The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 3 No. 1

D E C . 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 - J A N . 5 , 2 0 1 6 // V O L . 3 N O . 1

Hunting for trees in Owasso | p18 Consider the Kringle | p22 Self-help in the New Year | p27

PLUS Inside the New Tavern

Architect of Her Own Reality

Johnny Polygon’s Cult of Personality

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p30

p36

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2 // CONTENTS

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

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CONTENTS // 3

4 // CONTENTS

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

contents

N E W S & C O M MEN TA RY 10 // B uilding Football 3.0 Ray Pearcey and Sujata Singhal

Studying trauma in America’s favorite sport

Santa House in Utica Square | GREG BOLLINGER

Dec. 16, 2015 – Jan. 5, 2016 // vol. 3 no. 1

cityspeak

12 // S port praying Barry Friedman, linebacker

God and football in America viewsfromtheplains

The bow saw ritual OWASSO TREE FARM HANGS ON AS DEVELOPMENT ENCROACHES

FOOD & DRINK

BY MARK BROWN | P18

Secret libations

Holiday gift guide SHOP LOCAL THIS SEASON

P19

The Tavern reopens in the Brady Arts District with a little something extra

Consider the Kringle

ON THE TRADITION OF DEPARTMENT STORE SANTA

BY BEAU ADAMS | P22

MEGAN SHEPHERD // 14

Last minute cheer

A RT S & C U LT URE

A PROCRASTINATOR’S GUIDE TO HOLIDAY GIFT-GIVING

30 // A rchitect of her own reality

BY MEGAN SHEPHERD | P24

Claire Edwards, raconteur

Britni Harris helms ambitious Bruce Goff doc artsprofile

32 // U nited artists Alicia Chesser, ambassador

27 // H appy New Year?

Arts organizations unite under one umbrella

28 // R ing in the New Year

Andy Wheeler, pragmatist

John Langdon, partyhopper

Some thoughts on bettering yourself in 2016

Where to be when the ball drops

h o l i d ay f l a i r

h o l i d ay f l a i r

o n s ta g e

MUSIC

C O V E R I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y G E O R G I A B R O O K S

36 // Cult of personality Mitch Gilliam, convert

Johnny Polygon wants to be your favorite artist

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

musicprofile

38 // A ll that Grazz

Send all letters, complaints, compliments & haikus to:

Matt Cauthron, grazzhole

New EP from Cody Brewer is full of suprises

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

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

FILM & TV 42 // Wholesome and profane Joe O’Shansky, Bad Santa

‘Krampus’ offers holiday horror filmphiles

AD SALES MANAGER Josh Kampf CONTRIBUTORS Beau Adams, Mark Brown, Matt Cauthron, Jeremy Charles, Alicia Chesser, Claire Edwards, Barry Friedman, Mitch Gilliam, Landry Harlan, Joe O’Shansky, Ray Pearcey, Megan Shepherd, Sujata Singhal, Andy Wheeler

musicnotes

1603 S. Boulder Ave. Tulsa, OK 74119 P: 918.585.9924 F: 918.585.9926 PUBLISHER Jim Langdon PRESIDENT Juley Roffers VP COMMUNICATIONS Susie Miller CONTROLLER Mary McKisick ADMIN. ASSISTANT Rachel Webb RECEPTION Gloria Brooks, Gene White

The Tulsa Voice’s distribution is audited annually by Circulation Verification Council THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

44 // M arvel noir Landry Harlan, P.I.

The murky world of ‘Jessica Jones’ popradar

REGULARS // 8 yourvoice // 16 boozeclues // 17 voice’schoices 34 thehaps // 40 musiclistings // 45 free will astrology // 46 thefuzz CONTENTS // 5

editor’sletter

T

his Spring-like weather has given the holiday season a surreal, detached vibe.

Hanukkah has already passed and Christmas is just days away, yet temperature highs keep pushing 60. I suppose we should count our blessings—mild weather this time of year is a wonderful thing. But snow is better.

Regardless, this issue of The Tulsa Voice is packed with holiday cheer. For the best read, put your A/C on blast, build a fire (or play that nifty fire video on Netflix), curl up with a warm drink and pretend along with us it’s 20 degrees outside.

On page 18, Mark Brown shares with us his family’s ritual of tree hunting at the Owasso Christmas Tree & Berry Farm

6 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

and wonders if the fast-growing bedroom community will still have room for tree farms a few years from now.

Beau Adams was originally planning to get drunk with Santa for his Day Drinking column, but it turns out the bearded one isn’t allowed to imbibe. Instead, Beau visits Utica Square and considers the legacy of department store Kris Kringles (page 22).

Megan Shepherd offers holiday shopping pro-tips for procrastinators (page 24) and a preview of the new Tavern (page 14), while Andy Wheeler writes about self-improvement on the eve of a New Year (page 27).

Meanwhile, on page 30, Claire Edwards profiles Britni Harris, a 23 year-old Tulsa filmmaker

currently realizing her passion project, a documentary about famed Oklahoma architect Bruce Goff.

Mitch Gilliam interviews Johnny Polygon (page 36), a Tulsa iconoclast building his rap career without compromise, one fan at a time.

Additionally, Alicia Chesser writes about Arts Alliance Tulsa, Barry Friedman has a few thoughts on public prayer, and Ray Pearcey embarks on a threepart exploration of the science combating football-related head injuries.

Finally, Joe O’Shansky reviews the holiday horror comedy “Krampus,” Landry Harlan gets lost in the noirish world of Marvel’s “Jessica Jones,” and Matt

Cauthron hears the new record from Tulsa’s Grazzhopper.

One more thing: this issue marks the second anniversary of The Tulsa Voice, and on behalf of everyone here I’d like to say thank you for supporting us. Whether you read the paper cover-to-cover or just do the crossword and toss the rest for birdcage liner, whether you communicate with us through complimentary Facebook shares or angry, profane hate mail—we appreciate your engagement. Until next year! a

JOSHUA KLINE MANAGING EDITOR

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

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NEWS & COMMENTARY // 7

yourvoice

“Tell the truth, be original. LoL”

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I

read with interest the article “The mythical Miss,” by Mark Brown, Nov. 18-Dec.1, 2015 (Vol. 2, No. 23), pages 2829. However, I take some issue with Mr. Brown comparing Miss Jackson’s to Caesar’s Palace in one sentence and a mausoleum in another.

Miss Jackson’s has been at the forefront of introducing new and otherwise unknown designers to Tulsa that are still relevant today. There are some that even Mr. Brown may be familiar with: Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Bill

Blass, Kate Spade, Carolina Herrera and Tory Burch to name a few.

Yes, Miss Jackson’s department store has fallen prey to the current times—online shopping, inexpensive copies and a young shopper who cares more about electronics than fashion or unique gift items, but to discard it as a decadent delusion fails to describe the store’s history of catering to the patron.

Enter any department store in any mall in America today and good luck finding a sales associate to assist you with a smile—I guess that needs to be boxed in Nalgene and frozen in time as well.

—A. Lowther Look you people can say anything.

But to call Willie Parker a de-

vout Christian (Vol. 2. No. 23) is yellow journalism. Everyone who knows anything about the bible and Christianity knows a woman’s womb is sacred. To kill an unborn child is not Christian. LoL. It’s satanic. Blood sacrifice, selling human body parts. The Frankenstein society. Unfortunately for you, people are STUPID. Or fortunately in this case. Tell the truth, be original. LoL —Ronnie Bishop To Mr. Kline & Mr. O’Shansky, Great movie review of ‘Beasts of No Nation’ in Vol. 2 no. 22, but one verrrrrry important thing missing...WHERE IS IT PLAYING!!!???

Fact is - which Mr. O’Shansky knows - this film is only on Net-

flix and not in an actual theatre, a fact he clearly overlooked when writing. In the editing process, it appears no one thought about it being only online and never asked Mr. O’Shansky just thinking he’d mention that if it was the case in this day and time.

Someone needs to remember what century we’re living in and how visual art is distributed.

Would you have wrote about TV series and not mentioned what network it was on?

You sing this films praises as “...one of the best...” of the year. It would be nice to include one of the standard ‘five W’s’ of WHERE you can see it.

Regards, Brad Gibson

Jeff Dunn 2016 Chair, Tulsa Regional Chamber, President & CEO, Mill Creek Lumber and Supply Co.

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#TRC2016 8 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

VOTING STARTS SOON.

THE TULSA VOICE

BEST OF TULSA READERS’ CHOICE 2016

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 9

cityspeak

Building Football 3.0 Studying trauma in America’s favorite sport

by RAY PEARCEY and SUJATA SINGHAL

A

uthor’s Note: My co-writer for this piece, Sujata Singhal, is a Tulsa educational consultant/tutor with a background in biosciences.

the White House of the most influential men in college football. He impressed on them that genuine, substantive changes must be instituted.

We are a nation enamored with the sport of football. It occupies our high schools, our colleges, our man caves and our deepest loyalties. In American culture, football not only entertains us, it defines us. In recent years, however, various controversies have plagued the sport and a growing number of people are clamoring for change.

In this three-part series, we’ll talk to scientists, fans, players, coaches and reform advocates to better understand the history of football, the sport’s present volatility and how Tulsa could decisively impact the future of this American obsession.

Eventuall y, football’s leaders would agree to get rid of many of the elements that had turned the sport into all-but-unregulated brutality.”

A history of causal brutality A century ago, college football was not only controversial, it was deadly. In an article titled “The president who saved football,” CNN Contributor Bob Greene writes: “Earl y in the 20th century, football, as played on college gridirons, was something close to a street fight. The rules were lax at best, and were routinel y ignored. During the 1905 season alone, 18 college and amateur players died. And despite the growing violence, fans were flocking to the games – the sport was gaining followers.

[Theodore] Roosevelt convened a meeting in 10 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

Roosevelt effectively ushered in the era of Football 2.0, demanding a safer, saner version of the sport.

It might be time to upgrade again.

A high-impact medical discovery Today, brutality on the field is just one of many reasons for alarm.

Racial tension, domestic violence, criminal activity and heated debate surrounding payment of college athletes all cast a shadow on our beloved sport.

Among leaders in the medical community, perhaps most unsettling is the frequency of head injury among athletes at every level, from pee-wee to professional. The consequences of frequent concussions among football players have been largely unknown to the American public, but director Steve James’ 2012 film, “Head Games,” a follow-up to former player Christopher Nowinski’s book by the same name, and the upcoming big-budget Will Smith vehicle, “Concussion,” portray the troubling reality of life after football-related brain trauma.

In 2014, Dr. Rashmi Singh, an immunologist and former researcher at Tulsa’s Laureate Institute for Brain Research, her

senior colleague, Dr. Patrick Bellgowan, a former faculty member at both Laureate and TU who now helms the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, and David Polanski, the head athletic trainer for TU, completed a widely discussed sample study of area football players and concussion.

“The brain is not fully developed until the age of 25,” said Singh. “College and professional football have adapted new regulations designed to forestall catastrophic injuries including concussion, but I believe that TV has a role in the new concussion crisis because young kids see NFL and college athletes hitting their heads and so they think it’s okay.”

In addition to a culture that downplays the severity of head trauma, diagnosing concussions can be tricky.

“A player with a possible concussion usually has to self-report,” said Singh. “You go through a number of symptoms with him.

You ask, ‘Do you have a headache, how is your sleep, how is your hunger, are you feeling nauseated, did you see stars?’ If he says ‘no, no, no,’ then the diagnosis is negative, and he’s good to go back. The current diagnosis process is very subjective.”

Singh and her team are focusing on making brain trauma easier to recognize.

“Our study was trying to come up with markers not only for diagnostics, but also for injury severity. We wanted to look for markers for recovery. There are many studies underway using fMRI and [imaging technologies]

called DTI and brain scanners that monitor cerebral blood flow.

The difference in our study is Dr. Bellgowan’s background in fMRI and his deep expertise in cognition and human memory,” said Singh.

Singh and her colleagues have amassed data that seems to suggest that, independent of reported concussive injuries, the time a player spends on the field from high school participation onward is strongly connected to disturbing changes in a critical piece of the brain’s volume.

An uncertain future Despite numerous physical, moral and social dilemmas surrounding the sport today, football is probably here to stay. However, followers of the sport can hold out hope that weighty results from studies like Dr. Singh’s will form the foundation for implementing necessary changes.

In the future, what technologies and gear, on-field systems and sensors, diagnostic methods, game reworks, new player payment models and safety policies might counteract the extensive damage and inequities that mar today’s game? Do opportunities exist for Tulsa’s football gurus to become major players? Maybe they, much like Teddy Roosevelt, have an important part to play in reshaping America’s favorite sport. a Next issue, we’ll take a tight look at a passel of new technologies and the teams that are crafting them—transformative stuff that could transform the great game.

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

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#HillcatNation NEWS & COMMENTARY // 11

viewsfrom theplains

Sport praying God and football in America

by BARRY FRIEDMAN “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

—Matthew 6: 5-6

While the bible says no to public displays of prayer, Oklahoma says Yes, you can.1 With little discussion Wednesday, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association’s board of directors approved an alternate prayer policy by a 13-0 vote.

And with that, a moment of silence will now be permitted before select high school events, thanks in part to Representative Bobby Cleveland, R-Slaughterville, (you just can’t make up these names), who threatened to sue the organization for its ban on organized prayer, a ban which Attorney General Scott Pruitt ruled “overly broad.”

The new policy, derived from discussions with the state attorney general’s office, states that the PA system at an OSSAA event site “is not to be used as an open public forum for the expression of views by individuals or organizations concerning political, philosophical, religious or other matters unrelated to the conduct of the event, or the management and safe use of the event site.”

What could go wrong there?

And, really, matters unrelated to the conduct of the event? Moments 12 // NEWS & COMMENTARY

“This isn’t the good fight, it’s a self-glorified piety and pony show. You could have easily knelt at home, or in your office, or quietly bowed your head before the game, alone, but you decided to equate the walk to midfield with the road to Golgotha.”

of silence are unrelated to the conduct of the event. It’s why Jiffy Lube doesn’t have them; it’s why churches do.

But I digress.

Here are the exact words schools must use: “We will now recognize a moment of silence so that you may, if you choose, reflect, meditate, pray or engage in other silent activity. Please be respectful of others during this moment of silence.”

Even if you choose not to participate in the moment of silence, the OSSAA expects you to act like you are. Welcome, then, to the slippery slope of sport praying. One minute you’re having a moment of silence, next minute you’re marching to the 50-yard line and giving testimony.2 Joe Kennedy, Bremerton High School’s assistant football coach, was put on leave because he refused to comply with district directives to avoid overt religious displays on the field, Bremerton School District officials said in a statement late Wednesday.

The overt display was Kennedy’s habit of marching to midfield after games, dropping to one knee, and praying. Keep in mind: the district was not telling Kennedy,

a state employee, he couldn’t pray in his official capacity, just that he couldn’t do it in a stadium built and paid for by taxpayers, during a game, while many of those taxpayers (and their children) were still in attendance.

He initially agreed, but then, with support from the Texas-based Liberty Institute, a religious-freedom organization, he resumed the postgame prayers, silently taking a knee for 15 to 20 seconds at midfield after shaking hands with the opposing coaches. His lawyers insist he is not leading students in prayer, just praying himself.

Yeah, that’s what he was doing.

Kennedy then not only went back on his word, he then found his inner Kim Davis and off to martyrdom he went.3 “Whatever happens happens, you know,” he said, according to the Patriot.

“But I’m going to be bold in my faith and I’m going to fight the good fight, and I want to set that example for every one of the kids if you believe in something.”

Lighten up, coach, this isn’t the good fight, it’s a self-glorified piety and pony show. You could have easily knelt at home, or in your office, or quietly bowed your head before the game,

alone, but you decided to equate the walk to midfield with the road to Golgotha.

Cue the manufactured outrage.

Oklahoma Senator Jim Lankford, who has as much of a dog in this fight as I do the dinner menu at the Falls Creek Baptist Camp Summer Session, wrote a letter, along with a Virginia congressman, to the Bremerton School Board supporting Kennedy.4 Among the most basic rights that Americans enjoy are the free exercise of religion, free speech, and the freedom of association …

Likewise, the mere act of a single individual kneeling alone after the conclusion of a game to quietly pray coerces no one, even when that individual is a school employee.

So imagine: You’re 16, your coach goes to midfield after a game to pray. Some of your teammates join him, some of the other players and coaches from the other team, along with some fans, do as well. But you don’t. You’re not of the same faith, not religious, just don’t like the obviousness of it … whatever. Still, this choreography goes on game after game after game and you, that 16-year-old, stand on the sidelines game after game after game and wait for the spectacle to end, all eyes on you, the kid standing by himself. No coercion there, no pressure, no established prayer protocol at your school—just a “single individual kneeling alone.”

Please.

And that slippery slope is now lathered in apple butter. Good time to remember the country wasn’t always comfortable with such heavenly branding.

1) It wasn’t until 1954, during the McCarthy era and com-

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

2) It wasn’t until 1955 law, did In God We Trust appear on paper currency.6 3) There is one word that never appears in either the United States Constitution or the Declaration of Independence—God. Once we decided to share billing with God, though, we lost our inhibition.

In last weekend’s football game featuring the U.S. Air Force Academy’s team and the University of New Mexico’s team, 57 of the 60 Academy football team members knelt and prayed—ostentatiously, publicly—in the end zone prior to the game.7

Well, not all. Prayer still needs to be to the right God. Husain Abdullah, a devout Muslim, intercepted Tom Brady during the fourth quarter of last night’s blowout, running the turnover back for a touchdown. After several steps into the end zone, Abdullah slid to his knees and bent to put his hands on the ground in a prayer pose.8

Abdullah was penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration.

P.S. Lankford never wrote the NFL to complain about its treatment of a single individual kneeling alone.

One final thought, tangentially related but potentially more serious, about prayer and the cheapening of it in the public square.

Not less than 24-hours after the grisly killings in San Bernardino, California, the New York Daily News ran a cover story under the headline “God Isn’t Fixing This”9 in reaction to Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Lindsey Graham, all NRA supporters and benefactors, who asked for prayers for the victims and first responders.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and brave responders,” Senator Rand Paul wrote.

Well, a holy shit-storm ensued and Paul got his bromides in a wad.

This cover on the New York Daily News is a deplorable example of the media putting their political agenda over the suffering of victims and their families.10

SPONSORED EDITORIAL

Daily News Editor-in-Chief Jim Rich was having none of it.

“The Daily News front page is not, in any way, shape or form, condemning prayer or religion,” Rich said in a statement.

“Anyone suggesting otherwise is either — intentionally or unintentionally — misconstruing the point, which is that most GOP politicians have offered nothing but empty platitudes and angry rhetoric in response to the ongoing plague of gun violence in our country.”11

I’m with Rich on this one. On a good day, their tweets were nothing more than cheap sanctimony.

And this wasn’t a good day.

The Senate rejected a measure from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to expand background checks for guns purchased online and at gun shows on a 48 to 50 vote and an amendment from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to prevent individuals on the terror watch list from purchasing firearms on a 45 to 54 vote.12

This vote to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists was defeated the day after the shooting in San Bernardino.

Who voted against it? Senators Cruz, Paul, and Graham. a

1) okprepsextra.com: OSSAA prayer policy: Board makes change to allow moment of silence 2) Chicago Tribune: Praying Washington football coach on leave, deepening religion-in-school debate 3) cnn.com: Washington high school coach placed on leave for praying on field 4) forbes.house.gov: Forbes and Lankford Send Letter in Support of High School Coach’s Freedom to Pray with Students 5) religioustolerance.com: The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. Background material 6) history.house.gov: The legislation placing “In God We Trust” on national currency 7) Huffington Post: Religion in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan -- and at the U.S. Air Force Academy?

8) mashable.com: NFL Admits Mistake in Penalizing Muslim Player Who Prayed After Touchdown 9) democraticunderground.com: NY Daily News headline: ‘God isn’t fixing this’ 10) yahoo.com: ‘Thoughts and prayers’ not enough in wake of mass shooting in San Bernardino, gun control advocates say 11) hang.com: NY Daily News Cover On San Bernardino Provokes Strong Reactions 12) khn.org: Republican Senators Resist Democrats’ Push To Add Gun-Control Amendments To Health Law Repeal

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

THE OLD LADY TELLS HER STORY

“Memoirs of the Old Lady” colorfully describes the 100-year history of Tulsa’s original performing arts venue – The Brady Theater.

The narrative of this book, supported by numerous beautiful photographs and archive images from across the last century, is uniquely told in the voice of the venerable “Old Lady” herself.

Interspersed with the “Old Lady’s” telling of her story are fond remembrances of Tulsans, as told to author Jamie Townsend.

The book is available at local retailers across town including Decopolis/Downtown Books, Dwelling Spaces, Ida Red Boutique, Lyon’s Indian Store, The Snow Goose, The Spa at Montereau, Sweet Tooth Candy & Gift Co., Tulsa Ballet Gift Shop, Tulsa Historical Society, and Ziegler’s Art & Frame.

Hideaway Pizza and Marshall Brewing Company partner for new beer

Hideaway Pizza and Marshall Brewing Company recently announced the collaborative release of the Hideaway ’57 Ale, carried exclusively in Hideaway Pizza locations across Oklahoma.

A classic German-style ale, Hideaway ’57 Ale takes its inspiration from a traditional Kolsch. The ale is pale in color offering a clean, highly malty flavor with the addition of hops to balance the sweetness. Its soft mouth feel and clean finish make Hideaway ’57 Ale a natural pairing with Hideaway’s pizza. It checks in at a sessionable 5% Alcohol

By Volume (ABV).

“We are proud to combine two great Oklahoma traditions by having Marshall Brewing Co. create Hideaway ’57 Ale to add to our other great selections of Oklahoma-brewed beers,” says Janie Harris, marketing director for Hideaway Pizza.

“As craft beer seeks to become more mainstream,

MICHELLE POLLARD

munism scare, did Congress pass a bill, to include the words under God in the Pledge of Allegiance.5

we sought to partner with an Oklahoma institution since 1957, Hideaway Pizza, to collaborate on a beer that pays respect to the history of beer,” explains Marshall Brewing’s Wes Alexander. “Hideaway ’57 Ale is a craft beer favoring balance and nuance that we feel most beer drinkers will find approachable and absolutely complimentary to Hideaway’s hand-crafted pizzas.”

NEWS & COMMENTARY // 13

citybites

Secret libations The Tavern reopens in the Brady Arts District with a little something extra

by MEGAN SHEPHERD

T

he Tavern is back on its home turf, but there’s more than a remodel to unveil.

Walk through the familiar wooden doors, and not much will feel new in the space, but subtle shifts are positioning the restaurant for big surprises.

“For us, it’s not even a remodel,” Elliot Nelson, head of the McNellie’s Group and partner at Nelson + Stowe Development, said. “George Kaiser Family Foundation is redoing this building, and in order for them to occupy the space above this space, the whole building had to be fire suppressed, and new steel support beams needed to be put in place.”

Renovations to the Tavern included updating the kitchen floor, reinforcing the pipes in the ceiling, replacing some of the bar equipment, and the addition of two new private dining rooms in the back of the restaurant.

“We were really happy with the Tavern,” he continued. “We didn’t want to change anything. So the changes to the naked eye shouldn’t be much. … Overall, The Tavern is the same as it ever was. Or hopefully is.”

During the interim, Nelson’s crew set up shop at the Temp Tavern, a makeshift space brought to life in a market at 3rd and Archer.

After a couple other failed plans (a proposed temporary kitchen, an idea for open air dining on Main Street), they managed to secure a three-month lease and converted the building into a temporary fix.

The Temp Tavern was impressive for a last resort, and executive chef Ben Alexander’s kitchen staff even managed to piece together a different themed menu each week. Chimichurri octopus, Coq au vin, Peking quail, and a state

14 // FOOD & DRINK

THE TAVERN 201 N. Main St. | 918.949.9801 | taverntulsa.com fair-themed menu surprised and delighted diners during the restaurant’s staycation.

“We kind of let our kitchen staff run wild with what they wanted to do,” Nelson said.

“Having done that experiment, and seeing what it’s like to put out a new menu every week, I think you’ll probably see more variation in the Tavern menu.”

On November 21, the Tavern re-opened in its home space.

And while the Temp Tavern transformation worked well, Nelson has no plans to use it for anything else.

“We knew we were going to be down here for a little while, so it was more about getting people employed, and finding things for them to do. We wanted to make sure it didn’t negatively impact them in any way.”

Led by Alexander and general manager Lindsey Roe, the restaurant will still plate its signature half-price Tavern burger specials every evening after 9pm, and family-style fried chicken dinners on Sunday nights.

New projects in the works for McNellie’s Group and Nelson + Stowe include a Yokozuna location in Oklahoma City, and The Boxyard, a retail complex made of shipping containers located west of the Fur Shop bar at 3rd and Elgin. Set to launch next spring, The Boxyard will house Dwelling Spaces, a restaurant from the folks behind Masa Food Truck, a rooftop deck, and several other retail spaces.

But the most anticipated new McNellie’s group opening might be closer than we think. Months ago, plans for a secret speakeasy-style bar were slowly leaked.

Without a set date or location, speculation for where the space would be caught on like wildfire, and many guessed it to be the cause for the Tavern’s remodel.

But Nelson remains tightlipped about the whole thing.

“There may or may not be a bar back there.”

The hidden “speakeasy” is a growing trend across the country; in many cities, the most sought after cocktail bars are the ones without any signage or marketing.

Head to the back of the hallway, pull down on a book, give the secret passcode, or tap the knock for entry into a hideaway of fine cocktails, lush lounging, and Prohibition-era glam.

Nelson’s concept promises such an experience. The space is adorned with rich hunter green leather, gleaming brass accents, black and white marble, intimate wrap-around booths, a tableside martini cart, and a piano built into the bar. A spare menu of prime steak, fish, and wine recalls the swanky simplicity of the roaring ‘20s, while sides like burgundy mushrooms and potatoes egan keep things sophisticated and simple.

“We just want to have some fun with it—make it more interesting than the usual game we have to play around here.”

There’s no date set for a hard opening, but a nice little rumor is circulating that it will be this weekend.

As for the location? You’ll have to find it. But if you want a tip, look for the bull.

“There is no address. There is no phone number. There is no contact information,” Nelson said with a wry smile. “But if you can find it... great.” a

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

Deco District DecoDistrictTulsa.com

514 S. Boston Ave. 918-582-1403 www.elotetulsa.com

Breakfast, Lunch & Smoothies

415 S. Boston Ave. 918-938-6858 M-F, 8am-4pm /DecoDeliTulsa

V

A U

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620 S. Cincinnati Ave. 918-948-6761 www.vaulttulsa.com

Breakfast: 7-9:30am M-F Lunch: 11am-2pm M-F Brunch: 9am-2pm Sat & Sun

We ! 415 S. Boston Ave. 918-583-3111 er Deliv NewAtlasgrill.com THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

FOOD & DRINK // 15

boozeclues

Full Bar • 1552 E. Cherry Street Late Night Slices from 10pm Th-Fr-Sa

Now Open in Broken Arrow Andopizza.com | @andopizza | Facebook: Andopizza driven by virtue. crafted for taste.

TulsaVoice_one-eighth.indd 1

11/2/15 9:03 PM

BEST CHINESE FOOD Dine in or carry out,

Pepper Shrimp

3.5 Out of 4 Stars From Scott Cherry’s Review in Tulsa World

TULSA’S BEST DINNER SPECIAL! GOLDEN GATE CHINESE CUISINE 30 Years in Business

Egg Drop Soup

2620 S. Harvard • 918-742-4942 OPEN: Mon.-Fri. 11am-9pm, Sat. 12pm-9pm

Peking Beef

Lemon Basil Prosecco | GREG BOLLINGER

Dalesandro’s 1742 S. Boston Ave. | 918.582.1551 | dalesandros..com

THE BARTENDERS: Saul Galvez and Nathaniel Alexander THE DRINK: Lemon Basil Prosecco THE INGREDIENTS: Vodka Fresh basil muddled with lemon juice Topped with prosecco THE LOWDOWN: Fresh basil offers an Italian twist on this signature cocktail, a close cousin to the French 75.

16 // FOOD & DRINK

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

voice’schoices

C O L D - W E AT H E R C O M F O RT F O O D McNellie’s Public House 409 E. 1st St. | 918.382.7468 Cold weather means hearty soup and dark beer. On this front, McNellie’s Irish Lunch Special is one of the best deals in town. For $6.99, you get a bowl of their classic potato leek soup (plus toasted rye and crackers) and a 10 oz. glass of Guinness. It’s enough to warm you up without putting you to sleep. -Joshua Kline

Binh-Le Vietnamese Restaurant 5903 E. 31st St. 918.835.7722 The bun cha gio at Binh-Le is the heavyweight champion of chopped salads. Silky rice noodles are topped with lettuce, carrots, cucumbers; choice of chicken, steak, or shrimp; a full eggroll, and a dash of peanut crumbs. Never has a bowl full of vegetables so invitingly beckoned, “dig in!” -Georgia Brooks

SAVE THE DATE

Coney I-Lander 5219 E. 41st St. 918.505.7976 Everyone loves Coney I-Lander. But which location? Downtown or Peoria? Southroads or Eastside? I went with Southroads, pre-movie. My order?

Three with everything (mustard, chili, onions and cheese), Fritos, Louisiana Hot Sauce and a 50/50 mix of strawberry soda/Mountain Dew. You can’t really go wrong. Unless you get a plain wiener in a bun. Why did you give up on life? - Andy Wheeler THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR AT THE MAYO HOTEL MIDNIGHT AT THE MAYO PRESENTS A

W H I T E T I E N I G H T • 12 . 31.15 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION EMAIL: EVENTS@THEMAYOHOTEL.COM CALL: 918.582.MAYO MAKE IT A MAYO NEW YEAR’S EVE FOOD & DRINK // 17

holidayflair

The bow saw ritual Owasso tree farm hangs on as development encroaches

by MARK BROWN

T

he day of harvest begins with a hayride. About a dozen of us climb onto the bed of a tractor that slogs past a pond and some berry vines to a back lot where trees grow in a variety of shapes. This year’s ride was a formality, given that the bulk of the harvest occupied a field up near the road.

For a decade at least, we’ve been driving to Owasso every December, to the Owasso Christmas Tree and Berry Farm, to find the most conical Douglas fir we can for under $50. Before that, we bought them on a lot now paved in asphalt for Sprouts parking.

I do the honors of cutting my mother-in-law’s tree. It’s the only time all year I get to handle a bow saw. As I run the blade across the trunk a resin burns my eyes.

Sometimes I drop onto rain-wet pine needles to perform this rite; once in a blue moon, snow. Often, the ground is so dry you wonder how anything green could emerge from it. This year, the ground is soft and muddy, like walking in brownies.

Young, friendly guys in fashionably formed baseball caps take over from there, hauling the tree away to be bagged in nylon netting. They hand you your ticket and, while your tree is being processed, you go inside and drink hot cider and paw tree ornaments.

We bought one this year fashioned from a three-eighths-inch diameter cut from a Douglas Fir pruning, with the state of Oklahoma carved out of the middle so precisely you could make out the southern fringes of the Red River.

The label read, “Manufactured

by Natural Wood Originals of Bellingham, Washington.”

18 // FEATURED

Owasso Christmas Tree and Berry Farm | COURTESY

Almost $100 later, we pull out onto 129th East Avenue to head back over the river and through the woods to eat cheeseburgers and strawberry ice cream cones.

The Douglas fir is named for Scottish botanist David Douglas, who spent a lot of time documenting the Christmas-friendly conifer. Taxonomically, it is named Pseudotsuga menziesii, in honor of Archibald Menzies, another Scot and a rival of David Douglas. Meaning, the Douglas fir is not a true fir—that is, not a member of the genus Abies—but more of a pine.

Whatever the nomenclature, the tree does not come naturally to Rogers County and is therefore imported from Oregon each holiday season, unlike the Virginia pines and Leyland cypresses that grow in tidy rows on several acres of the farm, an acreage that shrinks each season with the advent of new construction.

The encroachment comes in waves. First it was the Crafton Tull-designed campus of Tulsa Tech, which lies east of 169 but casts a stone-and-steel shadow over the evergreen idyll. The latest development is a new high school— Rejoice Christian School—the footprint of which has left tracks on Bill Jacobs’ tree farm.

“We’ve had a monumental problem with the contractor with silt, dust, dirt, trash and all that,” said Jacobs of the cleanup that took two phases to complete. “It’s a lot better now. They put up a privacy fence and landscaped it all.

“The land had been vacant ever since we’d been on it, which is 30 years. They talked about a theater from Branson, Bell’s Amusement Park looked at it, even low-income housing. I guess a school is probably better than anything.”

The thrill, of course, is in the hunt. It takes less than a minute to

saw down a Christmas-sized pine tree, but the time spent locating the perfect specimen can edge towards an hour. We roam up and down the aisles balancing price with perfection.

“We have a price of $10 a foot for a perfect tree,” Jacobs said.

“We put a tag on every tree, then we go back and measure height, then we go back and price them.

We look at foliage density, straightness of trunk … it’s a judgment call on our part.”

Judgment day is over in a day and a half. Then there are the imports, which command a higher price but require no bow saw.

“It’s all about land use,” Jacobs said, explaining the relative affordability of the fast-growing Douglas to the eight- to 10-year maturation of the Noble and Nordmann firs.

“It’s now how we price it. It’s the tree itself. The U.S. government has grading rules for trees.”

As the land around the tree farm begins to sprout brick-and-mortar, I worry about this little tradition of ours. I pine for the days when you could look across the fields and see yellow grass in thick sedges and rogue conifers that blew their seeds beyond the fences.

Owasso, a so-called City of Character, clings precariously to its agrarian past while embracing its destiny as the original bedroom community of the metro area.

“Character” traits—on red-andwhite signs whose colors coincide with those of the high school Rams—are posted at heavily trafficked intersections, perhaps as a reminder of these growing pains. The trait posted this month preaches Compassion: “Investing whatever is necessary to heal the hurts of others.” a

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Shop local this holiday season

It’s that time of year again. If you don’t want to be among the frazzled masses rushing around town in a last-minute gift buying blur, it’s best to get it over with while traffic is calm and crowds are light.

But in this day and age, when everyone has everything, what’s an eager gift buyer to do? Shop at Tulsa’s wide variety of locally owned businesses, that’s what. Not only will you find one-of-a-kind treasures, you’ll support Tulsa and Tulsans while you’re at it.

In that spirit, visit one of these local shops and cross off the names on your list.

Est. 2006 Gifts made with love from Oklahoma artists.

Keep it Local.

119 S Detroit Ave | 918-582-1033 www.dwellingspaces.net

Mrs. Claus and her little elf know Summer Snow Gifts is the place to go for all the special gifts for under the tree.

1512 E 15th St | 918-794-0071 www.FifteenthAndHome.com

4111 S Harvard Ave | 918-794-5505 www.summersnowgifts.com

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE // 19

All I Want For Christmas... is at the

Guitar House of Tulsa!

New, used and vintage guitars, basses, amps and more!

Lessons, Effect Pedals, Strings, Straps and Accessories make great Stocking Stuffers!

THANK YOU, TULSA, FOR 105 YEARS OF STYLE. SHOP WITH US DURING OUR FINAL HOLIDAY SEASON, AND WATCH OUR FAREWELL FILM AT FACEBOOK.COM/MISSJACKSONSTULSA.

UTICA SQUARE 918.747.8671 MISSJACKSONS.COM MON-SAT 10-6 AND SUN 1-5 THRU CHRISTMAS

Always buying vintage and used guitars.

Guitar House of Tulsa 6924 E Admiral Pl · (918) 835-6959 · www.guitarhouse.net

Now booking private parties, public classes, holiday & corporate parties.

Paint. Drink. Have Fun.

the GHC winter coat re-up (Nov 15 - Dec 31) Trade in old/gently used youth or adult outerwear for 35% off new ghc outerwear. all trade ins will be generously donated to catholic charities of tulsa.

Gift Certificates Available Broken Arrow • Cherry Street • Riverwalk Reserve your easel online today! www.PinotsPalette.com 20 // HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

GreenHouse Clothing 3310 S Yale Ave Tulsa, OK 74135 918-895-6225 GreenHouseClothing.net December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

FunDAy SunDAy

December 20, 2015 • Free Admission See Santa from 2:30-5:00 p.m.!

Enjoy an afternoon of fun creating art projects from noon to 4 p.m.

For families with children ages 3-15 years. For more information, call 918-596-2774 or e-mail sarah-wright@utulsa.edu.

GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT!

MAY 10 • 7PM

TU is an EEO/AA institution.

GILCREASE.UTULSA.EDU THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

TICKETS: www.tulsapac.com myticketoffice.com • (918) 596-7111 Tulsa PAC Ticket Office Discounts for groups of 10 or more: (918) 596-7109

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE // 21

holidayflair

Consider the Kringle On the tradition of department store Santa

by BEAU ADAMS

S

anta’s not real. He’s just a story. There’s no magical flying reindeer or naughty and nice list - it’s just parents that buy all the gifts and they are pretending.

This is what his mother and I have told our son since he could understand the words coming out of our mouths. We didn’t want to be assholes; we’ve just made it a point to always be honest with him.

My son is now five years old. He informs me that he doesn’t care to visit Santa’s house at Utica Square this year. He’s been once before when he was a baby. He tells me that I’ll have to go on my own. I can’t blame him; he’s got no skin in the game. I mean, why are you going to stand in line all night to see Santa when you know he’s not responsible for your holiday haul?

I remember my fifth Christmas well. It was the first one after my parents split; I realize that my son and I share this distinction as I stand in line waiting to see the jolly one. I spent part of that holiday in a trailer home my father rented in North Central Oklahoma at the Camel Back Ranch - a piece of land I can only guess was named for its rumpled terrain, or maybe its lack of water. Dad harvested a little Charlie Brown tree and we decorated with popcorn and cranberry garland that we threaded on fishing line. I got to open a present early due to good behavior at a holiday dinner where I was the only child. I had all of my father’s attention that Christmas. In that way, it’s become one of my most memorable.

Utica Square is Tulsa’s commercial-intensive Central Park. Originally built in 1952 on the outskirts of town by over 5,000 craftsmen, it’s now pocketed in the old money section of Midtown Tulsa.

Aesthetically speaking, it’s about as good as it gets for an outdoor shopping center.

22 // FEATURED

Santa House at Utica Square | GREG BOLLINGER

Starting on Thanksgiving night, Utica Square is lit like a manger in a nativity. Millions of white lights thread their way over and through the naked branches of maples and elms dotting the landscape and wind their way down the trunks, mercilessly strangling them in electric cheer. Larger than life size nutcrackers are placed throughout the plaza; big red bows and garland swaddle all horizontal structures.

Maps are available which notate the location of four “Nutcracker Vignettes” scattered about the property. The characters inside the lit boxes, with their rosy cheeks and moon faces reading from scrolls of Olde English print, along with the chimney red phone boxes at the intersections give the whole thing a kind of hung-over Dickensian vibe. One might half expect to hear vendors offering specials of figgy pudding or to

be handed a bag of fresh roasted chestnuts from a tattered, fingerless glove. A “War on Christmas” it ain’t.

Throughout the square, bell choir music is piped in, the usual score of MUZAK replaced by hymns. Santa’s house appears to be a storage shed dressed with a red shingled roof, forest green shutters and window boxes filled with fake poinsettias. The sign says that a visit with the old elf is free,

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

but pictures (even if they’re taken with your phone) cost ten bucks.

Santa accepts credit cards and can swipe them with a device on his iPad. The line is about 80 deep I guess, including parents and their children, on one of the nights I show up to stalk the jolly one and his wife. The weather is Springlike–cool, but balmy.

The department store Santa thing, that’s always been a money grab.

The first store to employ the Kris Kringle was Edgar’s out of Brockton, Massachusetts, in 1890.

Its owner, a Scottish immigrant named James Edgar, thought it would boost sales if Santa were on the premises. Within a couple of years people were taking the train from Boston and Providence to see the shop with St. Nick. Edgar’s and its offshoots had a good run, officially going out of business in 1989, over 100 years after they opened. The business’s obituary lists its struggle to compete with chain stores and its unwillingness

to move to the suburbs as its likely cause of death.

Miss Jackson’s in Utica Square is celebrating its 105th year in business in Tulsa. It will be its last.

Opened in 1910 as a lingerie shop in the balcony of a jewelry store downtown, Miss Jackson’s became the anchor of Utica Square in 1965. Spokespersons for the flagging department store claim that people may just no longer be willing to pay premium prices for quality goods and exceptional service.

But it ain’t Wal-Mart that’s killing Miss Jacksons, it’s Anthropologie - a store not exactly known for its discount pricing. Maybe Miss Jacksons didn’t do enough to entice the next generation of potential customers, or maybe they didn’t keep it fresh. It’s a tough position to be the one tossed away after so many good years. Perhaps there’s no rational explanation. Sometimes people just want change.

I feel self-conscious standing in line with no kid, but decide

3336 S. Peoria Avenue • 918-949-6950 www.idaredboutique.com THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

against giving it much thought after a few minutes. Besides, I don’t want to wait until 10:00 PM for Santa to clock out before I get to talk to him. My editor’s idea was to give this article my regular “Day Drinking” treatment, but you know, with Santa. I was all for it, but the brass at Utica Square informed me that Santa has a strict “No Alcohol” policy and that he could not participate in any such event.

While on line, I hear “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” jangling out from some tinny speakers near the Claus residence and I’m reminded of how much I’ve always hated that song, with its antiquated British sentiment.

I lean into the lyrics for what I realize is likely the first time, and realize that most of the offerings described are either food or entertainment based. Curiously, the song does slow for the only material prize, “five gold rings,” but it’s a far cry from the modernized American materialism in say, “Santa, baby.”

As I enter the shrunken home of Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the latter informs me that I must have “forgotten someone.” I explain that I’m writing a piece and that I’d like to ask a few questions.

“I’ll pay,” I say. Santa agrees, but asks that I be brief. My questions are surgical, but Santa gives me rehearsed answers. I could’ve saved myself the trip, I think.

Mrs. Claus asks if I have children and asks the requisite follow up as well. “He doesn’t believe in Santa Claus,” I tell her - and then I tell her why. Santa says he has heard this is a parenting trend these days. I tell him I don’t think he’s in any occupational danger.

As I get up to leave, Mrs. Claus hands me a pre-packaged sugar cookie to take home to my son and I hand her a $20 and thank them for their time. Perhaps out of guilt, or maybe even habit, Santa asks, “And what do you want for Christmas?”

“Maybe a little magic,” I say.

“You have to believe,” Santa says. a

facebook.com/idaredtulsa • Mon-wed 10am-7pm thur-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 12pm-4pm FEATURED // 23

holidayflair For the proud Okie Dwelling Spaces 119 S. Detroit Ave.

Vintage 1740

Last minute cheer A procrastinator’s guide to holiday gift-giving story and photos by MEGAN SHEPHERD

W

ith the craziest gift-giving days of the year inching closer, it’s probably time to think about a shopping list. If joyless holiday spending at a big box chain doesn’t exactly scream ‘peace on earth’ to you, consider shopping from one of these local retailers instead.

Curiozity (Oz)

Dwelling Spaces

If you’re in a hurry, grab one of Dwelling Spaces’ pre-made Okie grown gift baskets, featuring Joebot’s coffee, sasquatch coffee mugs, Tulsa Driller Christmas ornaments, gift cards, greeting cards, koozies, and more.

If you’ve got some time to spend, scour the racks for the perfect find. Consider the Hard-Boiled Christmas Stories collection, edited

by John Wooley and John McMahan, the newest vinyl releases from Nuns, Jacob Tovar and the Saddle Tramps, and other local acts, greeting cards by Cloudless Lens Photography featuring original prints from Rhys Martin, or the cutest Christmas ornament that ever lived: a sparkly cake donut on a string. Shopping for a kiddo?

Cuddle Monsters sewn by Ashley Carver and some handmade crayons should do the trick.

For the Sassafrass Snow Goose 1814 Utica Square

The ample inappropriate finds at this Utica Square gift shop are enough to keep you browsing (and snickering under your breath) for days. Whether searching for the perfect dirty Santa gift for your office crush or a fake lump of coal for your asshole nephew, Snow Goose probably has it.

Personal favorites include the timeless dinosaur-themed children’s book classic All My Friends are Still Dead, the tiny baby hands featured on Kristin Wiig’s character from the Lawrence Welk Show SNL sketch, a buoyant log of fake poop, and a desk tag for your boss that reads “Mr. Wonderful.”

For the Former Athlete Curiozity (Oz) 2629 E. 15th Street

If the glory days have come and gone for the giftee, consider gifting your ex-MVP with a new 24 // FEATURED

hobby. Curiozity can accommodate several interpretations on this front, but the best might just be the gift of disc golf. All it really takes is a quality putter, a midrange, and a driver—about twelve bucks each.

Not sure where to begin? Ask Forrest for help navigating the selection.

For the Cocktail Connoisseur Ranch Acres Liquor Store 3324 E. 31st Street Parkhill Liquors & Wine 5111 S Lewis Ave

Booze is a tried-and-true holiday gift, but which form will make for the merriest gift exchange? For the budding sommelier, Vintage 1740 bartender Blake Engleman suggests Grower’s Champagne (or “Farmer Fizz,” as it’s affectionately called) or a nice Beaujolais. For the best selection, head to Ranch Acres.

But if wine isn’t the answer, consider gifting a bartender’s starter set: a tempered mixing glass, a Boston tin and shaker, a Hawthorne strainer, a long stirring spoon, and jiggers of varying sizes. For elixirs, start with a gin, a sweet vermouth, a whiskey, white rum, and bitters—Parkhill usually has a nice selection.

For the Artist

Arts Alliance Tulsa www.artstulsa.org The Tulsa Arts Sampler is made up of bundled tickets to local art exhibits, performances, and galleries, chosen at random and sold at a discounted price. Arts Alliance Tulsa’s 39 member organizations make up the offerings, and 100% of all proceeds go toward supporting them.

But what’s in a sampler? Think “A Chorus Line,” “Shrek,” the Tulsa Botanical Gardens, “The Nutcracker,” the “In Living Color” exhibition at Philbrook, the Woody Guthrie Center, and more.

Choose your own adventure from three different package levels.

Packages start at $60 per ticket.

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

For the Vintage Vixen

The Threaded Fox #101c, 501 S. Boston Ave Retro-inspired looks line the walls at this teensy weensy women's boutique in the Philcade building, a great place to shop for the stylish lady in your life. A holly green Doe & Rae dress begs to be merched up with gold jewelry, while a little red number by the same brand fits like a glove when taken out for a romantic Christmas light stroll in the ritzy part of town.

Want something less froufrou?

Grab a printed scarf before they run out.

For the Vinyl Snob

Swing Set Discotique Vintage Records Chickaskia@aol.com Holy Mountain Music & Oddities 1416 E. 11th St. Curtis Beckwith has been dealing rare vinyl, vintage clothing, magazines, and stereo equipment since 1999, and has amassed a diverse collection of more than 80,000 records over the years. A building in Sedan, KS houses his vast inventory, but his local stash is available for browsing at the Saturday Flea Market, and now and again at Guthrie Green. Email him to arrange a browsing session, a delivery, or a killer gift recommendation (“Music to Play in the Dark” by Bianchi & The Jungle is one of his favorites).

For the metalhead in your life, Holy Mountain is a must. Specializing in punk, heavy metal and indie rock, this Pearl district gem is an analog purist’s dream.

In addition to a motley selection of vinyl, Holy Mountain offers a treasure trove of new and vintage ‘zines and paperbacks.

For the Strong, Silent Type This Land Press + The Frontier Subscriptions ThisLandPress.com ReadFrontier.com Tulsa’s critically acclaimed This Land Press features quarterly

issues of “aggressive and compelling journalism,” from local and national writers, as well as fiction, photography, poetry and art.

Having transitioned from their broadsheet model last year, This Land’s new bound compilation is a holy grail of some of Middle America’s finest creative storytelling. You can pick up individual issues at newsstands around town, and annual subscriptions start at $50.

Is your wordsmith more news junkie than poet? Consider subscribing to The Frontier, a new digital media start-up published

by Bobby Lorton (of Tulsa World lineage) and led by some of Tulsa’s most decorated and intrepid journalists. The Frontier aims to deliver quality investigative reporting without the buttress of advertising. The result is fair, high-quality storytelling that readers actually want to pay for. Take care of that last part and give the publication as a gift. Subscriptions start at $30 per month.

RING IN THE NEW YEAR!

CELEBRATE THE SEASON

The Campbell Hotel with

& EVENT CENTERS

BOOK TODAY • 2636 E 11TH ST 918-744-5500 • TULSA, OK Located on Historic Route 66, and National Register of Historic Places.

www.thecampbellhotel.com

For the Grumpy Old Man The Gadget Store 104 E. 15th Street

Need something for the 65-yearold man (or 65-year-old man at heart) in your life? Head to The Gadget Store and ask their resident Grumpy Old Man, Rich Rich, for a recommendation. He suggests the super bright Nebo Twyst 3-in-1 Flashlight Lantern, boasting a light power of 110 lumens, and a 250-Lumen lantern, or the big Larry 400-Lumen flashlight. Both are perfect for power outages, finding stuff in the garage, and tinkerin’ around under the sink.

For something Oklahoma-made, go with a Stout Gear hunting knife, handmade by a group of homesteaders at Lake Oologah. Made up of quality 35VN steel, the blade is engraved with the Oklahoma state flag’s Osage battle shield and the words ‘Oklahoma Made.’ The nine-inch knife is priced at $349, but Stout Gear offers several other models, as well. If you want to personalize it, Rich suggests having it engraved with your Grumpy Old Man’s name, initials, or motto. a

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

Catering Available FOR YOUR

HOLIDAY PARTY & MORE

Maxxwells Restaurant Join us for Maxxwells Christmas Lunch

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FROM 7 AM TIL 10 PM

JOIN US EVERY SUNDAY FOR $5 BURGER NIGHT

2636 E 11th St, Tulsa, OK | 918-748-5550

FEATURED // 25

downtowntulsaok.com

NOV.

27

Downtown Tulsa is a true destination for holiday activities!

See the lights of

DOWNTOWN

at John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, Guthrie Green, Arvest Winterfest, Deco District, Greenwood, Blue Dome District and The East Village District!

NOV.

29

WINTERFEST OPENING DAY!

DEC.

READY, SET, GLOW! TREE LIGHTING

12

DEC.

12

SPECIAL GIFT IDEA FOR A PROUD TULSAN…

THE 100 YEAR HISTORY OF THE BRADY THEATER

By Jamie M. Townsend

SKATE BENEATH THE SKYLINE

DEC.

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA CHEYENNE BUS TOY DRIVE OPEN FOR THE HOLIDAYS

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SKATE INTO THE NEW YEAR

DEC.

FINAL DAY OF THE SEASON

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JAN.

17

NOV. 27 - JAN. 17

TULSAWINTERFEST.COM

Available At These Tulsa Stores: Decopolis/Downtown Books • Dwelling Spaces Ida Red Boutique • Lyon’s Indian Store • The Snow Goose The Spa at Montereau • Sweet Tooth Candy & Gift Tulsa Ballet Gift Shop • Tulsa Historical Society Ziegler’s Art & Frame 26 // FEATURED

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

holidayflair

Andy Wheeler | GREG BOLLINGER

Happy New Year?

Some thoughts on bettering yourself as the world gets worse

by ANDY WHEELER [TV on] “… We have an active shooter situation …”

[click] “… Congress has refused to act …”

[click] “… Donald Trump said Muslims…”

[TV off]

I’m not entirely sure if we’re looking towards 2016 or just running away in panic from 2015.

If 2015 were a person, it would have Donald Trump’s Chia hair and Robert Durst’s soulless eyes; it would brandish an ISIS flag in one arm and a confederate flag in the other, with an arsenal of rifles slung around its neck and a pharmacy’s worth of methamphetamine shoved down its trousers; it would scream at you to watch it do the “Whip/Nae Nae” with the copper wiring from our highway’s streetlights stashed in the bed of its truck.

If we assigned a gender to nouns like the Spanish language

does, 2015 would definitely be masculine; anyone who leaves this much of a mess on their way out the door is almost certainly a guy.

“El 2015!”

But I digress.

The New Year brings another chance to get it right. 2016 offers us a freshly wiped slate. We get to start over, but with the remnants of the past still lingering. You do not get a new identity (unless you are Jason Bourne) or a new life (unless you are Subway Jared), but everyone gets another chance to get the next year right.

I used to think of navigating the New Year in the way bacteria use chemotaxis to wander upon a food source. “This way? No. This way? No. This way? Bingo!”

But this suggests an absolute certainty, as if you have some giant red neon arrow pointing to the correct choice. This never happens anymore—they long ago ripped out the Metro Diner sign on 11th that pointed you toward

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

the fries and gravy (always the right choice).

It also suggests there is nothing to be gained from the past.

Buddhists use the turn of the calendar to contemplate the life they led over the past year. They write down their baggage on a piece of paper. They put this paper in a fire. Their karma, all their baggage, turns to ashes. The idea is to open yourself up to new ideas and fresh energy, to focus on the promise of the future, not the past crap that gave you that nervous rash last October. But they face their mistakes from the previous year. They strive to learn something before launching themselves into another trip around the sun.

If that’s too deep for you, there’s also the get-totally-ampedup-for-a-disappointing-night-anddrink-way-too-much-and-stay-inbed-until-January-3rd New Year’s formula, too. Advantages: plenty of social media content. Disadvantages: lack of grey matter content.

Whatever works for you.

A common question for those entering the New Year: what resolutions do I make?

First, become self-aware.

What do you want to get rid of this year?

Second, state it out loud. “I resolve to quit eating fast food and sugar this year.”

Third, head straight to McDonald’s and order one of everything because this is your last chance and the McRib is only here for a limited time!

Honestly, it’s not that difficult.

What did Bill Murray say in “What About Bob?” Baby steps?

If you want to lose 20 (or 40) pounds, lose one at a time.

If you want to be a better spouse or parent, be better today and keep building on it.

And if you want to vote for Trump? *Through gritted teeth* Whatever works for you.

Happy New Year! a FEATURED // 27

holidayflair

Ring in the New Year WHERE TO BE WHEN THE BALL DROPS

Noon Year’s Eve Thurs., Dec. 31, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., $10 for non-members, Tulsa Children’s Museum Discovery Lab Families can celebrate the New Year without staying up past bedtime at Tulsa Children's Museum with New Year's-themed handson activities, music, entertainment and a balloon drop to ring in the Noon Year. tulsachildrensmuseum.org

JTR’s Ultimate New Year’s Eve Dinner Thurs, Dec. 31, 7 p.m., $175, 624 Kitchen & Catering Justin Thompson Restaurant Group is hosting an upscale 7-course wine dinner on New Year’s Eve with all champagne-inspired dishes. The evening’s theme is “Old Hollywood,” and guests are encouraged to dress up glamourously for the Old Hollywood Look-Alike Contest with a $250 JTR gift card prize. Courses include Fouie Gras Terrine with a champagne gelee and Vanilla Poached Lobster Tail with carbonated grapes and squid ink.

624catering.com

2016 28 // FEATURED

NYE and Hangover Ball at Cain’s Thurs., Dec. 31, 9 p.m., $30-$45 Fri., Jan 1, 8 p.m., $20-$40 Ring in the New Year at Cain’s with Randy Rogers Band, Adam Hood and Prophets and Outlaws, then return to nurse your New Year’s Day hangovers with Cody Canada, Evan Felker, Jason Boland, William Clark Green, Mike McClure, Jason Eady, Adam Hood, BJ Barham and Brian Keane.

The 4th Annual Brady New Year’s Eve Party Thurs., Dec. 31, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., tickets start at $25, Brady Theater The Old Lady on Brady is celebrating New Year’s with a night full of hits of yesteryear, featuring Bill Champlin (formerly of Chicago), Bradio, Imzadi and My So Called Band. There will be a giant ball drop at midnight and tickets include a champagne toast. bradytheater.com

Race Into the New Year Thurs., Dec. 31, 11 p.m., $10-$3, River West Festival Park Start running in 2015 and don’t stop until 2016 on this 5K and fun run at River West Festival Park. runnersworldtulsa.com

Crystal Ball

Blue Ox Crawl

Thurs., Dec. 31, 9 p.m., tickets start at $35, IDL Ballroom, Enso Bar, Electric Circus The sixth annual Crystal Ball is a shimmering New Year's masquerade party encompassing IDL Ballroom, Enso and Electric Circus. Local DJs will spin in all three clubs, where hundreds of balloons will drop at midnight. Guests will receive complimentary Venetian masks or are invited to bring their own. tulsacrystalball.com

Thurs., Dec. 31, $5-$85 Blue Ox Group offers a progressive celebration through all of their downtown bars and restaurants.

Count Tutu and Freakjuice at the Shrine Thurs., Dec. 31, 9 p.m. $10, The Venue Shrine If groove is what you’re looking for on NYE, The Shrine’s party will be tough to beat. Two full sets each of Freak Juice’s funk rock and Count Tutu’s afrobeat will have you shaking your moneymaker into 2016. tulsashrine.com

LEGENDS // DJ Mikey Bee spinning country tunes, photo booth and a balloon drop at midnight. $10 cover.

THE FUR SHOP // DJ Speedbump downstairs and live entertainment upstairs.

Champagne toast at midnight. $5 cover.

THE MAX RETROPUB // DJ P party favors, drink specialties with a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. $5 cover.

WHITE FLAG // Hosts an Orange Bowl party as the Sooners take on Clemsen at 3 p.m. Tons of give-aways and drink specials. White Flag will be open until 1 a.m. so you can get a bite after your NYE celebrations.

Skip all of the cover charges with one of several all-access passes. The $15 Crawler pass gets you into Legends, The Fur Shop and Max Retropub. VIP Party passes for $30 ($50 for couple) and All-Access VIP Party passes for $50 ($85 couple) are also available. facebook.com/blueoxcrawl

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

White Tie Night

Fassler NYE

Thurs., Dec. 31, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., $75, The Mayo Hotel The Mayo’s New Year celebration includes access to The Mayo’s Penthouse Rooftop Bar and Chrystal Ballroom, heavy hors d’oeuvres, music by DJ Brandon Olds from Dallas and a champagne toast at midnight.

Guests are encouraged to wear White Tie Attire. Individual tickets are $75, king room packages are $389 and suite packages are $489 and each come with two tickets to White Tie Night. themayohotel.com

Thurs., Dec. 31, Fassler Hall Sets from Paul Benjaman, Jacob Tovar and Wink Burcham will have you foot-stompin’ into 2016. fasslerhall.com

Commitment Day Festival and Fun Run Fri., Jan 1, 10 a.m., $25-$60, free for kids 12 and under Life Time Fitness, Bixby Start 2016 off on the right foot by joining thousands

of people at over 50 locations around the country for a 5K run.

There will also be a Polar Bear Plunge for the brave. commitmentday.com

Olive Drop Thurs., Dec. 31, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., tickets start at $45 Price Tower, Bartl esvill e Head to Bartlesville for a tradition you won’t find anywhere else in the world. To celebrate the new year, a massive olive drops from the top of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Price Tower into a giant martini glass. Tickets for the party are $45 and Price Tower is offering special New Year’s rates for rooms and suites. pricetower.org

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15th Annual New Year’s Eve Sobriety Powwow Thurs., Dec. 31, 12 p.m., Cox Business Center Celebrate the New Year with traditional Native dance contests, drums, a kids’ art contest and vendors. Free and open to the public. All drums are welcome. coxcentertulsa.com THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

FEATURED // 29

Architect of her own reality BRITNI HARRIS helms ambitious Bruce Goff doc

BY CLAIRE EDWARDS

Britni Harris filming her documentary on Bruce Goff | COURTESY

T

ulsa filmmaker Britni Harris would be the first to say she doesn’t know how to tell her own story.

“I hate talking about myself,” she tells me over drinks at Cellar Dweller. “I just feel like I’ve always been the listener, never the teller.”

But she has an idea of how to tell Bruce Goff ’s story. Harris, 23, has been working on a documentary about the famed Oklahoma architect for several years.

“I don’t think there is an exact correct way to tell someone’s story.

It’s almost impossible to tell a man’s life in an hour to two hours.

I like documentaries that hold a mirror to the audience, where they can see themselves, think about who they are as people, how they lead their lives.”

A self-described “fairy-child” brought up in the hot, thrumming backwoods of Oklahoma,

30 // ARTS & CULTURE

Harris has long been the architect of her own reality. “Growing up in the middle of nowhere, you have to create the world around you.”

After a recent gallery opening for her uncle, visual artist R.C. Morrison, the young filmmaker’s family praised Harris’s talent—a talent that rests comfortably in a family full of artists.

“It wellsprings back to our great-grandmother,” her cousin J.P. Morrison, also a visual artist, explained. “And our grandmother had a degree in interior design… and became passionate about fine arts after her kids left the nest.”

Harris’s mother is a teacher and graphic designer, and her father acts in local theatre productions in his spare time. A childhood among artists seems novel, especially for those raised in Oklahoma, but, for Harris, it was commonplace.

“Art has always just been a part of who I am,” Harris told me.

“I've never known anything else than to have strong female artists in my family.”

As a teenager, Harris attended a film camp for two summers in Virginia, but she didn’t find her niche until she worked with documentary filmmaker Ben Steinbauer (“Winnebago Man”).

Under his mentorship, she found her place, both as someone who values listening over speaking, but also as someone who didn’t feel comfortable enough in her own voice to tell her own stories.

“I remember there was a switch in my mind when I was working with Ben—I was just logging footage—where I realized I could do this. I could tell other people’s stories. I’m not the strongest writer out there… but I believe in other people’s stories and the impact they can have.”

While attending the University of Oklahoma, Harris applied for an internship with PBS in New York City.

“We held an interview over the phone—I was in my pajamas—They said, ‘oh, but you’re from Oklahoma, do you really think you could live in the city?’

I was like, ‘Here’s the deal, I am driven, and I was born to do bigger and better things than the stereotype you’re making me out to be.’ Then I told them that they needed to hire me.”

And they did.

Her final year at OU, Harris found a compelling documentary subject in architect Bruce Goff—himself an Oklahoma artist largely forgotten by all but a handful of rapidly aging architecture aficionados. She was imme-

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

Who is Bruce Goff?

Bruce Alonzo Goff (1904 – 1982) was a mid-century American architect, best known for his eccentric designs that flew in the face of conventional architecture.

Britni Harris | COURTESY

diately drawn to his story after discovering his famous Bavinger House—designed to look like a DNA helix—in Norman.

“It was this really weird spiral building in west Norman… It sung to me,” Harris remembers.

“It was weird, it was different, it wasn’t anything Oklahoman at all.

I was curious as to who the hell did this. It was a legacy that had been tormented and forgotten.”

When I asked what compelled her to learn more about Goff, she fell mute for a moment.

“You know…no one’s ever asked me that before,” she answers after a considered pause.

“He was interesting to me because he was an expansive creative in a hindering environment.

He couldn’t grow or share as much as he wanted. … In a way, I feel like it parallels with my life, being an Oklahoma filmmaker.”

Goff was known for his flamboyant designs, but he was also known for tailoring each design to a specific environment, to a specific client. He was both high-flying dreamer and hardnosed realist.

Harris presents her own collection of contradictions. She is young but old-souled, green but wise, comfortable in her own voice while still beating back the caterwauling of her own self-doubt.

Goff was a complex figure, almost as well-known for his alleged proclivity for underage boys as he is for his contributions

to the American architectural canon. Harris visibly bristles when I broach the subject.

“I don’t think I’ve learned enough about Goff to form a concrete position as to whether or not he was destructive,” she retorts. “I learned that no one’s perfect, all of us make bad decisions. It doesn’t matter what you do, but how the art you do impacts other people.”

In 2014, after she graduated from college, Harris shelved her Goff project and was swooped up by the local film industry. She began working full-time as a production assistant on the Food Network show “The Pioneer Woman.”

Harris outgrew the position and went on to work for an advertising agency in Tulsa, but, before long, she outgrew that position too. All the while, she was gaining experience as a freelancer and working with other filmmakers in the scene.

Oklahoma filmmaker Shane Brown was particularly encouraging.

“I remember talking to Shane, who I’d admired for so long,” Harris remembers. “Talking to him about the doc, and he was like ‘yeah if you need any help let me know,’ and I just didn’t really take him seriously… It wasn’t until he was like, ‘no, let’s fucking make this happen,’ that I was like oh, my God, someone else besides myself believes in this project and believes in me. ”

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

Heartened by Brown’s encouragement, Harris dove back into the project with a renewed vigor, researching and conducting interviews, often with no supporting crew.

This summer, her efforts culminated in a ten-day road trip to the West Coast, full of back-to-back interviews with Goff homeowners as well as some of his former students and colleagues. She hired a skeleton crew of Oklahoma filmmakers and artists: Shane Brown, Royce Sharp, Zack Gilpin, Scott Bell and Kaitlyn Owen.

In a white 15-passenger van, the crew of six careened from Kansas City to Colorado to Albuquerque, shacking up in roadside motels for a few hours each night before hitting the road again, back on the beat. They traversed the desert to emerge weather-beaten and sun-stroked in California, then ticked up the West Coast to spend one final night in Yosemite before high-tailing it back to their welcoming, humid Oklahoma.

“Honestly, that road trip gave me my voice as a filmmaker,” she says. “Before that, I was very nervous to power through the story and really take a hold of it. But once we took the road trip, it was on my shoulders to keep us going and keep driving.”

“Once we were there, at the end of it, I really felt like I had become a filmmaker with a voice and a story.” a

At age 12, he became an intern for an architectural firm in Tulsa, OK, eventually becoming a partner in the firm in 1930. Around this time, Goff and his high school art teacher Adah Robinson designed Tulsa’s Boston Avenue Methodist church.

In 1942, Goff accepted a teaching position at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Architecture. He proved to be a very popular professor— architectural students from across the country flocked to Norman with the hope of studying under him. This would prove to be his most professionally prolific period as well.

In 1955, Goff was forced to resign from his position at the University of Oklahoma after being accused of “endangering the morals of a minor,” though many historians believe he was actually forced from his position because of his homosexuality.

Following his break with the University of Oklahoma, Goff went on to build more flamboyant, singularly exuberant structures in Oklahoma and beyond, including the Pavilion for Japanese Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Though well regarded in his time by Frank Lloyd Wright and cited as an influence by both Frank Gehry and Philip Johnson, Goff never attained the same level of canonization in the architectural world.

Goff passed away on August 4, 1982. One of his former students, Grant Gustafson, designed his headstone.

ARTS & CULTURE // 31

onstage

United artists Arts Alliance Tulsa brings local organizations under one umbrella

by ALICIA CHESSER

T

hink the arts are just about entertainment? Arts Alliance Tulsa has some data that might make you think again.

Its mission is to help all of us — locally, regionally, and nationally — think in a new way about the impact the arts have on every layer of our lives.

Launched earlier this year, AAT is part of a national network of United Arts Funds, the first such organization in Tulsa, whose purpose is to provide financial and marketing support for local arts institutions. It works like a United Way, consolidating fundraising and publicity efforts into one organization with a rich knowledge of the cultural landscape.

AAT recently announced 39 local non-profit arts organizations it will serve in its inaugural campaign season by, among other things, giving grants of up to 30 percent of a group’s budget, providing marketing support, and attracting national attention (including that of major funders for whom Tulsa isn’t really on the radar) to the Tulsa arts scene. The list ranges from small groups to huge institutions and encompasses performing arts, visual arts, and historic venues, all thoroughly vetted in an intensive application process.

According to AAT’s executive director Todd Cunningham, Tulsa’s arts organizations represent more than $40 million in annual budgets and serve more than 1 million people every year.

Phil Lakin at the press conference announcing Arts Alliance Tulsa | COURTESY

“According to Americans for the Arts economic impact calculations, these numbers produce more than $62 million in revenue for the local economy, create more than 2000 jobs, and produce more than $6 million annually in state and local tax income [from ticket sales],” Cunningham says.

The arts in Tulsa have historically been funded mostly by individuals and foundations, often from the same sources again and again, but the corporate and workplace giving numbers max out at 5 percent.

That, he says, is not sustainable.

“Tulsa has been so fortunate that our founders and community leaders and citizens have supported the arts for going on a century,” he continues. “But we have to try to find new sources of revenue.

We need them desperately.”

According to Cunningham, when a city creates an arts fund

such as AAT, “the division of revenue on just the corporate and workplace giving level jumps from 5 percent to about 50 percent.”

But it’s not just the arts organizations that benefit. A 2003 study found that a community with a united arts fund has twice the revenue and net worth of one without.

Twice the revenue. That’s a potentially huge impact on the city as a whole, but also on member organizations. Theatre Pops director Meghan Hurley says she appreciates the accountability that AAT brings to the table. “It’s rewarding those of us who work really hard and continue to raise the level of excellence, but also keep good books,” she says.

Hurley reports that Theatre Pops is well aware of its economic contribution to the Tulsa community — “we spent over $50,000

this year in just paying local artists, musicians, union members, directors, and tech crew” — and believes that “AAT is going to help us continue to put on quality shows that sow right back into that community.”

For Deana McCloud, executive director of the Woody Guthrie Center, it’s the unity AAT brings that really matters. “Woody Guthrie certainly believed in the power of united voices creating positive changes in our world, and we know that being part of AAT will make each individual group stronger and the collective voice of all the arts in our community a force for positive growth.”

So what happens next?

“Now the work begins,” Cunningham laughs. Among other efforts underway, AAT has already launched several “arts sampler” packages, where a flat rate gets you tickets to several arts events from member groups (see page XX).

More than anything, though, AAT is about telling a more complete and vivid story of the arts in Tulsa.

“We’re hoping to prove with facts and hard data that what these artists are working so hard for in Tulsa is making a big difference beyond the creative and cultural greatness that it inspires,” Cunningham says. “That’s extremely important, but there are other elements we have to use to sell our story, not just as this esoteric wonderfulness we can enjoy or ignore if we want to.” a

2 0 15 -2 01 6 M E M B E R ORG ANIZAT IONS // 108 Contemporary, American Theatre Company, Arts & Humanities Council / Hardesty Arts Center, Chamber Music Tulsa, Choregus Productions, Circle Cinema, Clark Theatre, Fab Lab, Gilcrease Museum, Greenwood Cultural Center, Heller Theatre, Living Arts, Philbrook Museum, Pocket Full of Hope, Oklahoma Performing Arts, Sherwin Miller Museum, South Asian Performing Arts Foundation, Spotlight Theatre, The bART Center for Music, Theatre North, Theatre Pops, Theatre Tulsa, Tulsa Artists Coalition, Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Botanic Garden, Tulsa Camerata, Tulsa Children’s Chorus, Tulsa Children’s Museum, Tulsa Girls Art School, Tulsa Glass Blowing, Tulsa Historical Society, Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust, Tulsa Project Theatre, Tulsa Symphony, Tulsa Youth Symphony, Water Works, Woody Guthrie Center 32 // ARTS & CULTURE

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

UPCOMING DECEMBER

10–23 A CHRISTMAS CAROL

JANUARY

5-29 SHOW TIME: TULSA’S THEATERS OF YESTERYEAR

American Theatre Co.

11–20 THE NUTCRACKER

Tulsa Historical Society PAC Gallery

Tulsa Ballet

17–23 DREAMGIRLS IN CONCERT

15-24 A CHORUS LINE

Spinning Plates Productions

22–23 DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Celebrity Attractions

EastVillagetulsa.org

Theatre Tulsa

15 DAVID L. BOREN Tulsa Town Hall

16 DREAMS AND REVOLUTION Tulsa Symphony

17 RAGTIME FAMILY

Women’s Portraits

CONCERT with Donald Ryan

Tulsa Children’s Museum

22-23 OKMEA MUSIC FESTIVAL

Sophisticated Elegant

Oklahoma Music Educators

PAINTLESS DENT REPAIR, DOOR DINGS AND HAIL DAMAGE 815 E 3rd St • 918.269.6954 thehailfactor.com

918-810-5402 www.voulezvousboudoir.com

THE 6th Annual ART HUNT

8 17 E . T H I R D S T. 9 18 . 2 3 1. 4 5 9 2 T U L S A W I N E .C O M

“Hoover's Hunt”

Tuesday, December 22nd

STARTING JANUARY 2 GIROUARD VINES WILL BE OPEN SATURDAYS 3-9 AND FOR FIRST FRIDAYS FROM 5-8

818 East 3rd Street 918.895.6999

Family Preparty at

224 N. Main 918-599-9200 thehuntclubtulsa.com

THE NEXT CHAPTER IN TULSA DOWNTOWN LIVING

eastvillagebohemian.com

• Geothermal • 2 & 3 Bedroom

• Energy Efficient • Rooftop Terrace • 2 Car Garage • Custom Interiors

THE NEXT CHAPTER IN TULSA DOWNTOWN LIVING • Geothermal • 2 & 3 Bedroom

Follow the clues and take home one of 10 hidden scissortail paintings by Daniel Gulick in Tulsa’s annual holiday scavenger THE NEXT CHAPTER IN TULSA DOWNTOWN LIVING hunt for art while you support Animal Aid of Tulsa!

• Energy Efficient • Rooftop Terrace • 2 Car Garage • Custom Interiors

• Geothermal • 2 & 3 Bedroom

• Energy Efficient • Rooftop Terrace • 2 Car Garage • Custom Interiors

Bring your whole family to prepare for the art hunt and enjoy some ASAM (Awesome) Pizza at The Hunt Club Pre Party from 5-8pm!

Free Hot Chocolate for the kids!

colourblindorganicsalon.com 918.607.6441

This will be the last chance to enter the The Art Hunt 2015! Come to the pre party and bring a donation of Dog/Cat Food, metal water/ food dishes, toys, treats, bedding, hard rubber chews, milk bones, collars/leashes. You will get your Hoover's Hunt Pass Button and THE NEXT CHAPTER IN TULSA DOWNTOWN LIVING the first clue!

• Geothermal • 2 & 3 Bedroom

• Energy Efficient • Rooftop Terrace • 2 Car Garage • Custom Interiors

LIKE The Art Hunt on CONTACT and follow JoAnna Blackstock 918.260.2838 @thearthunt JoAnna Blackstock 918.260.2838 | Chinowth & Cohen REALTORS | jblackstock@cctulsa.com jblackstock@cctulsa.com on for more clues!

In Honor of Hoover:

Proudly benefitting:

Sponsored by:

®

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

ARTS & CULTURE // 33

JoAnna Blackstock

918.260.2838 | Chinowth & Cohen REALTORS® | jblackstock@cctulsa.com

JoAnna Blackstock

thehaps

Preview of artwork in the 2015 Art Hunt | DANIEL GULICK

The Art Hunt 2015: Hoover’s Hunt Tues., Dec. 22 facebook.com/thearthunt In 2010, local mural and tattoo artist Daniel Gulick began a tradition of hiding works of art around the city for sleuthing art fans to find. This year, Gulick will hide ten paintings around town and will post clues to their whereabouts on The Art Hunt’s Facebook page. It’s finders, keepers for the lucky hunters who track down the artworks. Gulick’s works have been featured on HGTV and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and chances are you’ve seen some of his murals around town, like the Waymon Tisdale mural in the Blue Dome District. This year’s hunt is named for Gulick’s late Great Dane, Hoover, and benefits Animal Aid Tulsa. In conjunction with the Hunt, Colour Studios Tattoo is accepting donations to Animal Aid through December 22.

The Hunt Club will host the Official Art Hunt Watch Party.

Dreamgirls In Concert

Thurs., Dec. 17 through Wed., Dec. 23 $20-$30, Liddy Doenges Theatre, PAC tulsapac.com Spinning Plates Productions presents the second in its series of Little Big Musicals, Dreamgirls In Concert. As with all entries in the series, the entire script and score of Dreamgirls will be performed in a concert setting. Based on the story of Motown and its performers, the original Broadway production won six Tony Awards and the 2006 movie adaptation won two Oscars.

This Little Big Musicals production is directed by Machele Miller Dill and the cast features Dionne White, LaToya Tillis, Briana Wright, Roderick Hudson and Nash Wayne McQuarters.

Warrior Sisters Presents: We Won’t Go Easy

Fri., Dec. 18, 7 p.m., warrior-sisters.org Welcome Table Community Center, Turley Art and activism merge in this event hosted by Warrior Sisters Tulsa, an organization that offers free self-defense education to women. The evening will feature visual and performance art

by Mia Wright, Phetote Mchairi, Cameron Dennis, Marianne Evans-Lombe, Joslyn Massad and Meg McKown.

Star Wars Day: The Force is Baking!

Fri., Dec. 18 Antoinette Baking Co., antoinettebakingco.com

May the pie be with us. Antoinette is celebrating the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with special treats like Wookie Pies, Bar2-D2s, Leia Sticky Buns, Clone Scones, Landonuts, C3POatmeal Ganache Pie and more delicious puns.

34 // ARTS & CULTURE

Prairie Holiday Tour

Sat., Dec. 19, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Prairie Artisan Ales prairieales.com Prairie hosts a special holiday tour, where you just might have a beer with St. Nick. Lone Wolf will be onsite and Prairie will have plenty of merchandise, perfect for stocking stuffers for your favorite beer lovers. Check Prairie’s Facebook for which beers will be available for samples.

Star Wars Party

Sun., Dec. 20, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Fur Shop, furshoptulsa.com The Force Awakens will have been open for two days, and we’ll all need to nerd out pretty seriously about it. So The Fur Shop is hosting this Star Wars-themed brunch. Lone Wolf will be serving brunch, and The Fur Shop will have themed drink specials, games and door prizes. Joshua The Artist will be selling original Star Wars paintings, and Ultimate Collectibles and Apparel will have collectibles and more.

Beauty and the Beast

Tues., Dec. 22 and Wed., Dec. 23 $25-$75Chapman Music Hall, PAC tulsapac.com Join bookworm beauty Belle on an adventure into a world of living, talking and, but of course, singing clocks and candelabras when Beauty and the Beast returns to the PAC for just three performances. The stage version of Disney’s “tale as old as time” has been seen by over 35 million people worldwide.

Celebrity Attractions brings the show back to Tulsa.

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

COURTESY

thehaps

Volunteer for Reading Partners readingpartners.org

Reading Partners need volunteers for Tulsa elementary schools.

Give one hour of your time and volunteer to help change a struggling reader’s life. Sign up at readingpartners.org or call 918-949-1979. Reading Partners is a national literacy nonprofit that works with under-resourced elementary schools to support students who are reading six months to two-and-a-half years below grade-level. Reading Partners’ research-validated curriculum has helped thousands of children master foundational reading skills.

COMEDY James Johann, Jose Sarduy, Dale Hilton // 12/30-1/2, , Loony Bin, $12.50$25, loonybincomedy.com/tulsa Soundpony Comedy Night // 12/28, 10:30 p.m., Soundpony, thesoundpony.com Soundpony Comedy Night // 12/28, 10:30 p.m., Soundpony, thesoundpony.com Sunday Night Stand Up // 12/27, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Hammered! A Drunk Improv Show // // 12/26, 10 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Premature NYE with Drew Welche // // 12/26, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Hypnotist Doug T // 12/26, 7:30 p.m., Loony Bin, $10, loonybincomedy.com/ tulsa Cian Baker says Laugh it up, Tulsa // 12/20, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com News Junkie // 12/19, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com T-Town Famous // 12/18, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com

Another Sketchy Christmas // 12/1712/19, 10 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $5-$10, comedyparlor.com Laughing Matter // 12/17, 8 p.m., Comedy Parlor, $10, comedyparlor.com Andy Woodhull, Mike Brody // // 12/16-12/19, , Loony Bin, $2-$10, loonybincomedy.com/tulsa

This is tobacco

marketing.

Kids who see it are more likely to smoke.

SPORTS TU Women’s Basketball vs East Carolina // 12/30, 7 p.m., Reynolds Center, $5 Tulsa Shootout // The four-day Tulsa Shootout is the biggest micro sprint racing event in the country, with around 1,000 participants. // 12/301/2, , Expo Square, $15-$20, free for kids, tulsashootout.com TU Men’s Basketball vs SMU // 12/29, 4 p.m., Reynolds Center, $15-$44 TU Men’s Basketball vs Northern Arizona University // 12/22, 7 p.m., Reynolds Center, $15-$44 Tulsa Oilers vs Wichita Thunder // 12/19, 6 p.m., BOK Center, $13-$73, bokcenter.com Tulsa Oilers vs Wichita Thunder // 12/18, 6 p.m., BOK Center, $13-$73, bokcenter.com

You may not notice, but they do.

Talk with your kids about tobacco – learn more at StopsWithMe.com.

For the most up-to-date listings, visit

thetulsavoice.com/calendar THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

ARTS & CULTURE // 35

Johnny Polygon | JEREMY CHARLES

CULT OF PERSONALITY Johnny Polygon wants to be your favorite artist // BY MITCH GILLIAM

36 // MUSIC

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

J

ohnny Polygon is a micro -manager. The emcee met my request for an interview by asking for this issue’s cover.

He then asked to move this article back to promote an upcoming show of his; asked to postpone his photo shoot so he could “cop some freshness,” (not liking the results of this first rescheduled shoot, he asked for a do-over) and after his excellent interview was conducted (during which I asked all of ten questions over an hour and a half; he’s a verbose micro-manager) he requested a second chat. Ever the salesman, Polygon had more to say about his product. Since what he’s hauling door to door is Johnny Polygon, this vice grip on his image is simple business acumen.

A one-time collaborator with Nas and Kid Cudi, Polygon fired his label in 2010. The move has only proved beneficial.

“The music industry never chewed me up and spit me out,” Polygon said. “But I just didn’t like not being in control of my life.”

The label’s marketing, Polygon said, was a blind shotgun blast.

They simply shot and hoped something hit. Now, Johnny is half a decade into his ultra-targeted approach.

“People don’t really buy music anymore, but they support their favorite musician,” he said. “So now the hunt and mission is to become people’s favorite f**king artist.”

For members of his “Johntourage,” Polygon may already be their favorite f**king artist. The group is a subscription-based VIP list, where fans fund Polygon’s records and tours while receiving special perks and updates. “The way you treat your fans; the people that give a shit about what you’re doing, that’s the most important part of the music world. Period.”

Receiving album funding directly from his fans (he’s known to say “my fans are my label,”) lends him a coveted artistic license. His content is influenced only by his vision, and albums are only released when he feels they’re ready. Those moving target release dates could be headaches for some, but Polygon makes sure to treat his “label” right. The march up to his latest album, I Love You, Goodnight, was

Johnny Polygon | MILES ROGOISH

fraught with missed deadlines.

The patience of his Johntourage was rewarded though, when the unannounced Water Damage EP was released exclusively to them.

Eventually released this past October, I Love You, Goodnight was clearly made by a man who answers only to his fans. Fortunately, those fans just ask that Polygon be Polygon.

The album is a mix of up-tempo bangers (like the Robyn-esque synth pop in “Dead Meat” and the apocalyptic thump of “King of Ashes”) and melancholic head-nodders. Piano keys kerplunk slowly into pools of thought, their ripples distorting Polygon’s somber reflections. Those reflections are delivered through Polygon’s trademark half-sung, half-rapped cadence. Polygon said response to the 13 tracks has been “unbelievable.” For the most part, he’s enjoyed that response first hand.

Without label support for touring, Johnny has “been on some punk rock shit.” He spent 200 out of the last 365 days in his tour bus and spent the time offstage connecting with his fans. Polygon locates cities dense with Johntourage members, routes his tours around them, and personally calls members when he’s on the way.

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

He knocked quite a few things off his “musician bucket list” when he was with the major labels: A song on Grand Theft Auto IV, A video in MTV’s top ten, a tour with legendary emcee Nas. For Polygon, playing to 20,000 of Nas’s fans was nothing compared to having twenty of his own scream every lyric to his set. “I felt like I skipped a step,” he said of his quick jump to the MTV spotlight. “Like, people were gonna like it, but only because they were told to like it. … That shit’s cool, but it doesn’t compare to a kid driving eight hours on a broken foot to see me.”

In addition to that painful road-trip, Polygon once had a fan take a three-day bus ride to catch his show. “She ended up going a full day in the wrong direction, but was still thoughtful enough to stop and buy me a bottle of perm!” he said. He also had an expecting grandmother skip out of a hospital while her daughter was in labor to watch him perform. “[This is] the type of stuff that wasn’t happening when I was on MTV.” This level of dedication was unimaginable for him when he first hit the road. Dealing with a lazy promoter on his first tour, he once

played a show to only a bartender and her baby. “I saw that as a challenge,” he said. “If I can keep this tiny baby’s attention, I can keep the attention of every person in the front row on Instagram.”

These experiences have humbled him, and made him appreciate his fans so much more.

Now, he’s giving fellow Oklahomans a taste of the humility that touring provides. “No one ever took me on tour, so I wanna do that,” he told me. This year he took Tulsa acts We Make Shapes and Verse (the only two guest artists featured on I Love You, Goodnight) on the road. In the past, he’s featured Stillwater’s Deerpeople as his backing band. His generosity is admirable, but he’s careful in who he selects to help. “I’ll open the door for someone with their hands full, but I’ll shut the door on someone with their hands out.”

When the January 2007 North American Ice Storm hit Tulsa, electricity was cut to large chunks of the city. “People had no power…they couldn’t even cook eggs!” he exclaimed. “But through snowstorms and sicknesses, they still came to a Johnny Polygon show.” That level of hometown love is one of the reasons Polygon keeps his Tulsa shows free. His upcoming show (for which he asked us to postpone this piece) will be a free blowout at Yeti on December 19 called “Chronikuh: A Johnny Polygon Christmas.”

The show will revolve around not only the holidays, but also Polygon’s favorite plant.

With his calculated image and awareness of fan expectations, Polygon hopes to spend even more of next year on the road.

Although he’s humble enough to give his all for just a baby in the audience, Polygon hasn’t lowered his rock-star ambitions.

“When I make it big, my riders are gonna be crazy,” he said.

If you work for a certain level of success, he explained, you shouldn’t be ashamed to capitalize on it. “It’s like, you gotta go back to high school and f**k the chick you always wanted to,” he told me through his trademark laugh.

Polygon let his chuckle subside and looked down at his drink for a moment, then shot back “…even if she did get fat!” a MUSIC // 37

Playing for Peanuts

musicnotes

by MATT CAUTHRON

Gogo Plumbay to put its distinct spin on a holiday classic

2nd Annual “Charlie Brown Christmas” with Gogo Plumbay Special opening set

by Desi & Cody 7 p.m., Dec. 20 Fassler Hall, 304 S. Elgin Tickets: $12 in advance; $15 day of show

Cody Brewer and Nicholas Foster of Grazzhopper | RANDY ROBERTS

All that Grazz

New EP from Cody Brewer’s Grazzhopper is full of surprises

G

razzhopper, the Tulsa band led by banjo-wielding singer-songwriter Cody Brewer, is a perfect example of the futility of labels in music.

You may come to the band’s eponymous debut release with certain expectations. The name of the band contains a play on the word “grass.” The front-man plays a banjo. It’s not unreasonable to imagine the album would be one big picking-and-grinning bluegrass hootenanny.

The short answer: It’s not. It’s much fresher and more satisfying than that. Brewer’s songs pull off the magic trick of weaving a bluegrass sensibility throughout a collection of well-crafted songs that would work in the confines of most any musical genre. In the process, Brewer and company create a totally unique hybrid.

“Bluegrass is a huge influence on me,” Brewer said. “The ‘new-grass’ movement, from Bela Fleck to Sam Bush to the Punch Brothers—people who push that boundary between progressive and traditional—I admire that.

“But with these songs, this record, it just kind of came out 38 // MUSIC

the way it did. I don’t really know what you’d call it. Call it Grazz.”

Recorded mostly at The Church Studio, the 5-song EP was produced by Cody Clinton and engineered by Costa Stasinopoulos. It features Brewer on lead vocals and banjo, Clinton on guitar, Jordan Hehl on bass, Nicholas Foster on drums and Adrienne Gilley on accompanying vocals. Andrew Bones lends opening track “Someday” a charming melodic boost with his work on the bells, and Desirae Roses-Clinton adds a down-home vocal flavor to “Everybody Needs,” by far the album’s most traditional take on bluegrass.

From song to song, Brewer and company subvert tradition and expectation, tapping into the spirit of bluegrass but applying that spirit in ways that are unpredictable and completely familiar all at once. Ultimately, with this album Grazzhopper achieves something all music should aspire to: They manage to surprise you. And that makes listening to music fun.

Whatever label you want to slap on it—bluegrass or new-grass or just plain Grazz—listening to

Grazzhopper is fun. What else do you need to know? a

Grazzhopper Grazzhopper Available at iTunes, Amazon and select local retailers.

Ugly sweaters, tasty beers

Cody Brewer, Cody Clinton and Dylan Layton will perform as Grazzhopper Trio at Marshall Brewing’s inaugural Ugly Sweater Party on Dec. 18. Food will be available from Mr. Nice Guys tacos and the brewery will offer beer specials to those in festive attire. Music starts at 6 p.m. at Marshall Brewing Co., 618 S. Wheeling.

The genre-defying jazz(ish) group Gogo Plumbay will continue a young Tulsa holiday tradition on Dec. 20 at Fassler Hall with the 2nd Annual “Charlie Brown Christmas” party. Video of the classic Peanuts special will play on a giant screen on stage while the group plays its own interpretations of Vince Guaraldi’s iconic score to accompany the visuals.

“We wanted to retain Guaraldi’s themes and ideas while bending stylistically to the Gogo Plumbay universe,” guitarist Chris Combs said of the arrangements the band developed for the show. “We left a lot of room for improvisation and interpretation.

Corey is playing organ—in place of traditional piano—and in many places the material has taken on a grooving, almost R&B feel. We feel like we’ve struck a good balance between retaining the classic content and offering enough of an update to make it exciting for everyone.”

Advance tickets are available, and organizers are accepting donations to buy a Christmas gift for the YMCA of Tulsa’s Camp Takatoka. Everyone who makes a donation will be entered to win one of several prizes, including $100 McNellie’s Group gift cards, dinner for four at Biga restaurant, a hotel stay and tickets to the New Year’s Eve show at Cain’s Ballroom. Buy advance tickets or make a donation at the event’s page at eventbrite. com. (Google “eventbrite gogo plumbay.”)

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

MUSIC // 39

musiclistings Wed // Dec 16 Brady Theater – The Edge Christmas Concert w/ Of Monsters and Men. Walk the Moon, X Ambassadors – 7:30 p.m. – (SOLD OUT) Cimarron Bar – Harry Williams and Friends Crow Creek Tavern – The Petunias Mix Co – Mike Cameron Collective plays Cannonball Adderley’s Fiddler on the Roof – 9 p.m.

On the Rocks – Don White – 7 p.m.

Soundpony – Masterhand, Sensitive Southside Boy – 10 p.m.

The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project Tin Dog Saloon – Open Mic/Jam – 8:30 p.m.

The Venue Shrine – Afroman – 8 p.m. – ($8-$10)

Thurs // Dec 17 Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Cain’s Ballroom – Mt. Eden – 8 p.m. – ($12-$18) Cimarron Bar – Billy Snow Enso – Casii Stephan – 8 p.m.

Fur Shop – Songwriter Night w/ Adrienne Gilley & The Stuffs – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Runnin’ On Empty – 8 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Phil Vaught – 7 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Ellison – 3 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - The Joint – Donny & Marie – ($85-$95) Mercury Lounge – John Moreland – 10 p.m.

River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Hi-Fidelics – 7 p.m.

Soundpony – I’d Die for Lo-Fi – 10 p.m.

The Colony – Honky Tonk Happy Hour w/ Jacob Tovar The Venue Shrine – Bringing Real R&B Back Live Revue w/ J Friday – 8 p.m. – ($5-$10) Woody’s Corner Bar – Ben Neikirk

Fri // Dec 18 Cain’s Ballroom – Texas Hippie Coalition, DRYVR, Southern Lush, 3eighty3 – 7:30 p.m. – ($15-$18) Centennial Lounge – Travis Fite Birthday Bash – 9 p.m.

Cimarron Bar – Midnight Run Band – 9:30 p.m.

Cimarron Bar – Jimmy Blythe and The midnight Run Crow Creek Tavern – RPM Four Aces Tavern – 50 Whiskey Fur Shop – Rockabilly Christmas Bash – 7 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Superfreak – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Scott Ellison – 5:30 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Two Tons of Steel – 10 p.m.

Pepper’s Grill - South – Jennifer Marriott Band – 8:30 p.m.

River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Uninvited Guests – 9 p.m.

Soundpony – Afistaface – 10:30 p.m.

The Colony – Chris Combs & The Dirty Warriors The Venue Shrine – PM Dawn – 8 p.m. – ($10) Vanguard – Heavy Holiday Showcase w/ Chainmail, Senior Fellows, Reigns, Holy Void – 8 p.m. – ($5) Woody’s Corner Bar – DJ Mikey Bee

Sat // Dec 19 727 Club – Scott Ellison – 9:30 p.m.

Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Cain’s Ballroom – John Fullbright, Wink & Ali, Kyle Reid – 8 p.m. – ($10-$25) Centennial Lounge – Bull Finger – 9 p.m.

Cimarron Bar – Amped – 9 p.m.

40 // MUSIC

Ed’s Hurricane Lounge – Liquid Static – 3 p.m.

Four Aces Tavern – The Truck Stop Betties Fur Shop – The Reckoners & Watson – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – FM Live – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Jay Falkner Duo – 5:30 p.m.

Lucky’s on the Green – Adrienne Gilley – 6:30 p.m.

Magoo’s – Rocket Science Mercury Lounge – The Hooten Hallers – 10 p.m.

River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Uninvited Guests – 9 p.m.

Sandite Billiards & Grill – Jason Eady – 7 p.m.

Sandite Billiards & Grill – Jason Eady Soul City – Dan Martin – 8 p.m.

Soundpony – Poolboy, The Fabulous Minx – 10 p.m.

The Colony – Brujoroots & David’s Bandana The Venue Shrine – Yojimbo – 9 p.m. – ($5-$10) Vanguard – Holiday Jam & Toy Drive w/ Grind, Severmind, Enslaved by Fear, Deacon, DJ Young Gator – 8:30 p.m. – ($8) Woody Guthrie Center – Phil Ochs’ 75th Birthday Celebration – 2 p.m.

Woody’s Corner Bar – Lucky

Sun // Dec 20 Cain’s Ballroom – Robert Earl Keen’s Merry Christmas from the Fam-O-Lee, Doyle and Debbie – 8 p.m. – ($23-$38) Crow Creek Tavern – The Fingers Dirty Knuckle Tavern – The Blue Dawgs – 3 p.m.

East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective – 5 p.m.

Fassler Hall – Gogo Plumbay play A Charlie Brown Christmas – 7 p.m. – ($12-$15) Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Dr. Joey Crutcher & The Gospel Workshop of America – 5 p.m. – ($5-$20) Soundpony – Tul$axWorld – 10 p.m.

The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing

Mon // Dec 21 Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective – 9 p.m.

Juniper Restaurant & Martini Lounge – Dean DeMerritt, Stephanie Oliver and Frank Brown The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night

Fri // Dec 25 Crow Creek Tavern – Dan and Cody Martin Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Justin Smith Band – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Pat Cook – 10 p.m.

River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Jumpshots – 9 p.m.

Yeti – Gift Raps 2 – 9 p.m.

Sat // Dec 26 Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Bull & Bear Tavern – Dean DeMerritt’s Jazz Tribe w/ Mike Cameron play Hank Mobley’s “Soul Station” Cain’s Ballroom – The Turnpike Troubadours – 8:30 p.m. – ($35-$50) Cimarron Bar – The Addiction Crow Creek Tavern – Curt Hill Fassler Hall – Hosty Duo – 10:30 p.m.

Four Aces Tavern – David Thayer Fur Shop – Damion Shade, Mike Gilliland – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Great Big Biscuit – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Stars – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Uncrowned Kings – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Nick Gibson – 7 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – The Hi-Fidelics – 5:30 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – The Hi-Fidelics – 5:30 p.m.

Lennie’s Club – David Dover – 9 p.m.

Lucky’s on the Green – Joe Baxter & Friends – 6:30 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – Levi Parham – 10 p.m.

River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – The Jumpshots – 9 p.m.

Soundpony – DJ Sweet Baby Jaysus – 10:30 p.m.

The Colony – Paul Benjaman, Gogo Plumbay The Venue Shrine – Xmas Booty Plunder w/ Jack Ketch & The Bilge Rat Bastards, Machine in the Mountain, Joint Effect, Delay the Day – 9 p.m. – ($5-$7) Vanguard – My So Called Band’s Holiday Jam – 10 p.m. – ($10) Woody’s Corner Bar – SquadLive

On the Rocks – Don White – 7 p.m.

The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project Tin Dog Saloon – Open Mic/Jam – 8:30 p.m.

Vanguard – Elephant Revival – 8 p.m. – ($15$18)

Thurs // Dec 31 Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Cain’s Ballroom – Randy Rogers Band, Adam Hood, Prophets and Outlaws – 9:30 p.m. – ($30-$45) Cimarron Bar – Evil Twin Crow Creek Tavern – RPM Fur Shop – New Year’s Eve Bash at The Fur Shop – 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Cabin Creek – Chad Lee – 8 p.m.

Lennie’s Club – David Dover – 9 p.m.

Mercury Lounge – The Electric Rag Band – 10 p.m.

River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Mars Hill Band – 9 p.m.

Sandite Billiards & Grill – Brandon Clark and The Big Rig The Colony – Steve Pryor Band The Max Retropub – NYE at The Max – 9 p.m.

– ($5) Vanguard – New Year’s Eve All-Ages Party – 8 p.m. – ($15) Woody’s Corner Bar – Drive

Fri // Jan 1 Cain’s Ballroom – Hangover Ball – 8 p.m. – ($20-$40) Pepper’s Grill - South – Jennifer Marriott Band The Colony – Erin O’Dowd Band, The Gospel Flatts River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Mars Hill Band – 9 p.m.

Sat // Jan 2

Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Night – 7 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino - Riffs – Audio Crush – 7 p.m.

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams – 5:30 p.m.

Crow Creek Tavern – The Fingers Dirty Knuckle Tavern – The Blue Dawgs – 3 p.m.

East Village Bohemian Pizzeria – Mike Cameron Collective – 5 p.m.

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Sweney, Campbell & Glazer – 5 p.m. – ($5-$20) The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing

Billy and Renee’s – Gutter Villain, Trip C, Had Enough, Earl Hazard – 8 p.m.

Bull & Bear Tavern – Dean DeMerritt w/ Shelby Eicher Mike Cameron and Scott McQuade Cimarron Bar – Rocket Science – 9:30 p.m.

Hunt Club – FM Pilots The Colony – Green Corn Rebellion Woody’s Corner Bar – Born in November River Spirit Casino - 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar – Mars Hill Band – 9 p.m.

Wed // Dec 23

Mon // Dec 28 Hodges Bend – Mike Cameron Collective – 9 p.m.

Juniper Restaurant & Martini Lounge – Dean DeMerritt’s and Frank Brown The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night

Sun // Jan 3

Cimarron Bar – Harry Williams and Friends Dusty Dog Pub – Scott Ellison Band – 8:30 p.m.

Mix Co – Mike Cameron Collective – 9 p.m.

On the Rocks – Don White – 7 p.m.

Soundpony – Jam Econo – 10:30 p.m.

The Colony – Tom Skinner’s Science Project Tin Dog Saloon – Open Mic/Jam – 8:30 p.m.

Tues // Dec 22

Thurs // Dec 24 Boom Boom Room – DJ MO Crow Creek Tavern – Charlie redd Soundpony – A Christmas Miracle with DJ Yule Log – 10 p.m.

The Colony – An Evening with Jared Tyler

Sun // Dec 27

Tue // Dec 29 Brady Theater – Black Label Society – 8 p.m. – ($28) Gypsy Coffee House – Open Mic Night – 7 p.m.

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame – Depot Jazz and Blues Jams – 5:30 p.m.

The Colony – Paul Benjaman’s Sunday Nite Thing

Mon // Jan 4 Juniper Restaurant & Martini Lounge – Dean DeMerritt and Frank Brown The Colony – Singer/Songwriter Night

Tues // Jan 5 The Colony – Mike Cameron Collective

Wed // Dec 30 Cimarron Bar – Harry Williams and Friends Crow Creek Tavern – The Petunias Mix Co – Mike Cameron Collective – 9 p.m.

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

ART GALLERY & BAR

BILLIARDS

& BAR

Jude FRI 12/18 Christine & Chris Brown Babies SAT 12/19 December Birthday Party

TUE 12/22 Free Comedy Show FRI 12/25 Christmas Potluck SAT 12/26

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w/ Steven Brothers $5 Cover

SUNDAY’S Live Acoustic Set MONDAY’S Karaoke Night 9pm-close WEDNESDAY’S Whiskey Wednesday & Trivia Night @ 8pm THURSDAY’S Karaoke @ 9pm & Ladies Night Free Miller Lite & $2 Shot Specials

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THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

MUSIC // 41

filmphiles

Adam Scott in “Krampus” | COURTESY

Wholesome and profane

‘Krampus’ offers holiday horror; plus Joe’s favorite films of Christmas past

by JOE O’SHANSKY

I

n 17th century Germanic lore, Krampus is something of the bad cop to Santa’s good cop. A towering hunchback—cloven-hoofed and horned—he’s a demonic perversion of St. Nick, who carries a sack not to bring gifts, but to kidnap misbehaving children and banish them to eternal exile in Hell. Or worse.

Germans were a cheery bunch back then.

Amidst the subversive cinematic traditions of Yuletide

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

42 // FILM & TV

fear, from “Silent Night, Deadly Night” to “Rare Exports,” writer/director Michael Dougherty’s atmospheric and fun second feature film “Krampus” stands memorably apart.

Set in American suburbia, the movie introduces us to Tom and Sarah (Adam Scott and Toni Collette), the thirty-something parents of two kids, Max and Beth (Emjay Anthony and Stefania LaVie Owen). It’s two days before Christmas and the clan (including Tom’s aging German mother, played by Krista Stadler) are expecting a visit from Sarah’s sister, Linda (Allison Tolman) and her side of the family—military fetishist husband Howard (Dave Koechner) and their children, Stevie, Jordan, and Howie Jr.—who inadvertently arrive with their unannounced and unwelcome Aunt Dorothy (long-time rowdy character actress Conchata Ferrell).

Max has written a heartfelt letter full of Christmas wishes, bound for the North Pole, which is stolen and read at the dinner table by one of his incorrigible cousins, who mercilessly mocks

him for still believing in Santa Claus. After a fight, the dejected Max tears the letter to pieces, tossing it into the frosty night, where it’s borne on the wind with unnerving purpose, and instantly kick starts a raging blizzard. The power goes out. Creepy looking snowmen sprout from nowhere.

Because that’s not weird at all, the clueless Tom and Sarah let their daughter Beth venture up the street in search of her boyfriend.

When she doesn’t return, Tom and Howard go out after her—finding instead a frozen limbo filled with inexplicable horrors.

Dougherty (with co-writers Todd Casey and Jack Shields) has crafted a Joe Dante-esque, often unapologetically dark family horror film. Dougherty has played in this realm before, specifically in his modern cult-classic, the Halloween anthology “Trick ‘r Treat.”

He has a creative knack for reinventing pagan folklore, rendering those myths in often imaginative ways with a clear love of classic ‘80s horror.

With cinematographer Jules O’Loughlin (“Sanctum”) and an

inspired creature FX and art design team, as well as a lovely score by long-time composer Douglas Pipes, Dougherty captures some truly surreal and frightening moments of desolate tension, while imperfectly balancing the horror with a semi-comedic family drama—early on, the film feels like a bland version of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” with Koechner’s Howard recalling Randy Quaid’s Uncle Eddie.

Most everyone is playing it straight here, and they shine most when the tension is on, but the great disappointment of the movie is watching a cast of so many talented comedic actors wrestle with material that’s not particularly funny. Koechner seems to strike the truest chord between funny and serious (whilst shot-gunning murderous gingerbread man cookies).

Dougherty is better at eliciting scares than laughs, but the film’s initial awkwardness quickly smooths itself out when the chills kick in. Once they do, “Krampus” consistently ascends into an improbably wild, endearing, and often memorably creepy ride. a

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

Nostalgic Classics We all have our favorite Christmas films. There’s an inherent nostalgia to them that reminds us of the nascent joy we felt for the season as children.

Movies like “A Christmas Story” are still a comfortable joy to be shared. For children, it captures the magical fantasy of Christmas while being grounded in a familiar reality—the desperate wishing, the dysfunctional parents, the promise of Santa from afar and the disappointment of him up close. But watching it now, the film is arguably richer, revealing a subtle sarcasm you never quite noticed or fully appreciated as a child.

Thankfully, the vacuum created by that loss of innocence is replaced with a deeper, more adult appreciation for the wholesome—and the profane. But then, I always preferred the latter.

“Bad Santa” (2003) In a Christmas movie for misanthropes, Billy Bob Thornton plays a “Leaving Las Vegas”-level alcoholic reprobate who seasonally works as a thief, using his job as a shopping mall Santa to rob retailers with his elven sidekick (the late Tony Cox). Thornton’s Santa is redeemed (sort of) by a sexy barmaid (Lauren Graham) with a Santa fetish and the world’s most hapless Latchkey kid. Unapologetically rude, explicit, mean-spirited and un-PC, “Bad Santa” somehow winds up being amiably satisfying. As the nebbish mall manager, John Ritter, in his final live-action role, steals every scene he’s in.

“Scrooge” (1970) This formalist, musical adaptation of the oft-told holiday staple stars Albert Finney as the miser Ebenezer Scrooge and a preStar Wars Alec Guinness as his ghostly former partner Jacob Marley. The ornate and textured production design, catchy songs (I still sing “Thank You Very Much” to myself on occasion) and delightfully unhinged performance from Finney, while dated as hell, are framed in a gauzy, glowing sumptuousness that captures the look of Christmas like only the British can.

On top of that, it’s dark. Like, dancing-on-coffins dark. It’s no wonder I turned out this way.

“A Christmas Story” (1983) There’s a reason this gets played for 24 hours straight on cable.

It’s arguably the perfect Christ-

mas movie. Director Bob Clark (whose ironic credits include “Porky’s” and the gritty slasher favorite, “Black Christmas”) channels the spirit of the season, crafting an endlessly entertaining comedy that somehow captures the innocence of the era without, as if by a miracle, the cloying sentimentalism, thanks to its subtle satire. The cast is great. The tone is affectionately comforting. You’ll never lick a frozen flagpole again. And don’t forget to drink your Ovaltine.

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FREE IT ’S L E G A L

“A Serbian Film” (2010)

T IL L

Just kidding. Unless you really want to ruin things. Google it, though.

“Die Hard” (1988) Between the comedies, horror films, and morality plays (aren’t they all?) there has to be room for John McClane killing the shit out of terrorists. One of the greatest action films ever made, this Irwin Allen-inspired high-rise thriller finds an ex-cop on the outs with his wife, trapped in an L.A. skyscraper with a group of militarized, professional thieves who hold her Christmas party hostage. It’s a stone cold classic that changed action movies forever and made Bruce Willis a bona fide star—while also being a depressing harbinger of the “good guy with a gun” fantasies of 2015. Ho, ho, ho.

“The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!” (1976) I watched this on a dare years ago, and it’s stuck with me ever since. This strange, mid‘70s Russian propagandist “holiday” film (at over three hours) finds a group of friends getting catastrophically drunk at the public bath. Pavlik is supposed to fly to Leningrad, but when he passes out, along with co-reveler Zhenya, their shitfaced cohorts put Zhenya on the plane instead. Owing to the uniformity of Soviet-era apartments, Zhenya thinks he’s going home to his fiancée to celebrate the New Year, and believes that until the real tenant, Nadya, arrives. What follows is an oddly charming romantic comedy-of-errors with a one-ofa-kind soundtrack, and retro-surreal performances. A total product of its time that improbably captures the spirit of Christmas in a place where it actually wasn’t allowed to exist. a

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

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FILM & TV // 43

popradar

Krysten Ritter in “Jessica Jones” | COURTESY

Marvel noir The murky world of ‘Jessica Jones’

by LANDRY HARLAN

J

essica Jones is not a household name. The character first appeared in the comic book Alias, created by Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos. Her superpowers are super strength, hardly a unique ability. Yet, for a character without much recognition in and out of the Marvel Universe, “Jessica Jones” series creator Melissa Rosenberg has crafted her into a riveting lead.

This year’s “Daredevil” series— like “Jones,” a Netflix production—eschewed Marvel’s typically glossy, expansive cinematic universe for the gritty intimacy of a street-level crime drama. “Jones” builds on this aesthetic, crafting a noir detective story that goes even darker than “Daredevil.” The opening credits reflect the tone: shadowy specters slip in and out of New York City’s dark alleys.

In the last frame, the omniscient onlooker is revealed to be the anti-heroine herself, Jessica Jones.

The opening’s graphic novel etchings, tense jazz, and harsh lighting might conjure memories of Frank Miller’s “Sin City,” but Rosenberg

44 // FILM & TV

answers Miller’s (and the genre’s) lazy misogyny with an energized feminist subtext.

Jessica is played by Krysten Ritter, best known as Jesse’s girlfriend Jane in “Breaking Bad.” Jane was a damaged girl, struggling with vices and a dark past. Jessica suffers similar pains, but with a stark difference the show tackles with a sensitive but pointed critique: sexual assault (more on that in a bit).

Jessica is a freelance private investigator who runs Alias Investigations out of her crumbling Hell’s Kitchen apartment. PTSD leads to insomnia and insomnia leads to nights spent behind street corners snapping photos of cheating husbands. In the premiere, she’s hired by a Nebraska couple to investigate the disappearance of their daughter. An interview with a former roommate reveals that she ran off under the sway of a man with whom Jessica shares a past: Kilgrave.

Kilgrave (menacingly played by the Tenth Doctor himself, David Tennant) is one of the most terrifying TV villains in recent memory. Marvel’s typical villains often

flail in their grandiosity; destroying the world is a rather impersonal and boring endgame. Kilgrave’s evils are much more intimate, and thus all the more disturbing.

His power is mind-control, which he uses to obtain all his desires whether it’s a dinner reservation, fine wine, or a woman’s body.

In flashbacks, we learn Kilgrave used his power to abuse Jessica. The assault is never shown, but the struggle to heal is. Rosenberg treats the physical act of rape and the psychological trauma it causes Jessica with a brutal honesty unusual for a socalled “comic book” show.

Rosenberg nails the thrilling detective mystery at the heart of the show’s plot. Unfortunately, the momentum is squandered on lackluster developments outside of it; the show is too narrowly focused on Jessica and Kilgrave to make any of the subplots resonate.

A side story involving Jessica’s boss (Carrie-Anne Moss) in an affair with her secretary attempts maximum drama with minimal time spent. Jessica’s relationship with fellow Marvel hero Luke

Cage (Mike Colter) has sparks but avoids anything deeper. It feels like the main purpose of Cage and Jessica’s friend, the future “Hellcat” Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor), is to build interest for future offshoot shows (“Luke Cage” premieres on Netflix next year).

“Jones” also takes a few too many pages out of the Christopher Nolan playbook. Gritty realism admittedly helps remove some of the fantastical from the superhero genre. Still, when used constantly it becomes punishing. Jones’s heavy subject matter could use more moments of levity and humor.

Even if you’re not a Marvel connoisseur, “Jessica Jones” is a worthy investment. For better or worse, it’s the superhero show for people who don’t care about the superhero genre. No knowledge is needed about the Marvel Universe or even comic books in general. What is required is attentive viewing and a willingness to peer into the brutality of trauma. Flaws aside, in the male-dominated world of serial television, this kind of female-centric storytelling isn’t just welcome, it’s vital. a

December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

free will astrology

by ROB BREZSNY

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21):

Garnets are considered less valuable than diamonds. But out in the wild, there’s an intimate connection between these two gemstones.

Wherever you find garnets near the surface of the earth, you can be reasonably sure that diamonds are buried deeper down in the same location. Let’s use this relationship as a metaphor for your life, Sagittarius. I suspect you have recently chanced upon a metaphorical version of garnets, or will do so soon. Maybe you should make plans to search for the bigger treasure towards which they point the way.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ready for the Cool Anger Contest? You can earn maximum points by expressing your dissatisfaction in ways that generate the most constructive transformations. Bonus points will be awarded for your ability to tactfully articulate complicated feelings, as well as for your emotionally intelligent analyses that inspire people to respond empathetically rather than defensively. What are the prizes? First prize is a breakthrough in your relationship with an ally who could be crucial to your expansion in 2016. Second prize is a liberation from one of your limiting beliefs.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A fourth-century monk named Martin was a pioneer wine-maker in France. He founded the Marmoutier Abbey and planted vineyards on the surrounding land. According to legend, Martin’s donkey had a crucial role in lifting viticulture out of its primitive state. Midway through one growing season, the beast escaped its tether and nibbled on a lot of the grapevines. All the monks freaked out, fearing that the crop was wrecked. But ultimately the grapes grew better than they had in previous years, and the wine they produced was fabulous. Thus was born the practice of pruning, which became de rigueur for all grape-growers. What’s your equivalent of Martin’s donkey, Aquarius? I bet it’ll exert its influence very soon.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important,” said educator John Dewey. If that’s true, Pisces, you are on the verge of having your deepest urge fulfilled more than it has in a long time. The astrological alignments suggest that you are reaching the peak of your value to other people. You’re unusually likely to be seen and appreciated and acknowledged for who you really are. If you have been underestimating your worth, I doubt you will be able to continue doing so. Here’s your homework: Take a realistic inventory of the ways your life has had a positive impact on the lives of people you have known.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Neanderthals were a different human species that co-existed with our ancestors, homo sapiens, for at least 5,000 years. But they eventually died out while our people thrived. Why? One reason, says science writer Marcus Chown, is that we alone invented sewing needles.

Our newborn babies had well-made clothes to keep them warm and healthy through frigid winters. Neanderthal infants, covered with ill-fitting animal skins, had a lower survival rate. Chown suggests that although this provided us with a mere one percent survival advantage, that turned out to be significant. I think you’re ready to find and use a small yet ultimately crucial edge like that over your competitors, Aries.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Artist Robert Barry created “30 Pieces,” an installation that consisted of pieces of paper on which he had typed the following statement: “Something which is very near in place and time, but not yet known to me.” According to my reading of the astrological omens, this theme captures the spirit of the phase you’re now entering. But I think it will evolve in the coming weeks. First it’ll be “Something which is very near in place and time, and is becoming known to me.” By mid-January it could turn into “Something which is very near and dear, and has become known to me.”

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is uncanny, wild, and lawless.” Greek philosopher Plato wrote that in his book The Republic, and I’m bringing it to your attention just in time for your Season of Awakening and Deepening

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

NOVICE

Desire. The coming days will be a time when you can, if you choose, more fully tune in to the uncanny, wild, and lawless aspects of your primal yearnings. But wait a minute!

I’m not suggesting you should immediately take action to gratify them. For now, just feel them and observe them. Find out what they have to teach you. Wait until the new year before you consider the possibility of expressing them.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Congratulations!

You have broken all your previous records for doing boring tasks that are good for you.

In behalf of the other eleven signs, I thank you for your heroic, if unexciting, campaign of self-improvement. You have not only purified your emotional resources and cleared out some breathing room for yourself, but you have also made it easier for people to help you and feel close to you. Your duty has not yet been completed, however. There are a few more details to take care of before the gods of healthy tedium will be finished with you. But start looking for signs of your big chance to make a break for freedom. They’ll arrive soon.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The English word “fluke” means “lucky stroke.” It was originally used in the game of billiards when a player made a good shot that he or she wasn’t even trying to accomplish. Later its definition expanded to include any fortuitous event that happens by chance rather than because of skill: good fortune generated accidentally. I suspect that you are about to be the beneficiary of what may seem to be a series of flukes, Leo. In at least one case, though, your lucky break will have been earned by the steady work you’ve done without any fanfare.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You may not have to use a literal crowbar in the coming weeks, but this rough tool will serve you well as a metaphor. Wherever you go, imagine that you’ve got one with you. Why? It’s time to jimmy open glued-shut portals . . . to pry loose mental blocks . . . to coax unyielding influences to budge . . . to nudge intransigent people free of their fixations. Anything that is stuck or jammed needs to get unstuck or unjammed through the power of your willful intervention.

MASTER

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to consort with hidden depths and unknown riches. In every way you can imagine, I urge you to go deeper down and further in. Cultivate a more conscious connection with the core resources you sometimes take for granted.

This is one time when delving into the darkness can lead you to pleasure and treasure.

As you explore, keep in mind this advice from author T. Harv Eker: “In every forest, on every farm, in every orchard on earth, what’s under the ground creates what’s above the ground. That’s why placing your attention on the fruits you have already grown is futile. You can’t change the fruits that are already hanging on the tree. But you can change tomorrow’s fruits. To do so, you will have to dig below the ground and strengthen the roots.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the coming weeks, the pursuit of pleasure could drain your creative powers, diminish your collaborative possibilities, and wear you out. But it’s also possible that the pursuit of pleasure will enhance your creative powers, synergize your alliances, and lead you to new opportunities. Which way will you go? It all depends on the kinds of pleasures you pursue. The dumb, numbing, mediocre type will shrink your soul. The smart, intriguing, invigorating variety will expand your mind.

Got all that? Say “hell, no” to trivializing decadence so you can say “wow, yes” to uplifting bliss.

Make a guess about what you will be most proud of 15 years from today. t h i s w e e k ’ s h o m e w o r k // T E S T I F Y AT F R E E W I L L A S T R O L O G Y. C O M .

THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

ETC. // 45

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

TEX, a one-and-a-half year-old miniature Poodle-Yorkie mix, is ready to fill your life with energy!

He loves sweaters, cuddling and rolling around with his favorite stuffed toys. Tex gets along well with most other dogs, children, and adults.

Come and meet him with your family today!

ACROSS 1 Problem for an electrician 6 Athletes with agents 10 Beliefs, for short 14 True piece of information 18 One who’s quite a feller?

19 Jawed grip 20 Looking down from 21 In a high-minded way 22 Union man?

24 Airliner “table” 25 Intense passion 26 Doc 27 Hair gel, e.g.

29 Native 31 Surrenderer of property 33 Enthralled 35 Apprentices 36 This puzzle’s theme 39 Fast, tawny feline 40 Floating 42 Good Hindu spirit 43 Savanna 46 Winnie and the like 48 Catania’s volcano 51 Mature male red deer 52 Bedding down?

54 Forestalling 57 “Pong” producer 59 Legendary singer Horne and others 61 Wilt 62 Super-secret government org.

63 He went boating with Noah 64 Days before special days 66 Marina slots 68 Swab makeup 73 Awkward-looking picnic contest 76 “The ___-Spangled Banner”

OCTAVIA lives for her big red ball. Every morning she races to her dog yard to greet her toy, and she loves company.

This four year-old brindle Terrier mix is strong and strong-willed, but she is loyal to her people and listens well. She knows how to sit and heel, and she calms down quickly when she gets excited.

77 What carbon monoxide lacks 80 River of Venezuela 81 Soft palate feature 83 Parts of molecules 86 Man of steal?

88 Most cultured 91 Warren of Cooperstown 93 Mexican stew 94 Not out, in baseball 95 Two cents’ worth 97 Pajamas and such 99 Wood-chopping tools 102 Leg bone 104 Big name in small construction 105 Salon supply 106 Tirana’s land 109 Telephoned 110 Troops’ campsite 112 Layers of earth 114 Actor LaBeouf 116 Alley prowler 120 Strike down, Biblically 121 Cut-___ (cheap) 123 Shorten, in a way 125 San Francisco footballer, briefly 126 Secluded vale 127 “Dollar days” event, e.g.

128 Talk show name 129 Long, heroic narrative 130 Dame on the piano 131 Unclean food,

by Jewish law 132 Site of Germany’s 1945 surrender DOWN 1 Pillow cover 2 Daughter of Zeus 3 Was in the red 4 Ancient artifact 5 Upper arm muscle

6 Common pipe material, briefly 7 River to the Gulf of Mexico 8 Place in Norway 9 Lady of La Mancha 10 “Can ___ least get ready first?”

11 City in Ontario 12 Land for Lot’s descendants 13 Watch, secret agent-style 14 Shows compassion, in a way 15 Relinquishing power 16 Reasonable facsimile?

17 Radials, in Britain 21 Born yesterday, so to speak 23 Rounded protuberance 28 Insect organ 30 Curtain holder 32 Communicate

by PC 34 Palindromic ship deck 36 Turkish elder statesman (var.)

37 Unruly kids 38 The Duchess of York 41 Prefix with “dynamics” or “nuclear” 44 Window cleaner’s blemish 45 Star in Cygnus 47 Move in a hurry 49 Bloodhound’s asset 50 Literary miscellanies 53 Theater reviews, at times 55 Pirate’s take 56 Pull from the ground 58 Permeate

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 and hoarding and puppy mill situations.

Animals live on-site or with fosters 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.

MARBLES is shy around people but outgoing with other cats. The eightmonth-old Domestic Shorthair mix will do well in a home with a cat that needs a playmate; she is full of curiosity and playfulness. When given enough time, she comes out of her shell and lets her personality shine.

One look into her unique soft green eyes will melt your heart.

60 ___ message (made one’s point) 65 Assists, three-pointers, runs scored, etc.

67 “I’ll say!”

69 Computer menu option, sometimes 70 Latin eyes 71 Yield to pressure 72 Farm yield 73 Bends under stress 74 Field of study 75 Chewing the fat 78 Lubricated a squeak 79 Four-part race 82 Inhales water, e.g.

84 Easily shaped 85 One of a ream 87 Taxi passenger 89 “Black gold” 90 “Oompah” instrument 92 Annul 96 Anchovy containers 98 Hollow, muffin-shaped pastry 100 Key with an arrow, once 101 Respectful address 103 Terror-struck 106 AARP and NAACP, for two 107 Microsoft smartphone 108 “Garfield” exclamation 111 Griffith of boxing 113 “A ___ of Two Cities” 115 Certain constructing beam 117 City near Bogota 118 “Lemme ___!” (fightin’ words) 119 Decade numbers 122 CPO’s superior 124 Gridiron “zebra”

LEO is a gentle giant, ready to fill your life with love. This five-year-old Domestic Longhair mix was declawed before he came to us, so he will probably do best in a single-cat home. He’s a sensitive one, easily overwhelmed by large spaces and loud noises. He loves to cuddle with his people, and will do well in a medium- to low-energy home.

Universal sUnday Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker

CrUnCHy? By alice Goodwin

© 2015 Universal Uclick 46 // ETC.

GINGER is a six-monthold Australian Cattle Dog mix. As a herd dog, Ginger knows to sit on command, but she doesn’t like being still for long. She’s afraid of men in hats, but she bonds quickly with women. Ginger loves to have a job, especially if it involves running.

12/20 December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016 // THE TULSA VOICE

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THE TULSA VOICE // December 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016

ETC. // 47

Pleas e re cycle this issue.