In the coming months, Congress must address this issue. 12

Charlottesville, DACA were not policy disputes, not unless you think there’s middle ground to find with those who chant “Jews will not replace us.” Or with legislators who advocate frog marching children out of the country to lands they’ve never known.

During the 1920s, Niemöller believed Germany needed a strong leader—someone who could shake things up. He voted for Hitler because the new German leader reflected Niemöller’s views, which included the belief that Jews killed Christ. It wasn’t until the Nazis tried to infiltrate the church did he protest. Then they imprisoned him and sent him to Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp, for seven years—most of which he spent in solitary.

Still, he defined himself by his lapses.

“Thus, whenever I chance to meet a Jew,” he wrote in his autobiography Über die deutsche Schuld, Not und Hoffnung (“Of Guilt and Hope”) late in life, “known to me before, then, as a Christian, I cannot but tell him: ‘Dear Friend, I stand in front of you, but we can not get together, for there is guilt between us. I have sinned and my people has sinned against thy people and against thyself.’ ” A final thought: A million years ago at Arnie’s Bar, back when it was on Cherry Street, there was a toy bus on a shelf there with the U scratched out, leaving BS. It was the owner’s way of expressing his position on bussing to integrate public schools. I sat at the bar one night and stared at the little yellow bus, listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Etta James. I thought, you’re welcome to sing at a place like Arnie’s if you’re African American, but not to drink there.

I may have said something, I don’t remember. But I didn’t leave.

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

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THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11 ttcu_tvoice_4.375x6_checking_17_vf.indd 2

7/27/17 4:10 PM

downthehatch

ALCOH-FALL

What to drink as the weather cools and your SADD grows

by NATHAN KNAPP End-of-summer blues getting you down? Do falling leaves inspire an intense fear of your eventual, inevitable death? If you’re anything like me and associate autumn’s onset with creeping existential dread, you probably need something to drink. But, if you welcome the cooler weather and turned-back clocks—a la a more or less mentally healthy person—you might still like some kind of autumnal libation. Lucky for you, there’s something here for everyone.

ISASTEGI SAGARDO NATURALA

FOXIE CANNED WINE SPRITZER

ALLOY WINE WORKS WEISSLAND

JAMES E. PEPPER’S 1776 BROWN ALE

MOOD A SWEATY, GOOD TIME ABV 6%

MOOD PLEASE, GOD, DON’T LET SUMMER END ABV 11%, AKA SEEING DOUBLE

MOOD DAZED AND CONFUSED ABV 11%

MOOD EXISTENTIAL FIREPLACE LIGHTING ABV REALLY HIGH

This natural cider from Spain is perfect for you if you salt your apple slices. Far less carbonated than most American and British ciders, this cider has an aromatic front and a briny finish, with more than a few pickle notes. May I suggest pairing it with a shot of Laird’s 100 Proof Straight Apple Brandy? I may. And do.

I have long been suspicious of the canned wine trend, but this lightly carbonated sparkling chardonnay is perfect for the last vestiges of summer. The label on the can boasts that this wine contains “natural quince flavor.” Until very recently I had no idea what quince is: a fruit that comes from the same family as apples and pears. Drinking this spritzer did not do much to clarify things for me, but it sure was tasty.

A lightly hopped canned wine, Weissland is the perfect drink if the advent of fall has left you feeling a bit muddled. Fined with Amarillo hops, barrel-fermented with farmhouse ale yeast, and can-conditioned in the traditional method, this sparkling Chardonnay should be forgiven if it seems slightly baffled, tasting very much more like a saison or farmhouse ale than a wine. It is heavy on the tannins, dusted with an oaky aftertaste.

Feeling pensive? With 10.4% ABV, this beer, which is aged in rye whiskey barrels, doesn’t mess around. If you have a fireplace, consume this next to it, preferably with your feet up. It features significant notes of barley, figs, dates, ripe plums, rich tobacco, and vanilla. The whiskey barrel ageing comes through in the flavor, but is subtle with just the right amount of sweetness.

GREAT DIVIDE CLAYMORE SCOTCH ALE

MARSHALL OKTOBERFEST LAGER

ANTHEM OGLETOBERFEST LAGER

LEFTHAND OKTOBERFEST MÄRZEN LAGER

MOOD WINTER IS COMING ABV TREAD CAREFULLY

MOOD GIMME A DAMN BEER ABV 6%

MOOD GOOD, CLEAN FUN ABV 5.5%

MOOD REGRET, DESPAIR, SHAME ABV 6.6%

Once the weather cools off, days shorten, clocks are turned back, and what I like to call “World Series weather” begins, it’s time to break out this boozy bruiser of a scotch ale. At 7.7% ABV, this beer takes itself seriously so that you don’t have to. It features hints of snowy weather, roasted barley, and your favorite winter coat.

Before I describe any of these Oktoberfest beers, I have to say that every time I crack open an Oktoberfest I do so with suspicion. Any beer that isn’t good enough to drink year-round has a lot to prove. Thankfully, Marshall’s Oktoberfest is fucking delicious, with a velvet mouthfeel, notes of muscadine, and European flair.

From their Uroburos Imperial Stout—one of the best imperial stouts available—to their Golden One Blonde, Anthem makes excellent beers.

This is no exception. The most drinkable Oktoberfest-style lager I’ve ever had, this beer goes down easy, finishes smooth, and would be an excellent addition to any tailgate.

I have two things to say about this beer. The first: it’s an excellent choice if you hate beer and would like to prove to yourself why you hate beer. Secondly, it is conspicuously better in the bottle than on draft. On draft, it tastes like a bad decision. In the bottle, it only tastes like a mistake. a

12 // FOOD & DRINK

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

MICHELLE POLLARD

EDITOR’S NOTE Thanks to Modern Spirits (401 E. 11th St.), Provisions Fine Beverage Purveyors (provisionsok.com), and Ranch Acres Wine & Spirits (3324 E 31st St.) for supplying our journalist with material to write about.

Name a more iconic duo.

New Beer Room Coming Soon!

• fine wine • • craft beer • • unique liquor • 401 E. 11th St. • 918-295-0295 /ModernSpiritsTulsa THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

FOOD & DRINK // 13

downthehatch

Jake Miller, Melissa French, and Zach French in the Heirloom Rustic Ales brewery | GREG BOLLINGER

Two dentists and a brewer The vision behind Heirloom Rustic Ales

by ANDREW SALIGA

T

he name invokes family and conveys years of tradition. This is exactly what Zach French had in mind when he conceived of it in 2016.

Specifically, it pays homage to the traditional brewing methods of the European countryside—a style in which many of Heirloom’s beers will be made.

The Heirloom Rustic Ales team is composed of Zach and Melissa French and Jake Miller.

Professionally, Zach and Melissa are both dentists, but Zach has been home brewing since 2001 and Melissa’s knack for design is the driving force behind the taproom’s aesthetic. After stints at breweries across the country, Miller brings years of brewing experience to Heirloom. He got his start at Tulsa’s Prairie Artisan Ales and American Solera, then went on to become the head brewmaster at Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery in Oregon.

“I wanted to go to arguably the most competitive brewing scene in the country and see what that was like,” Miller said. “I wanted to put some beers out there that weren’t underneath the umbrella

14 // FOOD & DRINK

of a larger brewery. I wanted to see how these beers would do.”

After a year at Wolves & People, Miller migrated to Florida’s St. Somewhere Brewery where he continued to gain experience and add to his network of fellow brewers. But a call from the Frenches asking him to be a part of Heirloom brought him back to Tulsa.

“There is nobody I’d rather be working with,” Miller said. “For me, working with beer is super important, but doing it with the right people is just as important.”

As Tulsa’s craft beer scene grows, it’s easy to wonder if there is tension between local brewers.

According to Miller, it’s not the norm.

“My interaction with the craft beer community has always been one of comradery,” Miller said.

“The amount of times I’ve had to call a different brewery for a bag of grain or a yeast pitch or something along those lines—I’ve never had to call the second brewery on the list.”

Heirloom even called upon friends at Anthem Brewing Company and Marshall Brewing

Company for advice on designing their new space.

Heirloom strives to make a product that wholly originates in Oklahoma, but couldn’t source the barrels for their barrel-aged blended beers in-state. That’s when Miller called upon other friends—Brittan Vineyards winemakers in Oregon.

The pinot noir barrels that will hold Miller’s beer, held his friends’ wine 8 months prior. So even the barrels are a sort of heirloom.

Barrel-aged blended beers are only one of the three primary beer categories on which Heirloom will focus. Heirloom plans to have up to 12 beers on tap, all falling within the larger categories of barrel-aged blended, saison, or lager.

It’s no longer enough in the brewing world to have a beer program created by brewers with seasoned pedigrees. According to Miller, it’s this level of trust and familiarity the co-owners share that helps them focus more on differentiating themselves.

“Most of our conversation has been about how we are going to interact with the community

and how we are going to create a space that brings people in,” Miller said.

Enter Melissa French.

She has carefully designed the brewery’s aesthetic to be inviting.

Located in the Kendall Whittier District (2113 E. Admiral Blvd.), the brewery and taproom fill with natural light pouring through the building’s original windows.

Patrons will gather around the bar’s centerpiece, an outline of Oklahoma made with reclaimed lumber from Oklahoma fences. A large mural of a bison emblazoned with hops and wheat embellishes one of the exterior walls.

“We were all just focused on trying to create the coolest space that we possibly could,” Miller said. “We wanted it to be a community hub. The thing that all three of us kept coming back to as far as a beer philosophy is that we want to make approachable, refreshing, and affordable beers.

We can’t wait to pour beers behind our bar and pass them to friends.”

Heirloom Rustic Ales is tentatively set to open in November. a

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

FOOD & DRINK // 15

foodfile

EL BURRITO 3955 E. Admiral Pl. 9:30 a.m. Tues.–Fri. and Sun., 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday Closed Monday

El Burrito santuario RITUAL AT A FAVORITE MEXICAN FOOD STAPLE • BY MITCH GILLIAM Caldo de pescato at El Burrito | GREG BOLLINGER

I

’ve said this here before, but I’ll say it again: I’ve eaten at El Burrito at least once a week since Obama first took oath in 2009.

The ritual of El Burrito warrants holy writ.

For both weekend and weekday hangovers, and the rare instance of regular, actual hunger—the 16 year-old El Burrito’s sanctuary is open Tuesday through Sunday. Located in a strip mall at Admiral and Pittsburgh, head beneath the banner of a drunken donkey, past the bars on the windows, and enter the chapel of freshly-made chips.

“I feel like before I found El Burrito I was just playing around,” said my friend and fellow Voice contributor, Brady Whisenhunt.

“El Burrito is where you go to kneel before the Altar of the Dope Munch. I try to attend services monthly.”

On my most recent visit, I was approached by another regular who spied my legal pad.

“This place has the best food, man,” he said.

I agreed and told him how often I frequent the place.

“Me too, bro!, he exclaimed.

He works at the cemetery next door, and calls in orders for himself and his co-workers at least 16 // FOOD & DRINK

three times a week. Tribute like that is typical for those who have eyes to see. His ritual is loading up on chips and drinking a bottled coke while he waits.

Mine involves initiating the profane.

Anytime an out of town band plays the Soundpony, I bring them to Burreat—as the devout call it.

California metal maniacs, Night Demon, bowed down in awe at the size of their wet burritos.

Members of St Louis’s psychedelic steamroller, Bug Chaser, had communion with the micheladas.

Philly’s Superweaks didn’t know what queso was.

“Did you just order a bowl of cheese to sprinkle on tacos?” Superweaks vocalist, Evan Bernard, asked.

“Dude,” I replied. “Are you messing with me?”

The glory of El Burrito lies in it’s dependency and acrossthe-menu quality. No matter what you order, it’s great every time.

Over the last eight-plus years, I’ve consumed nearly everything on the menu. Even their hamburger deserves your cash and tastebuds’ time.

On weekends there is pozole and menudo. If you’re lucky, there will be homemade jello dessert or flan in the ice box.

Every Tulsa Mexican joint has it’s specialty, and anything involving a puffy corn fritter is top notch at El Burrito. Guaraches, gorditas, sopes—all of them are just a little bit better at Burrito.

The choices of meat—all delicious—range from the exoteric, like carne asada and chicken, to the mysterium of lengua and cabesa. The torta ahogada is drenched in an arbol chili sauce. If you’re brave, order it “diabla” style.

But overall, the standout is the caldo de pescado.

When laymen are my company, intiation is my ritual. But in moments of solace and contemplation, I work through the stations of the fish soup.

A massive red brew of carrots, onions, cilantro, zucchini, and several tilapia filets, the caldo de pescado is is served with the onions and cilantro on the side, and flour or corn tortillas. (Unless you’re a dummy, you’ll pick corn.)

I begin by unpacking the tortillas from their foil and flopping one back and forth between my hands until it reaches an edible temperature. I blow the hot air off the top of the soup and allow it to cool. On some days I’ll scoop ice into it from my water cup.1 Once the soup is safe, I load a mixture of tilapia and veggies onto a torti-

lla for the best fish tacos in town.

The ritual is complete when a random norteño song blasts at full volume from the jukebox. “Fruta Prohiba” is a sign of true blessing.

You can finish the soup by drinking the broth, but I take it home in a styrofoam cup to boil filets in later, a crude facsimile of Burreat’s holy relic. A kind of velvet Jesus soup.

I’ve found it’s easier to discuss politics than Mexican restaurants in Tulsa. People love Rio Verde, but I’ve always waved my El Burrito flag in the face of the green river, Cancun, Calaveras, and others.2 So I felt bad when co-owner Veronica Jiminez told me she met her husband (and business partner), Oscar, when both worked at Rio Verde. They still frequent the place. and say it’s common to see Rio Verde employees enjoying El Burrito on their own sabbaths. a 1) I still have scars on my left hand from one of my first encounters with El Burrito’s fish soup. Make sure the soup is cool enough, or at least make sure your tortilla is without holes before you dive in.

2) Don’t get it twisted. Pollos Asados al Carbon, behind the Beehive Lounge, is the spot for tacos from midtown to downtown.

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

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FOOD & DRINK // 17

THICK BL ACK SMOK E T H E B U S I N E S S O F B U R N I N G B O D I E S AT K E N N E D Y- M I D T O W N

BY MASON WHITEHORN POWELL PHOTOS BY HANS KLEINSCHMIDT

FEATURED 18 //// FEATURED

September 20 –September October 2017 3, // 2017 THE//TULSA VOICE 20 3, – October THE TULSA VOICE

THE LOBBY OF KENNEDYMIDTOWN FUNERAL AND CREMATION FEELS LIKE ANY OTHER FUNERAL HOME: Soft piano music playing, lights dimmed, the carpet a deep shade of red. Everything is clean, neatly arranged, and Kleenex boxes are plenty.

Beside a display of urns I met Lindsay Hart, mortician and funeral director of Kennedy-Midtown Funeral & Cremation. She was friendly and professional as she explained the business of cremation with a Midwestern tinge.

I followed her down a hall and to the garage, which is deep, wide, and painted white. Shelves line one wall. This is where the cremations are performed. American flags, wrapped in plastic, hang from a rack. The cremator is in the corner, where its flume extends into the ceiling. The bone grinder, called a cremulator, rests directly across from a large walk-in fridge. Cremulators are roughly the size of a dishwasher with a control panel and sorting tray on top, a black hole where the bones are inserted, and a chute on the side from which cremains are ejected. Adjacent to that is the door to the embalming room.

Hart pressed a button and with a dull mechanical sound the door to the cremator opened. Also known as a retort chamber, it’s about the size of a sofa. During a body’s disintegration, the chamber reaches nearly 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

“It’s about 60 minutes per 100 pounds,” Hart said. “Then we take the bones and put them in a processor. It sort of breaks down the bones, so it’s bones instead of ash—it’s not light like you see in the movies where you throw it and it blows in the wind, if you opened up an urn it would fall straight down on the ground like gravel—it’s heavy, dense as bone.”

Inside the machine, the retort’s refractory bricks looked clean, but darkened from years of use.

After a body combusts, vaporizes, oxidizes, and cools, the chamber is opened and the cremains are raked into a tray with a long hoe-like instrument. The chamber is scraped and cleaned with a wire brush until even the granules of bones are collected.

THE CREMATOR AND ITS BLACK FLUME, WITH PREP TABLES AND STRETCHERS LINDSAY HART

The cremains are then transferred into what looks like an archeologist’s tray. Metal odds and ends are sorted out—rivets or buttons from clothes, implants like fake knees and hips, small debris like medical screws, or braces and body jewelry—and put into a plastic bin to be taken away and recycled. I looked down into the recycling bin beside the cremulator. It sat half-empty, with a few pieces inside—mostly fake joints.

The remaining bone fragments are then placed in the

THETULSA TULSA // September – October 3, 2017 THE VOICEVOICE // September 20 – October 20 3, 2017

AN URN FOR SALE AT KENNEDY-MIDTOWN

cremulator, described to me at different times as akin to a large blender, food processor, and coffee grinder. On average, an adult female becomes 4 pounds of cremains, while a male yields 6 pounds. The cremulator takes around 20 minutes to pulverize the bones to a sand- or gravel-like texture. From there, cremains are placed in a temporary, state-mandated urn, which Hart said is essentially a “really thick plastic bag that you zip-tie shut and place in a lock-top black box.”

My uncle passed away July 20 this year. One week later, while going through his belongings with my family, I saw his urn on the countertop. It was made of plastic—faux pink marble. There was a sticker with his name above a photo of him smiling, his face illuminated. I looked inside the urn at his cremains with one of his brothers and we touched the tag that accompanies the body throughout the process.

“Everybody’s is different,” she said, smiling. “Some bones FEATURED FEATURED //// 19

are white like Destin Beach sand.

Some of them are darker. Some of them have bright, pretty turquoise in them. There’s coral. It’s really interesting.”

What to do with the cremains is left up to the deceased’s family.

Some are buried in cemetery plots or interred in vaults, some are kept in homes or divided among the surviving family members, others are scattered. (I once took part in a ceremony where cremains were loaded into cartridges and fired from guns; I could taste it in the air after shooting.) Before a family, or one’s final testament, dictates what will be done with cremains, Kennedy assists with everything in between.

“It’s pretty straightforward.

There’s not much preplanning in a cremation,” said Hart, who also offers families traditional funerary and burial services and who helps juggle business between Kennedy’s Midtown, Catoosa, and Broken Arrow locations.

“We go pick them up where they pass and we apply for a permit from the Oklahoma Medical Examiner Office. It takes 24 to 48 hours, and then we put them in the crematorium.”

The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has seen a steady rise of cremation permits passing from their Tulsa office. A spokesperson gave these permit numbers over the past few years: 6,415 in 2014, 6,742 in 2015, 7,248 in 2016, and 5,223 to date on September 14, 2017.

From 2004–2014, the National Funeral Directors Association reported a 26 percent increase in the cost of burials and viewings. The number of cremations surpassed burials for the first time in 2015.

The 2017 projection for cremation versus burial rate is 51.6 and 42.4 percent, and the 2030 projection is 71.1 and 23.2 percent. The NDFA figures the median cost of an adult funeral with viewing and burial was $7,181 in 2014, while the median price for a funeral with viewing and cremation was $6,078 the same year.

Most crematoriums are able to financially assist those in need.

The price of Kennedy’s cremations average around $3,000, though they’ll charge less for those who are unable to afford standard pricing. Around 85–90 percent of Hart’s customers now 20////FEATURED FEATURED 20

choose cremation over burial, and Kennedy handles 40–50 deaths a month.

“With younger generations there’s a lot of people like, ‘Just put me in a tin can, whatever you guys need,’ which I think is important … for the people that you leave behind, what they need and what they want,” Hart said.

Hart said funeral and cremation businesses can opt in or out of being on the City of Tulsa’s DOA rotation.

“Those are the homeless, the indigent, and the no family, unclaimed bodies. Every week it’s a different funeral home, if you decide you want to be involved in that, which we do. So, if that’s the situation, we pick them up and we apply through Tulsa County Social Services, if they passed in Tulsa … We try to put it in the paper, and once in a while someone will call, finding their loved one.”

Hundreds of unclaimed remains are stored at their Broken Arrow facility, sorted by year.

Sometimes it’s too difficult for a family to claim their loved one’s

remains right away, and Kennedy has no issue with storing them until the family is ready.

I asked Hart about the smoke and flames I see north of Interstate 244 some mornings on my commute.

“When they’re large, those flames are fat because it’s essentially like a grease fire … It’s like 10 feet high, people see it on [I-]244 and go, ‘Dear God, there’s a fire!’”

Someone at Kennedy usually calls the fire department before a burning, because Tulsa Fire Department receives calls about the smoke and flames.

“It’s just one person at a time,” Hart said, unprompted.

“Even still, I think people maybe have misconceptions that we’re just throwing piles of bodies in there, or whatever … Within the crematorium it doesn’t blow around. When you place a body in like that”—she gestured with her hand, mimicking rigor mortis—“and you open the door, the skeleton is lying exactly the way you put it in there, so it’s not just

a pile of ash like people think. To say there’s a little particle getting mixed in here and there, sure, I’m sure there is, but 99 percent of it is your loved one.”

I replaced the metal lid on the cremulator and wiped dust off my hands.

Our last stop was a light-pink, brightly lit embalming room that smelled like sickly sweet chemicals. A young black man was lying on a white embalming table with a sheet covering him waist-down.

Cabinets holding the embalming chemicals hung above a sink.

A mop bucket was in the corner, and brooms hung on the wall.

The floor was red, almost the shade of the lobby’s carpet. Two machines for draining fluids from bodies sat at the head of each table.

I looked at the young dead man, soon to be placed in the cremator. Part of him will remain here and part of him will rise above Tulsa—a thick black smoke that gradually grows grey, then white, then dissipates into the air. a

September 20 –September October 2017 3, // 2017 THE//TULSA VOICE 20 3, – October THE TULSA VOICE

SISTER, SISTER A nun and a “none” search for spiritual meaning in the hills of Hulbert

BY MARY NOBLE PHOTOS BY MARY NOBLE AND GREG BOLLINGER

“WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO AT A MONASTERY for five hours?” I asked my sister Theresa. She wanted to arrive hours before our appointment to speak with Father Bethel about monastic life at Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey.

“Pray?”

I rolled my eyes.

Our family has been visiting this Benedictine monastery in the Ozark Mountains near Hulbert, Oklahoma for 13 years, though I haven’t been back in about ten. Our trips to Clear Creek were my parents’ version of a family vacation and my version of hell—no cell phone service and THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017 THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

prayers all day. Our mom used to tell us that cloistered monks and nuns keep the world running with their prayers. I was never really sure what she meant.

I remember listening to the bells ring, calling the monks to prayer throughout the day, and listening to them chant in Latin. Attempting to quiet my mind and appreciate the serenity of Clear Creek was not something of which my teenage brain was capable. But I did enjoy the chanting.

Returning to Clear Creek felt different this time, like a getaway with my sister rather than a mandatory family outing.

FEATURED // 21 FEATURED // 21

Theresa is the oldest of the five children in our family and I am the youngest. Our dad used to call us his Tweety Birds because of our blonde hair and big blue eyes.

When Theresa was in high school she was an atheist punk rocker. She still loves punk rock, but is now a Catholic nun at The Daughters of St. Paul, an order in Boston.

Her interests include praying, reading, and scheduling her life down to the minute. I, on the other hand, am a social worker who loves listening to hip-hop and living in the moment.

“Did you ask the monks if we could stay the night at the guesthouse?” Theresa asked as we loaded our bags into my white hatchback.

“I figured we could play it by ear,” I responded, trying to sound casual. I averted my eyes and hoped she wouldn’t find out that we lacked concrete plans because I forgot to e-mail the monks. Theresa stopped what she was doing and scowled at me.

“I don’t play things by ear!” she said, aggressive for a nun.

Were I to meet my sister on the street, the chance we would become best friends is slim to none. But I adore Theresa for her unrelenting joy and wisdom—and because she puts up with me.

As we started out on the road, I did my best to dodge Theresa’s questions about our plans for the night. After I successfully derailed the conversation, we ended up having a deep conversation about the tendency we all have to make selfish choices.

“I’ve realized that most of us are selfish and we don’t want to love other people.

And if we do something kind, most of us do it only because it is in our best interest, including me,” Theresa said.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Sometimes it seems like a kind act is just another notch in someone’s personal growth belt. Or a ploy for affirmation or to get something in return.”

I started creating a mental laundry list of all my selfish flaws, wondering if my bright pink nails that I had done for a recent trip to Mexico were too silly and loud for a visit to a monastery.

We exited State Highway 82 and my tires kicked up dust as we began the second half of the drive on the gravel-covered West Monastery Road. An iron sign reading “Clear Creek Monastery” greeted us. We drove over a stone bridge that my sister told me the monks built by hand.

I gasped—I’d not seen the new monastery since childhood, when the monks lived in a log cabin. The building was larger than I had imagined. Massive beige walls towered against the clear blue sky and I spotted two large wooden doors leading to the upper church. While still unfinished, the monastery is open for daily Mass and prayer.

In the 1970s, a group of students converted to Catholicism and became interested in monastic life while studying the classics of Western Literature at the University of Kansas. Some of the men trav22 // FEATURED

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

eled to the Notre-Dame de Fontgombault Abbey in France to enter the monastery in the hopes of beginning one in the United States.

In 1999, one of the original students, Father Francis Bethel, moved to Oklahoma with a group of other monks to begin the new monastery. The small group of monks lived in a log cabin and a barn. Now, just eighteen years later, there are over fifty monks living in a massive, newly built monastery nestled in rural Cherokee County.

Our first stop was the bookstore, which was filled with books and handmade items like rosaries, icons, pottery, and soaps. Recently, our brother-in-law raved about eating an entire wheel of monk-made cheese in one day on a visit to Clear Creek. We inquired about the cheese but they were out. Then, a monk came from behind the counter and I recognized Father Bethel.

I remembered Father Bethel well. He was the only monk who greeted and spoke to the people visiting the monastery; the rest were cloistered. My mom always grinned ear to ear in his presence, giggling at the quirky, mischievous things he said. He had a humble, self-effacing way of speaking with you. In conversation, he was focused, but would disappear suddenly with little explanation as if he had reached his daily limit of social interaction. He didn’t seem to have aged one bit in the ten years since we’d last met. He wore the same beige robe and worn loafers that looked handmade.

Father Bethel led us back to a room where we chatted about the monastic life, vocations, and the solace many find in the serene and prayerful atmosphere of Clear Creek.

“It’s a place where you can reflect. It’s away from the world, all the noise, all the flashy lights, to really live before truth.

To read, reflect, talk to men naturally in a healthy environment, away from all the billboards and things that are pretty distracting and alluring. We get a lot of peo-

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

ple here that are not necessarily traditional Catholics,” Father Bethel said.

Theresa zoned in on what she told me she wanted to talk to him about—the Benedictine perspective on the virtue of humility. Theresa asked about the Rule of Saint Benedict, by which the monks live.

“What do you think is needed for a person to grow in humility?” she asked.

Father Bethel paused for a moment.

“Humility is truth and is based on knowledge, but it’s in the will, you have to want to be humble,” he said. “If you’re living in God’s presence you tend to forget about yourself.”

The monks at Clear Creek make their own clothing and shoes. They have a two-acre garden and an orchard with a vineyard (wine production is expected in the near future). Father Bethel estimated that the monks produce nearly half of their own food. They have cattle, sheep, chickens, and ducks, and manage all their own plumbing and electricity. Most of the costs of daily living are covered by all of the work the monks do during the day.

“We don’t have many [recreational] expenses such as bowling or watching television,” Father Bethel joked. But, he added that the monks rely on donations for the construction of the monastery.

We wandered to the lower level of the church to talk with an artist commissioned to make an oil painting for the monastery.

A large man was kneeling on a pillow, his face inches from a canvas—roughly seven feet by seven feet. He made tiny, calculated brush strokes. Theresa and I were blown away by the painting’s brilliance.

We later found out it was a reproduction of Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck’s “Ghent Altarpiece.” This version was very similar, but more vibrant with emerald green grass and shades of chestnut red.

He popped up to greet us.

“Hello!” he almost shouted. “I’m Gregory Wietrzychowski, the resident artist.”

Theresa and I barely introduced ourselves

before Gregory began to share his painting technique. He told us that he knew of only three people in the world who paint like he does. He dipped his miniscule paintbrush in a little metal pot of turpentine before applying it to soften the oil pastel.

A combination of inspiration and coincidence led him to Clear Creek earlier this year. The Milwaukee native discovered his love for painting when he was a bodybuilder working as a bouncer in a pub in England. After an apprenticeship with an artist, Gregory moved to Paris, where he painted on the streets for 10 years. There, he converted to Catholicism and began devoting his artistic talent to religious work.

Last November, he wrapped up a two-year pilgrimage in which he visited 150 Catholic shrines across the United States, mostly on foot. Part of the rules of his journey included not asking for money or rides, only accepting them when offered. He told us about the beautiful acts of kindness from strangers at moments when he needed them most on his journey.

“I had a feeling you two would still be here,” said Father Brown, who had been inquiring about accomodations for us. He told us the caretaker of the guesthouse might not be able to take us in because she was ill. We would have to check back with him after Vespers, the evening prayer.

We thank him for trying and walked upstairs to attend Vespers.

Theresa and I sat down in a pew as the monks filed in. They began to chant in Latin and wave of emotion rippled through me. I teared up.

My life in Tulsa is fast-paced, so much so that I rarely afford myself the time to sit and reflect in silence. The monks, I realized, do so multiple times a day, sometimes for hours at a time. I wondered what I’ve missed out on by being too busy to slow down, to notice.

After Vespers, Father Brown told us that we could stay the night, but we needed to take extra precaution because of the

caretaker’s health. We drove up a treelined gravel driveway toward a two-story house flanked by a large, fenced in vegetable garden. The caretaker, Kim, came out to meet us. She was wearing a long black skirt and a veil to cover her hair. She clasped her hands together and told us how happy she was to have us. She led us into the dining room where two places were set on a candlelit table and a CD of the monks chanting played in the background.

“I was feeling sick all day but I am feeling so much better now that you have arrived,” she said, sniffling.

Theresa and I look at each other, dumbfounded by her genuine kindness and grateful for her hospitality. Kim returned with two bowls of homemade vegetable soup, warm bread with butter, a bowl of grapes, a plate of crackers with monk-made asiago cheese, and a salad of vegetables from her garden.

“Is she an angel?” I whispered to my sister.

Theresa exploded into quiet laughter.

After dessert—homemade ice cream made with Clear Creek cows’ milk—Theresa and I went on a walk and marveled at the love and generosity we were shown by the monks and Kim. That evening, we attended night prayers, held in Latin. With Kim’s patient guidance, we stumbled our way through.

The following day, we woke up early to attend Low Mass and Morning Prayer at the abbey. Afterwards, I was excited.

“Ok, I am inspired and invigorated,” I told Theresa. “I’m going to put my phone away and be more present!”

“We’ll see how that goes,” she teased back.

When we turned out on the dusty gravel road heading back to Tulsa, the monastery hung in the rearview mirror. I imagined the monks silently going about their day, praying for peace.

Even if I don’t totally understand that, I’m glad I live in a world where it happens. a

FEATURED // 23

APOCALYPSE WITH A SIDE OF HOPE Reverend Joseph Morris believes we are living in the end times

BY DAMION SHADE

H

is followers call him Dr. Joe, or Uncle Joe, depending on how long they’ve known him. His name is Joseph Morris, and he’s the founder and creator of Joseph Morris Ministries and End of Days Update (EDU).

Though based in Tulsa, Morris preaches at churches around the globe and offers messages and videos online through the EDU website—a kind of internet newsletter for the thousands of people who follow it.

His message is straightforward: The world as we know it is coming to an end soon.

It’s heavy stuff, but as harbingers of doom go, Joseph Morris seems genial. His warm Louisiana accent and professorial manner are disarming when he speaks of destruction and rapture. Morris is a nice guy.

“After decades of getting to know people and watching their kids be born and get married and standing with them through tragedies and funerals you start to feel like more than just churchgoers,” he said. “I think that’s why some people started calling me Uncle Joe. I’ve been doing this a long time.”

If this gentle Southern grandfather who talks about blood moons and Armageddon sounds paradoxical, you’re right. He’s paired an apocalyptic vision with hope.

The son of a devout Christian mother and an atheist father, Morris felt called to evangelize at a young age, but he wasn’t happy about it.

24 // FEATURED

“When I was 13, God told me I was going to preach, and I was like ‘Well I don’t want to preach.’ I can remember it just as clear as a bell. Actually he told me to preach on the end times, and I said, ‘I don’t want to preach on end times!’ I just equated that with weirdness,” Morris said.

“Even going to Bible school I thought, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ There’s nobody cool that preaches. I was around so many weird preachers that I didn’t want to be a preacher, like some John the Baptist goofball. As a young guy, you just want things to be normal.”

The reverend’s life has been anything but ordinary. He studied at Rhema Bible Training College in Broken Arrow before beginning his ministry in Tulsa in 1986. Since then, he’s traveled to more than 30 countries and spoken at hundreds of churches.

His 2017 itinerary includes France, Germany, and Canada, as well as eighteen states across the U.S. When he preaches in Tulsa, it is often at his home church, World Outreach Church.

But wherever he travels, Morris unveils to audiences a complex tapestry of connections to and signs of the end.

“There’s about 50 main signs,” he said. “Jesus said the generation that sees Israel made [into] a nation—that generation would see the end. There’s kind of a lot of wiggle room in there, but I think the rapture will happen within ten or twenty years. That’s the one thing about scripture. In Isaiah, God said, ‘I’ll tell you how you can tell that I’m God. I’ll tell you what’s going to happen before it happens.’”

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

Squaring this vision of frightening tribulation for non-believers with the idea that Jesus loves everyone might seem tricky, but Morris doesn’t see it that way. He thinks the perilous future will bring out the best in humanity and lead millions of people to his faith.

JOSEPH MORRIS | COURTESY

Morris also sees the chaos of the modern 24-hour news cycle through the lens of biblical texts. For instance, recent North Korean ballistic missile tests and the Russian invasion of Crimea point to, he believes, confirmation of the Bible’s Ezekiel prophecy that a coalition of nations will go to war with Israel. Even the invention of new technology like smartphones and selfie sticks are signs of the coming apocalypse. (2 Timothy 3:1-2 reads, “But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves …”)

“There’s so many things happening,” he said. “You got Israel made a nation. Jerusalem won back. You got the Hebrew language restored. Ethiopian Jews brought back. You got the fertility of the land of Israel.

“The one I like is the revival of the Roman Empire, and these are things the Bible said you would see right before the coming of the Lord. I’m intrigued that they’re so blatant, yet it’s so quiet. I would have always thought people would be a little more excited about it.

“I mean you had blood red moons on Passover and Tabernacle on the exact year that Israel was made a nation and Jerusalem was won back. So you’ve even got signals in the heavens. It’s exactly what the scripture said it would be.”

Though Morris’s views may sound radical, he represents thread of American THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

Christianity that began to change near the end of the 19th century. A series of revivals started. Many theologians began believing that prophecies from ancient scripture were being fulfilled in the present day. The effect was immediate.

Apocalyptic preachers traveled the continent from New England to the breadbasket, and their congregations of farmers and converted city folks swelled into full-fledged movements. Among the Shakers, teenage girls collapsed to the ground and sang spontaneously about angels. A sect called Millerites was known for fits of ecstasy on church floors. There were fire and brimstone tent revivals with hundreds of thousands of people culminating in something called the Pentecostal movement. Even a little Scottish Girl named Margaret became a minor celebrity after having visions of the second coming of Christ and speaking in tongues. Nothing quite like this has happened in America before or since.

New schools of Christian thought were born in unlikely places like Oak Park, Illinois, and the famous Azusa Street in Southern California. Pastors like John Nelson Darby popularized a concept known as the rapture. It’s the idea that led to the popular Left Behind book and film franchise that made Christian kids in the 80’s and 90’s freak out whenever they lost track of their moms at the supermarket. Evan-

gelicals still recall fears of coming home to find only a pile of clothes where their parents stood before being “raptured.”

Though Morris descends from some of these ideas, he believes that even the most frightening Biblical passages can be viewed from a positive perspective.

“What’s wonderful about the dire predictions is that it ends up being that the world’s never coming to an end. Jesus is just coming back and going to stop war.

So the world will be here forever. I believe there’s a great future for our grandkids.”

To Morris, the Bible is more than an ancient book of teachings and aphorisms.

It’s also a literal guide for the years to come. The stories of the testaments aren’t parables, but examples of God’s ability to bend the laws of space and time to help his people. He believes that these miraculous things have happened before and they will happen again.

“The hope is the rapture of the church,” he said. “What happens is the church is taken off of the Earth and God kind of hands off to the Jews for seven years. ‘The blessed hope’ is the rapture. I know that sounds like the craziest thing on the planet, but Enoch was raptured. Elijah was raptured. The scripture talks about the church being raptured.”

The seven years Morris referenced refer to a period of distress and anguish supposed to occur after the rapture—seven

years wherein everyone who is left behind will be tested.

Squaring this vision of frightening tribulation for non-believers with the idea that Jesus loves everyone might seem tricky, but Morris doesn’t see it that way.

He thinks the perilous future will bring out the best in humanity and lead millions of people to his faith.

“We were in Canada a few years ago and a 96 year-old man got saved. I gave the call for salvation and he raised his hand. We prayed with him. I left for the next day for the airport, and that pastor called me and said that man went home to be with the Lord that night. He cut it close.

That’s kind of the mentality people have.

They think ‘Well I’ll do it sometime.’ That seven year period is just to put pressure on people to make a decision.”

In his 25 years of ministry, Joseph Morris has grappled with some difficult questions. What is redemption? Is the world doomed? What is the nature of God? Nothing is more personal than those questions, and the answers to them that one reaches.

The image of God he describes is complex, turbulent, and powerful, yet somehow still grounded in love.

“I really lean on looking at Jesus and his humility and his kindness. I always go back to that. Being in the ministry, you find out that the whole thought pattern of Jesus is kindness and unselfishness and mercy.” a FEATURED // 25

A BORN AND RAISED TULSAN, Seth Andrews was a Christian radio host at 94.1 KXOJ Christian radio station from 1990– 2000. Then he became an atheist.

Now, Andrews hosts The Thinking Atheist podcast, which has been downloaded over 40 million times since its beginning in 2010. Topics include everything from godless Millenials to ex-Muslims and secular addiction recovery programs to Christian homeschool textbooks. According to Andrews, the purpose of his show and site (thethinkingatheist.com) is to promote rational thinking and the rejection of faith.

LIZ BLOOD: Your website says, “Atheism describes what we don’t believe. Humanism describes what we do.”

SETH ANDREWS: Atheism is only the lack of a belief in god. Ultimately, I’m a humanist. I believe that human beings must care for each other. We must make each other better. We must meet each other’s needs because we only have each other. While I am a proud atheist, I’m even more proud of the idea of goodness without the idea of gods. Of charity, love, compassion, and joy—and bettering the human condition for its own sake.

BLOOD: In your podcast, you occasionally mention divisions in the atheist movement. What are you talking about?

SACRED COWS A CONVERSATION WITH THE THINKING ATHEIST P O D C A S T H O S T, S E T H A N D R E W S

BY LIZ BLOOD

26 // FEATURED

ANDREWS: If you Google atheist, you might stumble upon any number of different activists, video producers, podcast hosts, bloggers, and speakers. There is a wildly diverse group of people who call themselves atheists. Some are firebrands. Some are diplomatic. Some are quite toxic, and some are absolutely beautiful people. The atheist movement is like almost every other culture. You’ll find wonderful Christians and you’ll find terrible Christians. You’ll find wonderful Democrats and you’ll find terrible Democrats.

BLOOD: What misconceptions about atheists do you often hear?

ANDREWS: Many people who are afraid of atheists or who speak out against atheists, quite often, know very few atheists, or none at all. They might not even be aware that their co-workers, neighbors, family members are quietly non-believers.

One misconception is that they’re all angry people. Sometimes anger is just fine because we see injustice and we are unfairly represented. There’s a misconception that atheists have no morals. If you look at the World Peace Index statistics, you’ll see that many of the most peaceful nations on earth are the most secular nations. There is a myth that atheists have no purpose or joy. Atheists have plenty of joy and hap-

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

piness in their lives and their purpose is self-generated.

One of the most tragic misconceptions is that atheists can find no meaning in this life because they believe it’s only temporary. If there is no heaven, why bother?

This is nonsensical. The temporary nature of this life makes every moment even more critical, precious, and important.

BLOOD: Do you hang out with people who aren’t atheists?

ANDREWS: My family is almost entirely devoutly Christian. Most of my friends believe in God. I am married to a person who believes in God. While I have a tremendous amount of friends and associates in the atheist movement, locally, most of my friends and family and associates are believers.

There can be very serious consequences for announcing that you’re an atheist.

It has certainly impacted my own relationship with my mother and father. They are beautiful people. They are heartbroken because they believe that their son is going to hell.

I also have religious friends who can disagree with me and I can disagree with them and we laugh about it over coffee.

Humans don’t have to agree with each other, even on critical issues, to establish and cultivate friendships, to love and support each other.

This is one of the reasons that I do the work that I do. I know how difficult it is for non-believers who feel a tremendous sense of familial and cultural pressure to blend in. Many of these people are terrified that they will lose their relationships.

Some worry about [getting fired] from their jobs. They often operate in the shadows, in silence. But these people exist and their numbers are growing.

I just finished a speaking tour of the South and met many people divorced by their spouses because they simply couldn’t get past their disagreement on the god question. I get e-mails from people who are going through custody battles over their children because a religious ex doesn’t trust an atheist to properly raise children. I get phone calls from people who have been kicked out of their homes by their mothers and fathers, or their parents have threatened to take away their college funding if they pursue criticisms of religion.

On a more extreme level I get messages from Islamic theocracies where there are underground atheists who, if they were to go public, would be arrested and likely executed for being an atheist. Atheism is a crime punishable by death in, I think, at least 11 countries, all Islamic.

BLOOD: The word atheism is interesting. It sort of describes a negative. Vegetarians don’t eat meat but they’re not called— ANDREWS: Ameatists. (Laughs)

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

SETH ANDREWS | COURTESY

Religion has had a monopoly on the conversation for thousands of years … selling truth with a capital T since recorded history. Atheism is simply a response.

[It] is, I think, a healthy term to use. It’s a counter. It’s people like me, and many others, holding up our hands saying No, we’re not going to take your word for it. We think you are promoting some unsubstantiated and often very damaging ideas. It’s unfair to teach it to children. It’s unfair to try to make it the law of the land. It’s historically, scientifically, and morally wrong and we as atheists stand against it.

BLOOD: You recently went to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. What was that like?

ANDREWS: (Laughs) Ken Ham is a Christian apologist from Australia who lives in the United States.

He has set up two major monuments to young-Earth creationism, selling the idea that Earth is 6,000 years old, that humans walked the earth with dinosaurs, that man’s sin in the garden created all of today’s problems, that we all deserve torment in hell, and that Jesus is the only salvation.

The Ark Encounter is a life-size imagining of what the ark of Genesis might have looked like. I was astounded at the sheer volume of anti-science, anti-history, anti-reason, anti-morality exhibits he had on display. It’s obviously targeted to children. There are many dinosaurs in cages.

He has put together an attraction that

sells a nonsensical idea that the ark— which took him over $100 million and state of the art construction equipment to build—was built in real life 4,000 years ago by a 500 year-old man using only trees and tar. It may be the most expensive joke in Kentucky’s state history.

The tragedy is [it’s] selling the story that it’s a broken world, that it’s our fault, that we all deserve hell, and parents are dragging their young, impressionable children through it. Ken Ham has embraced a mythological story penned by anonymous primitives from a time when … we had almost no understanding of our world and universe, yet Ken Ham is drawing from this book as a pinnacle of wisdom for the ages—selling it as Truth to the tune of $40 a ticket.

BLOOD: A friend of mine thinks it is impossible in the foreseeable future for the United States to have a proclaimed atheist president. What do you think?

ANDREWS: Honestly, I think we’ve already had an atheist president somewhere. They were just politically wise enough not to say so in public because that, of course, would be political suicide. Look at the statistics for how many non-religious people exist in the United States and then look at the 500+ seats in Congress. Statistically, it is implausible to think that all of those professed Christians or people of other faiths are all believers. My hope is that as we normalize atheism, as we counter the false claims made about atheists, as

we demonstrate goodness for for humans’ sake, as we continue to see the rejection of magical and mythical thinking—we will create a cultural climate where our elected officials can and will come forward and say that they are atheists, they are humanists, they are rationalists. I think that that day is not far off.

At the end of the day I always tell everyone that if God shows up tomorrow—the proof for Jesus or another deity manifests itself tomorrow, I would want to know that. Wherever the evidence leads, whatever the truth is—that’s what I want to pursue in my life.

BLOOD: A religious response to that might be it’s sinful to ask God to prove himself, or that faith is not just about what you see.

ANDREWS: The Bible tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. [It is] is designed to sound profound while making absolutely no sense. It tells us that we have substance of hope and evidence for something that we do not have evidence for. I reject the idea that a benevolent and worthy god would chastise or condemn us for asking him to prove himself. We live on a planet where there have been thousands of gods posited as the one true god. The onus and burden is upon any true god to prove himself to us and until that day comes, we have every right to withhold belief, to remain critical and skeptical, and to move on to better ideas. a

FEATURED // 27

aroundtown

A guide to responsible sinning in Tulsa

by M.W. VERNON

Downtown Tulsa | GREG BOLLINGER

F

irst, a confession: Churchgoing wasn’t really a thing in my family. My mom grew up mid-century modern Catholic on the East Coast, my dad was raised very Southern Baptist in Mississippi, and neither of them insisted I or my brother go to church. When we did go it was usually to a Methodist church, about every third Christmas. Easter 1996. All nice, polite, meaningless experiences.

Almost everything I know about the Bible I learned through cultural osmosis and context clues.

I didn’t actually read the Bible until college. It was required reading for a class on American literature, which relies heavily on biblical references for its shorthand. There’s a lot of poetry in language of the King James version. A lot went over my head.

I didn’t realize how many desires my neighbors had to constantly tamp down. Some nutritionists say low magnesium levels make you yearn for chocolate. You can get magnesium from chard and flax, but that’s like buying a book because you need the paper. It doesn’t tickle your brain’s pleasure centers. Indulging in

28 // ARTS & CULTURE

chocolate brings a whirl of fat and sugar—and dopamine, which motivates our most primal instincts.

Eat the chocolate. Like so many things, it’s good for you in moderation if consumed responsibly. Trust your gut.

If it’s been awhile since you gave in to a froward whim, here are some entry points back on the road to hell:

GLUTTONY First, ask yourself

some questions. Is it a weekday?

Is it lunchtime? Am I prone to unhealthy or compulsive eating habits? I hope you answered yes, yes, no (respectively) and are already on your way to Mazzio’s Italian Eatery on 11th and Elgin. Other all-you-can-eat buffets: Bangkok Restaurant (33rd St. and Harvard Ave.) for Thai, India Palace (71st St. and Lewis Ave.) or Himalayas (51st St. and Memorial Ave.) for Indian food, or Las Americas (3rd St. and Zunis Ave.) for Mexican.

Pace yourself.

If you’re serious about excess but are on a budget, drive 30 minutes west on Highway 412 and pull over at the Red Barn, aka Western Market. Inside you’ll find delightful sundries, assorted kitsch,

taxidermied miscellany, and—best of all—wholesale boxes of chocolate candy bars. I recently bought 36 Butterfingers for just $1.99.

They were technically expired. I ate them all. And I’d do it again.

PRIDE Pride is the sin of sins.

It’s what transformed Lucifer into Satan and inspired Eve to taste the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This is all about responsible indulgence, though, so I’m only going to suggest you take a selfie session at a farmers’ market.

Try the Cherry Street Farmers Market on Saturday mornings and Brookside’s (in the Whole Foods parking lot) on Wednesday mornings, both from April to October.

GREED Some gamble for the

money, others do it for the rush.

Either way, Hard Rock Casino, River Spirit Casino, and Osage Casino all have low-stakes slot machines and table games. At Fair Meadows race track in Expo Square, you can bet on spare change on horse races all summer long. And any QuikTrip will sell you enough lottery tickets to keep your materialistic soul entertained.

LUST Get thee to one of the

classier strip clubs in town, like Lady Godiva at 18th Street and Sheridan Avenue. It’s only technically sin, I think, if admiration turns into perverse desire. It’s a slippery slope. Very slippery, nicely rounded slopes.

WRATH Spend an afternoon expelling pent-up rage at US Shooting Academy (6500 E. 66th St. N.), or 2A Shooting Center (4616 E. Admiral Pl). Rentals are available for the gunless.

SLOTH This one requires more planning than you might guess.

The night before indulging, switch off all of your alarms and charge your phone. This way, when you wake up at noon you’ll be prepared for all of the nothing. Use the Mr. Delivery app to summon food from your favorite restaurant directly to your doorstep. Then spend the day binge-watching Netflix, Soundpony webisodes (or, all of Dark Matter Visuals’ videos, for that matter), and playing on your phone.

ENVY Ride your bike through Maple Ridge. a

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

community

¡CELEBREMOS!

Dancers at the 2016 Festival Americas | COURTESY

Festival Americas is back for its fourth year This is especially important given that this year’s festival comes just after the announced rollback of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Asked about DACA, Rojas was optimistic.

“The hope is that Congress will come together to pass some sort of permanent solution and give the young people who only know the U.S.—or Tulsa—a chance to realize their full potential,” he said.

He pointed out that there are nearly seven thousand individuals in Oklahoma who would be negatively affected if DACA remains scuttled and that another ten thousand young people could potentially qualify for DACA status in coming years if the original guidelines are not overturned.

“DACA recipients contribute to our economy—seventeen and a half million dollars per year in state and local taxes,” Rojas said. “Oklahoma would lose a lot of money if DACA is rescinded.”

Festival Americas occurs during Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins each year on September 15, the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile, and Belize also celebrate their independence during this period.

“In local industry and schools,” Rojas said, “there’s a great number of people from the Americas. So the festival represents a piece of their culture, of having some way to honor their heritage on that day.” a

TULS

RODRIGO ROJAS is excited about the forthcoming Festival Americas (Sept. 22–23).

Two aspects of the festival—which he founded four years ago and which expands from one to two days this year—especially animate him: acquiring a performance

by La Santa Cecilia, the Grammy-winning band from Los Angeles, and providing college scholarships to local high school students.

La Santa Cecilia is a Mexican-American band that plays a blend of genres including cumbia, bossa nova, and boleros.

The group won their Grammy for Best Latin Rock Album in 2014.

The festival also raises money for college scholarships that are awarded to high school students based on academic achievement, community service, and a submitted essay. Out of thirty applicants this year, two will be awarded a $2500 scholarship at a special ceremony during the festival.

“Our ambition,” Rojas said, “is to celebrate the culture and also to inspire the next generation of leaders of this growing community.”

Other highlights will include a vendor market with art and crafts for purchase, an interactive “kid zone,” Salsa dance lessons, a tequila garden, and a variety of food flavors from across the Americas.

There will also be an array of what Rojas described as “community vendors.”

Among these will be voter registration booths, The Coalition for the American Dream, Tulsa Community College Hispanic Student Association, the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Domestic Violence Intervention Services, and others.

“We want to provide an inclusive environment that welcomes everybody on that day,” Rojas said.

A PE RFOR MING ARTS CENT ER

by MICHAEL WRIGHT

September 5-28

Marjorie Atwood PAC Art Gallery

September 13-24

I Am My Own Wife Tulsa Project Theatre September 22

Chris Botti 35 Concerts

Sept. 22- Oct. 1

American Idiot Theatre Tulsa

Sept. 26- Oct. 1

The Bodyguard: The Musical Celebrity Attractions Oct. 4

GET TICKETS

Dean DeMerritt & Co. PAC Trust Brown Bag It Oct. 6

TULSAPAC.COM How I Became A Pirate MYTICKETOFFICE.COM Tulsa PAC Trust 918.596.7111 Oct. 15 Danish String Quartet Chamber Music Tulsa

FESTIVAL AMERICAS Friday, September 22, 6–9 p.m. and Saturday, September 23, 2–10 p.m.

Guthrie Green 111 E. M.B. Brady St.

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

ARTS & CULTURE // 29

nighttrip

Star party like you mean it OBSERVING THE COSMOS WITH ASTRONOMY CLUB OF TULSA

by BRADY WHISENHUNT

O

n a little hill somewhere southwest of Mounds, Oklahoma, a rusty, abandoned cell tower looms above the treeline. The tower once belonged to AT&T, but there are rumors it originally belonged to the U.S. government and can withstand a nuclear attack. The Astronomy Club of Tulsa (ACT) throws their monthly public observing night, aka star party, just a stone’s throw from its silent, witchy presence.

Roughly 100 yards from the old tower is the ACT Observatory, a large permanent structure that houses ACT’s main telescope—a 14” RCX 400 Richey-Chrétien (the same design as the Hubble Space Telescope). On the night I attended, a club member carefully searched the nooks and crannies of the observatory with a small flashlight.

“What are you looking for, Sheldon?” asked Richard Brady, Tulsa Astronomy Club’s president.

“My flashlight.”

“Well I’m assuming it’s not the flashlight that’s in your hand,” Brady deadpanned.

Sheldon wasn’t looking for just any flashlight, but a stargazing flashlight. The red light on such a device doesn’t disturb the human

30 // ARTS & CULTURE

eye as it acclimates to darkness. To best observe the night skies, you need to tune your eyes to black.

It takes the eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to darkness, and a key element of star party etiquette is keeping any white lights turned off after dark.

Roughly twenty-two miles outside of Tulsa, the stillness compliments the profundity of the event.

ACT holds regular events for observing the night sky and sharing ideas about astronomy. But club members aren’t only interested in planets, stars, nebulae, and deep cosmic features. They also appreciate the beauty of the total sky.

To lay outside ACT’s observatory on a blanket at night and gaze up is to get lost in a tapestry of stars, to become mesmerized by a display that has captivated human imagination for millennia.

At a star party—because ACT members bring their own telescopes and allow newbies to look into them—you can witness in real time the unfolding drama of the cosmos.

One member, Shannon, aimed his Schmidt-Cassegrain scope at Saturn. Through it you could see Saturn and her rings flanked by moons, which appeared in the

scope as several tiny but clear speckles. The image was brilliant and dynamic—wholly unlike the flat textbook photos to which we’re accustomed.

Another member, Bill, brought his 6” Newtonian scope out to do some astrophotography. Astrophotography, as he explained to the folks who dropped by to watch him work, is all about alignment. The rotation of the earth means that even a small exposure time could be compromised if the scope isn’t locked onto its target throughout the duration of the shoot. It’s a painstaking buildup, with the payoff being a tasty photo capture.

“Do you know what the Hercules keystone is?” asked Michael, proud owner of a killer 14” Dobsonian reflector scope.

We shrugged.

Michael pulled a laser pointer out of his pocket. Using its bright green beam—which, no joke, shoots all the way into outer space—Michael pointed out, star by star, the small formation that makes up the keystone-shaped, trapezoidal feature in the Hercules constellation.

“Ohhh,” we said.

Next, we peered into Michael’s

scope, focused on the M13 cluster located in Hercules. The cluster is a dense spider web of white dots, and all three of us newbies were impressed by both the image and the badass laser pointer.

Strolling through the star party, one gets a feeling that though the night sky may not exist so we can view her, she rewards those who witness her manifest grandeur.

In the sense that reverence of something grand and beautiful demands stewardship, the members of the ACT keep the fire burning for those in Tulsa drawn to observe. This year, ACT celebrates its 80th anniversary of observation.

The Astronomy Club of Tulsa holds two star parties each month, a public version and one for members. They also host a monthly Sidewalk Astronomy night at Bass Pro Shops in Broken Arrow, and a general meeting for members at the Jenks High School Planetarium.

The next public star party will be held October 14. The suggested donation is per person is $2. Star parties may be canceled due to clouds, so check ACT’s website, astrotulsa.com, before heading out. a

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

inthestudio

September 29 • 7-9 p.m. • FREE Gilcrease After Hours: Beer Garden Redux Celebrate the arrival of fall with live music from Paul Benjaman Band, food trucks, and samples of your favorite craft beers and wines. $10 wristband lets you try various samples throughout the evening. Credit cards accepted but cash will expedite your purchase. Feel free to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Sponsored by Williams.

Anita Fields | ADAM MURPHY

Objects of gratitude TULSA ARTIST FELLOW ANITA FIELDS HONORS HER OSAGE HERITAGE • BY JULIE NIEMI WHEN I WALKED IN TO ANITA FIELDS’ sunny studio—a sparse, open room overlooking a vine-covered wall—she was sunk deep into a plush, beige chair in the corner. Eye glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She was weaving together four delicate strips of bright, colored ribbons using a technique called Osage Ribbon Work. On that day, she was making a traditional shawl for her daughter’s wedding.

As a 2017 Tulsa Artist Fellow, Fields is continuing her work of over forty years in traditional folk art materials like clay and textile. Her interest in these draws primarily from her upbringing in Hominy, where she was deeply rooted in her Osage Nation heritage.

In working with clay, Fields believes that it—like the land—has memory. Her attraction to the material is strengthened through that shared relationship. She spoke of Osage history—how the land doesn’t forget the Tribe’s forced exile from Kansas to Indian Territory, and the wealth they quickly built in the hilly, rocky, oil-rich land of northern Oklahoma.

“The response from clay is often so immediate. Its malleability and visual response have always kept me intrigued,” she said. “I am able to take it from the earth and make something that is on my mind, instantly, and have a connection to where I came from.”

Most recently, Fields has recently been creating traditional Osage wedding coats

and ceremonial dance wear, marking her interest in domestic motifs that honor Osage women.

“The dresses, and in this case, the Osage wedding coat, illustrate my interest in the strength of women and how native peoples show remarkable resourcefulness and adaptability toward their environment,” she said.

Her current work-in-progress, a traditional Osage wedding coat, reflects her people’s complicated history. Currently, the coat exists in prototype form only. Its interior depicts a map illustrating the tension Fields feels in relation to her heritage and the disruption that drilling for oil caused to northern Oklahoma land.

The exterior of the coat is still being determined, but Fields has sketches depicting how she hopes it will come together: Osage ribbon work will create a red collar against a blue background, forming a pattern similar to a Civil War-era military coat.

In January, her wedding coat will debut at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman, where it will be displayed alongside works by members of Fields’ family.

Fields sees all of her work as a symbol of gratitude to those who are near and dear to her today and those in the past.

“This coat,” she said, “is a gift of graciousness and gratitude: to my family and to my ancestors. Of where we came from, and where we are now.” a

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

TU is an EEO/AA Institution.

GILCREASE.ORG Tulsa Symphony presents…

BEETHOVEN AND BRAHMS OCTOBER 6, 2017 • 7:00 pm TSO’s concertmaster Rossitza Jekova-Goza and pianist, Lyndon Meyer will perform Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 9, the“Kreutzer.” They will be joined by principal cellist, Kari Caldwell to perform Brahms’ Piano Trio in B major.

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 // 31

sportsreport

Big time bowl UNION-JENKS FOOTBALL MATCHUP WAS A MAJOR SPECTACLE • BY JOHN TRANCHINA Union beat Jenks 59-40 in the Backyard Bowl at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Sept. 7 | MICHAEL VORE

I

f there was any doubt about how big of a deal high school football is in Oklahoma—and in the Tulsa area specifically—I offer as Exhibit A the Jenks-Union game played on September 7.

The annual game is so large it has its own sponsor and logo.

Officially, it was the 14th Annual MidFirst Bank Backyard Bowl, played at the University of Tulsa’s H.A. Chapman Stadium. The match was 100 percent fitting of a college game atmosphere.

It was a clear, beautiful night, 78 degrees at kickoff with a mild breeze, the smell of roasting chestnuts hanging in the air— perfect football conditions.

The game was televised on Cox Cable TV, just two weeks after Union’s season opener at Broken Arrow (and their 26-15 victory) was nationally broadcast on ESPN. This night, there was a loud, boisterous crowd of 11,917 (a low number for the game, most likely due to it being played on a Thursday night instead of the usual Friday). Both schools’ marching bands offered elaborate productions before the game and during halftime. Explosive offensive skill was on display all night long. It was a spectacle.

In the end, despite trailing 33-28 at halftime, defending Class 6AI state champion Union

32 // ARTS & CULTURE

rallied in the second half to defeat Jenks 59-40, as junior Peyton Thompson put on an impressive demonstration by completing 22 of 27 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns.

Thompson was aided by senior receivers A.K. Wilson (12 receptions for 171 yards and one touchdown) and C.J. Moore (four catches for 163 yards and three TDs). Moore is committed to Oklahoma State University next year.

For Jenks, in what might be legendary Coach Allan Trimble’s last season as he continues to battle ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), junior quarterback Ian Corwin passed for 332 yards while also scoring two touchdowns rushing.

These two teams have combined to win the last 21 state championships in Oklahoma’s largest classification (13 for Jenks, all under Trimble’s leadership, and eight for Union) and continually feed players to major college programs across the country, including the University of Oklahoma and OSU. Union looks like the best team in the state, while Jenks is off to an uncharacteristically slow start at 0-3, after disappointing losses to Owasso (with former TU Head Coach Bill Blankenship now at the helm) and threetime defending Class 6AII state champion Bixby.

And yes, the Union student section was definitely directing chants of “oh-and-three” towards the Jenks sideline late in the fourth quarter, particularly after the Redskins’ Nathanael Raper returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown with 3:32 remaining to put the game out of reach.

This game, which has been played at TU since 2009, seems to bring out the best in these two storied programs, no matter what kind of season they were having.

This year was no exception.

“I don’t really understand how it continues to happen that way, but there’s a lot of pride with these two teams, a lot of pride with those kids with the way they play,” said Union Coach Kirk Fridrich, who has presided over five Union state titles since taking over in 2007. “They want to play for their school, and hats off to both teams, they continue to do this over and over.”

Thompson, in his first year as Union’s starting quarterback, embraced the moment in this special setting.

“It’s an unbelievable atmosphere, there’s nothing like it in high school football anywhere,” he said. “I’ve been going to this game my whole life, and to be able to play in it is just an unbelievable experience. We know what kind of team we have,

we’re built for games like that.

I’m glad that we got tested and came out on top.”

Thompson’s outstanding performance through the first three games (almost 800 yards passing, eight touchdowns and just one interception), and the impressive chemistry he’s developed with Moore and Wilson, largely contributed to the Redskins’ early-season success.

“Peyton obviously is playing very well these first three games, and I’m real proud of what he’s been able to do,” Fridrich said.

“I’ve been working with them all year and I love those guys,” Thompson said of Moore and Wilson. “You can’t ask for much better receivers than them. And just the team coming together as one. We all love each other, we’re a brotherhood, we all got each other’s back. It’s a great atmosphere at Union.”

That’s the attitude the Redskins hope propels them to yet another state championship game, in December, which will likely be played in the same stadium.

“That’s what we love about this game, it feels like a championship setting,” Fridrich said. “Win or lose, or whatever might happen, we feel like it prepares us for an opportunity when we get to a championship game later on.” a

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

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

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 20 – October 3, 2017

ARTS & CULTURE // 33

thehaps

BEST OF THE REST EVENTS An Evening with Tom Perotta 9/20, Sharp Chapel, booksmarttulsa.com

DOCUMENTARY

LaDonna Harris: Indian 101 —a documentary on how Harris’s work has changed the perception of contemporary native peoples—will screen at TU’s Lorton Performance Center, followed by a discussion with Harris.

Sept. 20, 7 p.m., woodyguthriecenter.org

MUSIC

The third Higher Plains Jazz and Hip Hop Festival will feature performances by Raekwon the Chef, Shaun Martin of Snarky Puppy, Jabee, Steph Simon, Henna Roso, Annie Ellicott, and more. Sept. 22–23. $27–$45, The Vanguard, thevanguardtulsa.com

ART SALE

Find local artwork, artistic and industrial material, books, and other odds and ends from Living Arts, Philbrook, Tulsa Artist Fellows, Magic City Books, and more at the Brady Arts District Yard Sale. Sept. 24, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Living Arts, livingarts.org

FAIR

Rides, fair food, 4H exhibits, rodeos, Disney On Ice, sights, sounds, and smells, plus performances by In This Moment, Bret Michaels, Jimmy Buffet tribute Bluffet, and more are all at the Tulsa State Fair.

Sept. 28–Oct. 8

CAT VIDEOS!

See the best online felines offline at the Internet Cat Video Festival on the lawn at Philbrook Museum of Art. Sept. 29, 6 p.m., $8, philbrook.org (see pg. 45)

DRINKS & MUSIC

Celebrate the arrival of fall with craft beer and wine samples and music from Paul Benjaman Band at Gilcrease After Hours: Beer Garden Redux.

Sept. 29, 7–9 p.m., gilcrease.org

BEER

Sample beers from over 70 breweries, and soak it up with food from MeNellie’s, El Guapo’s, and Fassler Hall at McNellie’s Harvest Beer Festival. Sept. 30, $45, McNellie’s Downtown, facebook.com/McNelliesHBF

CAMPING

BaseCamp is the one weekend each year when camping is allowed on Turkey Mountain. This year features live music from Erin O’Dowd, Steve Liddell, The Whiskey Misters, and OKC’s Judith. Sept. 30– Oct. 1, $10–$300, riverparks.org/basecamp 34 // ARTS & CULTURE

Medicine Stone This music fest features four stages and performances by Randy Rogers Band, Shinyribs, JD McPherson, Lucero, American Aquarium, and more. // 9/21, Diamondhead Resort, medicinestone.com Brookside Block Party at the Ballet Tulsa Ballet is throwing a Block Party with live music, craft beer, food trucks, and more, all just before a performance of Creations in Studio K. // 9/21, Tulsa Ballet, tulsaballet.org Movie in the Park: Prefontaine 9/21, Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com Board Gaming with Shuffles Shuffles: Board Game Cafe is hosting three upcoming gaming events where you can choose from more than 100 games to play. // 9/21, The Boxyard, Fassler Hall, Chimera Cafe, facebook.com/ShufflesTulsa Release The Pumpkin The time has come for pumpkin everything. // 9/22, Antoinette Baking Co, antoinettebakingco.com Film on the Lawn: Moonrise Kingdom 9/22, Philbrook Museum of Art, philbrook.org Best of Ok So… Ok So Story Slam brings back some of the best stories from the last four years. // 9/22, IDL Ballroom, facebook.com/oksotulsa Chalk It Up! An Art Festival A celebration of impermanence, artists compete, creating artworks with chalk on 10’x10’ sections of Main Street, B.A. // 9/22, The Rose District, facebook.com/ ChalkItUpAnArtFestival Hullabaloo Carnivale A big top couldn’t contain this crazy, adults-only circus. See acrobats, trapese artists, burlesque, fifty shades of sideshow, and some freaky clowns. // 9/23, The Fur Shop, facebook.com/TheFurShopTulsa

Haunted Castle Halloween Festival// Fridays and Saturdays, head to The Castle for 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). // 9/29, The Castle of Muskogee, okcastle.com

PERFORMING ARTS Green Day’s American Idiot// Fed up suburban youths struggle to find their place in a superficial society in the rock opera based on the pop-punk band’s Grammy-winning album. // 9/22, John H. Williams Theatre, Tulsa PAC, tulsapac.com The Bad Seed Through a series of events, Christine begins to believe her daughter, the seemingly perfect Rhoda, may in fact be a serial killer. // 9/22, Muskogee Little Theatre, muskogeelittletheatre.com/ Grease Clark Youth Theatre performs the original high school musical, starring Rydell High’s class of 1959. // 9/22, Clark Youth Theatre, facebook.com/ events/1490362911051868/ Family Portraits// Signature Symphony performs Peter Boyer’s New Beginnings, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto, and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations with featured pianist Horacio Gutierrez. // 9/23, VanTrease PACE, signaturesymphony.org The Bodyguard Deborah Cox stars as the superstar singer who falls in love with her bodyguard.

9/26–10/1, $24–$59, Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa PAC, tulsapac.com

COMEDY Drew Thomas, Rick D’Elia 9/20, Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com/ Charlie Wiener, Matt Holt // 9/27, Loony Bin, loonybincomedy.com/

SPORTS TU Women’s Soccer vs University of Houston 9/21, Hurricance Stadium, tulsahurricane.com

Woofstock 9/23, Riverwalk Crossing, animalallianceok.org Tulsa FMAC: Music Activating Activism!

Hosted by the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture, a panel will discuss how music can spread ideas and create awareness of important issues. // 9/25, Woody Guthrie Center, tulsafmac.com

TU Volleyball vs University of Houston 9/22, Reynolds Center, tulsahurricane.com

Why Stuff Matters: How Our Homes Reflect Our Lives// Sociologist Michelle Janning talks about her new book The Stuff of Family Life. // 9/27, Retro Den, booksmarttulsa.com

ORU Volleyball vs Fort Wayne 9/22, ORU Aerobics Center, oruathletics.com

Beyond the Headlines: A Conversation About Immigration National Immigration Forum Executive Director Ali Noorani will discuss the role of culture in the immigration debate. // 9/28, TU’s Tyrrell Hall, facebook.com/OKcenterforthehumanities Andrea Pitzer: One Long Night// Acclaimed author and journalist Andrea Pitzer will discuss her new book One Long Night. // 9/28, Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, booksmarttulsa.com Movie in the Park: Dreamgirls 9/28, Guthrie Green, guthriegreen.com Kiefer Medieval Faire 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. // 9/29, Kiefer Municipal Park, facebook.com/KieferMedievalFaire Illinois River Jam// The lineup for this Okie Music fest features Parker Millsap, Travis Linville, Samantha Crain, Ramsay Midwood, Kyle Reid, and more. // 9/29, Peyton’s Place, illinoisriverjam.com

ORU Women’s Soccer vs UTRGV 9/22, Case Soccer Complex, oruathletics.com

Roughnecks FC vs LA Galaxy II 9/23, ONEOK Field, roughnecksfc.com TU Men’s Soccer vs SMU 9/24, Hurricance Stadium, tulsahurricane.com TU Volleyball vs Tulane 9/24, Reynolds Center, tulsahurricane.com ORU Volleyball vs Western Illinois 9/24, ORU Aerobics Center, oruathletics.com TU Women’s Soccer vs SMU 9/24, Hurricance Stadium, tulsahurricane.com ORU Women’s Soccer vs Western Illinois 9/29, Case Soccer Complex, oruathletics.com Roughnecks FC vs San Antonio FC 9/30, ONEOK Field, roughnecksfc.com OKC Thunder Preseason Game Russ, Paul George, and the gang take on our old pal James Harden and the Houston Rockets. // 10/3, BOK Center, nba.com/thunder ORU Men’s Soccer vs Missouri State 10/3, Case Soccer Complex, oruathletics.com

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER

CLARK YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS:

PRESENTS

t he w oody gu t hr ie ce n t e r p r e s e n t s

On Display Sept. 1 - Jan. 7 Curated by the GRAMMY Museum®At L.A. Live

On Display On Display Sept. 1Jan. 7

Sept. 1 - Jan. 7

Curated by the by the GRAMMY Museum®At L.A. Live Curated GRAMMY Museum® At L.A. Live

102 EAST M.B. BRADY STREET WOODYGUTHRIECENTER.ORG

Henthorne Performing Arts Center 4825 S. Quaker Ave., Tulsa Sept. 21 - 23; 28 - 30, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 24 & Oct. 1, 2017 at 2 p.m.

Find ticket information at www.clarkyouththeatre.com.

102 East M.B. Brady Street, Tulsa, OK 74103 102 East M.B. Brady Street, Tulsa, OK 74103

Open Late.

Every Friday.

The weekend starts here. #philbrookfridays THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

ARTS & CULTURE // 35

musicnotes

ROGUE ELEMENT From jazz experiments to rock and roll heroics with Wilco, Nels Cline shreds

by JOHN LANGDON

Nels Cline | NATHAN WEST

A

s a teenager, Nels Cline idolized Leon Russell.

“I just wanted to be him, you know?” the guitarist told me over the phone from his home in Brooklyn. “I wanted to look as cool as him, I wanted to have his, like, insane kind of musicianship and leadership ability.”

Besides spending the last 13 years with Wilco—who will play at Brady Theater on September 24— Cline’s career extends back to the late ‘70s, mostly in what he calls “instrumental music of a rather vague genre” (think: free jazz).

His inspired playing ranges from sublime melodies to textured electronic noise. In 2016, he released a double-album, Lovers, an homage and update to instrumental mood music of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Over the next year, Cline’s plans include touring Europe playing Lovers with local orchestras, writing music for “The Call”—a secular mass commissioned by the State of Minnesota, and recording projects with drummer Scott Amendola, harpist Zeena Parkins, guitarist Julian Lage, his wife Yuka Honda, and his bands Eyebone, The Nels Cline Singers, and The 36 // MUSIC

Nels Cline Quartet. Insane musicianship and leadership ability achieved.

In short, bear witness to yet another master of space and time.

JOHN LANGDON: I’ll try not to talk about guitars the entire time but I have to start with one question: do you have a favorite guitar?

NELS CLINE: My favorite electric guitar is the [Fender] Jazzmaster that I play with Wilco primarily that I bought from Mike Watt [of Minutemen] in 1995. And my favorite acoustic guitar is a little Martin 00-17 from 1952 that I’ve had since maybe ‘77 or so.

LANGDON: Who were some of your early musical heroes, the people that you heard and made you go, ‘I want to do that’?

CLINE: The reason I play guitar is specifically Jimi Hendrix, having heard “Manic Depression” back when that Are you Experienced? album had just been released. I was really into Duane Allman and,

I think back on it now, there were certain people that had a melodic style that I tried to emulate. I actually got a lot of melodic information from—besides Duane and Dickie [Betts]—Peter Frampton, when he was playing with Humble Pie. But then I heard John Coltrane, and I started getting interested in what we call jazz or improvised music … but I was also into classical guitar guys like Julian Bream, who was a big hero and played some really interesting repertoire. His records, 20th Century Guitar and 70’s, were really important. Fred Frith was a huge inspiration as well. Not just the Henry Cow music that I listened to in high school but then his solo, guitars-on-tables experiments, and all kinds of other things that he would do.

Anyway, so I was listening to music like that and trying to figure out what the heck to do with the electric guitar, and I sort of gravitated towards playing more acoustic guitar in the 80’s. I felt more sure of myself on the acoustic guitar in those days.

LANGDON: You’re known for having an impressive arsenal of electronics and effects, gadgets and things.

How did you find your way back to the electric guitar?

CLINE: I don’t know exactly. I think that what really helped was that I finally started my own group [The Nels Cline Trio]—and that was really late in the game.

I was playing in groups with my twin brother Alex, my whole life, various types of ensembles and not really ever thinking about tone, production, pedals, or any of that kind of stuff. I was just thinking about notes.

It all started because my friend [saxophonist and composer] Vinny Golia left an Echoplex in my room and that led to—I guess just sort of a weird kind of acumen with being able to imagine what an effects pedal can do and how to get sounds that I think one would normally associate with the recording studio.

I just think that it’s all about imagination, and the more I started doing some kind of manipulated sounds, the happier I was with playing electric gui-

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

tar. (Laughs) But it was all kind of accidental. I think that I can imagine certain kinds of sounds and filter my imagination through these boxes. It’s coherent I suppose, but it’s definitely not strenuous. (Laughs) It’s still natural for me and I don’t know why that is but it just is. When I did my duo record Room with Julian Lage, which has no effects whatsoever, people would say like, “Wow, I didn’t know you played acoustic.”

I’m like, “Wait a sec…”

effortless makes it sound like we’re just sitting on our hands—but it is something that has a kind of automatic quality. We just go for it. It’s been true since the first gig that I played with Wilco. And stylistically, I just try to do what the music wants me to do.

LANGDON: “Ashes of American Flags” featured Cain’s Ballroom as the setting for the beginning of the film. What was it about Cain’s that put it up there with Nash-

ville’s Ryman Auditorium, Tipitina’s in New Orleans, and the other venues in that movie?

CLINE: I mean, you just walk into that place—just the look of the floor, the idea of how many drinks were spilled in the wood, and how many people danced and sweat and bled on that floor. The whole feeling of the room with those portraits, you just feel this legendary energy. It’s just one of those places. You don’t have to love

country music to feel it. You just see these giant portraits and you just kind of feel what the space is like. I was just really happy to play there and I look forward to coming to Tulsa anyway. It’s just always been a good experience. a

VISIT THETULSAVOICE.COM FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW AND AN ACCOMPANYING PLAYLIST.

LANGDON: You joined Wilco in 2004. How did that happen?

How’d you get roped in?

CLINE: (Laughs) Well I had met Jeff [Tweedy] when I was playing in 1996 on tour with a group called the Geraldine Fibbers and the Fibbers opened up for a couple weeks for Golden Smog [with whom Tweedy played at the time].

[Fibbers founder] Carla Bozulich opened for Wilco in 2003, and I was playing with her … and that’s when, basically, I was thrown into Wilco world.

I think it was [Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche]—after Leroy Bach decided to depart—he suggested to Jeff that maybe I’d be somebody he could call. I don’t know what Jeff was thinking. I don’t know if he just kind of wanted some sort of rogue element, or (laughs) I don’t know what he was looking for. And to be honest, I kind of needed rescuing at that point. Even though I was playing a lot, I was really struggling.

Jeff called Carla first because he knew that if I did the Wilco gig that it would have an effect on my ability to play a lot with her. But she knew what I knew, which was that I should give it a shot.

LANGDON: You come from the jazz world and have done some avant-garde work. Though Wilco is experimental, it has roots in folk and pop. Is finding a balance between those worlds something you think about?

CLINE: No … I feel really relaxed playing with Wilco and I think it’s because they’re all very relaxed and everybody plays with pure commitment. It’s not effortless because we’re not phoning it in— THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

MUSIC // 37

musicnotes

Meet Sweet Ultra STUNNING SOUNDSCAPES AND VISCERAL LYRICISM • BY CHANCE SIRIBANDAN Josh Cox, Blue Snider, Canon Edmondson, and Matt Oliver | GREG BOLLINGER

L

ocal indie rock band Sweet Ultra drops a fulllength album this month, and they want you to come party with them.

The four person band is composed of Blue Snider (vocals), Josh Cox (guitar), Canon Edmondson (drums), and Matt Oliver (bass). Their music runs the gamut from heavy Nirvana-like songs to Pink Floydian ethereal psychedelia. Their single—“Worlds Collide”—is a rockabilly tune that conjures cool Westerns and Tarantino.

Many of the songs—brought to life by Snider’s powerful tenor—feel heartfelt and personal, if not outright autobiographical.

One speaks of the narrator’s complicated relationship with his brother. The occasionally angsty lyrics belie a theme of choosing love over anger and harmony over hatred—a topical note in divided times. “Worlds will collide,” sings Snider, “no hate no pride.”

Though their lyrics wax philosophical and some of the songs remind one of dreamy Sixties psychedelia (think Traffic or Ultimate Spinach), the band also cuts some angular, incisive tracks that would put Queens of the Stone Age to 38 // MUSIC

shame. On “Now,” Cox crafts riffs that fuse the exoticism of Josh Homme with the minimalism of Larkin Poe. Even Ultra’s more distended tracks entrance and beguile, serving as a nice contrast to their slicker Brit-pop-esque songs.

In particular, fans complement Snider’s voice. As frontman of the band (though not necessarily its leader), he also likes to make audiences laugh.

“I make a few jokes sometimes,” Snider said. “—I’ll say we’re an ICP cover band, or I’ll be like, ‘You guys like ICP?’ or ‘Our next song is an ICP cover.’”

When Oliver, Cox, Edmondson, and Snider first started playing together, the band formed quickly. It wasn’t long before the group started composing songs.

The individual members came together through a circuitous route. Edmondson was partly inspired to take up music when he met Cox in middle school.

Edmondson was also influenced by his older brother.

“My brother was a musician when he was seventeen. He was playing all over ... I’d always watch him. I ended up asking for a drum set from my parents, and they didn’t really like that idea, ‘cause I

kind of gave up on most instruments that I played. “ “[Drums] are the instrument I feel I was meant to play,” Edmondson said. “When I was a kid, my brother was two years older than me, and he excelled at every instrument. Everything he touched, he would just be automatically good at. And drums was one of the things he didn’t play, and I just fell in love with them.

It’s the funnest instrument to play, hands down.”

Because his brother was so talented, Edmondson felt that he almost lived in his brother’s shadow when they were growing up. Times have changed, though.

Now, Edmondson’s older brother asks Edmondson to play with him, and has showered his younger brother’s music with praise.

“My brother has nothing but good things to say about me now.

It’s weird. I remember being that kid that was watching my brother play, and now my brother wants me to play with him. It’s just weird to be in that position.”

Cox, who was the sole songwriter in his previous band, said he now enjoys collaborating with other musicians on composition, and experimenting with odd

chords to create unique soundscapes.

While Ultra’s music is a hybrid of many genres, Oliver labels it “indie rock.”

“By the way, I thought ‘indie music’ was Indiana Jones music,” said Cox. “This music belongs in a museum!” Oliver said.

Oliver—a true Renaissance man—mixed, mastered, and produced the album, in addition to creating the band’s website. “[Matt]’s our Donatello,” Snider said.

The band is excited for their new full-length release show on September 30, which will double as a release show for local band Carlton Hesston, who will also perform. Marie Curie will open and Molten Sun Projections will provide a psychedelic light show.

There’s talk of a surprise at the end of the show—so, stick around. a

SWEET ULTRA ALBUM RELEASE WITH CARLTON HESSTON AND MARIE CURIE $10 | Saturday, Sept. 30 | 10 p.m.

For location and to RSVP, visit facebook.com/ultrasweetultra

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

MUSIC // 39

musiclistings Wed // Sept 20 Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Comedy Night Mercury Lounge – *Jared Tyler & Seth Lee Jones River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Chris Blevins, Wink Burcham Soul City – Don & Steve White The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project The Venue Shrine – Bash, Dox, Harnish – ($5)

Thurs // Sept 21 Cain’s Ballroom – *Lettuce, Maddy O’Neal – ($20-$22) Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Allison Arms Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – George Brothers, Thomas Martinez Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – Cole Swindell – ($39-$59) Josey Records – Vukari, Disparity Gospel Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Caleb Fellenstein, Jake Flint Sisserou’s – The Stephanie Oliver Trio Soul City – The Begonias Soundpony – *Keeng Cut as Flavio Cutatore The Colony – Jacob Tovar’s Thirst The Hunt Club – Ego Culture The Vanguard – Sun Seeker, Manta Rays, Greater Than Planes – ($8-$10) The Venue Shrine – *The Travelin’ McCourys, Grazzhopper – (15-$20)

Fri // Sept 22 American Legion Post 308 – Regal Country Blackbird On Pearl – Brandon Jenkins – ($5) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Airlines Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa PAC – Chris Botti – ($35.50-$55.50) Dusty Dog Pub – Barry Seal Fassler Hall – DJ Kylie Fuel 66 – Roots of Thought George’s Pub – Hughes Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Brent Giddens Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – 80’z Enuf, Replay Mercury Lounge – A Giant Dog River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Hi-Fidelics, Randy Brumley River Spirit Casino - LandShark Pool Bar – Patrick Stuart River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – The Morgan Band Soul City – Mark Gibson Band – ($10) Soundpony – DJ Why Not The Beehive Lounge – Carlton Hesston, Acid Queen, Sloppy Joe Fiasco The Colony – Dustin Pittsley Band The Hunt Club – Ben Neikirk Band The Run – Deuces Wild Band The Vanguard – *Higher Plains Jazz and Hip Hop Festival w/ Shaun Martin of Snarky Puppy, RC & The Gritz (Erykah Badu’s band), Branjae, Henna Roso, Annie Ellicott – ($15-$150) Utopia Bar & Lounge – DJ MO

Sat // Sept 23 Cain’s Ballroom – *Reverend Horton Heat, Fishbone, Strung Out, Los Kung Fu Monkeys – ($22-$37) 40 // MUSIC

Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – *Sloppy Joe Fiasco, Wes Barnett, Zoey Horner Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Bobby D Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Jesse Joice, Another Alibi Mercury Lounge – The Hooten Hallers River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriotts, Zodiac River Spirit Casino - LandShark Pool Bar – Zac Wentzel River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove – Joan Jett and The Blackhearts – ($45-$55) River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – Brent Giddens Duo Soul City – Don White – ($10) The Hunt Club – November The Ride Brookside – Dan Martin The Vanguard – *Higher Plains Jazz and Hip Hop Festival w/ Raekwon, Jabee, Steph Simon, We Make Shapes, Oilhouse, Mike Dee and Stone Trio, Lessons in Fresh – ($20-$150) The Venue Shrine – Hedpe – ($15-$18) Yeti – *The Fabulous Minx, The Mules, The Girls Room, John Paul Ratliff

Sun // Sept 24 Brady Theater – *Wilco, Creamer – ($39.50-$45) East Village Bohemian Pizza – Mike Cameron Collective Guthrie Green – *Black Joe Lewis, Ninet Tayeb, Lightnin’ Malcolm River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Chris Foster, Ali Harter Soul City – Bruner & Eicher The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Night Thing The Hunt Club – Spence, Kick Tree

Mon // Sept 25 Cain’s Ballroom – Two Door Cinema Club, Circa Waves – ($29-$45) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Dave Les Smith and Friends Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriott’s, Jacob Tovar Soundpony – Patient Zeros The Colony – Seth Lee Jones Band The Fur Shop – Open Mic The Vanguard – Greg Koch – ($10) Yeti – The Situation

Tues // Sept 26 Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Travis Kidd Band Mercury Lounge – Wink Burcham, Jacob Tovar River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Scott Music, Dos Capos, Brent Giddens Soul City – Dustin Pittsley The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night w/ Dan Martin The Vanguard – Cold Shoulder, Lockjaw, Trust Issues, Purity, Ruse, Teller – ($7-$10) Tin Dog Saloon – Jake Flint Yeti – Writers’ Night

Wed // Sept 27 Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Comedy Night Enerje Event Centre – Stars Go Dim Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Miracle Max, Traveler Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – Boz Scaggs – ($35$45) Mercury Lounge – Jared Tyler & Seth Lee Jones River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Chris Blevins, Wink Burcham Soul City – Don & Steve White The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project The Vanguard – Artifas, The Zealots, Stanley’s Revenge, Lucid Awakening – ($7-$10)

Thurs // Sept 28 Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Runnin’ On Empty Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Chris Hyde, Motordog Mercury Lounge – Paul Benjaman River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Caleb Fellenstein, Jake Flint River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove – Jennifer Nettles – ($65-$75) Soul City – Grazz Duo The Colony – The Soup Kitchen w/ Dane Arnold The Hunt Club – Erin O’Dowd and Chloe Johns Tulsa Botanic Garden – Erin O’Dowd – ($4-$8)

Fri // Sept 29 American Legion Post 308 – American Strings Billy and Rennee’s – Left Straight Down, Follow The Buzzards Cain’s Ballroom – LANY, Dagny – (SOLD OUT) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – John Paul Ratliff Dusty Dog Pub – James Groves Blues Machine Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – For the Wolf, Had Enough, The Decomposed Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Phil Baught Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Ellison, Mayday

By Midnight Mercury Lounge – Ben Miller Band River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Brent Giddens, Randy Brumley River Spirit Casino - LandShark Pool Bar – John Conrad, Mike Wilson River Spirit Casino - Paradise Cove – *Chris Isaak – ($35-$45) River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – The 5th Element Soul City – Monica Taylor and her Red Dirt Ramblers – ($10) Soundpony – *Steph Simon & DJ Wallie Mayne The Colony – The Grits, The Earslips – ($5) The Hunt Club – RPM The Vanguard – The News Can Wait, Postparty, Sylvia Wrath, Breakfast – ($7-$10) Unit D – Bruiser Queen Utopia Bar & Lounge – DJ MO Yeti – Stinky Gringos, Feenix, Zero2panic, Heavy Jones

Sat // Sept 30

Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – George Brothers Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – The Hi-Fidelics, FM Live Mercury Lounge – Cody West, Radio Birds River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – FuZed, The Marriots River Spirit Casino - LandShark Pool Bar – Caleb Fellenstein Duo River Spirit Casino - Volcano Stage – The Duo Soul City – *Tulsa Blues Society Solo-Duo Competition – ($10) Soundpony – DJ Sweet Baby Jaysus The Colony – Annie Oakley w/ Dan Martin The Hunt Club – BC and the Big Rig The Shop – *Carlton Hesston, Sweet Ultra Album Release Show w/ Marie Curie – ($10) The Vanguard – My So Called Band – ($10) The Venue Shrine – King Nip & J Friday – ($10$15) Yeti – The Shidiots, Terror Vision, Shoog Night

Sun // Oct 1 Cain’s Ballroom – *Gary Clark Jr., Jackie Venson – ($40-$55) East Village Bohemian Pizza – Mike Cameron Collective Guthrie Green – Indigenous, Joan Soriano, Tulsa Touch River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Chris Foster, Ali Harter Soul City – Bruner & Eicher Soundpony – The Palmer Squares The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Night Thing The Vanguard – Ursa Major – ($7-$10)

Mon // Oct 2 Cain’s Ballroom – Yellow Claw, Riot Ten, DOLF – ($20-$35) Centennial Lounge at VFW Post 577 – Dave Les Smith and Friends Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective Mercury Lounge – Chris Blevins River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Marriott’s, Jacob Tovar Soundpony – Martin Savage Gang, Shady and The Vamp The Colony – Seth Lee Jones Band The Fur Shop – Open Mic The Vanguard – UnityTX, Castaway, Lights of Alora – ($7-$10) Yeti – The Situation

Tues // Oct 3 Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Scott Music, Dos Capos, Brent Giddens Soul City – Dustin Pittsley The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night w/ Dan Martin Yeti – Writers’ Night

Cain’s Ballroom – Gary Clark Jr, Jackie Venson – (SOLD OUT) Guthrie Green – Tulsa’s Soul Festival w/ The SOS Band, Raheem DaVaughn, Charlie Redd and the Full Flava Kings, Written Quincey, Jerica, Tulsa Street Dance September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

TELL US WHAT YOU’RE DOING So we can tell everyone else Send all your event and music listings to voices@langdonpublishing.com

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MUSIC // 41

filmphiles

BONFIRE OF THE INSANITY ‘mother!’ gaslights audience and protagonist alike

by JOE O’SHANSKY

Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence in “mother!” | COURTESY

T

o some degree or another, Darren Aronofsky has been making influential, lauded horror movies for decades.

In “Pi,” a mathematician cracks reality and finds that his body doesn’t agree. Two drug addicts in love avoid reality, discovering their own—to horrific effect— in “Requiem for a Dream.” In “The Fountain” a talented doctor repeatedly loses the love of his life, and his sense of sanity, across millennia. An aging wrestler (“The Wrestler”) fights obsolescence and decrepitude. And an ambitious dancer is transmogrified by her vanity (“Black Swan”). All are

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42 // FILM & TV

facets of fear, human failure, and ignominious death.

And to some degree or another, they are spiritual. That became more obvious with Aronosfsky’s last feature, “Noah,” itself something of a horror film (God’s wrath can be pretty horrific) though written on the scale of an epic fantasy.

The film, as it sounds, was a telling of the Biblical flood story, though maybe not the way you remember it. Murder, war, seeds from Eden that grow into water spouts. Giant rock-golems called Watchers who help build the ark and defend Noah and his people from the line of Cain. It didn’t color inside the lines—which was too much for many of the truly devout. I found it fresh and fascinating.

I’d say the same for his latest, “mother!” On the surface, it’s a Giallo-inspired horror film that serves as a frame for its spiritual allegory about man’s vanity, false idols, murderous nature, the destruction of the environment, and hubris.

Him (Javier Bardem) is a world-famous poet with writer’s block, while Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) has been single-handedly rebuilding the house after a fire destroyed it. The May-October couple seem more partners than lovers.

Man (Ed Harris) and Woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) are travelers, who heard they could get a room at the house. When he learns that Man is dying, Him graciously allows them to stay as long as they want—much to Mother’s disconcertion.

The new houseguests are presumptuous and nosy. Then, their two sons arrive (Domhnall and Brian Gleeson) and promptly get into a fight about Man’s last will and testament. The fight leads to the arrival of even more presumptuous houseguests who indulge in increasingly bad behavior—incurring Mother’s wrath.

I didn’t get it, at first. The sense of allegory was tangible, but just out of reach. Him’s complete disregard for his wife was maddening. The actions of the characters around them were equally confounding. Yes, there was the obvious vanity of Him—who loves being adored—the adulation of Man, and the ire of Mother who built the place. And then they who wrecked it without regard for her hospitality.

Any of that starting to sound familiar?

Much like his reworking of Biblical history in “Noah,” Aronofsky blends Old Testament morality and myth with his

environmentalist beliefs to indict human nature, and frames it in a psychological horror film whose unfailing tension slowly builds to a catastrophic crescendo of divine retribution.

It’s a brutal, haunting work of art, the clear vision of a singular cinematic voice. Nothing about “mother!” winds up being what it seems or what you expect—even when the fog begins to clear.

That is to say: This film isn’t for everyone. Not even close.

The main actors turn in fine performances. Pfeiffer has not lost her creepy, intense edge. The mounting tension and anxiety are accentuated by lack of a score.

You will be squirming in your seat. Shot on Super 16mm—then blown up to 35mm—the film looks lovely, textural, and befitting of a ‘70s horror movie.

“Mother!” has divided audiences and critics. You could argue that it is a narcissistic exercise from a filmmaker who is only clinically interested in the ecclesiastical subtext driving his stories. But where “Noah” was at least aspirational, “mother!” is an accusation. I wasn’t sure what to think when the lights went up. And that’s what’s exciting about it, the most daring studio release from a master filmmaker that you will see this year. a

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

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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) Invoking the Bundle [detail], 2016 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60 in.

Loan courtesy of the artist THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

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

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo FILM & TV // 43

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

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Maggie Gyllenhaal in “The Deuce” | PAUL SCHIRALDI, HBO

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Around the world in 80 lays HBO’S LATEST, ‘THE DEUCE,’ GETS DOWN AND DIRTY

by JOE O’SHANSKY

Tulsa Cattle Baron’s Ball Friday, September 29, 2017, 7:00 - 11:00 PM RIVER WEST FESTIVAL PARK • TULSA LIVE ENTERTAINMENT food from top local restaurants western-themed activities silent and live auctions! presented by

FOr Tables and Tickets: TulsaCattleBaronsBall.org 44 // FILM & TV

THE OLD JOKE ABOUT 42ND STREET AND Times Square in New York is that it was called 42nd because that’s about as long as you should ever hang out there.

In 1971, Times Square wasn’t the Disneyfied, neatly scrubbed monument to consumer excess that it is today. Then, lined with porno theaters, sex shops, platoons of prostitutes, and all manner of vice and inequity, 42nd Street was a poster child of New York’s sleazy charms. Full of pimps, hustlers, junkies, and thieves, its degenerate populism drew rich and poor alike. It’s where Sinatra got the notion that if you could make it there, you could make it anywhere.

And, like Baltimore, it’s an ideal place and time for veteran television-writer and crime reporter, David Simon (“The Wire”) to spin a web of complex, layered stories like a cultural anthropologist of lawlessness.

As with his previous work, Simon (with frequent collaborator George Pelecanos) starts “The Deuce” (HBO) at the periphery with a cast of disparate characters whose circumstances, stations, and proximity draw them into closer and closer orbits, sometimes to explosive effect.

Vince (James Franco) is a bar owner who is on the hook for debts owed by his gambling addict, twin-brother, Frank (also

played by Franco). Desperate to pay off the money, but also to make something of himself as a bar owner, Vince goes into business with a Gambino soldier, Rudy Pipilo (Michael Rispoli).

C.C. (Gary Carr) is a seemingly affable pimp who picks up Lori (Emili Meade), his new, main girl, fresh off the bus from Minnesota, and promises her the moon— which he’ll deliver on, though C.C. is far more ruthless than he seems.

Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a freeagent prostitute and single mom who, tired of pimps trying to bring her into a stable, finds herself at ground zero of the burgeoning hard-core porn industry.

They are the tip of an ensemble cast whose qualities bring to life an era in ways that no amount of period production design could.

“The Deuce” is everything you would expect from its pedigree. Simon and Pelecanos write with a documentarian’s eye for the real life details of the time and characters, all of whom you believe could have existed. It’s essentially “The Wire,” trading out the drugs for sex, with omniscient, explicit observations of the cops, the criminals, and the casualties—a Dantean purgatory where a Travis Bickle might wish for a rain to come and wash all the trash away. a

September 20 – October 3, 2017 // THE TULSA VOICE

INTERNET CAT VIDEO FESTIVAL $8 | Fri., Sept. 29 | 6-8 p.m.

Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Rd. Tickets at philbrook.org

A BRIEF RUNDOWN OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE CIRCLE CINEMA OPENING SEPTEMBER 22 BRAD’S STATUS A father takes his son to tour colleges on the East Coast and meets up with an old friend who makes him feel inferior about his life choices. Starring Ben Stiller. Rated R

OPENING SEPTEMBER 29 MANHATTAN SHORTS 2017 100,000 film lovers in 250 cities around the world will view and vote on the finalists in the 20th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival.

“Be there, or else.” | COURTESY

No need to press paws INTERNET CAT VIDEO FESTIVAL VISITS TULSA FOR THE FIRST TIME • BY ZACK REEVES

O

n September 29, people will gather on a lawn to watch cat videos.

It won’t be some circle of stoners searching for epic cat fails on YouTube. It will be the Internet Cat Video Festival, a national competition and feline film festival celebrating the felis catus of the World Wide Web, held this time on the Philbrook grounds.

“If you hate cats, it’s probably not your thing,” said Scott Stulen, president and director of the Philbrook Museum of Art and founder of the festival. “Then again, even the people who are cynical about it, it’s amazing how quickly they’re turned. It’s hard to be, well, grumpy about it.”

In 2012, he began the festival at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. From an expected turnout of 50 people to an actual turnout of more than 10,000, the festival has taken on a life of its own.

Since its debut, it’s traveled to over 250 cities and 12 different countries.

Will Braden, winner of the 2012 People’s Choice Award, will co-host the event with Stulen. Braden’s 2012 entry, “Henri, le Chat Noir,” features a black-and-white

domestic cat who broods about the torture of his life over a bitter piano line.

“I have no opposable thumbs,” Henri laments. “And yet I oppose everything.”

While the festival will contain hundreds of videos taken by cell phones, Stulen said one of his favorite things about the festival is the lack of people recording it.

“When you go to any concert, most of the crowd has their phone up, recording the thing, so they can post it on social media.”

The beauty of the Internet Cat Video Festival? All the cats are already on the internet.

“No one has their phone out.

It’s a lot of people being in the moment. It brings people together.”

For Stulen, who took over leadership of the Philbrook last August, it represents what he thinks the museum should be: “more like a town square than an archive of art.”

Eight dollars will get you a ticket to the show, which will run just over an hour long. Beer, wine, and food will be available for purchase.

“We’re expecting to sell out of tickets,” Stulen said, “so get yours early.” a

THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

JEEPERS CREEPERS 3 After a bumpy road to the theater, the first series installment since 2003 hits the big screen. “3” appears to take place between the events of the Jeepers Creepers. Rated R TE ATA “Te Ata” is the inspiring true story of Chickasaw actress Mary Thompson Fisher, born in Indian Territory, who crossed cultural barriers and performed for audiences around the world.

Rated PG SUPER DARK TIMES A gruesome accident and its ensuing coverup drives a wedge between two teenage friends and propels them down a rabbit hole of escalating paranoia and violence. Not rated

SPECIAL EVENTS YERMA (NT Live) Billie Piper stars as a young woman driven to the unthinkable by her desperate desire to have a child. Theatre Tulsa’s Nick Cains will host pre-show trivia and a champagne toast. (Thursday, Sept. 21, 6 p.m.)

ROOTED IN PEACE For International Peace Day, the Circle will screen this documentary, which challenges viewers to proactively seek ways to find peace and features interviews with Pete Seeger, Deepak Chopra,

Desmond Tutu, David Lynch, and more. There will be an introduction

by Rev. Chris Moore of Fellowship Congregational and a postscreening discussion. (Thursday, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.)

UNREST Harvard Ph.D. student Jennifer Brea chronicles her challenges with ME, commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome. Tickets are free via unrestintulsa.eventbrite.com.

There will be a post-screening Q&A. (Saturday, Sept. 23, 7 p.m.)

THE WARRIORS An evening celebrating the cult 1979 action thriller, with a Warriors-inspired art show and a special appearance by “Warchief of the Orphans,” Apache Ramos. (Saturday, Sept.

23, 8 p.m.)

THE LAST DALAI LAMA? This film is a portrait of the 14th Dalai Lama, featuring interviews with his family and the people he has inspired since his exile from Tibet in 1959.

There will be an intro and postfilm discussion led by Rev. Dr. Rick Belous of the Unity Center of Tulsa.

(Monday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PRAYER MEETING REJOICE Country music greats Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, The Isaacs, and more share stories and songs in a onenight-only celebration of the Gospel.

(Wednesday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.)

I, CLAUDE MONET Award-winning director Phil Grabsky takes a look at one of the world’s greatest artists through his own words, using letters and other private writings.

(Wednesday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.)

SUSPIRIA For its 40th anniversary, Dario Argento’s horror film—set in a sinister and supernatural ballet academy—receives a 4K restoration. (Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30, 10 p.m.)

FILM & TV // 45

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Tune into Tulsa’s eclectic, uniquely programmed, local music loving, commercial free, genre hopping, award winning, truly alternative music station. @RSURadio | WWW.RSURADIO.COM 46 // ETC.

September 20 – October 3, 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

SASHA is an eight yearold retriever mix that was transported to the Tulsa SPCA from Houston in order to make room in the Texas shelters for the dogs affected by Hurricane Harvey. Sasha is a big cuddler and loves belly scratches.

When it comes to playtime, she loves plush toys and playing in her pool. Sasha would be a wonderful companion for people of all ages.

ACROSS 1 Pays for before a sellout 5 Uncontrollable muscle twitch 10 One of the former U.S. presidents 14 Powerful cards in Vegas 18 Where Sun Valley is 20 A Christopher Columbus ship 21 Part of a church building 22 Computer input 23 Occasionally 25 Questions from reporters and students 27 Stadium beverages with heads 28 Pie nut 30 Tierra ___ Fuego 31 Taxi operators 34 Broom made of twigs 35 Like a lamb’s coat and some clouds 38 Fourth in the year 39 Vigorous enthusiasm, to Mr. Fancy Pants 41 Exuberant, celebratory cry 43 Potter’s product 45 It can result in an “Oops!” cry 46 Like anything from way, way back 47 Breakout among teenagers?

49 Something an agent should earn 50 Like a neat sum?

51 ___ up (make an admission) 53 Gain the goodwill of 56 Title sitcom role for Polly Holliday 57 Mrs. Garrett portrayer on TV 58 Be a loose-lipped boyfriend 60 City on the Aire in England 62 Wild Asian donkey relatives 64 Do more than admire

SIERRA is a three year-old, domestic long hair tabby cat who came to the Tulsa SPCA from Houston to free up shelter space in Texas for the cats affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Sierra has been on quite a long trip and needs a lot of TLC. The perfect home for Sierra would be quiet and comfortable. Sierra does not like being held, but enjoys gentle petting.

65 Practices, as a trade 66 Words that kill deals 67 Moo ___ pork (Chinese restaurant dish) 69 Was the director of 70 Change in Rome no more 71 Turn from book into movie 72 Rectangular area for fencing bouts 74 Compared 77 It could be 90 degrees 78 Entertain in a lavish way 81 551 in Roman numerals 82 Two things vacations are for, informally 83 Citizen of a certain landlocked republic in Africa 85 Standing in the Army?

86 “___ guilty as you are” 87 Noted Chinese chairman 88 Shirts or skins, e.g.

89 “Bang!” relative 90 Uses scissors 91 Hardly a neat person 93 Handed a speeding ticket to 96 Actress Faris 98 What paramedics sometimes try to find 99 Garments for grade school art projects 101 Charlotte ___ (dessert type) 103 Bopped relative 105 Digit below an ankle 106 Headed for the Hall of Fame 107 Take no more blackjack hits 108 Sensible things to put together 112 Activities that involve very little work 117 Like carved wood

118 Aggressive and impolite look 119 One of the Muses 120 It’s a knockout 121 Follow commands completely 122 Urgings and such 123 Keep getting Money 124 A tremendous amount of centuries DOWN 1 Cotton machine 2 Old name for Tokyo 3 Marble to shoot with 4 How poor builders construct things 5 A long way from crowded 6 Some farm critters 7 A Santa in California 8 Grad student’s payment 9 Lion features 10 ___ mama (rum drink) 11 Happen ___ (come across) 12 Dallas-to-San Antonio dir.

13 One way to rush 14 Mystifies 15 Reaction from a scarecrow sighting 16 Ordinal number suffix 17 Utter 19 Al Bundy actor 24 Barely-getting-by grade 26 Miss named?

29 Creature that allegedly jumped over the moon 31 Longtime Cuban leader 32 Old Rome’s ___ Way 33 Wedding VIPs 34 Extremely light wood 35 Pivotal 36 Blended morning liquids 37 Surrenders 40 A no-win situation?

42 Was a rig driver 44 Some members of the zodiac

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.

AUSTIN is a small, three year old terrier mix who was transported to the Tulsa SPCA from Houston in order to make room in Texas shelters for the dogs affected by Hurricane Harvey. He is a bit quirky and loves to jump sideways when he walks. Squeaky toys are definitely his favorite and he could play the entire day away.

Austin would be a great dog for a fun, active family.

48 Thin, sinuous and wet 51 Blue-ribbon place 52 Dollar sign letter 53 Combine figures 54 Swiped, as a credit card?

55 Like dried-out land 58 Word after “finders” 59 Motion sickness, e.g.

61 Dublin’s land 63 Soccer tally 65 Sound from a toy piano 67 Upright piano 68 Type of quarters 71 Historical record 73 Like lifeguards, probably 74 Artist Maya 75 Tick down 76 Put down, slangily 77 Triceps locales 78 Intermittent streambeds 79 Nonstinging bee 80 The break of day 84 How scoundrels act 86 Overwhelm with a flood 89 Large grazing field 90 Kitchen soakerupper 92 Horticulturist’s study 94 Major league misplays 95 Expected in 97 Ad directive 100 One who’s kept locked up 102 Less hazardous 104 Highlands youth 106 Broadway star Verdon 107 More than satisfy 108 Despite the fact that, in short 109 Charlotte’s creation 110 Be in hock to 111 Golfing gadget 113 Bert’s sister in books 114 Former name of the physics unit siemens 115 Hallow ending 116 Soon-to-be graduates (Abbr.)

CURT is a very mellow, four year-old Black Mouth Cur who would make a great pet for any family. Curt walks very well on leash and even enjoys an occasional bath. If you are looking for a sweet and snuggly dog, look no further! Curt is the dog for you.

Universal sUnday Crossword FavoriTe CoUPles

By Timothy e. Parker

© 2017 Andrews McMeel Syndication THE TULSA VOICE // September 20 – October 3, 2017

WAFFLE may look like the real life version of Garfield, but he sure does not act like him.

Waffle is a three and a half yearold, orange tabby cat who loves to be snuggled and petted. He is a bit timid at first, but once he gets to know you, all he wants to do is be next to you. Waffle would make a wonderful Netflixand-chill buddy!

9/24 ETC. // 47

Pleas e re cycle this issue.